Chapter 164 City Streets 64

Chapter 164: City Streets 64

Pinecones?

Chen Sanxi paused for a moment, then also looked towards the door Qin Banban was pointing at.

It was early spring, and several doors, including Chen Sanxi’s, were adorned with Spring Festival couplets and red 'fortune' characters. When he lived alone in the village, he never put these up. Perhaps it was because at the escort agency, with his master, master's wife, junior martial sister, and a group of brothers his age, he joined in the tradition.

A small nail was hammered beside the door, from which hung a string of dried pinecones tied together with a red string, positioned right above the vibrant red Spring Festival couplets.

Qin Banban walked over with a smile, reached out, and poked the string of pinecones a couple of times, making it sway back and forth.

She asked, "Do you like this string of pinecones so much? You even brought it from the village?"

Chen Sanxi seemed to recall something, quickly looking away, not daring to meet Qin Banban's gaze as she toyed with the pinecones.

He nodded slightly but remained silent.

It seemed like a little secret. Qin Banban didn’t press for an answer. She chuckled softly, shaking her head as she said, "I should head back. It’s getting late, and if I don’t return soon, my family will worry."

Chen Sanxi hurriedly offered, "Let me walk you back."

Qin Banban initially wanted to decline, but she had just been followed by someone with ill intentions. Although she had calmed down, walking alone through the alleyways again would surely make her anxious.

She nodded and replied, "Alright, and you can come to my place for dinner too!"

The two walked out of the escort agency, one after the other, and took a boat to Guozi Lane.

The spring rain was relentless, and even the Dan River had swollen. The originally clear river water had turned murky from the continuous downpour.

*

"Banban! You’re back! I was about to send your brother out to look for you!"

As soon as she entered the house, Cui Lanfang, still wearing an apron, rushed out. She pulled Qin Banban aside and looked her over from head to toe, only relaxing once she confirmed her daughter had returned safe and sound.

She let out a sigh of relief and only then noticed Chen Sanxi following behind.

"Sanxi is here too!" Cui Lanfang exclaimed happily.

Qin Banban looped her arm through her mother’s and led her inside. Chen Sanxi followed silently. As soon as he entered, he saw Qin Rongshi was also there.

Qin Rongshi was holding an umbrella, about to go out, seemingly genuinely planning to search for her.

Seeing his sister return with Chen Sanxi, he couldn’t help but frown and asked, "What happened? Did something occur on the way?"

Qin Banban hadn’t planned to say anything, afraid of worrying Cui Lanfang. But since her second brother asked, and she couldn’t lie, she tugged at two strands of her hair and whispered, "It’s nothing major…"

She recounted the day's events: going to the pharmacy to buy medicine, encountering the father-son scam artists selling fake medicine, exposing them and incurring their resentment, being followed in a panic, and rushing to He Family Escort Agency in fear…

Cui Lanfang listened with growing dread, her face turning pale. She grabbed Qin Banban and inspected her from head to toe again, anxiously asking, "Banban, are you alright? Did they do anything to you?"

Cui Lanfang was terrified, pulling Qin Banban to inspect her from head to toe.

Qin Rongshi had frowned as soon as Qin Banban started speaking, and his expression remained tense even after she finished. Still, he nodded to Chen Sanxi and thanked him, "Thank you for your help this time."

Cui Lanfang also snapped back to attention, finally remembering Chen Sanxi still standing in the courtyard. She quickly thanked him repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Sanxi, we owe it all to you this time! Stay for dinner later. Auntie made pork tripe and chicken today!"

Then she turned to Qin Rongshi, tilting her chin up as she said, "Go out and check on Gu Yu, why hasn’t he returned yet?"

It was a rare sunny day, and the eatery was packed with customers, so Liu Guyu was still busy.

Qin Rongshi was worried about that and had been planning to go out and search for him.

He went out to fetch Liu Guyu, while Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban cleared the table and laid out the evening’s dishes.

As soon as the lid of the clay pot was lifted, billowing steam rushed out, carrying with it the rich, fragrant aroma of the soup and meat. The pork tripe and chicken soup had a thick, savory base, its color glossy and golden-yellow, with a few red goji berries floating on top, enhancing its appearance.

There was also a large plate of stir-fried Twice-Cooked Pork with spring bamboo shoots and garlic shoots. The pork belly was sliced thin, first stir-fried in the wok to render out the fat, making the slices translucent and shiny. Then scallions, ginger, garlic, and red chilies were added, their flavors enriched and layered by the fragrant pork oil. Finally, blanched bamboo shoots and garlic shoots were tossed in, along with salt and soy sauce, and the dish was ready.

The shredded lettuce required few seasonings—a spoonful of garlic paste, a spoonful of chili oil, plus coriander and scallions. Once drizzled with hot oil, then seasoned with aromatic vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and a spoonful of salt, a simple cold dish was ready, perfectly tangy and spicy.

Spring offered an abundance of chives, shepherd’s purse, fernbrake, and Chinese toon. Today, a plate of stir-fried Chinese toon shoots with eggs was prepared, the eggs golden-brown and appetizingly fragrant.

For a family of four, these four dishes would have been plenty, but wasn't there a guest?

Afraid of being an inadequate host and grateful for Chen Sanxi’s help, Cui Lanfang quickly added two more dishes while Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi hadn't returned yet, stoking the fire to prepare them.

She boiled a section of spicy cured sausage and sliced a piece of cured pork to make stir-fried cured pork with garlic shoots.

Once all the dishes were ready and laid out on the table, they waited for Qin Rongshi and Liu Guyu to return home.

Chen Sanxi wanted to help, but Cui Lanfang shooed him away, saying he was a guest and it wasn’t right to let guests help in the kitchen.

With nothing to do, he wandered around the courtyard a couple of times before finally squatting under the grape trellis. To his left lay a large dog, and to his right, two cats lounged lazily.

Once Qin Banban finished her tasks, she untied her apron and walked out, asking as she went, "What are you looking at?"

Hearing her voice, Chen Sanxi quickly stood up and pointed at the grape seedlings on the ground, asking, "They seem… uh, not too well."

So he was looking at the grape seedlings!

Qin Banban sighed, standing beside Chen Sanxi and also taking a look. She said, "Ah, the seedlings are too delicate, and with all the recent rain, they’ve been waterlogged."

"Ah, seems like my family and grapes just aren’t meant to be. I was originally hoping that in a couple of years, once the vines grew, I could invite you to enjoy the fruits!"

Hearing Qin Banban’s regretful words, Chen Sanxi said, "Maybe the seeds weren’t good. Next time, I’ll find better seedlings for you."

Qin Banban tilted her head and asked, "Are you going on another escort mission?"

Chen Sanxi first shook his head, paused for a moment, then nodded and replied, "The agency is idle this month, but next month we’ve taken an order to deliver several crates of goods to Lanzhou."

Qin Banban squatted down, picked up the beautiful long-haired calico cat, and stroked its smooth fur.

She asked again, "Lanzhou? Where is that?"

Chen Sanxi shook his head and replied, "I’ve never been there either. I heard it’s in the south."

Qin Banban grew interested and asked curiously, "Is escorting dangerous? Are there bandits like those in the stories?"

There was a time when she was obsessed with storybooks and loved tales of heroes capturing bandits.

Chen Sanxi glanced at her sideways, seeing the young woman’s eyes sparkling with curiosity and excitement.

Escort work paid well, and over the past two years, Chen Sanxi had saved quite a bit of money. But well-paying jobs were naturally not easy.

Afraid of scaring Qin Banban, he simply said, "In peaceful times, major bandits are rare. We only occasionally run into small mountain bandits, but they’re not much of a threat. He Family Escort Agency has some reputation. As long as we fly the agency’s flag during deliveries, few small bandits dare to block our path."

But it wasn’t like they never encountered any. With many escort trips, unexpected situations always arose on the road. Bandits had been encountered before, and if a fight broke out, with blades and swords having no eyes, injuries were always a possibility.

Apart from that, escorting shipments through the mountains in winter is also perilous when snow blocks the roads. Once, while transporting cargo across rugged mountain paths, with a bottomless cliff on one side and heavy snowfall, the cart almost tipped over.

Another time, in summer, they encountered a thunderstorm while taking a water route. Dark clouds pressed down, and the wind howled as if they could capsize the large boat! Fortunately, they had hired an experienced boatman that time, or it would have been very dangerous.

However, Chen Sanxi naturally dared not tell Qin Banban about these incidents. She was curious and amazed, but if he really told her, it wouldn’t be amazement—it would be just fright.

Just then, Liu Guyu's voice sounded from outside the courtyard.

"Banban!"

He had clearly heard about Qin Banban from Qin Rongshi and shouted before he even stepped inside.

The corners of Qin Banban's mouth, already curved, lifted even higher. She quickly handed the large cat in her arms to Chen Sanxi, turned around, and darted out to greet him.

Chen Sanxi, holding the cat, turned to watch the girl's figure darting out. Her bluish-purple skirt fluttered like blooming irises.

"Meow—meow—"

Suddenly held by someone else, and not too comfortably either, the cat found the hold wasn't as soft or familiar.

Even the elegant and good-tempered calico was displeased. It raised its beautiful feline face to look at Chen Sanxi. Though the daylight was dim, its round, bright eyes gleamed with a glassy shine.

It lifted its paw pad and patted Chen Sanxi's hand, scolding him with meows, then leaped lightly to the ground. Leading the lazily lounging kitten nearby, it entered the house, sat properly before its food bowl, and waited for dinner.

Though a skilled mouser, the cat also enjoyed the occasional meal from its people, who cooked delicious food. It slowly extended a paw, licked it, and then let out a long "meow" at the smiling Cui Lanfang.

"Oh! I nearly forgot you guys! Yes! There’s food for everyone! I specially saved some unseasoned tripe and chicken for you. I’ll serve it now!"

Meanwhile, Qin Banban and Liu Guyu had finally wrapped up their conversation. Like Cui Lanfang, Liu Guyu carefully checked his sister over and only truly relaxed when he saw she wasn’t injured.

He grumbled under his breath, "The shameless bastards! Selling counterfeit goods and still daring to cause trouble! Did you report them to the authorities? People like that deserve a good beating and jail time!"

Qin Banban hurriedly said, "They’ve already been handed over to the officials!"

Chen Sanxi also nodded and added, "My master already sent two senior apprentices to take them to the authorities. They’ll get a beating and jail time for sure."

Hearing this, Liu Guyu nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to Chen Sanxi with a smile and said, "Sanxi, thank you for this! And thank your master and senior apprentices too! Tomorrow, I’ll make more food and bring it to the He Family Escort Agency. I must properly thank your master!"

Such courtesies were unavoidable, and Cui Lanfang also nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes! Absolutely, it’s only right. I’ll deliver it personally tomorrow! We must thank them properly!"

Chen Sanxi couldn’t refuse and was pulled inside to eat.

"Come on, let’s eat! Mom made pork belly soup! I could smell it from the yard! So fragrant!"

"It’s stewed just the way you taught us! No wonder it smells so good!"

"Eat up! Have more dishes, drink more soup!"

…

By the wall, the cat had finished its meal. It walked gracefully to the front of the stove and lazily lay down. The warmth from the dying embers heated its fur comfortably.

The two kittens were still eating, each seemingly convinced the other’s bowl tasted better. As they ate, they swapped places, their fluffy long tails intertwining in the air, tracing a heart shape.