Bonus chapter 3/3
Aunt Li, who was tidying the kitchen, heard this and quickly walked out. She was holding a large piece of pork. She placed the pork, padded with a cloth, into the bamboo basket in Xu Yanqing’s hand: “Young master, they bought too much meat, and we can’t eat it all. You can take some to the village chief’s family.”
Actually, these trivial matters were all entrusted to Aunt Li by Xu Xianzhe before he left. His younger brother had been spoiled by their parents since childhood and wasn’t very proficient in these social courtesies, so he could only ask Aunt Li to help out.
Without any doubt, Xu Yanqing glanced at the meat in the bamboo basket, which was quite fresh. He was a salted fish, not a fool, and understood the principle of reciprocity.
So he turned to Taoist Xuanchen again: “Taoist Master, do you want to come with me to pick corn?”
Yin Yanjun didn’t answer his question but simply raised his hand and took the bamboo basket with the meat from the young master’s hands into his own.
Xu Yanqing’s lips curved slightly: “Let’s go!”
The two walked along the small stone path. Their residence was a bit of a distance from the village. The place was originally barren land, which Marquis Wu’an bought and built his ancestral home on after he rose to prominence.
Along the way, people who saw Xu Yanqing greeted him warmly. Most of them didn’t actually know the young master, but there were few strangers in the village, so everyone could naturally guess the young master’s identity.
Facing such a familiar group of uncles and aunts, Xu Yanqing couldn’t help but feel a slight social anxiety, wanting to retreat. However, he couldn’t just ignore them, so he forced a sweet, well-behaved smile.
The young master’s face was delicate and pretty, and his eyes were clean and clear. The uncles and aunts in Xu Family Village were very fond of him, and they all chatted with Xu Yanqing, inviting him to visit their homes when he had time.
“En, en, alright.” He nodded repeatedly in agreement, the despondent salted fish swearing to himself that he would definitely not go out easily again next time.
Standing beside him, Yin Yanjun remained as cool and self-possessed as ever in the face of everyone’s scrutinizing gazes, seemingly unaffected by their attention. This greatly impressed the salted fish, who had just awakened his social phobia persona. Indeed, he was worthy of being the monarch of Daliang, capable of handling both court affairs and farm life.
Yin Yanjun turned his head and looked at the young master beside him, asking faintly, “What is the young master looking at?”
Xu Yanqing turned his gaze to Taoist Xuanchen. The two had clearly experienced such intimate closeness, yet their words and actions were as distant as could be. Their relationship was truly unique.
He noticed that Taoist Xuanchen addressed him so formally; however, he had no intention of making the other person change his address because he found it particularly amusing when Taoist Xuanchen called him “young master.”
Taoist Xuanchen had a cool, aloof, dignified, and elegant temperament, and his ochre Taoist robe was neatly and cleanly worn, which made Xu Yanqing inexplicably think of the word “abstinence.”
It was a pity that such an otherworldly immortal was corrupted by him. Tsk, he really was a heinous villain. Blinking, Xu Yanqing slightly reined in his smile: “Well, I just admire how the Taoist Master is always so at ease wherever you go.”
A complex expression flashed in Yin Yanjun’s translucent, glass-like eyes. Following the young master’s words, he said gently, “I am not an immortal; how could I be so at ease and unperturbed?”
If he were truly unperturbed, he wouldn’t have given such an order to the shadow guards in Jiangcheng.
“Little uncle, are you here to play with me?” The chubby child kicking a shuttlecock at the doorway saw Xu Yanqing, quickly dropped his shuttlecock, and excitedly ran to Xu Yanqing.
Yin Yanjun then saw the young master, who had just been somewhat flustered by a group of uncles and aunts, mercilessly push away the running chubby child with a finger, saying with a touch of arrogance, “I didn’t come to play with you. Why aren’t you out playing with the other kids?”
“Ah Qing is here; quickly come in and sit.” Hearing the sound at the door, an aunt wearing an apron walked out from the courtyard. She smiled and said to Xu Yanqing, “Ah Ning hasn’t finished his homework today. He himself said that if he doesn’t finish his homework, he can’t go out to play with other children.”
“Oh, the chubby child is actually so studious!” Xu Yanqing couldn’t help but click his tongue. With his salted fish nature, he was always too indolent to even glance at those serious books.
Ah Ning wasn’t angry about Xu Yanqing pushing him just now; instead, his chubby face flushed slightly from being praised.
“Auntie, I won’t go in. We’ve run out of corn at home, so I’m going to secretly pick a few ears from the field.” A smile appeared on Xu Yanqing’s delicate face. Under Lady Sun’s exasperated gaze, he handed over the piece of meat in the bamboo basket, explaining, “Brother Ah Niu and the others bought too much meat, and our family can’t finish it, so Aunt Li asked me to bring some over to you, Auntie.”
“Wow, we’ll have meat for lunch today!” The chubby child stared at the meat, his eyes wide. In fact, the village chief’s family’s conditions were quite good, but even for a family with their conditions in the village, they couldn’t eat meat every day.
Lady Sun felt a little embarrassed: “Ah Qing, look at you, how much are a few ears of corn worth? It’s not worth you bringing such a big piece of meat…”
Xu Yanqing gently rubbed the chubby child’s fluffy head: “Auntie, don’t be a stranger. I always pick corn openly. Today, we really just bought too much meat.”
Too afraid of going back and forth with Lady Sun, Xu Yanqing raised his hand, pulled Taoist Xuanchen beside him, and shook the bamboo basket in his hand at Lady Sun: “Auntie, you go back to your work; I’m going to pick corn now!” With that, he pulled Taoist Xuanchen and turned to leave quickly.
After the rain, the air was fresh. The path in the fields was difficult to walk on, so Yin Yanjun, fearing the young master might trip over roadside grass or stones, kept one hand steadily protecting the young master’s waist.
Xu Yanqing was usually the type who would slack off whenever possible. But today he took the initiative to go out, which was simply his most diligent day since he came to Xu Family Village.
Mainly, Xu Yanqing had slept exceptionally well last night after Taoist Xuanchen left. So well, in fact, that he had a beautiful dream about his childhood days living in his old hometown in the countryside.
At that time, their family was very poor, so poor that young Xu Yanqing couldn’t afford milk powder and could only eat soy milk and various purees. But Xu Yanqing was happiest at that time.
He loved following his cousins to catch fish in the river, climb trees to catch birds, and secretly go to the fields to dig sweet potatoes and corn to roast and eat.
The roasted corn in his dream was so fragrant, and that free and unburdened life was so beautiful, that Xu Yanqing still yearned for it even after waking up.
As for bringing Taoist Xuanchen along, it was purely because everyone trusted Taoist Xuanchen, so when he suggested the Taoist Master accompany him, no one objected, right? Xu Yanqing mentally gave himself a thumbs-up. He truly was the provincial top scholar; his intelligence hadn’t dwindled into non-existence due to his long-term laziness.
Digging into the cornfield, the corn planted a few days later grew the most tender at this time. Xu Yanqing took off the outer coat of a corn and pinched the corn kernels inside, and milky white corn juice immediately stained his hand. Xu Yanqing nodded, indicating great satisfaction.
He turned his head to look at Taoist Xuanchen beside him, his eyes sparkling. He pointed to an ear of corn and said, “Taoist Master, look, doesn’t this ear of corn look like a little old man with golden hair?”
The young master was indeed still young; his thought process was so jumpy that the self-proclaimed elder Yin Yanjun felt a little helpless, but under the young master’s expectant gaze, he faintly nodded: “It does.”
Xu Yanqing was satisfied. He took the bamboo basket from Taoist Xuanchen’s hand, then pointed at the ear of corn in front of him: “I want this one, Taoist Master, help me pluck it.”
Yin Yanjun, who had never plucked corn before, calmly reached out under the young master’s burning gaze. With a strong pull, the corn was plucked. However, perhaps due to excessive force, he also broke off the topmost section of the cornstalk.
The young master burst into laughter in the cornfield, doubling over: “Taoist Master, aren’t you a bit too forceful?”
Yin Yanjun frowned, the corn stalk in his hand instantly becoming a hot potato. He held it, unsure what to do with it.
Xu Yanqing took the corn and put it into the bamboo basket, casually tossing the cornstalk aside. “Taoist Master, let me teach you. When plucking corn, you shouldn’t pull straight up and down. You should twist it like wringing a rope.”
Saying this, the spirited young master put the bamboo basket into Yin Yanjun’s arms, chose an ear of corn, used both hands, and with a twist, plucked it.
Under Taoist Xuanchen’s gaze, Xu Yanqing blinked mischievously and said, “How was that? Did you learn?”
It wasn’t a difficult task to begin with, so Yin Yanjun naturally learned quickly. In no time, he had gathered a whole basket of corn.
Letting Taoist Xuanchen pluck corn, Xu Yanqing squatted on the ground, wickedly braiding all the corn silks into pigtails.
The light bamboo basket slowly grew heavy. Xu Yanqing walked over and hefted it, then it was taken by Taoist Xuanchen, who carried it with one hand at his side.
“Taoist Master, I’ve discovered a very curious thing.” Xu Yanqing’s gaze fell on Yin Yanjun’s arm: “Taoist Master clearly looks like a frail immortal, so why is your physical strength so exceptional?”
“I learned a variety of things from a young age. Besides classics, history, philosophy, and anthologies, I also dabbled in horseback riding and hunting.” Yin Yanjun didn’t feel this was anything to boast about.
Xu Yanqing, however, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Indeed, children born into the imperial family, though pampered from a young age, had to bear the responsibilities and pressures that came with such privilege.
He glanced down at the little bean in his belly. As the little bean’s father, Xu Yanqing silently lit a candle and prayed for him. Then, recalling the little bean’s persistent and willful appearance in the original plot, he instantly felt that the little bean deserved a good drilling. After all, with more homework, he wouldn’t have the energy to flirt with girls.
Returning from the cornfield, Xu Yanqing enthusiastically shucked a few ears of corn and dragged Mu Yu to roast them for him.
It was rare for his young master to actively want to eat something, so Mu Yu readily agreed and quickly got busy in the kitchen.
Before long, Xu Yanqing was comfortably nestled in a lounge chair in the courtyard, enjoying the fragrant roasted corn.
Most northerners typically bite directly into a whole ear of corn. Xu Yanqing sat up, rolled up his sleeves, and started gnawing. After finishing one ear, he burped, feeling completely stuffed.
The roasted corn was as delicious as it had been in his dream. Xu Yanqing very generously shared all the remaining roasted corn. Qi Chen crunched away at his corn like a greedy hamster.
Wen Jing, on the other hand, was more composed, slowly munching on his corn. He had also experienced hard times in his youth and held a certain nostalgia for the taste of roasted corn.
Only the cool and aloof Taoist Xuanchen sat at the table, his waist straight, eating the roasted corn kernel by kernel, looking utterly dignified and pleasing to the eye.
Xu Yanqing watched and couldn’t help but smile and sigh: the dietary habits between the North and South were already vastly different, but the difference in dietary habits between commoners and emperors was even greater.
Before lunch, Xu Chuan delivered a steaming basket full of dumplings: “Aunt Li, come quickly, take the dumplings and cook them. Today, I’ll add some extra food for your young master.”
Lady Sun had been busy for a long time, chopping all the meat Xu Yanqing had brought over and making several steamers full of dumplings. As soon as they were ready, she had her son bring some over.
“Alright, thank you, Brother Chuan,” Aunt Li said, taking the dumplings.
Xu Chuan smiled sheepishly, said a few words, then turned and ran off.
Xu Yanqing, who had gone back to his room to change, didn’t even see the person. He had changed into a light yellow garment and was nestled in a lounge chair in the courtyard, enjoying the breeze.
Yin Yanjun, who was drinking tea in the courtyard, glanced at the young master, then suddenly stood up and walked to his side, rolling up his loose sleeve. His gaze fell on the young master’s fair and smooth arm: “What happened to your arm?”
Xu Yanqing heard him and looked down at his arm blankly. His originally fair and clean arm had some red marks, like scratches he had made himself.
He gently poked it with his finger, but Xu Yanqing felt no pain. He turned his head, then grinned faintly: “Maybe it was from brushing against something in the cornfield!” It didn’t hurt or itch, so he didn’t even think about it.
Yin Yanjun frowned slightly, stood up, went into the room to get some wound medicine, carefully applied it to the young master, then sat back at the table and continued reading his book. The Taoist Master’s back was straight, making his figure appear tall and handsome. Xu Yanqing stared at his arm, now covered in ointment, lost in thought.
At noon, Aunt Li made Eight-Treasure Rice[mfn]Gluttionious rice cooked with lotus seeds, red dates, barley rice, honey winter melon strips, honey cherries, longan, and melon seeds.[/mfn], which contained corn kernels and various other grains, and finally, a layer of glistening, smooth cured meat was laid on top.
Paired with the dumplings Xu Chuan brought over, everyone ate with great satisfaction.
After lunch, with nothing else to do, Xu Yanqing was about to go to his room for a nap, but then the chubby child, carrying his small satchel, excitedly ran into the courtyard.
“Little uncle, little uncle.” Crouching beside Xu Yanqing, Ah Ning grinned: “I came to play with you!”
“Sleepy, don’t want to play.” Xu Yanqing very coldly rejected the child’s sincere invitation. Speaking of which, are all children this energetic? They don’t even take naps.
Ah Ning tugged at Xu Yanqing’s sleeve, whining, “Little uncle, play with me for a bit, just a little bit.”
The cold and heartless Xu Yanqing, nestled in the lounge chair, groggily opened his eyes: “What good things did you bring in your little satchel?”
Ah Ning patted his small satchel: “It’s my homework. After I finish playing with little uncle, I’ll do my homework.”
“Little fellow, you’re no good!” Xu Yanqing languidly swayed the lounge chair beneath him: “Good children always finish their homework in one go before playing games. If you do this, you’re a lazy child!”
“I’m not!” The child, inexplicably labeled as lazy, quickly ran to the table, placed his small satchel on it, and then eagerly looked at Xu Yanqing: “I’ll do my homework now. Can little uncle play with me when I’m done?”
“Hmm.” Xu Yanqing hesitated for a moment, then looked at the rather thick satchel on the table. He lazily nodded: “Alright, if I wake up then, I’ll play with you.”
He didn’t get the answer he wanted, but it was boring at home, so Ah Ning blinked, thought for a moment, and reluctantly agreed.
He had quite a few things in his small satchel: books, paper, ink… Just as the miscellaneous items were taken out, Xu Yanqing on the lounge chair was already sound asleep.
Ah Ning was a little troubled. Little Uncle looked lazy, and he wasn’t sure if Little Uncle would wake up when his homework was finished.
When Yin Yanjun came out of the room, he saw the young master sleeping soundly on the lounge chair in the courtyard and the chubby child diligently practicing calligraphy at the table. It was the young master’s uncle’s child, whom Yin Yanjun had met that morning.
The child looked very clever. When practicing calligraphy, his chubby little face was so serious, like a miniature old man, truly full of childlike innocence and charm.
Yin Yanjun returned to his room, retrieved a blanket, and slowly walked over, placing the blanket over the young master.
Although it was already early summer, the place where the young master slept was shaded, and a breeze could make it somewhat chilly.
As soon as the blanket covered him, Xu Yanqing quickly stretched out his little paws and pulled the blanket tighter around himself, shrinking under it, his small face radiating a strong sense of contentment.
Yin Yanjun couldn’t help but reach out and pinch the young master’s chubby cheek. He squatted by the lounge chair and watched the young master for a long time before finally getting up and walking to the table, casually picking up the book he had previously placed on the desktop.
Ah Ning, who was practicing calligraphy, looked curiously at the uncle in front of him. Although he wasn’t shy, this uncle seemed a bit stern, like a teacher from the village school, but with even more dignity than a teacher. The chubby child, at such a young age, couldn’t quite distinguish that feeling, but instinct told him not to speak to this uncle, so he could only obediently continue practicing his calligraphy.
The village schoolteacher was a scholar, probably in his forties. He usually maintained a stern face when dealing with a group of naughty children, so the children were all very afraid of him. Of course, what they feared most was the ruler in the teacher’s hand and his “bad habit” of calling parents.
Yin Yanjun had finished reading the book in his hand. He closed it and casually placed it on the table. The chubby child was still diligently practicing calligraphy, and his worried little expression was indeed somewhat similar to the young master’s.
So Yin Yanjun got up and walked behind Ah Ning, watching the child meticulously write his characters stroke by stroke. He poked Ah Ning’s chubby little hand with his finger: “Your grip on the brush isn’t quite right. That will make your hand tired.”
The last time Yin Yanjun had interacted with a child this young was when Yin Yuancheng was living with him in his childhood. So many years had passed, yet he hadn’t improved at all; his tone was as serious as ever, which made Ah Ning involuntarily nervous.
However, this uncle, although serious, was very patient, showing no signs of anger. Soon, Ah Ning corrected his brush-holding posture, and his round eyes were filled with surprise: “You’re right. My wrist doesn’t get tired like this.”
Yin Yanjun nodded, then went on to instruct the child on how to start and wield the brush. The child was very bright and learned very diligently.
In a short while, all the calligraphy homework was completed. Ah Ning carefully put everything from the table into his small satchel, then grinned, his eyes sparkling, as he looked at Yin Yanjun.
“Uncle, are you a teacher?” Ah Ning asked curiously.
Yin Yanjun smiled and shook his head slightly. His cold aura faded a lot, and he was very patient when facing the child: “No, I’m a Taoist priest.”
“A Taoist priest?” Ah Ning’s eyes were a little confused. He didn’t know what a Taoist priest was, only that this uncle in front of him was so impressive. So, a Taoist priest must be a very important person. The chubby child, at such a young age, sighed like an adult: “I want to be an amazing Taoist priest like Uncle too.”
“Ah Ning, I’m afraid you won’t be able to bear that hardship.” Xu Yanqing, who had groggily woken up and was listening to the conversation, couldn’t help but laugh as he playfully scared the child: “Does Ah Ning know that Taoist priests can’t eat meat and can’t sleep in late? They even have endless homework every day.”
“Ah?” The child couldn’t help but widen his eyes, looking at Yin Yanjun with some pity: “Is being a Taoist priest so pitiful? You can’t even eat meat. Uncle, don’t you know how delicious meat is? Ah Ning especially loves eating meat.”
Xu Yanqing laughed unreservedly: “Then, Ah Ning, do you still want to be a Taoist priest?”
“No, no.” Ah Ning waved his hands frantically. Meat was so delicious, he couldn’t abandon meat. Grandma’s dumplings today had a lot of meat in them, and they tasted especially good, so fragrant that he drooled while lying by the pot.
Yin Yanjun’s handsome eyebrows showed a faint smile, his eyes looking at the young master still lounging in the chair. He said lightly, “You’ve slept for an hour and a half. Don’t you feel uncomfortable? Get up and move around a bit.”
Lying down for a long time, he did feel some aches, but he was so soft and weak from sleep, completely without strength, and had no desire to get up.
At this moment, Ah Ning, having finished his homework, remembered his agreement with his little uncle and quickly ran to Xu Yanqing: “Little uncle, get up quickly! You promised to play with me when I finished my homework.”
Xu Yanqing, nestled in the lounge chair and covered by the blanket, felt a warm drowsiness from within the blanket that made his head feel muddled. He just felt so comfortable that he could close his eyes and fall back asleep.
Seeing that little uncle was about to fall asleep again, Ah Ning quickly called out a few more times: “Little uncle, little uncle, little uncle…”
The series of shouts sounded like he was calling a soul back, making Xu Yanqing’s ears throb. He strenuously overcame the desire to fall asleep, hastily opening his eyes: “Alright, alright, I’m awake. You sound like you’re calling a soul back; I think you’re really suited to be a Taoist priest.” The kind that travels around, scamming people and catching ghosts.
“Hehe.” Ah Ning didn’t care what little uncle was saying. He quickly pulled Xu Yanqing up to play pebble-flipping with him.
This game required the pebbles to land steadily on the back of your hand when you flipped them; if a pebble fell, you lost.
Xu Yanqing’s hands, like Ah Ning’s, were fair and chubby, but they simply weren’t as nimble as Ah Ning’s little hands. After losing three consecutive rounds, he despondently rested his chin on his hand and turned to give Taoist Xuanchen a pitiful look: “Taoist Master, help me out. If I lose any more, this little uncle’s face will be completely gone.”
Hmph, this competitive little uncle never admitted defeat. Yes, he could shamelessly ask for foreign aid.
“Little uncle, you’re cheating!” Ah Ning frowned, looking at Yin Yanjun, then at Xu Yanqing, protesting.
Xu Yanqing shrugged: “You can also ask for foreign aid.”
Ah Ning, with no foreign aid: Cries. Why is being a child so miserable!
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