Chapter 422: Monkey Head

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

“The Gu Family sent a letter the day before yesterday. They said that they would definitely come back on the day of your coming-of-age ceremony. This is the first time your father and grandfather have officially met after so many years. Mother knows that you have many ideas. Can you think of a way to help your Father and grandfather resolve the issue in their hearts?”

Xiaoxiao recalled how Father had been engrossed in studying the new dishes in the kitchen these few days. She patted her chest and said, “Mother, don’t worry. Leave it to me!” The key was that this was not difficult. Father had always been good at cooking and he had never been troubled even when he made lists for the Emperor. How could he be troubled by the menu of a mere coming-of-age ceremony? It was all because the guests were a little special.

They were especially important, probably, and especially missed.

Xiaoxiao looked at the door for a long time. Seeing that her father was about to put down another dish that he was dissatisfied with, she volunteered to “handle” it.

The General’s Residence advocated thrift, so even if there was not a lot of food to try, everyone would not waste it. Recently, the maids and servants in the residence had been blessed with good food, making Xiaoxiao envious.

Gu Chang’an’s culinary skills were comparable to hers now. In terms of taste, he was even better.

There were not so many condiments in ancient times. When he cooked, he emphasized on the deliciousness of the ingredients. Xiaoxiao felt ashamed of her inferiority. As for the knife skills and fire control, practice made perfect. They had been the same since ancient times, so the only advantage she could be slightly proud of was innovation.

After she finished tasting the vegetables and wiped her mouth, Xiaoxiao took out a bamboo shoot mysteriously. “Father, look at this.”

Gu Chang’an knew that she had made sour bamboo shoots to change the Ning Family’s poverty, but this item was really not suitable for a banquet. Just as he did not know how to persuade her, he saw his daughter hollow out the tip of the bamboo shoot, modify the bamboo shoot’s body, and stuff a piece of Monkey Head Mushroom [1. It is the Lion’s Mane Mushroom.] into the hollow. “Father, look, what does this look like?”

“There are edible dishes everywhere. If we can make brushes that we can write and eat, won’t we be unprecedented?”

Gu Chang’an’s gaze changed from confusion to surprise. Xiaoxiao struck while the iron was hot. “It just so happens that Little Big Brother Ah Yan has obtained some Monkey Head Mushrooms recently. They’re the most suitable to be used as pen tips. He still has some wild animals there. They’re suitable for making broth.”

Gu Chang’an laughed at her. “You’re not soft-hearted when you take other people’s things, but where did he get these?”

Xiaoxiao widened her innocent eyes. “Father, you know that we bought a mountain in Fortune Village, right? Little Big Brother wants to find an empty mountain near the capital. He got these while patrolling the mountain.” She increasingly felt that sharing the secret of the space with Little Big Brother was a wise move. Look, she could push everything onto him. Not only would he not expose her, but she could also get Little Big Brother to smooth things over for her. It was very convenient.

The next day, Rong Yan indeed sent over top-notch Monkey Head Mushrooms and a bunch of wild game delicacies. Gu Chang’an was very satisfied and immediately immersed himself in researching the new dish, “Royal Brush Monkey Head”.

How to make the ink color and how to make it look good without affecting the taste were all things that Chef Gu had to consider. Xiaoxiao had nothing to do again, so she simply brought the guards her parents insisted on her to wander on the streets.

This time, she went out to check on the progress of the book house and found an empty shop to rent.

The workers did not dare to neglect the work of the royal family. Every bookcase was built strictly according to the blueprints given by Xiaoxiao. Of course, there were a few people who could not stay idle and said that this towering bookcase was neither beautiful nor inconvenient, but they were all ignored by the General’s Residence.

The function of the bookhouse had long been spread. Hence, the commoners looked forward to the completion of the bookhouse more than the officials so that their sons could touch the expensive books.

The lives of the citizens in the Imperial Capital were a little richer than those in other places, but it was not to the extent of casually supporting scholars. It was difficult to find a book. Even if there were students who were willing to copy books to supplement their family’s expenses, there were still very few books that were enough to be sold in bookstores.

Whether the handwriting was good or not, whether the font and size were uniform, this alone was enough to make the results of many people copying books all night invalid.

Hence, when the magnificent bookcases in the bookhouse were completed, the craftsmen could not help but ask.

“Miss, the bookcase was made according to your requirements, but can you really find so many books?”

Xiaoxiao waved her hand, indicating that she was fine. However, not to mention the craftsmen, even Rong Yan and Xiao Ran were worried about this matter.

“This bookstore in the Imperial Capital is more than 10 times larger than the one in Xijiang County. If we want to fill up the bookcases, we have to empty more than half of the bookstores in the Imperial Capital. The strange thing is…” Xiao Ran frowned. “Why do I hear that all the major bookstores have met rich people recently and they have reserved more than half of the books in the shop?”

This matter was really unusual, so they could naturally seek the Emperor’s help. However, in this way, Xiaoxiao’s reputation for being incompetent could not be swept away. Even if she did not have to enter the court and become an official, nor did she have to care about the treacherousness of the court, everyone felt uncomfortable.

“But this child is not anxious at all. She even told us not to worry.”

Rong Yan thought about the endless books in the mall and her crazy increase in points every day. He was indeed not that worried. “I believe in Xiaoxiao.”

Xiao Ran was both gratified and helpless. She was gratified that these two children trusted each other, but she was helpless that they might have blindly trusted each other.

Xiao Ran was in a hurry. She suddenly remembered that she had asked Xiaoxiao to help the Gu father and son reconcile not long ago. She was overjoyed. No one in the world would dare to claim to be number one if the Gu Family dared to say that they had the most books in the Imperial Capital.

Could it be that her daughter planned to use this opportunity to let her husband and the Gu Family interact again?

She touched her chin and felt that this was a good idea.

Gu Chang’an focused more on cooking, so he was not very clear about this matter. However, the news that the books in several bookstores had been reserved quickly spread throughout the Imperial Capital. Other than those who were watching the show, there were also people who were really worried for Xiaoxiao.

For example, Gu Ruoruo, who had secretly come to look for Xiaoxiao.

The little girl’s face was red as she pulled Xiaoxiao and whispered, “Let me tell you, although our Gu Family is not as rich as those nobles, in terms of book collection, they can’t catch up to us!”

“Not to mention others, just me can fill up a shelf of books for you. Don’t stand on ceremony with me!”

“How about this? I’ll get someone to send the books to your house tonight!” Xiaoxiao was very touched by her friend’s kindness. Not only Gu Ruoruo, but the Shen Family members she knew when she first came to the Imperial’ Capital also came one after another and expressed their willingness to help. As the saying went, true friends were revealed in adversity. Xiaoxiao treated them as real friends from the bottom of her heart.

“I appreciate your kindness, but I really don’t lack books. Come to my house tomorrow and eat more. I’ll prepare other delicious food for you in the kitchen later!”

Even if it was not enough now, she would fill up the bookstore quickly after her coming-of-age ceremony.

Tomorrow was her coming-of-age ceremony. The newly renovated book house also needed to dissipate its smell and clean up first. The Emperor had given her enough time, so Xiaoxiao was not in a hurry to report. However, in the eyes of others, she was at her wits’ end and could do nothing..