At that moment, she suddenly saw the blue-robed man she had encountered in the morning galloping out from the city on horseback. Behind him was another horse—a chestnut mare—tethered by a rope to the white steed he rode, following closely as they sped along.
"Second Brother!" the blue-robed man called out excitedly upon seeing the white-robed man, raising his hand in greeting.
The white-robed man quickened his pace, pulling Zhenzhen toward him. He swiftly untied the chestnut mare, helped Zhenzhen onto the horse, and then leaped up behind her. Wrapping his arms around her to take the reins, he urged the horse into a gallop.
In this position, Zhenzhen felt as though she were being held in his embrace, which made her extremely uncomfortable. She instinctively elbowed backward, trying to create some distance between them.
Sensing her resistance, the man spoke earnestly, "This concerns our safety. I hope you can forgive the impropriety."
Hearing the urgent sound of hoofbeats from their pursuers behind them, Zhenzhen decided not to dwell on it further and allowed them to continue riding together.
As they approached the city gate, the burly man from the venison shop, fearing it would be harder to capture them once they entered the city, spurred his horse even faster, closing the distance between them. Looking back, Zhenzhen grew anxious. Glancing to the side, she noticed another group of riders approaching from the right—some carrying bows and arrows, others with weapons at their waists—likely returning from a hunt. They merged onto the main road ahead, heading toward the city.
The leader of this group wore green robes, and his figure was all too familiar to Zhenzhen. It was Yang Shenglin, the man who had broken off their engagement.
A sudden idea struck her. Pointing at Yang Shenglin, Zhenzhen turned and shouted to their pursuers, "The official is here!"
The term "official" referred to government officers, such as the county magistrate or sheriff, whom the people of Pujiang addressed this way. These officials wore green robes. Although the green robe Yang Shenglin wore at that moment was more yellowish, like the fresh green of early spring, and differed from the official green, the deepening twilight obscured the color difference from a distance.
Hearing this, Yang Shenglin turned and looked, his face immediately lighting up with joy. "Zhenzhen!"
The men from the venison shop noticed that the green-robed man’s followers were armed. Since the sheriff’s duties included managing archers, enforcing laws, and apprehending criminals, they assumed—without looking closely—that this man must be the sheriff. Hearing Zhenzhen repeatedly call out "official" and seeing that the "sheriff" seemed to recognize her, the burly man dared not linger. He immediately reined in his horse, turned around, and signaled his men to flee the scene.
Seeing their pursuers retreat, Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief. Once inside the city gate, she ordered the white-robed man to dismount. Without objection, he smiled and got off the horse. The blue-robed man promptly dismounted as well and handed his white steed to the white-robed man to ride.
The white-robed man thanked the blue-robed man and introduced him to Zhenzhen, saying, "This is my cousin. Today, my horse died from poisoning, so he went into the city first to buy me a new one."
Zhenzhen nodded and exchanged a polite bow with the cousin.
Yang Shenglin rode closer to Zhenzhen, offering an apologetic smile as he struck up a conversation. When he asked why she was in such a situation today, Zhenzhen ignored his question and instead retorted sharply, "Are you well now?"
Yang Shenglin replied, "It was just a minor illness, nothing serious. I recovered long ago."
Glancing at the people he had brought with him, Zhenzhen remarked, "You must be fully recovered, otherwise you wouldn’t have the energy for outings."
"Ah, about what happened before—it was my fault, and my parents didn’t think it through properly, causing trouble for you and your mother," Yang Shenglin apologized cautiously. He added, "In a little while, once my parents have calmed down, I’ll ask them to come and propose again."
"Please don’t," Zhenzhen sneered, taking control of her horse and moving forward. "I have no desire to host another engagement-breaking banquet."Yang Shenglin approached and walked alongside her: "Zhenzhen, you should try to see this matter in a different light. For men, it's just a way to unwind—like after reading for a long time, one naturally wants to go kick a ball in a game or two." Turning his head, he noticed the man in white riding closely behind them, listening to their conversation with interest, and casually remarked, "Brother, wouldn't you agree? Men surely understand."
"I don’t," the man in white replied without any attempt to humor him. "I only know to study diligently every day. What would I know about kicking a ball?"
Yang Shenglin was taken aback, suddenly recalling that this man had earlier ridden on the same horse as Zhenzhen. Greatly puzzled, he glared at the man in white and asked, "May I ask your esteemed name, brother, and why you are traveling with Zhenzhen?"
"My surname is Song, given name Ai," the man in white replied, raising his eyebrows to meet Yang Shenglin’s probing gaze, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "The 'Ai' from the poem: 'White as mountain snow, bright as the moon among clouds. Hearing you have two minds, I’ve come to sever ties.'"
Zhenzhen interrupted their exchange, urging them to hurry to the county government office to report the case. Song Ai promptly agreed, ignoring Yang Shenglin, and spurred his horse to ride alongside Zhenzhen toward the county office.
By the time they reached the government office gate, night had fully fallen. The gate was tightly shut, with two lonely lanterns hanging under the eaves casting a faint light on the path before the entrance. Within the glow, there was no sign of anyone.
Zhenzhen stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a long while, a minor clerk opened it, peering out at them and asking their business. Zhenzhen briefly explained the matter of the counterfeit venison and requested to see the county magistrate. The clerk listened with little interest and said, "It’s not such a big matter. The office is closed, and the magistrate won’t see you overnight. Come back tomorrow morning."
As he was about to close the door, Zhenzhen stopped him, glancing at Song Ai, and said, "Earlier, we were chased by people from the meat shop. They must have guessed I was undercover investigating the truth and informed this gentleman. They will surely return tonight to dispose of the horse meat and erase all traces of forging venison. If we go tomorrow, we won’t find any evidence of their fraud."
The clerk was impatient with her explanation, yawning and insisting on closing the door. Song Ai signaled to his cousin to hold the door open, then retrieved a jade pendant from a brocade pouch hanging at his waist and handed it to the clerk, saying politely, "Please, sir, show this to the magistrate and tell him Ai has come to visit."
The pendant was shaped like a fish, carved from lustrous jade with exquisite craftsmanship. On the back, there seemed to be some engraved characters. The clerk lazily took it, initially flipping it over with disinterest. But upon seeing the characters, he froze for a moment, then his tone suddenly softened: "Please wait a moment. I’ll be right back."
The clerk hurried inside, clutching the jade fish. When he returned, he was not alone. The government office gate swung wide open, with several clerks holding lanterns lining both sides. The county magistrate, Cui Yanzhi, fully dressed in his official attire, strode out to greet them. As soon as he saw Song Ai, he bowed deeply: "I was unaware of your esteemed visit and failed to offer the proper welcome. My apologies, my apologies! Please, Your—"
Song Ai gestured to stop him from continuing, smiling as he said, "Ai happened to pass through this place and originally had no intention of troubling the magistrate. However, I encountered a case concerning the safety of the people’s food and drink, so I had no choice but to come and visit. I hope the magistrate can handle it promptly."Magistrate Cui invited Song Ai, Zhenzhen, and their companions into the yamen, carefully inquired about the details, and then dispatched officers to the outskirts overnight to seal the venison shop and detain those involved. He then asked Song Ai and his cousin to rest at the yamen and arranged for someone to escort Zhenzhen and Yang Shenglin home. However, Song Ai expressed his wish to personally see Zhenzhen back. Seeing this, Yang Shenglin also insisted on escorting her. Zhenzhen glared at him and said, "Hurry back home! If your parents find out you’ve run into me again, they’ll surely worry I’ll bring you harm and will be frantic with anxiety."
As for Song Ai, Zhenzhen did not refuse, silently allowing him to accompany her.
Once outside the yamen, Zhenzhen couldn’t help but ask Song Ai, "What kind of official are you? Why did Magistrate Cui become so deferential the moment he saw your jade pendant?"
Song Ai waved his hand and laughed, "A minor official, not worth mentioning."
Recalling the earlier palm-reading incident, Zhenzhen asked again, "So, your palm-reading and fortune-telling were also fake, right? But how did you know about my family background and the purpose of this trip?"
"Half deduction, half guesswork," Song Ai replied. "Your hands are generally soft and delicate, with occasional calluses that appear to be from riding and holding reins, not from daily household chores. You are straightforward and assertive, indicating a comfortable upbringing and not someone accustomed to bowing and scraping. Yet, your actions are quite willful—traveling alone on horseback isn’t typical of a refined young lady from a noble family—so I guessed you came from a wealthy merchant household. When I met you in the evening, you smelled both fragrant and foul..."
At this point, Zhenzhen glared at him and scolded, "You’re the one who smells both fragrant and foul!"
Song Ai chuckled heartily. "Let me put it this way: Your clothes carried a strong aroma of meat, likely from a place where cured meats are prepared. You also warned me not to sell the horse or bury it, clearly fearing it would be skinned and butchered. So, I guessed you had likely visited a horse meat stew shop. Since you frequent such places, your family’s livelihood must be related to food. That’s why I dared to speak so boldly to you."
Zhenzhen thought for a moment and asked, "Weren’t you afraid I might be from the horse meat shop? And later, when you saw people chasing us, how did you know they were mainly after me and not you?"
"You warned me not to sell the horse, so it was clear you weren’t in league with the horse meat shop people," Song Ai explained. "I recognized one of the pursuers as the man who had tried to buy the horse from me. Although I didn’t sell it to him, I hadn’t offended him in our conversation either. With the horse already burned, they had no reason to pursue me and stir up unnecessary trouble. Most likely, they saw you speaking with me and realized you had exposed the shop’s secrets, so they came after you."
Zhenzhen gazed at Song Ai and couldn’t help but remark, "You really aren’t foolish at all."
Song Ai bowed to her with a smile. "You flatter me, miss. I am humbled."
Seeing Zhenzhen fall silent, Song Ai gently asked, "May I ask you a few questions, miss?"
Zhenzhen nodded, and Song Ai inquired about her family situation and why she was so determined to buy venison. Zhenzhen explained everything, recounting her grudge with Mussel Tower and the matter of the village banquet. Finally, she sighed, "I thought buying venison would make a novel main dish to impress the scholars, but it turned out to be fake. Now I don’t know what other rare ingredient to find to win against Mussel Tower."
Song Ai asked, "Why must you seek rare ingredients?"Zhenzhen said, "Only rare ingredients can leave a deep impression, just like the dishes at my broken engagement banquet—carefully selected ingredients that astonished all of Pujiang. Unfortunately, my mother won't let me use that recipe anymore... Using rare ingredients also reflects the 'treasure' in our Suitable Treasure Tower's name."
"The name Suitable Treasure Tower is excellent. Who came up with it?" Song Ai asked.
"Perhaps my mother," Zhenzhen replied. "I'm not sure either. Since I was old enough to understand, our restaurant has been called that."
Song Ai asked again, "Then do you know the meaning behind the name?"
Zhenzhen shook her head.
Song Ai explained, "If my guess is correct, it contains an allusion: Emperor Taizong of our dynasty once asked the then Hanlin Academician Su Yijian, 'Among all foods, which is the most precious?' Su Yijian answered, 'Food has no fixed taste; what suits the palate is precious. For me, pickled vegetable broth is the finest.' Emperor Taizong laughed and asked him why. Su Yijian said, 'One night, it was extremely cold. I huddled by the stove drinking wine and unknowingly got drunk, falling asleep under thick quilts and pillows. In the middle of the night, I woke up terribly thirsty. Under the moonlight, I went to the courtyard and saw a jar of pickled vegetables covered by leftover snow. Without waiting to call my servant, I scooped snow to wash my hands and drank several cups. The broth was cool and sweet, perfectly quenching the dryness within me. At that moment, I felt even the phoenix fat and luan meat from celestial kitchens could not compare.' Later, someone asked Su Yijian's servant how the pickled vegetable broth was made. The servant replied, 'It was just clear noodle soup with soaked vegetables.' Therefore, whoever named Suitable Treasure Tower must agree with the principle that 'food has no fixed taste; what suits the palate is precious.' The value of food does not always lie in rare ingredients but in suiting the diner's taste at that moment."
Zhenzhen fell into thought. Unconsciously, they had passed several streets. Seeing the sign of Suitable Treasure Tower not far ahead, Song Ai reined in his horse and stopped. Smiling at Zhenzhen, he said, "I have urgent business and must leave Pujiang tomorrow. There is still one question I hope you can answer."
Zhenzhen said, "Go ahead."
Song Ai's gaze, carrying a smile, swept over the corners of Zhenzhen's eyes and brows. "What did it feel like riding on the same horse with me just now?"
Zhenzhen's face flushed slightly, and she shot him a glare. "It felt very crowded. I've never ridden on the same horse with anyone else before, and I won't in the future either."
"What a coincidence, I've never ridden on the same horse with anyone else either," Song Ai said with a laugh. "Then let's never do this with anyone else in this lifetime."
(To be continued)
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