Chapter 3

The profits from charcoal were far from meager. Though the Hu Clan dominated Mengshan County, there were no lack of other obscure charcoal merchants. If he searched carefully, he would surely find an old charcoal seller.

With that thought, Rong Xi gave up and turned to leave. His plump figure staggered unsteadily, gradually vanishing amid the sheltering trees.

Hu Yulin narrowed his slitted eyes, and several threads of unease suddenly rose in his heart.

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

After returning home, Liu He saw that Rong Xi's expression was calm and showed not the slightest anger. Afraid that Rong Xi might bottle it all up and harm himself, Liu He said with concern, "Young master need not worry. That Hu-surnamed market slave simply does not know what is good for him."

His young master was the son of a minister, yet he had been looked down upon by a mere merchant. He must surely be unhappy inside. That young master of the Hu Clan was truly hateful!

Rong Xi did not take the matter to heart. It was only natural for a partnership to fail. If he put himself in Hu Yulin's shoes, he might not have wished to speak much with someone of notorious reputation either.

"Thank you for easing my mind, Old Liu. I have no worries. Zishi, on the other hand, was quite frightened. Go and comfort him."

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

Before long, Liu Zishi, who had been like a startled bird, appeared outside the threshold with delight all over his face. He poked his head about, clearly wanting to speak but hesitating.

Old Liu had said he must not disturb the young master while he was reading, but the bean sprouts had already grown an inch or so. According to the young master's earlier instructions, they should be ready to pick and eat.

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

He wandered outside for a long while before Rong Xi, having finished a book, finally 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 the delicacy, Liu Zishi had already imagined its wonderful flavor after seeing the pale yellow, tender, crisp sprouts.

Soybeans were cultivated widely throughout the Wei Kingdom. The common people mostly lived on beans and wheat, yet there were few ways to cook soybeans. Other than steaming and boiling them, there was nothing else.

Rong Xi had been here for more than ten days. His two daily meals consisted of nothing but flatbread and soybeans, leaving his tongue thoroughly bored. Seeing that there were plenty of soybeans left, he soaked some in water and left them until they sprouted. In merely three days, the shoots had grown over an inch long and were ready to be picked and eaten.

Seeing Liu Zishi's delighted, eager expression, Rong Xi laughed freely, closed the book and set it on the table, then gathered his robes and rose. Even his loose robes could not conceal the extra flesh on his body.

"Young master, you seem to have lost some weight." Liu Zishi blurted out the words without thinking.

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

Rong Xi did not care much about his weight, so long as it did not affect his daily life. Still, excessive fat was harmful to one's health, and losing some weight appropriately was no bad thing.

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

"Young master, can we eat them for dinner?" For a fifteen-year-old youth, the only thing he could look forward to each day was food.

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

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

Stir-fried bean sprouts, cooked through until the flavors had seeped in, would naturally make a fine dish. But the iron cauldrons 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 gathered firewood and stoked the flames while Liu Zishi prepared the oil, salt, wine, and seasonings. When the clear water in the cauldron came to a boil, before he could even speak, Rong Xi placed the tender, crisp bean sprouts into the rolling water. After only a few breaths, he scooped them out with a skimmer and arranged them evenly on a plate.

Blanching the bean sprouts in boiling water preserved their crisp texture while removing their raw astringency. Then he poured hot oil mixed with spices over them, allowing the flavors to seep in somewhat. They were refreshing without lacking taste.

The dish was uniquely beautiful in its snowy whiteness, contrasting delightfully with the dark patterning of the plate. Set upon the table, it possessed color, fragrance, and flavor alike, making one's index finger stir with appetite.

The three wrapped them in hemp flatbread to eat. Liu Zishi was instantly captivated by their crisp yet tender texture, clean yet not bland, and could not help wolfing them down while loudly praising them.

Even Liu He, whose teeth were poor, had to say, "Young master's clever ideas flow like a tide, and your skill is exquisite. This servant has never heard of such a thing as bean sprouts. They taste even better than bird's nest and shark fin, worthy of being the finest delicacy under heaven."

That was far too exaggerated, so Rong Xi merely smiled faintly and said nothing.

First, it was their first time eating them, so novelty accounted for much of it. 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 forget them afterward. That night, he had a sweet dream in which he was submerged in tender, crisp, delicious bean sprouts, filled with joy.

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, and accompanying him was 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 above the gate 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 one 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 type of flour-based food~ Thank you all for your support~

Chapter 3

The wind beneath the corridor howled past, and Hu Yulin found himself caught between advancing and retreating.

He had originally wanted to see what those objects were used for, but never expected their owner to be Eldest Brother of the Rong Clan.

Only a few days ago, he had treated him rudely. Now, paying him a visit so abruptly made him feel utterly ashamed. He nearly raised his sleeve to cover his face and fled in disarray.

Unaware of his concerns, Jiang Weiping solemnly placed the long, crude wooden case on the ground and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Young master Rong, please open the case and inspect it."

Rong Xi had always been broad-minded and had never 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 shot Hu Yulin a pair of sidelong glances before turning and going out, ordering Liu Zishi, who was catching autumn cicadas outside the courtyard, to prepare tea.

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