Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Looking at Di Renjie's adorable face, Li Qing suddenly reached out his wicked hands and pinched the boy's face hard a few times.

"When you become a high-ranking official in the future, remember to have the historian write, 'In such and such a year and month, in Luoyang, Di Renjie met Li Qing, who pinched his cheek!'" Li Qing himself laughed as he said this.

Looking at the child sitting in front of him, he felt it was absurd and unreal, which is why he did this.

The girl next to her also looked on curiously, and then followed Li Qing, gently stroking the child's face a few times.

The little boy looked at the two of them with a helpless expression, his chubby face scrunched up.

Two unscrupulous men not far away, watching this scene, also spat out their drinks.

"Alright, hurry up and finish eating so we can leave quickly," Li Qing said, looking at the darkening sky and the child's leisurely movements.

"Waaah~" The group hadn't taken more than a few steps when they suddenly heard a girl crying.

Li Qing paused, then saw a delicate and adorable little girl, about five or six years old, crying in front of a side gate next to a magnificent house.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a lumpy, dusty sesame seed cake at the little girl's feet.

"Both little boys and little girls, is it Children's Day today?" Li Qing thought to herself, and out of sheer kindness, she bought a few more small cakes and asked the little boy next to her to deliver them.

"Hey! Isn't a cute little boy a perfect match for a cute little girl?"

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

Even if he becomes powerful in the future, he is still just a child now and can only silently endure Li Qing's torment and exploitation.

The little boy held two cakes, puffed out his cheeks, and handed them to the little girl. "Take these, that person gave them to you!" he said, pointing at Li Qing.

The little girl looked at the little boy in front of her with her big, watery eyes, then looked at Li Qing, and tried to push the cake back.

The proud little boy ignored the adorable little girl, crossed his arms, and returned to Li Qing's side. "Let's go!" he said, ignoring the two of them, and continued walking forward with his little pout still on.

The little girl stared blankly as they left, her face adorable, her eyes wide and sparkling like the clearest stream—she was absolutely irresistibly cute.

The cool-looking little boy had no idea that his carefree turn would begin a tragic life!

Two enormous figures, stealthily following behind the group, glanced in the direction the group had left, then stared at the little girl in front of them with strange, goldfish-eyed expressions.

"This kid, I don't know if it's good luck or he stepped in dog poop, but two people he rarely sees suddenly appear, that's incredible! No wonder you're so concerned!"

The other man smiled wryly, but also with a hint of surprise. He knew the kid's background and thought to himself: It seems I should make plans early, otherwise when that kid realizes what's going on, he won't be easy for me, the great monk!

Li Qing had successfully delivered the child to the front of a mansion, and without waiting for the gatekeeper or steward to stop him, he returned to the Wang family.

***

Only on the winter solstice do we truly feel the bone-chilling cold!

Li Qing could hear the cold wind outside like knives piercing his eardrums. Even inside the house, he felt the chilling wind cutting into his bones!

Born in the south, this was the first time he had ever felt the bitter cold of the north.

The heavy snowfall of the past few days was merely a prelude!

Alone in a dimly lit room, feeling utterly lonely, the flickering sparks of the fire only accentuating the immense smallness of the space.

He suddenly remembered the lonely, dilapidated low huts he had seen on his way here, and wondered how those people had managed to get through the cold winter.

Li Qing, wrapped in fur, stepped off the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), but still felt unbearably cold.

After a long while, the sky grew brighter and brighter. Although I had eaten breakfast, my stomach was still empty and I could hardly bear it!

His mind started to wander, and he went to the small kitchen not far away, found some fermented dough, minced meat and chives, and was about to tidy them up.

"Ouch—young sir, stop right there, let me do it!"

A middle-aged man, who looked quite wealthy, saw Li Qing roll up his sleeves, preparing to make a move, and immediately called out.

In his eyes, such a delicate and handsome young man should be reciting poetry and painting in the greenhouse, listening to a little tune, and talking about "heartless lovers secretly exchanging partners." At the very least, he should be busy with some simple cooking—such vulgar culinary work shouldn't be associated with such dirty hands. If someone overheard this tomorrow, he would truly roll up his bedding and roll in the snow!

"It's okay, I'll just cook something for myself."

Before Li Qing could understand what the cook was saying, he picked up the noodles next to him and started patting them.

"Crack - clap -"

The portly uncle stared in disbelief as Li Qing's hands moved at varying speeds, rhythmically patting the dough and making crisp sounds.

"This, this, this—my God!" The old man stood there dumbfounded for a moment.

If all men had the skills of this young man, then this chef might as well just go home and farm!

Li Qing, while the cook next to her stared in disbelief, rolled out thin, even, and translucent sheets of dough.

He held the dough in his left hand, and with a flick of his right, the wooden spoon produced a flower-like shape. He scooped the filling of chives and meat into the dough, then twisted and pinched it, and one by one, butterfly-shaped wontons flew out from his hands...

"It's done!"

One by one, bright red and plump wontons were scooped out of the boiling water by Li Qing and put into a large bowl.

The portly cook remained standing there, dumbfounded, his mind replaying Li Qing's actions. For a moment, he was completely bewildered! When he came to his senses again, he felt stiff and cold all over, and the young man in front of the stove had vanished.

Upon closer inspection, there were still a few thin sheets of dough left on the cutting board...

Li Qing was carrying wontons and was about to go back to her room when she remembered something. She turned the corner and walked towards the other courtyard.

"Bang bang—" Li Qing knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

As Li Qing approached the house, a warm feeling immediately enveloped her entire body.

Inside the room, only a beautiful young woman dressed in red and wearing a fur robe stood in front of the desk, holding a pen and concentrating intently, seemingly drawing something.

Li Qing leaned over to look.

On a slightly yellowed piece of paper, a few lines were drawn crookedly, and on those lines were several nine-petaled flowers, some large and some small, some crowded together and out of shape, and some sparse and crude.

What are you drawing?

"Can't you see for yourself?" The girl blushed slightly, glared at Li Qing, and her eyes seemed to be blaming Li Qing for disturbing her painting.

"Oh dear! It's all your fault! You have to pay me back for a painting!"

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Li Qing saw the girl's hand tremble slightly, and a drop of ink instantly soaked the entire picture.

"Um—I'm not very good at painting either." As for ink painting, Li Qing is only half-knowledgeable—completely clueless!

"Anyway, you have to compensate me!" The girl didn't care; seeing Li Qing make a fool of himself was the best thing ever.

"Okay, then what should I draw?" Li Qing thought to himself: So what if I embarrass myself? My skin is toughened up by experience!

"Paint plum blossoms! One plum blossom branch, with nine flowers, each with nine petals!"

Li Qing paused, his hand holding the pen still, and asked with a strange expression, "Each flower has only one petal? Are there plum blossoms with nine petals?"

This time, it was the girl's turn to scoff. "Don't you know? If you don't know, just say so! My grandfather told me this!" Mentioning her grandfather, the girl's expression darkened. She paused slightly, then continued, "This is called the 'Nine-Nine Plum Blossom Chart,' also known as the 'Nine-Nine Winter-Dispelling Chart.' The plum blossom chart has eighty-one petals in total, only the pattern is drawn, not colored. On the winter solstice, one petal is added each day. When all eighty-one petals are colored, the nine-nine winters are over, and the warm spring sun arrives!"

The girl looked at Li Qing with a smug expression, her big eyes blinking as if to say, "I'm amazing, aren't I!" "Praise me! Praise me! Praise me now!"

The little mouth also began reciting lines of varying lengths: ...the river thaws in the seventh nine-day period, the geese return in the eighth nine-day period...

As he read on, his tone became increasingly cheerful.

Li Qing's hands moved quickly; since it was just a meticulous line drawing, it would be simple.

He picked up his small sketching brush, and with a gentle movement of his hand, several lines flowed out.

As the lines gradually thicken, thin out, and branch out intricately, a delicate plum blossom leaps off the paper!

The white plum blossoms have layers upon layers of petals, with each flower having nine petals. A total of nine black plum blossoms with different postures bloom one by one. Although they are not colored, they still have a certain charm.

"You drew it so well!" the girl exclaimed happily, looking at the neat plum blossom drawing on the paper.

Li Qing was also somewhat surprised: When did I become so good at painting?

The moment he picked up the pen, a familiar feeling naturally arose within him. The words flowed from the tip of the pen like a stream, reflecting all his thoughts onto the paper, leaving even himself stunned!

He couldn't find a reason, and could only attribute it to the strangeness of the internal energy within his body. Of course, even he himself felt that this reason was somewhat untenable.

Since she couldn't figure it out, Li Qing gave up on thinking about it. "I just made some wontons, I brought them over, let's eat together!"

At this moment, the girl, who was immersed in the scene, realized that there was a faint, mouthwatering fragrance wafting around in her stomach, and her stomach, which had felt full, suddenly became very bloated.

"Gulu——"

"Oh!" The girl blushed, feeling a little embarrassed.

The two walked to the table and began to eat hot wontons. The room became lively in an instant. In the cold wind pavilion, the two had red faces and were sweating profusely, enjoying themselves immensely!

------

I originally wanted to write 3,000 words, but I couldn't; I wanted to write four chapters, but it seems that's not going to happen!

I only wrote three chapters today. I don't know why my efficiency is so low.

I'll probably only update twice a week lately, but I'll try to go all out! Hmm, there's a recommendation next week. By the way, I also have some drafts saved up...