"Why is the meal so lavish today?"
"Our daughter made it herself," Madam Mo replied with a gratified smile, stepping forward to pour a cup of water for her husband.
"Oh? Then we are in for a treat tonight. Li'er's skills are even a cut above the head chefs at Julong Zhai."
"Truly?" Mo Zhanchen asked, his eyes already fixed on the steaming dishes.
"Father, stop praising me and eat. The food is getting cold," Mo Lixia said, placing a tender piece of beef in Mo Wushang's bowl before serving her mother.
"Mmm, Sister's medical skills are amazing, but her cooking is even better!" Mo Zhanchen exclaimed, reaching for a piece of the spicy chicken.
"If Brother likes it, I'll cook for you every day."
"No," Madam Mo interrupted firmly. "I won't allow it. It's not good for a young girl to be in the kitchen all day, smelling of oil and smoke. Mother forbids it."
The siblings shared a knowing, playful smile. The atmosphere was thick with the warmth of a family finally made whole.
"Brother, how is Mochen doing at Ying Tian Academy?"
"I happened to pass by today," Zhanchen replied. "The teacher says the boy is exceptionally bright, though he's still a bit shy since he just arrived."
"He just needs time to adjust and make some friends," Mo Wushang added while peeling a vegetable for his wife.
Lixia nodded, though a trace of worry lingered in her heart. Sensing her thoughts, Madam Mo suggested, "If you're too worried, we can have him return home every evening as a day student."
Lixia shook her head. "No, staying there is good. It will help him build his own social circle." Though she used the modern term "social circle," her mother didn't question it, simply nodding in agreement.
The Idea for an Invention
After dinner, Lixia returned to her own quarters. Her room was elegantly decorated with pale pink gauze curtains and a comfortable sandalwood bed. To the left stood a polished dressing table, and to the right, a spacious wardrobe leading to a private bath.
As the maids prepared hot water, Lixia felt a bit awkward being served so intimately. "You may leave. I can bathe myself," she instructed. Knowing her temperament, the maids waited outside the door.
Lixia used the traditional saponins (皂角) to wash her hair, but the harsh, earthy scent bothered her. Ever since I came here, I've become pampered and picky, she thought with a sigh. Maybe I should make some proper soap—not just for laundry, but for bathing and hair care. Pure, natural, and far superior to what they have here. I tried it back in the mountains... I wonder if it would sell in the Capital?
She decided to make some for her family first. Lately, she had been so immersed in family life that she was becoming a bit lazy. Seeing her future sister-in-law, Leng Xue, running a business so independently had reignited Lixia's own ambitions.
The Flame Flower and the "Perfect" Noble Lady
Just as she finished her bath, A'Mu scurried through the window, clutching a small, pristine white flower with broad leaves.
"A'Mu! Where have you been for the past two days?" Lixia scooped up the muddy creature and promptly dunked it into the warm bathwater.
"Squeak!"
"Hush, stay still and get clean."
She dried A'Mu with a soft cotton cloth and focused on the flower. It looked familiar. She pulled out the ancient medical tome left by her master and flipped through the pages. Finally, she found it: The Flame Flower. It was an incredibly rare herb used to treat "cold" constitutions. It only grew in places balanced by perfect sunlight and moonlight, and its medicinal properties were only effective while fresh.
Lixia spent a long time finding a suitable spot in her backyard to plant it. "Will it grow, Miss?" Xiqiu asked, watching Hongshang loosen the soil.
"We'll try. It's useless if it withers anyway."
A'Mu nodded in agreement from her shoulder.
"A'Mu is so smart," Hongshang laughed. "Miss, your pet must be the most unique in all of the Capital."
"That's true," Xiqiu added. "I heard the Prime Minister's daughter, Miss Beiye Yinman, used to have a pure white fox. People said it was beautiful."
"A fox?" Lixia asked.
"Yes. But it hasn't been seen since the Hundred Flower Festival last year. Some say it bit Miss Yinman and she had it killed. Others say it just got lost."
"If it bit her, she must have been very heartbroken to lose it," Lixia remarked, stroking A'Mu's fur.
"Who knows?" Xiqiu and Hongshang shared a look. "They say Miss Yinman is very kind and exceptionally talented. She's won the top title at the Hundred Flower Festival two years in a row."
"The Hundred Flower Festival?"
Xiqiu explained that it was an annual gathering for the Capital's elite to compose poetry, paint, and play music—often serving as a glamorous, high-society matchmaking event.
The Kirin Legacy
As night fell, Lixia retreated to her desk. She opened an old, exquisite box containing her savings. Between her own earnings and the gifts from Mochen's father, she had about 50,000 taels.
Is 50,000 enough to open a perfume or spice shop in the Capital? she wondered.
Her fingers brushed against a translucent yellow jade seal. Carved with intricate patterns, it depicted a Kirin carrying a medicine man under the moon. On the base were four characters: Kirin Pharmacy.
Lixia decided it was time to visit that pharmacy. It was her master's legacy, and she owed it to him to see what had become of it. With her plans set and A'Mu curled up beside her, she finally drifted into a peaceful sleep.