Chapter 1873 - 1853:

Chapter 1873: Chapter 1853:

"That’s nothing. Just now Tantan told us you two were worried about her and would definitely rush over, so she even sent Zhang Sheng out to take a look—then before long you just walked in." Qin Nuan laughed as she spoke.

As for why He Wenyu and Zhang Sheng hadn’t come in yet, there was no need to even think about it.

Luckily Forget Worries Tea House hasn’t opened yet, or those two really wouldn’t even have a place to talk.

"Tantan is that amazing? Come on, let big sis reward you with a fried egg." Luo Qianqian snickered, clearly not planning to wait for those two to finish talking, then turned and started blinking pitifully at Luo Yanran, who’d just been about to sit down.

Luo Yanran’s mouth twitched slightly, but in the end he still spoke helplessly: "So, is there something you want to eat?"

"Fourth Brother knows me best. I want a sandwich, with fried egg and ham, and some veggies. The egg needs to be soft-centered." Luo Qianqian bared her teeth in a grin. "Shiliu wants the same. I want two, don’t forget the tomato, add more sauce, and sprinkle some nori flakes."

Luo Yanran: "..." Do Third Uncle know you’re this picky?

Even Qin Nuan doesn’t have that many demands about breakfast, okay? This is absolutely pushing his patience to the limit, okay?

But... she’s his little sister, so he still got up obediently. He spoke to Luo Qianqian with resignation: "Do you want whole‑wheat bread or plain?"

"I choose corn." Luo Qianqian’s eyes rolled around and she answered decisively.

Qin Nuan watched Luo Yanran’s departing back and couldn’t help laughing: "Let me tell you, your Fourth Brother said this morning he didn’t know why his left eyelid kept twitching. Now it’s come true—it was warning him he wouldn’t get to eat a peaceful breakfast!"

Luo Qianqian curled her lip: "Feeling sorry for him? Then go help out. Men and women working together don’t get tired, husband and wife of one heart can cut through metal—go on, hurry up."

Just then Luo Yanran came out of the kitchen. Hearing this, he said dryly, "Forget it. Ever since your Fourth Sister‑in‑Law had the baby, her destructive power is catching up to you, our Darkness Cuisine Master. I don’t dare risk your stomach."

"???" Luo Qianqian was completely confused, then saw Qin Nuan’s face turn red, and became even more curious.

But Luo Yanran had already gone back into the kitchen. Luo Yanhai glanced at his Fourth Sister‑in‑Law and sighed: "It’s really nothing. She just made soup with pot‑washing water twice, and undercooked rice with burnt crust and stuff like that. Still can’t compare to your level."

Luo Qianqian: "..." So what exactly did I do that you people still can’t forget it?

But this is Qin Nuan we’re talking about, is it really that exaggerated? Pot‑washing water? That’s the kind of thing you don’t even dare imagine...

Qin Nuan’s face was bright red. And that was already him sparing her dignity—he hadn’t mentioned the time she rinsed the hotpot with a rag, or fried eggs with the shells still on.

Just then He Wenyu came in with Zhang Sheng, both of them looking very serious.

Luo Qianqian frowned slightly: "What’s with those faces? Homesick already?"

"No... the open‑audition notice is out. Ten days from now there’ll be a selection contest at East City Square..." He Wenyu shook his head, still looking odd. "The first round is..."

"What is it? Don’t tell me we have to do some kind of talent test right off the bat?" Luo Qianqian was immediately tense.

He Wenyu shook his head, exasperated: "It’s... singing. The reason given is they’re afraid the back mountain will start making ghost‑wailing noises and disturb the residents."

"...Pretty sure that’s Mo’s idea." Luo Qianqian blurted out.

And right then Mo had just walked into the courtyard and happened to hear this, instantly finding it hilarious: "How come nobody ever thinks of me when it’s something good? The Master Says we need to make the selection contest a kind of all‑round event, so people shift their attention from the weirdness at the back mountain to the contest. The first round is where most people get eliminated, so of course we need a gimmick that lets our people stay in."

"Hold on, Zhang Sheng might still manage something, but what about everyone else?" Luo Qianqian knitted her brows in confusion. "I don’t believe all of your ’plants’ are naturally gifted at this."

"That’s why I need to rely on you guys." Mo shrugged. "I’ve already contacted the people, but they’re outside the city, so you’ll need to go to Ji Lei for passes. Tonight I’ll take you out."

Passes? Isn’t that supposed to be a huge hassle to get? How come they’re acting like they’re handing out cabbages now?

Seeing the tacit look between Luo Qianqian and He Wenyu, Mo sighed: "Special circumstances, special treatment. But don’t push it. These few days happen to be the monthly assessment period, so nobody should be paying too much attention to you."

That was really talking against his conscience.

Not pay attention? There are only a handful of girls in the whole grade, and they won’t pay attention? As if!

But since they’re not going on stage anyway, there’s no need to worry too much.

Right now Luo Qianqian was staring at the top of Mo’s head: "So... did you spend last night crawling around in a dog kennel?"

Mo instinctively touched his head when he heard that, and felt a barely noticeable thread of spider silk. He smiled helplessly: "You noticed, huh? Keep it a secret."

Then he naturally stepped forward: "Oh right, I applied for protection for this place too. Here, take this—if something happens, crush it and someone will come immediately." As he spoke, he casually took out a Jade Pendant and tossed it to Qin Nuan.

Obviously, Luo Yanhai here is the front‑desk Shopkeeper, Luo Yanran is the back‑courtyard head chef, Lin Jiayou is the super stay‑at‑home dad, Cong Ying counts as his little fangirl, Zhang Sheng has a mission and will be leaving in a few days, and Tantan’s just a kid—so the only truly idle one is Qin Nuan. Having her hold onto it is the safest.

"No one’s going to be spying on us, right? My Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister‑in‑Law are still in their honeymoon phase..." Luo Qianqian asked quickly and warily.

Of course the honeymoon isn’t the issue—the issue is that Forget Worries Tea House has secrets.

"No." Mo shook his head. "They’re my people; they won’t do that kind of thing."

Hearing this, Luo Qianqian finally let out a breath.

Qin Nuan, however, was torn between laughing and crying. Honestly, have you ever seen a couple still in their honeymoon phase when the baby’s already weaned? But the feeling really isn’t much different from just after they got married; Luo Yanran still spoils her a lot.

It sometimes makes her worry that maybe Luo Yanran will eventually get tired of her because of this—because she’s too lazy.

But whenever she brings it up, Luo Yanran always laughs at her for being silly. He says he went through every hardship to marry this treasure home; how could he possibly let her be hurt because of her flaws?

It’s really touching to hear... but she still wants to help out somehow. And that’s what led to... the whole pot‑washing‑water incident, and so on...

She’s actually pretty helpless about it too, but Luo Yanran seems even more helpless, and can only spoil her more, tell her not to overthink.

But in an environment where everyone else has three wives and four concubines, Qin Nuan truly feels her worries aren’t baseless...