Chapter 84: Powerless
As soon as he said that, the others chimed in, "Yeah, his pancakes are so delicious, so who is he?"
"It's not your wife, is it?"
"Of course not, he's just like us, nobody wants to be a bachelor."
"He must be the head chef of the restaurant."
Seeing that their chatter was getting increasingly absurd, Li Zhengyang quickly stopped them, saying, "Stop! Stop!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" he said angrily. "Who says no one wants me? I'm one of the most handsome young men in the village."
Upon hearing this, the men secretly glanced towards Xie Pei's tent and teased him, "Where does our captain rank in the village?" Everyone in the army knew that Xie Pei was extremely handsome.
Li Zhengyang quickly corrected himself: "He's first, I'm second."
Sun Kan jokingly asked, "Doesn't the Captain have a brother? Since he's a brother, his appearance shouldn't be too bad!"
Li Zhengyang could barely remember what Xie Hong looked like; he did seem to be a bit better looking than him. He twitched his lips and stubbornly said, "Dead people don't count."
Sun Kan: ...Okay, as long as enough prepositions are added, none of them need to be counted.
"So who exactly is Mingyue?" Sun Kan asked, unwilling to give up.
Li Zhengyang glared at him: "Don't call me Mingyue like that. How dare you call me Mingyue?"
"His surname is Zhu, and his given name is Zhu Mingyue. He is the person I told you about who came to Jizhou to visit relatives. He is our Captain's sister-in-law."
Yuan Fei said enviously, "That captain must have been very lucky before, he had an endless supply of meat pies every day."
Sun Kan glanced at him indifferently, his eyes only on food.
Li Zhengyang, unaware of his thoughts, continued, "You thought there were only meat pies?"
"Anything else?"
"His culinary skills are superb; everything he makes tastes delicious. Not only in this town, but in the entire Shangyang County, no one can rival him." He then rattled off the names of the dishes: "Braised pork belly, spicy rabbit meat, braised pig's trotters, meat dumplings, noodles, and crispy, juicy potstickers..."
"Is there anything else?" Everyone urged him expectantly to continue. Although they had never eaten or even heard of most of these dishes, they sounded delicious. Even if they couldn't eat them, just hearing about them would be enough!
Li Zhengyang swallowed hard again. "That's all. I've only ever eaten these. You'll have to ask the Captain about the others. Mingyue cooks delicious food for him every day. The Captain loves meat, so he makes all sorts of different kinds of meat dishes." He became more and more jealous as he spoke, wishing Li Zhengyang had been born into his family.
"I want a sister-in-law like that too."
“I’m different; I want a woman like that.”
Sun Kan's words startled everyone again. He said coolly, "How come I remember the Captain's sister-in-law is a man?"
The air seemed to freeze. After a long pause, the person who had said they wanted a wife added, "Then I still want a sister-in-law like this!" Although there were quite a few men in the Li Dynasty who married men, not everyone could accept male partners; most still preferred women.
Li Zhengyang grinned and said sarcastically, "You're dreaming. Mingyue is extremely beautiful. Even if someone like her existed, she wouldn't be interested in your family."
Judging from Li Zhengyang's description, their captain's sister-in-law is no ordinary person, she's practically a fairy godmother, no, a fairy godmother!
"You're not trying to trick us, are you?" someone asked timidly. Li Zhengyang's words sounded so mysterious, who knew if he was deliberately deceiving them? After all, he had said so much, but they had neither tasted the sister-in-law's cooking nor seen her face.
Li Zhengyang tried his best to explain to them, almost blushing with embarrassment.
Only Sun Kan smiled meaningfully, as if he had seen through everything and kept his achievements hidden.
It's true that Li Zhengyang likes to boast, but the Zhu Mingyue he speaks of must really be that good. He doesn't trust Li Zhengyang, but he can trust the captain's outburst when he heard the news of his widowed sister-in-law's arrival in Jizhou.
He had been reading storybooks since he was thirteen, for more than seven years now. Based on his extensive reading and in-depth research in certain areas, he believed that the relationship between these two men was definitely not as simple as Li Zhengyang, that fool, thought.
Just as they were arguing, Xie Pei returned to camp.
"You're saying I'm lying to you? The captain is back, why don't you ask him directly?" Li Zhengyang said angrily.
They only discussed this matter secretly when the captain was not around. Whether her cooking skills were superb and her beauty was truly astounding was still in doubt, but it was true that she was the captain's sister-in-law. It was fine to talk about her behind his back, but to dare to ask Xie Pei about his sister-in-law to his face was just asking for trouble.
Li Zhengyang was still angry, but suddenly he seemed to see something and ran quickly towards the front of Li Zhengyang's camp.
Is this guy angry with them and wants to go to the captain to complain?
"Stop him!"
"Don't do anything foolish!"
If the captain finds out, they'll all get a beating!
Yuan Fei had been behaving well since entering the camp and had not been punished yet, nor did he want to be punished. Taking advantage of his height and long legs, he quickly caught up with Li Zhengyang and hugged him tightly.
Li Zhengyang felt goosebumps all over from being held so tightly by him, and he gagged on the spot. "I don't like men!"
Yuan Fei then realized that their posture was too ambiguous, so he quickly let go and instead grabbed his arm to explain, "Oh, I don't like men either." He added, "Especially someone like you."
Li Zhengyang was on the verge of collapse: "Then don't pull me like that!"
Yuan Fei shook his head, clenching his fists even tighter.
"Then don't complain to the captain."
Li Zhengyang was baffled: "Who's going to complain? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"Yes," Sun Kan added.
Li Zhengyang was absolutely fed up with them. He pushed Yuan Fei away and said, "Go away! I'm too lazy to talk to you. I'm going to find Er Ya."
Who is Er Ya? Everyone was completely confused and followed him curiously, wanting to see who she was.
Er Ya circled around Xie Pei's tent. Li Zhengyang ran over and called out to her with great emotion, "Er Ya, I missed you so much!"
Everyone looked up at the sky, but there was nothing but a big bird. Could Er Ya be this bird?
Naming a bird of prey "Er Ya" is just a way of saying "what do people do?"
Er Ya was quite aloof. Even after recognizing Li Zhengyang, she didn't immediately rush down. Instead, she flew to the tent and leisurely preened her feathers. Only after she finished preening did she fly to Li Zhengyang's shoulder amidst his ingratiating coaxing.
Li Zhengyang gently touched her twice, bubbling with happiness. Er Ya probably only saw his pitifulness and symbolically gave him some handouts. When she got annoyed by being touched, she flew away again.
"Li Zhengyang, come in."
Xie Pei's voice came from inside the tent.
Before Li Zhengyang could react, he was pushed inside. He staggered a few steps before regaining his balance, cursing those bastards for always trying to trick him.
"Captain," he called out dryly, while secretly glancing up to see how the captain was feeling.
Well, actually, you can't tell at all. Xie Pei has always kept his emotions hidden and is always cold and aloof.
Xie Pei didn't look at him, but simply said, "Take your share with you."
"What?" Li Zhengyang asked, puzzled. He suddenly remembered that Zhu Mingyue had told them earlier that he also had a share of the beef jerky and pickled vegetables.
He hesitated before asking, "Can I take it?"
Things are different now. Although Zhu Mingyue said that, he dared not snatch food from a tiger's mouth! He would never dare to ask for it if Xie Pei didn't give it to him, and he would have to ask again and again if Xie Pei gave it to him.
Xie Pei ignored him.
Li Zhengyang swallowed hard, realizing he'd been too pretentious. "Does the Captain really intend to give it to me?"
Xie Pei, unable to bear it any longer, frowned and said, "If you don't want it, then get out."
Li Zhengyang did indeed leave, but he was still carrying something in his hand. As he stepped out of the tent, he took a deep breath, feeling that he had abandoned all sense of shame for a little food.
"What good stuff are you carrying?" Yuan Fei was the first to greet him. "Did the captain give it to you?"
Li Zhengyang hugged it tightly, not letting them see. There was so little good stuff; he didn't even have enough for himself!
The more nervous he became, the more determined Yuan Fei was that he had hidden something good and wanted to keep it all to himself; his eyes gleamed with excitement.
Several men grabbed his hands, and Li Zhengyang struggled while cursing, "Are you bandits? Why do you steal everything!"
"So you really are planning to keep this to yourself behind our backs. Do you even consider us brothers anymore?"
"No," Li Zhengyang refused to give in no matter what: "Let's sever all ties today!"
The more he said that, the more they realized how incredible the hidden thing was.
Sun Kan used a clever trick to snatch him from his arms. When Li Zhengyang saw that his arms were empty, he slumped to the ground, furious.
"What is it that you treasure it like this?" Yuan Fei muttered as he opened the package.
There were two square, bulging oil paper packages, and two rough earthenware jars of varying sizes, their mouths covered tightly with gauze.
Yuan Fei sniffed the air: "It smells sour," and then his mouth involuntarily watered.
Li Zhengyang rolled his eyes and said irritably, "This is pickled vegetable, Mingyue made it herself." He paused and added, "You guys don't like it."
Yuan Fei was almost drooling, and quickly retorted, "I can eat it, I can eat it."
As the gauze was removed, an irresistible, rich aroma instantly filled the air, making even Sun Kan, who had little appetite, salivate.
This is the earliest batch of pickled mustard greens in spring. As soon as they ripened, Zhu Mingyue found some free time to pickle them all. Actually, they weren't fully pickled when they first set off. More than half a month has passed, and they've finally become flavorful. You can tell from the aroma that they're incredibly sour and fragrant.
Yuan Fei was so hungry that he mumbled, "Let me try it for you first."
Li Zhengyang: ...Who are you? Why are you tasting for me? Do I have no mouth or no taste buds?
I'm exhausted and don't want to talk.
Yuan Fei reached into the jar, picked up a small pinch, put it in his mouth and smacked his lips, then suddenly opened his eyes wide.
"How does it taste? Is it good?"
Yuan Fei licked his lips: "I haven't quite figured it out yet, I'll have some more." After saying that, he tried to reach his thieving hand into the jar again.
"Get lost!" Li Zhengyang shoved him away abruptly, clutching the jar tightly and refusing to let go. "Do you even know what you're getting into? Then eat it!"
If anyone still doesn't understand what's going on now, they're complete fools.
"Brother Li, let me have a taste too!"
"I'll try some too!"
Sun Kan, however, was shrewd and deliberately provoked him: "Didn't you say that the Captain's sister-in-law is a good cook? We haven't tasted anything, so are you trying to trick us?"
The quick-witted one chimed in, "Then his cooking skills are probably not that great. Otherwise, why wouldn't Li Zhengyang let us try it? He must be afraid that if we tried it, we would find that the taste was just so-so and expose his lie."
Li Zhengyang couldn't stand being provoked and pointed at Yuan Fei: "You've already eaten it, so tell me how it tasted? I didn't lie to you, did I!"
Yuan Fei savored the rich flavor in his mouth, still wanting more, so he said without changing his expression, "I don't know." He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together to show that he had only eaten such a small piece, so he probably couldn't taste the difference!
Li Zhengyang raised his foot to kick him in the butt, but Yuan Fei narrowly dodged it while clutching his backside.
Ultimately, he couldn't outlast them, so Li Zhengyang gave everyone a taste.
It's really delicious, the taste is amazing. Sun Kan, who doesn't have a sharp tongue, gave it the highest praise he could: "I could eat a lot of this stuff on its own."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It wasn't that they were so greedy that they couldn't choose their food; the food in the military camp was really lacking in salt and oil. Zhu Mingyue knew this, so she brought them pickled vegetables to supplement their salt intake. This satisfied their need for salt, and the food tasted good, which is why it received so much praise from everyone.
"Hey, you guys want to eat it plain! Mingyue said that I eat millet porridge twice a day in the army camp, which is bland and tasteless. This is specially for me to eat with the porridge." Li Zhengyang couldn't bear to eat it plain; it was too extravagant. If he was careful, this jar would last him at least two months.
"What's in the other jar?" Sun Kan asked, pointing.
Li Zhengyang knew that anything they targeted would eventually fall under their spell, so he reluctantly opened the jar containing pickled bamboo shoots.
Liu Lao Er's wife gave him a few bamboo shoots, which Zhu Mingyue stir-fried with cured meat and found to taste good. Later, during the rainy season, he went down the mountain to pick bamboo shoots after the rain. They were all tender little shoots just sprouting. Zhu Mingyue became more and more addicted to picking them, and before he knew it, he had picked a whole basketful. He couldn't eat them all, so he pickled them in several jars.
Li Zhengyang had never seen pickled bamboo shoots before. He gave one to each person and then picked up a big one and stuffed it into his mouth.
He regretted it as soon as he took a bite. If pickled mustard greens are delicious, they are best enjoyed with rice porridge. But pickled bamboo shoots are something you can really eat as a snack.
It's crisp and juicy, with just the right amount of sourness and a hint of sweetness.
He looked up and saw that everyone had finished eating and was looking at him expectantly. Sun Kan said, "Brother Li, would you like some more?"
Li Zhengyang was stunned by the address "Brother Li." He knew all too well what kind of person Sun Kan was. He usually called him by his full name, so calling him "Brother Li" was no joke. Sun Kan must be after his precious pickled vegetables.
Li Zhengyang resolutely refused and made a huge concession: "I can allow you to take some pickled mustard greens back with you, but as for pickled bamboo shoots, don't even think about it."
Sun Kan: ...Okay, might as well take it.
"Then what are these two packages?" Sun Kan pointed to the oil paper package, his expression innocent and harmless, but his words were like a devil's whisper to Li Zhengyang.
Li Zhengyang gritted his teeth and opened the package, saying, "Mingyue made this jerky for me and the captain. It can be stored for a long time. I'll eat a couple of pieces to replenish my strength when I'm tired."
"Wow! That must taste delicious!" A group of burly men clenched their fists and made a gesture of amazement, which was simply unbearable to watch.
Li Zhengyang felt nauseous but couldn't vomit. He spent a long time mentally preparing himself, deciding to consider it helping these poor brothers. After all, they were much more pitiful than him, having been away from home for so long and cut off all contact with their families.
Each person received a few pieces of dried meat. Seeing that they had looted enough, they didn't keep him around any longer. Li Zhengyang, now free, quickly ran away. It was terrifying; they all looked like reincarnated demons.
Yuan Fei couldn't wait to eat anything delicious; he devoured a piece of jerky in just a few bites.
"The dried meat is so delicious." Yuan Fei almost burst into tears. He came from a poor family and had never eaten it before, let alone joined the army. "So this is what pork tastes like!"
Sun Kan's family was in a completely different situation from his. They were considered wealthy in the county and had eaten a lot of good food. Upon hearing this, he also put one in his mouth and squinted his eyes to savor it.
With its firm and chewy texture, he exclaimed in amazement, "This isn't pork, it's beef!"
The Li Dynasty restricted the slaughter of draft cattle, and they could only be served on the table if they died of natural causes. Sun Kan had only eaten them a few times, but he was impressed by their taste because they were so different from pork and venison.
This jerky is spicy and sour at first, but the more you chew it, the more fragrant it becomes.
"Li Zhengyang really didn't lie to us this time," someone said.
Sun Kan smiled. He now truly admired the sister-in-law of the captain's family, whom he had yet to meet. Making beef into chili jerky was indeed quite ingenious.
Inside the tent, Xie Pei stroked the dart in his hand. After being used for a long time, the iron dart had inevitably clashed with the weapons of the Southern Barbarians, and the tip of the dart had become dull. Even if he touched it with his hand, he would not feel any pain.
He found the best craftsmen in Jizhou City and had several new ones made to replicate the original design.
The sword Zhu Mingyue gave him when he left Ganzhou was hidden under his pillow. Although it was dull and unusable, he still carried it with him at all times. Whenever he had free time, he would take it out, just like now, and it had become a habit.
After a long while, he sighed softly, placed a precious kiss on the dart, and then put it back into his arms.
Zhu Mingyue's question still echoes in my ears in the peach grove today.
Zhu Mingyue's naiveté in matters of the heart is like that of an innocent child, leaving Xie Pei with a profound sense of powerlessness.
The less the other person understood, the less he dared to make it clear. But how long could he suppress these feelings in his heart? Even Xie Pei himself didn't know.
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