Chapter 68 (Baked Buns)

The name of that book is a bit strange.

It is quite similar to the various novels Yan Qiushu read before traveling through time, except that the era is different and the naming method is also different.

So this girl's eyes looked like she had been crying, maybe it wasn't because of her legs, but because of... the plot in the book?

After a brief silence.

Finally, one of the two parties in the silent confrontation came back to their senses. Xiao Huaiya blinked twice, and squeezed out two more tears. The only visible eyebrows and eyes revealed a bit of weakness. At the same time, she said with great surprise and astonishment: "Mom, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, why are you here?"

The voice was soft and gentle, which was quite different from the character Yan Qiushu had just imagined.

Madam Xiao sneered gloomily: "Why? I shouldn't have come?"

Xiao Huaiya quickly shook his head and looked at his mother pitifully: "Of course not."

"I'm afraid you're thinking this," Madam Xiao pointed at her legs, her fingers trembling with anger. "I asked you to stay here thinking you could have a quiet life. I wouldn't blame you if you only went back on the first day of the New Year. But look at what you've done to yourself! Is this how you want to live a quiet life?"

Xiao Huaiya's eyes warmed up, tears streaming down her face. She whispered, "Mom, I didn't do anything rash. A few days ago, a pilgrim's child ran out to play and climbed up a tree. When I rescued him, he was so scared that he slipped and caused me to fall down with him. You know, I'm the only one in this Taoist temple who knows martial arts."

Madam Xiao took two steps forward and continued to ask aggressively, "Then why didn't you tell me? You usually write letters and even want to write down how many scriptures you have read. You cry all day long. Why did you keep silent when something really happened?"

Xiao Huaiya wiped her tears, her shoulders twitching, and said aggrievedly: "I was afraid that you would worry~"

Madam Xiao felt a headache when she saw her like this. She wanted to scold her, but couldn't bring herself to do it. So she picked up the book on the ground with a sullen face and said angrily, "You are reading this in the Taoist temple?! Aren't you afraid that the temple master will find out and kick you out?"

"I didn't..." She wanted to argue, but when she realized it was the truth, she said weakly, "It's just that I know the sutra by heart, and I was bored, so my junior sister happened to give me this book. It just so happened that the story of Ping Niang was so similar to my experience that I felt a sense of empathy, so I took a closer look."

Madam Xiao flipped through the book twice, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter as she muttered, "Marrying Prince Xiaoyao with an ugly face? Are you still a child? It's so similar to your experience. I'm not like you, crying all day long! I cried my heart out just because I lost a tooth! I didn't even leave the house for months!"

Xiao Huaiya's face flushed red. Even though only half of her face was exposed, every part of it was red. She was a little helpless and said coquettishly, "Mom~~~"

The mother's cry was particularly beautiful and full of pleading, as if she was begging her not to continue publicly executing her.

Yan Qiushu was a little amused and felt soft-hearted.

But Madam Xiao seemed to be used to the ups and downs of life, and was not moved at all. She even sneered: "No wonder I felt a little uneasy the past few days. It turns out that your ancestor is causing trouble again! Bone injuries are no small matter. Come back with me later and take good care of yourself."

At this point, Xiao Huaiya lowered his head in resistance: "I don't want it, I don't want to go back."

"You can't refuse!" Madam Xiao said sternly, looking very angry. "I'll ask Madam Huang to ask someone to carry you back later."

"Mom!" Xiao Huaiya, whose voice had always been soft, finally raised her voice, her brows furrowed, full of resistance.

But Madam Xiao had made up her mind, so it was hard to change it. She didn't say much. After making up her mind, she turned around and walked out, instructing Madam Huang: "Go find a sedan chair and ask someone to carry this little ancestor away."

Nanny Huang was still a little hesitant: "Madam, I'm afraid the Fifth Miss won't agree."

Madam Xiao lowered her eyes to look at the storybook in her hand and said in a deep voice, "Before, I was also immersed in the past and wanted to die, so I didn't bother to care about her. I thought it was okay for her to be in the Taoist temple. Now the situation is different. As a member of the Xiao family, she shouldn't be so immersed in the past and dare not speak. What's the point of reading these storybooks all day? She's not as good as when she was a child, when she dared to beat up those who laughed at her!"

"Instead of letting her stay here and feel sad, it's better to send her back. If she's not used to it for one day, it will take two days. After a long time, she will get used to it. The Xiao family is not that fragile."

When Nanny Huang heard this, she knew that Madam Xiao had made a decision that could not be reversed, and she nodded immediately: "I will go find someone right away."

Nanny Huang left with the two maids, while Madam Xiao sat on the stone bench under the locust tree with a sullen face.

Xie Qingyun looked here and there, and finally decided to go into the room to comfort her sister-in-law who had been arranged by her mother.

Xiao Huaiyu also went in.

Dongdong and Wan'er were not very familiar with this fifth aunt, but she was a relative after all. After a brief hesitation, they followed her in to comfort her.

After a while, Yan Qiushu heard sobbing from the other side. It sounded particularly aggrieved, but inexplicably made her want to laugh. She originally thought that it was a quirky little girl who would secretly read storybooks, but when she started speaking, she found out that it was a poor little girl who was sad and self-pitying.

But she was good at martial arts, and she thought of how Miss Xiao San held the chubby Dongdong without changing her expression.

Yan Qiushu also felt that this girl might not be a truly weak child.

But she still cried so...it was heartbreaking.

Madam Xiao calmed down and raised her hand to beckon Yan Qiushu to come over and sit down. She said helplessly, "I'm sorry to make you laugh. The fifth child is a bit childish. She is the youngest in the family except for the sixth child, and she is also a girl. It is inevitable that she is a little spoiled and inexperienced. She loves beauty and cries a lot."

Yan Qiushu scattered the petals that had fallen on the stone bench, sat down next to her, and comforted her, "This is good. If you're too sensible, you'll end up suffering a lot."

"That's right. She was fine before. When she was bullied, she would cry, but she would fight back..." Madam Xiao felt comforted when she heard this, but she still felt a headache when she thought of her daughter's current temper. She said:

"She no longer wanted to see anyone. The Xiao family wasn't as powerful as before. Those people laughed at her, and she didn't dare to fight back. Plus, I was in a bad mood at the time. I was worried that the Xiao family might have killed too many people and was full of sins, which would bring bad luck to these children. So she ran to this Taoist temple to hide away. I didn't care, as long as she was happy."

Yan Qiushu said softly, "You're overthinking it. If killing is truly a sin, then the Xiao family has quelled wars and chaos over the years, allowing countless people in the Great Zhou to live and work in peace. The merits they have created far outweigh the sins. How could they bring bad luck to others?"

Madam Xiao smiled with relief, put down the book in her hand, patted her head, and sighed, "It would be great if everyone in the world thought like you."

The Xiao family is indeed full of loyal and brave people who have protected countless people, but so what?

Not everyone can see it.

The war eleven years ago caused her to lose her husband and render her eldest son a disabled person. Rumors of the Xiao family's grave sins spread among the people. Later, before her third and fourth sons were even through with their mourning period, the originally arranged in-laws came one after another to cancel their engagements, unwilling to have anything to do with them.

Fortunately, the two children were very capable. The third child beat up his ex-fiancé under the city wall, but in return, the man from the Shen family fell in love with him at first sight.

The fourth child's fiancé refused to cancel the engagement, so the Jiang family took advantage of the situation and allowed the two to finally get married.

It was apparently a good day, but just as the child was born, they died one after another. When the bad news came, along with the rumor, everyone in Kyoto avoided the Xiao family for a while.

Even she herself began to doubt whether the rumor was true.

Therefore, she didn't care when the second son's wife took Pingsong to her parents' home; she didn't care when the third son stayed in the yard all day and didn't want to go out; she didn't care when Dongdong was coaxed away by the Jiang family; she didn't care when the fifth son hid in a Taoist temple because of his appearance; she didn't even care. She even didn't bother to worry about her son's marriage.

Anyway, if you marry into this family, you might end up being a widow anyway, so why hurt others?

Even after she learned part of the truth, she couldn't muster the energy to seek revenge. The person was gone, so what was there to seek revenge for? How could she seek revenge?

Moreover, the Xiao family's ancestral precepts said that the Xiao family would rather die than become traitors. She could only force herself to be muddle-headed, otherwise she would be immersed in torment all day long.

The fifth child is simple-minded and was spoiled in her early years, but she also knows the situation at home and cannot allow her to fight back as willfully as before, so she hides in the Taoist temple so that she can't hear what others say.

But now, everything has turned around.

Yan Qiushu had no idea what was going on in Mrs. Xiao's mind, but when she saw that she didn't say anything else, she picked up the storybook and took a look.

She hasn't read any novels from this era yet.

But you have to say, Pingniang in this story is indeed somewhat similar to Xiao Huaiya's experience.

Both of them are from a family of military generals, but one joined the army for his father, and the other went directly to the battlefield to avenge his brother and brothers-in-law, but both were accidentally disfigured on the battlefield.

Pingniang succeeded in her revenge and retired. She found a small courtyard and worked from sunrise to sunset. She embroidered flowers and fed chickens and ducks every day. She lived a quiet life until one day, when she rescued an unlucky scholar who had been robbed by bandits.

The two of them had a brief encounter, and the scholar was very grateful to her. He didn't mind the wound on Pingniang's face at all. If he found someone mocking her, even if he couldn't beat the person, he would teach that person a lesson. In the end, he was saved by Pingniang every time.

After a few times, the two of them fell in love with each other, and the scholar left, saying that he was going home to prepare the betrothal gifts and propose marriage.

But he was gone for several months, and everyone in the village said that Pingniang had been cheated. Just when Pingniang thought she had been cheated, someone came to tell her that the scholar was actually a prince. Because of the dispute over the throne, he was trapped in Kyoto and sent his confidant to tell him, as he was afraid that Pingniang would misunderstand him.

Pingniang naturally did not misunderstand, but was deeply moved.

In order to rescue the one she loved, she put on her armor again, went to Kyoto, summoned her old subordinates, and rescued the scholar in one go. Both of them disliked the constraints of the throne, and finally chose to leave Kyoto and travel around at the request of a wise monarch.

This story is quite well written, and the author's writing style is also good, which allowed Yan Qiushu to read it in one breath.

But after reading it, she always felt that the story was somewhat familiar, as if she had seen it before.

Could it be that the thought processes in ancient and modern vernacular novels are similar, and she has read similar stories?

She stared at the storybook, reading it again and again, but couldn't remember anything.

Until the people invited by Nanny Huang came, carrying a sedan chair.

When she saw the sedan chair, Xiao Huaiya reacted violently. She huddled on the bed, covered her head with the quilt, and refused to go out. Madam Xiao looked at her for a long time and winked at her third daughter.

Xiao Huaiyu stepped forward and said softly, "Xiao Wu, you really won't come out?"

"Third sister! Let me go, I don't want to go back, wuwuwu..." Xiao Huaiya acted coquettishly and pitifully.

Xiao Huaiyu patted the quilt on her head and said helplessly, "I'm sorry, sister."

After she finished speaking, she gave him a bear hug, directly hugging him and the quilt together, startling Xiao Huaiya who was lying in the quilt so much that she let out a dull protest: "Ugh! Third sister——"

She wanted to struggle, but her leg was injured and she couldn't exert much strength.

Soon the person was placed on the sedan chair. Madam Xiao didn't let her go yet. She handed her a ball of rope and said coldly: "Tie her up! Prevent her from moving around and causing more damage to her leg."

Yan Qiushu: “Hiss!”

Dongdong snuggled up to her and looked at the tied-up person in the sedan chair with sympathy: "Auntie is so miserable!"

Wan'er and Xiao Pingsong also nodded seriously: "Yes!"

So miserable!

As far as the children could remember, Madam Xiao had always been sickly. How could she have the energy to lose her temper? They had never seen such a thing in all these years, but they didn't expect to see it today in Xiao Huaiya. Everyone looked at Madam Xiao with more awe in their eyes.

However, it was also because of Madam Xiao's dominance that Xiao Huaiya was unable to resist and was taken back with no desire to live.

When she got on the carriage, Mrs. Xiao didn't even want to see her.

When they arrived, they took two carriages. Yan Qiushu, her child and Song Mingdai were in one carriage, and Madam Xiao, Xie Qingyun and Xiao Huaiyu were in another carriage. There were fewer people in that carriage, so Xiao Huaiya was supposed to go there. However, Madam Xiao didn't like her and refused to open the door, so Xiao Huaiyu put her in the second carriage.

The carriage door closed, and Xiao Huaiya came out of the bed with messy hair and red eyes, looking like a poor little kid who was bullied.

She first checked and made sure everything was fine, then glared at the car door resentfully, and then looked at her three nephews. When she saw this, she found that there was a strange woman in the car. Her face flushed at this moment, and she quickly pulled up the quilt to cover herself, leaving only her charming eyes exposed.

Seeing this, Dongdong and the others felt even more sympathetic.

Dongdong spoke sweetly and took the lead: "Auntie, don't be sad, I'll treat you to something to eat."

As he said that, he took off the big pouch from his waist, opened it and handed it over. His chubby little face was full of smiles: "It's delicious~"

As soon as the purse was opened, the enclosed space of the carriage was filled with the aroma of pepper and salt.

Yan Qiushu's eyes moved slightly as she looked at what the child was holding in his hands. The purse was not big, about the size of an adult's palm, but it was still quite conspicuous for a child.

She had noticed it before, but had never seen the child open it, so she thought it was something else. Who would have thought it was filled with snacks?

Xiao Huaiya blinked twice, her eyes moving slightly. She was in the Taoist temple, and apart from the dumplings on New Year's Eve, she had never eaten anything else by Yan Qiushu. The smell was particularly unfamiliar to her, but it was undeniable that it was quite fragrant. It was not a sweet fragrance, but a salty fragrance, and there was a hint of smell that made her want to sneeze.

She sniffed, feeling somewhat moved but also hesitant.

Dongdong simply sat down next to her, took the initiative to pass the purse to her, and whispered: "This is a snack made by Sister Shu. I ate three pieces along the way. The rest are for you. They are delicious!"

Hearing this, Xiao Huaiya looked at the woman opposite him. He understood her identity, and his shyness faded a lot. He said softly, "Hello, Miss Ah Shu."

Yan Qiushu suppressed her embarrassment and smiled, "Hello, Fifth Miss."

The main thing was that the way she looked today was indeed a bit embarrassing. Because of resistance, Xiao Huaiya did not put on her coat. Because of anger, Mrs. Xiao did not wait for her daughter to put on her coat. She directly wrapped her in the quilt from head to toe so that nothing could be seen, and carried her back like this.

This resulted in two strangers who had only heard each other's names being in the same space, a situation that even someone with social anxiety would not be able to handle.

but……

The other person's eyes and eyebrows alone made people feel beautiful, and her expression and movements were quite similar to Wan'er, so Yan Qiushu didn't feel too unfamiliar, and even felt a little close to her.

Xiao Huaiya didn't see any other expression on her face, and felt a little comforted. Only after his nephew's encouragement again, he slowly stretched out his slender fingers, picked up a piece, and hooked the corner of Ersha's clothes with his slender little finger. With a little force, he quickly put the small cube like rice crust into his mouth. He immediately took out his hand and straightened Ersha.

The whole process was extremely fast, at least Yan Qiushu didn't see anything.

For Xiao Huaiya, completing all this was as easy as flowing water. A shy smile appeared on her face, and her small mouth hidden in the gauze had already started chewing.

She was a little surprised when she chewed it.

It has a crispy texture and is sprinkled with various condiments specially made for barbecue on both sides. The slightly salty, spicy and spicy flavors are gathered on this simple steamed bun. The taste is novel, the saltiness is just right, and the spicy taste makes her tongue fascinated.

After finishing a small piece, she subconsciously licked the remaining seasoning powder on her lips. After licking it, she raised her eyebrows, and her eyes revealed surprise and a sense of unsatisfied desire.

She still wants to eat!

Dongdong also picked up a piece and ate it, crunching it with relish. He didn't forget to share it with Yan Qiushu, Wan'er, and Xiao Pingzhou. After he finished sharing, he looked back and saw his aunt's expression of delight. She said proudly, "Guess what this is made of?"

Xiao Huaiya frowned slightly and thought seriously for a while. Countless things flashed through her mind, and she finally tentatively chose the most basic answer: "And pink?"

"It's steamed buns! Sister Shu made this with the leftover steamed buns from breakfast. Isn't that amazing?" Dongdong smiled proudly, as if he had made it himself.

Xiao Huaiya was really surprised and stared at Yan Qiushu for a long time: "You are so amazing!"

Steamed buns can be made so delicious!

Yan Qiushu's cheeks flushed slightly: "Fortunately, this is very simple."

Dongdong leaned over and whispered in her aunt's ear, "Aunt, Sister Shu can cook a lot of things. You should be good friends with her and praise her cooking. If she is happy, she will also cook delicious food for you~"

Yan Qiushu: "..."

Her face flushed completely. So this is how Dongdong sees her?!