What could possibly make him laugh so heartily?
It was the first year of Jingyou, the new emperor had ascended the throne. The cold dew startled the autumn, and the red faded and green diminished.
A young servant carried two pots of red chrysanthemums, placing them under the exquisitely carved window sill. He fetched a watering can to water and loosen the soil for these delicate flowers. The Ji family usually did not favor excessive decorations, and Kanghe Courtyard, due to its young master’s frail health, never displayed any strong fragrant or pungent items. As autumn and winter approached, the blooming chrysanthemums and plum blossoms added a touch of elegance, preventing the place from feeling too desolate.
Master Ji was a towering and robust man, whose presence was intimidating. There wasn’t a servant in the household who wasn’t afraid of him. Today, however, the master amiably ordered two rare pots of red chrysanthemums to be sent to Kanghe Courtyard. The young servant was delighted and couldn’t help but tinkle-tinkle endlessly.
“Good heavens, keep it down! The young master just fell asleep,” whispered a nanny who emerged from the house.
Hearing this, the servant immediately tiptoed. “Oh! Understood, Nanny Xu!”
As soon as they finished speaking, there was a commotion inside the house. The tightly closed door was slowly pushed open from inside, revealing a barefoot little boy. He was only wearing an undershirt, which was wide and large, with pant legs covering his feet, only a few round toes peeking out, making him look like a porcelain doll. Rubbing his eyes in a daze, he softly asked, “What are you doing?”
“Young Master, why are you running out dressed like this?” Nanny Xu hurriedly went in to fetch some warm clothes.
The little boy suddenly became energetic, running out to look at the two pots of new red chrysanthemums. He looked, sniffed, and then pouted, “They don’t smell nice!”
The servant beside him blinked and said earnestly, “Young Master, your body can’t handle strong scents. The red chrysanthemums are just right.”
“No, I want to see osmanthus flowers!” The little boy jumped, spreading his short arms, “Such a big osmanthus tree, Brother Yan took me to see it!”
The servant was puzzled, “When did the second young master take you to see it?”
The little boy frowned and thought, “Hmm, last time. The day before yesterday, no, last month…”
Behind him, Nanny Xu draped a cloak over him and took out a pair of small shoes from her bosom, saying helplessly, “That was last autumn, young master. The second young master is now studying hard for the imperial exams and has no time to visit you.”
“Who says so?” Suddenly, a voice came from the courtyard entrance. A tall and handsome figure walked in gracefully, “Here I am! Ah Hong, have you listened to the nanny today?”
“Brother Yan!” The little boy ran towards him barefoot and clung to him, only stopping when he was picked up. “Brother Yan, take me to see the osmanthus flowers and drink osmanthus tea!”
Ji Yan pinched the little boy’s cheek and smiled, “Alright, I’ll take you now.”
“Second Young Master!” Nanny Xu exclaimed in fright, “If you take the young master out and the master and madam return and find out…”
Ji Yan said, “Don’t worry, just tell them I took Ah Hong out to play. We’ll be back before evening.”
Little Ji Hong nodded, mimicking his brother, “Hmm! Back before evening!”
Nanny Xu had no choice but to watch as Ji Yan took the little boy away. The two left hand in hand. What Nanny Xu did not expect was that although they left laughing, only a gravely ill little boy returned to the mansion. When she lifted the curtain of the carriage and carried down the delirious child, it had already been over three months since they went to see the osmanthus flowers.
And Second Young Master Ji Yan never returned.
**
At a noodle shop.
When Yu Jinnian brought out the cooked dishes, this was the scene that greeted his eyes.
Ji Hong leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap. His dark cloak draped to the ground, his face was pale, and his eye corners were slightly red. His long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyes, making him look extremely peaceful, completely devoid of the stern chill he had when first seen that afternoon.
As it was getting late, the customers in the shop gradually left. Yu Jinnian was about to close early when a watchman jogged in from outside. He had an unlit lantern at his waist and a large bronze gong by his side. Cheerfully, he entered, saying he missed the food made by Brother Nian. He mentioned that he wanted to have a meal before resting for a while and then striking the night watch gong at their noodle shop’s entrance.
This striking of the night watch gong marked the first watch of the night.
When the day ends and the night begins, it’s the time for the night watch. It is said that the night watch originated from ancient witchcraft, claiming that after nightfall, the Yin energy is heavier, making it easier for demons and ghosts to cause trouble in the human world. The loud sound of the bronze gong and wooden clapper was meant to drive away evil spirits. Although the sayings of witchcraft are unverified nowadays, the people of Da Xia remain superstitious, believing that if the first watch of the night is struck at their door, it is a good omen. Therefore, families with sick children or elders, or those having recent misfortunes, would even pay to have the watchman strike the first watch at their doorstep to ward off bad luck.
Today, the watchman planned to rest at the One Bowl Noodle House and strike the night watch gong at their entrance. It was supposed to be a good thing, but…
Yu Jinnian glanced back at Ji Hong, who was still dozing in the corner, and apologized to the watchman with a smile, “Brother Lu, it’s not a good time today. My shop has some family matters to attend to, I’m really sorry… How about this, just one street ahead, there’s a night wonton stall that makes delicious, big wontons. Why don’t you go there instead? They also sell warm wine, which can warm you up at night.”
The watchman, being a reasonable person, agreed immediately. Yu Jinnian didn’t let him leave empty-handed, so he wrapped a small plate of yuanbao egg rolls in oil paper from the kitchen for him to take on the road. The watchman, pleasantly surprised by this gesture, couldn’t resist his craving and, after a bit of polite refusal, accepted it and left happily.
Just a few steps out of the noodle shop, he couldn’t resist opening the oil paper package. Inside were a few cute, flat round rolls, still warm, looking like yuanbao (gold ingots) with an outer and inner ring of egg skin and lotus root meat filling. The taste was delicious, with the fragrance of both eggs and meat, symbolizing wealth.
The watchman enjoyed the food and decided to come back another day to strike the first watch at the One Bowl Noodle House.
Meanwhile, inside the One Bowl Noodle House.
Yu Jinnian closed the shop early, quietly set up the food, and, seeing that Ji Hong was still asleep, curiously approached to observe him closely. This man’s skin was cold, and his breath was not warm, as if he had been dug out of an ice cellar. Yet, he was incredibly handsome, with eyelashes as long as a girl’s, making Yu Jinnian’s hands itch with the urge to tug at them.
Before he could act on his mischievous thought, Ji Hong’s eyelashes fluttered, revealing a pair of bright, clear black eyes.
Yu Jinnian was caught off guard by this, his hand still hovering over Ji Hong’s face!
Ji Hong opened his eyes to see a startled face close to his, and both of them froze.
After a moment, Yu Jinnian awkwardly laughed, quickly retracting his hand and turning away, calling out, “Sui Sui, Aunt Xu! Time to eat!”
Ji Hong, seeing Yu Jinnian’s guilty look, thought something might be on his face and raised his hand to check. When he came to his senses, he noticed the table was already set with four or five delicious dishes, some familiar and some not.
A kind-faced woman led a pretty little girl from the back room to join them at the table.
The little girl, not yet old enough to judge people by appearances, categorized those around her simply. After being twice intimidated by Ji Hong’s cold face, she automatically labeled him as a “mean bad person” and refused to sit next to him, no matter how handsome he was.
Yu Jinnian, left with no choice, sat next to Ji Hong himself, distributing chopsticks and serving food to everyone.
Though Sui Sui was initially wary of strangers, the temptation of good food soon had her eating heartily, tugging on Yu Jinnian’s sleeve for help reaching various dishes, her cheeks glistening with oil.
Yu Jinnian, after serving Sui Sui a chicken wing, noticed that Ji Hong’s bowl still had plenty of rice and not much of the side dishes. So he added a boneless wing and two pieces of soft, tender pumpkin stew to Ji Hong’s bowl.
Ji Hong, already full, looked down to find his bowl filled again. The boneless chicken wing was tender and juicy, with a rich filling of vegetables, while the pumpkin was savory and melted in the mouth, with garlic cloves at the bottom of the pot adding flavor. Though Ji Hong usually ate only a small bowl of food, today Yu Jinnian managed to fill him up.
Yu Jinnian hadn’t intended to overfeed Ji Hong, but found his elegant and refined eating habits interesting. Ji Hong ate with such precision, chewing each bite a fixed number of times before swallowing, taking a sip of soup after every three bites, and holding the bowl steadily less than a foot from his chest. Even eating garlic cloves seemed like an elaborate affair. This amused Yu Jinnian, making him want to keep serving more food.
One bite, two bites, three bites… Time for soup!
Sure enough, after the third bite, Ji Hong set down his rice bowl and took a sip of the soup.
Yu Jinnian chuckled quietly as if he had successfully played a prank.
Seeing the young man laugh after glancing at him, Ji Hong examined himself but found nothing amiss, feeling puzzled about what could make him laugh so heartily.
At this moment, Sui Sui swung her little feet and softly called, “Brother Nian, Sui Sui wants to eat that egg roll again.”
In high spirits, Yu Jinnian laughed and said, “Alright, another little yuanbao for Sui Sui!”
“Slow down, who’s fighting you for it?” Aunt Xu drew a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and smiled as she wiped her daughter’s oily mouth.
Ji Hong listened to the cheerful voices around him, looked at the ordinary but exceptionally delicious food in his bowl, and noticed that the table seemed to have been used for many years, with its wooden surface marked with grooves. The porcelain bowl in his hand had a small chip from daily use. Through the shop door, the distant sound of the night watch could still be heard.
Everything was so ordinary yet so real, like the warm smile on the young man’s face, which made Ji Hong unconsciously curl his lips into a smile.
“Here’s one for you too.” Hearing a clear, cheerful voice, Ji Hong looked up to see Yu Jinnian serving him two more dishes. “Aromatic tofu and yuanbao egg roll. May Young Master Ji have everything go as he wishes.”
Ji Hong’s expression softened, and he replied, “Thank you for your kind words.”
—
After the meal, Aunt Xu chatted with them for a bit before taking Sui Sui to the back room to read storybooks. Yu Jinnian cleaned up the table and sneakily brought out a small jar from behind the counter, proudly placing it in front of Ji Hong.
“This is the lychee wine I brewed earlier. It’s just ready to be opened now, so let’s have a taste.”
These lychees were not easy to come by. A fruit farmer from Shu had brought them north this summer. Everyone knows that lychees “change color after one day and change flavor after three days” once picked, making them very delicate. This is why they are also called “departed branches.” Unfortunately, the fruit farmer fell ill with diarrhea due to acclimatization issues upon arriving in Xinan County, delaying his journey. Yu Jinnian, seeing his distress, gave him a dose of Huoxiang Zhengqi to drink. The farmer, grateful after his recovery, left behind a basket of fresh, plump red lychees.
Lychees have the effect of nourishing blood, promoting fluid production, and regulating qi. Yu Jinnian gave some to Aunt Xu and Sui Sui to eat, and used the remaining ones to brew wine. Brewing fruit wine isn’t difficult, but it’s crucial to avoid contact with raw water to prevent bacterial growth, which could spoil the wine. Therefore, the lychees had to be washed and dried before peeling, and the wine jar had to be sterilized with boiling water. Yu Jinnian used sorghum wine, which is stronger and more flavorful. He layered the wine with white sugar and lychees in the jar, sealed it, and stored it in a cool place under the counter to wait.
Now, three months had passed since sealing the jar, making it the perfect time to open the wine.
Ji Hong seemed to want to say something, but after staring at the jar for a moment, he held back and gently nodded.
Yu Jinnian used an empty bowl to knock off the clay seal, and as he lifted the red cloth, a fragrant, sweet aroma wafted out. He inhaled deeply several times before pouring two small bowls of the clear, translucent wine, which emitted a faint lychee sweetness.
As they drank, they chatted about various mundane topics, such as which fruits were cheap and delicious this season, or how the tofu and bean sprouts from the Zhang family’s tofu shop were better than those from the crowded Tofu Xi Shi shop, or how they could make grape wine when the grapes were ripe in a few days…
Despite the seemingly narrow scope of their conversation, mostly revolving around food, it was Yu Jinnian who talked the most while Ji Hong listened silently, occasionally blinking in agreement, creating a surprisingly harmonious atmosphere.
Ji Hong sipped his wine, watching the young man down two bowls in quick succession, looking satisfied and squinting his eyes like a contented cat.
Yu Jinnian’s bold observation of Ji Hong resumed. Ever since discovering the fascinatingly meticulous habits of Ji Hong, this had become Yu Jinnian’s main entertainment for the night. However, this time he found nothing peculiar in Ji Hong’s drinking habits, only that he sat straighter and drank more slowly than others.
Yu Jinnian’s blatant observation made him forget that tonight’s meal was supposed to be an apology to Ji Hong. Fortunately, Ji Hong wasn’t there for that reason and didn’t mind. They continued drinking for a while until Yu Jinnian suddenly remembered something, startling Ji Hong by jumping up and rushing to the back kitchen.
“Almost forgot to brew medicine for Aunt Xu!” Yu Jinnian lifted the curtain and looked back at Ji Hong, saying, “Don’t leave yet, I’ll also make some sobering tea.”
Having been subtly persuaded to drink a fair amount, Ji Hong, though sitting upright and appearing fine, was feeling quite dizzy. Hearing the young man’s request not to leave, he nodded heavily. This movement made him feel even more muddled, his mind filled with a thick fog, and his chest stuffy.
I shouldn’t have drunk, I shouldn’t have drunk, he thought, now in trouble.
A night breeze blew in, extinguishing the only lamp on the table. In the darkness, Ji Hong could hear his own heart pounding. He stood up abruptly, knocking things over and tripping on the table leg in his rush toward the direction the young man had disappeared.
The author has something to say:
Ji Hong: Who turned off the light! Turn it back on quickly!
Ji Hong’s weakness: Scared of the dark (Where’s your dignity as the top?)