Chapter 59: Aroma

Gu Xiqiao woke up early in the morning and jogged a few laps before practicing the Five Animal Play on the clearing, and she used the methods that were recorded on the book to calm her heart and regulate her chi.

The old man that stood next to her looked at her for a while before he copied her actions, but he felt as if something was missing.

Once she heard his worries, Gu Xiqiao was stunned for a bit before she smiled understandingly. She practiced the Five Animal Play in tandem with ancient martial arts methods, so it was natural that there seemed to be something special with her motions. That being said, she couldn’t tell him the truth so she thought for a while before telling him a simple way to take care of his health.

The Four Seasons Theory was divided into three months for spring, three months for summer, three months for autumn and three months for winter, and was recorded in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine as a method that was useful for people of all ages. Gu Xiqiao told him some essential points in detail until he remembered everything, and then she left.

Jiang Shuxuan always knew that she had the habit of exercising in the mornings, but this was the first time he saw her practice like that, and it shocked him quite a bit.

He ran behind her in the morning for half an hour, and her breathing was calm and steady all the way, When she said that she was going to practice the Five Animal Play after that, he agreed to wait for her, but he didn’t look forward to it, to say the least. This was the reason why he was so taken off guard when he became more and more serious and focused as he watched her moves.

The Five Animal Play was divided into the Tiger Play, the Deer Play, the Bear Play, the Monkey Play, and the Bird Play, and had been taught over the generations in China, but he had never seen someone that could practice it so well that her actions seemed to induct the chi in the atmosphere along with them.

If she knew ancient martial arts, she would have stood at the top of the pyramid with her talent.

The thought flashed in Jiang Shuxuan’s mind before he dismissed it completely. Ancient martial arts wasn’t something that could be learned so easily, and Gu Xiqiao was already past the most suitable age to learn it.

Seeing her walk back to him, the ice in his gaze thawed and showed a gentleness to the person in front of him.

Gu Xiqiao jogged over to him, her hair tied up in a simple ponytail and a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

She had wanted to just go back after she finished her run, but she felt there was something wrong if she didn’t practice the Five Animal Play as she usually did.

“No rush, wipe your sweat first.” Jiang Shuxuan took out a white handkerchief, and after she accepted it they walked back to the mansion together. “Your Five Animal Play seemed to be quite practiced, did someone teach you?”

Gu Xiqiao wiped her sweat, and she had been thinking about whether she should have returned the handkerchief to her before she was taken off guard by the question.

“I was taught by an old man back when I lived in the countryside and didn’t want to play in the mud along with a bunch of children, so I always had him teach me all sorts of things.”

Jiang Shuxuan glanced at her before he nodded. “Alright, let’s go back and eat before you go buy the materials you need for cooking.”

Once this matter was brought up, Gu Xiqiao walked a bit faster. She regretted promising to cook once she woke up in the morning.

But it was true that she knew how to cook, and seeing as Jiang Shuxuan was the type that hadn’t stepped into the market ever since he was born, Gu Xiqiao refused his accompaniment and got Mrs. Zhang to follow her.

When she asked if Jiang Shuxuan had anything that he liked to eat over the phone, Jiang Shuxuan only replied, “As long as it’s edible.”

Realizing that she had asked the question for nothing, she stuck her phone back into her pocket and stood in front of a bunch of veggies, before picking out a few.

If he didn’t bother to think of anything, then she would just have to go freestyle.

After she came back from the market, Yin Shaoyuan had already arrived at the mansion, so he helped her carry her groceries like a lackey. Looking at the time on her phone, she realized that she would finish just in time for lunch so she immediately walked into the kitchen, refusing Mrs. Zhang’s offers to help.

“Can Qiao Qiao…Really do it?” Mrs. Zhang asked worriedly.

Yin Shaoyuan thought of her pale fingers and nodded in thought. “I think I should have someone prepare medication for us…”

Jiang Shuxuan walked down the stairs, and upon hearing their words he glanced over at the kitchen and held a finger to his lips with a smile. “Just remember to not show it on your expression too much.”

” I know, leave it to me!” Yin Shaoyuan smiled and pat his chest.

Mrs. Zhang’s expression was still unsure. “Taste aside, I’m just scared that that child is going to burn down the kitchen…”

While they were speaking with a low volume, but Gu Xiqiao heard everything because her senses had been amplified after she started practicing ancient martial arts. In other words, she could even hear the sound of a feather dropping onto the ground.

She sighed softly, were they really that distrustful of her?

That being said, if she was in their position, she would be unsure of her skills too.

After a while, Xiao Yun and Wu Hongwen arrived at the mansion too. Once the two of them saw Jiang Shuxuan, their backs straightened and their actions became careful, as they were truly afraid of him.

If anything, it was only natural that they reacted like that. It was hard not to when the man himself wafted with an aura that made them feat him instinctively!

Seeing their reaction, Jiang Shuxuan decided to go into the kitchen and spare them the torture.

Once he left, the two of them became significantly more relaxed and started to hold a conversation with Yin Shaoyuan. Wu Hongwen had only seen him once, which was back when his father managed to get hold of an invitation to the Yin Family’s dinner event.

The Yin family was single-handedly the most influential family in all of N city, but their social circles were more inclined towards the Imperial Capital so it was exceedingly hard to get involved with them.

Who knew how Gu Xiqiao could have gotten involved with such an arrogant young master with a weird temper.

Fortunately, Yin Shaoyuan didn’t act high and mighty because of Gu Xiqiao, and he even talked with them amiably and gossiped with them.

Xiao Yun and Wu Hongwen were still young and inexperienced, so they were quickly led to the topic that Yin Shaoyuan wanted to talk about. “You guys said that she introduced some stocks to you, can you show me which ones those are?”

Their perception of Yin Shaoyuan was immediately improved after a single conversation, and once they heard him say that he wanted to look at stocks, they took out their phones proudly and showed them the ones that Gu Xiqiao picked out for them.

“Phew, that’s quite a profit you got there.” Yin Shaoyuan was genuinely surprised by this, and just from the few stocks that they showed him, it was clear that the one that chose the stocks chose ones that had great potential to grow.

“Of course, Qiao Qiao is really good at this!” Wu Hongwen exclaimed, his eyes sparkling as he did.

Xiao Yun nodded in agreement, before reaching for Haha and picking it up, asking Yin Shaoyuan what his name was. “Its name is Haha, Gu Xiqiao named it that! Haha, come to Uncle~”

Haha blinked, before turning around and facing Yin Shaoyuan with its backside, ignoring him.

How interesting!

Yin Shaoyuan squinted and playfully carried Haha by the scruff of its neck, quite amused by this dog that was different from all the others.

At the same time, an alluring aroma started wafting from the kitchen, and the three at the table couldn’t help but gulp hungrily, before looking over at the direction of the kitchen in shock.

So…She wasn’t bluffing?