Chapter 1688 - 1683: Second Uncle and Fifth Uncle

"Thank you, little brother!" Zhao Erbiao bowed to Song.

Then he turned to Mu Shuangshuang and said, "Da Niu, follow Song and do what you need to do. Once your own matter is settled, rejoin us so we can head Northwest on the escort mission together!

This trip wouldn’t be half as exciting without your cheeky antics, kid. Honestly, I wouldn’t be interested in taking on this escort mission without you!"

Zhao Erbiao openly expressed his fondness for Mu Shuangshuang in front of Song.

On one hand, it was genuine sentiment.

On the other, he hoped Song would treat her well.

"Brother Zhao, since you’re here, why not join us for lunch today?" suggested Song.

"Alright! But I’ve heard your wife can’t cook. Did you get the kitchen sorted?" Zhao Erbiao asked casually.

Song looked a bit embarrassed and shook his head, "She did bring along a maid, but unfortunately, she’s no good at cooking either!

I was planning to move into a bigger house and hire a chef once we settle down, so I’ve been dealing with meals on my own!"

"Yourself? You?" Zhao Erbiao glanced at Song, visibly worried.

"Brother, if you think my cooking is no good, we can go out to eat, seriously!" Song said sheepishly.

Mu Shuangshuang, seeing this, chimed in, "I’ll do it! My family used to run a restaurant; I learned a few dishes from the chefs secretly!"

"Really?" Song looked at Mu Shuangshuang with delight.

He disliked cooking; just yesterday, he almost burned the kitchen down.

Scared his wife—well, she’s not quite his wife yet—almost fled in terror.

"Of course! But it depends on the ingredients! Where’s the kitchen? Show me!" Mu Shuangshuang replied.

"Let me take you!" Wan Fu spoke up.

Mu Shuangshuang nodded, "Alright!"

Mu Shuangshuang went to cook, with Zhao Erbiao insisting on watching and Song couldn’t resist his curiosity either.

A bunch of men then followed her into the kitchen to see how Mu Shuangshuang cooked.

Mu Shuangshuang wandered around the kitchen; there were indeed plenty of cooking materials.

There’s even beef!

Perfect, I can make beef skewers, though I’ll need to make the skewers myself.

"Brother Wan, give me the bamboo and a knife, I need to do some prep work!" Mu Shuangshuang said.

When she spoke, Wan Fu looked disappointed.

Bamboo and a knife—it seemed like she was preparing firewood?

Was this kid bluffing?

He glanced at Zhao Erbiao, who also looked puzzled.

He exchanged looks with Wan Fu and Song, as he hadn’t seen Mu Shuangshuang cook either.

So, the three men just watched intently.

Watching Mu Shuangshuang split the bamboo into skewers.

Then they watched her wash various kitchen tools and the ingredients she intended to use.

The first thing Mu Shuangshuang chopped was beef. As she picked up the knife, Zhao Erbiao and Wan Fu began to see her in a different light.

She seemed like she knew her way around the kitchen.

When she cut the beef into uniform chunks, the three men grew more confident they would enjoy a great lunch today.

Inside, Mrs. Meng heard from the maid about Mu Shuangshuang cooking and came over to watch.

Mrs. Meng was a wealthy young lady in the county. Her acquaintance with Song was purely by chance.

For Song, she’s sacrificed quite a bit.

Yet despite this, she wouldn’t do laundry or cook!

Thankfully, Song didn’t mind, as long as she was happy and carefree.

Mrs. Meng joined Song and the men at the kitchen door to watch Mu Shuangshuang cook.

"I’ve never seen a man cook this well before; have you?" Mrs. Meng asked.

The three men led by Song all nodded.

"Absolutely not! I’ve never seen it before. Those radish shreds, aren’t they finer than thread? Such skill could land him a job as a chef! Brother Zhao, where did you find this cook?" Song asked curiously.

"You wouldn’t guess by this kid’s looks, but he’s talented! Once, when transporting goods and heading to Xing City, he warned the escort masters ahead of time, helping them return safely.

Otherwise, on the Northwest route, the escort masters would have suffered grave losses. Later, he even ventured alone into territory where two armies clashed! Truly, he’s a courageous man, full of grit!"

Zhao Er Biao explained.

Hearing his words, Song grew more impressed with Mu Shuangshuang.

Real men appreciate those with grit and courage.

What does appearance matter anyway; a bad face is better than a wicked heart!

They watched Mu Shuangshuang as lunchtime approached.

For lunch, there was beef skewers, Kung Pao Chicken, braised spare ribs, a vegetable tofu dish, several greens, and a Guihua fish soup.

Just looking at the table full of dishes was mouth-watering.

"Da Niu, you’ve cooked some fine dishes!" Zhao Erbiao was the first to commend.

Mu Shuangshuang smiled broadly and said, "As long as you all enjoy, that’s what counts! As for my skills, I wasn’t very diligent when learning; this is just amateur level!"

"You call that amateur?? Then what does that make us!" Wan Fu quipped.

Song also nodded at Mu Shuangshuang.

Even Mrs. Meng dared to look at Mu Shuangshuang’s face.

After a closer look, she thought perhaps it wasn’t so unattractive after all.

Mrs. Meng reassured herself with this thought.

A meal with dishes naturally calls for wine.

The men drank, and as they did, their tongues loosened.

Especially Song, who somehow steered the conversation to the dock steward.

"You guys have no idea, ever since a dock steward office was set up, we’ve had to pay fees. Even those of us at Zhenyuan Escort Agency, despite helping the government when needed, have to pay!" Song said.

"Pay fees? A lot?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.

"A lot! Why not a lot? Especially these days, although we’ve just paid passage fees, they’re collecting again!"

"Isn’t anyone overseeing this?" Mu Shuangshuang inquired.

"Government has the final say, not us common folk. Before, a trip to the Capital meant decent earnings. Now, after such extortion, our earnings have dropped significantly. But who dares to go against the government; without their permit, we can’t even enter the Capital’s territory!" Song explained.

"I heard you can find someone to smooth things over!" Mu Shuangshuang suggested.

"Smooth things over? Are you referring to the steward’s two dogs?" Song asked.

The steward’s two dogs?

Her second uncle and fifth uncle?

"I’m not sure, just heard from others!" Mu Shuangshuang replied.

"Hah, those two are worse than scum! They extort money without care for others’ troubles.

Plus, I’ve heard privately, if you pay them extra, they let people bring in things they couldn’t otherwise!" Song said, with a mysterious look.

Zhao Erbiao frowned, originally intending to cut off Song’s words.

But seeing they were all close friends—with Mrs. Meng being his wife—he decided not to intervene!

"What things?" Mu Shuangshuang asked.