Blanket Noodles

Madam Zheng lowered her head to look at the silver ingots in her hand and nearly threw them away.

"E-Eldest... Where did you get this silver?"

"Mother, listen to me."

Shen Xiuhan explained gently:

"Today, your son had good luck and caught a Silver-backed Fish. I sold it to Mei Martial Hall in the inner city. The hall master saw that my bones and talent were decent. Not only did she buy the fish for twenty taels of silver, she also accepted me into the outer court of the martial hall!"

His eyes blazed as he enunciated every word:

"Mother, from tomorrow onward, your son will be able to cultivate the martial arts!"

A Silver-backed Fish...

Sold for twenty taels...

Learning martial arts?!

Madam Zheng understood every sentence.

Yet when put together, they sounded so unreal.

"M-Martial arts? An outer court disciple?!"

"That's right, Mother. From now on, I'll be able to learn martial arts just like Chen An!"

Madam Zheng stood frozen as if struck by lightning.

She looked at Shen Xiuhan, then at the three silver ingots in her hand. Her voice trembled.

"Really?"

"Really!"

A moment later, Madam Zheng suddenly clutched the silver tightly to her chest. Two streams of muddy tears spilled from her eyes. With a thud, she dropped to her knees and wailed heartbreakingly toward Cloudwater Lake:

"His father!"

"Open your eyes and see—Eldest is becoming more promising by the day!"

"If your spirit knows this in heaven, you can finally close your eyes and rest in peace..."

Her sobs echoed through the kitchen.

Shen Momo wrapped her little arms around Shen Xiuhan's neck and instinctively hugged him tighter. In a small voice, she asked, "Brother, why is Mother crying...?"

"Because she's very tired."

"Brother, then why do I want to cry too...?"

"Uh..."

Shen Xiuhan turned his head and saw tears hanging in the little girl's big eyes. She looked so pitiful, and those tiny pearls were about to fall.

Shen Xiuhan hurriedly said, "Because you're hungry. Come on, look what tasty food I brought back for Momo."

He carried her over to the fish basket, grabbed several dried fruits, and placed them in her hand. The little girl was young and forgetful, and her attention was immediately diverted.

"Wow, it's brother!"

"...They're nuts."

"Brother!"

"Nuts..."

"Brother!"

"Brother—not brother, they're nu... Ah, forget it. Call them whatever you like."

Shen Xiuhan set Shen Momo down, patted her little head, and returned to the kitchen.

Madam Zheng had already calmed down somewhat. When she saw Shen Xiuhan enter, worry showed on her face.

"Eldest, you said just now... the fish you caught was called a Silver-backed Fish? Was it the same kind your father caught back then?"

"That's right."

"Oh no!"

Madam Zheng did not even bother wiping her tears. Her expression immediately turned panicked.

"Eldest, our family are tenant farmers of the White Family. By custom, the fish we catch must also be handed over to the White Family."

"When your father caught that Silver-backed Fish years ago, quite a few martial halls and masters in the county came asking about it. In the end, the White Family's steward forcibly took it away..."

Shen Xiuhan's heart tightened slightly. After pondering for a moment, he said gravely, "Mother, don't worry. I sold this fish to my master, and she naturally won't spread word of it. As long as we keep our mouths shut, how could anyone else know?"

"This..."

The worry on Madam Zheng's face did not fade, but seeing her son's steadfast expression, she could only nod lightly.

"Mother, our bitter days have finally come to an end. Don't let your thoughts run wild anymore."

Shen Xiuhan helped his mother to her feet and smiled as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Today is a great day for our family. Take Momo back to the room to rest. Your son will cook personally and prepare a proper feast."

Though he was a cook, Shen Xiuhan had truly neglected his own stomach these past days.

At first, when he had been bedridden, he ate bean paste porridge or bran gruel.

Bran was the husks shed by rice, wheat, beans, and millet. Rough and scratchy on the throat, it was difficult to swallow.

In his previous life, such things were fodder for livestock.

Later, seeing that his illness showed no sign of improving, Madam Zheng gritted her teeth and bought some millet to cook into porridge for him to restore his health. Yet she only let him eat it.

Madam Zheng and Shen Momo survived each day on nothing but a bowl of coarse bran gruel.

By the day he awakened, the mother and daughter had run out of food entirely, starved until their faces were yellow and their bodies gaunt.

Now that he had obtained so many ingredients and bought a pound of sorghum flour at East Market, he naturally had to properly treat the two of them.

Shen Xiuhan cut off a small piece of smoked pork belly and soaked it in warm water.

Then he took out the dried mountain delicacies.

He did not know what sort of strange beast the Golden-Tailed Rat was, but it must have possessed considerable intelligence and a keen eye.

Everything it had stored away was choice mountain produce—fresh, delicious, and nonpoisonous.

With a glance, he saw all kinds of dried mushrooms: termite mushrooms, porcini, matsutake, chicken-fat mushrooms, and more, along with plenty of dried bamboo shoots and black fungus.

He selected some of each and soaked them in water as well.

When the time was right, he sliced the smoked pork belly thin and cut the dried bamboo shoots into fine strips.

He tore the rehydrated mushrooms into strips along their grain, placed them together with the black fungus, and reserved them for the soup base.

Next, he mixed the flour with salted water, kneaded it until it became elastic, pinched it into portions, then used deft force to stretch them into broad sheets of noodles.

Though Shen Xiuhan knew how to pull noodles as well, he preferred the springy chew of wide noodles.

"Sizzle..."

Firelight flickered in the stove.

The slices of smoked pork went into the wok. Scorched by fierce heat, their fat immediately rendered out, releasing an enticing aroma of meat.

He splashed in a ladle of water along the side of the wok. The clear broth boiled, mingling with the fat and gradually turning milky white.

Shen Xiuhan dumped the dried bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and black fungus into the wok all at once.

Under the fierce boil, it soon became a pot of rich broth whose fragrance filled the air.

Finally, he slid the stretched sheets of wide noodles one after another into the boiling soup.

Once the water boiled and the noodles floated, he took them out and filled the bowls.

The noodles were broad, like brocade quilts spread across a bed. They were called Blanket Noodles, and they were also one of his finest noodle dishes.

Three bowls of Blanket Noodles were placed on the kang table.

Madam Zheng and Shen Momo's noses twitched as they both lowered their heads to look.

The noodles were wide and thin. Smoked meat, dried bamboo shoots, and mushrooms interwove in the broth, releasing a mouthwatering fragrance that made them both swallow.

"Eldest, what kind of noodles are these?"

"Blanket Noodles."

"Eh? Brother can make noodles for Momo to eat..."

"If you like them, I'll make them for you often."

As they spoke, Madam Zheng had already picked up a wide noodle sheet soaked full of broth.

With one bite, she first tasted the savory freshness of the smoked meat and dried bamboo shoots. Then the mushrooms' distinctive wild mountain fragrance blossomed between her teeth.

Only after chewing a few times did she feel the wide noodle's perfectly balanced texture—smooth yet springy.

After that single bite, Madam Zheng fell silent.

She stared blankly into her bowl, beginning to wonder how she had spent thirty-three years cooking.

The little girl was young, with small hands. Using chopsticks was difficult for her, and she was afraid of the heat.

She blew on the noodles for quite a while before cautiously taking a bite.

With that same single bite, her round black eyes abruptly widened.

She tilted her head, as though she could not believe it.

After another bite, her eyes widened even further.

"Brother!!"

"The noodles are so, so delicious! Momo wants to eat noodles every day from now on!"

"They really are delicious..." Madam Zheng came back to herself and sighed softly. "I fear even the restaurants and taverns in the inner city couldn't make noodles like these."

"Brother, let's open a restaurant too!"

The little girl waved her chopsticks, her eyes sparkling. "Then Mother won't have to work so hard washing clothes for other people!"

"Mm... That's not a bad idea."

A pot of Blanket Noodles filled the grass hut with the bustle and joy of the New Year.

If there was anyone unhappy...

There was.

In the dead woods.

A plump rat covered in golden markings, with a tail entirely golden, dug half its body out of the earth and climbed up a dead tree trunk as familiarly as if returning home.

But when it poked its head toward the tree hollow, its entire body froze.

Of the dry grass used to conceal the entrance, only two or three messy strands remained, drooping limply.

The food stores it had painstakingly gathered through an entire autumn had vanished without even a crumb left behind.

The little rat instinctively scraped at the dead tree trunk with its two front paws.

Crack, crack, crack...

Empty. It was truly empty!

Its food had been stolen!

"Ah!!!!!"

The next moment, an incomparably shrill rat's scream exploded from deep within the dead woods.