Chapter 55 "Qiong'er, let's go back..."
"Qiong'er, let's go back."
As the sun began to set, Xie Zhuo stood on the path in the center of the courtyard and called out to the plants and trees within.
A moment later, two young men emerged from among the lush foliage.
Xie Baoqiong jogged a few steps closer to Xie Zhuo's hand, then turned and waved to Qi Gui:
"See you later, Qi Gui."
Qi Gui stopped under the tree, the broad green leaves sheltering his head, and the evening glow draped him around him, coating him with a soft, warm light.
A smile, tinged with reluctance, appeared on his face: "See you in the capital."
...
Xie Baoqiong followed Xie Zhuo slowly out of the courtyard gate, stepping in his footprints.
Xie Zhuo's figure in front suddenly stopped. He quickened his pace, pressed himself against Xie Zhuo's back, and quietly peeked out to look ahead.
"Young Master Xie, are you going back?"
A few steps in front of Xie Zhuo stood an aunt carrying a basket, with a young woman dressed as a married woman beside her. The one who spoke was the aunt carrying the bamboo basket.
"Hmm, Aunt Wang, are you here to see Abao?" Xie Zhuo glanced at the commotion behind him and answered Aunt Wang's question.
"Yes, we owe Abao's discovery to Young Master Xie and the other officials." Aunt Wang lifted the basket in her hand. "I brought some food for Doctor Chen. Young Master Xie, would you like to stay and have some with us?"
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Xie Baoqiong, who was peeking out from Xie Zhuo's side: "This must be Xie Langjun's little treasure, right? He's so handsome, practically a carbon copy of Xie Langjun. Let's have a meal together."
"Thank you, but I have other important business to attend to later, so I won't stay for dinner."
Xie Zhu politely declined with a smile. To prevent Aunt Wang from extending another invitation, he turned to look at Wang Yingying, who was also carrying a bamboo basket. Her complexion was rosy, and she looked much more energetic than when he had seen her a few days ago. He asked Aunt Wang:
"How is Miss Wang's recovery going?"
Aunt Wang was indeed drawn to his words, and her face lit up with even greater joy:
"Fortunately, Dr. Chen was willing to help my Yingying recover her health..."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Aunt Wang ended her conversation with Xie Zhuo's warning that the food would get cold, and then pulled Wang Yingying into the courtyard.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to slip a warm egg into Xie Baoqiong's hand.
The reddish-brown egg, about half the size of Xie Baoqiong's palm, was forcefully shoved into his hand.
With a bewildered expression, he held the warm egg in his palm, unsure of what to do. He looked up and saw Xie Zhuo, then blankly handed the egg to Xie Zhuo.
Xie Zhuo took the egg, tapped it gently, and peeled off the brown shell along the crack with his fingers, revealing the tender white inside, and brought it to his mouth.
"Eat."
Xie Baoqiong took a bite of the egg from Xie Zhuo's hand, biting off the top layer of egg white to reveal the yellow-green yolk inside.
The warm egg whites are not too hot to eat, and the method of cooking them by scalding them with plain water without adding any seasonings means they don't have any extra flavor.
But as you chew, the delicate aroma of the egg itself fills your mouth.
Xie Baoqiong took the egg from Xie Zhuo's hand, took a bite, and the egg white wrapped around half of the yolk was put into his mouth. Unlike the texture of just egg white, the smooth and tender texture spread in his mouth with a deep and dense flavor.
He ate the rest of the egg in his hand in one gulp, then let Xie Zhuo wipe his hands with a handkerchief before leading him forward.
The two of them stepped into the twilight together.
Xie Baoqiong swallowed her food as she walked, looking up at Xie Zhuo, whose features were softened by the setting sun:
"Dad, this egg tastes different from the pheasant eggs I used to eat in the mountains."
Xie Zhuo looked stunned; this was the first time Xie Baoqiong had brought up the past with him.
The information sent back by the people who investigated the news was only a few pages long, but it covered thirteen years.
He could only piece together his child's past from a few lines belonging to Xie Baoqiong.
Xie Zhuo turned his head, his expression returning to normal, and asked curiously:
"Really? Which one does Qiong'er like?"
Xie Baoqiong recalled the taste of the mountain eggs he and Su Xiaochun had roasted and eaten before; they had a different flavor from the eggs he was eating today. He simply said:
"All is well."
Where's Dad? Which one does Dad like?
"Father has never tasted mountain eggs." Although Xie Zhuo was a noble young master, he had not necessarily tasted all the food in the world. This was not a lie. He then said, "Where did Qiong'er taste them? Father would also like to taste the flavor that Qiong'er tasted."
Xie Baoqiong gripped Xie Zhuo's hand tightly, her face showing difficulty. This might be a bit tricky. The mountain eggs he had eaten were roasted by Su Xiaochun. Given Xiaochun's dislike of Xie Zhuo's mannerisms, she might not be willing to roast them for him.
Seeing the conflicted look on his face, Xie Zhuo didn't want to put him in a difficult position, and immediately wanted to say something to make amends, but then he saw the latter's expression suddenly brighten:
“I used to eat food grilled by my friends, but if Dad wants some, I’ll grill some for you too.” Xie Baoqiong’s eyes sparkled, thinking her idea was really good.
"Okay, sure." Xie Zhuo looked at Xie Baoqiong's bright eyes with a smile, then casually added:
"I haven't heard you mention your old friend before. If Qiong'er misses him, you can invite him to your home."
Xie Baoqiong nodded, not mentioning Su Xiaochun's matter further to Xie Zhuo:
"Dad, where are we going now?"
Xie Zhuo's gaze shifted to the street lit up:
"Let's go get something to eat first; there's a gathering on the street later tonight."
After turning the corner and arriving at the main street, the surrounding environment became lively.
Xie Zhuo led Xie Baoqiong to sit down at a table in front of the wonton stall and ordered two large bowls of wontons.
Two bowls of steaming wontons were served on the table shortly afterward.
Beneath the swirling mist, a bowl of clear soup is filled with translucent, white wontons with thin wrappers, and a few sprinklings of bright green scallions amidst the glistening flesh make it even more enticing.
Xie Zhuo scooped up one of the wontons, which was soaked in soup. The translucent skin of the wonton was dripping soup from the edge of the spoon, and the off-white shrimp skin was about to slide off the translucent milky white skin.
He scooped the spoon over the rim of the bowl, flipped the dough back into the spoon, and put it into his mouth after it was no longer too hot to eat.
Meanwhile, Xie Baoqiong had already eaten several wontons.
By the time Xie Zhuo finished his wontons, Xie Baoqiong had already finished hers and was peering at the candied hawthorn stand that an old man was carrying on his shoulder as he walked by.
The round, red berries were strung together and wrapped in a golden sugar coating.
The lights from the vendors' stalls shone above, making the sugar coating appear as if it were plated with gold, glittering and dazzling in Xie Baoqiong's eyes.
He originally had a string of them too, but they ended up in Amei's stomach.
The golden light suddenly stopped moving, and amidst the clamor of the street, a childish voice reached Xie Baoqiong's ears with unmistakable clarity:
"Daddy, I want to eat this."
His gaze shifted slightly from the golden flashes and landed on a child with a three-pronged bun.
The child with the three-pronged bun sat on a man's shoulder, his stubby, chubby fingers pointing at the golden light in Xie Baoqiong's eyes.
The man carrying the child with the three-pronged bun readily pulled out a few copper coins. "Uncle, give me a string of them."
A shelf adorned with golden light was handed to the child, who then carefully plucked a string of items from it.
Thin bamboo skewers are laden with bright red, shimmering fruits, which are then exchanged between two hands.
Xie Baoqiong withdrew her gaze and silently fixed it on Xie Zhuo.
Xie Zhuo had been paying close attention to his child's actions for a long time, and naturally he had taken in Xie Baoqiong's every move, including the envious look in her eyes at the child sitting on her father's shoulders.
Although Qiong'er is a bit older now, but...
My unfinished thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice:
"Father."
Xie Zhuo suddenly looked up and saw Xie Baoqiong with a normal expression: "I want..."
"Can."
"Candied hawthorn." Xie Baoqiong uttered the remaining three words.
Xie Zhuo's eyes flickered slightly: "Dad will go buy it for you."
Xie Zhuo glanced at the candied hawthorn vendor who had already disappeared into the crowd. Worried that Xie Baoqiong would be separated from the crowd, he bought a bowl of sweet soup for Xie Baoqiong from a nearby stall.
"Don't wander off, wait for me here."
Xie Baoqiong watched Xie Zhuo's figure disappear into the crowd, then sat down and obediently drank the sweet soup.
The sweet soup was almost empty, but Xie Zhuo hadn't returned yet. He was about to ask the owner for another bowl when a figure suddenly sat down in front of him.
"Hey, young friend, your complexion looks rather gloomy..."
The man rambled on for a while before Xie Baoqiong realized that the person was talking to him.
He looked up and saw a man in front of him wearing a tattered shirt, casually leaning a banner against the table, muttering incessantly, "His forehead is dark..."
Xie Baoqiong interrupted Li Yi, "I'm fine."
Li Yi stretched out one hand and waved it in front of Xie Baoqiong, while casually using the other hand to move the bowl of sweet soup in front of Xie Baoqiong towards himself:
"Boss, another bowl of sweet soup."
He then turned to Xie Baoqiong and said, "Hey, young friend, you're mistaken."
The dessert stall owner glanced at the newly arrived Li Yi and refilled his bowl of dessert: "The second bowl is only one coin."
Li Yi took out the only copper coin from his clothes and handed it to the shopkeeper. After taking a sip of the soup, he let out a long sigh of relief. He hadn't eaten since escaping from the yamen, and this sweet soup was a lifesaver.
After coming back to life, he continued to deceive the young man in front of him:
"I am just a person with whom I have a connection, and it is also fate that you, young master, have met me today."
Li glanced at Xie Baoqiong's clothes and continued, "I observe that your Parents Palace and Fortune Palace are full, indicating that your ancestors were wealthy and you were born into a prominent family..."
Xie Baoqiong, born from a stone: "..."
His expression remained unchanged, so Li Yi glanced at his face and continued making things up:
"Young master, don't disbelieve what I just calculated. I'm not kidding you; there might be bloodshed today."
As Li Yi spoke, he produced a wooden plaque from his pocket:
"But this item is enough to resolve it."
Xie Baoqiong glanced over and a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
The wooden sign in front of me was crudely made, with one side carved with what would be considered scribbles by an ordinary person.
Xie Baoqiong was not proficient in the art of talismans, but she could tell that the scribbled talisman was indeed a peace talisman passed down among cultivators, and the carving was smooth. If it were enhanced with spiritual power, it could indeed be considered a one-time protective magic treasure.
He carefully examined Li Yi. If he could enter the path of immortality, Li Yi might be able to forge his own path in the way of talismans.
Just as Xie Baoqiong accepted the wooden plaque from Li Yi, a gasp suddenly rang out from the crowd:
"You damn liar, where do you think you're going!"
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Author's Note: "Human Learning Log"
Xie Baoqiong's Notes
[Date]
Call me daddy and you'll get candy.
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