The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

It's already November, and according to the timeline, Shen Chen has been away from home for half a month.

The weather was clear and sunny that day, a rare treat.

After finishing their work at midday, the Shen family basked in the sun in the courtyard.

The autumn sun has lost its summer heat and become more charming, making people feel warm and cozy.

Each member of the Shen family sat on a small stool and gathered together to peel garlic.

Shen Cao gave the little yellow dog a very meaningful name: Lai Cai (meaning "Come to Wealth").

It usually listens to Shen Cao the most, because Shen Cao is in the kitchen and feeds it any bones or other things that come up.

This dog is very clever. Even at a young age, it knows who to follow to get the best food. Every day, it wags its tail and follows Shen Cao around, very obsequiously.

Lai Cai was lying at Shen Cao's feet, gnawing on a big bone, his head bobbing back and forth, looking very cute.

Shen Cao looked up at the sky and slowly spoke.

"Mother, where is my eldest brother now? Is he almost in the capital?"

Shen's mother also looked up at the sky, somewhat dazed.

"According to the coachman's estimate, if the journey goes smoothly, we should be there soon."

The others followed suit and looked up at the sky. The sky was very blue, without a single cloud, and there was nothing there.

I wonder what Shen Cao and his mother are so engrossed in watching.

Even Lai Cai, who was standing nearby, noticed that everyone was looking at the sky. It was carrying a bone in its mouth and also looked up at the sky.

Seeing nothing, it got bored and started gnawing on the bone again.

The big bone was covered in bite marks, with no meat left on the bone. It kept biting and putting it down, biting and putting it down, enjoying the process.

Just as Shen Cao and the others had anticipated, Grand Tutor Zhou and his entourage had already arrived in the outskirts of the capital.

The three people in the carriage were resting with their eyes closed.

Grand Tutor Zhou and his men were so afraid of being delayed on the road that they spent every day traveling except when they were sleeping.

Along the way, although Shen Cao prepared snacks and sauces, even the most delicious food will become tiresome after eating it for half a month.

Grand Tutor Zhou, in particular, hardly ate anything else.

At his age, a monotonous diet can cause health problems.

His complexion looked somewhat sallow, although he hadn't lost much weight.

Ye Shu and Shen Chen are in a much better situation than Grand Tutor Zhou. They can eat other foods at the inn, especially vegetables.

They ate much more than Grand Tutor Zhou along the way.

But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that all three individuals appear tired.

Grand Tutor Zhou was in great pain. He secretly opened one eye and saw that Ye Shu and Shen Chen had both closed their eyes and were pretending to sleep.

He changed his posture and sat up straight again.

His stomach is very bloated and he hasn't been able to defecate for ten days.

He ate nothing but noodles with sauce, rice with sauce, and pork jerky the whole way.

They don't eat vegetables at all, let alone fruit.

Even the water that Ye Shu occasionally offered him, he rarely drank because he was afraid of having to go to the toilet.

He could clearly feel that his belly had grown bigger.

However, no matter how hard he tried every day, he just couldn't get out.

He didn't want it to be like this, but he had no choice.

"Puff..." Suddenly, a low, slow sound of air being released came from the silent carriage.

After Zhou Taishi released his gas, his stomach felt a little better.

He quickly closed his eyes and pretended that he was already asleep.

At first, Ye Shu and Shen Chen didn't pay attention to the sound, but suddenly, a smell that seemed to be rotting meat that had been fermenting for many days rushed into their nostrils.

They both opened their eyes at the same time because of the smell.

The two looked at each other in disbelief; neither of them could believe that such a foul-smelling fart could have come from a human.

The smell was absolutely awful.

The two quickly drew the curtains to allow air to circulate inside the carriage.

Both men looked at Grand Tutor Zhou, who was still pretending to be asleep, their meaning unspoken.

If you look closely, you can even see Grand Tutor Zhou's slightly trembling eyes and the corners of his mouth that he is trying desperately to suppress.

The two were speechless.

Just as the smell dissipated, the two heard a heavy, drawn-out "plop..." sound.

The smell that had already dissipated immediately swept back in, this time even stronger than the first time, and even a bit irritating to the eyes.

The two quickly covered their noses with their sleeves and stuck their heads out of the carriage window.

Grand Tutor Zhou secretly opened one eye to look at the two of them; he was having a hard time holding back.

No, he has to hold back.

"puff……"

Scored twice.

He couldn't bear it anymore.

"Hahahahahaha..."

He hadn't expected his fart to be so powerful. Although it was indeed very smelly, the two people's reactions were inevitably exaggerated.

"You two...aren't you...going a bit too far?" His voice trembled slightly as he laughed.

"Grand Tutor Zhou!" Ye Shu called out in a complaining voice.

"Teacher..." even Shen Chen, who was standing to the side, said with a hint of reproach.

"It really stinks."

The coachman was in front, unaware of what was happening, but it seemed quite lively.

He shook his head and continued driving the carriage.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from behind to front.

He smelled the worst stench he had ever experienced, a smell even worse than the stinky socks he had been wearing for a month.

The people inside the carriage heard the coachman's warning, "Gentlemen, the curtains are all drawn. The carriage just accidentally ran over a pile of excrement, it stinks terribly, please do not open them."

While Grand Tutor Zhou was trying to explain himself, Ye Shu and Shen Chen couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing the coachman's words.

The coachman was even more confused.

After the laughter subsided, the atmosphere inside the carriage became quite subtle.

Ye Shu and Shen Chen became brothers in arms, sharing hardships and their relationship underwent a subtle change, becoming much closer than before.

The dignified image that Grand Tutor Zhou had worked so hard to maintain was now cracked, and he warned the two men with his eyes to keep it a secret.

Amidst the commotion, the carriage had already arrived at the city gate of the capital.

After a brief inspection by the city's guards, the carriage slowly entered the capital and finally stopped in front of Xiangmanlou Restaurant.

Grand Tutor Zhou, Ye Shu, and Shen Chen stepped down from the carriage.

Ye Shu instructed the coachman to drive the carriage to the Grand Tutor's mansion, where someone would meet him.

The three of them entered a private room by the window on the second floor of the restaurant.

"Waiter, bring me a pot of hot tea, Pu'er, make it strong," Ye Shu instructed, completely ignoring Zhou Taishi who was glaring at him from the side.

The tea was served quickly, and Ye Shu poured a cup for Grand Tutor Zhou first.

"Grand Tutor, drink it while it's hot." After saying that, she gave the Grand Tutor a meaningful look.

He knew Grand Tutor Zhou best. There had been times when the Grand Tutor had trouble relieving himself, but after drinking a pot of hot Pu'er tea, he would be able to relieve himself in no time.

Reluctantly, Grand Tutor Zhou accepted the tea and carefully drank it while it was still hot.

I drank three cups in a row.

This was the first time Shen Chen had seen Grand Tutor Zhou so obedient; it reminded him a bit of Shen Qing when he was a picky eater.