Chapter 73: Fate

Chapter 73: Fate

On the way home, Gu Muan was feeling down the whole way. When a child is unhappy, the adults couldn't muster the energy to talk either. Apart from the two people from Chen Family Village, the carriage ride was unusually quiet the whole way.

Gu Muan had held back his tears the entire ride, but the second he got home and saw Wang Xiuxiu and Chen Youyan, the tears came right back.

Wang Xiuxiu and Chen Youyan were worried sick and quickly asked what was wrong.

But Gu Muan just cried, too embarrassed to own up to what he'd done.

Gu Wen put the meat away and, along with Yin Hongxue, told Wang Xiuxiu and Chen Youyan what had happened at Huichun Hall.

He also mentioned the promise he'd made to cheer Gu Muan up.

When Chen Youyan first heard the boy had done something wrong, his heart sank, and he'd wanted to give him a talking-to. But seeing his little boy's tear-streaked face, he just couldn't bring himself to say anything.

That evening, they really did make wontons.

Gu Muan was deliberately given the seat of honor, with Wang Xiuxiu and Chen Youyan both taking orders from the little chef.

Chen Youyan was chopping the meat filling on a cutting board with two cleavers, while Wang Xiuxiu squatted behind him, washing freshly pulled old scallions that had sprouted new tender shoots.

Chen Youyan figured the filling was about right and instinctively started to stop, but then remembered the head chef was Gu Muan, so he quickly glanced at the little boy.

The little boy leaned in to check the filling, recalling how it should feel, and said firmly, "Chop it some more."

Assistant chef Chen Youyan had no choice but to pick up the cleaver and chop the meat finer.

Wang Xiuxiu found this funny from behind. She washed three scallions and was about to bring them over when Gu Muan caught sight of them and said, "Grandma, cut off the wilted parts of the scallions."

The scallions had been pulled up in early winter the year before. After being used all winter, the leftovers had been replanted in early spring.

Once it warmed up, they sprouted new leaves, but they also had plenty of dried, wilted spots.

Farm folks were frugal. Unless a part was so dry it crumbled at a touch and was completely inedible, they kept everything.

Hearing Gu Muan's instruction, assistant chef Wang Xiuxiu felt reluctant but obeyed the head chef, washing them again until he nodded his approval. Only then did she bring them back to the table, waiting for Chen Youyan to finish chopping the meat before she diced them.

Chen Youyan worked fast with both cleavers, dicing the scallions to the head chef's liking, then scraping both piles into the meat filling.

Chen Youyan carried the basin over to the seasoning area of the kitchen and looked at Gu Muan. "Head Chef An, what seasonings do we add?"

Gu Muan leaned one hand on the counter edge, using the other to point at each seasoning one by one.

Chen Youyan added whatever he pointed to. Wang Xiuxiu stood nearby, watching the whole thing with amusement.

Finally, Chen Youyan picked up the eggs Gu Muan had set aside earlier and looked at him uncertainly. "Should we add eggs?"

Gu Muan nodded firmly. "Yeah!"

Okay.

Chen Youyan didn't ask why and just cracked the eggs into the filling.

These wontons were pricey to make today—so many good ingredients.

Once the seasonings were in, Chen Youyan picked up the bamboo chopsticks and stirred clockwise. But he'd barely mixed the meat, scallions, and seasonings when Gu Muan told him to stop.

Gu Muan pointed to the seasoned water he'd had Wang Xiuxiu steep earlier.

"Dad, add this water. Add a little, stir a bit, then add a little more, stir again."

It had scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise in it. After soaking in hot water for so long, it had turned dark and carried the distinctive smell of the spices.

"Add this water?"

Chen Youyan looked at Gu Muan, surprised.

He'd thought this water was for cooking later, not for the filling!

Adding water to the meat filling—how would they even wrap it, and how would it taste?

Chen Youyan didn't get it but followed along anyway.

He stirred in the bowl of seasoned water six times before it was all added.

To his surprise, the whole bowl of water got absorbed, and the filling turned fine and sticky, easily scooped into a lump with a gentle twist of the chopsticks.

With the filling sticky, wrapping the wontons was easy and quick.

While Chen Youyan was mixing the filling, Wang Xiuxiu had already rolled the dough out into thin sheets.

Little chef An Geer was directing his first kitchen operation, and even Yin Hongxue, who'd been painting, and Gu Wen, who'd been doing woodwork, couldn't resist coming over to watch. They got roped into helping wrap wontons.

Seeing that everyone was wrapping well and only a little filling remained, Gu Wen was the first to get up and light the fire to boil water.

When Gu Daniu returned, the water was just boiling and the wontons were ready to go in.

Originally, Gu Muan had planned to shed a few tears when he saw his grandfather.

But after directing the kitchen for so long, the tears had all flown away. Plus, with fragrant wontons about to be eaten, he had no inclination to cry at all.

It was Gu Daniu who noticed Gu Muan's red, swollen eyes and later quietly asked Gu Wen what had happened.

When he saw Gu Daniu return, the little boy first greeted his grandfather warmly as usual, then immediately ran back to the kitchen waving his hands.

He then found six bowls and placed chopped scallions, dried seaweed flakes, and dried baby shrimp into each one.

Dried seaweed and baby shrimp were both dried goods—light and compact after drying, easy to transport, cheap, and tasty. The people of Dukou Town loved them.

This step was familiar to Chen Youyan. Though his own family found it troublesome and rarely did it, the small stalls in town all did it this way.

He scooped up a large ladle of wontons, one scoop per bowl.

Then each person took a bowl and headed to the main hall.

Gu Muan and Yin Hongxue, being young with delicate skin, had their wontons carried by Gu Daniu and Gu Wen respectively.

The boiling wonton broth rehydrated the dried seaweed and baby shrimp, and the unique umami of seaweed wafted from the main hall.

Everyone eagerly scooped up a wonton with thin skin showing the filling through, blew on it lightly, and popped it into their mouths.

Gu Muan squinted his eyes in satisfaction, but the others weren't so calm.

They all stared at Gu Muan in amazement.

These wontons tasted exactly like the ones from that stall in town.

This...

Wang Xiuxiu's mind flashed back to what Gu Muan had said that day, and she couldn't help asking, "An Geer, you actually know how to make these wontons?!"

Chen Youyan also asked, "This... it actually tastes just like the ones in town!"

"Not quite the same," Gu Muan shook his head with a blissful look, "Actually, it's still a little off."

He smacked his lips, recalling the flavors he had tried before.

Then he let out a sigh, "There are some flavors that An Geer has never tasted before, so he doesn't know what they are."

The others, hearing his words, immediately grabbed another wonton.

They chewed thoughtfully... This was clearly the same! What could possibly be missing?

Gu Wen wolfed them down, only stopping for air after half a bowl.

He exclaimed, "Our little guy is truly amazing!"

He was practically the little chef of the Gu family!

Among the three children in the house, each had their own remarkable talents. Man, how fortunate were he and Yan Geer to have such kids!

If word got out, who wouldn't be jealous of them!

Yin Hongxue ate his wontons, watching the beaming Gu Muan with a thoughtful expression.

Gu Muan had been busy all day, had a crying spell in the afternoon and helped with the work. After eating the wontons, he quickly grew sleepy.

Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan shared a bed, so when Yin Hongxue saw Gu Muan heading back, he followed him to the room.

The remaining four adults discussed it and decided to pick up some gifts to apologize to Doctor Ding the next day.

As for An Geer, he should probably stay home for a couple of days.

Early the next morning, Gu Wen and Chen Youyan took Yin Hongxue to town. They carried fresh wild vegetables that Wang Xiuxiu and Gu Daniu had dug up at dawn, plus thirty eggs and a slab of cured meat.

Gu Muan had just woken up, rubbing his eyes as he watched his family leave, pouting unhappily.

He didn't want to study medicine anymore, nor did he want his dads to go apologize to Doctor Ding.

If only his big brother were home right now.

Meanwhile, back in the prefectural city.

Gu Chaoning had just settled into his exam cubicle when he sneezed three times in a row.

The sound was so loud that it caught the attention of all the scholars across from him and in the neighboring cubicles.

Gu Chaoning: "..."

Who the heck was thinking of him?

Gu Chaoning suspected that Qi Aliu was after his money again.

It can't be that he was just unlucky enough to catch a cold again!

Gu Chaoning quickly glanced at the ceiling, making sure there were no cracks he had missed, then looked at the sky outside.

Mm, the roof was fine, and the weather was perfect.

Only then did Gu Chaoning relax, closing his eyes to feign sleep like he always did.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Gu Chaoning thought he heard a familiar sobbing sound.

Gu Chaoning: "..."

Not sure. He opened his eyes to check.

This time, he wasn't seeing things.

Diagonally across from him to the left, a scholar in blue robes was covering his face with both hands, his shoulders trembling nonstop.

Clearly, he was crying his heart out.

The scholars in the cubicles on either side of the blue-robed scholar all looked bewildered, glancing left and right. It was very much like how it had been during the second session of Gu Chaoning's prefectural exam.

Sometimes, running into the same person too often isn't necessarily a good thing.

Gu Chaoning silently watched the blue-robed scholar crying his eyes out, wondering just when he would finally run out of tears.

But no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he saw the scholar stir, then dazedly lower his hands.

Meng Chengyi felt something was wrong.

He felt someone staring at him—so intensely that it broke through his grief, making him lower his hands from his face to find the source.

That gaze clearly had no intention of hiding, bold and shameless.

Meng Chengyi had just lowered his hands and looked up when he met that intense stare head-on.

Meng Chengyi: "..."

Why is he staring at me?

Meng Chengyi hunched his shoulders. Could it be that he recognized him as a military man?

At that thought, grief surged in Meng Chengyi once more.

Worried he'd fail the exam, yet terrified he might pass.

The third session of the prefectural exam was imminent. If he passed, he'd be one step closer to the deal He Feiguang had promised him.

But at the same time, he'd have to immediately sit for the academy exam! And go through more misery.

If he failed, wouldn't all the hardship he'd endured before have been for nothing!

Yesterday's questions were so tough—he wondered if today's might be a bit easier.

What if they were still just as hard!

If he really couldn't pass the scholar exam, would He Feiguang despise him and refuse to hang out with him anymore?

At that thought, his nose stung, and sorrow turned to tears, spilling down his cheeks once more.

Gu Chaoning watched him: "..."

His tears really were endless.