125 Cicada Explosion

◎Who is Xie Wuyang to you?◎

The night was dark and everything was silent, except for the annoying chirping of cicadas outside the window, which became louder and louder, as noisy as the never-ending gongs and drums, striking hard at Song Jinyi's already troubled heartstrings.

She had tossed and turned in bed countless times.

The quilt was crumpled into a mess, and she changed countless positions, but still couldn't fall asleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, the scene of the theater that day kept emerging in her mind.

The cicadas outside the window seemed to be deliberately against her, chirping louder and louder, completely extinguishing her last bit of sleepiness.

"Ah——!" Song Jinyi suddenly sat up from the bed and scratched her hair irritably. She couldn't stand it anymore!

A moment later, lanterns lit up in the backyard of the Song residence.

Song Jinyi was wearing only a casual coat, her long hair tied up loosely. She held a lantern in one hand, followed by Li He and Zhang Yao, who looked dazed and sleepy.

"What is Sister Jinyi doing in the middle of the night?" They both asked in unison, their voices filled with sleepiness and confusion.

"Catch the cicadas!" Song Jinyi handed them two long bamboo poles with sticky gum on the top, and held up a lantern to illuminate them. "They're making so much noise that we can't sleep! We have to catch them all tonight!"

The three of them walked under the tree, the halo of the lantern swaying among the dense branches and leaves, and the chirping of cicadas still roared like thunder.

"There!" Song Jinyi pointed with sharp eyes at a dark figure lying on a low branch.

Zhang Yao was a bit braver. She held her breath and carefully brought the tip of the bamboo pole covered with glue closer...

"Stuck!" Zhang Yao exclaimed excitedly, slowly retracting the bamboo pole. The poor cicada fluttered its wings in vain, chirping even more rapidly, but it was firmly stuck and unable to move.

After half an incense stick of time had passed, Song Jinyi's irritability strangely dissipated as she listened to the more than thirty "trophies" in the cloth bag still struggling and chirping, and was replaced by a childish sense of satisfaction.

"Hmph, I told you not to disturb my sleep." She weighed the heavy cloth bag, and finally a smile of relief appeared on the corner of her mouth.

*****

Li He and Zhang Yao thought that the matter would be over after catching the summer cicada, but in the blink of an eye they saw Song Jinyi walking into the kitchen with the bag of cicadas without changing her expression.

Then he skillfully lit a fire and heated the oil. Li He and Zhang Yao's faces instantly became uneasy.

"Master?" Zhang Yao watched in horror as she pinched off the cicada's wings and head, and washed the big black insect like food.

"What are you going to do? Why not just crush it to death and throw it away?" Her voice changed.

"Crush it to death?" Song Jinyi said swiftly, without even looking up. "What a waste! This is good stuff, high in protein and very nutritious! In other places, this kind of stuff can be sold for hundreds of coins per pound after being dried!"

Li He stood at the kitchen door, his face pale, "Sister Jinyi, Yunzhou Teahouse's business has always been good, and Sister Xu sends silver notes every month.

"The restaurant business is pretty good. You don't want to... want to eat this, do you?" She looked at the green smoke rising from the wok, her tone filled with panic.

Song Jinyi glanced at them, seeing the two of them looking like they were facing a formidable enemy and wanted to run away, she couldn't help but chuckle: "Look at how little you can do! Wait, I guarantee you will be "really fragrant" in a while."

She drained the cleaned cicadas, sprinkled a little fine salt and pepper powder on them and marinated them simply.

When the oil pan is 70% hot, pick up the cicadas with chopsticks and carefully place them one by one into the boiling oil.

“Sizzle!”

Accompanied by a burst of dense and tempting frying sounds, the originally black cicadas quickly curled up and changed color, rolling and undulating in the boiling oil, gradually turning into an attractive golden yellow, emitting an indescribable strange smell mixed with burnt aroma and unique meaty aroma.

Each one is fried until golden and crispy, quickly removed, drained of oil, and placed on a white porcelain plate.

The fried cicadas are curled up, with translucent and crispy shells, like tiny pieces of golden amber, emitting an alluring aroma.

"Try it?"

Li He and Zhang Yao shook their heads without thinking. They didn't want to eat it!

Song Jinyi didn't force him and started eating. "You two unlucky guys, don't you really want to taste the gift of nature?"

Li He and Zhang Yao watched her eat with gusto, making tempting "crunching" sounds, and swallowed unconsciously. It looked like she could really eat it.

The two looked at each other and thought, why not give it a try?

The two men tremblingly picked up a fried cicada each, closed their eyes tightly, and put the cicada into their mouths. "Crack!" An extremely crisp cracking sound was heard.

The crispy shell, as thin as a cicada's wing, breaks between the teeth, revealing the tender and firm meat inside.

A rich, unique flavor with a burnt aroma instantly spreads in the mouth, mixed with the salty aroma of pepper and salt. It is unexpectedly delicious and tasty, without the strange taste you might imagine. Instead, it has a crispy texture similar to fried river shrimp or small yellow croaker.

They both showed a look of amazement at the same time. It was really edible! And it was quite delicious.

The three of them enjoyed their nightly snack.

Seeing that the two of them accepted the cicadas so quickly, Song Jinyi said maliciously, "These fried cicadas taste good, don't they? Besides fried cicadas, you can also fry other things. Are you interested in trying it?"

As expected, the two of them followed her words and asked, what else can be blown up?

"Everything can be fried! Scorpions, centipedes, bamboo worms, grasshoppers... As long as they're clean, they'll be crispy and fragrant! Especially the big scorpions, fried to golden brown with their tails sticking up. They're so crispy and fragrant..."

Before she could finish her words, Zhang Yao covered her mouth and said, "Master, that's enough. Let's eat something proper."

Li He also nodded in response.

Eating cicadas is already crossing the line. If you want to eat scorpions and centipedes...

She shudders just thinking about it. Not to mention eating these things, she would scream just by looking at them.

Li He looked at Song Jinyi and felt awe for the first time.

Sister Jinyi is so scary!

******

The candlelight was bright and the room was filled with a faint scent of incense.

Tuoba Jun's golden hair was casually spread out. He was wearing a dark-patterned brocade robe and green boots. He was leaning on a Hu bed, twirling a letter between his fingertips and reading it for a while without putting it down.

"Heh..." A low chuckle escaped from his throat. He raised his eyes to look at Sui Yun standing beside him, "What do you think of the Duke of the Northern Territory?"

Sui Yun said, "Duke Zhenguo Jiang Chen has guarded the northern border for thirty years and has been a roadblock to the eastward expansion of the Western Rong and Wusun."

Tuoba Jun nodded and said, "He holds great power and has deep roots in the northern border. Now, the Rongxi Army in the northern border only knows the surname Jiang, not the surname Gu.

"The new emperor's foundation is not yet stable, so he wants to test his father-in-law and send people to the northern border to share power. The deputy generals who supervised the army either fell off their horses or died suddenly from a serious illness... The Jiang family's intentions are obvious."

Sui Yun's eyes flashed with a hint of eagerness, "Master, this Jiang Chen is so powerful that he threatens the lord, and he commands a large army. The Jiang family and the royal family are already at odds, and the situation is getting more serious.

"Why don't we add some more wood to make the fire burn brighter?" He gestured to add more wood.

"There's no need to go to such lengths." Tuoba Jun said, "Do you think that old fox Jiang Chen is a pushover? Is he the kind of reckless man who can be easily provoked by a few rumors?"

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the twinkling lights of the capital outside. "His daughter is now the queen. As long as the queen gives birth to a prince, then he, Jiang Chen, will be the grandfather of the future crown prince.

If something happens to the emperor, it will be the perfect time for him, a loyal minister, to help. Wouldn't that be perfectly justified and a natural outcome?

He turned around, staring at the sweat-drenched Sui Yun with a sharp gaze. "Interfering now? It would only alert the enemy. It's better to sit back and watch the fight unfold. Doing nothing is the best strategy."

Sui Yun lowered his head and said, "I am stupid. I will tell the others not to act rashly."

No one spoke in the room, and it fell into silence again. Sui Yun stood aside, wondering why the master didn't ask him to go down.

After waiting for half a minute, I finally heard him speak, "Has anyone come to see me here today?" He had his back to Suiyun, as if he was just chatting casually, and his tone was flat and calm.

Suiyun said no.

Tuoba Jun tightened his fingers around the teacup slightly, and just said "hmm" lightly.

The air seemed to stagnate for a few moments.

Xie Wuyang lowered his eyes and spoke again, "Did Aisha send any news back?"

Suiyun opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

Aisha was sent to the theater, where she mostly interacted with ordinary people and merchants, and had no access to the inner circle of the court. Naturally, no news came back.

He was a little confused about what his master wanted to ask, and after hesitating for a while, he had to report truthfully, "No news has been sent back."

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Jun said casually, "I will go to the theater myself tomorrow."

Suiyun looked at his master in astonishment. What was he looking at? Aisha and the others? The prince was never one to show concern for his subordinates.

He always felt that his master had become abnormal since coming to Daxia and Shengjing.

******

As night falls, the theater is bustling with activity and brightly lit.

On both sides of the stage hung layers of gauze curtains, as light as mist, which fluttered and swayed silently with the music and the occasional breeze passing through the hall.

The light and shadow flow and dance between the gauze curtains, and the dancers on the stage flutter their colorful sleeves, which is very captivating.

Aisha was spinning barefoot to the beat of the drums, her golden hair flying and colorful veils swirling around her, like a blooming exotic flower, drawing cheers from the audience.

As she did a gorgeous spin, her eyes inadvertently swept across the railing on the second floor, and her body paused slightly, almost imperceptibly.

After the dance was over, Aisha hurried up to the second floor, holding up her skirt.

Song Jinyi was handling accounts at the counter downstairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aisha going upstairs alone, stopping in front of a room and pushing the door open.

She frowned. In order to ensure the safety of the dancers, the theater had set a rule that prohibited people in the theater from contacting guests privately to prevent accidents.

Song Jinyi put down the account book and followed him. She knocked on the door and pushed it open without waiting for the person inside to answer. She saw Aisha sitting on the man's lap with her back to her, her two arms as white as lotus roots resting gently on the man's shoulders.

Aisha and the man under her looked over together - it was Ah Qi.

Song Jinyi's face froze, and he fixed his gaze on Aisha. He asked in a cold voice, "What are you doing here?"

Aisha adjusted her hair and stood up calmly.

Ah Qi slowly turned his head and looked at Song Jinyi at the door. There was no surprise on his face. Instead, he smiled playfully and answered for Aisha: "Aisha is my friend. She came to have a couple of drinks with me. Why, Madam Song, do you want to interfere?"

Song Jinyi nodded slightly. "Mr. Qi, you're joking. Since we're just friends meeting, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm just worried that the dancers in the theater might be overstepping the boundaries. After all, our theater is a serious one, and dancers only perform on stage. We don't offer such a service as serving as private drinking companions."

Ah Qi raised an eyebrow. "Madam Song, is it true that Aisha is overstepping her bounds by accompanying an old friend like me?"

"That's not what I said."

Ah Qi waved his hand, signaling Aisha to go out.

Aisha closed the door, leaving only Song Jinyi and Ah Qi in the private room. The atmosphere instantly became tense and tense.

"You've driven the beauty away..." He dragged out his words, "Then shouldn't Madam Song come and have a couple of drinks with me to make it up to me?"

Song Jinyi didn't say anything, but just observed him silently. He was a little drunk now, and his eyes were blurry.

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: if I get him drunk, then I can probably get some information out of him.

If he really is Xie Wuyang...

She took a deep breath and actually walked to the table, sat down across from him, picked up the wine jug and poured herself a glass of wine. "Okay, I'll drink with you."

Neither of them spoke anymore, but just drank one cup after another in silence.

The candlelight is flickering and the wine is fragrant.

The wine is the best pear blossom white, sweet at first but with a long aftertaste.

Song Jinyi gradually became unable to cope, her vision began to blur, her body became limp, and her thoughts ran wild like a wild horse.

Ah Qi held the wine glass and stared at her. His green eyes, where she couldn't see them, lost their drunken haze and turned into a sober scrutiny.

After an unknown amount of time, several bottles of wine were empty. Song Jinyi finally couldn't hold on any longer, her arms went limp, and she collapsed onto the table.

In a daze, Song Jinyi looked at the blurry golden figure opposite with drunken eyes, "You are Xie Wuyang, right? You are obviously Xie Wuyang, why don't you admit it?"

Ah Qi stared at her expressionlessly, "Xie Wuyang?" He met her eyes and said without emotion, "He died a long time ago. Died in that cold, dark sea three years ago.

"You personally chose to abandon him and push him into a dead end.

"...Why do you mention him again now?"

She explained incoherently: "It's not like that. I didn't want him to die. I just wanted to... to delay time. I didn't want him to get into trouble..."

She talked a lot, but it was nothing more than saying sorry and that she didn't mean it, over and over again.

At the end of the sentence, he suddenly choked up, lowered his head, and his shoulders trembled violently. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's my fault..."

The suppressed crying sound was particularly clear in the silent room.

Seeing her breaking down and crying, Ah Qi's hands on his knees curled up slightly.

He slowly stood up, walked around the table and came to her side.

The tall figure enveloped her. He stretched out his hand, and when he was about to touch her, he hesitated. The next second, he gently stroked her tear-stained cheek, held her face, and made her look at him.

"You care so much about Xie Wuyang... Then," he leaned over, approaching her tear-stained face, his emerald eyes locking tightly with hers, and asked word by word, "Who is Xie Wuyang to you?"

【Author’s words】

The cicadas in the yard: "This is terrible! This guy is killing cicadas! Brothers, run!"

The inspiration came from one day when I passed by a tree and heard the cicadas chirping so loudly, like firecrackers, so I came up with this plot.