Seeing Nan Xing obediently take the bite of food she offered, Ji Yu smiled with satisfaction. Just as she was scooping up the second spoonful, there was a knock at the courtyard gate.
She put the bowl down on the table and said, “Eat slowly by yourself for a bit. I’ll be right back.”
She turned and walked toward the yard. Nan Xing watched her slender figure leave and let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He picked up the spoon with his right hand.
***
“Aunt Qiu! How is Huzi?” Ji Yu asked anxiously as soon as she opened the door.
Aunt Qiu beamed. “He’s perfectly fine! Running around as lively as ever! It’s all thanks to you, girl!”
She handed over a ceramic bowl. Ji Yu looked inside and quickly pushed it back. “Aunt Qiu, I can’t take this! Please take it back for Huzi. He’s growing up and needs nutrition more than anyone.”
Aunt Qiu laughed. “Don’t worry! There’s plenty left in the pot. A whole chicken is too much for just me and him. I brought this over specially for you. If you don’t take it, I’ll be really upset!”
She put on a stern face, pretending to be angry. Helpless, Ji Yu accepted it with a smile. “Thank you then, Aunt Qiu.”
Seeing her off and closing the gate, Ji Yu looked down at the bowl of rich chicken soup in her hands. Her heart leaped with joy.
For the past half month, she had been scrimping and saving to pay off debts. She couldn’t even bear to buy meat, let alone drink chicken soup.
Now she had a whole big bowl! She licked her lips, already salivating.
She hurried back toward the room, her voice reaching inside before she did.
“We have chicken soup to drink!” she called out cheerfully.
Nan Xing put down his bowl and looked up. He saw her face lit up with a brilliant smile. She set the bowl down, took his empty rice bowl, and filled it to the brim with soup.
“Drink it while it’s hot! You’re in luck today. Aunt Qiu is an amazing cook. It smells so good, I bet it tastes even better!”
Ji Yu served herself a bowl too and sat down immediately. She took a spoonful and sighed contentedly. “Ahh, so delicious!”
Watching her look so utterly blissful over a simple bowl of soup, Nan Xing couldn’t help but wonder. Was Miss Ji really that poor?
He glanced at the other dishes on the table—mostly vegetables, with only scrambled eggs and chives passing as a “meat” dish. Yes, she definitely seemed to be living quite frugally.
He sipped his soup quietly, then suddenly remembered something. “Miss Ji, you said I am wearing your late father’s clothes. Where is he now?”
Ji Yu looked up from her bowl. She quickly summoned her acting skills, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.
“My father… he fell off a cliff a month ago. They never found his body. Now… it’s just me left in this house.”
Nan Xing was silent for a moment. “I am sorry to hear that.”
Ji Yu poured herself another bowl of soup, wiped the corner of her eye, and looked at him with a hint of guilt. “The conditions here are very simple, I know. But I will never treat you badly. Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll go buy it this afternoon.”
“No need for trouble,” Nan Xing said gently. “I eat whatever you eat. I am not picky.”
Ji Yu’s eyes lit up. What an easy-to-raise Prince!
Still, even though he said he wasn’t picky, she couldn’t really feed him vegetables every day. She could tolerate it, but a noble Prince probably couldn’t. She decided she would definitely go to the market and buy some meat.
***
After lunch, the weather was beautiful and sunny. Ji Yu opened the windows to let the fresh air and sunlight flood in, shining right onto the bed.
She pulled back the curtains to let in more light, then handed him a book of travelogues.
“I have to go out this afternoon. If you get bored, read this. When you’re tired, just bask in the sun and take a nap.”
***
When Ji Yu arrived at the Yamen (government office), she found a crowd of people gathered outside, making a lot of noise.
She squeezed in to listen and quickly understood what was happening.
The person who had poisoned the well water had been caught red-handed this morning while trying to poison another well in a different street. He had been brought to justice.
Since the poison wasn’t lethal, but the act was malicious, he was sentenced to one year in prison.
Since the culprit was caught and punished, there was no need for her to file a report. She left the crowd and headed for the market.
Even in the afternoon, the market was bustling. Most vendors discounted their unsold goods later in the day, so Ji Yu always preferred to shop then to save money.
“Auntie, I’ll take this piece of ribs,” she pointed. “Please chop them into small pieces for me.”
“Sure thing!” The vendor smiled and started chopping.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out nearby. Shouts and arguments rose up. Ji Yu heard words like “You liar!”, “It wasn’t me!”, “Slander!”, and “Poison!”
She looked over and saw a crowd surrounding an old man who sold poultry. They were shoving him around, and in the chaos, the old man fell to the ground.
Seeing someone about to step right on the old man’s hand, Ji Yu rushed forward and firmly grabbed the person’s ankle.
“Who are you?! Why are you touching my foot in broad daylight? I’ll report you to the officials!” A plump woman glared down at her, shouting insults.
Ji Yu let go and said calmly, “You were about to step on someone.”
The woman glared at her, cursed a few more times, but Ji Yu ignored her. She turned and helped the old man up.
“Grandpa, are you alright?”
“My goose…!” The old man cried out in distress and suddenly burst into tears.
Ji Yu looked over. Outside the cage, a goose was lying on its back with its eyes rolled up, motionless. It looked exactly like it was dead.