Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

After the departure of Huang Furo and the others, the matter of slaying the Eagle Demon also came to a close.

Shen Qing watched Zheng Yuanqiu, with a pained expression, instructing Chang Sui to clean up the demon's corpse, and he did not linger long in the Guardian Martial Department Office.

He bid farewell to Zheng Yuanqiu, swapped his duty token, and leisurely walked towards his own small residence he had purchased in Yongzhou.

Today, there were still many demons around Yongzhou, but from Shen Qing's observation, most of them were covertly concealed in the shadows, occasionally devouring a few people, but they had not yet openly opposed the county government office.

After all, standing behind the county town was the Great Zhou Court, with countless experts.

Those demons with awakened intelligence could easily learn of the terrors involved just by inquiring outside.

Demons like the Eagle Demon, who were tired of living high-profile and devoured humans, were actually uncommon.

In the following period, if Huang Tian Sect did not cause trouble, it was foreseeable that it would be a time of peace and relaxation.

The sky gradually darkened.

Shen Qing led his horse to the door of his house, just in time to see Shen Xiaoshan carrying a sack rushing home.

"Brother! You're back," Shen Xiaoshan called out loudly upon seeing Shen Qing nearby.

As he greeted him, he set down the fully laden sack and carried it with one hand to the door.

Shen Qing sized him up and said, "Has your cultivation progressed recently?"

"Eating so well every day at your place, how could it not progress?" Shen Xiaoshan said with a simple smile, "Now my strength is not small. I can carry a sack of soybeans with one hand without any problem."

"It seems you do have some talent for martial arts."

"Ah, I don't have any talent at all, just blindly practicing. Brother, you don't need to flatter me," he replied.

"What I said is the truth, not flattery. Keep practicing, and you will achieve something," Shen Qing advised.

Shen Qing patted his shoulder and pushed open the door.

Shen Xiaoshan tactfully took the reins from Shen Qing's hand, and with the other hand carrying a sack of beans, followed Shen Qing into the house.

In the small courtyard, a square table was set and the eldest sister, Shen Fang, wearing an apron, was serving a series of hot dishes. Upon seeing Shen Qing, a glint of joy flashed across her face: "Qingzi is back. Brother Xiao just finished cooking; we won't have to wait, let's eat while it's hot."

Shen Qing removed the long saber hanging at his waist, took off the Guardian Martial Department's black official robe, placed it in the cabinet at the doorway, and walked over to the table, stretching his neck to examine it closely, "So many dishes?"

"Brother Xiao came back early today and was not very busy, so he cooked some extra dishes. I'm not sure if they suit your taste," explained Elder Sister Shen Fang simply.

"Chef Xiao's skills are without question; he could support a tavern by himself," Shen Qing said, loosening his wrists, "It's getting late, call uncle and aunt over for dinner."

"I'll go call them."

Shortly after, Uncle Shen Er and Aunt Wang Family and others came out from the kitchen.

As usual, Shen Qing let them sit at the head of the table, and he took the secondary seat.

The rest, including Shen Xiaoshan, Xiao Zhi, Tian Xiaohu, and Elder Sister remained unwilling to take the seat.

Even though Shen Qing emphasized repeatedly that he did not mind, these people still adhered to the local customs, so Shen Qing no longer insisted.

It must be said, Xiao Zhi's cooking was excellent, and the meal was no less delicious than what one would find in a tavern.

Shen Qing really enjoyed this meal.

He even took a jug of wine and drank fleetingly with Uncle Shen Er.

If this world were without demons and all sorts of chaotic troubles, Shen Qing couldn't help but feel that life was actually quite comfortable.

After the third round of drinks, Shen Qing noticed Uncle Shen Er hesitating to speak on several occasions and couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, do you have something to tell me? We are all family here, no need to hold back."

Uncle Shen Er sighed heavily and said, "It's not anything significant, just that the entire family depends solely on you for all needs, which somehow doesn't feel quite right."

"Hahaha, I thought it was something serious," Shen Qing said with a smile as he poured a full cup of wine. "Back in Hongshan Village, my family also relied on Uncle's help. Now, without parents, it's only right for me to take care of Uncle and Aunt."

Although the amount of silver tael he possessed wasn't much, he still had three dog demon skins, an Eagle Demon Pill, and several eagle feathers.

Plus, there were other miscellaneous items that could be converted into money anytime, in addition to the official salary that was due.

All in all, it was barely enough to manage the livelihood of his family.

Uncle Shen Er looked at Shen Qing, his face filled with relief, but he still shook his head and said, "It's not the same. Back then, the two of you siblings were young; without others' help, you would have perished in the deep mountains. We now have the ability to work, and sitting around like this always feels uninspired."

"Don't mind my nagging, but our expenses aren't small with so many mouths to feed. We really can't rely solely on you forever."

Shen Qing lifted his wine cup and took a sip.

He gradually understood Shen Er's point.

This situation was similar to rural parents who were brought to live in the city by their children, finding themselves bored and unable to adapt to the environment.

The best solution was to find them something to do.

Of course, Uncle Shen Er did have a point—relying solely on him to support everyone wasn't a long-term solution.

Now that the family and business had grown, the expenses were not a small amount.

If he wanted to keep progressing in cultivation, the expenditure would be even greater.

Shen Qing couldn't help but look at Xiao Zhi, who stood not far off, and suddenly an idea struck him.

He called over Xiao Zhi and asked, "Brother Xiao, if I teach you a few dishes, do you think we could open a restaurant?"

"Junior Brother Shen knows how to cook?"

"Not really, but I know some recipes," Shen Qing put down his wine cup and said, "I'll write them down for you to see. If it works out, you all can come help, and you might even gather some useful information. It would be better for my work in the Guardian Martial Department than your current aimless busyness."

Xiao Zhi neither agreed immediately nor rejected him outright, "Let me see what dishes you are talking about first. This place isn't like Taiping County; the restaurants here offer a variety of styles, and only good taste will make it work."

"I'll write them out for you to see tonight," Shen Qing said, nodding.

That evening,

Shen Qing picked up an oil lamp and, taking into account the local customs and carefully recalling his memories, he wrote down several classic recipes from his past life and handed them to Xiao Zhi the next day.

Xiao Zhi didn't hesitate and prepared them in no time.

After tasting the dishes, Xiao Zhi found the flavors exquisitely delicious, featuring techniques and styles he had never seen before.

To think that back in the day, he had gone through so much trouble, practically begging everyone in sight, to learn just a snippet of a recipe.

Yet here at Shen Qing's, these skills, which would be prized family secrets for others, were nonchalantly shared for free.

He was utterly amazed.

"How is it?" Shen Qing asked.

"These dishes you gave, the steamed pork with rice flour, Peking duck, stir-fried intestines, sweet and sour carp, and boiled meat slices," Xiao Zhi confidently declared, "They are enough to sustain a restaurant."

Shen Qing clapped his hands and exclaimed, "That's great, let Xiao Hu find a good location in the next few days to start a small trial version, we're free anyway."

"Alright, I'll go with Xiao Hu to take a look when the time comes."

"You two decide, just let me know. However, our funds are limited; we can't start big."

"We understand the stakes."

Shen Qing nodded, not delving further into this issue.

After all, this kind of business venture was a minor matter; leaving it to Xiao Hu and the others was best.

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