[Wow, this is terrible.]
Yan Changye’s hand, holding his chopsticks, paused for a moment. He calmly picked up a steamed bun.
The kitchen, unaware of the new Young Mistress’s preferences, had prepared both Western and Chinese breakfasts.
The buns came with both meat and vegetable fillings. The chef was an expert, chopping the fillings evenly and seasoning them well.
Liu Xiyin was holding a meat bun, and Yan Changye had picked up a meat bun as well.
Yan Changye didn’t find anything wrong with it.
Liu Xiyin, however, was caught off guard.
She had forgotten that the salt in this era was bitter.
Those accustomed to it might not notice, but Liu Xiyin was not used to it at all.
As a modern person who grew up on refined salt, who could tolerate this?
When she thought she had been reincarnated in the countryside, she had secretly refined her own salt. After returning to the Liu residence, to avoid encountering the female lead, she had pretended to be timid and had the mother of the Liu family arrange a small kitchen for her so she could cook for herself.
But here at the Yan Mansion, she didn’t have the conditions to cook for herself. Now, with this bite, it felt as if half a mouth of dirt was mixed into the salt; the fragrance of the meat bun had turned into a bitter, fishy taste.
[Too bitter, it’s too bitter.]
[Why didn’t the author set a normal salt level? It’s not like it’s really the Republican era; is it necessary to restore even this kind of thing?]
[Every time I want to eat a bit of normal salt, I have to be sneaky. My life is too miserable!]
[Of course, the bitterness of the salt isn’t the salt’s problem; it’s a problem of material backwardness, a problem of the era, and a problem of the ruling class!]
[Since ancient times, salt and iron have been state-monopolized; private individuals aren’t allowed to refine it. I wonder if the great villain can provide cover for me? A great warlord is like a local emperor; he has the power to refine salt.]
The young bride knows how to refine salt?
Yan Changye’s fingertips twitched, his ears listening intently.
Last night, Yan Changye had carefully reviewed Liu Xiyin’s file.
The young bride had been lost by the Liu family shortly after birth and was picked up and raised by a farming couple.
It was true that after the couple picked her up, their lives kept getting better. The locals said it was a reward for their kindness, but more people said it was because the young bride brought good luck with her to the farmer’s family.
If the young bride really came from the future, knew how to make a small gramophone, and knew how to refine salt, then the fact that the farmer’s family could live well was probably not just a matter of good luck…
Yan Changye felt he needed to have someone investigate more thoroughly.
Liu Xiyin, however, suddenly had reddened eyes and took another bite of the bun.
Yan Changye: ? Didn’t she say it was terrible?
[There are so many people in this era who can’t get enough to eat, and yet I’m complaining that a meat bun isn’t tasty. I really am awful.]
Yan Changye: “…”
Having not eaten all day, and thinking about how it was inappropriate to be wasteful during such a difficult era, Liu Xiyin ate with great vigor.
Consequently, Yan Changye never found an opportunity to provide her with an opening to talk about refining salt.
Never mind. Now that the fact that he could hear her inner thoughts had been exposed, the young bride likely wouldn’t dare to think so recklessly. She was so guarded against him; he feared he would never get any more information from her.
It was best to pretend nothing had happened.
Thinking this, Yan Changye did not speak further.
After finishing breakfast, it was already 8:30.
A servant brought tea for rinsing the mouth and water for washing hands.
Liu Xiyin truly realized the meticulousness of a wealthy household.
It seemed the great villain not bathing last night wasn’t because he was slovenly, but because he hadn’t intended to sleep at all; he had only wanted to interrogate her as a spy.
Liu Xiyin suddenly felt relieved.
Otherwise, if she had to live with the great villain before running away, and he was messy and unhygienic, she really would go crazy.
After washing her hands and rinsing her mouth, the car to the Marshal’s residence was ready.
[The great villain is going to encounter an explosion on Heping South Street today. A time bomb is strapped under his car, and there are 180 catties of explosives buried near the Xinmao Department Store on Heping South Street. The killer is dying to blow him into smithereens.]
[But the great villain has “villain plot armor.” Not only does he jump out of the car, sustaining only a broken leg, but he also happens to meet the future Ninth Concubine. From then on, the two are bound by fate.]
[Although the author didn’t write why the Ninth Concubine was there, the classic “life-saving grace” leading to a “promise of marriage” is such a classic meeting.]
“…”
Yan Changye really wanted to open her skull and pour out the water inside.
But she said there was a time bomb under his car, and there was one on Heping South Street, too?
180 catties of explosives near the Xinmao Department Store, where the foot traffic was heaviest—the casualties would certainly involve more than just him.
[But Yan Changye has villain plot armor and won’t die, but I’m a cannon fodder character—I don’t have that! The random passerby near Xinmao Department Store doesn’t have it either. If I go out with him, I’ll be blown into bun filling ahead of schedule.]
[Thirty-two civilians will die or be injured around the Xinmao Department Store!]
[How can I delicately remind him to avoid becoming bun filling, without being caught as a spy?]
As a genius with a photographic memory, once Liu Xiyin discovered she was a “Liu,” she had quickly summarized the key points of the original novel, remembering the plot regarding the great villain and the main characters with great clarity.
However, in the original book, the great villain went out today to pick up his brothers at the wharf; it had nothing to do with her.
How did things become like this? Was it because she had taken out the small gramophone and been brought back as a spy, causing the plot line to shift and making her the one to die instead?
Sure enough, the lines of the book were all screaming “Liu Xiyin is going to die fast.” She escaped one pit only to enter another!
Liu Xiyin simply refused to die.
[Otherwise, should I pretend to trip and fall flat on my face when we go out, so I can check under the car?]
[And then, pretending to be scared, drag him away from paying respects? So he can go check Heping South Street?]
Liu Xiyin had prepared for her wedding in Ancheng for a month; she had scouted the area and knew the Marshal’s mansion was at the end of Heping South Street. Heping South Street intersected with many major roads, and one had to pass through it to get to the wharf. So, if there was a bomb under the car, there might also be one on Heping South Street.
Liu Xiyin stealthily peeked at Yan Changye, who had a rather ugly expression on his face.
[He already suspected me as a spy last night; I definitely can’t say it directly, or I’ll be skinned alive right now.]
Liu Xiyin decided that it was better to trip and fall flat on her face.
It would make her seem clumsy.
It would also give Yan Changye a reason to despise her. When the Ninth Concubine arrived, he could think of how she had made a fool of herself, making the chance of him divorcing her even greater.
Hehe.
Yan Changye walked to the door and looked at the snow outside. His expression was calm, revealing nothing, only saying to Liu Xiyin, “The snow is getting heavy. Go back and add a cape.”
The Yan Mansion had heated flooring, so she didn’t feel the cold indoors, but outside it was an icy world; if Liu Xiyin went out in her current outfit, she would freeze to death.
Liu Xiyin: Yes, yes, yes, add a cape; then it won’t hurt when I fall later.
“Yes, Young Marshal.”
Liu Xiyin performed a lady’s curtsy mockingly and trotted back to change clothes.
Fearing that Marshal Yan would cause more trouble, the Liu family had prepared quite a dowry for Liu Xiyin. The betrothal gifts from the Marshal’s mansion had also been brought back for her, and they contained many beautiful clothes.
Yan Changye had had someone move them back to the Yan Mansion for her overnight; she would be able to pick out a nice, thick one.
After Liu Xiyin left, Yan Changye waved his hand, signaling his adjutant to come closer, and gave a few low-voiced orders.