Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Another busy day has come to an end.

A new day begins smoothly.

Shen De and Shen Mao went to the teahouse to get a number before dawn.

Yesterday they had planned to go straight back, but Shen Gao was to be sent to do hard labor today. They were all from the same clan and had been together for many years, so they thought they should see him off and try to persuade him to leave.

I'll have some Four Happiness Meatballs again while I'm at it.

After all, eating Four Happiness Meatballs is quite important to them.

The two old men were lucky; one got number eight and the other number nine.

The two still sighed as they thought about what happened yesterday.

"I really don't understand why Shen Gao insists on helping Shen Chengzong. Even an old-fashioned person like you agrees to let Shen Qing inherit the family business. What is he so upset about?" Shen De shook his head and sighed repeatedly.

Having known each other for most of their lives, he still felt some sympathy for Shen Gao's fate.

Shen Mao snorted coldly: "What do you mean I'm old-fashioned? I'm just acting according to the rules and reason. Shen Gao is always greedy for small advantages. In my opinion, it's highly likely that Shen Chengzong promised Shen Gao a benefit!"

"If that's the case, then Shen Chengzong is rotten to the core... "

"Shen Chengzong deceived the clan, causing the Shen Family Restaurant to close down, and mistreated Shen Qing and her daughter. Shouldn't our clan punish him for this?" Shen Mao continued.

Shen De frowned: "You're right, we need to study this matter carefully."

Just then, the teahouse waiter's voice rang out: "Number eight! Number eight has arrived!!"

The two old men didn't even have time to say anything. They jumped up and jogged to the entrance of Zhiweixuan.

Today is the last day to sell Four Happiness Meatballs. There are a total of one thousand servings of Four Happiness Meatballs, and Shen Qing got up very early to prepare.

She was in a good mood; once she sold out today, she would receive a reward of five hundred taels of gold from the system.

Shen Qing's eyes were full of smiles, and her hand movements were skillful and graceful.

Four meatballs are placed on a white porcelain plate, with a few small bok choys placed beside them. A spoonful of sauce is gently poured over them, and the sauce flows slowly along the texture of the meatballs, eventually gathering at the bottom of the white porcelain plate.

The more Shen De looked at it, the more he felt that his decision was correct.

Shen Qing is truly a master at making delicious food; even pouring a sauce is so pleasing to the eye.

He was practically drooling uncontrollably.

"Your Four Happiness Meatballs." Shen Qingwei smiled slightly.

Shen De took the Four Happiness Meatballs. He couldn't contain himself any longer and went to the nearby stall to buy a bowl of rice.

Then he ate it with a look of enjoyment on his face.

"Qing, when will mine be ready? I'm number nine," Shen Mao asked anxiously.

"immediately."

The four-happiness meatballs have been stewed long enough; now all that's needed is to plate them and pour the sauce over them—it won't take long.

Before long, a fragrant plate of Four Happiness Meatballs was in Shen Mao's hands.

Shen Mao was overjoyed. He also bought a bowl of rice and placed it next to him, intending to eat two meatballs first and then mix the remaining two meatballs with the rice.

The two old men ate very slowly; they couldn't bear to finish their meal in one go.

After all, they had already taken care of everything and had no reason to stay in Ping'an County any longer.

Moreover, they didn't have enough money to afford to eat four-happiness meatballs every day.

And so, the two of them savored the two meatballs for quite some time.

"Is that old guy Shen Gao about to set off?" Suddenly, Shen De remembered Shen Gao.

Shen Mao glanced at the sky and saw that it was indeed quite bright.

But he had two big meatballs and a bowl of rice left.

Wouldn't it be such a waste to eat it all up?

Thinking of this, he poured all the meatballs and sauce into the rice bowl, then stirred them while saying, "Hurry up and stir, let's take the bowl over to him."

"Eat while delivering?"

"Yes, or you can finish it in two bites, I just can't bear to!"

Shen De thought about it and agreed. He was only going over to say a few words anyway, and he would have to eat the meatballs with rice slowly.

"Let's go!" Shen De also mixed the meatballs into the rice.

The two old men picked up their bowls and walked away.

Shen Gao was in agony.

His leg was lame, his face was covered in bruises, and his buttocks felt like they were being pricked with needles.

The thought of having to travel a long way to perform hard labor made him want to kill himself.

"Let's get going! Let's get going!" the constable urged.

Shen Gao sighed. Why did this sound like a death knell?

Sigh, Shen De and Shen Mao are really heartless. After so many years of friendship, they didn't even come to see him off. It's truly disheartening.

Sigh, he's really had the worst luck of his life. He should have known better than to listen to Shen Chengzong.

Shen Gao moved forward little by little when suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

He turned around and his eyes lit up instantly.

They've finally arrived; it's worth it for them to have spent time together.

"Shen Gao—"

Two old men were calling from behind.

Shen Gaoyi burst into tears instantly. He was so old, how could he feel so heartbroken?

If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered with all this and could have just enjoyed my life in the village.

Upon closer inspection, Shen De and Shen Mao were both holding bowls and chopsticks, filled with a dark reddish-brown mixture of four-happiness meatballs and rice.

Shen Gao cried even harder: "Old buddies, you guys are still the best to me. You even brought me four-happiness meatballs with rice. Why am I so unlucky? Waaaaah~"

Shen De and Shen Mao exchanged a glance, somewhat embarrassed.

The two of them simultaneously hid their bowls behind their backs, laughing awkwardly, "You're mistaken, you're mistaken. What bibimbap? There's nothing like that."

"We came here to see you off; after all, we've been friends for so many years," Shen Dexian said.

"You need to change your habit of being greedy for cheap things. We're both so old, what's the point of being greedy? We can't take it to the grave."

Shen Mao added, "Shen Chengzong is a bad seed. Was he the one instigating you behind the scenes this time? You should be more careful."

"At such an old age, what's the point of having so much money? What's there to fight over? In my opinion, it's good that Shen Qing has inherited the family business now, so that those people in the clan won't squander it."

Shen Gao was dumbfounded; he could clearly smell the aroma of the Four Happiness Meatballs.

Not only did they not give him any food, they also gave him a good scolding.

"Stop saying so much, just give me a bowl of rice with those four-happiness meatballs, I'm leaving!!!" Shen Gao was frantic, he couldn't control his drooling at all, all he could think about was the four-happiness meatballs.

These past few days, he's been craving a big meal every day, but he's been delayed by all sorts of things.

After all that effort, he still didn't get to eat a single Four Happiness Meatball.

Shen De and Shen Mao exchanged a glance, both with reluctance in their eyes.

And a bowl! Shen Gao actually wanted a bowl!

They couldn't bear to finish their food in one go, so how could they possibly give Shen Gao a bowl?

"No way, you're seeing things. We didn't even go to buy any Four Happiness Meatballs because we wanted to give them to you!" Shen Mao said directly.

Shen De continued, "One last thing: we've agreed that once we get back, we'll expel Shen Chengzong from the clan."

"Nothing else, take care on your journey, and have a safe trip!"

After saying that, the two quickly turned around, protected the bowl, and hurriedly ran away, clearly not wanting to stay for even a second longer.