How could my childhood sweetheart be the current empress?

The last time I ate meat-filled dumplings, she made them herself. Decades have passed in the blink of an eye.

"Master, you should eat something too."

"No, I still have a few baskets of dumplings that haven't been put into the pot yet. Uncle Gu, you should eat more."

Xu Chengling smiled and asked Uncle Gu to eat more. He had worked hard for the Xiangguo Mansion for so many years, let alone a meal of dumplings, he could eat as many meals as he wanted.

Soon, Uncle Gu ate half of the dumplings in the cage. He seemed to remember something and said:

"Master, please send these remaining dumplings to Ali. She probably hasn't eaten yet."

"I saved the ones for Ali. That girl has a big appetite. This is not enough. Uncle Gu, you can finish it yourself."

Xu Chengling smiled slightly and said, like Uncle Gu, Mo Li also stayed in the Prime Minister's Mansion.

She had nowhere to go, and even on New Year's Eve, she spent it alone.

But little did she know that the person closest to her in this world had always been by her side, silently protecting her from behind.

"Master, thank you for caring so much about A-li. I have no way to repay you. If there is any use for my old bones, please just give me the order."

Uncle Gu thanked Xu Chengling. He was very grateful that Xu Chengling cared so much about Ali.

In comparison, he was a woefully unqualified father, but by not recognizing her he was also protecting her.

"Speaking of which, Uncle Gu, can you forge iron?"

Xu Chengling thought for a while and asked, the meteorite iron he had on hand needed to be processed by a blacksmith, and he heard from his father that Uncle Gu had been a blacksmith for a period of time.

Uncle Gu thought for a moment, nodded and said:

"Forging iron? I know a little bit, but it's been a long time since I last forged iron, so I might be a little rusty."

When it comes to wrought iron, he does know a little bit. After all, as a sword master, the weapons he uses are almost all forged by himself.

A swordsman who can't forge his own sword is not a good swordsman.

If you ask who is the best blacksmith in Dayan, if Sword Saint Gu Mo says yes, I'm afraid no one dares to say yes.

The last time he forged iron was to melt all the swords in his hands, and finally forged a black mace. There is only one such sword in the world, and only he can wield it with ease.

The black mace in his hand can be said to be the hardest weapon in the world. Any weapon that comes into contact with it will be easily destroyed.

"I happen to have a special kind of iron on hand, called meteorite iron. I need you to forge it according to the method I told you. I call this method forged steel."

Xu Chengling said in a deep voice.

"Forged steel?"

Uncle Gu has been forging for many years, but he has only heard of wrought iron and has never heard of the term wrought steel.

"Yes, steel is a stronger object than iron, but it requires some special methods to forge it, so I need your help, Uncle Gu."

Xu Chengling recalled that he had read the time traveler's guide, which included the information about how the steel was tempered.

This is not a novel, but a method of how to make steel.

The hardness of fine steel is several times higher than that of iron, and the destructive power of fine steel is extremely strong, which iron cannot match at all.

But the problem is that fine steel is pure steel without impurities, and it is not so easy to forge.

However, even iron steel containing impurities is much harder than ordinary iron.

If the steel forging method can be promoted and steel tools can be used in the army, the army's combat effectiveness will definitely be raised to a higher level.

Imagine that when your enemies are still using iron tools, you have already started using steel tools. Steel is to iron like iron is to a wooden stick. There is absolutely no comparison.

Moreover, given the lethality of steel weapons, they can also effectively penetrate armored soldiers.

This is also the reason why Xu Chengling had the confidence to make a military order to the empress. As long as he developed a method of forging steel, he could update the weapons in the hands of the Dayan Army and get harder steel.

At present, Xu Chengling needs a blacksmith with rich forging experience to conduct experiments using meteorite with extremely low iron content to see if he can forge the first steel tool made of meteorite.

And right in front of him was the best blacksmith in Dayan.

Chapter 128 Domestic and Wild Cats

Xu Chengling handed the meteorite to Uncle Gu and told him the method of steelmaking.

Steelmaking is essentially the same as wrought iron, but with an extra step: adding black carbon to the iron ore.

As the saying goes, steel is made through repeated tempering. After adding black carbon to the iron ore, it must be hammered repeatedly to ensure that the added carbon is evenly distributed, thus eliminating the impurities contained in the iron ore.

After hundreds of times of hammering, all the impurities in the iron ore are removed and fine steel can be obtained.

This is easy to say, but in practice, how much black carbon to add and with what strength to beat, all these require countless practices to come to a conclusion.

Therefore, Xu Chengling needed to find a highly skilled blacksmith, Uncle Gu, to help.

After listening to his explanation of the principle, Uncle Gu seemed to be thinking about it, and then he suddenly realized it.

He had forged countless swords, and once an incident occurred where a piece of wrought iron that had not yet been cast accidentally fell into the charcoal fire under the furnace and was fished out by him.

As a result, an incredible scene happened. The sword made of wrought iron was harder than other swords. He called this sword the Black Iron Sword and always carried it with him.

Xu Chengling's words evoked Uncle Gu's memories. It turned out that at that time, the unformed wrought iron absorbed the carbon in the charcoal fire, and under his repeated hammering, it became a piece of steel.

"Master, I understand. However, before using the meteorite iron forging, I plan to try other iron ores first. Once I am confident, I will use this meteorite iron to forge a weapon for you."

Uncle Gu thought for a while and said to Xu Chengling that Xu Chengling's method once again aroused his desire to forge weapons.

Moreover, this meteorite iron is said to be wrought iron that is harder than any other piece of iron. Combined with the master's steelmaking method, he might be able to forge the best weapon to date.

Creating the best weapons in the world is definitely the ultimate pursuit of every blacksmith.

"Well, Uncle Gu, take your time. I have someone booked a forging shop. If you need anything else, just let me know as soon as possible."

Xu Chengling said that he was not in a hurry anyway as he still had a month to prepare.

After explaining everything to Uncle Gu, Xu Chengling picked up the steamer of dumplings and returned to the kitchen.

After that, he came to Mo Li's residence with a basket of dumplings.

This girl lived very close to Xu Chengling's residence, making it convenient for him to find her at any time.

Arriving at her residence, Xu Chengling knocked on the door and said:

"Ali, are you there?"

"Ah, is that you, sir? Please wait a moment, I'm taking a shower..."

After a while, Mo Li's somewhat panicked voice came from the room.

Then he heard the sound of water splashing and Mo Li climbed out of the bathtub.

After a long time, the door was opened and a little cutie poked his head out from the side of the door with wet hair.

"Master, why are you here?"

"I just made a basket of steamed dumplings. Do you want some?"

Xu Chengling was holding a steamer in his hand, which contained hot dumplings that had just come out of the steamer.

"Wow, there are dumplings?"

When she heard that there were dumplings to eat, Mo Li couldn't help but jump up on the spot. Dumplings were something only rich people could afford. She had never eaten them since she was a child.

"Well, all for you."

Xu Chengling nodded and opened the lid, revealing steaming dumplings inside.

When Mo Li saw the dumplings in the cage, her eyes sparkled and her saliva started to flow. She couldn't help but cry out of emotion. She ate while crying and mumbled:

"Woo woo, Master, you are so good to Ali!"

After a while, the girl ate all the dumplings in the steamer. She couldn't help asking:

"Master, Ali is not full yet, is there anything else?"

"Yes, but it will take a while."

Xu Chengling burst out laughing. There were at least thirty-four dumplings in this basket, and this girl couldn't even eat enough. She was really a glutton.

Mo Li couldn't help but smile, looking at Xu Chengling and said a little embarrassedly:

"Hehe, it's mainly because the dumplings made by the master are so delicious. Ali hasn't eaten enough and wants to eat some more."

Xu Chengling couldn't do anything about her, so he went back to get another basket of dumplings, which she quickly finished as well.

But this time she was fed.

Mo Li couldn't help but burp, touched his belly with his hand, leaned his head gently on Xu Chengling's body, and murmured:

"I feel so full and happy, Master. You are the best person A-li has ever met. Not only do you give A-li a place to live, but you also give A-li delicious food. A-li really doesn't know how to repay you."

This is what was in her heart. When she was homeless, it was Xu Chengling who took her in and gave her a place to stay. She would also think of him when she had something delicious.

Come to think of it, what was her reason for getting close to Xu Chengling in the first place?

Forget it, she can't remember it anyway. Following the master, she has good food to eat and a place to live. This is much better than wandering around outside alone.

Mo Li couldn't help but seem to recall something, some not-so-nice memories from his childhood.

She couldn't help but hug Xu Chengling's arm tightly, looking seriously at the man's face in front of her, with some reluctance in her eyes.

But she was a big thief after all. Since she came to the Prime Minister's Mansion, she had never robbed the poor to help the rich, which violated the oath she made at the beginning.

A thief travels all over the world, how can he stay in one place forever?

Yes, Mo Li remembered that she had stayed in the Prime Minister's Mansion just to find a temporary place to live. After all, she could no longer return to her original home.

When the time is right, she will steal some treasures from the Prime Minister's Mansion, leave a note with her name on it, and then flee...

This was her original intention.

But when did she forget her original intention and her identity as a thief, and was willing to be a little maid in the Prime Minister's Mansion...

She vowed to become the greatest thief in the world, and her journey should not end here.

At the very least, her career as a thief will not end until she is caught by the government or becomes too old to move.

"master."

Mo Li suddenly raised her head, staring at him with a pair of clear eyes. Her pretty face couldn't help but blush, and she asked shyly:

"Master, do you still keep your word? Do you still want Ali to be your maid?"

Xu Chengling was a little surprised. What happened to Mo Li today? She was usually so reluctant, so why did she suddenly become so proactive today?

When Xu Chengling asked her if she wanted to be a maid, he was just joking with her.

After all, he already has a wife, so his own words don’t count; he also needs his wife’s consent.

So, he smiled slightly and said to Mo Li:

"Don't think so much, just be your little maid. Are you afraid that the Xiangguo Mansion can't afford to support you?"

"Is that so? Since the master doesn't need it, then Ali has nothing to repay you. After all, Ali was penniless when he came here, and even if he leaves in the future, he won't leave you anything."

Mo Li forced a smile from the corner of his mouth, and his little face couldn't help but look a little sad.

All she could give to the master was herself.

She can only wait until the future to repay the master's kindness.

At least when she leaves, she will be as penniless as when she came, and will not take anything from the master's house.

At this moment, Mo Li had already decided to leave.

Master, your little cutie is leaving. Don’t miss her anymore. She was a little wild cat from the beginning and just broke into your home by chance. But she is tired of playing, so she is leaving with a pat on her butt.

This little wild cat really envies other little wild cats. At least she has found her own owner and become a domestic cat.

And from the beginning to the end, she was a wild cat that could not be tamed.

Chapter 129 He is scared (fourth update)

The next day was New Year’s Eve.

The Prime Minister's Mansion was very deserted. All the servants had asked for leave to go home and would not be back until the next day.