Chapter 62#
Chapter Sixty-Two#
Xue Jingci listened for a while and lost interest. The two of them left halfway through, walking out from a side door.
Seeing that Pei Huang seemed to have something on his mind, Xue Jingci asked, “Do you think there’s something wrong with this theater troupe?”
Pei Huang shook his head: “Not necessarily. I just feel that the legend of this divine statue is no accident, but rather someone pushing it from behind.”
Xue Jingci looked at Pei Huang, remembering that a few days ago this man had said he wouldn’t bother with this matter anymore.
But looking at his expression, he clearly still kept this matter in mind.
Xue Jingci thought for a moment and said, “My body is much better. If you want to investigate…”
Pei Huang smilingly interrupted him, tilting his head and asking, “Are you trying to avoid taking your medicine? That won’t do.”
Xue Jingci wanted to say something more, but Pei Huang suddenly changed the subject, speaking about how Xue Jingci should be good to him.
He raised the corners of his mouth and asked in all seriousness, “Do you want to know what counts as being good to me?”
Xue Jingci’s eyes lit up. Last time he said he would play the zither but was stopped by Pei Huang. These past few days he had been worried about not finding a direction.
Pei Huang pretended to be deep in thought until Xue Jingci softly urged him, only then did he speak slowly: “Look, other masters are very meticulous when raising their disciples. Today I want to eat noodles…”
After a pause, Pei Huang emphasized with a heavy tone: “Not the kind bought from outside; I want to eat noodles made by your own hand.”
Xue Jingci glanced at Pei Huang, feeling somewhat surprised.
Since their reunion, this man looked much more calm and steady than before, but the tone of his voice at this moment was somewhat similar to the child who used to throw tantrums and roll on the ground.
This unwarranted association made Xue Jingci unable to help but laugh. He nodded in agreement: “It’s just noodles. I’ll cook them for you when we get back.”
It just so happened that the inn had a ready-made kitchen and ingredients. Xue Jingci paid some silver to borrow it and sent everyone inside away.
Although he was currently disguised, his noble aura was hard to hide. The kitchen worker, worried he might blow up the stove, couldn’t help but stay outside without moving an inch.
But after waiting for a long time without hearing the sound of the stove being lit, he finally felt a bit relieved, thinking this young master was just acting on a whim and didn’t really intend to cook. Only then did he feel at ease to attend to his own business.
He didn’t know that inside the kitchen, Xue Jingci was seriously kneading dough.
The system grumbled in Xue Jingci’s head: “This brat really knows how to make people work! He said he wanted you to cook noodles personally, but there are clearly dried noodles in this kitchen. Why must you use flour to knead them again?”
Xue Jingci didn’t find the request excessive. He had a refined palate and naturally understood that freshly kneaded and cooked noodles would be more chewy and delicious than those dried in advance.
He quietly kneaded and rested the dough. After repeating this three times, he rolled it into long strips and placed them on the edge of the stove.
After doing this, Xue Jingci finally lifted the iron pot lid and lit the stove fire.
Xue Jingci put scallion segments into cold oil to stir-fry. When the emerald green color of the scallions turned dark, he immediately scooped them out, leaving only the fragrant scallion oil.
Although the system couldn’t smell it, it could imagine how enticing the aroma of this scallion oil was.
“This time that brat surely won’t have anything to say. Even the oil for cooking the noodles was fried by the host’s own hand.”
Xue Jingci didn’t respond, scooping up the scallion oil with a focused expression and brushing it onto the prepared noodles.
The noodles were very long. Only after carefully brushing every part did he lift them and put them into the hot water.
In the Lower Realm, it got dark early. Now the kitchen was dark, the only light coming from the stove, flickering through the firewood and illuminating Xue Jingci’s face in patches of light and shadow.
His long eyelashes fluttered like crow feathers, soon covered with a layer of pale gold by the firelight.
Looking at Xue Jingci, Pei Huang couldn’t help but be lost in thought.
It wasn’t until he heard the sound of water boiling that he snapped out of it.
He walked to Xue Jingci’s side, pulled up his sleeves to wipe his sweat, and then spoke in a willful tone: “I also want a soft-boiled egg.”
Xue Jingci readily agreed. This time Pei Huang finally didn’t make any more new requests and stepped back quietly.
Soon the noodles were cooked. Xue Jingci used a strainer to scoop them out, then added a soft-boiled egg to the soup as per Pei Huang’s request. Finally, he added diced meat and drizzled on the scallion oil.
He didn’t waste the remaining scallion segments, lightly sprinkling them on the soft-boiled egg as a garnish.
The system’s mouth watered, meowing in Xue Jingci’s head, saying that after it regained its strength and had a body again, it must taste these scallion oil noodles.
However, Pei Huang was unusually quiet, his gaze fixed on the bowl of noodles, not knowing what he was thinking.
Xue Jingci placed the noodles in front of him and lit a candle next to them before speaking: “Eat while it’s hot.”
Pei Huang’s throat tightened. He held the noodle bowl with both hands. The noodles in the bowl were long and soft, and the red and white soft-boiled egg was garnished with pale green scallion flowers. The steam rose into his eyes.
He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth from the walls of the bowl in his palms. After a long while, he steadied his emotions and cautiously took a sip of the soup.
The soup was rich and fragrant, the warmth flowing into his stomach with the liquid. Pei Huang’s eyes lit up bit by bit, and he slowly lowered his head to use chopsticks to eat the noodles.
Seeing Pei Huang remain silent, Xue Jingci stared at him nervously.
This should allow him to pass the trial period, right?
But Pei Huang didn’t say if it was delicious or not.
It wasn’t until Pei Huang finished the entire bowl of noodles that he looked up and said a soft “thank you.”
He set down the soup bowl, his fingertips rubbing the remaining warmth on it. His dark eyes shimmered with fine light: “Since my father died, I haven’t eaten longevity noodles for many years.”
Xue Jingci was suddenly stunned.
The kitchen was dark. With the help of the candle on the table, Xue Jingci could barely see Pei Huang’s figure.
He sat there holding the empty noodle bowl, seemingly motionless, but if one looked closely, they would find his fingers trembling slightly, as if he were suppressing some unspeakable emotion.
Xue Jingci felt a bit heavy-hearted and said softly, “So today is your birthday.”
A cold wind blew in from outside the kitchen, making the candlelight flicker.
Xue Jingci suddenly reached out and took the soup bowl from Pei Huang’s hand, gently grasping his slightly trembling fingers.
Pei Huang’s fingers froze instantly. Before he could react, he was pulled up by Xue Jingci in a way that didn’t allow for struggle, and they walked out of the kitchen.
“Today isn’t over yet. Let’s go for a walk on the street now and get you a birthday gift.”
It was already dusk. Bamboo-woven lanterns were hung on the horse-head walls. When the cold wind blew, they cast mottled shadows on the ground.
The two walked side by side on the long street of West Alley. The surroundings were extremely lively, with various stalls lined up from one end of the street to the other.
Nanzhou was prosperous, and the government was also very enlightened; as long as one had hands and feet, they could sell things on the street.
Xue Jingci looked up and found a row of food stalls.
There were those selling small steamed buns, with bamboo steamers stacked high and a stove underneath. The fragrance could be smelled from afar.
There were also those selling tea, cheap and in large bowls, but there was no place to rest, so one had to hold the bowl and drink it right there.
Many people didn’t even have stalls; they carried a stove and set it up anywhere to start their business. They would fry some local river shrimp in hot oil, and even with the skin and meat, they were very crispy.
Pei Huang kept an eye on Xue Jingci’s gaze. As long as he noticed him looking at something for a few more moments, he planned to squeeze into the crowd to pay for it.
He had eaten the noodles, but Xue Jingci hadn’t eaten anything yet.
But today Xue Jingci seemed to have completely lost interest in food, ignoring these food stalls and walking forward with all his heart.
Not far away, the crowd suddenly surged in one direction. Thinking there was some novelty over there, Xue Jingci hurriedly looked up.
He only saw a young master in brocade clothes riding a horse past in a flurry.
Flames rose from the four hooves of that horse, and firelight flickered as it galloped. No wonder it attracted countless people to gather and watch.
Xue Jingci guessed that person had used some kind of array, and was likely also a cultivator.
He was about to withdraw his gaze when he saw Lin Su again.
Lin Su stopped the young master and extinguished the fire on the horse’s hooves with a wave of his hand.
He didn’t know what was said, but the young master nodded dejectedly and sat on the horse obediently, no longer as flamboyant as before.
The two soon left, and the crowd dispersed as well.
This small interlude didn’t attract Xue Jingci’s attention. All his mind was focused on picking a fun birthday gift for Pei Huang.
Walking past this row of food stalls and down the blue stone steps, they saw a seven-hole corridor bridge.
A dozen small boats were moored under the bridge, head to head and tail to tail. One could cross directly from one boat to another.
It actually formed a lively small market.
What was sold here was not food, but novelties brought from further away.
There were people making dough figurines, painting sugar art, and someone making fans and writing couplets on the spot.
Xue Jingci swept his gaze over them, always feeling that these were not special enough.
He shifted his gaze and was suddenly drawn by the bowl lotuses at the bow of a boat.
The small and exquisite celadon bowl was only about the size of a palm, filled with clear water, with a few green leaves floating on the surface.
A few pink or white lotuses peeked out from the leaves, some in bud, some already fully bloomed, swaying in the wind.
These bowl lotuses were rare and adorable. Xue Jingci liked them, stopping to bend down and buy one, intending to give it to Pei Huang.
But just as he was about to give it, Xue Jingci suddenly hesitated.
Pei Huang reached out and flicked a green leaf, seeing a dewdrop roll down with a soft “drip.”
He looked at Xue Jingci and said, “I like this bowl lotus very much.”
Seeing that he liked it, Xue Jingci felt a surge of joy but couldn’t help but sigh: “It’s just a pity that this thing is fragile and won’t last long. Better to choose something else.”
But Pei Huang shook his head and said, “No matter, I know a way to preserve it forever.”
Xue Jingci was startled, but soon reacted, his eyes shining as he said, “It can be made into amber!”
Seeing that Xue Jingci was on the same wavelength as himself, Pei Huang felt an indescribable joy in his heart.
He was about to say something when the weather suddenly changed, and the sound of rushing rain soon reached their ears.
Rain poured into the river channel, stirring up splashes of water.
The vendors hurriedly packed up their stalls, and for a moment, the surroundings were in chaos.
Xue Jingci was afraid someone would knock and break the bowl lotus in his arms, so he just lowered his head and carefully protected it.
Pei Huang carefully circled his shoulders, shielding him as they walked toward the shore.
Seeing more and more people bumping toward them, Pei Huang held up an umbrella with one hand and suddenly tightened the other, firmly pulling Xue Jingci into his embrace, not letting anyone touch him.
The sound of rain splashed on the umbrella’s surface, as if partitioning off a tiny world.
Outside the umbrella was the chaotic crowd, while inside the umbrella were only the two people pressed tightly together.
Rain washed over the blue steps, and the small flowers growing in the crevices were crushed and tilted.
A scent of green grass, mixed with the smell of earth and rain, drifted into Xue Jingci’s nose.
He raised his head, and his gaze collided with Pei Huang’s.
Those eyes contained an emotion he didn’t understand, like a surging whirlpool under a calm surface, almost about to pull his entire being into it.
The breaths and heartbeats of the two were entangled in the cold curtain of rain.
Although the surroundings were filled with damp and cold air, Xue Jingci felt a scorching heat.
Xue Jingci was a bit dazed, remembering that at the Lantern Festival years ago, Pei Huang had also protected him like this.
It was just that at that time he was still young. Although he tried hard to protect him, the two of them still drifted with the crowd, pushed forward by the throng.
And now, Pei Huang’s hands were much steadier. Until the crowd dispersed, they still remained firmly in place.
Pei Huang held the umbrella, still maintaining that tight embrace of Xue Jingci.
Xue Jingci lowered his head, still carefully holding the small bowl lotus in his hands, protecting the fragile flower between the embrace of the two.