There is a happy inn in the capital.

It has the effects of replenishing qi and blood, strengthening bones, and nourishing blood and skin, making it suitable for all ages.

Wash the beef bones, chop them into small pieces, blanch them in boiling water for five minutes, and then remove them from the water.

Wash the spinach, remove the stems from the fresh mushrooms, and score the mushrooms with a cross.

Wash the white peppercorns, cardamom, and scallions. Cut the scallions into long sections and put them all into a cotton bag.

Pour six bowls of water into a clay pot and bring to a boil. Add beef bones and a cotton bag containing spices. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for one hour (two hours).

Add the fresh mushrooms to the soup and simmer for a short while. Then add the spinach and simmer for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Finally, add salt to taste.

After cooking, the soup is fragrant and delicious.

Li Shuchen carried it upstairs and placed it on the octagonal table inside the room.

Hearing the noise, Liang Yuying called out, "Shu Chen!"

Li Shuchen smiled and said, "You're awake! I just made some beef bone soup, it's good for nourishing your blood and strengthening your bones, it's perfect for you."

Upon hearing this, Liang Yuying threw back the covers and was about to get out of bed.

Li Shuchen quickly said, "Lie still, I'll feed you."

Liang Yuying stopped what she was doing and said, "My right hand is fine, I can move it."

As Li Shuchen ladled out the soup, he said, "If you get out of bed, walk around, and then sit down at the table, you'll definitely pull yourself along. If your wound reopens and bleeds, all my soup will have been wasted, and I'll have spent an hour (two hours) doing nothing."

Upon hearing this, Liang Yuying lay back down. Li Shuchen placed the bowl on the low table beside her and put a pillow behind Yuying's back so she could drink the soup more easily.

Li Shuchen scooped up a small spoonful of soup, blew on it, and brought it to Liang Yuying's lips.

"Try it"

After Liang Yuying finished drinking

Li Shuchen asked, "Is it hot?"

Liang Yuying: "Not too hot, tastes good."

Li Shuchen smiled; she knew it tasted good even without tasting it: "One more sip!"

Liang Yuying: "Mmm"

Li Shuchen fed him spoonful by spoonful.

Liang Yuying: "Feeding me like this makes me feel like a useless piece of trash."

Li Shuchen said coquettishly, "What nonsense are you talking about? You saved me, so in my heart you are a hero, a great hero."

"You're injured right now, so it's my duty to take care of you. Don't worry, I'm not a bad person, and I'll take full responsibility for you."

Liang Yuying nodded and said, "Yes, I know."

Li Shuchen fed her the whole pot of beef bone soup like that.

Li Shuchen asked, "Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

Liang Yuying: "I can't sleep."

Li Shuchen thought for a moment and replied, "Then let's read a book. I happen to have one that's perfect for you."

Liang Yuying: "What book?"

Li Shuchen: "Wait while I look for it."

Li Shuchen looked for the desk, but it wasn't there. She checked the bookshelf, but it wasn't there either. Where did she put it?

Oh, I remember now, it's in the closet.

Li Shuchen held up a book: "Ta-da! 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu. Do you like it?"

Liang Yuying reached out and took the book.

Once you open it up and read it carefully, you'll find it increasingly addictive, and the more you ponder it, the more interesting it becomes.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "What a wonderful book! The layout is exquisite!"

Li Shuchen: "I like it, it's yours."

Liang Yuying: "Thank you, Shu Chen."

Li Shuchen waved his hand magnanimously: "Why are you being so polite with me? We're practically family."

Grape: "Miss, someone's looking for us in the backyard."

Li Shuchen: "We're here."

He said to Liang Yuying, "I'll go take a look."

After going outside, Li Shuchen noticed that Grape looked a little strange, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

Grape: "Miss, two girls dressed in black are looking for you."

Li Shuchen's eyes widened: "What, black clothes?"

She was now truly terrified of people dressed in black. She quickly made her way to the back kitchen, grabbed a fire poker just in case, and Li Shuchen glanced out the kitchen window.

One person wields a sword, the other a knife.

The scabbard is entirely black, and the broadsword has three rings on its back.

The killing intent faintly emanating from the sword seemed strangely familiar to her.

Seeing that the two women didn't seem to be there to cause trouble, he carefully went outside.

The two girls in black rushed straight at Li Shuchen as soon as she came out, their speed astonishing. Startled, Li Shuchen quickly raised her wooden stick, holding it horizontally in the air to block as much as possible.

Unexpectedly, the two girls in black knelt down before Li Shuchen in unison, shouting...

"Benefactor, please accept us, the two sisters, as your family."

Li Shuchen was dumbfounded. A benefactor? Who was her benefactor? Wasn't he here to fight her? She was awkwardly holding the fire poker, unsure whether to put it down or not.

Li Shuchen threw away the stick, clapped his hands, and said...

"You all get up first. Kneeling like this might shorten my lifespan."

Upon hearing this, the two girls stood up.

Li Shuchen: "You say I'm your benefactor?"

The girl in black with the sword replied, "Yes, we've had a very difficult time finding our benefactor. If it weren't for our exceptional assassin skills, sharp observation, and accurate intuition, finding them would have been a long and arduous journey."

Li Shuchen was stunned again, and asked uncertainly, "An assassin?"

The girl in black with the sword said, "Yes, but my sister and I have already retired from our life of crime and no longer kill. Please, benefactor, don't worry and take us in."

Li Shuchen scratched his head: "This..."

How could she trust him to accept a cold-blooded killer? Could he be a conman? Would he kill her while she slept? Or perhaps he was an undercover agent sent by the man in black yesterday? She had to test him.

Li Shuchen then asked, "When did I save you?"

The black-clad girl with the sword said, "In mid-April in Yangzhou, on a dark and windy night, my sister and I were seriously injured and lay unconscious on the ground, unaware of anything. It was by chance that our benefactor found us."

Our benefactor was kind enough to treat our wounds with top-quality wound medicine, which allowed my sister and me to regain consciousness. If we hadn't met our benefactor, my sister and I would surely have died on that quiet night.

To my sister and me, our benefactor is like a second parent. Benefactor, please look at this white porcelain vase. Do you still recognize it?

Li Shuchen looked at the girl in black, her face cold and aloof, and felt extremely awkward as she uttered such moving words.

I took the white porcelain bottle and examined it closely. It was indeed hers; anything made by Xiao Jizi was bound to be exceptional.

Li Shuchen remembered; it was indeed true. He had torn one of her dresses to save them and had almost been killed, mistaken for a bad guy.

Li Shuchen needed to get to the bottom of things.

"Why are you looking for me?"

The black-clad girl with the sword said, "After completing our last mission, my sister and I were no longer willing to live a life of constant danger, so we retired from the martial world. Not knowing where to go, we thought of coming to repay our benefactor."

The martial arts world? That sounds pretty impressive.

Li Shuchen: "Do you have a ranking in the martial arts world?"

The girl in black with the sword: "Yes, they are known as the 'Ghostly Duo,' ranked sixth."

My goodness, they're so skilled! No wonder they're all so expressionless; they're definitely top-tier assassins.

The girl in black with the sword said, "The times are turbulent now. There's war on the border, disaster in the south, and refugees running rampant. Even in this vast capital, we're not necessarily safe. Our benefactor has taken us two sisters in, so we can protect him in the future."

The girl in black with the knife finally spoke.

"I'm the same as my sister."

The girl in black with the sword said, "If our benefactor is willing to take us in, we will swear to protect him with our lives and ensure that he suffers no harm whatsoever."