As soon as He Yan’s voice came from inside the gate, He Yu’s expression changed dramatically. He forgot all about bickering with Jiang Jingyi, slipped into the carriage in a flash, and left behind, “Don’t say I’m in here.”
Jiang Jingyi smiled and said, “Got it.” See how considerate she was.
In the blink of an eye, He Yan came out of the courtyard holding a horsewhip. From inside, Madam Li’s voice could faintly be heard: “Use this, not the horsewhip.”
Jiang Jingyi blinked, glanced back at the carriage, and said to He Yan, “Uncle.”
He Yan said in surprise, “Jingyi is here! Your aunt will be out soon. Go inside. By the way, have you seen your good-for-nothing cousin? He’s wearing a flashy bright red outfit.”
Jiang Jingyi pointed at the carriage and whispered, “In there.”
Her voice was soft, but loud enough for the person inside the carriage to hear. He Yu cursed and tried to scramble out, but a whip came down on his head.
“Ow! That hurts like hell!” He Yu clutched his arm, jumped off the carriage, and tried to run. He Yan wasn’t particularly heavy, so he chased He Yu around the carriage.
Madam Li finally came out, holding a feather duster. “Husband, use the feather duster! What if you hurt him with the horsewhip?”
Mrs. Yun and her husband were already stunned. Was this how wealthy families disciplined their children? They had thought Madam Li was coming out to stop the beating, but instead, she was suggesting using a feather duster instead of a horsewhip…
“Aunt, your niece greets you.” Jiang Jingyi gave her a slight bow, then went over to take Madam Li’s arm and said, “Aunt, have you missed Jingyi?”
Madam Li looked at her delicate face affectionately and said, “I have. How could I not?”
Madam Li decided to leave He Yan and his son to their business. She took Jiang Jingyi’s arm and also reached for Mrs. Yun’s hand. “Let’s go inside. Your grandfather is home.”
They had barely entered the gate when they could still hear He Yan beating his son outside. Jiang Jingyi’s mood immediately improved. No matter how bad the rumors about her were, once she stepped into the He household, the family treated her very well. They didn’t judge her differently because of the rumors. Even He Yu, despite his complaints, didn’t seem to actually dislike her.
Perhaps this was what true family meant: no matter how bad you became, in their eyes, you were still family.
As they entered the He residence, they could finally see the layout of the house. As expected, it was lavishly decorated everywhere—quite an impressive estate even by county standards.
Mrs. Yun and her husband had never set foot in such a place before. They were nervous as they entered, walking stiffly and cautiously. When they reached the main hall and met Old Master He, they began chatting about family matters, which helped ease the tension. Jiang Jingyi pointed to the clay pot that Ji Dongyang had carried in and said, “Grandfather, yesterday Qiuyang and I went up the mountain and happened to catch a wild boar. We made it into braised meat. We brought some for you to try.”
Old Master He pretended to scold her lightly. “It’s fine enough that you came. Why bring anything?”
Despite his words, he was clearly pleased. He quickly had someone take the meat to be reheated and served at the noon feast.
Madam Li smiled and said, “Jingyi and the others are being filial. Just accept it. I’ll go check on lunch so we can have a good meal.”
Old Master He stroked his beard and smiled. “Good, good.”
As they spoke, He Yan entered the house holding his horsewhip, followed by He Yu, who was dragging his feet with his head hung low.
He Yan came in, picked up a teacup, downed two cups of tea, then sat down to chat with Ji Dongyang. Meanwhile, He Yu stepped into the hall and immediately fixed his gaze on Jiang Jingyi. His look was unfriendly, practically murderous.
Jiang Jingyi blinked and smiled. “Cousin, why are you looking at me like that?”
When she smiled, her eyes were clear and bright, full of innocence and pitiful charm, as if saying anything harsh to someone with such eyes would be wrong.
He Yu’s throat bobbed. He almost forgot what he had wanted to confront her about. He turned his face away and said, “Nothing.”
By then, it was noon. Madam Li had the kitchen maid add a few more dishes, then invited everyone to the dining hall. The braised meat Jiang Jingyi had brought was reheated separately and placed on a plate. Additionally, the tofu skin was stir-fried with spicy red chili peppers, filling the air with an appetizing aroma as soon as it was set on the table.
Although Old Master He was advanced in years, he still had strong teeth and preferred bold flavors. As soon as he sat down, he tried the braised meat. After one bite, the old man’s eyes lit up.
“Father, is it good?” He Yan asked eagerly, staring at the old man.
Old Master He nodded and showed them just how good it was by eating two more pieces before finally putting down his chopsticks and exclaiming with appreciation, “This old man hasn’t had braised meat this good in years.”
As soon as he finished speaking, He Yan and He Yu both reached for the braised meat with their chopsticks.
The braised meat was indeed good, but by Jiang Jingyi’s standards, it was still a bit lacking. After all, Ji Dehong and his brother had only bought their spices from the town market, and the selection was incomplete. Compared to a recipe she had known in the past, it fell short.
But in this era, braised meat relied heavily on soy sauce, and the spices used were even less comprehensive. Jiang Jingyi even suspected that her cooking skills were a second stroke of luck from the heavens. She had been a decent cook before, but never to the point where everyone praised her.
Just as Jiang Jingyi was beginning to feel reassured, she noticed He Yu’s chopsticks constantly darting toward that plate.
She took the opportunity to bring up her idea with Old Master He. “Grandfather, I was thinking that over the next while, we could buy pigs at home, make braised meat, and sell it. What do you think?”
Old Master He didn’t hesitate. He nodded and said, “Yes, of course. This meat is delicious. It will definitely sell well in Qingshui County.”
“But…” Jiang Jingyi hesitated. “I heard from my brother-in-law that only the Wang family sells braised meat in Qingshui County. To be honest, I saw the Wang family’s wife today. She stood on the street staring at us, and the look in her eyes was quite frightening.”
“The Wang family?” Old Master He couldn’t quite recall them and looked at He Yan.
He Yan thought for a moment and said, “The Wang family is related to Constable Miao from the county government. It’s nothing to worry about. Constable Miao is a smart man. He won’t provoke the He family.”
Hearing this, Jiang Jingyi had a clearer idea. “Then should we give Constable Miao some consideration?”
He Yu glanced at her and snorted. “If he dares to provoke the He family, I’ll break his son’s legs.”
“Believe me, I’ll break your legs first?” He Yan glared at He Yu.
He Yu shrank his neck and lowered his head to continue eating.
After lunch, Jiang Jingyi chatted with Old Master He for a while longer. But remembering the braised meat simmering at home, she took her leave. Since they would be coming to Qingshui County to do business in the future, they would have plenty of opportunities to see each other, so Old Master He didn’t insist on them staying longer.
He Yan saw them out personally and said to Jiang Jingyi, “Our He family may not be a powerful household, but we do have some influence in Qingshui County. You don’t need to be afraid of either the Miao family or the Wang family.”
Jiang Jingyi felt a warmth in her heart. “Thank you, Uncle.”
She paused for a moment and asked, “Why haven’t I seen my second uncle and his wife?”
He Yan’s expression was complicated. “Your second uncle and his wife ran off two years ago to avoid taking on the family responsibilities.”
“Ran off?” Jiang Jingyi was caught between laughter and tears. “Where could they run to?”
He Yan waved his hand dismissively. “Who knows? Forget about them.”
Jiang Jingyi and the couple left the He residence and returned to the western market. They bought various spices for making braised meat, though some were hard to find. It took several shops before they managed to get everything.
With their purchases complete, the three were about to head back when they suddenly heard loud cheers coming from a restaurant up ahead.
Jiang Jingyi looked up and saw at least twenty scholars gathered in the two-story establishment. Most of the scholars looked excited, as if something good had happened.
She was about to look away when she spotted a familiar figure.
The man was tall and slender, wearing a pale white robe that had been washed to a faded color. From Jiang Jingyi’s angle, she could only see his profile. His sharply defined face carried a faint smile. As she glanced around, she suddenly realized that the excited scholars were all looking in Ji Qiuyang’s direction.
Had Ji Qiuyang done something that amazed everyone?
Jiang Jingyi frowned slightly.
Perhaps it was because her gaze was completely unguarded, but Ji Qiuyang seemed to sense something and looked in her direction.
It was just a casual glance but he happened to see Jiang Jingyi sitting on the cart, looking up at him.
“What are you looking at, Qiuyang?” Lu Liang, who had been smiling, followed Ji Qiuyang’s gaze outside.
Just as Jiang Jingyi was about to turn away, Lu Liang caught a clear look at her.
Lu Liang’s eyes widened in alarm. “Qiuyang, that woman… she’s not here to cause you trouble, is she?”
The disgust in his tone was completely undisguised.
Lu Liang was a close friend of Ji Qiuyang. He hadn’t been present when Ji Qiuyang was tricked, but when he later heard what had happened, he was furious and developed a natural aversion toward Jiang Jingyi.
Frowning, Lu Liang asked, “Qiuyang, do you need my help?”
He glanced outside, then hesitated. “Huh? Looks like she’s gone?”
Ji Qiuyang made a sound of acknowledgment, though he couldn’t quite identify what he was feeling.
It seemed that when Lu Liang had spoken about Jiang Jingyi in that tone, he hadn’t felt happy about it at all.
Feeling restless, Ji Qiuyang said to Lu Liang, “I’m going out for some air.”
Without waiting for Lu Liang’s reply, Ji Qiuyang left the restaurant under the gaze of the crowd. Wang Cheng’en watched Ji Qiuyang’s retreating figure, his eyes glinting. “Brother Lu Liang, where is Qiuyang going?”
Lu Liang gave a faint, ambiguous smile. “I wouldn’t know.”
Once Ji Qiuyang stepped out of the restaurant, he was met with the bustling crowd in front of him. There was no sign of Jiang Jingyi anywhere.
**