Considering the problem of oil fumes, the stove on the official ship was set up on the upper deck for easy dispersal of the fumes. The walls and floors of the stove were painted with fire-resistant red paint, the main material of which was a resin called "insect-eating tree" that could resist water and fire.

Search "pawread dot com" for the original.

Therefore, this tree was widely promoted and planted by the Ministry of Works and widely used in the construction industry.

Inside the stove, several cooks were preparing lunch, sweating profusely in the dead of winter. A large pot of fish soup was stewing in the pot, and the steam was "gurgling" against the lid, with a strong aroma permeating.

Xu Qi'an came to the stove sniffing the fragrance and opened the pot, asking, "Is the fish soup ready?"

"It will be ready soon!"

The cooks were surprised that a big shot would enter this smoky stove.

Xu Qi'an stared at the slightly brownish fish soup, which was due to the addition of soy sauce. He sniffed the aroma and said, "Give me a spoon."

One of the cooks obediently handed over a spoon, and Xu Qi'an scooped up some soup and tasted it, exclaiming, "The earthy smell is very faint."

Due to the seasoning and cooking skills, most of the river fish in this world had a strong earthy smell that could not be eliminated. Of course, the best restaurants were exceptions, such as Guiyuelou, where the chefs were highly skilled.

The cook boasted, "Your Lordship, we who float on water usually eat fish. There is no one in the world who knows how to eat fish better than us. How to get rid of the earthy smell, hehe... we have a secret method."

He deliberately kept it secret.

Xu Qi'an chuckled, "I also have a secret recipe that can increase the freshness of this pot of fish soup by several times."

The cook did not believe it but did not refute it because he dared not. However, his disdainful emotions were not concealed.

Xu Qi'an took out a porcelain bottle containing chicken essence.

"Your, Your Lordship..."

The cooks were shocked. They had served many officials on the official ship and were naturally sensitive to the food.

If the officials on board were poisoned to death, they would also have to be buried with them.

"Don't be afraid. You can try the poison later." Xu Qi'an comforted them.

The cooks were not comforted at all but became more worried.

Xu Qi'an poured a little into the pot, tasted it, added a little more if it was not enough, tasted it again, repeated several times, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Come and taste it!" He scooped up a small spoonful of fish soup and handed it to the cook who had spoken.

The cook was emboldened by Xu Qi'an's tasting and hesitated for a moment before taking the spoon and drinking a sip. In an instant, he widened his eyes.

The fragrant fish soup soaked his taste buds, and with an uncontrollable roll of his throat, it rushed into his stomach.

The lingering aftertaste between his lips and teeth was long-lasting.

"It's, it's so delicious..." The cook was excited. "Your Lordship, what secret recipe is this? It's such a magical secret recipe. Please teach me."

Xu Qi'an chuckled.

...

Zhang, the governor, sat on the couch, supporting his forehead, enduring the rocking of the ship during the voyage. After taking the pill given by the white-robed sorcerer, he felt much better.

The attendant brought hot tea and said, "My Lord, after passing the jurisdiction of the capital, the wind on the river will be less, and you will not have a headache."

Zhang nodded and took the tea to drink.

"It's time for lunch. Let me get it for you." The attendant said.

"No need." Zhang waved his hand and pinched his brow, "I have a dizzy head and no appetite...."

As soon as he finished speaking, his nostrils twitched, "What's that smell?"The open window let in the fragrant smell of the river breeze, arousing Governor Zhang's appetite and causing his saliva to flow faster.

"Gulu..." His attendants swallowed their saliva and looked outside with wandering eyes, their minds elsewhere.

After a moment of contemplation, Governor Zhang said, "Well, even if I have no appetite, I cannot fight my body. Get me some food... Hmm, that fish soup may be too fishy, but I cannot just have it to myself. I must share it with the soldiers."

The attendant happily agreed and ran out of the room, thinking that the governor was truly a man of letters who spoke so eloquently.

Xu Qi'an and his colleagues sat in the spacious hall, eating and chatting.

"This fish soup is incredible. I've never had such a flavorful soup in my life."

"Indeed, even the fishy smell is fragrant."

"If I could drink this fish soup every day, I would be willing to stay on the ship for the rest of my life."

The Nightwatchers ate with sweat pouring down their faces, enjoying the surprisingly delicious fish soup.

Jiang Lvzhong sat alone at a table, closing his eyes and savoring the unforgettable taste. He called over a servant and asked curiously, "This fish soup is extraordinary. I've never tasted anything like it. How did you make it?"

There must be a secret recipe... Jiang Lvzhong thought to himself.

The servant immediately looked at Xu Qi'an and said, "It's that gentleman's secret recipe. It has nothing to do with me."

The Nightwatchers all turned to look at Xu Qi'an.

"I don't have much of it myself. It's a secret recipe from the Bureau of Heavenly Masters," Xu Qi'an said immediately.

He knew that this group of Nightwatchers had no morals, especially Jiang Lvzhong, who would find ways to ask him for it.

At that moment, three young white-robed sorcerers in the corner spoke up. "It was taught to us by Master Xu. There's no need to argue about it."

These sorcerers are really stubborn... Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

At that moment, a group of armored guards entered the cabin, sniffing the delicious smell of fish soup and silently receiving their meager meals.

There were twenty copper gongs, six silver gongs, and one golden gong, as well as Governor Zhang's three attendants and one hundred Tiger Guards accompanying them on their mission to Yunzhou. In total, there were one hundred and thirty-one people.

The Tiger Guards lived in a small, dark cabin and did not have the same good food as the Nightwatchers, so they did not have any of the fish soup.

The thin men silently twitched their noses and looked longingly at the fish soup.

Xu Qi'an thought for a moment and called over a servant. "Is there any more fish on the ship? If not, go catch some and make a pot of fish soup for the soldiers. Make sure everyone gets a serving."

He handed the porcelain bottle to the servant. "If it's not enough, come find me."

The Tiger Guards' eyes lit up, and they involuntarily straightened their backs and said in unison, "Thank you, sir."

"I'm surnamed Xu," Xu Qi'an said, nodding his head.

"Thank you, Sir Xu."

At that moment, Governor Zhang's attendants walked in and said loudly, "Is there any more fish soup? My lord still wants some."

Everyone laughed heartily, and the cabin was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

...

In the capital city, before dusk.Xu Xinnian returned to the capital and prepared to go home to get some clean clothes, as well as rice, flour, and silver.

Students studying at Yunlu Academy had to pay a fee every three months, and they had to bring their own rice and flour. The academy provided accommodation but not meals.

Therefore, Xu Erlang would regularly return home to give the dirty clothes that he didn't have time to wash to the servants, and also bring enough money and food for three months.

"Phew..."

He stopped his horse outside the Xu residence and was surprised to find that the gate was locked.

This was not a small matter. Even if the owner was not at home, the gate would be locked from the inside, and a lock on the outside usually meant that there was no one in the house.

Xu Erlang's heart sank, and he had a bad feeling.

He dismounted and came to the wall, took a deep breath, and loudly said, "Feiyan Zoubi!"

After finishing the incantation, he silently took a few steps back, feeling the surging power filling his limbs. With a short run, he leaped over the three-meter-high wall and landed steadily.

The house was quiet, and there was no one inside.

Xu Xinnian walked from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard, pushing open the doors of his sister's, parents', and servants' rooms... but they were all empty.

The most critical thing was that everything in the house had been moved out, leaving only empty beds but no blankets.

Where is my home? My big family... oh, it's still here, but where did my family go? Xu Erlang stood in the courtyard, bewildered, contemplating his life.

"The gate is locked but not sealed, which means that my elder brother did not commit another crime... everything in the house has been moved out, but there is no dust on the ground, and it is very clean, which means that it was not looted..."

Using his intelligence as a juren, Xu Erlang deduced the result: they had moved.

Why did they move without notifying me? Did they forget that there was a second son in Yunlu Academy? Xu Xinnian was angry and wanted to curse.

This is bad... he suddenly changed his expression, quickly buffed himself, climbed over the wall, mounted his horse, and planned to leave the capital before the city gate closed.

At this time, there was a faint sound of drums in the distance, which was the sound of the city gate closing.

...

New residence.

Xu Ershu had to work the night shift today and had to leave after dinner.

His wife looked at him and asked, "By right, Erlang should be back soon. He didn't bring much money and food last time."

As a mother, she naturally cared about her son and estimated his return time.

"Probably in these few days." Xu Ershu said casually.

"Did you write to him?" his wife asked.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" his wife raised her eyebrows.

"I didn't ask." Xu Ershu replied, finished his last bite of food, hung his sword on his waist, and put on his helmet.

"I'm leaving. Keep an eye on the bell tonight and don't let her go near the well again. Also, don't be suspicious all the time. The house is not haunted."

After speaking, Xu Ershu left.

That night, he led a team of Royal Guards to patrol the outer city. When passing by his ancestral home, he found a figure squatting at the gate, holding his knees, and shivering in the cold wind.

There was also a horse next to him, lazily snorting and pawing the ground.

There was no curfew in the outer city, and the people could move around without restriction. However, the Royal Guards had the power to question and inspect people. Seeing someone squatting at his own gate, Xu Ershu immediately led his men over.Just as he was about to ask, the torchlight illuminated the scholar's Confucian robe, and he suddenly felt familiar.

Uncle Xu was a little stunned, thinking to himself, "Could it be...?"

"Er Lang?" he asked uncertainly.

The scholar slowly raised his head, handsome and peerless, with a tired expression. He was indeed Xu Erlang.

The father and son silently stared at each other for a long time, and Uncle Xu's scalp went numb. "Why don't you go to the inn?"

The damn Xu Ningyan hadn't really written to his brother.

"I'm out of money."

"Why not stay at the government office?"

"My horse would be stolen."

"Why not go back to the academy?"

"The city gates are closed."

"...We moved to the inner city and forgot to tell you. Well, there's a curfew in the inner city, so I'll take you to the inn."

Xu Erlang slowly turned his head away. "This humble one has no family."

Uncle Xu: "....."

...

At night, the lonely moon hung high.

The official boat had limited rooms, and Xu Qi'an, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao didn't have the privilege of a separate room. They slept in a room with bunk beds.

It was the kind of bunk bed that was arranged in a row.

He turned his head and looked to the left, where Song Tingfeng was facing him. He looked to the right, where Zhu Guangxiao was facing him.

Xu Qi'an suddenly remembered a joke: If you sleep between a man and a woman, do you face your butt towards the man or the woman?

Facing the woman's butt would be seen as gay, and facing the man's butt would have the risk of being kicked. In this situation, Xu Qi'an chose to lie down and sleep...he thought to himself, while the door was knocked.

Outside the door came the voice of Zhang, the governor's follower. "Mr. Xu, my master would like to invite you."

PS: I don't have a draft, so if I get stuck while writing, it will delay the update time.