Chapter 108: Three-in-One, Respectfully Presented

Chapter 108: A Triple Treat, Respectfully Served

When everyone arrived, the two cooks were already hard at work.

The head cook had brought two apprentices, who looked around fifteen or sixteen, while Cui Ling was on his own, just him alone.

Seeing the cooks moving tables and setting out meat, the villagers hastily rolled up their sleeves to pitch in.

Just past 10 AM, people began arriving from other villages. Gu Chaoning and Gu Rong each accompanied their elders to receive the guests. Before long, a carriage pulled up at the village entrance.

When it stopped, it turned out to be Master Cen the painter's family. Master Cen lifted Cen Mengtao down from the carriage, and after saying her hellos, she grabbed Yin Hongxue's hand with one and Gu Muan's with the other.

Chen Youyan and Wang Xiuxiu went over to chat with Feng Qiuling, while Master Cen lagged behind, bringing out a wolf-hair calligraphy brush as a gift for Gu Chaoning's scholar-success banquet.

Gu Chaoning, of course, thanked Master Cen.

Shortly after Master Cen arrived, Zheng Yiyang also arrived.

He was all smiles, dressed in his regular clothes, and the villagers weren't as scared of him this time.

Gu Chaoning's teacher, Master Zhang, along with Xu Huaisheng and Chen Hengdao, walked a step behind Zheng Yiyang. The three of them first went over to Gu Rong, since Gu Rong's father was the village chief.

While that group chatted and made small talk, Yin Hongxue, holding Cen Mengtao's hand, trailed behind Gu Muan.

Gu Muan zeroed in on Gu Lvliu in the crowd, bounced over and pulled him over, and introduced Gu Lvliu and Cen Mengtao to each other.

Neither of the kids was the shy type, and they'd long heard of each other. Seeing each other in person now, their eyes sparkled with delight.

"You're Brother Liu!"

"And you're Sister Tao?"

Their almost identical words made all four of them burst out laughing.

Gu Muan and the other two were close in age and hit it off instantly.

Yin Hongxue looked up and saw Gu Li tugging Gu Shu along, with Xu Xiaoshui walking beside them. His heart also jumped with excitement, and after saying something to Gu Muan, he jogged over.

Before he even took a step, Gu Li and Xu Xiaoshui had already spotted him, and seeing him approach, they quickened their pace.

Gu Shu couldn't keep up and let out an anxious wail.

The day was a real hubbub—young and old alike could come out and have fun. Before Gu Li could slow down, Gu Shu spotted his second brother, Gu Yang.

Gu Yang and his gang of boys had clearly been rolling around somewhere in that short time, covered head to toe in dust. Gu Shu threw himself at him, and Gu Li couldn't resist giving Gu Yang a kick.

It was a light kick, but Gu Yang knew exactly why his big brother had kicked him. He quickly scooped up Gu Shu and took off running with the other boys. Xu Xiaoshui's younger brother, Xu Guangzong, was among them too.

He was still clutching a pastry from the ancestor worship ceremony, and when he saw Xu Xiaoshui, he puffed out his chest and pulled the piece from his pocket to hand to Xu Xiaoshui.

At the sight, Gu Li and Yin Hongxue exchanged a look, both grinning, then both spoke up at once to praise Xu Guangzong.

Xu Guangzong, duly praised, then scampered off after Gu Yang.

The three of them finally had a chance to talk. Gu Li pulled a handkerchief from his robe and showed it to them.

"I embroidered these for you two—do you like them?"

Both were light blue, the color dyed by Gu Li himself using blue flowers he'd gathered. One had snowflakes embroidered on it, the other water blossoms.

Yin Hongxue and Xu Xiaoshui each took their own and loved them.

"Brother Li, you're amazing!"

"Yeah, these water blossoms are so beautifully embroidered!"

Hearing their compliments, Gu Li couldn't help feeling a little smug.

"Well, of course—you don't think I stitch all day for nothing, do you?"

It was a joke, and they both knew it, so they immediately played along and buttered him up.

Gu Li was pleased and promised to embroider more for them next time.

Just then, a rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted through the air.

The three followed the smell and looked over at the two cooks, but before they could tell which pot it came from, they spotted Gu Muan already dragging Gu Lvliu and Cen Mengtao over to Cui Ling.

Even though they knew Gu Muan usually had good sense, seeing him drag Gu Lvliu and Cen Mengtao over still gave them a start. They hurried over as well, with Gu Li and Xu Xiaoshui trailing behind.

Gu Muan stood on tiptoe, peering at the pot in front of Cui Ling.

Inside, a dark, sauce-colored broth was roiling, with pig trotters, pig ears, pig liver, and other bits tumbling along in the broth.

Gu Muan took a deep breath, sure that the burst of aroma he'd just smelled was coming from this pot.

The head cook's two apprentices were also stealing glances this way, and one whispered something to the head cook and got a kick for his trouble.

Gu Lvliu and Cen Mengtao also took deep breaths. Gu Lvliu spoke up first: "Cook Cui, that smells incredible!"

It was just common pork offal, so why did it smell this good—spicy, savory, and rich?

Cui Ling cracked a small smile at the three kids. "Then eat your fill at lunch."

He didn't need to say that—they'd be eating plenty anyway.

Yin Hongxue and the other two walked over too, and the closer they got, the richer the smell grew.

Seeing that the three kids hadn't left and three more had shown up, with even more on the way, Cui Ling stirred the meat in the pot with his spatula, flipped most of it, and quickly clapped the lid on.

The moment the lid went on, the aroma lost its source, like a pouch suddenly cinched tight, and the smell seemed to vanish in an instant.

Chen Youyan noticed them and told Gu Muan to take Gu Lvliu and Cen Mengtao off to play somewhere else.

Too many kids would just get in the cooks' way.

Gu Muan was reluctant, but since Dad had spoken, he dragged his feet away.

He played distractedly after that. When it finally crawled its way to lunchtime, before they could even head off, another rider on a fast horse came galloping into the village entrance.

This was quite the show, especially since even the town magistrate had just arrived!

Gu Muan pouted, knowing they'd have to wait even longer for that delicious-smelling meat.

The newcomer was just as taken aback by the commotion. He reined his horse to a stop a good distance away, then dismounted quickly and strode over with long steps.

He cupped his fists in salute to Gu Changhe.

"Village Chief Gu!"

Gu Changhe found him familiar, but couldn't quite place him. Before he could even think of what to ask, the man spoke first.

"I have been sent by County Magistrate Gu Xingzhi to deliver congratulatory gifts to the two young gentlemen."

He leaned down and pulled two boxes from the bundle strapped to his horse, handing them to Gu Chaoning and Gu Rong.

"Lord Gu sends his congratulations to the two young gentlemen on passing the provincial exam."

Hearing that Gu Xingzhi had sent someone with gifts, Gu Chaoning was a bit surprised, but Gu Rong was thrilled.

The crowd immediately buzzed with excitement—all the villagers were excited by the gesture of Gu Xingzhi sending gifts.

As the official who had come out of their own Xiaohe Village, everyone took pride in him. From the time they could remember, kids had grown up hearing stories of Gu Xingzhi's deeds.

It was also because of Gu Xingzhi that Xiaohe Village and the nearby villages finally really understood what it meant to study, learn to read, and pass the imperial exams to become an official.

Moreover, Gu Xingzhi never forgot Xiaohe Village after becoming county magistrate. He sent people and money to help build a village school, and locals got half off on tuition.

And because their village had produced a magistrate, the autumn grain taxes and other levies were never deliberately tough on them.

You could say almost everyone in the village had benefited from Gu Xingzhi's kindness.

Now that they saw the man Gu Xingzhi had sent back, the village head and the elders all invited him to join the feast.

With one more person, the mood got even more festive.

Landlord Chen, who'd been bragging to everyone around him, quietly shut up as the group came over.

After the exam feast ended, Gu Xingzhi's man left first, followed by the visitors from the town.

Cen Mengtao loved the braised pork offal at the feast, so Gu Daniu took charge and set aside a portion, sliced it up, and gave it to Painter Cen.

Gu Chaoning had to stay with the village head and elders to see the guests off, while Gu Muan dragged Yin Hongxue over to where Cui Ling was.

Gu Muan recognized a lot of familiar flavors, but he was curious why these familiar ingredients could make the braised pork offal smell so incredibly good.

Especially the pig's trotters—they weren't served on the same platter as the offal, but were taken out separately and roasted again over charcoal.

Before it was brought to the table, Cui Ling sprinkled his secret seasoning on top. Gu Muan thought one flavor was a bit weird and wanted to ask about it.

"Cook Cui, is there peach pastry in this seasoning?"

He asked quietly and hesitantly, since compared to the chili powder and Sichuan pepper powder in the seasoning, peach pastry seemed pretty weird.

A flash of surprise crossed Cui Ling's eyes. He quickly leaned down and clamped his hand over Gu Muan's mouth.

Good thing the little boy spoke softly—otherwise his secret recipe would've been out!

Gu Muan stared at Cui Ling with wide, confused eyes, and Yin Hongxue stepped forward. "Cook Cui..."

Cui Ling went "shh" at Gu Muan, then slowly let go and gave Yin Hongxue an apologetic smile.

"An accident, an accident."

Even as he said that, he didn't regret what he'd done one bit.

He whispered, "This is my secret recipe. Don't go telling anyone."

So there really was peach pastry in there!

Gu Muan's already round eyes got even rounder.

But why put peach pastry in chili powder? And... well, it actually tasted pretty good.

Seeing Gu Muan nod, Cui Ling let out a sigh of relief. He glanced around carefully and asked in an even quieter voice, "How did you know I put peach pastry in there?"

"I could taste it. I not only know there's peach pastry, I also know that, uh..."

Cui Ling slapped his hand over Gu Muan's mouth again.

The moment he did, he looked up and caught Yin Hongxue's eye.

Cui Ling: "..."

This time it really was an accident—his hand just moved on its own before he even knew what he was doing.

He quickly let go, still thinking about how Gu Muan said he'd tasted it.

Was this kid some kind of foodie? He could actually taste it just by eating it.

Once his mouth was free again, Gu Muan even had the sense to shush himself.

Cui Ling leaned in even closer, so close that Yin Hongxue, standing right there, couldn't hear a word.

Yin Hongxue was rarely speechless, but knowing Cui Ling meant no harm, he just stood up and looked away.

The villagers were clearing the tables—they'd all been borrowed from different households and now had to be returned.

Cui Niangzi and Chen Youyan picked out the better leftovers to keep, and the rest was handed out to everyone.

People were always quick about stuff like this; many had already taken food home and were now coming back with empty bowls.

So actually, the crowd here had thinned out a lot.

At a glance, he spotted Master Chen being helped toward an ox cart, with someone standing by it whose profile looked really familiar.

It was Yin Li.

Yin Hongxue's face went cold in an instant.

He took two quick steps forward, then remembered something and turned back, said a quick word to Gu Muan, and left again.

In that brief delay, Landlord Chen's ox cart had already left, but Yin Li hadn't—though he was no longer standing in the same spot.

Though they had lived in neighboring villages all these years, Yin Hongxue realized he hadn't seen Yin Li in four years.

The face that once terrified him now showed traces of wariness, and his tall, sturdy body seemed to have gotten a bit stooped.

Scenes from his time in the Yin household flashed through Yin Hongxue's mind. He hadn't thought about them in four years and had figured he'd long since forgotten.

Only now did he realize he remembered them all too clearly.

Those dark memories he'd mistaken for faded had, through four years of happiness, not dimmed at all—instead, they seemed carved deeper each day, as if etched by a knife.

Cut to the bone.

Back then, he was only six years old, surviving on a single bowl of porridge a day.

Even strangers pitied him at the sight. How could Yin Li, his own father, have had the heart to be so cruel?

Since he came to the Gu family and gained Gu Muan as a younger brother, Yin Hongxue learned that family members worry when a child looks under the weather.

So why was Yin Li, his own father, so cold-hearted that he wouldn't even look at him, let alone show him any love?

Yin Hongxue followed Yin Li's footsteps forward, leaving the scholar's banquet behind.

He didn't realize his expression had turned icy without him noticing, his eyes sharp with hostility, even hatred.

Yin Li hurried ahead, head down.

Thanks to Yin Hongxue, a lot of people in Xiaohe Village knew who he was.

He'd actually thought about coming to see Yin Hongxue before, after all, he'd heard that good-for-nothing kid was living large at the Gu house—even his winter shoes were stuffed with fresh cotton.

Here he was, the kid's own father, and he'd never even had new-cotton shoes, but that good-for-nothing was wearing them—how was that fair?

But that day, luck wasn't on his side. He'd barely reached the village entrance when he ran straight into Gu Wen.

Gu Wen blocked his way. When he heard Yin Li wanted to see Yin Hongxue, he laid down the law—if he dared go near the kid, he'd get a beating—and he spread the word to all his buddies in the village.

The first time, he hightailed it back to Chenjia Village, but he just couldn't let it go. Later, after Zhao Cui'er prodded him a bit, he tried again.

But he hadn't counted on Gu Wen's words carrying so much weight. Sure enough, on his second trip, one of Gu Wen's cronies stopped him.

He was pissed. He was Yin Hongxue's own father—what was wrong with wanting to see his kid?

But when the guy saw he wouldn't back down, he threatened to go get Gu Wen.

Yin Li had no choice but to turn tail again.

Later, he actually made a third attempt. This time, he disguised himself carefully and snuck in, dodging people.

That time, he got lucky and caught Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan heading out to play. He chased after them, but before he could even yell, someone clamped a hand over his mouth from behind and threw a sack over his head.

After that beating, Yin Li learned his lesson.

He hadn't seen who did it, but he was dead sure it was Gu Wen!

Snapping back to the present, Yin Li shuddered, feeling like someone was watching him again. Even though winter hadn't hit yet, he had his chin tucked so tight you could barely see anything but his eyes.

He shot a cautious glance behind him, and his eyes went wide in an instant.

Yin Hongxue!

It really was... what's that saying? Yin Li's brain short-circuited.

But whatever. He straightened up excitedly, chin fully out, face lit up with excitement and nerves.

Just ahead was the back of the Gu property. Yin Li had deliberately looped around to the far rear. At this hour, almost everyone was still at the scholar's banquet, and out here, there wasn't a soul in sight.

Relieved, Yin Li stepped forward a few paces.

But when he saw the look on Yin Hongxue's face, he shuddered, and the words died in his throat.

Yin Hongxue walked up to stand right in front of Yin Li, close enough to see his face clearly without tilting his head up.

"Yin Li."

Yin Li, who'd been feeling oddly scared, got pissed off that Yin Hongxue dared to call him by his name.

"I'm your father!"

At those ridiculous words, Yin Hongxue actually laughed.

But there wasn't a trace of humor in it—just something deeply unsettling.

Yin Li's next words came out stumbling. "You... you little brat! Your own father lives right in the next village, and you're living it up without even coming back to see me!"

Greed clouded his judgment, and Yin Li's words grew bolder and more self-righteous.

Go back and visit? More like go back and hand over the Gu family's stuff to them.

"Yin Li, should I call you stupid, or bold?"

Yin Li's eyes went wide, and Yin Hongxue went on, "If you'd come looking for me earlier, fine. But now..."

He turned and looked ahead, spotting two carriages heading out of the village—one was the town magistrate's carriage on its way home, the other a local merchant's bringing congratulatory gifts.

Yin Hongxue pointed at the carriages, his face betraying no emotion as he fixed his eyes on Yin Li. "Gu Chaoning passed the provincial exam with the highest score at twelve, and even the town magistrate attended the banquet. He's on the county magistrate's radar, and even the prefect knows who Gu Chaoning is."

"And now you come looking for me when he's at the height of his glory?"

"Yin Li, forget the fact that you already sold me to the Gu family—even if you hadn't, taking care of you would still be a piece of cake for them."

Yin Li stared at Yin Hongxue in shock, unable to believe that the person talking to him like this, saying all this, was actually Yin Hongxue.

Seeing the look on his face, Yin Hongxue let out a chuckle.

"Haven't you noticed even Landlord Chen is here sucking up? You think the county magistrate and the town magistrate are out of your reach, but what about Landlord Chen? If Gu Chaoning so much as drops a hint, what do you think Landlord Chen would do?"

"Would he help Gu Chaoning take you down, or... help you out?"

Yin Li took a step back.

He didn't need to think twice about what Yin Hongxue had said.

Remembering what Landlord Chen had done to people in the village he didn't like, fear had already sunk its claws into Yin Li.

"Now get the hell out of here!"

Yin Li didn't dare say anything more, turned, and ran.

This time, he didn't even bother hiding his face—he just ran like his life depended on it.

Maybe it was the sheer terror, but his legs went weak, and he even tripped and ate dirt.

But he didn't dare stop—he scrambled back up and kept running.

Yin Hongxue watched his frantic, pathetic retreat.

Watching that figure that had once loomed so large and terrifying over him, now fleeing in panic at just a few words.

Yin Hongxue finally broke into a smile.

...

"Where'd your Xue Age go?"

Gu Muan was deep in an animated chat with Cui Ling when someone suddenly grabbed the back of his collar, and he pouted in annoyance.

He turned to look at Gu Chaoning, taking a moment to realize what Gu Chaoning was saying.

Gu Muan turned his head to look around, then it came back to him. "Oh, Xue Age said he had something to do and left."

But as for what exactly it was...

Gu Muan paused, a hint of guilt creeping into his big, round eyes. He looked around again, but still didn't see Yin Hongxue's figure.

Gu Chaoning released Gu Muan's collar and prepared to go check at home. Gu Muan quickly said goodbye to Cui Ling and Gu Lvliu, then followed behind Gu Chaoning.

They hadn't taken two steps when they saw Yin Hongxue approaching in the distance.

Gu Muan let out a sigh of relief and trotted ahead.

"Xue Age!"

Yin Hongxue quickened his pace too, rushing over and hugging Gu Muan.

Gu Chaoning followed close behind, but before he could ask his question, someone called out from behind him—it was the village head summoning him.

Judging by the situation, someone important must be leaving, and he needed to go with Gu Rong to see them off.

Gu Chaoning told the two to head home on their own if nothing else came up, then quickened his pace and walked back.

Indeed, someone was leaving—it was Wang Song, the owner of Tongfu Inn, along with Zheng Yiyang.

Wang Song stood beside the village head, talking with Gu Wen, his gaze occasionally drifting toward Gu Chaoning as he approached, and toward Yin Hongxue behind him.

Gu Chaoning looked back, then glanced again.

Why did Wang Song's gaze seem a bit strange?

Gu Chaoning hid his suspicion and smiled as he addressed Wang Song: "Shopkeeper Wang, I often hear Xue Geer speak of you..."

Wang Song looked away, a familiar smile spreading across his face as he looked at Gu Chaoning.

...

Yin Hongxue asked Gu Muan if he wanted to go chat with Cook Cui again, but Gu Muan figured they'd talked enough and simply pulled Yin Hongxue toward home.

There were too many people here; there were too many things that weren't easy to talk about.

"Xue Age, let's head back first."

Yin Hongxue could tell from the sly look on Gu Muan's face that he was up to something. He didn't ask, just followed Gu Muan as he hurried home.

Once in the courtyard, Gu Muan glanced behind him before carefully closing the door.

He turned around with a big, bright smile. "Xue Age! I figured out Cook Cui's secret seasoning recipe!"

Yin Hongxue was surprised. "Which secret seasoning? The one Cook Cui uses for stewing pork offal, or the one for sprinkling on pork trotters?"

Gu Muan proudly planted his hands on his hips and lifted his chin. "Both of them!"

Actually, these two seasonings were both simple and not so simple—simple because the method was easy, but hard because they had lots of ingredients.

Many were hard to find and expensive, and some Gu Muan had never even heard of.

Yin Hongxue wasn't just surprised—he was flat-out shocked. "Both? Is Cook Cui trying to make you his apprentice?"

He remembered that before he left, their conversation was still about peach shortbread. How, in just a short while, had Cook Cui given away the skills that put food on his table?

Although he knew Gu Muan was young yet tight-lipped,

Cook Cui, who'd only just met him today, wouldn't know that!

Could it be that after a brief conversation, Cook Cui had discovered his younger brother's amazing cooking talent, gotten excited, and decided to teach him everything?

Gu Muan didn't know what Yin Hongxue was thinking and started saying that from now on, if Xue Age wanted some, he could just come to him.

Yin Hongxue hesitated but finally asked, "Why did Cook Cui teach you both of his secret recipes?"

Gu Muan's excited rambling stopped. He blinked up at Yin Hongxue.

Then he said plainly, "I smelled them out!"

Yin Hongxue recalled his younger brother's talent for sniffing things out.

Gu Muan then explained how he'd sussed out Cook Cui's secret seasoning.

It turned out that after he first mentioned the crushed peach shortbread, Cui Ling couldn't help striking up a conversation with Gu Muan, especially curious about how Gu Muan had discovered the shortbread in the seasoning.

Gu Muan then mimed pinching something between his fingers and brought it to his lips.

"I just did like this, mia mia mia," Gu Muan frowned, his face full of concentration. "And then I picked up the taste of the peach shortbread."

Cui Ling watched him do all that, a bit confused. What did he mean, "mia mia mia" and then tasting peach shortbread?

He knew the shortbread tasted good in the seasoning only because he'd bought some once, and a piece had gotten crushed. He hadn't wanted to throw the crumbs away.

After picking out the big pieces, he'd set the crumbs aside.

When he left, his ex mistakenly thought it was seasoning and poured it into the seasoning sitting nearby.

When he returned, he didn't notice anything wrong—until he took a bite and realized it tasted way better than before. That's when he figured out the shortbread.

But nobody else knew!

Even the ex who'd actually poured it in himself had no idea.

Cui Ling looked at Gu Muan, who seemed so matter-of-fact, and got a competitive itch.

He asked Gu Muan if he'd tasted any of the other spices in it, and Gu Muan listed off the ones he recognized.

Cui Ling listened as he got each one right, his heart pounding. But when Gu Muan finished and was missing two, Cui Ling couldn't help but feel smug.

"You're missing two."

Gu Muan twitched his nose and pointed at the two green bamboo jars sitting by Cui Ling's cutting board.

"The remaining two are in there. An Geer hasn't tried them before, so I don't know their names."

Cui Ling was stunned.

Cui Ling refused to believe that Gu Muan had so easily and completely figured out his secret recipe.

Then Gu Muan, using the same approach, rattled off the entire secret recipe for his braised pork offal.

Cui Ling had to admit defeat.

After Gu Muan finished telling Yin Hongxue, he carefully covered his mouth.

"Cook Cui told me to keep it a secret. I only told Xue Age, and I won't tell anyone else—Xue Age has to keep it a secret too."

Yin Hongxue nodded. Even though Gu Muan had told him everything, he still couldn't tell all the ingredients apart.

Gu Muan rattled off a long list of them—probably over twenty kinds.

He stared at Gu Muan, shocked—only slightly less stunned than Cui Ling had been.

His little brother was really born to be a chef!

The two boys chattered away on their end, while Wang Xiuxiu and Chen Youyan, worn out from their work, came back together.

Seeing how worn out the two were, Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan quickly poured water and brought it over.

After taking a drink, Chen Youyan sighed, "Talking to folks is even more tiring than working the fields."

Wang Xiuxiu nodded along, totally agreeing.

Yeah, her face was stiff from smiling—especially with the town folks, who talked sweet but with hidden twists, which really drained your energy.

But not all the visitors had left yet, so they couldn't fully rest.

Seeing the two boys watching them, Chen Youyan told them to go take their afternoon nap.

He figured more people would be coming by in the afternoon.

Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan agreed and headed back to their room. Just as they were dozing off, they heard noise outside—it was Gu Daniu, Gu Wen, and Gu Chaoning finally back.

Their voices were low, and Yin Hongxue didn't bother listening closely, then fell asleep.

When he woke up again, unfamiliar voices were coming from the courtyard.

Gu Muan was still asleep, his cheeks all flushed pink.

Yin Hongxue stepped over Gu Muan, climbed off the kang, and stood by the door to listen.

It was merchants from town, bringing gifts and hoping to see Gu Chaoning.

These past days, merchants had been sending stuff, but Gu Chaoning had turned it all down. Now they came again, probably because of today's juren banquet, hoping to try their luck once more.

Yin Hongxue sat back down at the table, pulled out his box, and got ready to paint.

He did the math in his head—in a day or two, the young master's letter should arrive.

Last time, he'd told the young master about the rice field fish farming in the village and drawn a picture of the carp-filled paddies. He wondered what the young master would write back.

Thinking about this, Yin Hongxue's brush moved faster, and his smile got wider.

Gu Muan woke up at some point and climbed out of bed. Just as he was about to call out to Yin Hongxue, he saw him hunched over the desk painting.

Gu Muan swallowed his greeting and quietly got out of bed.

Tea was set out in the yard, and Gu Muan peeked over, catching Gu Daniu and Wang Xiuxiu sighing at the sky.

Gu Muan knew—more visitors had just shown up.

Seeing Gu Muan come out, Gu Chaoning waved him over.

"Where's your Xue Age? Still asleep?"

Gu Muan turned to close the door first, then shuffled over in his slippers. Still groggy from sleep, with marks on his face, he rubbed his eyes.

Gu Chaoning grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Don't rub your eyes so much."

"Aw," Gu Muan replied, leaning into Gu Chaoning's arms to zone out. Only when Gu Chaoning asked again about Yin Hongxue did Gu Muan finally speak up. "Xue Age is painting."

"The letter from the young master of Tongfu Inn should be here in a day or two, so Xue Age's busy with that."

There was a hint of jealousy in his voice, which made the adults laugh.

A few more waves of visitors came after, all sent away by Gu Chaoning. It wasn't until the third group left that Yin Hongxue, totally absorbed in his painting, finally came out.

With everyone gathered, Wang Xiuxiu asked what they wanted for dinner.

Even though it felt like they'd just eaten lunch, wasn't the most important thing for farmers during the off-season the three daily meals?

Even during busy times, it was all for the sake of the grain.

Lunch had been hearty, so everyone wanted something lighter for dinner.

Chen Youyan remembered the pickled yangjiang ginger and ground silkworms from a couple days back and talked with Wang Xiuxiu about making a pot of plain congee and some veggie pancakes.

They could also pick the persimmons from the tree—take them all down, leave a few low ones to freeze and eat later.

Hearing Chen Youyan's suggestion, Gu Wen thought it over. Since outsiders had been coming by these past two days, it might be better to pick them when things quieted down.

Chen Youyan agreed and dropped the idea.

Back to the veggie pancakes.

Gu Muan muttered, "I want the cabbage leaf ones."

Yin Hongxue chimed in, saying he liked the cabbage leaf ones too, especially the leaves and the core, which had a slight sweetness.

Gu Wen smacked his lips. "Isn't autumn spinach in season? Making some with that would work too."

The autumn spinach was tender and fresh—blanched and served cold, it'd be just as delicious.

Wang Xiuxiu preferred chives and scallions, so Chen Youyan decided to make all of them.

He dug up the vegetables, and everyone sat together to clean them.

Just as the vegetables were brought over, more visitors arrived—this time giving them a legit excuse to politely turn them away.

After sending off two more groups, the Gu family courtyard finally got truly quiet.

By then, the sun was setting, and there was still enough light to see outside—perfect timing for making dinner.

They washed plenty of vegetables, and leftovers weren't a problem, since the pancakes were refreshing and could be eaten for breakfast the next morning.

The various vegetables were chopped into pieces and mixed with flour and water—just enough to hold the chunks together without falling apart.

A thin layer of oil was brushed in the pan, and a handful of the veggie mixture was pressed flat into a pancake. Once the bottom turned golden, it was flipped to cook the other side.

The pancakes were pressed thin, and once both sides were golden, they were picked out and placed in a flat bamboo basket.

It didn't take long before they'd made two full baskets of veggie pancakes.

At this moment, the plain rice porridge simmering in the other pot was done too.

Chen Youyan called Gu Wen over to fetch things, then picked up a bowl himself and crouched by the cookhouse, next to the row of clay jars lined up against the wall.

Just squatting there, he could catch the tangy, sour smell wafting from the jars. Chen Youyan lifted the bowls off the jars and scooped out some pickled ginger, pickled artichokes, and pickled cowpeas.

They'd also pickled some bamboo shoots in the same brine as the ginger and artichokes, but those didn't go as well with the porridge, and they were a pain to slice, so Chen Youyan skipped them.

Gu Muan caught the smell and, getting hungry, gulped down a glass of water. By the time Gu Wen set the porridge and pancakes on the table, Gu Muan was already sitting up straight in his chair.

The plain porridge and veggie pancakes were light and cut through the grease, with the tangy, salty, slightly spicy pickles on the side—all seven of them ate until their bellies were stuffed.

After resting for a bit, all seven of them pitched in to clear the table and wash the dishes.

Then they sat around talking in the evening breeze for a while before heading off to their own rooms to sleep.

The next morning, Yin Hongxue carried his box to the village entrance to wait for the bus.

Just as he was leaving, Gu Chaoning hesitated, then called him back.

He then laid out what he'd seen the day before—Wang Song staring at Yin Hongxue with a weird look on his face.

Yin Hongxue: "Huh? Like a mean look?"

"No, not that." Gu Chaoning frowned. That look was affectionate, but it also had a faint hint of... respect?

Gu Chaoning had mulled it over yesterday too—could the Tongfu Inn be backed by the Marquis's estate, with the manager being one of their people?

But the more he thought about it yesterday, the more it didn't add up.

He couldn't say why, but he just had a feeling Wang Song wasn't from the Marquis's estate.

But if he wasn't from the Marquis's estate, then who was he?

Gu Chaoning figured he might as well just tell Yin Hongxue.

Yin Hongxue was sharp, and since he dealt with Wang Song, the Tongfu Inn manager, all the time, having his guard up might help him spot something off.

As he passed by Tongfu Inn, Yin Hongxue, remembering what Gu Chaoning said, stopped in first to hand the painting to Manager Wang Song and ask if the young master's letter had come in.

It had, in fact, arrived.

He was thrilled to get the letter and grabbed it right away.

He opened his wooden box first and carefully tucked the envelope inside, and only then remembered he'd meant to keep an eye on Manager Wang Song.

Yin Hongxue smiled, chatted a bit about what he'd painted this time, then said goodbye.

As he was walking out, right before he stepped through the door, he suddenly turned back to look at Wang Song.

Whether it was because he'd turned too fast and Wang Song's face hadn't caught up, or because of his own imagination, he really did feel like Wang Song's eyes held a faint trace of affection and respect.

Yin Hongxue was startled.

Wang Song was equally startled.