Chapter 45 Special Tutoring: A Pie Falling from the Sky
A thousand rays of light shine, and silver flowers bloom in harmony.
At that moment, Yao Ruyi couldn't tell whether it was the dazzling fireworks in the sky or his gaze flowing down like silver sparks, thousands upon thousands, dripping hotly into her heart.
As midnight approached, the entire city of Bianjing was like a giant cauldron on a powder keg, boiling with the sounds of firecrackers and exploding fireworks. In the alleyways, it seemed that the Meng family at the alley entrance was also setting off fireworks, the bangs echoing vividly.
Outside, the place was bustling with activity, but inside the shop, it was unusually quiet. Lin Wen'an gently lowered his hand, which had been pausing earlier.
"It's cold, why are you sleeping here?"
His oversized coat fell heavily on her shoulders. He walked to the window and pushed open the half-closed window. The night sky, which was filled with fireworks that gradually bloomed and then faded, was revealed very closely, like a rain of flowers.
Yao Ruyi snapped out of her daze, slowly lowered her eyes, and after a long while, she said nonchalantly, "...I was planning to stay up all night, but I fell asleep again."
Lin Wen'an responded softly and turned to look at the sky.
Yao Ruyi took the opportunity to breathe deeply, feeling as if fireworks were bursting in her heart. Her heart tightened and panicked in waves, making her restless and agitated. She wanted to scratch her head, scream, and run around the city wall until she was drenched in sweat before coming back.
She had been so nervous that she held her breath just now because she was looking at her second uncle so closely.
How could this be!
Just now... just now...
The night was so deep, the fireworks so bright, and the wind carried a heavy, pungent smell of sulfur, yet it inexplicably brought her a strange sense of peace. It was as if time had stood still, and all the noise from afar, near, high, and from where the wind blew gradually faded away from her ears.
Light and shadow became a distant backdrop.
Time stretched out, and even the fireworks seemed to rise slowly, drawing a thin silver line through the air, silently roaring, blooming, shimmering, and fluttering like falling stars, before finally falling away with the smoke.
I can't hear anything anymore.
At that moment, it seemed as if only the two of them remained in the entire alley and the whole of Bianjing, with only each other reflected in their eyes, only their breaths softened by their closeness, and only their heartbeats still echoing clearly.
At this moment, the sound of the night watchman's drum came from afar. Fireworks in the sky and firecrackers on the ground exploded like a massive army attacking a city. Choking smoke rushed into the window, and the noise startled Yao Ruyi, who was lost in thought. Lin Wen'an then closed the window again.
"Did Uncle Cong really only cook porridge today?" He locked the window and walked out from behind the counter, asking this question as he did so.
There were only a few stools behind the counter and around the narrow table in the shop. He went over and took one, sitting down opposite her across the counter. "Are you hungry?"
Yao Ruyi nodded.
Romantic pleasures and beautiful scenery ultimately couldn't compare to her empty stomach and the sudden evening wind.
I'm so hungry. Drinking porridge is like drinking soup; it doesn't fill me up. Especially since Uncle Cong made chicken porridge and skimmed off all the oil from the chicken broth, it was just watery soup! She ate two big bowls of porridge that night, but she felt like she'd only gone to the toilet twice before it was all gone. It was as if she hadn't eaten anything, and her stomach was still empty.
"Eat this." As if he had expected it, Lin Wen'an took out a tightly wrapped oil paper package from his pocket, almost wrapped in two layers, and handed it to her.
Yao Ruyi took it. The oil paper package was thick and still warm, whether it was warmed by her second uncle's body heat or the contents inside were still warm.
She took a sniff and smelled a sweet, toasted bread aroma. A surge of joy filled her heart. When she lifted the lid, there were indeed four or five slices of golden-brown, fluffy red bean toast! She had smelled this aroma on her second uncle earlier and had been wondering what it was; she hadn't expected it to be bread!
In the world of the book, only one person knows how to make bread like this! Yao Ruyi looked at Lin Wen'an in surprise, her heart filled with joy and disbelief: "This is..."
“These are Shenji’s baked buns. I’ve heard they’ve been popular in the capital for years.” Lin Wen’an was puzzled by her astonishment and explained casually, “I often hear you mention Shenji. It just so happens that these baked buns were served at the palace banquet, and it seems that Madam Shen from Shenji Restaurant was also there.”
Yao Ruyi's eyes widened, and she craned her neck even more excitedly, asking, "You saw Madam Chen? Is she as powerful as the rumors say? What does she look like?"
The person in front of him suddenly leaned closer, and Lin Wen'an leaned back slightly: "...I didn't look closely."
The main hall was packed with people. He sat at the front, next to Prime Minister Geng and behind Wang Yong. He wasn't thinking about anything else but getting some benefits from the Emperor for her and her husband's sake, so they wouldn't suffer in vain.
As for the whereabouts of the rumored Lady Shen, he didn't care. If it weren't for the fact that several dishes from Shen's Restaurant were served at the banquet, and he hadn't overheard many of the surrounding courtiers whispering about it and even turning their heads to look, he wouldn't have known that Lady Shen was also at the banquet.
Yao Ruyi said "Oh," slightly disappointed. But the bread smelled delicious, fragrant, fluffy and soft. She still remembered that before she transmigrated into the book, she read about Madam Shen making red bean buns and was so hungry that she inexplicably opened a Meituan app and ordered a delivery service to buy a bag of red bean buns from an old-fashioned bakery in the old town.
However, even if she bought it, she could only give it to her grandmother. At that time, she had been fasting because of her surgery. When she came to the book, she was a little apprehensive about returning home and was also quite busy. In addition, she didn't have much money, so she never went to Shen's Restaurant and still didn't get to eat the red bean buns.
I never expected my second uncle to get it for her!
It must taste delicious! She couldn't wait to take a bite, but then she remembered her life and stopped abruptly, looking up pitifully and asking, "Is it really edible?"
Lin Wen'an nodded: "I specifically asked Physician Wu about this during the palace banquet. Now, you and the others need to take good care of your stomachs. You can't eat too much, but you also can't go hungry. These baked buns are soft and fluffy, and the red beans are cooked until soft. Physician Wu tasted them and said they were edible, so I brought them back with me."
Very good!
"Second Uncle! You are the best uncle in the whole world!" Yao Ruyi's eyes immediately lit up, and she imitated Xiao Shitou's mannerisms and tone, showering him with compliments without reservation.
Lin Wen'an: "..."
Then, it opened its mouth wide and took a bite.
Here, due to the wheat flour and sourdough starter, most breads are made with sourdough. To achieve such a fluffy and soft texture, where a finger poking it will cause it to tremble and spring back, requires considerable skill. Yao Ruyi took a bite and immediately found it fragrant. The edges were slightly crispy, while the center was as soft and fluffy as a cloud, with many dark red beans embedded in the milky white dough. She especially loved these grainy red bean bits in the bread; they were sweet but not cloying.
This bread must have had butter added; after chewing it, I could taste the milky flavor.
Despite the limited resources, what Madam Shen made was truly exceptional! The simple old-fashioned bread was perfectly cooked, fluffy and warm. It was nothing more than bread with red beans inside, so how could it be made so well?
Yao Ruyi was almost reluctant to eat. At first, she wolfed down her food, but now she only dared to tear off a piece and chew it slowly. After eating two pieces, her stomach was slightly full. Only then did she realize that Lin Wen'an had been quietly watching her eat, his gaze focused, as if watching her eat made him feel full too.
Although the window was closed, the sounds and smoke of fireworks and firecrackers still lingered, occasionally illuminating the window paper and then suddenly dimming it, the fireworks becoming silhouettes on the window, hazy and beautiful. And she suddenly realized that in this late night, at the juncture of the old year and the new, it was Lin Wen'an who was keeping her company as she watched the fireworks.
And all she cared about was eating!
Yao Ruyi coughed lightly, then turned the corner of the third slice of bread she had just picked up and handed it to Lin Wen'an: "Second Uncle, was the food at the New Year's Eve banquet delicious? Do banquets in the palace always end this late? You should have some too."
"This year's banquet is better than in previous years..." Lin Wen'an paused slightly, glanced at the red bean-cut baked bun in her hand, and although she had no appetite, she still took it.
Holding the book in her hand, Yao Ruyi waited with great curiosity for him to continue. He, naturally taciturn and reluctant to speak, had originally intended to gloss over the story, but he changed his mind and began to tell her in detail. What were the palace banquets like in the past, and how were they now…
In fact, the "early years" he mentioned were seven years ago. Back then, he was eating the New Year's Eve banquet of the previous emperor's reign. At that time, there weren't so many strange and novel dishes on the table. Most of them were common dishes, soups, and pastries in Bianjing. He couldn't sit among the civil and military officials like he does today.
Back then, when he was a tutor, he stood behind the emperor, who was then the crown prince.
In his youth, the Emperor was even more unruly. While the late Emperor and his courtiers were toasting, he would secretly slip some pastries from the Emperor's table into his sleeve and hand them to him, winking and gesturing for him to eat them to tide him over. The Emperor could only helplessly accept them, hiding a sleeve full of pastries. The hall was crowded, and being tall, he stood out from the crowd. People would inevitably glance at him; how could he possibly steal any? Besides, he wasn't as eager for food as the Emperor.
So, in truth, he had only seen the palace banquets from his early years and hadn't actually eaten at them much. Now, so much time had passed that he had forgotten some of it.
This year's banquet was different. Not only was there roasted duck, which the Emperor loved, but also all sorts of new dishes that he had never seen before. He also heard Prime Minister Geng mutter very quietly in front of him: "Has the Emperor brought Shenji again this year?"
He then realized that the dishes he hadn't eaten were all Shen Ji's dishes.
There was also a delicious sashimi dish on the table.
Lin Wen'an specifically told her this part: "Tonight, all the civil and military officials of the fifth rank and above in the Great Song Dynasty enjoyed your sashimi. The inner kitchen made a huge sashimi boat, carved from a Great Song warship. The inner kitchen also kneaded and sculpted the sashimi into the shapes of dragons, phoenixes, peonies, and flying immortals, each one lifelike. It was placed in the center of the main hall. All the ministers and royal relatives who came in were amazed, attracting countless people to stop and watch."
Yao Ruyi was utterly astonished. The palace chefs had actually managed to innovate so remarkably, making sushi with such skill and ingenuity! She simply couldn't fathom how rice balls could be shaped into dragons, phoenixes, and peonies. And what about flying immortals? Were they the kind of flying immortals depicted in the Dunhuang murals? How much effort must that have taken?
If it were her, she wouldn't even be able to bear eating it.
After all, she only knows how to make round and triangular rice balls, and she doesn't know how to make anything more complex.
He truly is a determined and ambitious young master of Chinese cuisine.
"Second Uncle, have you eaten? How was the rice?" Yao Ruyi was still somewhat proud.
Lin Wen'an thought back for a moment, and realized that he seemed to have been given... two pieces? One of them was the dragon claw, so he nodded and said, "Not bad. It's about the same as what we eat at home."
After he finished speaking, he saw Yao Ruyi's chin smugly tilt up, as if her eyes were saying to him, "I knew it, I'm the God of Cookery."
He couldn't help but smile. She always seemed to be like that; she didn't need to taste it or see it with her own eyes, just hearing about food could bring her joy. All the little things in this world were her pleasures.
Yao Ruyi listened with longing, imagining countless delicacies at the banquet. She rested her chin on her hand and sighed, "I originally thought that only high-ranking officials could be invited to the palace banquet. It turns out that Lady Shen can also go. How wonderful."
“According to the rules of the late emperor’s reign, there would naturally be no women at banquets for officials. Even for the ladies of the inner court, the banquets would be held in the Empress’s or the Empress Dowager’s palace. Lady Shen does not hold an official title. I suppose His Majesty made a special exception for her.” Lin Wen’an explained slowly to her. Just then, he remembered something and took out a thin note from his sleeve, saying, “Before leaving the banquet, Wang Yong suddenly handed this to me, instructing me that a friend had specially asked him to give it to you, and that I must make sure to deliver it.”
When Yao Ruyi took it, she was completely bewildered. Wang Yong? The one who ate fruit leather?
Filled with doubt and confusion, she unfolded the small letter.
There was only one line of text inside, written elegantly.
"We share the same mountains and rivers, and the same wind and rain; the same moon shines over us, and we are never from two different places."
Yao Ruyi read it over and over again, and it took her a long time to understand its meaning. Once she understood it, she felt an indescribable throbbing and excitement in her heart. She felt her heart pounding violently, but she couldn't let it show, so she suppressed it and forced back the tears that were about to well up in her eyes and the deep emotion she felt.
After calming herself down for a moment, she secretly peeked at Lin Wen'an. His expression was as calm as ever. She thought for a moment that he must have seen the words long ago, since the letter was unsealed, just casually folded, exuding a sense of nonchalance and openness, as if he was completely unafraid of being seen.
Indeed, if we translate this poem literally, it would be something like: We once shared the same mountain and the same moon, so how could we have ever been in two different places?
In her own words, it would be: Hello, fellow villager.
Therefore, most bystanders would be clueless and would only think it was a meaningless and insignificant greeting. They would find it even more difficult to understand why such an ambiguous message would go to such lengths to be passed on to another person.
Yao Ruyi stared blankly for a long time. Upon seeing this line of poetry, she felt that Madam Shen must understand her. She understood her reluctance to meet, but was afraid that she would be lonely, so she used this way to tell her: Although we have not met, and need not meet, I will still bless you, and bless myself. I wish you and me all the best in this foreign land.
Lady Shen... she really is a gentle older sister.
Upon understanding this, Yao Ruyi was almost moved to tears by this shared sentiment, as if a small bitter gourd on a vine had suddenly been bathed in the warm spring sunshine.
She sniffed, calming herself down, and finally managed to laugh with a sense of relief. She carefully folded the letter again and put it in the drawer where she usually kept her account books before saying to Lin Wen'an, "Thank you, Second Uncle."
Lin Wen'an said, "It's nothing to mention."
When Wang Yong casually handed him the letter, Lin Wen'an roughly guessed who wrote it—it must be Lady Shen, right? The handwriting was delicate and graceful, bearing a resemblance to the elegant calligraphy of the Xie family of Chenjun, suggesting she had learned it from her husband. Though not quite mastered, her writing already possessed a certain charm. Wang Yong was a regular at Shen's Restaurant, and it was said that years ago he kept hundreds of ducks and fish there, going there daily with his wife. Over the years, they had both become quite plump.
Ruyi and Madam Shen must have known each other. Leaving aside Ruyi's excited reaction upon hearing about Madam Shen's presence at the palace banquet, Wang Yong had also mentioned that the Master was a regular customer of Madam Shen's before his stroke. Therefore, interpreting the poem in this letter as a greeting from an old acquaintance makes sense. However, using Wang Changling's poem in this context is somewhat forced. Lin Wen'an, true to his old scholarly ways, is getting caught up in trivial details.
As the deafening noise outside gradually subsided, Yao Ruyi felt an indescribable joy and ease. No longer shy in front of Lin Wen'an, she rolled up the oil paper package on the table and invited Lin Wen'an to sit in the alley to watch the remaining fireworks.
Lin Wen'an was pulled along by her and followed.
It got much colder as soon as they stepped outside, with the north wind howling. Yao Ruyi brought over a long bench and pushed out the stove, placing it at their feet. She then went to the shop to get a new blanket, a large and thick one that had been sitting unsold for a long time due to its high price. When unfolded, it could wrap at least three or four people inside.
The two sat rather far apart, one at each end of the bench, with a small covered heater between them. A fluffy blanket was loosely draped over their shoulders, creating an empty space in the middle.
Holding the now-cold red bean buns in their hands, wrapped in heavy blankets, the two of them sat around the stove, exhaling puffs of white breath as they gazed up at the night sky.
It was past midnight, and the New Year had arrived. The fireworks were much less frequent than before, and the surrounding noise had subsided. Occasionally, a firework would quietly rise in the distance, blooming perfectly before their eyes, its silvery flames and countless crimson threads falling like flowing light, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Lin Wen'an was a man of few words, and at this moment he just stared quietly. After about a quarter of an hour, he felt that it was too quiet. Apart from the occasional sound of fireworks and firecrackers, there was not a single human voice. It was really not like Ruyi's personality.
Turning his head to glance over, he saw that Yao Ruyi was so sleepy that she looked like a chicken pecking at rice, her eyelids drooping and her body swaying from side to side.
No wonder it's so quiet.
There were five slices of bread in the oil paper package. She ate four slices by herself, and her stomach felt full, which made her sleepy.
Seeing that she had tried her best to hold on for a while, but finally couldn't resist the drowsiness and was about to fall off the stool, Lin Wen'an subconsciously reached out and gently caught her, moved the small heater between them, and then slowly leaned his shoulder towards her.
A soft, fluffy blanket weighed down her shoulders, and Lin Wen'an wrapped her in the thick blanket twice more, leaving only her face exposed.
He stood there with his shoulder slumped, watching the fireworks all by himself for a long time.
On this noisy yet quiet New Year's Eve, a long-lost peace and tenderness welled up in his heart. The night was dark, the fireworks were beautiful, his shoulder touched her cheek, they shared warm bread, and together they stayed up to welcome the new year.
Yes, it's already the New Year.
Lin Wen'an lowered his eyes and glanced at the girl who was fast asleep on his shoulder.
"May everything go smoothly and as you wish in the New Year."
He looked back at the sky ablaze with fiery light, raised his hand to gently ruffle her hair, and whispered.
*
The next day, Yao Ruyi woke up in her room. She had stayed up all night and didn't even know when she had fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes, she was still snuggled up in the blankets. Looking at the time, she realized the sun was already high in the sky. And wasn't she supposed to be staying up with her second uncle watching fireworks on New Year's Eve? Then… how did she get back…? Yao Ruyi sat on the bed, staring at the thick blanket neatly folded at the foot of the bed. Could it be…? Her ears turned bright red as she thought about it. Moreover, not only had she slept too soundly and comfortably, but she also couldn't remember how she got back, nor could she remember what the fireworks she had watched yesterday looked like—they were red, gold, and silver, I guess.
What was even more profound than the fireworks was Lin Wen'an's eyes.
She scratched her head, trying to clear her mind for the moment, and quickly got up to dress, wash, and comb her hair. When she pushed open the door, she was startled.
The entire courtyard was filled with people! They all turned to look at her!
She silently closed the door and went back inside.
Why are there so many people? Then it suddenly dawned on me, right, today is the first day of the lunar new year!
She and her grandfather might not have many people visiting them for the New Year, but Lin Wen'an lives right next door.
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, apart from the aunts and mistresses of the Cheng and Meng families, a few students from the South Study, and the Yao family who came specifically to wish Grandpa Yao a Happy New Year, the Yao family's courtyard was completely overwhelmed by a continuous stream of officials of all ranks who came to wish Lin Wen'an a Happy New Year.
Later, it was Cong Bo who was reliable. He finally remembered that the Lin family had a main gate, so he opened the gate and the hall, and then led the group of officials from the Yao family to the Lin family.
However, according to Sancunding, who sneaked over and asked for a few packets of tea, even though the Lin family is larger, they are almost out of place to stay.
Because of the chaos, Yao Ruyi pulled Yao Yunniang, who was frightened and carrying the festival gifts, along the wall, into her bedroom.
Yunniang is the daughter of Yao Ji and Wu Shi, and is the cousin who was implicated by the original owner's broken engagement and has remained unmarried to this day. Wu Shi and Yao Ji first went to pay their respects to Grandpa Yao, and then hurried to Lin Wen'an's house to get acquainted and join in the fun.
But Yunniang was a young lady from a respectable family and dared not go, so Yao Ruyi brought her into the house to talk.
They were supposed to be talking, but they didn't really know what to say. The two weren't very familiar with each other. The original owner of this body didn't like interacting with people, and even at Yao Ji's house, she mostly hid in her room alone. Yunniang wasn't a very outgoing person either. Although Yao Ruyi was naturally quite talkative, she had been preoccupied with her own thoughts lately and couldn't think of anything to say. The two stared at each other for a long time before finally hearing Wu Shi call Yunniang home. Then they managed to say, "Have some tea," "This snack is delicious," and "Eat more."
These are just three dry sentences.
Upon hearing Wu's loud voice, Yunniang quickly got up to say goodbye, and Yao Ruyi prepared to see her off.
As soon as the door opened, Yunniang suddenly turned around and looked at Yao Ruyi, saying, "Sister Ruyi, actually... I'm very grateful to you. I really disliked the marriage that Mother had arranged for me before. That man was short and fat, and quite ugly. I've wanted to tell you about this for a long time, but I haven't had the chance."
"I have never blamed you; I have always been grateful to you."
After saying that, she lowered her head and smiled shyly at Yao Ruyi, then followed the boisterous Wu Shi away.
Yao Ruyi was stunned, not expecting there to be such a secret here.
But that's alright, at least it didn't really drag her down, so that's a good thing.
Yao Ruyi was overjoyed. She was feeling that the New Year was wonderful, with one good thing after another, when an even bigger windfall came her way.
Around noon, after dealing with the New Year's gatherings and declining a bunch of annoying banquet invitations, Lin Wen'an was finally able to leave. He strolled in through the side gate, lifted the curtain, and entered the shop, casually handing Yao Ruyi a set of keys as if he were going out to buy groceries.
"What's this?" Yao Ruyi glanced at it sideways. She was munching on a frozen pear she had taken from the cellar, while holding Wangwang and watching over the shop.
Lin Wen'an said casually, "I forgot to tell you about the key to that empty house diagonally across the street yesterday. The Emperor knew that his unintentional act almost caused a death, and he felt very guilty. So he was unusually generous and asked me to choose one of the two houses as an apology. I couldn't ask your opinion at the time, so I took it upon myself to choose one that was closer to home and a bit bigger. Would you like to go and take a look?"
Yao Ruyi was getting anxious. She had clearly only said that renting one room would be enough, so why did her second uncle choose such a large house!
Her voice trembled as she asked, "How much...how much does this house cost?" She was doomed if she couldn't afford it! Where would she get so much money to rent an entire house?
Lin Wen'an found her reaction strange and tilted his head to say, "No rent is required; it was bestowed by the Emperor."
Yao Ruyi opened her mouth, and the pear fell to the ground. Then she stood up abruptly.
It's like a pie fell from the sky!
Her study room is huge!
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Sorry I'm late because I'm catching a flight.
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