Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

Seeing that his youngest disciple was hesitant to eat, Jiang Jibai asked, "Aren't you full? It took a while to cook the noodles, so I brought them over a little late."

Bian Yushu was the young master of the Sichuan Provincial Governor's family and was pampered by his family. How could he not be able to eat a bowl of longevity noodles because of its mixed flavors?

Despite the turmoil of emotions churning within him, Qin Ji had no choice but to suppress them. He picked up his chopsticks, feigning an expression of "enjoyment," and asked, "How did you know it was my birthday today?"

Jiang Jibai looked at his little apprentice's "you know what's good for you" expression and chuckled, "As long as you're willing, what can't you find out about your young master Bian's birthday?"

"Besides, if I were to forget your birthday, wouldn't you throw a huge tantrum?"

The chopsticks holding the noodles paused for a moment.

After a moment, Qin Ji hummed and said, "That's more like it."

He lowered his eyes and continued to put the noodles into his mouth. The slight pauses he had made earlier passed by without a trace, leaving no room for anyone to notice anything amiss.

Despite the words being words of indulgence and pampering, he felt as if he had been slapped hard in the face, and was somewhat ashamed.

Yes, if you're determined, what can't you find out?

Jiang Jibai was thoughtful, so instead of asking why he was late, he prepared a sumptuous lunch for him and personally cooked a bowl of longevity noodles.

He was uninterested, so when Bian Yushu suddenly wanted to go to the gambling den and hesitated as if there was a hidden reason, he didn't even have the patience to ask a few questions, and instead gave her a lecture and intimidation.

He is an incompetent teacher.

On his apprentice's birthday, he scolded him, slapped him, and refused to go to his house.

She must have felt wronged; Bian Yushu had every reason to feel wronged.

But he said, "Your Majesty, Yu Shu is not wronged, truly."

That face, without a trace of gloom, suddenly appeared in Qin Ji's mind.

The image of his cheap apprentice, contentedly stepping through the gates of the Bian residence after receiving a compliment, is still vivid in my mind.

They're so easy to coax.

The soft noodles in my mouth suddenly turned into countless soft little boys, making them a bit hard to swallow.

But this was also a token of the poison master's goodwill, even though it was obtained through deception.

So the soft noodles slid down my throat and got stuck in my chest.

The young disciple looked very well-behaved as he buried his head in his noodles, but he ate very slowly, chewing each bite carefully.

Jiang Jibai had a good understanding of his own cooking skills. He coughed lightly, feeling a little awkward. "It's just that I cooked it for too long, so the noodles are a bit soft. With Aunt Wu's guidance, the taste should be pretty much the same."

Qin Ji picked up a small piece of eggshell from the bowl and placed it on the table, exchanging glances with Jiang Jibai.

Jiang Jibai: "...Just eat a little bit of the longevity noodles, it's mainly for the auspicious meaning. If you inhale it all at once, you'll live to be a hundred years old."

Qin Ji picked up the overly soft noodles with his chopsticks, and they broke cleanly in the middle.

Jiang Jibai: "..." This kid is not angry today because he has been trained by his disciples. He is not angry at all.

Seeing Jiang Jibai's annoyed yet helpless expression, Qin Ji thought that he didn't seem to know Jiang Jibai's birthday, just like he didn't know Bian Yushu's birthday.

After all, he never needed to deliberately remember anyone's birthday.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites reminded them of their father's birthday.

He held grand and small banquets to celebrate his birthday and received congratulations from officials. It was more of a ceremony than a birthday celebration, with political significance outweighing his personal feelings.

The only tender spot that touched his heart died on a rainy autumn night in the cold palace.

Back then, having enough to eat was all thanks to the charity and pity of the palace servants; how could they have the energy to care about birthdays?

It wasn't until after he ascended the throne that he learned for the first time that his mother, like him, was born in March, a month when peach blossoms were in full bloom.

In his memory, the first birthday he celebrated for his mother was her posthumous birthday.

The wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner in front of the portrait, and the ashes of paper blown by the wind beside the prayer mat, were the only ways he celebrated her birthday.

He didn't like this kind of birthday celebration.

"When was your birthday?" Qin Ji asked.

June 3rd.

"Oh," Qin Ji responded slowly, "There are still six months left, I might forget by then."

He needs to focus his energy on more important things, and he never pays attention to these "trivial matters".

Is this kid trying to cause trouble because of his birthday?

Jiang Jibai finally couldn't resist giving him a light tap on the head. "I'll prepare some good wine and food and send you an invitation. My unworthy disciple, would you do me the honor of coming to my humble abode for a meal?"

"If Your Majesty doesn't assign me any other tasks, that's fine too," Qin Ji reluctantly agreed, continuing to eat the noodles in his bowl.

Seeing that his youngest disciple was "utterly disgusted" but still ate all the noodles in his bowl and drank all the soup, Jiang Jibai's gaze on Qin Ji's head was light and soft, as gentle as moonlight.

Beneath the young disciple's awkward words and insincere words lay a profound and earnest appreciation.

This is clearly a child who values ​​relationships.

After lunch, Qin Ji felt a bit full and suggested taking a walk in the courtyard, which Jiang Jibai naturally accompanied him.

The house had two courtyards, but there wasn't much room to move around. You could see the whole thing at a glance. The master and apprentice walked around the courtyard one after the other.

Qin Ji was so bored that he stepped on Jiang Jibai's heels with every step until the person in front of him stopped and he bumped his head into Jiang Jibai's back.

"It's snowing."

Jiang Jibai's sigh came, and Qin Ji looked up.

The fluttering snowflakes, like willow catkins, drifted down with the wind, falling into the world and flying into every household.

This is the first snowfall of the winter in Yindu this year.

"Teacher, come with me to the rooftop to see the snow."

Sitting on the rooftop to admire the snow—a leisurely and pretentious pursuit for literati—would never have been something Qin Ji would have done in the past.

In his opinion, climbing onto the roof in the dead of winter to get windy and cold is simply a sign of someone's brain being caught in a door.

What he needed to be concerned about was whether the people had enough cotton clothes and food to get through the winter, whether the snow would collapse houses that were not sturdy enough if it fell for too long, whether there would be enough seeds for the spring of the following year, and how many people would freeze or starve to death during the year-end.

But today, perhaps it's "his birthday," or something else entirely, he wants to temporarily set aside his status and the burdens on his shoulders to do something meaningless and without need for meaning.

Do whatever you want, act willfully.

"Wait here." Jiang Jibai wouldn't refute the birthday boy's childish request. He smiled helplessly, turned around, and went into the house.

Before he could come out, Qin Ji brought a ladder and went ahead.

When Jiang Jibai came out, he was wearing the fox fur cloak that Qin Ji had given him. He climbed onto the roof and draped another thick cloak over Qin Ji's shoulders.

A warm hand warmer was placed in his hand, and Qin Ji covered it under his cloak, feeling warm all over and not too cold.

Jiang Jibai half-squatted beside him and tied a jade pendant around his waist. "A birthday gift. Congratulations on growing another year older."

Qin Ji raised his hand to stroke the jade pendant at his waist. It was warm to the touch. The front was engraved with the two characters "Fei Bai" and the back was carved with pine and crane patterns.

May you live a long and healthy life, like the pine and crane.

This is the teacher's simplest wish for him.

Qin Ji held the precious gift in his hand, looking at the snowflakes falling on Jiang Jibai's shoulder. For some reason, he thought of Bian Yushu, who had been wronged all day but was still very understanding towards him.

It's true what they say: comparisons are odious.

We lost; it was a complete defeat for both sides.