Chapter 3

The profits from charcoal were considerable. Though the Hu Clan dominated Mengshan County, there were no shortage of other obscure charcoal sellers. With a careful search, he would surely find an old charcoal vendor.

With that thought, Rong Xi gave up and turned to leave. His plump figure waddled unsteadily away, gradually disappearing amid the trees.

Hu Yulin narrowed his slender eyes, and several strands of unease suddenly rose in his heart.

What was there to be uneasy about? He gave a soft scoff. He was truly possessed.

After returning home, Liu He saw that Rong Xi's expression was calm and showed not the slightest anger. Fearing that he might bottle it up and harm himself, Liu He said with concern, "Young master, there is no need to worry. That Hu fellow is merely an ignorant, ill-mannered market slave."

His young master was the son of a minister, yet he had been slighted by a mere merchant. He must surely feel upset. That young master of the Hu Clan was truly detestable!

Rong Xi did not take the matter to heart. It was perfectly normal for a partnership negotiation to fall through. If he put himself in Hu Yulin's place, he might not have wished to speak much with someone of such notorious reputation either.

"Thank you for comforting me, Uncle Liu. I have no worries, but Zishi was quite frightened. Go and soothe him."

After Liu He withdrew, Rong Xi sat on his mat and quietly read through the books.

Before long, Liu Zishi, who had originally been like a startled bird, peeked in from beyond the threshold with delight written all over his face. He hesitated, as though wanting to speak but unable to.

Grandpa had said not to disturb the young master while he was reading, but the bean sprouts had already grown over an inch long. According to the young master's earlier instructions, they should be ready to harvest and eat.

Thinking of the tender, crisp bean sprouts Rong Xi had described, the sturdy youth felt saliva welling up in his mouth.

He lingered outside for a long while before Rong Xi, who had finished a book, noticed him. Rong Xi smiled and called him inside. "Zishi, do you have something to say?"

"Young master, the bean sprouts have grown for three days. They can be eaten." Though he had yet to taste them, Liu Zishi had already imagined their wonderful flavor after seeing those pale yellow, tender, crisp sprouts.

Soybeans were planted widely throughout the Wei Kingdom. The common people mostly lived on beans and wheat, but there were few ways to cook soybeans. Aside from steaming and boiling them, there was nothing else.

Rong Xi had been here for over ten days. His two daily meals consisted of little more than flatbread and soybeans, leaving his mouth thoroughly bored. Seeing that there were plenty of soybeans left, he soaked some in water and left them until they sprouted. In only three days, the sprouts had grown over an inch long and were ready to be picked and eaten.

Seeing Liu Zishi's delighted, eager expression, Rong Xi gave a carefree smile. He closed the book and set it on the table, then gathered his robe and stood. Even his loose robes could not conceal the excess flesh on his body.

"Young master, you seem to have slimmed down a little," Liu Zishi blurted out abruptly.

He still remembered when the young master had first arrived in Linxi. He had been so plump that even walking seemed difficult. Now, he appeared to have lost some weight, and even his face had grown a little smaller.

Rong Xi did not care much about his weight, so long as it did not affect his daily life. Still, being too fat was harmful to one's health. Losing a suitable amount of weight was a good thing.

"Perhaps it is because I fell ill after falling into the water before." After speaking, Rong Xi led him to an open, bright spot in the rear courtyard. Seeing the slender, curved bean sprouts in the bucket, tender, crisp, and lovely, he felt greatly pleased.

"Young master, can we eat them for dinner?" At fifteen, the only thing the youth could look forward to each day was food.

Rong Xi scooped up several sprouts and examined them in his palm. He nodded with a smile. "They can be eaten."

The youth immediately cheered with excitement. At Rong Xi's instruction, he went to the kitchen for a bamboo basket and scooped the densely packed bean sprouts into it. Then he eagerly asked, "Young master, how should they be cooked?"

Stir-fried bean sprouts, cooked through until the seasonings seeped in, would have made a fine dish. However, the iron pots of the Wei Kingdom were too thick for high-heat stir-frying, so they could only be blanched in boiling water.

In the kitchen, Liu He added firewood to the stove while Liu Zishi prepared oil, salt, wine, and seasonings. Once the clear water in the pot came to a boil, before anyone could speak, Rong Xi placed the tender, crisp bean sprouts into the boiling water. After only a few breaths, he lifted them out with a slotted spoon and distributed them evenly onto a dish.

Blanching the bean sprouts in boiling water preserved their crisp texture while removing their rawness. Then he poured prepared hot oil and spices over them, letting the flavors seep in somewhat. They were refreshing without lacking taste.

The dish was uniquely beautiful in white, contrasting charmingly with the dark pattern at the bottom of the plate. Set upon the table, it had color, aroma, and flavor, making one's fingers itch to dig in.

The three wrapped the sprouts in flatbread to eat. Liu Zishi was instantly captivated by their crisp yet tender texture, clear but not bland. He could not help wolfing them down and loudly praising them.

Even Liu He, whose teeth were not good, had to say, "Young master, your ingenuity flows without end, and your skill is superb. This servant has never heard of bean sprouts before. They taste even better than bird's nest and shark fin, truly the finest delicacy."

The words were far too exaggerated, and Rong Xi merely smiled without speaking.

First, it was their first time eating them, so novelty played a large part. Second, as a servant, Liu He was accustomed to flattering his master, so his words were inevitably exaggerated.

There were not many bean sprouts, and the three could only eat until half full. Liu Zishi could not stop thinking about them afterward. That night, he had a wonderful dream in which he was submerged in tender, crisp, delicious bean sprouts, overjoyed beyond measure.

Several days later, the sky was high and the clouds pale, while wild geese flew south.

The appointed date arrived. Jiang Weiping came as promised with the goods, accompanied by none other than Hu Yulin, the young master of the Hu Clan.

Before entering the residence, Hu Yulin saw the words "Rong Residence" on the plaque and already felt that something was amiss. When he reached the main hall and saw the plump youth seated on his heels behind the table, his back suddenly stiffened.

So the person who had commissioned those objects was actually the infamous young master of the Rong Clan?

Author's note:

Cold Pastry, also known as Sazi, is a kind of flour-based food~ Thank you all for your support~

Chapter 3

The wind beneath the eaves howled past, leaving Hu Yulin caught between advancing and retreating.

He had wanted to see what those objects were used for, but he had never expected their owner to be the eldest young master of the Rong Clan.

Only days ago, he had treated him rudely. Now, arriving at his door so abruptly made him feel too ashamed to show his face. He nearly raised his sleeve to cover it and fled in embarrassment.

Unaware of his concerns, Jiang Weiping solemnly placed the long, rough wooden box on the floor and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Young Master Rong, please open the box and inspect it."

Rong Xi had always been broad-minded and had not taken Hu Yulin's earlier attitude to heart. He even instructed Liu He to serve tea.

Liu He, however, was not as magnanimous as him. He secretly cast Hu Yulin a couple of sidelong glances before turning and leaving, ordering Liu Zishi, who was catching autumn cicadas outside the courtyard, to prepare tea.

Seeing Rong Xi's gentle manners and honest, accommodating nature, Hu Yulin felt even more ashamed. His cheeks burned as though scorched by fire. He stood behind Jiang Weiping, covering his face with his sleeve, yet his eyes could not stop peering into the box.