Three Kingdoms: A wise grandson, Cao Wei can last for three generations!

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Cao Cao hosted a banquet at the Prime Minister's residence, inviting his ministers to eat hot pot.

Ma Chao sat at the table with the military officers, toasting and drinking with Xu Chu, Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, and others, his face flushed with alcohol.

He was wearing a brand-new brocade robe, with a jade belt bestowed upon him by Duke Wei around his waist, and he looked much more energetic.

"Mengqi, I heard that you trained the troops in the Northern Camp last month and made those greenhorns cry for their parents?" Xiahou Dun asked with a smile, holding a wine cup.

Ma Chao snorted: "What's so great about crying and begging for help? Back when I was training troops in Xiliang, I had more soldiers crying than you are now."

Xu Chu, munching on a lamb leg, mumbled, "So when are you going to train me?"

Ma Chao glanced at him: "We didn't settle things in Weinan last time, how about we have another match another day?"

"Fight if you want, who's afraid of who?"

Everyone laughed.

Cao Cao sat in the main seat, watching this scene with a slight smile on his lips. He turned to look at Cao Rui, who was sitting in the corner—Cao Rui was fighting with Ma Yunlu for the last piece of mutton, their chopsticks clashing, neither giving an inch.

"Rui'er".

Cao Rui looked up: "Grandfather?"

"come over."

Cao Rui put down his chopsticks, walked over, and stood beside Cao Cao. Cao Cao patted the stool next to him, signaling him to sit down.

"How many bowls of hot soup did your cozy teahouse serve this winter?"

Cao Rui thought for a moment and said, "From October until now, we have sent out about five thousand bowls."

"Five thousand bowls..." Cao Cao muttered, then nodded. "It must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"It didn't cost much. The cost of a bowl of soup is less than one coin, so five thousand bowls would only cost a few strings of cash. The money my grandson makes from his ice cream parlor is enough to supply them for several years."

Cao Cao looked at him, his gaze complex: "Don't you feel any heartache?"

"What's there to be stingy about?" Cao Rui chuckled. "Money is earned, not saved. Besides, those who just drank the soup might come back to buy my smoothies next spring when they're full of energy. That's called—casting a long line to catch a big fish."

Cao Cao was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, his mustache standing on end.

"What a brilliant long-term strategy!" He reached out and patted Cao Rui on the head. "You're better at business than your father."

Cao Pi sat beside him, holding a wine cup, looking completely bewildered: "Father, I'm not in business."

"That's why you're poor."

Cao Pi was speechless. Zhen Mi covered her mouth and laughed, while Cao Zhang and Cao Zhi laughed so hard they were doubled over.

Bixie stood under the eaves, his back straight, his eyes fixed on the lively scene inside the house, motionless.

Ma Dai came out of the house, saw him, and paused for a moment: "Whose child are you?"

"To ward off evil spirits."

"A talisman?" Ma Dai thought for a moment, "From Young Master Cao's family?"

Bixie nodded.

Ma Dai looked him up and down, then suddenly pulled out an oil paper package from his sleeve and handed it over: "Want some? It's a leg of lamb, I got it from the banquet."

The warding-off didn't move.

"Here you go." Ma Dai stuffed the oil paper package into his hand. "You're too thin. Eat more meat and grow taller."

Bixie looked down at the oil paper package in his hand and remained silent for a long while. Then he put the oil paper package into his bosom and bowed to Ma Dai.

Ma Dai waved his hand, turned around, and went back into the house.

Bixie stood under the eaves, holding a roasted lamb leg in his arms, his back still ramrod straight. But his eyes were brighter than before.

The next day, Cao Rui hosted a hot pot banquet at his residence, inviting his three teachers and Ma Chao and his sister.

As always, Jia Xu sat by the stove, slowly simmering mutton in the hot pot, the dipping sauce both spicy and salty.

Pang Tong held the wine jug, took a sip of wine, dipped a piece of meat in the broth, and hummed with delight.

Only Xun Yu ate lightly, simply boiling cabbage and tofu, and being satisfied with a little vinegar.

Ma Chao sat next to Ma Dai, both of them engrossed in their food, neither speaking a word. Ma Yunlu sat next to Cao Rui, occasionally placing a piece of food in his bowl—which was piled high like a small mountain.

"You're too thin, eat more." Ma Yunlu picked up another piece of mutton with her chopsticks and put it in.

"That's enough, that's enough, I can't eat that much." Cao Rui looked at the food in his bowl, a little worried. Why did Yunlu seem to be looking more and more like Zhen Mi?

Seeing this, Ma Yunlu slammed her chopsticks down, put her hands on her hips, and said, "You ungrateful brat, I'm being kind by putting food on your plate, and you're complaining that it's too much."

Cao Rui quickly smiled apologetically, "Yunlu, how could I dare to complain? It's just that there's really no more room."

Pang Tong, his eyes blurry with drunkenness, slurred and joked, "Oh, look at this young couple bickering, it's really amusing."

Immediately, everyone at the table burst into laughter. Ma Yunlu's face turned bright red to her ears, and she said coquettishly, "Mr. Pang, don't talk nonsense."

Bixie squatted at the door, clutching the roasted lamb leg in his arms—he hadn't been able to bear eating it, keeping it tucked away in his clothes all day. Ma Dai saw him, walked over, squatted down, and pulled out another oil paper package from his sleeve.

"Eat it, don't keep it to yourself. You won't get anything out of it even if you keep it until next year."

Bixie looked at the oil paper package, then at Ma Dai, and suddenly asked, "General Ma, why are you so good to me?"

Ma Dai paused for a moment, then laughed: "Because you look a bit like me when I was a child."

"How is it similar?"

"Nobody wants them."

Bixie paused for a moment, then took the oil paper package, opened it, and found a piece of venison inside. He ate it in small bites, very slowly, but very cleanly.

Ma Dai squatted down beside him, looking at the snow in the yard, and suddenly said, "But now someone wants you."

Bixie didn't say anything, but he slowed down his eating of the venison.

Inside, the hot pot was bubbling and steaming. Cao Cao's steward brought over a jar of fine wine, saying it was a gift from the Duke of Wei.

Jia Xu took a sip, squinted, and said, "This is peach blossom wine from Ye City, and it's been stored for three years."

Pang Tong snatched the wine jar and poured himself a large bowl: "It's been stored for three years? Then I have to try it."

Xun Yu held his wine cup, taking small sips with a faint smile on his face.

Ma Chao drank a few bowls of wine, his face flushed, and he became more talkative. He began to recount his experiences in Xiliang—fighting the Xiongnu, quelling the Qiang rebellion, and battling Xu Chu for three hundred rounds in Weinan.

"Back then, I was young and thought there was no battle in the world that I, Ma Chao, couldn't win." He took a swig of wine, his voice lowering. "Later I realized that you can't win a war just by being brave."

Cao Rui asked, "Then what do you rely on?"

Ma Chao glanced at him and suddenly laughed: "Rely on someone like your grandfather."

The room fell silent for a moment. Ma Chao continued, "Your grandfather was never in a hurry when he fought. He could wait, endure, and persevere. If he couldn't win, he would retreat, and then come back again. That kind of person is much more difficult to deal with than those reckless fighters."

Jia Xu slowly added, "So you're sitting here eating hot pot instead of eating dry rations in Hanzhong."

Ma Chao was momentarily speechless and glared at Jia Xu. Jia Xu remained unfazed and continued cooking mutton.

Ma Yunlu covered her mouth and laughed.