Yummy Yummy Yummy

This time, Chu Di came to Chang'an for two reasons. First, to escort the coffin of his mentor, the esteemed elder Jiang Chou, back to his hometown in Jingzhao for burial. Though the elder was highly respected, he had no descendants and shared a bond with Chu Di that was half mentorship, half friendship. Both sentiment and duty called for this journey. The second reason was to visit Li Yue and a couple of other old friends. Since the incident with Prince Wu, they had all drifted apart—some navigating the turbulent seas of officialdom, others wandering the rivers and lakes. Though they occasionally exchanged letters, they hadn’t seen each other in years. Over a decade had passed in the blink of an eye, and who knew when they might meet again.

Running into A Qi was an utterly unexpected delight.

Originally, Chu Di had very much hoped A Qi would come with him. He wanted to adopt her as his goddaughter, raise her properly in the inner chambers, and find her a husband of excellent character and appearance—so she could live a stable, peaceful life. That way, when he eventually passed away, he could face Shen Wu in the afterlife with a clear conscience.

But after several visits to Shen Ji Tavern, he realized she genuinely loved the lively bustle of the marketplace and thrived in it. For such a young woman, she was remarkably independent, making it hard to impose his wishes on her. Then there was the matter of that "scheming" Lord Lin from the same district. After much deliberation, Chu Di could only sigh and say, "You’re always welcome to come, A Qi."

This "scheming" Lord Lin later paid him two visits. Seeing the man’s gentlemanly demeanor and recalling A Qi’s clever, smiling face, Chu Di actually felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Still, he had to put on a stern face and warn, "You’re a gentleman, Lord Lin. I trust you’ll behave."

Lin Yan clasped his hands and bowed. "Understood."

The less-than-gentlemanly one, ironically, was Shen Shaoguang. After seeing Uncle Chu off, she settled back into her usual routine—cooking, serving food and drinks, handling money and accounts, and cursing the long, sweltering summer. Oh, and stealing glances at the beautiful Lin Yan.

Because of the heat, Lin Yan wore his formal round-collared robes less often, opting instead for cross-collared shirts or the newer Hu-style attire.

The Hu-style clothes were fine—they just accentuated his figure more—but the shirts suited him exceptionally well.

The wide-sleeved gauze shirts, reminiscent of the Wei-Jin style, were elegant and flowing, giving the impression of wind-tossed ribbons when he walked. If he sat by the window, sipping tea with lowered eyes, he looked like a living portrait of a noble scholar.

Shen Shaoguang was someone who noticed "details." She had glimpsed the tiny red mole on his neck more than once—small and vivid, like a dot of cinnabar. It was utterly charming. If such a mole had been on a palace beauty, it might well have sparked a trend of body art. As for what lay below that mole, beneath the cross-collar...

Lin Yan reached for a piece of mung bean cake, revealing the multicolored Longevity Thread on his wrist. The bright colors seemed to burn her eyes, and Shen Shaoguang quickly looked away.

But Lin Yan raised his gaze to hers, smiling.

Shen Shaoguang put on her most serious expression. "Try this water chestnut cake, my lord. It’s made with early-harvested chestnuts and wrapped in jujube paste. Very sweet."

Lin Yan simply smiled at her without a word.

Shen Shaoguang cleared her throat, maintaining her composed smile. "Enjoy, my lord," she said before retreating behind the counter.

In the kitchen, A Yuan whispered to Yu San, "Do you think our young mistress has taken a liking to Lord Lin?"

Yu San: "..."

A Yuan added softly, "She has excellent taste. Lord Lin is the most handsome man in our district."

Yu San couldn’t help retorting, "What are you talking about? Clearly, it’s Lord Lin who’s smitten with our young mistress."

A Chang, who had been halfway through sorting vegetables, leaned in to listen.A Yuan thought for a moment, "Then it must be that Lord Lin has excellent taste. Our young lady is truly—" She was still searching for words when A Chang chimed in, "The most beautiful young lady in our neighborhood."

A Yuan nodded deeply in agreement.

Yu San could bear it no longer and pushed their heads aside. "Get back to work!"

A Chang looked out the open window and informed A Yuan, "The cats are here!"

A Yuan carried out a bowl of cooked chicken mixed with rice. Three or four stray cats, seeing the familiar feeding dish, gathered around.

Shen Shaoguang also came out to watch.

A Yuan didn't quite understand her young lady's habit of feeding strays. "That black one even stole our meat once, and they don't catch mice for us."

Shen Shaoguang laughed. "Let's keep feeding them. It's not like we're short on food."

After the four cats finished eating, they sauntered off without a care. Shen Shaoguang couldn't even pet them and couldn't help but laughingly scold, "You ungrateful little things."

A light cough came from behind. Shen Shaoguang turned to see Lord Lin. Perhaps it was the heat, but his ears seemed slightly red.

Shen Shaoguang smiled politely. "Take care, Lord Lin."

Lord Lin nodded and walked away. Watching his retreating figure, Shen Shaoguang felt a pang of resentment. Why did he have to be so handsome? It's like winning a five-million lottery ticket only to have it shredded in the washing machine. Ah, destined to meet but not to be together—what a pity!

But to her surprise, two days later, Lord Lin arrived carrying a cat.

Shen Shaoguang looked at the adorable creature in his arms. Did Lord Lin enjoy petting cats? Just as she was about to envy his cat-owning life for another fifteen minutes, he spoke. "This was a gift from a friend, but my grandmother sneezes uncontrollably when cats come near. I was wondering if you'd be willing to take care of it?"

Shen Shaoguang's rationality prevailed. "As you saw the other day, I already have four cats, each one quite fierce," she said, glancing at the cat in Lord Lin's arms. "Your cat seems too delicate for our rough-and-tumble lifestyle."

Lin Yan smiled faintly, set the cat down on the ground, and took a seat.

Shen Shaoguang couldn't help but look at the cat. This little lord was truly beautiful—pure white all over except for a black patch on its head, with an amber-brown streak right in the center like a jade hairpin. Its ears, however, were white again. Shen Shaoguang actually saw an air of elegance and grace in this feline.

Though small in stature, the cat carried itself with an air of disdain. It gave Shen Shaoguang a cool, indifferent glance, surveyed its surroundings, and then elegantly walked over to a cushion and sat down.

Utterly charmed by its haughty demeanor, Shen Shaoguang tapped the counter lightly with her finger, hesitating again and again.

Even A Yuan, who usually didn't care much for cats, took a liking to this one and asked Shen Shaoguang, "Young lady, should we prepare some chicken for it?"

Lin Yan glanced at the conflicted figure and smiled, his eyes crinkling.

Well, it was just a cat—not some priceless treasure. She'd already accepted the lotus pond screen; one more thing wouldn't make a difference. Shen Shaoguang walked over to Lin Yan and said, "Then I thank Lord Lin for this gift." For a fleeting moment, she thought she heard the sound of her principles hitting the floor with a splat.

Shen Shaoguang asked about the cat's habits. Lin Yan replied, "Its previous owner said it's very quiet."

Shen Shaoguang looked at Lin Yan. Anything else?

Lin Yan suddenly felt like he was back in his childhood, caught unprepared by his teacher for not studying. But he maintained a gentle smile. "Nothing else was mentioned. If anything comes up, let me know, and I'll have someone ask for you."Shen Shaoguang suddenly recalled the "book borrowing" trick mentioned in Fortress Besieged —when men and women interact, giving books as gifts is a no-go; borrowing is the way to go. The back-and-forth of lending and returning naturally fosters familiarity. Raising a cat, however, is far more complicated than borrowing books...

She glanced at Lord Lin's gentle face. Lin Yan raised an eyebrow, and Shen Shaoguang felt she might be overthinking it. Smiling, she said, "If I truly can't raise it well, I’ll have to trouble you, Lord Lin."

Lin Yan nodded with a smile.

Shen Shaoguang suddenly remembered, "What’s the cat’s name?"

"Its eyes shine like lightning, so it’s called 'Ming Nu.'"

Shen Shaoguang nodded—it sounded quite nice. Casually, she teased, "Did you name it?"

Lin Yan licked his lips. "The name isn’t... offensive, is it?"

Shen Shaoguang paused, giving him a knowing look. Lord Lin lowered his eyes, gently stirring the powdered tea floating in his cup with the lid.

But then another thought struck her. Smiling, she asked, "Speaking of offense, I still don’t know your given name."

"My name is Yan, styled An Ran."

The Xiao Erya states, "Yan means brightness." Ming Nu... Lin Yan’s little servant? Or perhaps the "Nu" is merely a filler word?

Under Shen Shaoguang’s gaze, Lord Lin continued sipping his tea unhurriedly. After a moment, she reluctantly looked away. After all, a young, high-ranking official who had passed the imperial exams was not someone an ordinary person could outmaneuver in a battle of wits.

Like a game of chess, the moment Shen Shaoguang retreated, Lin Yan advanced. He looked up at her with a smile, his expression a mix of anticipation and slight embarrassment.

Shen Shaoguang stiffened. Was he waiting for her to introduce herself too?

Lin Yan stopped teasing her, lowering his eyes with a soft chuckle.

After a while, Shen Shaoguang also laughed helplessly. How had things gotten so ambiguous?

"I’ll go check on your meal," she said, standing up.

"Something simple will do."

"Mm." Shen Shaoguang nodded and returned to the kitchen.

As she deboned and shredded the fish, she pondered her situation with Lord Lin. Was it his striking charm that was too alluring, or was her willpower simply too weak? She knew there could be no future in this... Shen Shaoguang found herself deeply questioning her moral compass and resolve.

She mixed the shredded fish with sesame oil, salt, ginger juice, and a pinch of pepper, letting it marinate. Then she finely diced pickled bamboo shoots and leeks, along with some scallions. The fish broth porridge in the pot had already thickened, the rice soft and the soup rich. Shen Shaoguang added the fish, bamboo shoots, leeks, and scallions, stirring well. All that was left was to bring it to a boil again and season it with salt.

As she watched the small flame simmer the clay pot of fish porridge, Shen Shaoguang had a sudden epiphany: governing a great nation was like cooking small delicacies—this Lord Lin, the Vice-Minister of the Capital, was truly a master of balancing flavors... and he was planning to stew her like fish.

She felt a twinge of resentment. But then she remembered his smile, fresh as spring mountains, the earnestness in his voice when he said, "We Confucian disciples uphold 'devotion to the Way, reliance on virtue, and adherence to benevolence,' striving with all our might—that is all," and the lingering resonance of his words, "Perhaps it’s very 'acceptable.'" Suddenly, she felt her feelings were somewhat justified.

Yu San turned around, frowning. "Isn’t the porridge ready yet?"

"It’s ready, it’s ready." Shen Shaoguang added salt and set the clay pot aside to cool—though, in truth, this was the evening meal porridge for the four of them in the shop. She had simply portioned out a bowl for Lord Lin.She casually picked a few small plates of cold dishes and, spotting the braised tiger-skin chicken feet, Shen Shaoguang felt a mischievous urge for revenge. She placed two of them on a small plate, arranged everything on a tray, and carried it out to Lord Lin.

"Lord Lin, do try our fish congee," Shen Shaoguang said with a smile, deliberately pointing at the two tiger-skin chicken feet. "And this—it's our tavern's signature side dish. First blanched, then fried, and finally braised. Fragrant and crispy, it pairs perfectly with the congee."

Noticing the playful yet feignedly innocent smile on Young Lady Shen's face, Lin Yan took a sip of the congee, picked up a chicken foot, and began nibbling on it slowly.

There was none of the awkwardness Shen Shaoguang had hoped for. Some people could probably sit on a roadside stool in boxer shorts, eating skewers with the same effortless grace as strolling through a garden admiring falling petals. Glancing at the sauce clinging to the bead of his lip, Shen Shaoguang exercised remarkable self-control and said, "Take your time, Lord Lin," before turning to leave.

In the kitchen, A Yuan was feeding the cat some chicken breast. The cat ate with a refined demeanor, sitting primly as it chewed slowly.

A Yuan praised, "As expected of Lord Lin's cat—even its eating habits are elegant."

Yu San glanced at the cat and snorted through his nose.

Shen Shaoguang looked at the cat—Ming Nu, Lin Yan... truly, like owner, like pet!

Author's Note: After half a month, the cunning Lord Lin makes his reappearance with the little angels...