Two eggs are in the eye sockets. Jiang Queyun was about to bite his back teeth…
The two didn’t stay in town for very long.
The few copper coins in Jiang Queyun’s hand weren’t even enough to buy another piece of expensive pastry, but he stubbornly splurged on some fabric for himself. He had to make a new set of clothes to comfort himself.
“It’s not that I don’t want to buy you any. You know the conditions of our family. Once I make money in the future, I will definitely buy you lots of clothes. Don’t worry!”
Because he had bought fabric to make clothes, Jiang Queyun couldn’t bear to spend even a single copper coin to ride the ox cart, so he grabbed Lu Hanbai and walked back on foot.
They weren’t in a hurry anyway, so he just treated it as sightseeing.
Along the way, he didn’t forget to comfort Lu Hanbai, feeding him empty promises.
Lu Hanbai took his words as hot air. Clutching those copper coins so tightly that he couldn’t bear to spend a single cash on an ox cart ride, there was no way he would be willing to make clothes for him and Lu Yu.
However, he hadn’t really expected to spend the hard-earned copper coins of the other man anyway. Those petty cash amounts were truly beneath his notice.
“Rest, rest, rest, rest! I’m running out of breath!” Completely exhausted, Jiang Queyun dropped straight onto a rock by the roadside. If he wasn’t afraid of bugs and still mindful of his newly bought fabric, he would have loved to lie down right in the grass.
Without turning red or panting, Lu Hanbai looked around until his gaze finally settled on a certain spot, and he strode steadily in that direction.
Jiang Queyun wasn’t panicked either, calling out weakly, “Don’t run too far, remember to come home for dinner.”
Too lazy to bother with him, Lu Hanbai returned carrying a gigantic leaf that could completely cover Jiang Queyun’s rat-like head. He was quite satisfied.
Jiang Queyun was exceptionally good at pushing his luck. Changing his expression, he put on a flushed little smile and asked, “Husband, my back hurts from carrying the basket, can you help shield me with that?”
“You are the most shameless person I’ve ever seen.” Despite his words, Lu Hanbai still held the leaf up to shade him.
He was also the most pragmatic person he had ever seen.
Jiang Queyun just grinned. His objective was achieved anyway, so what harm was there in being scolded a couple of times? It didn’t hurt or itch.
While riding the ox cart, the journey hadn’t felt long, but walking back on his own two feet made him realize what traversing mountains and rivers truly meant. Fortunately, the original owner’s body was healthy, otherwise he would have feared that Lu Hanbai might find him a burden and abandon him.
Taking a shortcut back from the neighboring village, they came down the hillside right to the river mouth at the village entrance.
Jiang Queyun quickly scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face, the coolness instantly dispelling much of the summer heat and calming the internal restlessness.
“It’s so cool here. It’s almost the same as my old grandma’s place.” He blurted out nonsensically. “Her place also had a spring, the spring water was so cool, and we always played by the water when we were little!”
If he hadn’t known that Jiang Queyun’s mother’s viciousness was a carbon copy of Jiang Queyun’s grandma’s, he might have actually believed Jiang Queyun’s nostalgic babble.
This person was the ultimate pragmatist, and sweet-talking flattery rolled right off his tongue. Most of the time, it was impossible to tell which of his words were true and which were false.
Yet he believed that Jiang Queyun wouldn’t dare casually tell falsehoods to deceive him. A fellow so obsessed with staying alive wasn’t that stupid.
“You seem quite nostalgic. Why not go back for another visit?” Lu Hanbai issued a blatant threat wrapped in probing.
“How could I dare? My few copper coins wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.” Mentioning this, Jiang Queyun looked visibly guilty. The original owner had subsidized her maiden family with all the household’s silver, so he subconsciously distanced himself from the original owner, declaring his loyalty. “If I, Jiang Queyun, die, die in a mountain ditch, or jump straight into this river, I will never subsidize them with another single copper coin!”
Lu Hanbai hadn’t expected him to swear such a harsh oath, leaving him momentarily speechless and prompting him to drop the subject in silence.
Figuring he had successfully frightened the man, Jiang Queyun felt much more at ease and let his mind race again. Glancing at the river where fish occasionally leaped out, he asked softly, “Can you go into the water? I’m kind of craving fish soup.”
He was always able to acknowledge his own demands and thoughts, and when he needed a favor, he would ask for it openly, refusing to feel sad even if rejected.
With a slight frown, Lu Hanbai wondered when they had grown this close, to the point where this troublemaker dared to openly boss him around.
“It’s fine if you can’t, I wasn’t really looking forward to it that much anyway, so don’t feel pressured,” Jiang Queyun said softly.
“The equipment isn’t complete,” Lu Hanbai said. “Making another trip later will be the same. There’s no need to put on that pathetic face to be an eyesore.”
Jiang Queyun was on the verge of grinding his back teeth to dust.
This six-foot-three giant, was his brain just there to make him look tall?
Were those two eggs in his eye sockets?
When was he putting on a pathetic face?
Washing his hands carefully again, Jiang Queyun hoisted his bamboo basket and set off with long strides. The determined pace made it obvious he was angry.
Unfazed and in no rush, Lu Hanbai followed behind with amused interest.
Because they had walked back, it had taken quite a bit of time. When Jiang Queyun reached home, he saw the neighbor’s auntie holding a bowl of vegetables topped with a coarse flour mantou. Judging by the look of it, seeing that they hadn’t returned yet, she had come to feed Lu Yu.
“Auntie Rong, we’re back. Sorry to trouble you for helping look after Lu Yu,” Jiang Queyun quickly spoke up. “You can take this food back, I’m about to cook right now.”
Auntie Rong didn’t like him, but since he spoke to her, it wouldn’t be right to ignore him. “I’ve already brought it over. Let him eat a bit to pad his stomach first. My family’s food is coarse, and it’s not for you anyway.”
Taking the bowl, Jiang Queyun put on a bright smile. “Then I’ll thank you on behalf of Lu Yu, Auntie. Please wait for me in the courtyard for a moment, I’ll clear the bowl out for you.”
With that, he dropped his basket and ran into the house.
Transferring the vegetables and mantou into one of their own bowls, Jiang Queyun spotted the meat stored in the cool shade. Feeling a sharp pang of reluctance, he still cut off a small piece, placed it into the bowl, and carried it back out.
“It wouldn’t be right to let Lu Yu eat Auntie’s food for free. This meat isn’t much, but it’s a token of appreciation, please accept it,” Jiang Queyun said with a smile.
He was striking to begin with; even when covered in grime, he looked like a slovenly beauty.
Now, dressed neatly with his face and hands washed sparkling clean, his sweet mouth and proactive attitude made him infinitely pleasing.
At least Auntie Rong’s aversion toward him melted away somewhat.
Yet she still frowned with slight displeasure. “If you don’t run a household, you don’t know the cost of rice and oil. How could a bit of meat be worth my food? Your husband doesn’t have an easy time earning money either. Whenever you have meat, you should save it to eat slowly, how can you just give it away like that? Take it back immediately!”
“I know Auntie is kind-hearted, but if you don’t accept this now, how could Hanbai and I have the face to trouble you in the future?” Still smiling, Jiang Queyun’s words boiled down to not wanting to appear estranged.
A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor, let alone such a good neighbor.
Clearly disliking this kind of back-and-forth fuss, Auntie Rong frowned as she took the bowl back. Looking at Jiang Queyun with a complicated expression, she couldn’t help feeling that this geer was quite different from before.
Seeing Auntie Rong off, Jiang Queyun’s gaze drifted to find Lu Hanbai standing outside. “What are you standing there like a pillar for? Get inside and start the stove fire for cooking.”
Giving him a light, unbothered glance without a word, Lu Hanbai walked straight into the small shed to tend the fire.
The person who used to pick fights with villagers at the mere sight of them could now smile brightly and generously gift meat to a neighbor, while spouting so many high-sounding words.
How could a person’s behavior undergo such a massive transformation?
Naturally unaware of what was running through the other man’s head, Jiang Queyun brought the vegetables and mantou to Lu Yu, carefully stored his new fabric away in the room, and finally washed up to start cooking.
With the weather warming up and no refrigerator for cooling, food couldn’t be prepared in excess, otherwise whatever couldn’t be finished would spoil and go to waste.
“It’s too hot, shall we have cold noodles?” Jiang Queyun announced, beginning to knead the dough without waiting for an answer, while remembering to tell Lu Yu in the inner room to save some room in his stomach.
Throwing him a sideways glance without comment, the tall man squeezed his limbs into a cramped posture inside the small shed to tend the fire, creating a bizarrely aggrieved sight.
Jiang Queyun had a lively personality; when he wanted to talk, he needed someone to keep him company, and when he didn’t, any sound at all would annoy him.
Right now, he really wanted to talk, but since Lu Hanbai was acting like a mute, he had no choice but to mutter and babble softly to himself.
“This ball of dough I’ve kneaded looks so pretty. If I let it rest a bit longer, it’s definitely going to rise and form honeycomb holes.”
“What does honeycomb mean?” Lu Hanbai naturally understood ordinary beehives, but what came out of Jiang Queyun’s mouth clearly wasn’t what he understood it to be.
Noticing that the mute log was finally taking the initiative to speak, Jiang Queyun explained, “Dough needs to rest. Once the rested dough is pressed with a hand, honeycomb-like textures will appear. That means it’s fully rested and ready for the next step!”
“You certainly know a lot,” Lu Hanbai remarked.
“Good thing you know it too,” Jiang Queyun shot back, waving his fist at him with a distinct hint of threat.
Lu Hanbai didn’t even care about that fist the size of a steamed bun. Giving it a meaningful glance, he went back to tending the fire.
Because of the hot weather, the dough rested and rose quickly after just a short while.
Jiang Queyun kneaded the dough to press out the air, pushed down on it a few times with his hands, then cut it into several long strips with a knife. Rolling the strips into thin sections, letting them rest slightly, and then stretching them into long strands, he wrapped the noodles around his hands, stretched both ends, and slapped them against the board. Very quickly, they turned into fine noodles.
Scooping out the blanched greens from the pot to set aside, he dropped the noodles straight in, turning his attention to mixing the seasonings.
With great situational awareness, Lu Hanbai stirred the noodles to keep them from sticking, glancing at him from time to time.
Pouring salt, soy sauce, and vinegar into a bowl, he even sprinkled in a handful of dry chili powder.
“A-yu can’t eat spicy food,” Lu Hanbai spoke up to remind him. “Did you forget that too?”
Mentally cursing himself, Jiang Queyun kept his expression neutral and replied, “A real man, how can he not handle a little spice? What kind of future will he have?”
With a slight frown, Lu Hanbai retorted, “That makes no sense. What does future prospects have to do with eating spicy food?”
“I just forgot! If you have to put it that way, I’ll just mix a new batch for him. Look at you getting all grumpy.” Before Jiang Queyun could finish venting his temper, he met Lu Hanbai’s deep gaze and quickly flashed a bright grin. “Look at you. Why are you glaring?”
With that, he nimbly mixed up a fresh batch of seasoning sauce, terrified that the tall and sturdy man might hit him with a couple of punches.
Rinsing the boiled noodles in cold water several times, Jiang Queyun tossed them with his prepared sauce. The aroma was rich and fragrant, making one want to stamp their feet in delight upon taking a single bite.
Squatting shamelessly in a cool corner with his bowl in hand, he happily slurped down a mouthful of noodles, occasionally lifting his head to watch long-legged Lu Hanbai pace around before walking over and squatting down right beside him.
Jiang Queyun frowned. You are acting suspicious.
Glaring at him with his bowl in hand, Jiang Queyun protested, “You massive giant, you’re squeezing me out!”
Unfazed, Lu Hanbai shot him a sideways glance. Who cares?