The March weather still held a hint of coolness, but Zhou Liu-lang raised his hand and fanned the air in front of him, as though trying to dispel the heat on his body.
“You mean, you don’t know?” he asked.
The maids and Young Master Qin’s servant who were waiting in the corridor stepped back, standing at a distance.
The two of them remained seated at opposite sides of the corridor.
“If I had known, I… I… this wouldn’t have happened at all,” Young Master Qin said with a bitter smile. “My mother… I really have no way to deal with her.”
Previously, not knowing any better, she would burn strange potions she had collected and make up various excuses to force him to drink them, or secretly place some unknown talisman she had somehow acquired in his room to ward off evil.
Of course, all of this happened before he turned ten, and she would even spar with him with words while doing these things.
After he turned ten, whether it was because she knew she couldn’t deceive him anymore, or because she had grown tired and no longer believed in such things, these bizarre acts disappeared.
But unexpectedly, after all these years of silence, his mother suddenly pulled something like this on him again.
On the day of their argument, when Cheng Jiao-niang boldly claimed she could treat his legs, Young Master Qin knew he couldn’t hide it from his mother, and he didn’t intend to. He just waited for his mother to ask him in her usual roundabout way, or for her to indirectly ask Cheng Jiao-niang to come, and then he would explain it to her.
What he didn’t expect was that this time, his mother was so straightforward—she didn’t even bother with asking or probing, and directly planned to bring her into the house.
In his mother’s eyes, bringing this person into the house and placing her in his room to ward off evil was probably far more effective than the stone statues she had used before.
“It was my oversight. I thought my mother had finally let go of her obsession after all these years, but I never expected…” He shook his head and smiled.
“Now I understand,” Zhou Liu-lang let out a sigh of relief, but then he paused, wondering why he felt relieved.
“Who can really let go of something like this?” He muttered under his breath, unable to stop himself from gritting his teeth. “This fool from Jiang-zhou!”
Young Master Qin smiled.
“I’m not going to waste your time. I need to resolve this matter quickly, or else we won’t even be able to speak to each other in the future.” He said, standing up, but then pausing again. “I should explain things to Lady Cheng first. Go and inform her.”
After he finished speaking, he noticed Zhou Liu-lang’s expression change again, looking strange.
“She no longer lives here,” Zhou Liu-lang said.
“She got angry because of this?” Young Master Qin asked, surprised. “Lady Cheng doesn’t seem like the type to get easily upset.”
Zhou Liu-lang remained silent, his head lowered, his expression grim.
Young Master Qin’s gaze shifted over his face.
“Liu-lang, you just said that there was no need for me to handle this, that you could take care of it. Have you… already done it?” He asked.
Zhou Liu-lang’s face instantly turned red.
“Yes, that’s right,” he muttered, sounding somewhat embarrassed and vexed, as if he had been caught. “She moved out, and it has nothing to do with you.”
Young Master Qin looked at him and couldn’t help but laugh heartily.
“You, you actually thought of offering yourself to her? How did you come up with that idea?” he laughed, sitting down again. “Could it be that you’ve had feelings for her all along?”
This remark was like stepping on Zhou Liu-lang’s tail, and the young man jumped up in an instant.
“I didn’t! I didn’t! I did this for you! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t care about her at all!” He shouted, his face flushed and eyes wide.
Young Master Qin looked at him with a smile.
“Not caring, that’s for the best,” he suddenly said, his smile fading into a more serious expression, perhaps even tinged with pity.
“That’s for the best,” he repeated.
Before they reached Tai Ping Residence, the maid couldn’t help but lift the curtain and let out a surprised “Eh?”
“Why are there so many people?” she said.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked through the curtain and saw that not far ahead, in front of the tavern, there was a crowd of about a dozen people, and the noise was chaotic.
“Could something have happened?” the maid said, turning back with some anxiety.
“It’s fine,” Cheng Jiao-niang reassured her.
By then, their carriage had turned the corner, and as they got a closer look at the crowd, most of them were men dressed in blue robes and cloth tunics, their ages varied, but all of them carried an air of refinement. Many were even holding paper and brushes.
And then…
“My brothers haven’t come out,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
If there were any trouble, Xu Maoxiu and the others would definitely be guarding the door, but right now, even the old manager hadn’t shown himself at the entrance.
As the carriage approached, the maid helped Cheng Jiao-niang down, and the people in front looked over.
“Make way, don’t block the business,” someone called out.
So it wasn’t trouble after all. The maid helped Cheng Jiao-niang walk straight ahead, curiously eyeing the crowd.
The shop inside was empty, with the old manager fiddling with some counting sticks behind the counter.
“What’s going on outside?” the maid asked, curious.
“You are here,” the old manager smiled as he greeted her, then looked outside with a strange expression. “They’re here to see the calligraphy.”
See the calligraphy?
The maid turned back to look outside and suddenly understood.
She had forgotten that Chen Shi’ba-niang had mentioned that the calligraphy written at the temple was now famous throughout the capital.
The sign hanging above the door was written by Miss, so naturally it was recognized by these scholars.
Someone entered through the door.
“Sir, could you put the food outside?” two men asked.
“Put it outside?”
The old manager chuckled.
“Sure, sure,” he replied, then called out toward the back, “Bring a few people to set up the table.”
He walked toward the door.
“I’ll see how to set it up properly.”
Hearing his agreement, the crowd outside became even more lively.
“It’s such a waste to hang this sign outside.”
“Yeah, yeah, with the wind and rain, how can you bear it!”
“It should be hung indoors!”
Everyone chimed in with voices full of chatter. The old manager only laughed heartily, while directing Xu Maoxiu and the other seven people who had come over to move the tables and lay out the cushions.
Outside, a dozen or so scholars sat on the ground in the open air, laughing and making a lot of noise, drawing curious glances from passersby on the official road.
The fourth brother alone couldn’t handle all the orders; aside from those watching the horses, a few of the brothers were busy.
“Miss, this calligraphy has really become the signboard,” the maid said with a smile, turning her gaze away.
“I’ve never heard of a tavern using calligraphy as a signboard,” Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head and replied.
The maid sat down beside her, smiling mischievously. With only the two of them in the hall, there was no need to retreat to the second floor.
“This group of scholars actually wants to eat outside. Luckily, the weather is warm, but if this were in the winter with snow on the ground, how could they eat?” Xu Bangchui said as he came in.
“That would be even better—sitting in the snow, drinking wine, admiring the calligraphy, and then having a pot of ‘Boxiagong’ to go with it. That’s the ultimate beauty of life,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
“‘Boxiagong’? What’s that?” Xu Bangchui asked.
“It’s ‘Passing Immortal’,” the maid replied with a humph.
“Passing Immortal?”
Someone else interjected.
The maid turned to look and saw a few scholars who couldn’t wait any longer and had come in to move the tables and cushions themselves.
“You all know about ‘Passing Immortal’?” they asked, their eyebrows dancing with excitement. “If we’re talking about the ‘Passing Immortal’ at Immortal’s Abode, those are truly delicious. I wish I could eat them every day, but unfortunately, my pockets are empty.”
The maid snorted.
“What’s so special about that? Anyone can make it,” she muttered.
“Anyone can make it?” Someone perked up, listening carefully, while glancing at the old manager. “Can you order a ‘Passing Immortal’ here?”
The old manager looked at Cheng Jiao-niang, who subtly shook her head.
“No,” he said, smiling and shaking his head.
The scholars laughed and didn’t mind it.
“See, it’s just the signature dish of Immortal’s Abode, a delicacy granted by the immortals. How could any other place make it?” they laughed as they carried the tables and cushions outside.
The hall became quiet again, but the maid sat there, fuming.
“Miss,” she said, “This is too much. It’s clearly yours, yet they shamelessly took it for themselves, and after you pointed it out, no less. You should have demanded their money right then.”
“That wasn’t really mine, so how could I profit from it?” Cheng Jiao-niang said, resting her hand on the table, and smiling slightly.
Miss is saying this again!
Miss is, after all, a woman—soft-hearted and avoiding conflict.
The maid was frustrated and indignant.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked out the window.
“Dining outdoors in the spring is not as charming as in the winter snow, but it’s still quite pleasant,” she suddenly said. “Ban Qin, let’s eat outside.”
The maid paused for a moment but quickly responded, “Yes.”
Seeing this lady also coming outside, the scholars glanced at her a couple of times, but didn’t think it odd.
With the changing times, it had become common for well-bred women to go out into the streets. Women often went on outings to enjoy the spring flowers, visit relatives and friends, or attend poetry gatherings—it was all quite ordinary.
Moreover, in wealthy families, there was a flourishing literary culture, and many women took pride in reading, writing poetry, and calligraphy. In the capital, there were several women renowned for their poetry, calligraphy, and painting.
Also, many women had gone to observe the calligraphy of the “Qieting Temple” characters, so it wasn’t unusual for women to come out to admire the new characters displayed here.
However, it wasn’t long before the lady’s actions caught everyone’s attention.
“Right, this will work. Just replace the silver plate you usually use to hold the charcoal with a shallow pot—it’s very simple…” the maid said, instructing the man acting as the waiter to place a pot on the table.
Under the pot was a porcelain stand holding burning charcoal.
“Now, we need some tofu, spinach, mustard greens, and any meat?” the maid asked.
“We have chicken, duck, lamb, and donkey meat…” the man replied, his expression serious, as if treating all customers the same.
“Then let’s have an old duck,” the maid said, turning to Cheng Jiao-niang before continuing.
The man loudly announced the order as he went inside.
As the dishes the maid had ordered were brought one by one, more and more of the scholars shifted their gaze away from the calligraphy.
“What is she eating?”
“It looks like…”
The low murmurs grew louder, and when the maid placed the sliced chicken into the pot, the conversation reached a loud crescendo.
“It’s the Passing Immortal!”
“That’s right, although it doesn’t look exactly like it, there’s definitely a hint of the Passing Immortal flavor!”
“Is there really ‘Passing Immortal’ here?”
A chorus of voices calling for the manager suddenly rang out.
A few men, caught off guard, ran over, repeatedly asking what was needed.
“We’d like to have ‘Passing Immortal’ too,” a few of the scholars said.
The fourth brother was taken aback.
“’Passing Immortal’? Do you mean the ‘Passing Immortal’ from Immortal’s Abode?” he asked.
The scholars nodded eagerly.
“We’re at Tai Ping Residence, there are no ‘Passing Immortal’ here, and we don’t make them,” the fourth brother said with a simple, apologetic smile.
The scholars were stunned.
“Then what is she eating?” they asked, pointing towards Cheng Jiao-niang, who was sitting alone under the tavern sign outside the crowd.
Under the locust tree that hadn’t yet turned green, a lady wearing a hood sat on the ground, with her maid standing beside her, looking charming. A table, a pot steaming, created the scene of an outdoor meal, almost like a painting.
To be able to make eating look so elegant and artistic, it was truly remarkable.
“That, ah, that dish was ordered by that lady herself. We don’t know what it is,” the fourth brother said.
She ordered it herself?
The scholars looked surprised. After a moment of hesitation, a few bolder ones couldn’t resist the temptation of the delicious food and went over to ask.
“Excuse me, miss, is this ‘Passing Immortal’ from Immortal’s Abode?”
The maid cast them a look of disdain.
“Passing immortal? My mistress was in a hurry, didn’t want to wait for them to cook, so she just made the food herself. It’s just one pot, one fire, add some bone broth, throw in the vegetables and meat, and let it cook. Simple, quick food, not fit for fine dining. Please excuse us, gentlemen,” she said.
With that, she picked up a bunch of spinach from the table, tore it casually with both hands, and threw it into the pot.
The white broth bubbled, and the green vegetables, white meat, and tofu occasionally flipped over, sending out a fragrant aroma.
So simple?
“Manager, give us a pot too.”
“We’ll need some vegetables as well…”
The old manager stood outside, watching more and more people order this dish, and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
“Gentlemen, the dishes you’ve ordered can’t be returned, just ordering this alone is a loss for us,” he said, then glanced over at Cheng Jiao-niang. “Miss, you’ve ruined our business.”
A bunch of vegetables, an old duck, a plate of raw tofu, and a pot of soup—none of it required much labor, so naturally, it couldn’t compare to the price of properly prepared dishes.
The scholars present all laughed heartily.
“Of course, once we’ve ordered, we won’t return the dishes,” they said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the old manager brightened up.
“Well, since that’s the case, this pot of soup and vegetables won’t cost much, so I’ll offer them free of charge to you gentlemen. I’ll only charge for the chicken and duck, at cost price,” he said with a laugh.
The scholars cheered, delighted. With good calligraphy, new and interesting dishes, and the best part—no charge—it was a relaxing, carefree experience. After a few bowls of wine, the scholars began to compose poetry and even took out their bows and arrows, eager to shoot at the willows in the nearby field.
The scene in front of Tai Ping Residence was as lively as a school or academy.
The maid pulled her gaze away, looking at Cheng Jiao-niang with a smile full of meaning.
“Oh, Miss…” she said, her tone heavy with implication.
Once the maid began, and tasted the subtlety of it all, she realized how simple it was to prepare, especially for these scholars who enjoyed elegance and culture. Soon, it would become all the rage, spreading from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred. She feared that Immortal’s Abode’s business in the capital would soon be affected.
It turned out that the mistress was indeed not the soft-hearted, conflict-avoiding woman she had assumed her to be.
If it had been a sincere person, it would have been one thing, but Dou Qi not only dared to shamelessly take what wasn’t his, but also used his backing to threaten and oppress—wasn’t he just asking for trouble?
This mistress of hers, if she doesn’t get angry, that’s one thing, but once she does…
Just look at the stubborn and overbearing Zhou family’s sixth son now—he must be suffering from restless nights and endless torment.
“Miss, I see now.” The maid giggled, pouring a bowl of water for her. “You’re brilliant.”
“Brilliant at what?” Cheng Jiao-niang said, her expression blank.
“Miss, you don’t need to say it, I already know,” the maid said, with a teasing tone.
Cheng Jiao-niang, with one hand holding her sleeve, picked up a piece of tofu from the pot.
“What did I say? Didn’t you already know?” she said indifferently. “I’ve already told you, it’s not mine, so how could I profit from it?”
It wasn’t hers, and it wasn’t anyone else’s. She wasn’t going to profit from it, and naturally, neither could anyone else.
Hadn’t she already said that? Didn’t everyone pay attention or remember?
