Chu Dingjiang had spent two or three days meticulously planning this outing, going so far as to personally handle every detail—even the gathering of wild vegetables. Never before had he been so hands-on with anything! He sighed inwardly. He had somewhat anticipated this situation, and it wasn’t too bad. At the very least, An Jiu trusted and relied on him. For now, that was enough.
“A beard makes it inconvenient to wear a mask,” he said calmly.
An Jiu nodded, accepting his explanation.
Not getting the reaction he had hoped for, Chu Dingjiang could only console himself by thinking that indifference to appearances was a commendable virtue.
Not wanting to dwell on the topic of beards, he sliced two pieces of meat and placed them in her bowl.
The perfectly marbled suckling pig had been roasted to a golden crisp, its skin glistening with oil and exuding an irresistible aroma. As expected, An Jiu’s attention was successfully diverted.
She quickly picked up a piece and popped it into her mouth. The crispy skin, seasoned with pepper salt and lightly sweetened with honey, was deliciously fragrant. The tender, juicy fat beneath melted on her tongue, while the lean meat provided a satisfying chew. The lingering aftertaste only whetted her appetite further. An Jiu devoured several pieces in quick succession, not finding them the least bit greasy.
Watching her eyes light up, Chu Dingjiang couldn’t help but feel that, deep down, she was still an ungrown child. It reminded him of a prodigy he had once met—a young man gifted with an eidetic memory, whose vast knowledge had once dazzled the world. Yet, this same genius couldn’t tell one grain from another. When the family supporting him fell into ruin, it took only two or three months before people remembered him again—only to find that the boy had starved to death.
An Jiu wasn’t quite that helpless, but her ability to interact with others was truly painful to witness.
Chu Dingjiang placed a clay pot on the table.
An Jiu, still chewing meat, fixed her gaze on the chicken soup. The pot contained nothing but a plain, unadorned white chicken in clear broth. But when Chu Dingjiang flipped the bird with long chopsticks and slit open the stitches on its belly with a dagger, a rich, mouthwatering fragrance instantly filled the air.
Swallowing the meat in her mouth, An Jiu eagerly picked up a chestnut.
Chu Dingjiang handed her a bowl of soup.
“You’re quite skilled,” An Jiu managed to compliment between bites.
Chu Dingjiang perked up immediately. “When you focus on one thing for so many years, you’d better master it—or you might as well die and be reborn.”
During his years on the run, his greatest preoccupation had been how to turn limited ingredients into delicious meals.
Those were memories best left buried!
While Chu Dingjiang sank into gloomy reminiscence, An Jiu remained entirely unaffected, swiftly polishing off a pot of mushrooms and two large chicken legs.
Not long after their midday meal, the sunlight had already turned golden-red.
The two of them lay in the grass, watching the clouds blush under the evening sky, the rustling of the grass around them whispering in the breeze.
As dusk deepened, Chu Dingjiang escorted An Jiu back to the palace gates.
Under the cover of night, rows of palace lanterns hung along the battlements, illuminating the area before the city walls as brightly as day.
An Jiu had taken only six or seven steps when she heard Chu Dingjiang’s voice behind her.
“A Jiu, Mei Yanran is staying in the courtyard next to yours. Find her—I’ll arrange for you both to leave.”
She halted and turned back. In the fading light of the lanterns, she saw him don a black cloak, its large hood obscuring most of his face—returning to his most familiar guise.
“Will you come with us?” An Jiu asked. She remembered his promise of living in seclusion together. After today, a flicker of anticipation had kindled in her heart."I will. I need to arrange everything properly, so I might be two or three months later than you," Chu Dingjiang's voice came from beneath his hood. "Go on back."
An Jiu nodded and also draped on a black cloak, concealing her face. Swift as a rabbit, she approached the city wall and slipped through a hidden side gate.
Upon returning to their quarters, An Jiu saw Sui Yunzhu and Li Qingzhi sitting on the steps in the courtyard. The moment they spotted her, they both stood up and hurried over.
"Did you buy the fried oil noodles?" Li Qingzhi asked eagerly.
An Jiu paused, then shook her head.
Li Qingzhi and Sui Yunzhu exchanged glances.
"We didn’t buy any either…" Sui Yunzhu sighed. "One of you said you’d bring back something delicious, and the other said you’d buy two bowls. I thought at least one of you would remember."
"I got carried away and only remembered on the way back. I figured you, being the thoughtful one, would definitely have bought some, so I didn’t go back out," Li Qingzhi had already explained this multiple times. He turned to An Jiu, "Weren’t you the one who first suggested bringing back something tasty? Even if Yunzhu forgot, you should’ve remembered!"
"About that…" She had forgotten the moment she left the city gate!
"I bought some fine tea here. Let’s take it to the chief," Sui Yunzhu said, then asked the other two, "What did you two get? Let’s offer them together."
Li Qingzhi immediately drew a short blade from his waist. "This treasured knife can go too."
Both of them looked at An Jiu.
"I…" An Jiu patted her pocket and pulled out a Yue Kiln White Porcelain cup—she had taken it because she thought it was beautiful and planned to use it for tea.
Sui Yunzhu didn’t comment further and took the cup. "Fine tea deserves a fine cup. Perfect. Come with me."
Reluctantly, the two followed Sui Yunzhu to the eunuchs' quarters in Guye Palace.
It was rest time. The eunuchs had quickly washed up and climbed onto the communal sleeping platform. Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the small courtyard had fallen silent.
Only one eunuch remained outside, carrying water, while another emerged from the latrine, yawning irritably. "Don’t make a racket—we’re all trying to sleep!"
The eunuch carrying water didn’t respond but moved more quietly.
Hidden in the shadows, the trio watched as Gao Dazhuang made trip after trip with the water, silently sympathizing. They could guess he was being punished for "slacking off" that morning.
In truth, he had only stepped away briefly. This treatment was just the veterans bullying the newcomer.
Gao Dazhuang had noticed the three long ago. Once he finished filling the two water vats, his ears twitched slightly, confirming everyone inside was asleep, and he quietly slipped to the base of the wall.
The moment the three revealed themselves, Gao Dazhuang couldn’t hold back. "The noodles? I haven’t eaten all day! Hurry up!"
The three: "…"
They stared at each other blankly. Gao Dazhuang’s expression darkened.
Sui Yunzhu hastily produced the tea, the cup, and the knife. "Chief, maybe you could brew some tea first to tide you over?"
"I…" Gao Dazhuang snatched the knife and unsheathed it, growling, "I’ll chop you useless brats into pieces! Can’t you see what kind of hell I’m living in?!"
With subordinates this unreliable, it was enough to drive a man to his grave!
Sui Yunzhu and Li Qingzhi dodged aside, but An Jiu didn’t move. Instead, she extended her hand, offering something.
Gao Dazhuang’s blade halted mid-swing. Seeing the large oil-paper package in her hand, his expression softened. He tossed the knife aside, grabbed the package, and snorted. "I knew you wouldn’t dare…"An Jiu turned and bolted. Seeing this, Sui Yunzhu and Li Qingzhi immediately followed suit in a frantic sprint.
Gao Dazhuang had sensed something was off with the weight of the oil-paper package the moment he got hold of it. Their reaction made it clear—he'd been played! (To be continued...)
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