"Actually, it doesn't need to be so lavish," Jiang Jizu said, a little embarrassed.
He was just coming over to have a meal with his daughter and didn't want to make such a fuss.
“It’s not just for you, it’s also for Third Brother.” Jiang Sheng said seriously, “Third Brother came all the way back from the northern frontier, and he doesn’t usually get to eat these things.”
Jiang Jizu was speechless, then looked back at Fang Heng and vaguely saw the shadow of an old friend.
He smiled knowingly, recalling what Madam Jiang had said in her letter.
"Come, come, the braised pork knuckle is here, have a taste." Zhang Xianglian served the last dish and invited everyone to sit down. "The braised pork knuckle must be eaten while it's hot, it won't taste good when it's cold."
Everyone picked up their bowls and chopsticks and served food to the people they cared about.
Jiang Sheng tiptoed and handed a large piece of pork knuckle skin to Fang Heng. Then she turned around and put a piece in her own bowl as well.
Jiang Jizu ate his meal attentively, occasionally exchanging a few pleasantries with Chef Zhang Xianglian, showing no airs of a great general whatsoever.
Is he really the Jiang family patriarch who is away fighting?
Is he the eldest son whom his grandmother longed for?
Is he the father whom Jiang Chengyuan will always admire?
Was he also her...father?
Jiang Sheng lowered her eyelashes and slowly bit into the pork knuckle skin. For the first time, she felt a bit greasy, so she decided to pick up a piece of braised fish to cleanse her palate.
The master chef usually braises crucian carp; the meat is tender and absorbs the sauce well, but it has a lot of bones.
Jiang Sheng always had to spend a long time removing the bones before she could enjoy a bite, but today, she had only removed half of the bones when a clean piece of fish fell from the sky and landed precisely in her bowl.
I glanced at the people next to me; they were all eating seriously, so I couldn't tell who gave it to me.
Jiang Sheng sighed, picked up a piece of fish and examined it for a long time before finally stuffing it into her mouth.
Someone chuckled softly, picked up the fish piece again, and carefully removed the bones.
Jiang Sheng ate most of the whole crucian carp, while Jiang Jizu's bowl was piled high with fish bones.
As the meal was drawing to a close, Zhang Xianglian remembered the soup that was still cooking and hurriedly went to serve it.
The head chef felt sorry for him and put down his chopsticks to help.
With only a few brothers left at the table, Jiang Sheng finally put down her chopsticks and said softly, "No matter what, we have to thank you for helping our eldest brother. We've already eaten the braised pork knuckle. I'll have someone deliver the chilled lychees to the Jiang residence later. What do you think?"
It looks like an inquiry, but it's actually a way of telling people to leave.
The little girl knew who he was and what he wanted to do.
For her older brother's sake, and out of gratitude, she obediently returned home and finished her meal.
She dared not think about or want the rest.
Since you abandoned her more than ten years ago, don't try to get her back.
The man who was peeling the fish bones stopped and removed the hair-thin bones, leaving the whole, tender fish meat. He dipped the fish meat in the sauce and put it into Jiang Sheng's bowl.
“Child,” Jiang Jizu sighed, “the Jiang family has wronged you and has been absent from your life for too long. Any way we can help you is what we should do. We don’t need your gratitude or your concern.”
"I have been stationed in the Northwest for twenty years, and I have only been back in Beijing for two or three years. I have never put in much effort to find you, nor have I personally raised you, nor have I ever stood up for you."
"It's already a rare treat to have a meal with you and remove a bone spur from your bones; I shouldn't even dream of anything more."
"I'm just here to tell you that you have a family, a father. As long as you're willing, the Jiang family will always keep its doors open to you, and your father will always be waiting for you ahead."
The man stood up, tears welling in his eyes, which he then blinked away.
His thick beard covered his face, making him look rough, but also concealing all his emotions.
He is like an indestructible mountain, standing majestically in the world, blocking the wind in front and calming the water behind.
The delicious food on the table was still wafting its aroma, and the little girl eating kept her head down and didn't say a word. The scene was like a dream, like an illusion, like reality.
He reached out, seemingly wanting to fiddle with the dark little ball again, but fearing he might offend her, he could only dejectedly put his hand behind his back.
"I've already eaten the braised pork knuckle. Save the chilled lychees for the older brothers. Don't worry about the Imperial Examination Hall; I'm here." With that, he turned and strode away.
Zhang Xianglian and the head chef happened to be bringing over the soup, their faces full of astonishment and confusion.
They probably thought, "How could our benefactors who helped us leave without even drinking the soup?"
Or perhaps they're wondering, for whom do the generals who have fought on the battlefield travel thousands of miles back from the frontier?
Jiang Sheng suddenly raised her head and looked at the silent Fang Heng, "Third Brother, is the Northern Frontier currently at war?"
Fang Heng nodded, his tone heavy with sorrow, "Not only was it wartime, but it was also the most intense and tense moment. If I hadn't accumulated several great achievements, I wouldn't have had the face to ask for leave to visit my family."
And what about him?
How many achievements, how many wounds, how many Tartars must the General accomplish before he can overcome all opposition and return to Fengjing?
Will the emperor rebuke us? Will the court be angry? How many passionate and indignant memorials will the civil officials submit?
She dismissed him with just a big pork knuckle; isn't that a bit too much?
Jiang Sheng felt increasingly distressed and conflicted as she thought about it.
Impulsiveness made her stand up, rush to Jiang Jizu's side in a few steps, and hesitated before speaking, "Do you... do you need anything? I will try my best to help you, and I will repay you."
The man, who had taken a while to reach the entrance of the main hall, turned around, his eyes revealing neither joy nor anger. "I have only one wish."
"What's your wish?" Jiang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. "Tell me, and I'll help you."
"I want to spend half a day playing with you."
It doesn't sound unreasonable, but it feels a bit strange.
Jiang Sheng hesitated before agreeing.
"Then it's settled. I'll take you after dinner." Jiang Jizu smiled and went back to drink a bowl of soup.
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