Chapter 11 : 南瓜甜点
[Pumpkin cake]
Chen Xing nodded in surprise when he heard about the arrest of the Lai family, revealing a happy look, "I know, I will go and take a look tomorrow."
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing's bright smile, his fingers moved slightly, suddenly wanting to stretch his hand and touch his head, but in the end he restrained this impulse of his and coughed covertly.
When Chen Xing heard Gu Lang's cough, he immediately snapped out from his excitement and looked at Gu Lang as he said nervously, "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Chen Xing knew that Gu Lang rarely went out in the past because of his poor health, and even if he needed anything, he would always instruct Qiu Jiu to do it, while today he went out especially for his matters. If something happened to Gu Lang because of this, he would not be at ease.
After Gu Lang finished coughing and saw that Chen Xing was staring at him nervously, he gently waved his hand, a placating smile appeared on his pale face, "I'm fine, it's just an old illness, I'll be fine once I get used to it."
Seeing that Chen Xing's gaze on him was still worried after he finished talking, Gu Lang suddenly changed the subject, "By the way, what were you doing in the kitchen just now?"
Hearing that, Chen Xing suddenly remembered the pumpkin pastries he had just put on the stove to steam. He hurriedly ran to the stove and put out the fire in the stove and then opened the lid of the steamer.
Looking at a yellow dessert that looked like a mini version of pumpkin, Chen Xing first let out a sigh of relief, then looked at Gu Lang and said proudly as he was taking credit for his achievement, "I was making this this morning, do you want to try it? I used pumpkin on the outside and I used sweetened red bean paste on the inside."
After Gu Lang nodded, Chen Xing took two small plates, gave Gu Lang and Qiu Jiu three for each of them and handed it over to them.
The moment Qiu Jiu got the pastries, he was surprised at its shape and after holding it around for a while, he gasped in admiration, "This is really well made. I've never seen such exquisite pastry before."
Chen Xing smiled and did not respond. He used to specialize in cooking and was not really familiar with pastries. This one was also some of the few things he knew how to make.
Gu Lang took a look at it before he ate it. One bite brought out the faint fragrance of glutinous rice mixed with pumpkin, followed by the sweetness of red bean paste. The combination of the two creates an unusual and delicious taste.
Gu Lang's eyes lit up after the first bite, and the speed of his next bite increased. He finished the cakes on the plate in three or two bites, and then his eyes went to the steamer, looking like he wanted to eat more.
Chen Xing noticed his eyes and covered the steamer, looking at Gu Lang and said, "This has glutinous rice and red bean paste, both of which are not easier to digest. We're going to eat dinner later, so you can't eat this anymore."
Seeing the disappointment crossing Gu Lang's eyes, Chen Xing pursed his lips and coaxed him, "This dessert can be kept for a longer time. If you want to eat it, you can eat it tomorrow."
The expression on Gu Lang's face only got better by these words, he put down the small plate as if nothing had happened and looked at Chen Xing, "In that case, I'll go and rest first. Call me when it's time to eat." After saying that, he turned around and left unhurriedly.
Chen Xing looked at Gu Lang's back as he left. He didn't know if it was his illusion, but when Gu Lang left just now, he seemed to look at the steamer a few times with regret.
Thinking of Gu Lang's that expression of reluctance for sweets that he was trying to hide, Chen Xing suddenly felt that he was somewhat cute~
The next day after breakfast, 'the not in ease Chen Xing' still decided to personally go to the streets to inquire about Lai Jiu's news.
When Chen Xing arrived at the street, he found that it was as lively as usual and there seemed to be no change.
Chen Xing walked towards Granny Sun's wonton stall. After he got closer, he saw that two more tables had been added to the original one, and all three tables were full of people waiting for Granny Sun to serve the wanton.
Watching Granny Sun working around as she dropped wontons and scoop out the wontons, while her little grandson helped out beside her but still so busy that they couldn't handle it, Chen Xing walked over to her and said in a gentle voice, "How about if I help you?"
Seeing that it was Chen Xing, Granny Sun immediately gave up her place next to Chen Xing and told her how many bowls she needed and how many wontons per bowl she needed, and then watched as he finished the ordered wontons at twice the speed of her own.
Only when all the wontons were served did Granny Sun breathe a sigh of relief and look at Chen Xing with gratitude, "Thank you, if you hadn't given me the recipe to improve the wontons, I'm afraid my family's wontons wouldn't be as popular as they are now."
Chen Xing smiled brightly, "I didn't help much either. I just told you a little about how to boil the soup and mix the filling, it's all your own credit that makes the business so prosperous."
Granny Sun looked at Chen Xing, who did not take credit for his own, therefore her fondness for him grew a little more, then as if she remembered something, she hesitantly said towards Chen Xing, "Xiao Xing, do you know about the Lai family?"
When Chen Xing heard her ask this, he suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit and hit his own head, looking at Granny Sun as he said, "That's right, Granny. I am here to ask about the Lai family, since you know about it, can you tell me about it?"
Granny Sun heard Chen Xing ask this, she then told him everything she knew, "I heard that the newly appointed county magistrate had started looking for the evidence of Lai Shiye's crimes a long time ago. He had finally collected all the evidence recently and arrested him yesterday after confirming it. In a few days, he will deal with Master Lai in front of everyone."
As Granny Sun said this, the deep wrinkles on her face broke into a smile as she patted Chen Xing's hand and said happily, "As long as the county magistrate deals with Master Lai, we can be at ease in the future. You are a lucky kid, so good!"
Granny Sun didn't say the rest of the words after that, but Chen Xing understood what she meant by lucky. One day Lai Jiu was looking for trouble with him and the next day something happened to him. Won't this be called lucky?
Just when Chen Xing was about to say a few more words to Granny Sun, help her wrap some wontons more, buy some delicious food and go back to celebrate, two officials came to this street.
As soon as the officers entered the street, the officer looked around, as if he was looking for something. When they had finished looking around the street, it looked like they didn't find what they were looking for and after whispering to each other for a while, he then walked towards the shops on either side. Inside, the shopkeeper happened to be Boss Qiao.
Boss Qiao looked at the official and gave him a charming smile, "I wonder what brings the officials here? Is there anything you want to eat?"
The official looked at the pretty and charming lady (shop owner) in front of him and his mind wandered for a moment, then he remembered what he was here for, quickly restrained himself before he looked at the woman in front of him and said, "We are here to find someone. Do you know that there is a little Ger who previously sold mapo tofu on this street, where is he now?"
Hearing the official ask about that little Ger, Boss Qiao's eyes flashed, as if she had thought of something good, the corners of her mouth curled up into a light smile, and with a flick of her finger, she pointed precisely to Granny Sun's wonton stall, her red lips slightly opened and she said indifferently, "Look, that Ger, he's at that wonton stall, wrapping wontons with that old granny~"
After thanking Boss Qiao, the officer walked with his colleague towards the small wonton stall.
Boss Qiao looked at their backs and then looked at Chen Xing, who was unaware and mindlessly wrapping wontons in the distance. The corners of her mouth curled into a malicious smile.
Chen Xing was about to help Granny Sun finish wrapping the rest of the wonton and then go back, suddenly had the illusion that he was being watched by someone, therefore the moment he raised his head and looked around, he saw two official officers walking towards him.
Until the two officials approached, Chen Xing was immediately on guard, so much so that Granny Sun, who was next to him, also became nervous.
"You are Chen Xing, right?" One of the official officers looked at the only Ger here and asked in a husky voice.
Chen Xing looked at the two tall officials in front of him and hesitated for a moment, still nodding his head in the end and admitting, "Yes, I am."
"Please come with us."
Hearing this, Chen Xing's heart thumped, and his heart couldn't help but beat faster. Didn't they say that Master Lai had already been arrested? Why were there still official officers coming to trouble him now?
Next to him, Granny Sun suddenly interjected and asked cautiously, "Two official masters, can you tell me what you are looking for Chen Xing for?"
Hearing Granny Sun's careful enquiry, the official who spoke seemed to have realized something as the expression on his face eased a little. He looked at the grandma and Ger who were staring at him nervously and managed to showed a gentle smile,
"Don't be nervous! It's all my fault for not making myself clear. The county magistrate has recently collected all the evidence of Master Lai's crimes and will prosecute and punish him according to law in the next few days. All the money that Master Lai scraped from the people will be handled by the government, so among them is a stall that is not very eye-catching but can keep from the wind andand the rain. The county magistrate heard about this young Ger being harassed by Lai Jiu, he took pity on him and asked us to ask if you would like to rent the stall. If you want to rent it, we won't look for anyone else. If you don't want to rent it, we'll give it to others. Because it's stolen goods, the rent for that stall is only half of what it is for the other stalls."
Hearing the official say this, Chen Xing's eyes lit up at once, but he soon hesitated again. After all, he didn't know that county magistrate either, so how such a good thing suddenly fell into his head?
That talking official was also a man who knew how to get things done. Seeing Chen Xing's hesitation, he smiled and said, "If you are worried, you can go over with us to see that stall first. In a couple of days a corresponding notice will also be posted at the official's entrance to explain it, so you can rest assured."
Hearing that the official had been so thorough, Chen Xing himself became a little embarrassed and nodded his head in agreement, "Then I'll trouble you."
Upon seeing this, Granny Sun also wanted to go with him. Chen Xing knew that she was worried about him and at the same time he was a little embarrassed.
The two of them left together with the two officials. The hawkers around them could not hear their conversation, so they were all speculating what they had done to deserve the officials' personal attention.
Boss Qiao who had just shown the officials the way, at this moment, was leaning against the door, staring at Chen Xing's back with joy and glee, hoping to hear the news of his misfortune in a few days.
Chapter 12 : 租下
[Rent it down]
Chen Xing followed the two officials with Granny Sun to see the stall. He originally thought that even though there was such a stall, the location and conditions should not be very good, but when he arrived at that stall and saw exactly what it looked like, he then realized that his previous thought was wrong.
The stall was at the end street of the city wall, with a clean floor, one side leaning against the city wall behind it and the remaining three sides hollowed out and topped with a thatched roof, with room for two tables for customers inside. The previous shopkeeper probably also used to make food, since there were two modest fire stoves left in front of the stall.
What pleased Chen Xing the most was that the stall was not far from the private bank1, silver houses and other shops, so he thought that the security around it must be guaranteed. The first time he saw the stall, Chen Xing fell in love with it and even started to think of getting tarpaulins or thatch to cover up the leaky area.
The official who brought Chen Xing here saw his face, and immediately knew that this errand was practically a success. so he looked at him and said with a smile, "How about it? This place is not bad right? This stall was originally run by a relative of the Lai family, and that person usually followed Master Lai and his family in their bullying and tyrant abuse. This time, when the county magistrate liquidated the Lai family, he was counted as part of it, which is why this stall was left unoccupied."
Chen Xing nodded and asked with some hesitation, "Thank you, this officer, may I ask how about the rent?"
Hearing that, the official was very straightforward and said directly, "Originally this was the property of the Lai family and the charge was two taels of silver a year. But now, the County Magistrate has taken charge of it, it only costs one tael of silver. However, the county magistrate also knows your situation and expected that it would not be easy for you, so he had ordered before we came, granting you permission to pay for half a year first, and then pay the remaining half when you have earned the money."
Originally, when he heard that he had to pay one tael of silver, Chen Xing was a bit hesitant, after all, he hadn't earned that much during these days. If he needed to rent the stall, he was afraid that he would still have to borrow it from Gu Lang.
As a result, after he heard the latter half of the official's words, at the same time, he praised the county magistrate he had never met before in his heart and also immediately responded, said towards the official, "Thank you a lot, sir! I'll rent it."
When the official heard that he wanted to rent the stall, he was not surprised. After all, such a cheap and good stall, they themselves would not refuse it either. Moreover, this little Ger was able to get such a cheap stall, probably because there were people behind him, otherwise it would not have been that easy.
Therefore, after hearing that Chen Xing wanted to rent it, the official smiled and said, "Since you have decided, then you should come with us to sign the deed,so the stall will be yours for a year after signing."
Private stalls were not allowed in the county, either because they had to have a front shop or be in a specific street. Anyone who went beyond that had to get permission from the government to operate, otherwise if the government found out, the lightest thing would be to have your stall closed and the worst thing would be the person had to take a trip to the feudal official with the stall being closed too. If you want to rent a stall here, you need to go to a special agency office of the government to have it notarized. In case there would be a dispute, you would have no way to argue.
Chen Xing had thought of renting a stall a few days ago, therefore he had already inquired about all these details. He was more and more relieved when he heard the official say so. After all, a verbal agreement could be broken, but it was not so easy to go back on something that was written down in black and white.
Chen Xing went with the official to the official's rental office and signed a one-year lease. Chen Xing paid half of the silver on the spot and agreed that the remaining half would be delivered within a month, therefore the lease was considered to be completed.
After leaving the rental office, Chen Xing bought a duck with sauce outside and packed two packets of sweet desserts at the restaurant and gave the food to the two officials as a thank you for their hard work in this half of day. The officials delayed for a while but finally accepted the stuff and left happily.
Chen Xing sent Granny Sun back to her stall and gave her the two extra packets of pastries and half a duck in soy sauce as a thank you for her company today, before carrying the rest of the money to the food market.
Until Chen Xing had bought fresh fish, some pork meat and many vegetables, and returned to the Gu residence, it was already past lunchtime.
As soon as Chen Xing stepped through the door of the Gu Mansion, Qiu Jiu, who was sitting on the doorstep staring at the direction of the door, his eyes immediately lit up and rushed towards him asking with concern, "Why did you come back so late, did you encounter something?"
Chen Xing looked at Qiu Jiu's anxious look and was a little embarrassed, "I had something come up today, so I came back a little late."
After Chen Xing finished calming Qiu Jiu and went inside, he saw Gu Lang sitting on the veranda reading a book not far away. At once, his heart warmed. He turned to Gu Lang and said in a loud voice, "Gu Gongzi, you are not well. It's better not to stay outside for long. You should go back to the room and rest first, I will call you when the food is ready."
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing, swept his line of sight over him to make sure there was nothing wrong, silently put away the book in his hand, nodded towards Chen Xing, stood up and went back to his study room unhurriedly. He just thought it was more well ventilated and convenient to read books here, there was no other meaning.
Seeing Gu Lang leave, Chen Xing said towards Qiu Jiu who still wanted to ask something, "It's already past eating time, I bought many good dishes today, let's eat first and talk about it after dinner." After saying that, he let Qiu Jiu look at the fish and meat he had bought.
Qiu Jiu's eyes lit up again when he saw these two items. Without asking too many questions, he followed behind Chen Xing, he was ready to go and help in the kitchen, so that he could have his meal earlier.
Today's lunch was late but unprecedentedly rich. Chen Xing had made sweet and sour fish, braised fish, spicy eggplants, soup of three delicacies and half a salted duck in sauce that he had brought back.
Looking at the dishes in front of him and smelling the fragrance of the many foods on the table, Qiu Jiu who had eaten many good things, could not help but praise Chen Xing at this time, "Chen Xing, your skill is better than even the cooks in the capital. Your cooking is too delicious."
Hearing Qiu Jiu's praise, Chen Xing smiled somehow embarrassed.
Gu Lang, however, looked at Chen Xing whose whole body was emitting a pleasant glow and asked indifferently, "Did something good happen today?"
Hearing Gu Lang ask this, Qiu Jiu stopped eating and also turned his gaze towards Chen Xing.
Chen Xing, however, became excited, looked at them and told them all about what had happened today. At the end, he kept praising, "That county magistrate is really a good person. This town will definitely develop better and better in the future."
As he listened to Chen Xing's over praise of the county magistrate whom he had never met, Qiu Jiu's eyes involuntarily fell on his own family young master who was sitting there calmly eating his meal and occasionally replied to Chen Xing's words. Seeing that the expression on his face had not changed at all from start to the end, Qiu Jiu silently lowered his head and quietly ate the fragrant rice in his bowl.
Gu Lang quietly looked at Chen Xing who was talking with great enthusiasm and listened to his words with a gentle expression, nodding every now and then because of what he said, with a few moments of tenderness in his gaze that he himself did not even notice.
Wait until dinner time was finished, Qiu Jiu went to wash the dishes, while Chen Xing and Gu Lang took a walk on the veranda to cool off.
Chen Xing looked at the courtyard that looked extraordinarily empty because the weeds had been cleared and sighed softly, "The days are really getting better and better."
Hearing Chen Xing's sigh like this, Gu Lang turned his head to look at him and a few doubts appeared in his eyes.
Chen Xing looked at his puzzled expression, gently laughed, somewhat embarrassed as he rubbed his head and softly said, "Actually, I was very apprehensive and nervous when I came here. I didn't expect you to be so nice, nor did I expect things to go so smoothly like this."
Hearing Chen Xing say this, Gu Lang's gaze flickered, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he did not say anything.
Chen Xing didn't notice the change in Gu Lang's expression as he looked up at the clear sky and planned every detail of his future, "Now that I have a fixed stall where I can sell more food in the future there, when I earn more money, I will rent a bigger shop and open a small restaurant, then save up to pay you back and get my deed of sale back. "
As Gu Lang listened to Chen Xing's words and looked at the pleasant smile on his face, he suddenly wanted to ask Chen Xing what he was going to do when he got his deed of sale? Would he leave here and go live his own life? The future plan he had in mind where he did not include him ah!
Thinking of all this, Gu Lang, who felt that things had become a bit serious, stared at Chen Xing's side face in silence, somehow suddenly remembering the stunning feeling Chen Xing had given him when he first met Chen Xing, originally thinking that as time passed, that feeling would silently dissipate. Who knew that now, it seemed that such a confident and open Chen Xing, on the contrary, was attracting his attention more and more.
Gu Lang felt that if Chen Xing could never pay back that money for the rest of his life, it might not be such a bad thing. After all, then he would have a reason to stay by his side. He would protect him and let him do whatever things he wanted to do, wouldn't that even be better?
After Chen Xing finished his plans for the future in high spirits and wanted to see if Gu Lang could give any advice, he turned his head and met with Gu Lang's silent stare that startled him.
Chen Xing looked at Gu Lang and hesitantly asked, "What, what's wrong?"
Gu Lang showed his gentle smile again which was no different from his usual one, and said softly, "Nothing, I just thought of something and suddenly got a little deeply lost in thought."
Seeing Gu Lang back to his gentle appearance again, Chen Xing didn't think too much about it, thinking that Gu Lang was just like what he said, that he was deeply lost in thought and that was why Gu Lang was looking at himself like that. Now, he was fine. He looked at Gu Lang and repeated the question he had just asked, "What do you think of my plan?"
Hearing what he said, the corners of Gu Lang's mouth lifted slightly and he said softly, "It's really a good idea. I also believe that with your ability, you can reach your goal very quickly."
Hearing that Gu Lang had agreed with him, Chen Xing became more and more excited. He even felt inspired as he happily said towards him, "You feel the same way, right? I'll definitely work hard and pay you money back soon!"
Gu Lang's gaze wandered over Chen Xing's face which was becoming more and more rosy from happiness and
looking distinctly bright on his face. The corner of his lip curled up slightly as he said softly, "I'm looking forward to it."
1
[钱庄: old-style money shop (a type of private bank that first appeared in the Ming dynasty, flourished in the Qing, and was phased out after 1949)]
Chapter 13 : 重新开业
[Reopening the business]
Chen Xing did not rush to open the stall after renting it, but took advantage of the time he had now to go for another stroll around the stall to ascertain the size of that stall and then started to calculate what to add to it.
Previously, when Chen Xing sold Mapo Tofu, he only had a wheelbarrow, so he was limited in what he could sell, but now that he had a fixed stall spot and could make a fire, therefore he had a lot more ideas to implement.
First, Chen Xing was going to get some bamboo curtains to cover both sides of the stall, so that it could not only block the wind but also rain.
Secondly, Chen Xing also needed to get two sets of tables and chairs to put there, so that it would be convenient for customers and at the same time increase the flow of customers.
Finally, Chen Xing also planned to add one more food menu, so that customers could have many more options to choose from, and then he would be able to earn money more quickly.
Looking at what he had written down, Chen Xing sighed silently, glad that the official had not asked him to pay the stall fee for a year in one go yesterday, otherwise he definitely would not have the money to buy these things today.
Taking the detailed list, Chen Xing went straight to the carpenter's shop where he had bought the unicycle last time and asked directly how much the cheapest tables and chairs were sold here. After all, he himself didn't know how long the stall would last and there was no point in buying too good ones.
The old carpenter obviously still knew him and looked at him twice after hearing his request and then quoted a price that was still quite low in Chen Xing's estimation.
Chen Xing readily agreed and afterwards asked politely about the bamboo curtains.
This time, the old carpenter did not give him an immediate answer, but looked at him and asked, "What do you want to use it for?"
Chen Xing didn't hide anything from him and told him about the curtain he wanted to use to keep out from the wind and also in a mild and roundabout way brought up the fact that he didn't have much budget left.
The old carpenter looked at his worried look and after a little contemplation, he gave a suggestion, "If you don't care about the aesthetics, I suggest you use cogongrass (thatch) to weave the curtain. It's not only windproof but also waterproof. The most important thing is that it didn't cost a lot if you compared that with a bamboo curtain, so you can save almost two-thirds of the money."
Chen Xing's eyes lit up immediately and he responded without hesitation. He felt that he could care less about aesthetics since the most important thing now was to save money little by little.
Seeing that Chen Xing agreed, the two signed a contract. The old carpenter guaranteed to move the seats Chen Xing wanted to the designated location in three days as well as to get the barrier curtain Chen Xing wanted.
After dealing with the carpenter's shop's matter, Chen Xing took the remaining money and went to the vegetable market. He wanted to add new food so naturally needed more ingredients.
The owner of that tofu stall looked utterly surprised to see him. He looked at him incredulously and asked, "Are you alright?"
It was known that Chen Xing would not be able to set up his stall for some time after Lai Jiu had picked fault with him, so he had even come over to talk to the tofu owner about temporarily stopping the supply of tofu.
When he heard the tofu stall owner ask this question, Chen Xing was still a bit confused, "What's wrong with me?"
The stall owner was a bit embarrassed and spoke in a squeaky voice, but finally he said, "You were so panicked when you came here that day that I thought you were haunted by the evil spirits in that residence and had to move to another place to escape."
Chen Xing looked at the embarrassed man in front of him somewhat speechlessly, he really couldn't figure out why the hole in his brain was so big for a man in business, it was too bad that he didn't go to write a book.
However, Chen Xing quickly remembered that he was here to do business, he first explained his request to the stall owner and asked for more soya bean milk in addition to the original amount of tofu.
Hearing that, the stall owner didn't ask too many questions, and after accepting Chen Xing's deposit, he promised that he would deliver the goods to the Gu Mansion in a few days' time as promised.
A few days later, the stall Chen Xing had rented had a completely new look and he was ready to reopen.
The night before the opening, Chen Xing especially cooked a table of good food to celebrate his new start with Gu Lang and Qiu Jiu.
Gu Lang looked at the 'glowing with pride and happiness' Chen Xing, slightly curled his lips, lifted the cup of tea in his hand and said to him, "I wish you a great opening (auspicious beginning)."
Chen Xing answered him with a foolish smile and also lifted the tea in his hand to toast the cup with him, thanking him cheerfully.
Gu Lang looked at the silly and cute Chen Xing, his eyes flickered slightly but he didn't say anything more.
The next day, Chen Xing finished making mapo tofu at the Gu family Mansion and a barrel of jellied tofu from the soya bean milk before heading to his stall.
Ma
Mapo Tofu
Jellied tofu/ Bean Curd Jelly
When he arrived at the stall, Chen Xing first made a fire to steam rice, then put the easily cooled mapo tofu on the stove to warm it up and found a good spot for the jellied tofu before finally taking out the special chilli oil to prepare the dipping water.
Until the old customers looked for Chen Xing's stall, they first smelled a nice rice aroma, then a slight bean aroma, and finally the spicy smell of Mapo Tofu.
The one who rushed ahead was Aunt Sheng whom he had not seen for a long time. As soon as she saw Chen Xing, she shouted, "You, this little boss, where have you been lately? My grandson has been thinking about your food. In the end, I couldn't find you but today, I finally found you. You have to give me more later!"
Chen Xing looked at that fiendish and fierce look of Aunt Sheng, but the smile on his face did not diminish at all. He good-naturedly said as he looked at her, "Okay. I've had some troubles recently, so I've been absent from the stall for a few days. I'm sorry!"
That Aunt Sheng looked at Chen Xing who always had a gentle expression on his face no matter what she said, thinking of the rumours she had heard a few days ago, she was a little embarrassed, thus he looked at Chen Xing with a slightly awkward expression.
Chen Xing could see her embarrassment and pretend that he didn't see it. He knew that Aunt Sheng was just a bit short-tempered but she was not a bad person, so he smiled and asked her, "Aunt Sheng, do you still want two bowls of mapo tofu today? I've made something new, would you like to try it?"
When she heard Chen Xing say this, Aunt Sheng looked at him with some suspicion, "What kind of food?"
Chen Xing smiled faintly as he opened the wooden bucket with the jellied tofu inside and introduced it to her, "This is jellied tofu complete with a dipping water, suitable for people who don't eat much spicy food. Because there is no meat, it is cheaper than Mapo Tofu, only five yuan for one portion."
Aunt Sheng looked at the tender tofu that was white and different from usual tofu and then at Chen Xing's smiling face, hesitated for a moment and said straight away, "Then I'll have one portion of flower bean curd and one portion of mapo tofu."
"Okay!" Chen Xing took the money given by Aunt Sheng, and quickly prepared the two portions for her. Besides that, he also gave her a little more as she had instructed.
After Aunt Sheng took away her meal, more and more customers came behind her. What Chen Xing did not expect was that the bean curd jelly rice was actually more popular than the mapo tofu, and most of the people who came chose the bean flower rice after hesitating for a while. Looking at the rapidly decreasing number of bean curd jelly, Chen Xing began to think in his mind that he would have to prepare more bean curd flowers tomorrow.
While Chen Xing was so busy, a boy was walking around with a piece of canvas at the place where he previously had set up his stall and shouted as he walked, "Mapo Tofu has moved to the end of the street, go there if you want to eat it!" The boy's voice was so loud that anyone passing by could basically hear him.
After the boy shouted several more times, a woman who had been staying next to Granny Sun gave the boy a fed up look and then looked coldly at Grandma Sun and said unhappily,
"Granny Sun, why is your grandson fussing around in the middle of the day instead of helping you with your business? How can we do business when he is drawing business to others?"
Granny Sun handed the customers the freshly made wontons in her hand and said without raising her head, "He basically informed the customers who wanted to eat there, even if my grandson didn't tell them, those customers wouldn't have eaten anything else either, so how could he take away your business?"
The woman felt more and more unhappy at her words, but she knew that although Granny Sun looked polite, yet she was able to make a living here peacefully bringing her grandson, so she was obviously not someone that easy to be pushed around or mess with either.
Hence the woman's eyes rolled and she deliberately said aloud, "The official invited both you and that Ger that day. As a result, that Ger is now being kicked out of this street, so couldn't it be that you guys did something to provoke that official to punish him right?"
Her words immediately drew the eyes of the busybody people around her and they all looked towards Granny Sun, wanting to know if what she said was true.
But Granny Sun wiped her hands unhurriedly and said slowly, "Ordinary people and civilians like us, how can we make any mistakes? The official took us there because the county magistrate knew about Lai Jiu's kicking over Chen Xing's stall. The Lai family had recently been punished and their assets seized, including a stall on a street corner. The county magistrate rented that stall to him cheaply in order to compensate him."
"What? The stall on the street corner was rented to him?!"
Granny Sun lifted her eyelids and looked at the woman's face that had become slightly distorted from knowing about it, "Yes, that's right, the County Magistrate is a good man, knowing that he doesn't have much money, he especially charges him with only half of the money."
Hearing this, the woman covered her chest with a pained look and gritted her teeth, "Such a good thing, how come it's not my turn?"
The other street vendors who had been listening to their conversation nearby, nodded along uncontrollably. Everyone knew that the best place to do business was at one end of the street, because the entrance and exit were the places with the highest traffic.
Chen Xing's current stall was not only in such a location, but it was also not easy for anyone to cause trouble as there were officers and soldiers stationed not far away around. The most important thing is that the stall's rent is so low.
At once, those hawkers who had thought that Chen Xing had suffered great pain and hardship a few days ago revealed a 'green with envy' look, wishing that they were the ones whose stall had been kicked over in the first place.
While the hawkers were beating their breast and stamp on their feet in sorrow and regretting, not far away from the entrance of the restaurant, a plump woman was leaning against the door, her eyes first sweeping over the desolate tables of customers inside the restaurant, then looking at the boy who kept shouting with the banner in his hand. In a stern tone, she said to the idle young waiter beside her,
"Go and find out what that damn old woman's grandson is doing? Besides that, ask also what's the situation with that little Ger?"
Chapter 14: 鸡汤
[Chicken Soup]
The young waiter, having been told to do so by Boss Qiao, without saying a word, ran out and asked the Sun family boy who was still shouting, and then ran to Granny Sun to ask about Chen Xing.
Only when he had asked what Boss Qiao wanted to know did he return to the shop in a trance, looking at the boss who was waiting for his report, and said hesitantly, "Boss, just now I've made a clear enquiry."
Boss Qiao was already angry at the poor business in the shop, and when he saw that the young waiter was still hesitating in speech like this, she became furious, "If you have something to say, then just say it!"
Being yelled by her, the young waiter didn't dare to talk back, so he could only tell her what he had heard, "That boy from the Sun family was promoting that little Ger's new place where he sells food, also that little Ger who sold mapo tofu, not only was he not arrested and sent to jail that day, but he rented the stall at the end of the street from the official."
The next second he finished speaking, an ear-piercing female voice rang out in the shop,
"What？！！！"
Boss Qiao's eyes were rounded as she looked at the waiter in disbelief, clearly unable to accept this answer.
The young waiter drew back his neck and said in a small voice, "I don't believe it either, but that's what that damn old woman said."
Boss Qiao glared angrily at Granny Sun's wonton stall, then turned her head to the 'trembling in fear' young waiter next to her and said, "Keep an eye on the shop, I'm going out for a while."
With that, Boss Qiao took a fierce stride towards the end of the street.
Looking at the boss's direction, the young waiter who could roughly guess what she was going to do, shook his head helplessly and sighed, "He is just a little Ger with no relatives. Boss, why is this necessary for you to be like this?"
Boss Qiao smoothly found Chen Xing's current stall along the street, not because she had good eyes, but Chen Xing's stall was just too obvious.
On the edge of the city wall, the stall which was originally the wind blowing through on all sides, was wrapped with thatch around it, with clean tables and chairs were set up in the middle, which were now filled with diners who had come.
Chen Xing, the owner of the stall, was standing in front of the stove serving food to the new customers, while there was a long queue in front of him.
What she found unbelievable was that there were even a few yamen attendants in the queue. Looking at those yamen attendants who were usually so high & mighty and showed off their military strength at the common people but were now obediently standing in the long queue like ordinary people. Moreover, they even took initiative to help maintain the order. Her eyes were about to glaze over by this.
A nameless jealousy grew in Boss Qiao's heart, but she knew she could do nothing, so she watched Chen Xing for a long time from where she was, and only turned around to go back to her own small restaurant when Chen Xing had almost finished his work.
Chen Xing knew nothing about the arrival of Boss Qiao. He didn't even know this person and naturally he didn't want to care about things that had nothing to do with him.
It was only after the busiest time had passed that Chen Xing had a slight chance to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat from the corner of his forehead and handed the last bowl of mapo tofu to the woman in front of him.
The woman was an old customer and she usually talked to Chen Xing on a regular basis. She took the meal she bought, looked at Chen Xing with some confusion and asked, "When I was queuing up just now, I saw a woman staring at you. Little boss, is she someone from your family?"
Chen Xing's first thought was that Granny Sun had come to see him, so he asked, "Is it an old grandma?"
The woman shook her head, recalled it for a while, and then said, "No, she was a very young, beautiful woman."
Chen Xing thought about it and shook his head, "Then perhaps it was just a passer-by who happened to look at me a few more times, I don't know any young women."
After he came here, apart from those from the Chen family whom he had met once before, the rest of the people he had dealt with were all men, so how could there be a woman staring at him? Chen Xing was slightly puzzled for a moment and then put this matter behind him.
Today was a busy day, but his food sold out very quickly. It only took Chen Xing two hours of work to sell out all the dishes.
Chen Xing apologized to the later coming customers who could not buy anything and were complaining at the moment, before collecting his things and going back.
When Chen Xing returned to the Gu family Mansion, it was already past the time to eat. He ate casually, packed up his cooking utensils and went back to his room. After that, he took out the small box for collecting money and poured out all the coins, piling them up into a small mountain on the table.
Chen Xing looked at today's harvest with glowing eyes and after making the inventory of the assets, he found out that today's harvest was three times what he had earned from selling Mapo Tofu in the past.
Chen Xing calculated that in a few months, he would be able to save enough money to open a restaurant and then he would rent another shop and hire a cook and two waiters. He would have an extra income and would be able to quickly pay back Gu Lang's money soon.
Thinking about all those good things, Chen Xing, who was very pleased with himself, put the money back into the small box and took a glance at the sky outside. After noticing that it was still early, he decided to take a nap first before going to the market, therefore when he woke up, he would tell the tofu stall boss about ordering more soya bean milk for tomorrow and at the same time went to buy a chicken to nourish Gu Lang's health.
Thereupon, when it was time for dinner, Gu Lang and Qiu Jiu found that they had an extra chicken soup on today's menu.
Looking at the chicken soup with red dates, Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing in silence, there was no need to guess who had bought the chicken.
Chen Xing saw Gu Lang looking at the chicken soup and then at himself, thinking that he wanted to eat it but was too embarrassed to take it, so he reached out, took his bowl and gave him a bowl of chicken soup with the oil being removed, especially giving him two extra red dates.
While handing the chicken soup to Gu Lang, Chen Xing looked at him as he rambled, "Gu Gongzi is not in good health so it is necessary to nourish your body. I have recently made some money yet I still cannot afford to buy the expensive tonic, so I can only buy these cheap things. You put up and eat this for now, wait until I earn more money, I will buy the tonic for you."
Speaking of this, Chen Xing couldn't help but sigh, the ancient tonic medicines were all dug by people in the deep mountains, unlike modern times where they could be grown artificially, so the tonic wasn't cheap and he simply couldn't afford to buy it for now.
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing's worried face, however, his pale face was tinged with a smile. He reached out to take the bowl Chen Xing handed to him. His cool fingertips touched Chen Xing's warm finger. Looking at Chen Xing's suddenly red face, he then said softly, "Thanks a lot!"
Gu Lang's finger was very cold, yet Chen Xing felt a hot sensation when he touched it. He blushed and hurriedly withdrew his hand. Looking at Gu Lang, he stammered and said, "No, don't mention it. It's only from a small deduction for the food."
Qiu Jiu who was next to them and had been eating in silence, took a sneaky glance at his young master and saw him accepting the chicken soup from Chen Xing with his usual expression, as well as response to Chen Xing's words about earning money to buy him tonic. When he thought even one set of medicines his family's young master was having was extremely expensive, he suddenly felt inexplicably guilty.
The brief interlude just now brought a momentary silence to the table, with only the occasional sound of dishes being clipped with chopsticks.
In the midst of this silence, Gu Luang suddenly asked as if he didn't planned to or accidentally asked, "You sell so many things every day. Are you able to manage it by yourself?"
Chen Xing who was still originally immersed oneself in eating his food, did not react to Gu Lang's words for a while, but when he did, he quickly responded, "I don't have a lot of things there, so apart from being a bit busy when there are a lot of customers, most of the time, I can keep up with it."
Looking at Chen Xing's energetic look, Gu Lang's finger lightly tapped on the table twice, as if he was thinking about something, he then continued to ask, "Have you ever thought of selling more things and making more money?"
Although he didn't know why Gu Lang asked this, Chen Xing honestly said what was on his mind, shook his head and said, "The customers who buy what I sell are almost the same (regulae) now. If I rushed to increase the quantity, not only would there be a lot left over, but it would also prolong my time on the stall and I might not be able to sell the rest, so I think it's fine to be like this for now. I'll think about increasing the variety of food when I have a bigger place."
Gu Luang nodded, "That's right, saving some money and renting a shop, no matter what, is more convenient than selling at a stall."
After saying that, Gu Lang gently glanced at Qiu Jiu who had been eating silently since he got on the table, and then turned his head to stare at Chen Xing, "In that case, I will let Qiu Jiu help you, so that you can have a helper when you are busy, like this you can also come back earlier."
Hearing what Gu Lang said, Chen Xing hastily waved his hand and said, "No, no need, I can manage it on my own."
Instead, Qiu Jiu was happy to help Chen Xing, as he saw that the things Chen Xing had to carry every day were not that much, and it was much much easier than his previous training. To him, it really couldn't even be considered as a workout.
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing who kept refusing. He then said in a gentle tone but with a slight command that could not be denied, "Qiu Jiu has nothing to do at home, so it's better to let him go and help you, like this you can come back earlier to make lunch too."
Hearing that, Chen Xing was taken aback. They ate three meals a day in Gu's residence, while the people outside ate two meals, so there was a time gap in between. If he was quick, he could come back earlier. Considering Gu Lang's health, he thought it would not be a bad idea to come back earlier to cook.
Looking at Chen Xing's hesitation, Gu Lang didn't give him a chance to back out and slowly got up from his seat, saying in a dictatorial tone, "Alright, it's a deal then, starting from tomorrow, Qiu Jiu will follow you to the stall."
Before Chen Xing could react, he saw the back of Gu Lang, at the same time, he heard Qiu Jiu's excited voice next to him, "Chen Xing, I'll go with you to sell things tomorrow!"
Chen Xing turned his head to look at Qiu Jiu's face which still had a little bit of a juvenile spirit and after a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Alright, you've worked hard for today. I'll prepare your salary too." He could not take advantage of him for nothing.
Qiu Jiu was just about to ask Chen Xing what kind of wages he would pay, when he saw Chen Xing's worried expression as he walked towards the back without saying a word, muttering about how much money he should pay him for the work.
As he stared at Chen Xing's worried back, Qiu Jiu scratched his head and wondered whether he should tell his young master about this. After all, he was not short of money, but Chen Xing was!
Chapter 15: 热闹
Lively
Because of having one person helping him, Chen Xing's work was much easier and the time spent setting up the stall was considerably shortened. Even after experiencing the initial inability to adapt, he soon added the amount of dishes in the stall as long as it would not affect the time when they returned to the Gu mansion. Even the customers who would not be able to buy their meals when they came late in the past could now do so, as long as they did not miss the time.
Boss Qiao's restaurant.
The woman leaned behind the counter and looked at the few customers scattered in the restaurant, with hostility and her antisocial behavior between her eyebrows. Finally she couldn't resist stepping out from behind the counter to look at the door. She wanted to see whether the number of customers was decreasing or what was going on. The number of her customers was decreasing day by day and her income had already dropped by nearly 40% this month, so she was afraid that she would not be able to maintain the restaurant if things continued like this.
As she was walking to the entrance, staring at the crowds of people coming and going, trying to figure out what the problem was, she suddenly saw a familiar customer in the crowd. It was a young man in his early twenties, slightly chubby and richly dressed. He was walking down the street with a happy look on his face, his eyes full of expectation.
Boss Qiao deliberately shouted at him as he passed in front of him, "Fu Gongzi!"
The man stopped his hurried steps, turned his head in confusion to look at the source of that voice, and after seeing Boss Qiao, who was smiling and walking towards him, a good natured smile immediately appeared on his face, "Boss Qiao!"
Boss Qiao smiled faintly at him and said softly, "It's just about mealtime, won't Fu Gongzi come in and have something to eat?"
Hearing this, Fu Gongzi's expression stiffened, then with a somewhat uncomfortable expression, he said, "This, this, I've already eaten, so I won't be going in today."
Boss Qiao looked at Fu Gongzi's somewhat flustered expression and felt that something was not quite right. She was about to ask something more when Fu Gongzi, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, hurriedly said, "Qiao lǎobǎn, I still have something to do, so I'll leave first. Next time, if I'm free I'll definitely come and eat at your place."
Boss Qiao stared at Fu Gongzi's back as he ran away, slowly frowning, then thought of something and turned her body around to return to her shop, instructing the young waiter who was standing at the entrance and yawning, "Go and check at the end of the street, see if Fu Gongzi is there."
The young waiter smiled a little strangely after hearing this, but looking at his boss's gloomy face, he did not dare to ask any questions, thus he immediately went over in the direction she had specified.
The end of the street, which was originally cold and quiet, was now particularly lively at meal times because of Chen Xing's stall.
When the young waiter arrived, he saw a very busy scene and among those queuing up were not only Fu Gongzi whom his boss had just instructed to keep an eye on, but also quite a few of their restaurant's former frequent customers.
Upon seeing this, the young waiter's heart immediately skipped a beat. He felt that if he told his boss this news, his boss would be furious on the spot.
After looking worriedly there for a while, he left quietly, still worrying on his way back about how to tell his boss so that she would not vent her anger on him.
Chen Xing, unaware that he was being watched again, was now collecting money while telling Qiu Jiu what dishes the new customer had ordered.
The two had been working together for several days and had by now developed a certain tacit understanding, so they worked well together and very quickly, in less than a moment, it was the turn of Fu Gongzi who had just hurried over.
Fu Gongzi first took a look into the barrel where the dishes were kept and was relieved to see that he still had his share, then he took out the money he had prepared in advance from his pocket and handed it directly to Chen Xing, "Little boss, I'd like to have rice with soft bean curd and a mapo tofu. Oh that's right, I also want that chilli added with meat."
"Okay." Chen Xing quickly collected the money, took a tray and served him first the sauce that used to dip in.
That Fu gongzi watched with gluttonous eyes, while Qiu Jiu helped him with the dishes, he also complained towards Chen Xing, "Little boss, now that you even have one more person to help, why can't you make more? I worry every day that I'll be late to come here after school and won't be able to eat anything from here."
On hearing this, Chen Xing felt somehow amused and politely explained to him, "I'm sorry, but we really don't have the way to increase the amount of food now. We'll just have to see if we can do it in the future. If our family can rent a shop in the future, I will definitely lengthen the opening hours."
Fu Gongzi was somewhat dissatisfied, but he couldn't say anything. He could only mutter, "Then you must hurry up! I still want to eat food at your place in the future, even for dinner too. You only cook this one meal every day, it's really unhandy."
Chen Xing smiled, he really did not know how to respond to such words.
Just exactly at this moment, a folding fan was put on Fu Gongzi's shoulder, then a scholarly-looking youth appeared and said towards Fu Gongzi, "Fu Xiong (Brother Fu), don't make things difficult for the little boss. You didn't even eat less for this meal, even if you only eat this one a day, it won't be a hindrance!"
Fu Gongzi turned his head to look at the visitor and when he saw that it was someone he knew, he pouted his mouth a little unhappily and said, "What do you know, the little boss's food is so delicious, I just want to eat it every day."
After finishing his sentence, Fu Gongzi did not continue to argue with him, but he left angrily and carried his own plate to find a seat to eat.
Behind Fu Gongzi was precisely the youth, as Fu Gongzi left, he stood in front of Chen Xing and said towards him, "Trouble the Little Boss, today I want to order the soft bean curd rice, with just a little chillies as usual."
"Okay!" Chen Xing handily followed his instructions and gave him a bowl of sauce with less chillies.
While Chen Xing took the food, the youth's gaze first fell on Chen Xing's face, which was slightly red from working and then crossed to Qiu Jiu, who was also busy next to him, his eyes flashed and he asked with some confusion, "Who is this?"
Hearing that question, Chen Xing was just about to tell him that this was his younger brother (Xiongdi) but unexpectedly Qiu Jiu opened his mouth first, "My family gongzi is Chen Xing's husband, and I am my young master's servant."
The youth obviously stared blankly for a moment, then looked at the somewhat embarrassed Chen Xing, his tone took on a bit of disbelief, "Little boss has actually gotten married?"
Chen Xing didn't know how to answer, he was considered married according to law, so he could only nod awkwardly, "Yes, that's right. it's just that my husband's health is not good and he doesn't come out often, so I don't mention it much."
A few moments of disappointment surfaced on the youth's face and after receiving the soft bean curd rice handed over by Chen Xing, he went to find a seat to eat.
Qiu Jiu looked at the disappointed youth and then at Chen Xing who was enthusiastically serving rice to the next customer. In his heart, he thought to himself, luckily his young master had asked him to come here, or else there was no telling how many more such people were spying on Chen Xing when they could not see.
But soon, Qiu Jiu was torn again about whether to tell his young master about this kind of situation. Forget it, let's wait until I get back!
Both of them worked together for two hour to sell out all the meals, and as they finished sorting out all the things that needed to be cleaned and were about to go back to Gu mansion for lunch, Chen Xing suddenly looked at Qiu Jiu and said, "Let's go to the grocery shop first."
Qiu Jiu had no objection to this, but still a little curious, "What's the point of going to the grocery shop?"
Chen Xing looked a little embarrassed, "I want to buy some red beans and glutinous rice to make red bean and rice flour sponge cake, so when Gu Gongzi is hungry while waiting for us at home, he can eat some to pad his stomach. Like this, he won't be hungry, which is not good for his stomach."
Listening to Chen Xing's speculation, Qiu Jiu finally couldn't help but ask, "Chen Xing, why are you so kind to my family's young master?"
Chen Xing blushed and stammered in his speech, "I think Gu Gongzi is a good person. He took me in even though he was in such a difficult situation himself. He even lent me money to do business. Without his help, I would probably be homeless and wandering on the streets now."
Looking at Chen Xing who had a sincere face, Qiu Jiu suddenly felt a little guilty.
Together they went to the grocery shop on the next street. Qiu Jiu stood guard by the wheelbarrow outside the shop while Chen Xing went in and told the shopkeeper what he wanted to buy.
Just as Chen Xing finished telling the shopkeeper what he needed and how much of each item he needed, then the shop manager ordered the shop assistant to weigh the items, there was suddenly a loud sound of gong not far away.
The pedestrians on the street were attracted by the sound and looked towards the place where the noise was coming from, only to see two yamen officials, one carrying a gong and drum while walking and the other shouting after his companion had finished hit the gong and the drum, "The Lai Xin family has been declare as guilty. The county magistrate has ordered that if anyone has been bullied and insulted by his family, they can come to the yamen to ask for justice, anyone who has had their assets seized by force and can show the evidence, the county magistrate will uphold the justice for you!"
As the two of them banged the gong and walked along the street, the people who heard what they were saying all began to talk.
Chen Xing, who was still a bit surprised, was standing at the counter waiting for the work to be done, then heard the shopkeeper inside the counter say, filled with righteous indignation, "That Lai Shiye's family is no good, they have done so many harmful and outrageous acts in the past by having the power and influence in their hands. The new County Magistrate is a good official, he will definitely get rid of the evil people for us. The private adviser Lai will definitely be beheaded! "
Only when he heard the shopkeeper's words as he gnashed his teeth and talked, did Chen Xing suddenly react to the fact that the people those officials were talking about were actually Lai Jiu and his family. He did not expect them to be dealt with so soon. After taking the things he wanted to buy from the shopkeeper and paying for them, Chen Xing still walked out in a bit of a trance.
Qiu Jiu looked at Chen Xing's somewhat odd expression and was a little puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Chen Xing stared at the backs of those two officials and said what he had heard, "This county magistrate's method is really 'pass like thunder and move like the wind'1. Lai Shiye's family is going to be punished soon."
Qiu Jiu smiled and when Chen Xing didn't see him, he said with cold and indifferent eyes, "Maybe it's because he did too many bad deeds in the past. Everyone was expecting him to die, that's why he was punished so quickly. It's possible that when his family is executed, this town will be even more lively and there might even be people cheering and celebrating."
When Chen Xing heard what Qiu Jiu said , he always felt something strange. The moment he looked back at Qiu Jiu, he saw that he still had the same cheerful smile as before, so he thought he was overly concerned, "Let's go back ba! Gu Gongzi is still waiting for us to go back for lunch."
Qiu Jiu looked at him, smiled and nodded his head in response.
1
[雷厉风行: with the power of a thunderbolt and the speed of lightning—(carry out orders, policies, etc.) vigorously and speedily; swift and decisive reaction]
Chapter 16: 大雨
[Heavy rain]
In a rainy season, not only you would never know when it would rain, you also won't know how big the rain could be.
This morning, as soon as Chen Xing got up, he saw the fine rain fluttering outside his window and watched it fall on the newly sprouted tip of the branch, gathering into a tiny round drop of water.
Chen Xing stared out of the window and became a little lost in thought, until a gust of wind hit him and blew his whole body into a jolt and he snapped back to his senses. He returned to his bed with some regret and put on his clothes, thinking that he had to go to the stall early today, otherwise it would not be good if it rained heavily later on.
By the time Qiu Jiu came over to help, he saw that Chen Xing had already prepared breakfast. He yawned and looked at Chen Xing in surprise and asked, "Why did you get up so early today?"
Chen Xing added seasonings to the finished chicken noodle soup and said without raising his head, "The weather is bad today, so let's go there early. Gu Gongzi should be already awake, why don't you go get him to come and eat the noodles?"
Qiu Jiu nodded and left.
When Qiu Jiu left, Chen Xing looked at the three bowls of noodles that smell, look and taste great with satisfaction, picked them up and walked towards the living room.
After the three of them had eaten breakfast together, Chen Xing and Qiu Jiu put on their straw raincoats and prepared to leave under Gu Lang's gaze.
Gu Lang, dressed in black, stood on the veranda. The breeze gently blew the lower hem of his coat and the sound of the raindrops grew louder in his ears. He looked at the busy two people and said in a warm voice, "Come back early when it rains hard, don't get sick."
Chen Xing nodded in response and looked at Gu Lang who was dressed in thin clothes, waved his hand at him and said loudly, "We know, you are not in good health, so quickly go back to the house."
Only after Chen Xing's repeated urging did Gu Lang turn around and go back into the house.
Only after seeing Gu Lang leave did Chen Xing let out a sigh of relief and said towards Qiu Jiu who was next to him, "Let's go."
At that moment, in the study room where should have been Gu Lang alone, there was another young man in his early twenties standing in front of Gu Lang, saying respectfully, "Master, all the evidence against the Lai Xin family has been handed over to the county magistrate here and we have also guided the families who were harmed by Lai Xin to file a complaint. The verdict should be coming down soon. "
Gu Lang calmly replied, looking outside at the gradually increasing rain and said in a low voice, "When it's near to noon, boil a pot of ginger sugar water, and also boil two cookers of hot water enough for a bath."
The youth was still a little stunned when he heard the order and after a moment he answered without the slightest hesitation, "Yes."
Chen Xing felt fortunate that they had walked quickly, by the time they arrived at the stall from the Gu Mansion, what had been a light rain had turned into a heavy downpour.
Chen Xing looked at the rain that was gradually getting heavier and was a little worried that they would not be able to sell anything today, but who knew that the rain would become lighter again after a while. Until they were almost done selling, another servant from a wealthy family bought all the rest of their food.
Chen Xing felt lucky and at the same time, looking at the dark clouds gathering in the sky, he hurriedly asked Qiu Jiu to pack up his things and go back, as he felt that there would definitely be another heavy rain later on.
Just as expected, on Chen Xing and Qiu Jiu's way back home in a hurry after packing their things, the rain that had already stopped suddenly poured down again. By the time the two entered the Gu Family's house, their entire bodies were wet through.
As soon as they entered, Chen Xing took off his straw raincoat and prepared to walk back along the long corridor.
When Chen Xing was able to take off his straw raincoat which had become heavier and heavier after being soaked in water. As soon as he looked up, he saw Gu Lang standing not far from them with two long towels, slowly walking towards them.
Gu Lang walked towards Chen Xing step by step, his eyes also fell on Chen Xing, following the drops of water that rolled down from his hair, slowly moving to his water-soaked cheeks, then to his lips that were pale because of the cold, and finally down to his slender and thin neck to the collar of his lapel. His eyes grew darker as he looked at the skin that looked whiter and whiter from the cold.
Chen Xing always felt that Gu Lang was looking at him in a strange way, making him feel the impulse to curl himself up into a ball.
Gu Lang calmly came in front of them, handed them the long towel in his hand and said in a warm voice, "I've prepared the bath water for you guys. Go wash first, then go to the kitchen to drink the ginger sugar water."
Chen Xing looked at the thoughtful, attentive, and soft-spoken man in front of him, took the long towel he handed him, and said softly, "Thank you."
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing's beautiful eyes that looked as if they had been washed with water, "Don't mention it."
Chen Xing now felt a burning sensation in his cheeks as soon as he met Gu Lang's eyes, he was busy thanking him again, took the long towel and ran towards his room.
Gu Lang stared at his back as he ran away, his eyes slowly sliding down to his extraordinarily slender waist, even sliding down a little further, then he turned his head to look at the dark cloudy sky and laughed lightly, "Quite sharp (perceptive)."
By the time Chen Xing had finished his bath, changed into clean clothes and was sitting on the veranda holding a bowl of sweet ginger water to drink, Gu Lang also walked over slowly.
As Chen Xing watched Gu Lang greet him and then naturally sit down on the deck chair in the middle, he still couldn't help but voice out a reminder, "Gu Gongzi, you should have brought a blanket. The wind is cold in this rain and it's not good for your health."
When he heard Chen Xing's reminder, Gu Lang turned his head and stared at him in silence without saying anything.
Chen Xing thought he had offended him with his words and was so embarrassed that he did not know what to do, when he heard Gu Lang unhurriedly said, "Gu Lang."
"What?" Chen Xing was filled with confusion.
Gu Lang's eyes were fixed on him for an instant and he said in a serious tone, "Call me Gu Lang."
Chen Xing was slightly dumbfounded and under Gu Lang's urgent stare, he said in a small voice, "Gu Lang."
Gu Lang seemed satisfied and revealed a smile at him, "Hm."
Looking at the smile that suddenly appeared on Gu Lang's face, Chen Xing's cheeks suddenly burned a little and he hurriedly averted his eyes, pretending to stare calmly at the small puddle of water that had accumulated in the courtyard, watching the ripples that gradually rose in that puddle the moment the raindrops fell.
When the heat on Chen Xing's face had gone down, he quietly turned his head towards Gu Lang again and looked at him.
The moment Chen Xing turned his head and saw Gu Lang, he saw Gu Lang sitting on a spacious sling chair, his eyes looking at the sky above the courtyard, those dark eyes seemed to be filled with emotions he could not read and understand, yet it made him feel endlessly sad.
Chen Xing followed his line of sight towards the sky yet he could see nothing else beside the particularly depressing pitch-black dark sky. He was silent and did not say anything and stayed quietly by Gu Lang's side.
Just as Chen Xing was listening to the sound of the rain, calculating how much money he had earned so far and whether it would be enough to pay off the remaining part of the rent, he suddenly heard the quiet person next to him open his mouth, "What are you thinking about?"
Chen Xing turned his head and saw Gu Lang staring at him gently, he blurted out his thoughts, "I think if it doesn't rain in the afternoon, I'll go to the government office and pay the rest of the rent."
Gu Lang nodded and agreed, "That would be good." Soon afterwards, as if he thought of something, he continued, "Then I'll go with you ba."
When Chen Xing heard his words, his first reaction was to stop him.
As if Gu Lang had seen through his thoughts, he slightly curled up the corner of his lips and said gently, "Don't worry, my body isn't that weak, that I'll faint if I go out even just for a round. I've been back for so long yet I haven't seen this place properly, there are some places I can't even remember what it's like anymore."
Chen Xing remembered Gu Lang's bitter past experience, his heart softened a bit, therefore he didn't continue to stop him, looking at him and nodding his head as he seriously said, "Let's go together, when I'm done paying, we can still go around to other places."
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing who revealed an expression like 'I'll keep an eye on you', slightly hooked his lips and smiled, "Then I'll trouble you."
Chen Xing felt as if Gu Lang's voice had hooks in it, making his ears tingle slightly and he hurriedly moved his gaze away not daring to look at him again.
When they had eaten lunch and rested a little, the originally cloudy sky suddenly cleared up.
Chen Xing looked at the sky showing the sun and felt that God was helping them. He turned his head and smiled at Gu Lang next to him, "The sky is clear, we will set off later."
Gu Lang looked at his bright smile and followed him nodding his head.
When they had properly sorted things out, Chen Xing brought Gu Lang to the place where the deed was signed, following the memory of his last visit.
As soon as he entered, he saw the official who was handling the deed, sitting behind the table with an impatient face. In a gruff voice, he said to the two men in front of him in a vicious manner. "Here, you sign, here, he signs and gives me the thirty wen deed fee after signing."
"Okay, okay."
Although the official's attitude was bad, those two before him did not dare to complain at all. They carefully signed the deed as he had instructed.
Until both had signed it, the official collected one of the copies and put it in the box next to him and gave them the other two copies, then waved his hand impatiently as he said, "All right, you can go now!"
Those two men thanked him and took the deeds and left.
Seeing that the two had left, the official lifted his eyes and wanted to let the next pair to come up, but as soon as he raised his head, he saw Chen Xing and after clearly seeing his face, the impatient look on the official's face immediately turned into a bright smile. He flattered, "Chen Ge'er, are you here for something?"
Chen Xing felt that the official was being a little too eagerly attentive to him, but still answered honestly, "Sir, I am here to pay the remaining half of the last rent."
When he heard Chen Xing say this, the official was obviously a bit stunned, looked at him as he muttered, "You have saved up enough money so quickly?"
Chen Xing looked at him and nodded silently, "Yes."
Upon seeing this, that official did not say anything else and went straight to another wooden box to find two contract books. After Chen Xing handed over to him the money, he crossed out the line on the deed where Chen Xing still owed money and then handed one of the deeds to Chen Xing. The deal was considered to be thoroughly done.
When all this was done, the official looked at the silent Gu Lang who had been following behind Chen Xing. It was impossible to ignore his presence, therefore he asked with some curiosity, "Who is this?"
Chapter 17: 官差
[Government officials]
Chen Xing hesitated not knowing how to answer, but on the contrary, Gu Lang next to him said without concern, "I am his husband."
Hearing this title, that government official was obviously stunned for a moment, first glancing at the embarrassed (囧) Chen Xing, and then at the calm Gu Lang. He was stammering in his speech under Gu Lang's cold gaze, "Then, then may you live a long and happy marriage life together!"
Gu Lang gently curled his lips and said softly, "Thank you, we will."
It was only when Gu Lang left with the bright red face Chen Xing that the official came back to his senses, staring at Gu Lang's clean and thin back, muttering to himself, "Why is this man even scarier than the county magistrate?"
The official shook his head as if he couldn't figure it out, then seeing the paperwork on the desk that had been crossed out of the debt, he muttered with some confusion, "If this Ger already has a husband, why did the above specifically instruct us to take care of him?"
The official couldn't understand, so he simply didn't think about it any further. The thoughts of those noblemen were not something they as ordinary people could understand, putting the completed deed back into the box, he returned to his seat and sat crossed-legs.
Ever since he heard Gu Lang say those words, the heat on Chen Xing's face had never gone down. The last time Qiu Jiu had said something like that, he could take it as a last resort. But when Gu Lang said that, it made his mind start to become restless.
Chen Xing felt that something must be wrong with him, otherwise why would he blush so easily when facing Gu Lang.
Gu Lang took a look at the blushing Chen Xing and could slightly guess what he was thinking about, so he just stayed quietly by his side and didn't continue to say anything more.
Neither of them spoke, walking down the street in silence, when they suddenly heard a great noise coming from not far away.
Chen Xing subconsciously looked over to where the sound appeared, curiously looking up what was going on over there, only to see a group of people gathered at the entrance to Yamen office not far away, most of them were older people and children, with only a few scattered youths.
Chen Xing found it a bit strange, so he couldn't care less about the subtle thoughts that had just risen, his mind was all drawn to the group of people who he did not know what they were doing.
Seeing that he was extremely curious, Gu Lang softly whispered in his ear, "Since you are curious, why don't we go over and take a look?"
Chen Xing felt that it was not good to go over and join in the fun like this, but he had really never seen such a scene before, so he hesitated for a moment yet he still nodded his head in the end.
Only when the two of them went over did Chen Xing learn from their mere words that these people were all who had been bullied and oppressed by Lai Shiye and after hearing that the county magistrate had cleaned up Master Lai and was also now looking for witnesses and victims, they rushed over. Some of those who lived a little further away even set off on the same night after hearing about this matter.
Chen Xing looked at them where most of their clothes were in tatters and some of them didn't even have a good pair of shoes. But even so, at that time, Private Adviser Lai did not spare them for his own benefit.
Chen Xing felt really lucky and thankful that the Lai Family had been punished before Lai Jiu was going to trouble him.
Chen Xing could not bear to look at the people who were waiting here and looking for justice. He was about to turn around and leave the place when he saw a man suddenly striding out of the large open Yamen office's gate. Looking at that official uniform's pattern, this person should be the county magistrate.
That county magistrate came out and looked at the people who were crying bitterly and begging him to do them justice, so he said in a loud voice, "Everyone, don't be in a hurry, about your demands, this county magistrate is already aware of them. Now, we have prepared ginger soup for you all. You guys drink it first and come in line. We will all have someone to record it."
Chen Xing watched from a distance as the county magistrate gave orders in an orderly manner. He then looked at that face which was at most less than thirty years old, he could not help but sigh, "This county magistrate is really young and promising!"
Gu Lang who originally had been watching all of this unconcerned and indifferently, slowly moved his eyes back to Chen Xing after hearing his words, and after seeing him staring at the county magistrate with an admiring face, he suddenly said, "Didn't you say you were going to show me around the town?"
"Oh, that's right oh." Chen Xing hurriedly withdrew his gaze, looked at Gu Lang who was standing next to him, and hurriedly said, "Let's go quickly, otherwise it will be dark later."
As the two turned to leave, the county magistrate over there who was receiving the people's worship, seemed to sense something and suddenly looked in the direction of the two, finally fixing his eyes on Gu Lang's back and said with some confusion, "That person's figure, why does it look so familiar?"
Leaving the official range, Chen Xing consulted Gu Lang and led him towards the busiest street here.
At first, Chen Xing was thinking that even if Gu Lang hadn't come back for a long time, he must not be much of a stranger to this place, therefore he felt that he couldn't introduce anything.
It was only after Gu Lang asked him what kind of things some shops were selling during the walk and Chen Xing also gave him a full answer in detail, like this Chen Xing suddenly realized that Gu Lang's time away from home had really made him unfamiliar with the place.
Looking at the change in Chen Xing's expression, Gu Lang seemed to see his puzzled face and gently laughed, "Are you curious why I don't know what these shops do even though I obviously grew up here?"
Chen Xing looked at Gu Lang with some embarrassment.
Gu Lang, however, looked as if he didn't see the discomfort on his face, looked at the busy street in front of him and said softly, "I was too young when I left here. I've been out there for too long, so long that I don't recognize many places here."
Chen Xing looked at Gu Lang, who was saying this with a calm face, and vaguely sensed that he was now in the same mood as when he looked at the rainy and cloudy sky.
Chen Xing had no reason to dislike such Gu Lang, he hastily changed the topic, pointing to a restaurant where people were coming and going, pulling his sleeve, "I heard that the desserts here are very good, let's go wrap some up and go back home!"
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing's undisguised desire to change the subject, and then looked at the lively restaurant not far away, slightly hooked his lips as he said softly, "Sure."
Seeing that Gu Lang had agreed to his request, Chen Xing hurriedly pulled Gu Lang towards that restaurant.
As soon as the two arrived at the entrance, the shop's waiter greeted them. When he saw Chen Xing who was dressed in rough cloth, the warm smile on his face freeze for a moment, and his tone was not so polite as he said, "Are you two going to…?"
Chen Xing did not angry at his attitude. He was just about to say to the waiter that he want to order some dessert and take it away but suddenly he heard Gu Lang's cold and clear voice from behind him, "We are going to eat."
Only then did the waiter realize that there was someone else standing behind Chen Xing and when he looked over following the voice, he saw Gu Lang, standing behind Chen Xing in entire black outfit and indifferent expression. When he met Gu Lang's cold gaze, the waiter did not know why he instinctively scared a little.
The moment Gu Lang opened his mouth, Chen Xing froze. He pulled Gu Lang's sleeve, wanting to say that they were only here to take away some desserts, not to eat here ah!
Who knew that Gu Lang would pat his hand and after he soothed him, he turned his head to look at the waiter standing next to him and politely said, "Please trouble you to take us to a seat by the window."
"Yes, yes." Meeting Gu Lang's gaze, the waiter hastily hide the expression on his face and respectfully invited them to their seats. Beside that, he also eagerly handed over the menu to them.
Chen Xing looked at the price of the food, which was at least fifteen wen and thought it was a bit expensive, but looking at Gu Lang's kind and gentle face who was staring at him, he could not say that he would not eat it anymore.
Looking at his hesitant face, Gu Lang reached out and took the menu in his hand, and quickly ordered the braised pork with plum, stir-fried pork with (shiitake) mushrooms and egg drop soup with nori, after that he returned the menu to the waiter.
Only after the waiter assured him that they would served the meals quickly, did Chen Xing remember that the food Gu Lang had ordered just now was all the things that he liked to eat. His gaze became a little complicated for a moment.
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing and said soothingly, "Don't worry, I only received my official's salary as a jǔrén yesterday, and I also settled the money for the 'folk talk stories book1' two days ago, so I still have enough money for this one meal."
Chen Xing didn't know how much salary a scholar (Juren) could receive in this era, but hearing Gu Lang say this, he was a little relieved yet at the same time also still a little distressed, "But, if we buy the ingredients back and cook it, we will not even spend one third of the money."
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing's money-obsessed look, but a few doting smiles appeared on his face as he smile, "Aren't you going to open a restaurant in the future too? This restaurant is the biggest one here, the food should be unique too, you should try the food here first now. It will also be beneficial for you when you open a restaurant in the future. 'It's better to choose today than to especially come here later', 2 since today we have a free time, it's not a bad idea to try it, hence you also will not be at disadvantage."
Chen Xing did not expect Gu Lang to think this way and looking at the light smile on Gu Lang's handsome face, he actually felt a little warmth in his heart. He also was not an unreasonable person, so he nodded towards Gu Lang and said in a bold tone, "I will definitely open a restaurant bigger than this one and invite you to eat every day!"
Gu Lang looked into his shining eyes and nodded gently after him, "I believe you."
This restaurant was very fast in serving their cooking, and after Gu Lang and Chen Xing just talked about it, the waiter served their ordered dishes.
Looking at the meals that sold reasonably well, the two did not continue to talk about the topic they had just discussed, but instead ate quietly, occasionally exchanging a few words.
When both of them had finished eating, Chen Xing looked at the fifty wens that Gu Lang had handed over and still felt a bit of pain.
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing who was trying hard to conceal his distress appearance, because of this, he suddenly found him a little cute, reached out to touch his head as he said softly in a comforting voice, "It's okay, just treat it as the cost of the preliminary food tasting."
"Hn." Feeling the force on his head and meeting with Gu Lang's gentle face, Chen Xing's face couldn't help but blush as he softly replied.
After the two left together and stepped out of the restaurant's door, there was a red dressed figure on the second floor of the restaurant but her gaze followed those two closely before eventually landed on Gu Lang's side.
"Miss (Xiao Jie), what are you looking at?"
1
[话本: Song and Yuan literary form based on vernacular folk stories or printed versions of the prompt-books used by popular storytellers in Song and Yuan times (salient features of huaben stories: use of the vernacular larded with the stock expressions of professional storytellers; liberal admixture of colloquialisms and archaisms; frequent inclusion of rhymed passages, idioms, or poems for narrative or descriptive purposes; a routine preamble before the feature story)]
2
[择日不如撞日: carefully setting an auspicious date does not beat seizing an opportunity, fig. for seize the occasion]
Chapter 18: 山楂糕
Hawthorn Cake
As soon as Chen Xing and Gu Lang came out of the restaurant, a drizzling rain fell in the air, not very heavy but extraordinarily troublesome.
Gu Lang picked up the umbrella beside him, opened it and lifted it up, above their heads, covering them both from the rain.
The Chen family's fourth young lady, standing by the fence on the second floor, could clearly see that Gu Lang had deliberately tilted the umbrella towards Chen Xing's shoulders when he opened it, covering Chen Xing entirely underneath.
It was only when the two figures disappeared into the hazy rain that Chen family's fourth young miss slowly withdrew her eyes and said to the curious maid beside her, "It's nothing."
The maid looked at her own young lady's not-so-good expression and reminded her as she whispered, "Young lady, madam said that the Zhao family's madam would be coming as a guest tomorrow and asked you remember to go to Yan's Shop to buy some new rouge back today."
After saying that, the little maid saw her young lady's expression immediately change and glared at her fiercely. The little maid drew her neck back and dared not make another sound.
Chen Ling'er was disgusted as soon as she thought of the Zhao family's madam's fat and chubby son, especially when she knew that her mother had the intention of betrothing her to that man, her heart was even more displeased.
When she thought of Gu Lang who had just appeared, the contrast became more and more obvious.
The moment Gu Lang appeared, the fourth young miss from Chen family who was standing on the second floor, immediately recognized him, for it was rare to find a man as good-looking as him, even if he was only wearing a simple and coarse cloth, he still showed a different poise from other men.
She didn't know what her young lady was thinking about, she just stood still and stared blankly in there, not moving at all. The maid beside her finally couldn't help but raise her head to look at her, also couldn't help but say again, "Xiao Jie?"
Chen Ling'er pulled away her memories and looked at the trembling maid beside her. Her tone was a little impatient, "I know, then let's go to Yan's Shop to buy rouge first."
"Yes." Seeing that the young lady had finally relented, the maid let out a long breath and went to ask the waiter to inform their sedan-chair bearer to wait outside the restaurant.
While the little maid was doing this, Chen Ling'er's gaze went back to the direction where Gu Lang and Chen Xing had left, not knowing if there would be any chance to meet Gu Lang again in the future.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter every day and the rain was getting less and less every day.
It was in a certain one morning when Chen Xing woke up from the hot temperature that he finally realized that the hot summer had arrived.
And along with the hot summer came also a drop in customer traffic; after all, when it was getting hotter, foods that were steaming hot were not so popular.
Fu Gongzi came to Chen Xing's little stall near noon and while wiping the sweat from his forehead, he complained to Chen Xing, "Little boss, your family's this kind of food can only be eaten when it's hot, otherwise it won't taste good. But the weather is just too hot, even the delicious food can't stand the intense heat of summer!"
After saying that, Young Master Fu let out a long sigh, eating this kind of hot food in the high temperature or weather seemed to be really difficult for him.
Chen Xing had a few good impressions towards this simple and straightforward young master. He handed him the meal he had just made and said with a light smile, "I will find a way to get something cooler to eat, then it won't be so hard anymore."
Hearing Chen Xing say that there would be a new menu, Fu Gongzi's eyes immediately lit up as he looked at him excitedly and said, "Little boss, you have to keep your word! I will definitely come to support you by then."
Chen Xing looked at him and smiled, "I always keep my word."
With Chen Xing's assurance, Young Master Fu took his own meal and happily went to find a seat to sit.
When Fu Gongzi left, Chen Xing was ready to serve food to the next customer, but when he looked up, he felt that this customer looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember who he was, yet he looked at the customer and smiled, "What would you like to order, sir?"
That customer was coming here for the first time, so when he heard Chen Xing's question, that customer bowed down to look at the food on the stove, before then raised his head, met with Chen Xing's clear eyes and said with a gentle smile, "What do you have here?"
Chen Xing carefully introduced the three dishes he had here to him, highlighting the difference in spiciness between soft bean curd rice and mapo tofu.
After listening, that customer thought for a while in silence and finally chose the soft bean curd rice dish and a less spicy sauce.
Chen Xing responded and ordered Qiu Jiu to serve the rice, while he made a less spicy sauce for him.
As Qiu Jiu poured the meal, he secretly looked at the customer who was smiling at Chen Xing. He then took a look at Chen Xing who was ignorant and unaware, while he himself struggled to say something, but in the end he couldn't say anything at all.
The man took the tray from Chen Xing's hand, looked at Chen Xing and suddenly asked, "Is your business here still good?"
The man's question was abrupt and kind of rude but Chen Xing had been here for a long time and had often met all kinds of people, so he answered him calmly and frankly, "The customer traffic here is not bad, I am doing very well here."
The man narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly happy with Chen Xing's answer. After smiling at Chen Xing, he went to look for an empty seat to eat with the tray in his hand.
It was close to noon, and even though Chen Xing's little stall was covered by a roof, the air around it was still very hot, so not many people came here to sit and eat, most of them just took their food back and ate it at home.
Chen Xing took a look at the empty street, and then at the almost empty barrels then said to Qiu Jiu who was next to him, "Let's close the stall and go back early."
"Okay!" Qiu Jiu replied and cleared up the things neatly.
When Chen Xing turned his head to tidy up the tables and chairs, not knowing since when but the man who was sitting there eating had quietly left, leaving behind the empty bowls that had been eaten and the sauce with a little bit of chilli that had become less.
Chen Xing silently put away the empty bowls and as he was finishing the last bowl, his mind suddenly flashed and his eyes suddenly widened as if he had thought of something,so he said to Qiu Jiu at the other end, "Qiu Jiu, I remember it now!"
Qiu Jiu, who was carrying a wooden bucket and emptying the rest of its contents, looked at Chen Xing in confusion.
Chen Xing slapped his thighs, looked at him somewhat particularly upset and said, "That man, just now is the County magistrate! Why didn't I recognise him? I shouldn't have taken his money. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gotten such a good booth."
The last time Chen Xing saw the County magistrate, he was dressed in an official uniform, but today, he was dressed in ordinary cloth. However, he would never have mistaken his face which had a slightly scholarly look to it.
Just as Chen Xing was upset, Qiu Jiu next to him was extraordinarily calm as he said, "Since he can come this time, I'm sure he will come again next time. When he comes next time, why don't you just invite him to eat again?"
Chen Xing froze slightly and felt that Qiu Jiu was right, he could wait for the County magistrate to come next time and then invite him to eat!
Thinking like this, Chen Xing no longer dwelled on it, instead, he actively packed up his things and prepared to close his stall early and go back.
By the time the two of them returned to the Gu Mansion, the sun was already very poisonous ( when the sun is shining brightly and temperature is too hot) in the sky. In case it was too hot and they didn't have much of an appetite, Chen Xing didn't cook rice, but cooked a pot of lean meat congee instead, accompanied with the spicy and sour radish which was described as tasty and refreshing.
When he had finished eating, Chen Xing digested his food for a while and then took a bag of hawthorn that he had bought from an old grandpa who had passed by on the road and handled it.
hawthorn
Shortly after Chen Xing started to handle the hawthorn, Gu Lang slowly slipped into the backyard and moved a small bench to sit next to Chen Xing.
Sensing Gu Lang's approach, Chen Xing looked towards him suspiciously, but saw Gu Lang smiling at him before saying in a warm voice, "I have nothing to do, so I'll help you with it."
Chen Xing did not disagree, handing him the rest of the pocket knife and telling him to be careful before showing him the step how to make the hawthorn.
Gu Lang watched for a while and felt that he should know how to do it, so he picked up a soaked hawthorn and started to cut it seriously.
When Chen Xing had finished with the two hawthorns and wanted to see how Gu Lang was doing, he saw Gu Lang staring at the hawthorn in his hand with an unusually serious expression and a slight frown on his brow, while the hawthorn in his hand that needed to be remove the center of it had already been hollowed out quite a lot by him.
Chen Xing suddenly found it funny when he saw Gu Lang who was skilled with everything, being defeated in this kind of matter, but when he looked at Gu Lang's serious look, he held it back.
Gu Lang put the processed hawthorn in his hand into a clean basin, looked at Chen Xing who was holding his laughter next to him as if he felt something. With utmost certainty, he said."You're laughing at me."
Chen Xing pursed his lips and shook his head desperately, trying to try to prove that he wasn't.
Gu Lang narrowed his eyes slightly, the ever-pale face showing a bit of threat.
Chen Xing finally couldn't help but let out a loud laugh, "Okay, I admit it, I was laughing. But it's your first time handling something like this, so it's normal that you can't handle it well. Don't be discouraged."
Gu Lang stared at his face for a long moment before lowering his head again without saying a word and picking up a hawthorn again to tinker with it. He didn't believe it, there was still something he couldn't do.
Chen Xing looked at his pursed lips, not saying a word while secretly fighting with the hawthorn. Suddenly, he felt that Gu Lang, who was not at all like his usual gentle and elegant self, was a bit childish and cute at the same time!
But soon, Chen Xing remembered that he also had to continue, otherwise depending on Gu Lang alone, he would not know how long it would take to do it, so he stopped looking at Gu Lang and buried his head in dealing with the hawthorn.
When all the hawthorns were clean, Gu Lang followed Chen Xing to take all the processed hawthorns to the kitchen. Looking at Chen Xing pouring the hawthorns into the pot, he asked with some curiosity, "What are you going to do with these hawthorns?"
Chen Xing measured the amount of water in the pot and said without raising his head, "I'm going to make some hawthorn cake. That haw jelly cake can whet the appetite and help digestion. Perhaps after you eat it, you will be able to eat more rice."
hawthorn cake
Gu Lang looked at Chen Xing's serious look and looked slightly stunned, as if he had not expected to hear such a reply.
When Chen Xing raised his head, he saw Gu Lang staring at himself with a complicated face. He thought that Gu Lang was thinking about the sour taste of hawthorn, so he reassured him like the way he coaxed a child, "Don't worry, I will add a lot of sugar to this, it won't be sour."
Gu Lang looked at him with pursed lips and did not say anything, but his gaze deepened a few points. Such a person, how could he be willing to let him go.
Chapter 19 : 新吃食
New Food
That day, Chen Xing, with the help of Gu Lang, after that they had the hawthorn cakes.
Chen Xing cut the hawthorn cake into small slices and gave them to Gu Lang. He saw him staring at that thing carefully for a while, as if he was judging the taste of the cake, alert as a cat that had come across something new.
After that, as if sensing that there was no danger, Gu Lang gently took a small bite, seemingly tasting the sourness and frowning slightly, but soon tasting the sweetness in it, his brow relaxed again, and he ate faster and faster.
Chen Xing watched Gu Lang quickly finish the hawthorn cake, he immediately knew that he must be like this cake and secretly made a decision in his heart that if he came across someone selling this kind of hawthorn next time, he would definitely buy some more to keep on hand.
Gu Lang did not know what was in Chen Xing's mind, he only knew that the hawthorn cake Chen Xing had made for him although it was still a bit sour, but it was more sweet.
The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and the common people were wearing lighter and lighter clothes. The wealthy people could still afford to buy ice to beat the heat. The ordinary people had to endure the hot temperature and find their own ways to relieve the summer heat.
As a result, steaming hot food was not very popular at this time of year.
After thinking about it for half a day, Chen Xing decided to change the food at their little stall from the original Mapo tofu and soft bean curd rice to something that was easy to make and did not burn one's tongue, such as cold noodles, liangpi (noodle-like dish) and mung bean porridge.
Cold noodles
Another type cold noodles
liangpi (noodle-like dish)
Cold skin noodles
Spicy liangpi
mung bean porridge
Liangpi or the cold skin noodles and cold noodles could be prepared the day before and taken straight to the stall to be sold the next day. The green bean porridge, on the other hand, needed to be cooked the same day before you take it over, lest it goes bad the next day in the heat.
Chen Xing bought the ingredients back from the market on the day he decided, and returned to the Gu Mansion to make the cold skin noodles and cold noodles. He also especially served them with his special chili sauce.
Chen Xing would always give Gu Lang and Qiu Jiu a taste of the new food he had made first. It was the first time they had eaten such food, but out of their trust in Chen Xing, they were still very much looking forward to it.
When the two of them looked at the bowl of yellow and white food with a fragrant chilli sauce sprinkled all over it, they stirred it twice and ate it. The first bite they took, both of their eyes lit up and they ate faster and faster.
Qiu Jiu even gave Chen Xing an exaggerated thumbs up and praised him, "This is delicious, I've never had such delicious noodles in my life."
Chen Xing looked at Qiu Jiu who praised him indulgently and could not help but feel a little embarrassed, subconsciously looking at Gu Lang who was next to him, expecting his opinion in his heart.
Gu Lang was eating in a very refined manner and he had only finished most of the bowl while Qiu Jiu had finished a bowl of it. Sensing the gaze cast by Chen Xing, he turned his head to meet Chen Xing's expectant gaze, and after a slight daze, he smiled softly, then spoke unhurriedly, "It's really delicious, everyone will like it."
Chen Xing's face instantly revealed a bright smile, looking at Gu Lang's eyes as if they were shining with light, "Hn, I'm borrowing your blessing words. Wait until I make a lot of money, I'll treat you to eat 'Buddha jumps over the wall'.1 "
"Fine." Gu Lang hadn't heard that dish's name, but that didn't hinder him from looking at the bright smile on Chen Xing's face and smiling along with him.
Then, Chen Xing, who was staring at Gu Lang's smiling face, inexplicably blushed again.
Just like what Gu Lang had said, Chen Xing's newly made cold skin noodles and cold noodles were well received by the customers and were extremely popular as soon as those menus appeared at his stall.
The first day Chen Xing put the items out, they were all sold out and the following days were even hotter and hotter, even after Chen Xing doubled the amount, there was still a situation where someone came late and couldn't buy it.
Today, Chen Xing had just finished serving cold skin noodles to a customer when he saw Fu Gongzi running over full of sweat. The moment he opened his mouth, he said, "Give me a bowl of green bean porridge, and two bowl portions of both cold skin noodles and cold noodles."
After hearing his words, Chen Xing took an extra large bowl and handed it over to Qiu Jiu next to him, asking him to help Fu Gongzi with the cold skin noodles and cold noodles, while he himself took one portion of green bean porridge and handed it to him.
Chen Xing watched as Fu Gongzi gulped it down and took a refreshing sigh of relief. Only then did he look at him and ask curiously, "Fu Gongzi, why are you so late coming here after school these days?"
Fu Gongzi let out a long sigh and said as he was weighed down with sorrow, "It's all because the county magistrate said that he would come to our academy (of classical learning) for inspection once he finished dealing with Master Lai's affairs, the teachers in our academy have all gone crazy with tension and we have all suffered along with them. I can't even eat or sleep well these days, even my mother said that I've lost weight."
Chen Xing looked at Fu Gongzi's face, which was still plump and even a little rounder than when they first met and smiled as he handed over the cold skin noodles with the seasoning on it, not saying anything unnecessary.
Looking at the cold skin noodles in his hand, Fu Gongzi's face improved a bit, but his tone was still holding grudges, "Little boss, this is so delicious, why don't you make more of it?"
Hearing this question, which had been asked by countless people, Chen Xing slightly hooked his lips and said gently, "Because if I produce more, I won't be able to guarantee the taste. Instead of that, it's better to keep things as they are."
Hearing him say this, Fu Gongzi, however, could understand it very well and sighed, "You are right, there is no point in making more if it doesn't taste good anymore."
After saying that, Fu Gongzi carried his bowl, which was bigger than others' bowls, and went to find a seat.
The sun was hot at this time, and there were not many people left at the stall. The customers who stayed to eat also did not hurriedly finish eating and even after they had finished eating, they sat there and chatted leisurely.
"Do you know about those matters related to Lai Shiye?" An old man in grey clothes asked leisurely towards his companion next to him.
When his companion heard his words, his expression was somewhat scornful as he slightly sneered and said , "Of course I know, this matter has become such a big deal. Who else in this town doesn't know about it?"
The old man in grey sighed and lamented, "Yes, everyone in this whole town knows what Master Lai has done. Did you know that when those people went to sue the Lai family, I also went along with them.
One of the victims was a family with only one blind old woman left alive in the family. Her daughter had been taken in by Lai Jiu since she was liked by Lai Jiu and in the first place, she refused to obey yet she was snatched from the house by force, later the daughter's life and death remain unknown. Her husband was beaten to death by those of the Lai family in order to find their daughter. In the end, they even took over her family's fields by force."
"This Master Lai's family, they are really beasts!"
"Yes, that's right, if it weren't for the new appointed County Magistrate, there's no telling how many more heartless things this Master Lai's family would have done!"
After saying this, the two men began to speak well of the newly appointed county magistrate, praising him as a good man who was rare to be found.
Just as Chen Xing was waiting for the guests and listening to their conversation, he suddenly heard the sound of gong coming from afar.
Chen Xing had just felt as if he had heard it before, he then saw two officials walking in the distance, one banging a gong in his hand and the other shouting, "After seven days, Master Lai and his family will be paraded through the streets for execution."
Until he heard these words from them, Chen Xing suddenly remembered that these two officials were the same two who had informed the people that day to file a complaint.
Chen Xing watched them as they walked and gave publicity to people all the way, and soon disappeared from the street, leaving behind a number of citizens who had started to talk about it after hearing the news.
Only when those two officials had gone far away did Chen Xing withdraw his gaze and began to agonise over whether he should also go and take a look. But as a modern man from the 21st century, he had never seen such a bloody scene before, so he was afraid he would throw up.
Just at the moment when Chen Xing was puzzled about it, not far away were two young ladies dressed in silk, followed with their maids behind them, looking towards Chen Xing's stall.
"Jing'er, is this the place you are talking about?"
Recently, the madam of the Chen family was intending to tie the knot with the Zhao family, the richest family in the city, and therefore asked Chen Ling'er to please the Zhao family no matter what.
Today, Zhao Jing, the third young lady of the Zhao family, followed her mother to visit the Chen family and insisted on dragging her out, so she also followed her mother's urging to come out with Zhao Jing. Who knew that after coming out, this little girl would tell her that she wanted to eat the same cold dishes outside, and that was the reason why she had dragged her out.
When she followed Zhao Jing to the place she mentioned, looking at the familiar-looking Ger not far away, Chen Ling'er's brow furrowed fiercely, if she was not mistaken, the person who was busy in front of the stall was none other than Chen Xing who they had 'married' to Gu Lang a few months ago!
Thinking of this, Chen Ling'er's frown deepened, and the expression on her face became unusually unpleasant.
Zhao Jing seemed to sense the difference and slowly let go of the arm holding her, looking at Chen Ling'er's somewhat gloomy face, she timidly asked, "Ling'er Jie Jie ( Elder or big sister Ling'er) what's wrong with you?"
Hearing Zhao Jing's timid voice, Chen Ling'er suddenly reacted that she had lost her temper and immediately changed her expression, reverting to her original gentle expression and smiling at her, "I'm fine, I'm just a little worried. The food on the street is not very clean, what if you have a runny tummy after eating it?"
Zhao Jing looked at the gentle Chen Ling'er again and thinking that what she had just seen was just her illusion, pulling her sleeve, shook it twice and she said coquettishly, "Ling'er Jie Jie, it's alright. I've heard that here is very clean and different from other hawkers. I've been craving his food for a long time, but my mother won't let me eat it. I'll eat it just this once, just this once, and next time I'll won't eat it again."
Chen Ling'er looked at Zhao Jing, who was pestering her and then looked at Chen Xing who was busy and suddenly thought of something as he changed her mind and her face showed a helpless expression that as if she could do nothing about Zhao Jing and said towards her, "Okay then, I really can't do anything about you, but when you go back, you can't tell my mother that I took you there to eat."
"I promise not to tell." Zhao Jing made a gesture of guarantee towards Chen Ling'er, her eyes full of expectation.
Like that, Chen Ling'er dragged her towards Chen Xing's stall.
There were already a lot of them which attracted many people's attention especially when there were two rich girls among them, so there were even more people looking at them.
As they walked towards Chen Xing's stall, Chen Xing also looked in their direction.
Chen Xing stared at the two ladies in the front, he always felt that one of them looked familiar, but he couldn't recall at the moment where he had seen that person before.
Translator's corner:
Thank you 'Lenka' for the kofi
1
[佛跳墙: fótiàoqiáng' aka Buddha jumps over the wall is the name for a Chinese dish that uses many non-vegetarian ingredients]
Chapter 20: 刁难
Deliberately make things difficult
Chen Ling'er came to Chen Xing's stall and lifted her chin, gesturing for the maid beside her to go up and talk to him.
When the maid received her lady's instruction, she bowed to her respectfully, but when she turned to Chen Xing, her face changed into an arrogant look, she raised her chin to Chen Xing and said, "What food do you have here?"
Chen Xing was not angry at the maid's arrogant attitude and after a slight frown, he pointed to the three large wooden barrels in front of him and introduced it, "We have three kinds of food here: cold skin noodles, cold noodles and green mung porridge. The cold skin noodles are silky and smooth, the cold noodles have more texture and the green bean soup is cool and refreshing depending on what you like."
Chen Ling'er stared at the wooden bucket Chen Xing used to put the cold skin noodles and cold noodles in, as well as the simple cover on the top of it as he frowned slightly, wanting to turn her head towards Zhao Jing who was next to her and said to Zhao Jing that they should not eat here in case they had eaten badly and could not explain to their families when they returned home.
But as soon as she turned her head, she was confronted by Zhao Jing's salivating gaze on the food. Chen Ling'er felt that if she hadn't been concerned about their status as a young lady (from a wealthy family) she would have eaten the food by now.
Looking at Zhao Jing's face, Chen Ling'er suddenly remembered the equally second son of the Zhao family that also liked to eat. The disgust in her eyes flashed and after a moment, it was averted again
Chen Ling'er simply stopped looking at Zhao Jing and met Chen Xing's gaze directly, first disliking his simple outfit from head to toe, thinking this kind of person was not worthy of a noble and benevolent man like Gu Lang.
Chen Ling'er unhurriedly began to talk, "Are the things [she means food] here clean?"
Chen Xing felt offended when Chen Ling'er sized him up and down, but the two young ladies in front of him looked wealthy and respectable, not someone he could afford to mess with. He also felt that the young lady was still young and there was no need for him to argue with a young girl.
He changed his mind, then he looked at Chen Ling'er and said in a gentle voice, "Miss, I can guarantee that all the food here is clean, apart from those who have had a few bowls of green mung porridge, we have been no more cases of to upset (one's stomach) by eating bad food or overeating so please don't worry, miss."
Chen Ling'er looked at Chen Xing, who answered freely in front of the noodles, and saw his pretty face, which seemed to have been favoured by the heavens and had not darkened much even after being out in the sun and wind all day. She didn't know if it was because of the heat or something else, but a sudden, inexplicable anger rose up in her heart.
Chen Ling'er looked at Chen Xing and said impolitely, "If anything happens to us when we eat your food, I certainly will not forgive you."
Chen Xing looked at Chen Ling'er, who was hard on him and wondered why this spoiled girl had so much worries about his food. Why didn't she just be direct and not just eat it then?
Chen Xing hesitated for a moment, he looked at Chen Ling'er with a big smile and said in an extraordinarily sincere voice, "If this young lady is really worried, you can go to a restaurant not far away to eat. We are only a roadside stall here, so it is not really suitable for you to dine here."
"You!" Chen Xing's words instantly angered Chen Ling'er. She raised her hand to point at Chen Xing and said angrily, "How dare you talk to me like that?"
Chen Xing looked at the angry Chen Ling'er, a look of helplessness appeared on his face, "This young lady, I am just telling the truth."
As the first-born (born of a legal wife) young lady of the Chen family, Chen Ling'er was always protected by a group of people and no one had ever dared to talk to her like that outside, therefore, when she heard that Chen Xing, who used to be their servant, it was fine that he did not bowed down to her yet he now dare to defy her and talk back, Chen Ling'er was immediately furious and wanted to teach him a lesson.
But before Chen Ling'er could ask the servants behind her to deal with Chen Xing, Zhao Jing who was beside her, already pulled her back.
Chen Ling'er turned her head, she saw Zhao Jing's worried face as she tried to shake her off impatiently.
Looking at the angry Chen Ling'er, Zhao Jing thought of the purpose of her visit and whispered to her, "Jie Jie, I believe the food the little boss has here is very clean. You don't be angry anymore, we will go back after we finish eating, otherwise, if my mother finds out, we will all be punished."
Hearing Zhao Jing mention their mother, Chen Ling'er suddenly came back to her senses and remembered that she had come out today to accompany Zhao Jing, although she didn't like Zhao Jing, she couldn't let her dislike her. After all, the Zhao family was still powerful in the city and the Chen family had to rely on them for many things.
Thinking of this, even though she was unwilling to do so, Chen Ling'er quickly put away her willfulness.
Chen Ling'er quickly adjusted herself, her fierce and fiendish expressions were put away, and she turned back into her usual gentle self. Looking at Zhao Jing's worried eyes, she said gently, "I know that you are used to being carefully served in the house. I am afraid that you might have eaten something unclean on the outside. It will not be good for your health so I've been a bit anxious, you don't think I'm too harsh, do you?"
Hearing what Chen Ling'er said, Zhao Jing didn't doubt it. The melancholy colour on her face eased a little as she looked at her and said, "Jie Jie, don't worry, I'm not that fragile. Let's order some food, eat and go home afterwards."
Chen Ling'er squeezed out a stiff smile and said softly, "Okay."
Zhao Jing's eyes lit up as she looked at her and asked, "Then Jie Jie, what do you want to eat?"
Chen Ling'er knew that her actions just now might have left a bad impression on Zhao Jing's mind. At this moment, she wanted to salvage some of it, therefore, after hearing Zhao Jing's question, a gentle smile appeared on her face, "It's my first time to eat this kind of food, so I'll eat the same as you."
Zhao Jing nodded her head first when she heard what Chen Ling'er said, after that she turned to Chen Xing, who had been waiting by the side, and said with some embarrassment, "Boss, I'm sorry just now, Jie Jie was just too worried about me. I'd like to have six servings of mixed cold skin noodles and cold noodles, two of them with less chilli, and six bowls of green bean porridge."
Chen Xing took a quick glance at the people following her. Together with her and that deliberately provocative young lady, there were exactly six of them. She even bought it for the maids and young boy servants. She must be a very kind young lady.
Chen Xing's displeasure at the young lady's unreasonable behaviour dissipated. He smiled gently at the chubby little girl in front of him and said softly, "All right, Miss, please go find a seat and sit down. Your order will be brought to you soon."
"Hn." The little girl was delighted and went to find a seat with the company of her maid.
Chen Xing, with quick hands and feet, made six bowls of cold skin noodles
and cold noodles. She brought them over. First, he served the identical four bowls and placed them at the servants' table, followed by the less spicy ones for the two young ladies.
As Chen Xing was gently placing the two bowls on their table. Suddenly, the young lady who had started to speak said with some discontent, "Mei Mei, why did you order food for those servants? This…isn't it a disgrace to our status."
The slightly chubby little girl didn't get angry when she heard her complaint. She smiled at her very good-naturedly, stirring the cold skin noodles in her bowl as she sniffed and explained, "They've been with us for half a day, so they must be hungry too, so we can't let them starve and watch us eat. Besides that, this meal doesn't cost much either. What's more, they're not eating at the same table as us, so how could we lose our status?"
Chen Ling'er looked at Zhao Jing's smiling face, but in her heart she felt it beneath one's dignity to do that, the servants were already inferior, so why should they be allowed to eat together with them and eat the same as them. Only she had already exposed too much today so she did not intend to continue losing her status, lest she would be exposed when Zhao Jing went back and shot off her mouth.
Therefore, Chen Ling'er forcely swallowed back the words that she wanted to say and complained as she smiled and looked at Zhao Jing, then said softly, "It's still Mei Mei (little sister) who is kind."
Chen Xing who was beside her, could not help but shake her head, thinking that the temperament of these two young ladies was obviously different, between relative superiority and inferiority. He did not know how they could be raised so differently.
But this thought only turned in Chen Xing's mind for a moment and was soon put behind him, moreover that young lady had nothing to do with him, so why did he need to remember it so much?
Taking the empty tray, Chen Xing went back to the stove and asked Qiu Jiu to bring over the green beans porridge they wanted.
Just as Chen Xing was leaning on the top of the stove range, staring blankly at the sky not far away, waiting for a new guest, he suddenly heard a scream from behind.
Chen Xing looked back in a panic, only to see the willful and rude young lady standing in place, the chair behind her fallen to the floor, her head covered with traces of green mung porridge, looking funny but also embarrassed.
Chen Xing's heart thumped as he stepped forward to their side and asked anxiously, "What's happened?"
Qiu Jiu looked at the young lady with a frightened look on his face, and with a bit of worry in his tone, he said in a low voice, "Gongzi, when I was bringing the green bean porridge to this young lady just now, this young lady happened to get up and accidentally almost fall so I hurriedly held her up, as a result, the porridge spilled onto that young lady's head. I really didn't mean to."
Chen Xing looked at Qiu Jiu who seemed to be scared, and then looked at Zhao Jing who was blaming herself as well as Chen Ling'er who was furiously asking the maid to wipe it up quickly for her, inwardly praying that this young lady would be more understanding and reasonable, otherwise they would definitely be troubled by her.
Chen Xing patted Qiu Jiu's shoulder, looked at his face that still had a bit of childishness on it and comforted him with a soft voice, "I don't blame you, it was all an accident."
After comforting Qiu Jiu, Chen Xing came to Chen Ling'er, bent down and bowed deeply towards her as he very sincerely said, "I'm sorry Young Miss, we will compensate you for all your losses."
Chen Ling'er had never suffered such a great humiliation, felt that she was about to go crazy now and looked at Chen Xing who had come to apologize to her. Her anger today added up, so without even thinking about it, she raised her hand.
"Pa (Slapping sound)."
There was a loud and clear sound in the air.
When the surrounding area quieted down, everyone looked around and froze.