The Northern Continent was buried in administrative work, most of which concerned the affairs of the mortal world.
Over the past few decades, not much had changed in that regard...
Perhaps because she had grown so accustomed to handling these official documents, Su Qing was now no slower than Liu Xixi. In fact, there were times when her speed would even surpass her.
Of course, most of the time, she still couldn't keep up with Liu Xixi...
After all, the girl put in far more effort than she did.
Although Liu Xixi had gone to rest of her own accord, she hadn't actually stayed away for long before returning to continue her work.
While she looked much more refreshed, it was impossible to tell how she truly felt deep down.
Su Qing didn't have much of a solution for her, so she could only let her be... In any case, as long as the two of them worked together, these official duties wouldn't take up too much time and should be completely resolved soon.
Time flowed slowly.
As evening approached, Su Qing looked at the significantly diminished pile of documents and couldn't help but stretch her wrists.
Turning to Liu Xixi, she said, "That’s enough for today! We can handle the rest tomorrow just the same. Come on, let's go to my palace for dinner. I'll cook something delicious for you as a reward for your hard work these past few days."
The reason Su Qing invited Liu Xixi to dinner—aside from truly wanting to reward her—was primarily to prevent the girl from staying behind to continue working after she left.
If it were anyone else, such a worry would be unnecessary.
But if it were Liu Xixi, she was exactly the type of person who would do such a thing.
Su Qing's words took Liu Xixi by surprise. She looked at Su Qing and said, "Is the Sovereign worried that I won't listen and will keep working? Please don't worry, Sovereign. I'm not exactly someone who loves working."
Hearing this, Su Qing chuckled and shook her head. "Of course not. I simply want to treat you to a meal. Why? Are you unwilling to give me this face? Or are you actually resenting me?"
Having spent so many years together, Su Qing knew exactly how to handle Liu Xixi.
Consequently, she knew exactly what to say to make Liu Xixi obediently follow her...
"I—I didn't mean it like that. Please don't misunderstand, Sovereign," Liu Xixi replied, quickly trying to explain herself, not wanting Su Qing to get the wrong idea.
After explaining for a bit and seeing that Su Qing remained unmoved, she could only let out a long, faint sigh. "The Sovereign is truly too much. Very well, since you've put it that way, I shall go with you. Regardless... it really is time to 'get off work'."
Over the years spent with Su Qing, Liu Xixi had learned many strange terms, and "getting off work" was one of them.
Seeing this, Su Qing couldn't help but smile. "That's more like it. Let's go!"
Liu Xixi nodded and followed Su Qing toward her palace.
Inside the palace, things hadn't become much livelier despite Leng Xiang's return. For the most part, everyone kept to their own business without disturbing one another...
Unless the children were home, the place was always a bit quiet.
Upon returning to the palace, Su Qing had Liu Xixi sit in the courtyard and then called for Su Tingtong to keep her company...
Meanwhile, she hurried to the kitchen, taking over the role of head chef to prepare tonight's dinner.
After Su Qing left, Liu Xixi looked at Su Tingtong, momentarily unsure of what to say.
Su Tingtong, however, offered a graceful smile and took the initiative to chat with Liu Xixi, acting like a little adult.
Thirty years had passed.
Su Tingtong had grown quite a bit.
Because she was a demon, her physical growth was somewhat slow, but after so many years, she had naturally matured.
Now, she had the air of a young girl, looking roughly like a mortal of eleven or twelve years old...
In this form, Su Tingtong remained incredibly endearing.
It wasn't just her appearance that was charming; it was more her personality that drew people in.
She wasn't mischievous like other children; she was very obedient and exceptionally bright...
Even in social interactions, she had her own set of principles, making her more reliable than some flighty adults.
Therefore, Su Qing had no concerns about leaving the task of entertaining Liu Xixi to her.
Even Liu Xixi, who hadn't known what to say, found herself led into conversation by Su Tingtong...
Though the questions were often quite strange, it was far better than sitting there in awkward silence.
Time flew by.
Before long, dinner was ready in Su Qing's hands.
Once the cooking was finished, Su Qing called everyone together to eat...
The table was very large, so even with two extra people today, there was plenty of room, and no one would miss out on her dinner.
"How does it taste?" Su Qing asked with a beaming smile.
The response she received was a unanimous chorus of praise...
Hearing this, Su Qing was satisfied. She reached out with one hand to pat Su Tingtong on the head and whispered a quiet thank you for her hard work.
Su Tingtong looked up at Su Qing and sent a Sound Transmission: 'Providing support for Mother is only my duty! Mother should focus on wooing Sister Liu Xixi; I’ll be sure to help you!'
Hearing this, Su Qing froze for a moment...
She stared at Su Tingtong blankly, her lips eventually twitching slightly.
Great. It seemed that not just her other daughters, but even this child had developed some misunderstandings about her character.
Helpless, she could only reply via Sound Transmission: 'You're overthinking it. I have no such intentions.'
At the same time, she thought to herself, 'I'll have to explain things to her properly later.'
Naturally, that would have to wait until after the meal.
Since it was dinner time, it wasn't the right moment for a long talk.
Dinner soon came to an end.
Su Qing saw Liu Xixi off. Once she was gone, Su Qing exhaled a breath of turbid air and called Su Tingtong to her side...
Then, she began a mother-daughter talk, explaining the situation thoroughly.
After listening to Su Qing's explanation, Su Tingtong took on a look of realization. She nodded at Su Qing and said, "So that's how it is. I understand, Mother. You're just worried that if the other mother finds out, she'll be unhappy, right?"
Su Qing blinked. Well, the explanation she just gave was a complete waste of breath.
It looked like she would have to explain a lot more.
She rubbed the space between her eyebrows.
She didn't know which person had been talking nonsense to make even her own daughter misunderstand her like this...
Was she really that kind of person?
How could she possibly try to woo someone right in front of her family?
Helpless, Su Qing spoke up once more. "No, you've got it wrong again..."
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