Chapter 68 (Baked Buns)

The title of that book is a bit strange.

It's quite similar to the various novels Yan Qiushu read before she traveled through time, except that the time period 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 who were in silent confrontation came back to their senses. Xiao Huaiya blinked twice and squeezed out two tears. The only part of her face that was exposed revealed a bit of weakness. At the same time, she said in great surprise and astonishment, "Mother, why are you here, eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law?"

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

Madam Xiao smiled gloomily and sneered, "Why? I shouldn't have come?"

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

"That's probably what you were thinking," Mrs. Xiao pointed at her legs, her fingers shaking with anger. "I asked you to stay here so you could have a quiet life. I wouldn't blame you if you went back on the first day of the New Year. But you've made yourself into this state! Is this the quiet life you want to have?"

Xiao Huaiya's eyes became hot, and tears began to flow. He 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 dragged me down with him. You know, I'm the only one in this Taoist temple who knows martial arts."

Mrs. Xiao took two steps forward and continued to ask aggressively, "Then why didn't you tell me? Normally, you would write down how much you had read in the scriptures, and you would 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~"

Mrs. Xiao felt a headache when she saw her like this. She wanted to scold her, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She picked up the book on the ground with a gloomy face and said unhappily, "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 defend herself, but when she realized that this was the truth, she said weakly, "I know the sutra by heart, and it was boring. 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 knitted tighter and tighter, muttering, "Marrying the King Xiaoyao with an ugly appearance? Have you not grown up yet? It's too similar to your experience? She is not like you, crying all day long! She cried so hard when she lost a tooth! She didn't go out 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~~~"

This cry of "mother" was particularly sweet and full of pleading, as if 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, and was not moved at all. She even sneered: "No wonder I felt a little uneasy in the past few days. It turns out that your ancestor is making trouble again! Bone injuries are not a trivial matter. Come back with me later and take good care of yourself."

At this point, Hsiao Hwai-ya lowered his head in resistance: "I don't want to, 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, who had always spoken in a soft voice, finally raised her voice, her brows furrowed in resistance.

But Mrs. 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, telling Madam Huang, "Go find a sedan chair and ask someone to carry this little ancestor down."

Madam Huang was still a little hesitant: "Madam, I'm afraid Miss Five won't be willing."

Madam Xiao lowered her eyes and looked at the storybook in her hand. She said in a deep voice, "Before, I was too 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 stay 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. What's the point of reading these stories all day? She might as well have been brave enough to beat up those who laughed at her when she was a child!"

"Instead of letting her stay here and feel sad, it's better to send her back. If she doesn't get 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, so she nodded immediately and said, "I will go find someone right away."

Nanny Huang left with 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 after all, she was a relative, so after a brief hesitation, they followed her in to comfort her.

After a while, Yan Qiushu heard sobbing from the other end, which sounded particularly aggrieved, but inexplicably made her want to laugh. She originally thought that it was a mischievous little girl who would secretly read novels, but when she opened her mouth, she found that it was a poor little person who was sad and self-pitying.

But she knows 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 really weak child.

But she cried so...it made me feel sad.

Mrs. Xiao calmed down, raised her hand and beckoned Yan Qiushu to come over and sit down, and 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 a girl. It is inevitable that she is a little spoiled, inexperienced, and loves beauty and crying."

Yan Qiushu scattered the petals that had fallen on the stone bench, sat down next to her, and consoled her: "This is good. If you are too sensible, you will suffer a lot of grievances."

"That's right. She was fine before. When she was bullied, she would cry, but she would fight back and beat herself..." Mrs. 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 was not as powerful as before. She didn't dare to fight back when those people laughed at her. In addition, I was in a bad mood at the time. I was afraid that the Xiao family might have really 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 think too much. If killing is really a sin, then the Xiao family has quelled wars over the years, allowing countless people in the Great Zhou to live and work in peace. The merits they have created are far greater than the sins. How could they bring bad luck to others?"

Mrs. 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, and they have protected countless people, but so what?

Not everyone can see it.

The war eleven years ago killed her husband and turned her eldest son into a cripple. Rumors spread that the Xiao family was deeply sinful. Later, before her third and fourth sons were over in mourning, the originally scheduled in-laws came to cancel the engagement one after another, not wanting to have anything to do with them.

Fortunately, the two children worked hard. 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 was unwilling 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 time, but as soon 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 at that time.

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 refused 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 she marries into the family, she might end up being a widow anyway, so why hurt others?

Even after she knew part of the truth, she had no energy to seek revenge. The person was gone, what was there to seek revenge for? How could she seek revenge?

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

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

Only 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 has never read any novels from this era.

But let’s be honest, Pingniang in this story does have some similarities to Xiao Huaiya’s experience.

Both are from military families, 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 a cunning scholar who had offended 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 a betrothal gift to propose marriage.

But he was gone for several months, and everyone in the village said that Pingniang was deceived. Just when Pingniang thought she was deceived, someone came and told 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 her, for 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, allowing Yan Qiushu to finish reading 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 thinking behind ancient and modern vernacular novels is similar, and she has read similar stories?

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

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

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

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

"Third sister! Please let me go, I don't want to go back, wuwuwu..." Xiao Huaiya acted coquettishly in a pitiful manner.

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

After saying that, she gave him a bear hug, hugging him and the quilt together, which startled Xiao Huaiya who was lying under the quilt and made her utter a dull protest: "Ugh! Third sister——"

She wanted to struggle, but her leg was still injured and she couldn't use all her strength.

Soon the person was put on the sedan chair. Mrs. Xiao did not let her go. She handed her a ball of rope and said very coldly: "Tie her up! Otherwise she will move around and hurt her leg more."

Yan Qiushu: “Hiss!”

Dongdong leaned against her and looked at the tied-up person on the sedan chair with sympathy: "Aunt is so miserable!"

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

It’s so terrible!

As far as the children could remember, Mrs. Xiao had always been sickly, so how could she lose her temper? They had never seen such a thing in all these years, but they did not expect to see it in Hsiao Wai-ya today. They all looked at Mrs. Xiao with awe in their eyes.

However, it was also because Mrs. Xiao was so powerful that she successfully made it impossible for Xiao Huaiya to resist, and he was taken back with no desire to live.

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

When they arrived, they took two carriages. Yan Qiushu took the children and Song Mingdai 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 should have gone there. However, Madam Xiao did not like her and refused to open the door, so Xiao Huaiyu put her in the second carriage.

The carriage door closed, and Xiao Huaiya emerged from under the quilt with disheveled hair and red eyes, looking like a poor little kid who was bullied.

She checked first and found that the quilt was fine, then glared at the car door with resentment, and then looked at her three nephews. At this glance, she found that there was a strange woman in the car. Her face turned red 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.

Dong Dong was sweet-mouthed and spoke first: "Aunt, don't be sad, I'll treat you to something to eat."

As he said this, he took off the big purse from his waist, opened it and handed it to me, his chubby face full of smiles: "It's delicious~"

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

Yan Qiushu's eyes moved slightly as she took a look 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 just something else. Who would have thought it was filled with snacks?

Xiao Huaiya blinked twice and her eyes moved slightly. She was in the Taoist temple. Apart from the dumplings on New Year's Eve, she had never eaten anything else of Yan Qiushu's. This smell was particularly unfamiliar to her, but she could not deny that it smelled quite fragrant. It was not a sweet smell, but a salty one, and there was also a hint of a smell that made her want to sneeze.

She sniffed, feeling somewhat moved and hesitant.

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

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

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

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

This resulted in two strangers who had only heard each other's names being in the same space. Even people with social awkwardness might not be able to handle it.

However...

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

Xiao Huaiya didn't see any other expressions on her face, and felt a little comforted in her heart. Then, with another blessing from her nephew, she slowly stretched out her slender fingers and twisted a piece. Her slender little finger hooked up the corner of her gauze clothes. With a little force, she quickly put the small cube that was like a pot into her mouth. Her hand immediately came out again and straightened the gauze.

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

To Hsiao Huai-ya, accomplishing all of this was as easy as flowing water. A shy smile flashed across his brows, and his veiled little mouth had already begun chewing.

She was a little surprised when she chewed it.

It has a crispy texture and is sprinkled with various condiments specially made for grilling on both sides. The slight salty, spicy and spice 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 feeling of being unsatisfied.

She still wants to eat!

Dong Dong also picked up a piece and ate it, crunching it with relish. He did not forget to share it with Yan Qiu Shu, Wan Er and Xiao Ping Zhou. After he finished sharing, he looked back and saw his aunt showing a look of delight. She said proudly, "Guess what this is made of?"

Xiao Huaiya frowned and thought seriously for a while. Countless things flashed through his mind. Finally, he tentatively chose the most basic answer: "And fans?"

"It's steamed buns! Sister Shu made this with the leftover steamed buns from breakfast. Isn't it 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 blushed slightly: "Fortunately, this is very simple."

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

Yan Qiushu: “…”

Her face turned completely red. So this is how she looked in Dongdong's eyes?!