Chapter 102 City Streets 2

Chapter 102: City Life in the Prefecture 2

Upon seeing the letter, Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban were both ecstatic, completely forgetting their earlier encounter with Matchmaker Zhang. They exclaimed in unison, "Quick! Open it and let's see!"

Liu Guyu, complying, tore open the thick envelope and carefully extracted its contents.

Cui Lanfang: "So much!"

Qin Banban: "My second brother sent me another medical book!"

Qin Banban immediately spotted a thin, blue-covered book among the items—it was indeed a medical text.

Qin Rongshi, having spent the past two years traveling for his studies, would send back any medical books not commonly found in their town for Banban, clearly remembering his sister’s aspirations.

She cradled the book to her chest, then picked up the large envelope on top. "This is a letter for the family. Brother Liu, please read it aloud."

Liu Guyu nodded, swiftly opening the envelope and taking out the letter.

Perhaps to reassure his family, the usually reticent Qin Rongshi always sent home letters spanning several pages, detailing everything: how the rain had soaked his clothes that day, or spotting a remarkably beautiful koi in a lotus pond the day before. No detail was too small.

"May this letter find you well, and seeing my words be like seeing me in person..."

Liu Guyu read the letter aloud, concluding, "Erlang says he has already reached Jiangning Prefecture and should be back sometime this month."

The three full pages took Liu Guyu quite a while to read, leaving his mouth dry.

Qin Banban quickly poured him some water, while Cui Lanfang wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes, smiling joyfully, "Good, that’s wonderful!"

But then, she couldn't help but worry: "It's already mid-month. I wonder if Erlang can make it back before the New Year. Tomorrow, I’ll thoroughly clean his room, air out and wash all his bedding! And his clothes too!"

After a couple of sips of water, Liu Guyu quickly added, "Those clothes are two years old. He’s growing fast at his age—they probably won’t fit anymore!"

Hearing this, Cui Lanfang sighed again, lost in thought, murmuring, "That’s true... I wonder how tall he is now? His father and eldest brother are both tall and long-limbed—he certainly won’t be short!"

At this, Liu Guyu also couldn’t help but imagine.

Qin Rongshi was already about as tall as him when he left; by now, he was probably much taller!

Cui Lanfang began counting the days on her fingers, calculating the remaining time until the New Year.

Liu Guyu knew her concerns and quickly reassured her, "He knows what he’s doing. If he plans to return around this time, he’s definitely aiming to be back for the New Year!"

Qin Banban chimed in, "Exactly! Mom, don’t worry. Don’t you trust Brother to handle things?"

Hearing their words, Cui Lanfang felt much more at ease and laughed happily once more.

Relieved and in a lighter mood, Cui Lanfang felt she could finally sleep soundly tonight. Glancing at the remaining thick, unopened envelope, she smiled and remarked, "That child is so thoughtful—he’s sent you more sketches of regional foods from his travels."

Liu Guyu nodded but didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he took it back to his room to store, planning to look at it slowly after dinner.

Tonight’s dinner was sour bamboo shoot chicken stew. The sour bamboo shoots had a strong aroma, but stewed with chicken, it was exceptionally fresh, tangy, and delicious—it went very well with rice. The whole family ate heartily, rested for a while after the meal, then cleaned up and washed before returning to their respective rooms.

Back in his room, Liu Guyu immediately grabbed the thick letter, climbed onto his bed, quickly opened it, and shook out all its contents.

Before Qin Rongshi left, Liu Guyu had asked him to write about the local specialties, foods, and scenery of each place he visited.

Over the past two years, Qin Rongshi had done just that.

The letter began with: "Lunch was silver thread fish soup, fresh, fragrant, sour, and spicy..."

Though it only described food without any other remarks, Liu Guyu read it with great interest, lying on his bed, swinging his legs, and reading the words over and over.

After finishing the letter, he picked up another stack of small sketches.

The rice paper was cut to envelope size, each depicting scenery or food.

"Hawthorn milk dew? This looks tasty... Dried meat noodles—looks like instant noodles. Wow, ancient people’s wisdom really shouldn’t be underestimated..."

The first few sheets were all food, but further on, they gradually shifted to scenery.

Towering cities, rushing rivers, elegant and serene courtyards, or the gentle spring breeze with slanting willows, the pomegranate flowers blazing in early summer, the sparse woods and red leaves of late autumn, and the snow-covered mountains at winter’s onset.

Qin Rongshi, being a scholar, seemed to have a penchant for literary flair, writing matching poems on the back of each small sketch.

For instance, behind this drawing of wintersweet in the snow, he had written a line:

"How since parting, three times the plum branches have changed①... What does that mean? That brat, he’s picked up the scholarly habits of bookworms, loving to write these ornate phrases! Mocking me for being uncultured!"

Although Liu Guyu was a modern, well-educated man, he was completely clueless about poetry and couldn’t understand these ornate writings of Qin Rongshi.

"Hmm... What’s that smell? So fragrant."

Just after muttering this, he suddenly caught a whiff of a rich, cold fragrance, like some kind of flower.

Liu Guyu looked around but found no flowers. After a moment of bewilderment, he tentatively brought the wintersweet drawing to his nose and sniffed lightly.

He couldn’t help muttering, "Ancient times are so mystical—even wintersweet drawings can come to life!"

Upon sniffing, he found the cold fragrance indeed came from the paper—it was the scent of wintersweet.

Liu Guyu quickly picked up the other sheets and sniffed them too, finding they all carried scents.

Remembering something, he immediately shook the envelope.

Soon, a few dried, yellowish wintersweet petals drifted out.

Liu Guyu was stunned, taking a long while to pick up the dried flowers from the bed and examine them in his hand.

"...What does this mean? Sending them back for tea? There aren’t enough for that."

Muttering to himself, Liu Guyu carefully placed the wintersweet petals, the letter, and the sketches back into the envelope. Then, he took down a black wooden box from the bed frame against the wall.

It was a box he used specifically to store letters, containing all the letters Qin Rongshi had sent home over the past two years.

After reading the letter and carefully putting it away, Liu Guyu finally lay back down to sleep.

He soon drifted off to sleep but seemed to smell that familiar cold fragrance again in his dreams.

Yet, he searched everywhere without finding it.

*

A few days later, Liu’s Eatery opened as usual, with many regular customers coming in for breakfast.

The eatery naturally offered more items than the stall had. In the morning, there were porridge dishes, osmanthus rice cakes, glutinous rice red date rolls, and paper-thin shaomai, all very tasty, attracting many customers for breakfast.

"One bowl of lotus seed porridge, two paper-thin shaomai."

"Two bowls of five-white soup, one plate of golden crisps."

These "golden crisps" were actually egg yolk pastries. The modern name lacked an ancient feel, which clearly didn’t fit here. Liu Guyu had specifically sought out Li Anyuan and Xie Baozhu, treated them to a meal, and asked them to help name the new dish.

In the restaurant's hall, a young man named Ming Geer bustled about attending to customers. Ming Geer, also from Shanghe Village, was hired by Liu Guyu because the shop was too busy.

This young man was a year younger than Liu Guyu and was of marrying age but hadn't married yet.

His parents passed away early, and he was raised by his grandmother. Now that she was elderly and had trouble getting around, he couldn't bear to leave the old woman he depended on, which was why his own marriage had been delayed.

Liu Guyu had personally chosen him for being clever and steady.

He was busy taking orders, running back and forth between the front hall and the kitchen.

Just then, a man dressed in a bamboo-green shirt and robe walked in. His wide sleeves draped down, partially obscuring the square jade pendant at his waist. Tall and slender, with bright, handsome features and an upright posture, he stood like a graceful tree, capturing everyone's attention the moment he entered.

One customer, intrigued and seeing Ming Geer still busy with the previous patron, quickly called out, "Come, come, come in and sit! You look unfamiliar—is this your first time eating at Boss Liu's restaurant?"

The newcomer smiled slightly and replied, "Yes. I asked around at the East Market, and everyone said this restaurant has great flavor, so I came."

The customer exclaimed delightedly, "Ah! What luck! Boss Liu's skills are no exaggeration—few in town can compare! You're in for a treat today! Hey, what should we call you, little brother? Strange! You look both unfamiliar and familiar to me!"

The newcomer continued smiling, nodding as he answered, "I'm Qin."

The customer, naturally outgoing and enthusiastic, urged warmly, "Little Brother Qin! You've come at the right time—you must try this red bean milk pudding! It's delicious; I have it every time I come!"

Qin Rongshi followed the customer's gaze and saw on the table a bowl of double-skin milk topped with red bean paste—something Liu Guyu had made for them over two years ago.

Seeing Qin Rongshi silent, the customer didn't take offense and chuckled, continuing cheerfully, "Boss Liu's skills are truly exceptional. I wonder what kind of husband he'll find someday, and whose mouth will get to enjoy such luck?"

At this, Qin Rongshi frowned immediately and asked, "Has someone proposed to him?"

The customer exclaimed, "Whoa!" and quickly waved his hands, saying, "Oh! No, no! I was just blabbering! I really don't know about Boss Liu's personal affairs! But... but I heard Boss Liu was widowed young. With his talents, he could surely find a good match if he wanted!"

Qin Rongshi said nothing more, his brow tightly furrowed, the ever-present smile fading from his face, leaving him looking much colder.

Just then, Ming Geer, finished with another customer, hurried over, saying as he walked, "What would you like to eat, sir? We have... Huh? You, you're—!"

Ming Geer, also from Shanghe Village, naturally recognized Qin Rongshi. Though two years had passed and Qin Rongshi had changed greatly, he knew him at a glance.

His eyes widened in shock, and he cried out, "You're... Qin, Qin... Ah! Brother Liu! Brother Liu!"

He stammered a few words, then hurriedly ran to the kitchen to fetch someone.

Soon, Liu Guyu emerged, an apron tied around his waist, his hands and face dusted with white flour.

"Erlang!"

He called out, his eyes instantly shining with surprise and joy, and the next moment he dashed forward.

"R-Really, it's you!"

"You're back!"

Overcome with excitement, Liu Guyu rushed forward, and Qin Rongshi immediately stood to steady him.

He nodded to Liu Guyu and said softly, "I just arrived in Fushui Town today. Thinking it was market day, I went to the East Market to find you first. Aunt Lin said you rented a shop this year, so I found my way here."

Liu Guyu was too happy to speak, pulling him left and right to look him over, finally gesturing, "You rascal, sneaking magic potions out there alone? How’d you get so tall!"

Then, the customer finally realized why Qin Rongshi had seemed both unfamiliar and familiar.

He exclaimed in astonishment, "Aiyah! So it's Boss Liu's little scholar returned! All grown up now! I knew it! I knew it! Oh dear... I made a fool of myself recommending our own shop's dishes to you!"

Qin Rongshi offered the customer a faint smile and said, "Meeting you on my first day back is fate. Whatever you eat in the shop today is on me."

The customer laughed heartily again, even more pleased.

But the happiest was Liu Guyu, who quickly pulled Qin Rongshi into the kitchen, saying as they went, "Have you eaten? Let me make you something!"

Qin Rongshi didn't stand on ceremony, nodding as he said, "Watching him eat that red bean double-skin milk pudding made me crave it. I'll have that, with extra fruit jam and syrup."

Liu Guyu couldn't help teasing, "Two years away changed you—now you admit you love sweets?"

Qin Rongshi lowered his gaze, silent for a moment before half-seriously, half-jokingly replying:

"A gentleman isn't afraid to love or hate. Since I like it, I’ve no reason not to admit it."

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