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Chapter 142
Lu XuanNing hadn't expected it to be because of himself. Thinking of his long-time followers and guards who were killed to save him, he said, "So you killed my guards."
"If the Shadowless Pavilion had acted from the beginning, you wouldn't have made it to Liuzhou alive," Zhou Heng said with confidence. Lu XuanNing might be formidable on the battlefield, but his martial arts were no match for Zhou Heng's. Zhou Heng could have found a hundred ways to kill him before he reached Liuzhou.
"Before reaching Liuzhou, I was under Prince YongKang's men. After entering the Li Manor in Liuzhou, it was the Shadowless Pavilion's people who came to kill me," Lu XuanNing deduced.
Zhou Heng thought of Li Xia's earlier intimidation and grunted in response without saying a word.
"Your people were all dealt with by the second young lady," Lu XuanNing's curiosity about Li Xia deepened.
"I've already left the Shadowless Pavilion," Zhou Heng refused to acknowledge being an assassin for the organization. Now, he was Zhou Heng, not Tian Jiu.
"I apologize," Lu XuanNing's apology dispelled Zhou Heng's displeasure. "How were you saved by the little witch?" Zhou Heng asked.
Hearing Zhou Heng refer to Li Xia as "little witch," Lu XuanNing was stunned for a moment before reacting. He stared at Zhou Heng and said, "The second young lady is an unmarried woman. Your form of address is inappropriate."
Seeing Lu XuanNing defend Li Xia so strongly, Zhou Heng snorted and left with his bowl.
After leaving the Beining Marquis Manor, Li Hui went to the market to buy some pastries to bring back for Li Xin, Li Xia, and the others. Just as he finished buying and was leaving, he saw An'an waving at him from a carriage not far away.
"Why is An'an out alone?" He looked around but didn't see Cao Fugui.
"Brother Fugui is busy. I'm not out alone, see? I have maids and a nanny with me," An'an explained. Following her words, Li Hui saw the carriage driver and a nanny sitting in the carriage. A young maid was carefully holding the curtain open for An'an.
"Brother Hui, did you also come to buy the new cakes from this shop? I heard their cakes are especially delicious. That's why I came out today to buy some and try them," An'an said, eyeing the cakes in Li Hui's hands with a bit of envy.
"Here, for you," Li Hui offered the cakes to An'an.
An'an shook her head and didn't accept. "Brother Hui, these are for Sister Xin and Sister Xia. How could I take them? I've already sent someone to buy some." Just then, a servant ran over, "Young Miss, the cakes are sold out."
Hearing this, An'an looked a bit dejected. It was rare for her to come out, yet she couldn't buy the cakes she wanted. But seeing Li Hui still made her happy.
"I bought two, I'll share one with you," Li Hui said, handing one of the cakes to An'an.
An'an looked at the cake, swallowing as she reached out to take it. "Next time, I'll buy two extra to return to Brother Hui."
"What are you saying, little one? It's getting late, you should head back," Li Hui said, smiling as he thought of Li Xia's greedy expression, reminded of it by An'an's cake-hungry look. An'an shyly took the cake from Li Hui, hugging it to her chest. "Brother Hui, I'm leaving now."
Li Hui stepped back, watching An'an's carriage drive away. He then returned home with the remaining cake. Upon arrival, he ordered the cake to be divided into three portions and sent to Mrs. Lu, Li Xin, and Li Xia to try.
Looking at the cake, Li Xia guessed it must have been created by that Lu Si. This Lu Si might not be good at much else, but he certainly had a knack for food, clothing, and entertainment.
She scooped a bite of cake into her mouth, feeling satisfied by the rich milky flavor. It was just a bit too small. Noticing her maids' curious looks, she said, "You all try some too."
"Miss, this cake is a new product from the Beauty Bliss Shop. They only sell 100 per day, it's quite hard to get," Qiu Ling, who didn't have a sweet tooth, only took a small bite.
"It's really delicious," Qiu Chan said after taking a small bite, loving it. She asked Qiu Kui beside her, "Sister Qiu Kui, can you make this? This is too small, not enough to eat."
"I can't make it. I don't know what it's made of," Qiu Kui said after tasting it, unable to discern the ingredients.
"Eggs and milk," Li Xia knew this much.
Qiu Chan's eyes lit up as she looked at Li Xia. "What else?"
"I don't know," Li Xia could only identify these ingredients, how would she know how it was made?
Qiu Chan looked a bit disappointed but then brightened up again, turning to Qiu Kui, "Wu Auntie should be able to make it."
"Wu Auntie probably can," Qiu Kui agreed. Wu Auntie was very skilled in this area.
"That's right, Wu Auntie is so capable, she definitely can," Qiu Chan said, taking the cake to the small kitchen to find Wu Auntie.
"There's no milk in the small kitchen," Qiu Kui said. Milk wasn't a common ingredient, and Qiu Kui didn't usually need it, so she hadn't prepared any.
"I know where to get milk, I'll go buy some," Qiu Ling, who was familiar with these things, said as she left to buy milk. Qiu Ling had noticed that Li Xia really enjoyed eating the cake, and buying milk for her mistress was a small matter.
However, she only managed to buy a small bucket after going out. Due to the popularity of Beauty Bliss Shop's cakes, many people were buying milk. It had become hard to purchase, and Qiu Ling had to pay a high price for what she brought back.
Qiu Kui and Wu Auntie tried several times in the kitchen but couldn't recreate the cake. However, they did manage to make some milk steamed buns that were quite tasty, soft, and delicious. Li Xia had Qiu Shui take some to Mrs. Lu. Mrs. Lu enjoyed them; although she wasn't old in Li Xia's eyes, she did prefer softer foods.
Li Xia had Qiu Kui teach the cooks in the main kitchen how to make the milk steamed buns. To make it easier to use milk, she also had Qiu Ling buy two milk-producing cows. The Li family now had no shortage of milk. With the excess milk, Li Xia remembered a milk bath that a sister from her previous life had mentioned. She had people extract the milk for face washing, which worked quite well. She recommended it to Li Xin.
Li Xin was hesitant at first, but seeing how Li Xia's skin had become noticeably fairer, she decided to try it for the sake of beauty. Mrs. Lu also used quite a bit for skincare. Her skin improved significantly. When she went out to socialize, other ladies noticed her improved complexion. Once they learned about using milk for beauty, the price of cows in the capital suddenly increased. Many noble ladies began washing their faces with milk, and some even took milk baths. Various beauty methods were invented.
This was something Li Xia hadn't anticipated, nor had Lu Si. When he heard about the milk baths and such from his servants, it disrupted his original plan to open a beauty shop. But that was alright, he could adjust his plans and start soon. Lu Si's eyes were determined; he was going to make the Lu family and the Fourth Prince pay.
Li Xia brought a series of milk-based products to the Xu mansion. The weather this year was much hotter than previous years, and Xu Xinyue had always suffered in the summer heat. In previous years, with Li Xia looking after her, Xu Xinyue could eat a bit more. But in the Xu mansion, no one dared to manage her. Xu Xinyue ate little and had become extremely thin.
"Mother, why have you become so thin? Are you unwell?" Li Xia stepped forward to help Xu Xinyue sit up. She then glanced at Qiu Ju, "Aunt Qiu, why didn't you send me a message?"
Xu Xinyue sat up and said, "I told her not to send you a message. I'm fine, it's just that the hot weather has affected my appetite."
"No matter how hot it gets, you still need to eat something. Look at you, you're all skin and bones now." Li Xia was heartbroken and blamed herself for not paying enough attention to Xu Xinyue.