Chapter 127: Balancing the Relationship

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Balancing the Relationship

The moment Que Hongjin kissed her, Qiao Suluo felt his breath, and her body gave an uncontrollable, soft tremble.

The refreshing cedarwood scent on him enveloped her, leaving her hopelessly intoxicated. Her fingertips involuntarily tightened their grip on the fabric of his clothes as she tilted her head up to respond to him.

Worried that she would grow tired standing like this, Que Hongjin wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her up while still kissing her, and pressed her against the door. His aura was domineering now, overwhelming her like a fierce storm.

Qiao Suluo’s eyes were dazed, making her look inexplicably endearing.

Que Hongjin’s breath grew scorching hot, a suppressed sigh escaping between their lips. Just as she was about to run out of breath and let out a faint whimper, he finally pulled away, though clearly wanting more. He held her tightly, trying to steady his breathing.

Qiao Suluo looked at him with watery eyes, noticing the restrained expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

Que Hongjin gazed at her, the corners of his eyes flushed red, and his breathing erratic. "What do you think, wife? If you feel bad for me, why not keep me company tonight?"

Qiao Suluo’s temples throbbed. She was afraid that if she agreed to his request just like that, the others would break into a fight once they walked out. She still had to figure out a way to keep them from fighting and balance their relationships.

Que Hongjin helplessly pressed his lips against hers once more, greedily breathing in her scent. "You are truly heartless, wife."

"No, that’s not it," Qiao Suluo hurriedly explained. "I want to get to the bottom of the Qin Family’s matters tonight. When Chu Moyuan and I went grocery shopping today, we ran into Qin Siyan..."

She then recounted what Qin Siyan had said and done, adding, "Qin Siyan definitely won’t let this go. So, we need to figure this out first and eliminate the threat of the Qin Family."

Que Hongjin gently stroked her hair. "Alright, I’ll listen to you."

If he were still the Young Master of the Peacock Family, he could have easily dealt with a mere Qin Family. But now, even people like the Qin Family dared to threaten his wife. A trace of viciousness surged in Que Hongjin’s heart, radiating a chilling glint. He harbored murderous intent, but since his wife wanted to handle it this way, he would let her.

Seeing the look in Que Hongjin’s eyes, Qiao Suluo reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned into his embrace with a sense of reliance. "I want you to be happy. I also want to use my own strength to protect you all."

Although she wasn’t strong enough right now, she would work hard to become stronger.

Hearing these words, Que Hongjin’s heart softened into a puddle of warm water. "As long as my wife is always by my side, I will be happy."

In his heart, nothing and no one was more important than her.

Qiao Suluo smiled sweetly. "Of course, I will always be by your side."

Looking at the smile on her face, Que Hongjin felt as if the fatigue of the entire day had simply vanished. Only his wife could make him relax so effortlessly.

"Weren’t you hungry?" Que Hongjin asked gently. "Let’s go out and eat first."

"Okay."

When Que Hongjin walked out of the room with Qiao Suluo, Chu Moyuan and Bai Qianluo shot him a glance, naturally knowing exactly what he had just done. However, they wouldn’t do anything to upset their wife either.

"Wife, the skewers are all grilled," they called out.

Qiao Suluo and Que Hongjin sat down together. "Then let’s roll them up in small flatbreads." She brought out sauce packets and seasonings, teaching everyone how to eat them.

This method of eating was quite novel, but once they took a bite, they realized just how delicious it was. The aroma of the meat, wrapped in the scent of sauce and green onions, mingled with the smoky air. Only upon eating it did they experience how the flavors exploded on their tongues, stimulating their taste buds and leaving them craving more after just a single bite.

Whether it was Que Hongjin, Bai Qianluo, or Chu Moyuan, they had all once held extremely noble statuses. They were used to consuming only the absolute best, and dining at the number one restaurant in the Capital City was an everyday occurrence for them. They had eaten all sorts of meat dishes before, but no cooking method had ever yielded something this delectable. Even the meat Qiao Suluo had previously roasted on the stone pot paled in comparison.

Eating her skewer wrapped in flatbread, Qiao Suluo also found it incredibly tasty. She loved eating it like this.

"This is exactly the flavor. It’s delicious! How is it for you guys?"

"It’s great."

"You can always make novel foods for us, wife, delicacies we’ve never tasted before."

They didn’t know where she learned to make these dishes. Que Hongjin and Bai Qianluo knew she wasn’t the original owner of this body, but they didn’t know where she came from, nor had they ever asked.

"If you like it, I’ll make it more often, or I’ll cook some other good food," Qiao Suluo said. "When I have some free time later, I’ll brew some wine. Drinking wine while eating barbecue is also a great combination."

Que Hongjin listened quietly. He realized he had fallen in love with this current life, with his wife by his side. Now, everything about the Peacock Family felt as though it was very far away.

Qiao Suluo also enjoyed the feeling of the whole family gathering in the yard, enjoying the breeze and eating barbecue. It gave off a very slow, relaxed rhythm. As she ate her skewers, Qiao Suluo thought about how she could make some fried chicken later; crispy fried chicken would be fantastic too.

Chu Moyuan looked slightly surprised. "You know how to brew wine, wife?" He knew she could cook all sorts of delicious food, but as far as he knew, the skill of brewing wine was monopolized by a few noble families.

Qiao Suluo nodded. "Yes, but brewing takes time. When I’m free, I’ll brew some for everyone to try."

She had made some sweet fermented rice wine before, a low-alcohol rice wine, but Chu Moyuan hadn’t been there at the time.

Chu Moyuan looked down at Qiao Suluo, his gaze growing deeper, though it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Everyone ate well and felt completely full after the meal.

Once they finished, Qiao Suluo and the others grilled some more skewers, wrapped them up, and packed them into two baskets. "One is for Tushan Feishang, and the other is for Gu Songlan and his household."

"Who’s going to deliver it to Tushan Feishang?"

"I’ll go," Que Hongjin offered. "I can fly there, so it’ll be faster."

Bai Qianluo and Chu Moyuan then accompanied Qiao Suluo to Gu Songlan’s place.

When Dongqing saw Qiao Suluo, he was stunned by her beauty for quite a while, completely failing to recognize her. "Miss, who are you looking for?"

"Dongqing, it’s me, Qiao Suluo."

Dongqing’s eyes widened in shock before he finally snapped back to his senses. "Miss Qiao, you’ve lost so much weight all of a sudden! I almost didn’t recognize you. The dumplings you made yesterday were incredibly delicious. Not only did my Young Master love them, but even Mr. Yue finished his entire portion."

He felt that Yue Hanzheng was just being a hypocrite. He clearly loved the food, yet he always insisted on giving Miss Qiao a cold shoulder whenever she visited.

Qiao Suluo exchanged some pleasantries with Dongqing with a smile before being led inside.

Upon entering the backyard and seeing Gu Songlan, she took out the barbecue from her basket.

The moment Gu Songlan saw Qiao Suluo, he also froze briefly, seemingly not expecting her to have lost so much weight after just one day apart. Seeing the eager look in Dongqing’s eyes, smelling the aroma of the food, and recalling Qiao Suluo’s culinary skills, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He could only say softly, "If there are any herbs you fancy, Miss Qiao, feel free to take them."

"I’m not here for herbs," Qiao Suluo said, looking a little embarrassed. "Young Master Gu already gave me quite a few yesterday. Today, I mainly wanted to ask you about something."

Those herbs had allowed her to exchange for a lot of points in her spatial dimension, which in turn helped her lose all that weight so quickly. She was still very grateful to Gu Songlan.

Gu Songlan personally invited Qiao Suluo and her companions to sit down and poured them tea before speaking in a clear, mellow voice, "Please feel free to ask whatever is on your mind, Miss Qiao."

Qiao Suluo got straight to the point. "I heard that your esteemed father previously treated Eldest Young Master Qin’s condition. I wonder if you might know anything about his health situation?"