Phoenix in the Moonlight

Xin acted as the humble host, placing the dishes in front of everyone and making sure they had enough of what they wanted. She had a curious talent: she could sense when someone wanted something. Before they could ask, she would move across and place more in their bowl.

The gods were kind to him. Xin could cook better than the chefs at his wangfu in the capital. The plethora of dishes she had cooked ranged from vegetarian dishes to non-vegetarian, lentils, and sweets. Moreover, the spices she used were especially proportioned by her. A secret recipe, she had said.

For such a small woman, she had a lot of energy. Didn't this just show that she was a caring person?

Wang Yifeng had Xin on one side, Mian Mian and Bai'er following and on his left side was Li Jie. He looked around. This was how it was supposed to be.

Li Jun, the younger of Li Jie's children, spoke up. "Can I go play now?" he asked. Despite being a mischievous child, it was clear that he was a filial one. He showed great respect, but no shyness. It was the same with Xin. The two children seemed to know and adore her. They even called her aunt.

Mian Mian, on the other hand, was a talkative little girl. Since Wang Yifeng entered, he hadn't spoken to her much, but she had been grinning and talkative.

"Not yet," Qing Yuan shook her head. "You have barely eaten a mouthful. Eat more. You too, Li Jing." The two boys grumbled.

"They are indeed too thin," Xin commented, adding some pieces of meat in their bowls. "Come over often. Your mother mustn't feed you enough."

In Wang Yifeng's eyes, she was a mother. Xin had been taking care of Mian Mian and Bai'er for a while and had been the sole bread-winner. With her meager pay, she had managed to raise them into beautiful children.

"Don't tease me, Xin. I try to feed them. If only they were not so picky," Qing Yuan frowned.

"Possibly because you are a terrible cook," Li Jie commented offhandedly, earning a piercing look. Wang Yifeng shook his head, wondering how this stupid friend of his had allowed a woman to have such an effect on him.

Li Jie had a soft side. He had taken in a lot of girls who had been in dire straits, including Xin. But he wasn't too stupid. He helped people, but in turn, they remained indebted to him throughout their life, ready to be summoned by him at any time.

"You pretend to know everything, but you didn't even know that Xin was struggling," Qing Yuan said scathingly. Li Jie looked at her helplessly.

"If I had known… I would have given you a raise or at least made sure that you had a better life." Wang Yifeng found himself nodding along.

However, Xin was shaking her head. She gave a dismissive wave. "It wasn't that bad. We had enough food and clothing to survive." Wang Yifeng rested his head on her palm and looked at her carefully. "Everything is better now," she said, throwing him a quick smile. He returned it in kind. "I am happy here," she proclaimed suddenly. "I can cook for everyone now.

"Yifeng, I will be coming over often, then." Li Jie's joke fell flat. Wang Yifeng did not reply. The meaning was evident.

Li Jie was not welcome.

- - -

"Miss, I can do it myself," Mian Mian protested. Xin softly brushed the girl's hair.

"Hush. They are listening," she warned. Mian Mian became silent. She looked at her brother helplessly. Bai'er glanced at the Miss and sighed.

Coming to this house had really restricted their functions. Since morning, they had done nothing but watch the other children and adults eat and laugh. Bai'er could only stand on the side and watch as his sister gave a convincing performance in front of all those people.

"Miss, they have left," Bai'er announced after an hour.

Xin stood up and peered out of the window just to make sure. Satisfied, she came back and started to give them information.

"I have gone through the book from the gambling house. You did good work, Bai'er." She gave him a small smile.

They do indeed deal with women. They are transporting women from Zhou to Chen. The women are being sold off as slaves and the money whitewashed. The daughter of a prominent official in western Zhou went missing a couple of months ago and wasn't seen. The family appointed private detectives but nothing came up. It was not until recently that she had found out that the same official had sold off his daughter through this gambling house. She was taken to Chen and greeted into the harem as a concubine.

What a great way to make connections.