Chapter 68: Memories of childhood are the best.
As the steaming dishes were served one by one to the octagonal table, Yu Man was slightly surprised. Compared to before she left, the dishes were noticeably more abundant and refined. The braised fish slices were amber in color, with a bright sauce; the emerald shrimp were distinctly green and white, with springy shrimp meat; there were also several refreshing side dishes made with seasonal wild vegetables, elegantly presented. Just as Xue Han had said in her previous letter, the newly hired chef certainly had some real skill.
Xue Han stood to one side, carefully explaining the ingredients and ingenuity of each dish, a hint of pride in her voice. Yu Man tasted each dish, nodding in praise: "The timing and seasoning are all perfectly controlled. This chef is well worth the investment." With that, she put down her silver chopsticks, pulled over a round stool, and said, "Don't stand there, sit down and eat with us."
Xue Han didn't stand on ceremony. She sat down sideways, took a couple of bites with her chopsticks, but her mind was clearly not on the food. She put down her chopsticks and said seriously, "Master, although Zhao Wenkang's matter is temporarily resolved today, there is another matter that needs to be decided as soon as possible."
Yu Man picked up a piece of shrimp with her chopsticks and gestured for her to speak.
Actually, this matter is not unfamiliar; it's the matter of organizing small banquets for various households that Chen Jingshu mentioned before.
Xue Han said, "...More and more mansions in the prefecture are sending invitations and people to invite our restaurant to host banquets. Not only the Sima Mansion and the Chief Secretary Mansion, but even the Prefect's Mansion has sent a message saying that the old lady's birthday is approaching and they would like to invite us to prepare a few tables of fine family banquet."
Yu Man's hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly, and the shrimp hung in mid-air.
Observing her expression, Xue Han asked softly, "Is...something wrong?"
Yu Man put a shrimp into his mouth, chewed it slowly, and then said slowly, "Since when did they start inviting me so eagerly?"
"About five days ago, after the news spread, it came in droves," Xue Han answered clearly.
Yu Man put down his chopsticks: "I understand. Such hospitality is probably only due to the skill of our restaurant. The remaining eight or nine tenths are probably for the sake of others' face."
Seeing that she had been exposed, Xue Han stopped pretending to be confused and deliberately asked, "What stranger? How could they have such a big influence?"
Yu Man glanced at her, knowing she was joking: "The current seventh-rank Hanlin Academy editor is a close minister of the emperor, a noble and distinguished position."
"Oh—" Xue Han drawled, "But I wonder what this editor's name is? And what connection does he have with our restaurant?"
Yu Man: "...Alright, let's get down to business."
Xue Han then dropped her joking expression and asked seriously, "So, what is the master's intention? Should we accept these invitations or not? If we accept them, which ones should we accept, and how should we accept them? If we don't accept them, how should we decline them so as not to offend anyone?"
Yu Man pondered for a moment. His fingertips unconsciously tapped lightly on the smooth tabletop, producing a rhythmic, subtle sound.
"This matter... allow me to consider it further." She finally spoke, her voice steady. "It involves the government, and the pros and cons must be carefully weighed. Right now, I need to return to Dongqing County, and my return date is uncertain."
"If anyone comes to ask again in the next few days, tell them that the master has returned from the capital, but due to the long journey, he has caught a cold and needs to rest at home. He is not available to receive guests or discuss business for the time being. All invitations will be discussed after the master has recovered."
Xue Han nodded and noted it down, then said, "Then I'll..."
“You should rest well these next two days,” Yu Man interrupted her, her tone resolute. “Although Zhao Si’s matter is over, it has still taken a toll on your mental health. With Chang Xiang and the new master looking after things at the shop, nothing too serious will happen. Only when you’re fully rested can you help me think about those troublesome matters that follow.”
Seeing her like this, Xue Han no longer insisted: "Then I'll listen to you."
After finishing his meal, Yu Man did not linger. Before it got completely dark, he boarded the car and headed to Dongqing County.
By the time they reached their doorstep, it was completely dark. The small courtyard gate was ajar, letting in a dim, yellow light from the main room. Yu Man pushed the gate open and entered. The courtyard was quiet; there was no sound of Yu's father and Deng San Niang talking as usual, nor of his younger brother crying.
"Father? Mother? Xiuxiu!" she called out.
The sound of light footsteps came from behind the main room, and a small figure rushed out, hugging her leg tightly, her voice slightly hoarse: "Sister! Sister, you're back!"
It's embroidery.
The little girl looked up, her eyes red and swollen like two little peaches, and her hair was a bit messy.
Yu Man's heart softened. She bent down and picked her up, weighing her in her arms; she seemed a little lighter. She ruffled Xiu Xiu's soft hair and asked gently, "Sister's back. Where are Father and Mother? Why are you home alone?"
Xiuxiu pursed her lips, buried her face in her shoulder, and remained silent.
At this moment, the curtain of the main room was lifted a corner again, and a boy of about seven or eight years old, dressed in a neat blue cloth shirt, peeked out. When he saw that it was Yu Man, he first shrank back shyly, then came out and stood properly, answering clearly, "Uncle Yu and Aunt Deng took little brother Er'an to see the doctor. Little brother Er'an caught a cold."
Upon hearing this, Yu Man frowned slightly and looked at Xiu Xiu, who was silently in his arms: "Has Xiu Xiu had dinner?"
It was rare for Xiuxiu to cling to her, so she rubbed against her shoulder and gave a muffled "hmm".
The boy added, "The steamed buns I ate were brought by my mother at noon, and they're still warm on the stove. My little sister Xiuxiu only ate a small half of one." He spoke clearly and had a well-behaved demeanor; although he was a bit reserved, he wasn't shy.
After saying that, he seemed to realize that he hadn't introduced himself, so he quickly added, "My name is Wen Qi, and my home is next door in the newly opened Wenji Embroidery Shop. My mother is acquainted with Aunt Deng, and she often asks me to come and play with Xiuxiu."
Yu Manxin understood immediately and smiled at Wen Qi, "So it's you, young man from the Wen family. Thank you for accompanying Xiuxiu and for taking care of her."
Wenqi quickly waved her hand, her face slightly flushed: "Sister Aman, you're too kind. It's my pleasure."
Yu Man carried Xiu Xiu into the main room, placed her on a stool, and said to the two little ones, "Please sit for a while, your older sister will go to the kitchen to make you something to eat." She then said to Wen Qi, "Brother Wen, please have some too."
Wen Qi wanted to decline, but seeing Yu Man's natural expression and glancing at Xiu Xiu's still red eyes, he nodded and said, "Thank you, Sister Yu."
Yu Man turned and went into the kitchen. Although she had been away from home for a long time, the kitchen layout was still familiar. She quickly lit the fire and, using the available ingredients—a few eggs, a bunch of vegetables she had grown in the backyard, and some fresh mushrooms that Deng San Niang had obviously prepared for soup that afternoon but hadn't had time to cook because she was in a hurry to leave—she carefully washed and tore the mushrooms apart, chopped the vegetables, and deftly beat the eggs.
Before long, two steaming bowls of fragrant mushroom and egg drop noodles were served. The broth was clear, with golden egg flowers, bright green vegetable bits, and brown mushroom slices mixed together, making it look incredibly appetizing.
Smelling the aroma, Xiu Xiu finally lifted her head from Yu Man's arms, her eyes brightening. Wen Qi also obediently thanked them. The two little ones held bowls bigger than their faces, carefully blowing on them and eating in small bites. They were clearly hungry and ate with great relish.
Yu Man sat quietly to the side, watching them finish eating, and then fetched hot water for them to wash their hands and faces. After everything was settled, she said gently to Wen Qi, "It's getting late, Brother Wen, you should go home so your parents won't worry. Shall I have someone escort you to the door?"
Wen Qi did not respond immediately, but turned to look at Xiu Xiu, as if to gauge her intentions.
Xiu Xiu's tone became direct: "Go back, my older sister is back."
Wen Qi nodded good-naturedly and said to Yu Man, "Sister Man, no need to trouble yourself. My home is just next door, only a few steps away. I can go back by myself." After saying that, he glanced at Xiu Xiu and said softly, "Then I will come to find you again tomorrow." Then he turned around and walked steadily out of the courtyard gate.
Yu Man still gestured for Gu Qiu to follow at a distance, and only when she saw the small figure safely enter the door of the embroidery workshop next door did she turn her gaze away.
She sent Xiao Tao, who had also been away from home for several months, back to her own home to reunite with her parents, leaving only her and Xiu Xiu in the courtyard. The dim light cast two shadows, one large and one small, onto the white wall.
Yu Man asked Xiu Xiu to lie down on the rocking chair as well: "Xiu Xiu, how long have your parents been gone, taking your younger brother to see the doctor? How have you been spending these past few days?"
Xiuxiu stared at her and said softly, "They've been gone for a long time... They left before it got dark. Mother said my younger brother is very ill... These past few days, Mother has been busy taking care of my younger brother, Father has to go to the shop, and Wenqi and his mother often come to bring me food and keep me company."
Yu Man felt a pang of sadness. She reached out to Xiu Xiu, who threw herself into her arms. "You missed your mother, didn't you?"
Xiuxiu nodded in her arms and said in a muffled voice, "I miss Father too... When Father comes back, he only looks at my younger brother and doesn't hug me much anymore."
It seems that Er'an has neglected Xiuxiu.
“Our Xiuxiu has been wronged today,” Yu Man said first, her voice gentle and straightforward. “Your parents are busy taking care of your sick brother and haven’t been able to look after you. You feel empty inside, don’t you?”
Xiu Xiu looked up at her, her thoughts exposed, her eyes reddening slightly. She nodded and whispered, "I know my brother is sick, and my parents are worried... I shouldn't have made a fuss." Though she said this, she couldn't hide the sadness of being neglected.
"Knowing is knowing, and feeling bad is feeling bad, but that's irrelevant," Yu Man said softly, patting her back. "You've done a great job. You can take care of the house by yourself and entertain your friends."
Xiu Xiu pursed her lips and gently rested her face on her shoulder.
Yu Man changed her tone and pretended to sigh, "At that time, your mother had just given birth to you and was weak. Your father had to take care of the fields and was so busy that he couldn't even touch the ground. Once, I had a fever and was lying in bed feeling dizzy, but I could hear them in the next room frantically changing your diapers and making you hot rice soup."
Xiu Xiu stirred in her arms, lifted her face, and looked at her with some surprise.
"At that time, I thought, 'Oh dear, now that I have a little sister, have my parents forgotten about me?'"
Yu Man smiled. "Later, when my fever subsided, I walked out listlessly. When my mother saw me, she dropped the soup spoon in her hand, rushed over to touch my forehead, and her eyes immediately turned red. My father also put down his abacus and clumsily poured me water. That's when I realized that they hadn't forgotten me; they were just... extremely worried."
She held Xiuxiu's little hand and said slowly, "Now, your parents treat Er'an much the same way. When a baby is sick, he is fragile and can't speak, he can only cry. Naturally, parents put all their attention on him, afraid of the slightest mishap. This is not to say that you are not important, but right now, that little baby needs to be taken care of at all times. Just like... well, just like if a distinguished guest and a hungry, crying child come to our restaurant at the same time, the waiter has to comfort the child first. It's not that we are neglecting the distinguished guest, but that we are forced by circumstances."
Xiuxiu listened attentively.
“So,” Yu Man hugged her tighter, her voice softer, “I understand Xiu Xiu’s sadness, and it’s understandable. But don’t doubt that your parents love you. They’re just temporarily tied up with more pressing matters.”
Xiuxiu seemed to understand and nodded vigorously: "Okay!"
Children's emotions come and go quickly. Xiu Xiu's eyelids soon became heavy, and she finally leaned against her older sister's chest and fell asleep peacefully.
Yu Man carried her back to bed, covered her with the blanket, and sat on the edge of the bed for a while. She tidied the stray hairs on Xiu Xiu's forehead and whispered to herself, "Sleep well, little one." Then she quietly left and closed the door.
Back in the main room, she didn't rest. Instead, she added more oil to the lamp and, by the light of a small, oily lamp, slowly reviewed the income and expenditure ledgers of the food shop during her absence. Her fingertips traced the clearly marked numbers as she silently calculated in her mind.
Just as she picked up her pen to make a mark next to a questionable number, a long-lost, slightly electronic voice suddenly resounded deep within her mind:
[Host, are you alright?]
Yu Man's hand, holding the pen, paused for a moment. The pen tip hovered above the paper, a drop of ink nearly falling. She placed the pen back on the mountain-shaped pen rest before teasingly remarking:
"A rare guest. I thought you had gone into complete hibernation forever."
"That's called deep energy-saving hibernation mode! I'm not dead!" The electronic voice rose slightly. "[Anomaly in the host's emotional spectrum has been detected... Emergency concern program activated.]" It paused, then added awkwardly, "...I never imagined that the host had such... difficult times as a child."
Clearly, it "heard" the stories Yu Man told Xiu Xiu in the evening.
Yu Man picked up the slightly cool tea on the table, took a sip, and said somewhat guiltily, "...No, not really."
System: [...? Is the host... lying?]
“No, not exactly.” Yu Man put down her teacup. “It’s true that he had a fever, but it’s also true that my parents were busy taking care of the newborn Xiu Xiu and didn’t have time to look after him.”
“However,” she changed the subject, “I was almost eleven years old then, long past the age of anxiety. It was just a cold, and I knew in my heart that if I just endured it and sweated it out, it would pass. It was really uncomfortable, but to say I felt wronged… it wasn’t that bad.”
The system remained silent, seemingly processing her words.
Yu Man rested her chin on her hand: "Besides... I didn't have to bear it all alone. Back then, Pei Ji knew I was sick, and he even climbed over the wall to come in."
Pei Ji sat on a small stool by the window, silent, just keeping watch. Every now and then, he would gently tap the windowpane and ask, "Xiaoman, would you like some water?" "Xiaoman, are you still feeling unwell?"
"I drifted off to sleep later, and I don't know how long he stayed by my side. I only remember that when my parents finally finished their work at Xiuxiu's place and came to see me, he was already gone."
The system remained silent for a while, so long that Yu Man thought it had gone into hibernation again. Just as she picked up her pen again, preparing to continue checking the accounts, the electronic voice sounded again, its awkwardness seemingly lessened, but still lacking in rhythm:
Circumventing internet censorship is against safety regulations.
Yu Man finally laughed out loud, unable to suppress his thoughts.
It was better when I was a child; Pei Ji was so funny back then.
[The system has detected that the host's current environment is stable and is about to re-enter low-power observation mode.]
The last few words disappeared almost as if they were mumbled.
Yu Man shook his head and waited for about half an hour before familiar footsteps, mixed with low conversation, finally came from outside the courtyard.
"...The doctor said this medicine needs to be simmered over a low flame for two hours, boiling three bowls of water down to one bowl. Be careful when feeding it to him, so he doesn't choke." It was Deng San Niang's voice.
"I understand. Go inside and rest. I'll brew the medicine." Father Yu's voice was also much hoarse.
The door was pushed open, and Yu's father held a tightly wrapped swaddled baby in one arm and supported the haggard-looking Deng San Niang with the other. The two were startled when they suddenly saw Yu Man sitting upright in the hall.
"Aman? When did you get back?" Yu's father asked in surprise, then lowered his voice as he remembered the baby in his arms.
Deng San Niang also rushed forward, took Yu Man's hand and looked her up and down: "Why did you come back so suddenly? You didn't even send a message! Have you eaten? Are you tired? Why does your face look a little pale?"
Yu Manren let her pull him along, and smiled, "We just arrived. We ate at the shop in the prefectural government." Her gaze fell on the swaddled baby in Yu's father's arms, "Let me see my little brother quickly."
Yu's father carefully handed over the swaddled baby. Yu Man took it and gently lifted a corner of the blanket to shield the baby from the wind. The three-month-old infant's face was flushed with an abnormal redness, his breathing was heavy, he was not sleeping soundly, and his brows were slightly furrowed, which was quite heartbreaking.
"It's windy outside, quickly take the child inside," Yu Man whispered, handing the child back to his father. Yu's father hurriedly carried the child into the east wing.
Deng San Niang wanted to follow her in, but Yu Man gently pulled her back: "Mother, leave the medicine to me. Please sit down and have some water to catch your breath." She had already turned and walked towards the kitchen.
Deng San Niang opened her mouth, but after watching Yu Man's neat back, she finally didn't insist anymore. She sat down at the table in the main room as instructed, poured herself a cup of tea that had long since gone cold, and slowly drank it, unable to hide the weariness in her eyes.
Yu Man skillfully started a fire and prepared the medicine in the kitchen. The aroma of the medicine gradually filled the air, carrying a faint bitterness.
After the medicine was decocted, filtered, and cooled to a warm temperature, she carried the bowl into the east wing. Father Yu was gently patting and soothing the waking, softly crying Er'an, while Deng San Niang carefully wiped the child's face with a warm towel.
Yu Man handed over the medicine bowl and watched as Deng San Niang carefully fed the child the medicine little by little. Although the child was unwell, he was well-behaved and did not cry excessively.
After feeding the child the medicine and coaxing him for a while, the child finally fell into a deep sleep again. Father Yu gently placed the child back in the cradle, covered him with a blanket, and then the three of them quietly left the east wing and returned to the main room.
Under the lamplight, Yu Man picked up the hot water that had been kept warm on the stove and poured a cup of hot tea for each of her parents, then sat down in her usual spot.
“Father, Mother,” she said calmly, “I have something I want to tell you.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com