How old are you? Are you married? What kind of young lady do you like?
The Mid-Autumn Festival was getting closer, and all the restaurants and shops in the town were gradually tidying up their places. Some even hired carpenters and bricklayers to renovate their storefronts. In Xinan County, it was customary to light lanterns during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Recently, the streets were already filled with stalls selling bamboo-framed lanterns in the shapes of fruits, animals, and other objects, all brightly colored and exquisitely crafted. Even Yu Jinnian wanted to buy one just to have a closer look.
Although he was almost thirty, everything in the Da Xia Dynasty was new to him, and he found everything fascinating. He naturally behaved like a child, relying on his youthful appearance to indulge his childish whims.
It was almost noon, and he was leaning on the counter, staring at an auntie across the street who was selling lanterns. The auntie’s skin was dark, with two sunburned patches on her cheeks. She was skillfully crafting the bamboo lanterns while enthusiastically selling them. Her hands moved so quickly that Yu Jinnian couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“If you like it, go buy one.” Suddenly, a deep voice sounded next to his ear.
Yu Jinnian turned around sharply and saw someone standing beside him. He pouted and said, “With another idle person at home, where’s the money to buy lanterns?” Despite his words, he couldn’t help but longingly gaze at the newly crafted rabbit lantern across the street.
“Not exactly idle. I just cracked a basket of walnuts.” Ji Hong’s words left Yu Jinnian speechless. He walked behind the counter and pulled out a gray-covered ledger from under Yu Jinnian’s elbow. “Aunt Xu said you’re slow at accounting, so she asked me to help.”
Yu Jinnian immediately glared and said, “Who said that!” He hurriedly tried to grab the ledger that had been snatched away.
Ji Hong was quick, already flipping through it. With a swift glance, he was instantly overwhelmed.
Although he wasn’t experienced in business, he knew that a skilled accountant wouldn’t keep such chaotic records. Entries were made randomly, and errors were corrected haphazardly, making the daily accounts a mess. No wonder Aunt Xu had looked so helpless when she asked him to help Yu Jinnian.
Ji Hong frowned and said, “Didn’t I teach you yesterday? Why are your records still so messy today?”
“…Can’t a person take a while to change?” Yu Jinnian replied guiltily. He often boasted about being a top student, but the one subject he struggled with was mathematics. Solving a complex math problem was harder for him than memorizing ten poems in one go. Accounting wasn’t as difficult as advanced math, but he had never done it before. After Aunt Xu handed him the ledger, he recorded everything as he saw fit, aiming only to understand it himself without striving for accuracy.
Ji Hong shook his head and started correcting the entries.
Dipping the brush in ink, Ji Hong wrote fluidly. The brush was an ordinary, cheap one, its tip already frayed from use. Yet in Ji Hong’s hand, it was obedient, moving gracefully to produce neat, elegant characters on the page.
Yu Jinnian, slightly tilting his head, watched the “beautiful writing” and then let his gaze drift to the “handsome person.”
Ji Hong had claimed his home was ransacked by bandits, and he lost contact with his family while fleeing, leaving him homeless. Yu Jinnian didn’t believe a word of it. If someone as well-dressed as Ji Hong could be homeless, then the new pork head in the kitchen could grow legs and climb a tree! Yet, Aunt Xu not only believed him but was also pleased to take him in, saying he could help Yu Jinnian with the accounts.
Having another person around was fine, but their small noodle shop was already cramped. With Ji Hong added, Yu Jinnian had to share a room with him, making him sleep uncomfortably and wake up sore every day.
But an accountant, Yu Jinnian thought, propping his chin. That means he must be literate. I wonder if he can teach me to read and write. But this person is as cold as ice, probably won’t have the patience to teach an illiterate like me…
“Accounts must be kept clearly, like this…” Ji Hong started to say but noticed Yu Jinnian staring blankly ahead, lost in thought with a cute, innocent expression. After two looks, he lowered his head and silently continued organizing the accounts. Seeing that the boy still hadn’t snapped out of it, he called, “Yu… Jinnian?”
“Huh?” Yu Jinnian snapped back to reality, having no idea what Ji Hong had just said. He hastily nodded, like a student caught daydreaming in class, and said, “I remember!”
Ji Hong: “…”
At this moment, a few regular customers walked in, laughing, “Xiao Nian, finally someone to keep you in check!” They glanced at Ji Hong and exaggeratedly widened their eyes, teasing, “Oh, where did this handsome young man come from? Does your noodle shop hire based on looks?”
Yu Jinnian smiled, served them tea, noted their orders, and said, “This is the new accountant Aunt Xu hired, Mr. Ji.”
A handsome man always attracted extra attention. The customers greeted Ji Hong one after another, some even eagerly asking his age, marital status, and what kind of young lady he liked, almost ready to matchmake him with their daughters.
Ji Hong felt very uneasy under the interrogation and answered indifferently, “I am twenty years old, unmarried, and I like—”
Before he could finish, Yu Jinnian jumped out to stand in front of Ji Hong, who had a distressed look on his face, and said with a smile, “Everyone, everyone, our Aunt Xu just hired a good accountant. Don’t bully him into leaving us so soon! Besides, I’ve been here at the noodle shop for so long, and no one has introduced any young ladies to me!”
The curious crowd immediately shifted their questions to Yu Jinnian. Even Matchmaker Li, who had just sat down in a corner, perked up her ears to listen. If anyone was the most popular among the young men in the neighborhood, it was Yu Jinnian from the noodle shop! The daughters of humble families didn’t have many prospects, and their greatest hope was to marry into a good family and live comfortably. Yu Jinnian was not only handsome and skilled but also gentle and kind, and he didn’t have in-laws to pressure him. Marrying him would be a blessing!
Unfortunately, despite being around seventeen or eighteen years old, Yu Jinnian never seemed interested in these matters, dismissing all inquiries from various matchmakers. But today, Matchmaker Li felt she had stumbled upon something interesting!
She listened intently as Yu Jinnian thought for a moment and said, “If I have to say what I like… well, probably someone with a large chest, a slim waist, long legs, and fair skin… I guess?”
Everyone expected Yu Jinnian, with his fair and scholarly appearance, to say something like “gentle and wise,” “as beautiful as a peach blossom,” or “diligent and thrifty,” common phrases in matchmaking. But his straightforward and somewhat risqué description took them by surprise, making them laugh in unison.
Matchmaker Li, who had been eavesdropping, almost spat out her tea, quickly covering her mouth with an embroidered handkerchief. She mentally reviewed the girls she knew who were looking for matches and noted one that fit his description. She decided to make a mental note and hurriedly finished her noodles.
As she finished her meal and was about to inform the girl’s family, she bumped into a stout woman at the entrance of the noodle shop, who stepped on her foot firmly. The woman barged in without even glancing at Li, rudely calling out for “Xiao Nian,” and stormed inside.
Matchmaker Li wasn’t someone to be trifled with. She had been nicknamed “Demon Li” for her strict control over her family in her younger years. Although she had mellowed since becoming a matchmaker, she still had a temper. Being stepped on for no reason brought out her inner demon, and she turned to curse, “Hey, you little—”
“Matchmaker Li!” At the sound of her name, she saw Yu Jinnian running out with a small oiled paper package, smiling as he handed it to her. “That was Aunt Wu from the alley next door. She had something urgent to discuss with me. I apologize for the collision. This is freshly made rose-glutinous rice lotus root; it’s still warm. Please try it.”
People often ate glutinous rice-filled lotus root, but Yu Jinnian added rose paste to his, which was good for soothing the liver and improving blood circulation, making it especially beneficial for someone with a fiery temper like Matchmaker Li.
“Oh, how can I accept this?” Matchmaker Li’s eyes lit up at the mention of glutinous rice lotus root, and although she verbally declined, she accepted the package without hesitation, her impression of Yu Jinnian improving even more. She quietly cursed her own son for being lazy and unambitious, lamenting that such a good match would end up with someone else.
Matchmaker Li, smiling, took the lotus root and left. Ji Hong, leaning against the door, watched her swaying away and then glanced at the smiling young man, furrowing his brows slightly.
Yu Jinnian, about to enter the shop, was suddenly blocked by Ji Hong. Looking up at Ji Hong, he asked curiously, “Why are you blocking the door?”
Ji Hong stared at him with an unclear expression for a moment before stepping aside and returning to the counter, where he continued his accounting, but with a noticeably heavier hand on the abacus.
Yu Jinnian, puzzled, muttered, “How strange.”
But he didn’t dwell on it and headed over to where Aunt Wu had hurriedly entered.
Aunt Wu had a special bond with Yu Jinnian. When he first came to the noodle shop, he was unfamiliar with the place and troubled. Feeling down, he decided to eat something spicy. Late one evening, when the shop was about to close and there were few customers, he made himself a bowl of spicy chicken noodle salad with leftover ingredients.
As he was slurping the spicy noodles, with his mouth and nose turning red from the heat, Aunt Wu walked in. Seeing the spicy noodles in his bowl, she happily ordered two bowls, complaining about how tasteless food had been recently.
Yu Jinnian, realizing the noodles weren’t on the menu, quickly made two bowls for her.
Spicy chicken noodle salad was easy to prepare, with just the right mix of sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt, vinegar, and most importantly, chili oil. The cooked and cooled noodles were briefly reheated, making them chewier. He added some bean sprouts, cucumber strips, chicken shreds, sesame, and crushed peanuts, finishing it off with a drizzle of fragrant oil. It was tangy and spicy, very appetizing.
After finishing one bowl, Aunt Wu beamed and packed the other for her husband, explaining her background. She and her husband had fled from Shu a few years ago and settled in Xinan County, finding work and eventually settling down. As their lives improved, they missed their hometown’s spicy food. The sight of Yu Jinnian’s spicy noodles awakened their cravings. Yu Jinnian, finding it easy, prepared two Sichuan-style dishes for her, thus forming their acquaintance.
In Xinan County, people preferred light flavors. After satisfying her craving, Aunt Wu frequently came to the noodle shop for spicy dishes. Sometimes, she would bring local delicacies or homemade pickles to Yu Jinnian, treating him like a half-nephew.
Seeing Aunt Wu again, Yu Jinnian naturally assumed she was there for spicy food and cheerfully asked, “Aunt Wu, what would you like to eat today?”
Aunt Wu sighed deeply, drained her cold tea, hesitated for a long time, then grasped Yu Jinnian’s hand and lamented, “Xiao Nian, please help Aunt Wu!”
Yu Jinnian was taken aback: “What happened?”
Aunt Wu then explained the situation. Her husband had gone into business with a fellow townsman, struck it rich, and brought back a large sum of silver. The couple decided they no longer wanted to rent a house in the city and bought a plot of land outside the city to build their own house. Now that the house was halfway built, it was time to install the main beam. The feng shui master they consulted had determined that today was the auspicious day for it.
The people of the Da Xia Dynasty were very superstitious. Once the feng shui master set the date, it had to be followed regardless of the weather. Aunt Wu went on and on about the complicated beam-raising ceremony, which involved several steps like offering sacrifices, raising the beam, and throwing the beam. She explained that everything had gone smoothly up to the last step—serving the workers.
The “serving the workers” part referred to the “beam-raising banquet,” where they needed to host a feast for the workers and the feng shui master after the beam was raised. After the meal, they would give red envelopes and say auspicious words to send the workers off, marking the end of a successful day.
The problem arose when the chef hired for the banquet cut his hand just as he was about to start preparing the ingredients. Seeing blood right after the beam was raised was considered bad luck, and the feng shui master frowned upon it, predicting a possible bloodshed in the new house. He then chanted some incantations, collected extra money to avert the blood disaster, and advised them to find another chef born on a yang (auspicious) day and at a yang time.
This put Aunt Wu’s family in a difficult position. Finding another chef at short notice, especially one born on a yang day and time, seemed impossible. After running around several small restaurants with no success, Aunt Wu finally thought of Yu Jinnian as her last hope.
“Xiao Nian, you’re a chef too. Do you know any chefs born on a yang day and time?” Aunt Wu asked expectantly.
As luck would have it, Yu Jinnian was stunned for a moment before smiling, “That’s me. Aunt Wu, if you don’t mind, I can come and cook for you?”
Aunt Wu was overjoyed, nodding enthusiastically and praising him, “That’s wonderful! You’re truly a blessing! I’ve tasted your cooking, and I trust you completely.” She then quickly took out two silver ingots as payment for the banquet and gave Yu Jinnian the address, repeatedly urging him to come.
“When you come later, bring a basket. I’ve just made a batch of spicy pickles; you can take some back!” Aunt Wu added with a smile as she left. “Once the house is finished, I’ll invite you to teach me how to make chopped pepper fish head!” She hurried home to share the good news.
Ji Hong, listening to their conversation while tinkering with his abacus, couldn’t help but wonder… would chopped pepper fish head taste good?
From the new smoked meat shop that opened in the back street a couple of days ago, the smell of smoked meat wafted through the window. Lost in thought, Ji Hong was suddenly choked by the smoky smell, causing a spasm in his lungs. As he was coughing, a white porcelain tea bowl was handed to him.
He took a sip and tasted the sweet, smooth flavor of pear, with a hint of sourness and a refreshing aroma.
Ji Hong lifted his eyes and saw Yu Jinnian leaning against the counter, smiling and tossing two silver fruits in his hand. He suddenly asked him, “Do you know Xiao Diao Li Tang (small pear soup)?”
“…” Ji Hong glanced at the teacup in his hand, thought for a moment, and indeed had never heard of the name, so he shook his head. “No.”
Yu Jinnian said, “Xiao Diao Li Tang, ah, is made from fresh, large snow pears, cut into pieces with the skin on. One part pear, two parts well water, boiled with a few green plums, two liang of silver fungus and some sugar frost, then simmered for half an hour. Originally, it is served in a copper pot, kept warm over a gentle fire, so it’s always warm whenever you drink it. Finally, you add a few goji berries to your cup…” As he spoke, he pulled a few bright red goji berries from his sleeve and sprinkled them into Ji Hong’s white teacup. “Tut-tut, it clears the throat, moisturizes the lungs, and tastes refreshing.”
Ji Hong took another sip of the pear soup in his cup. He didn’t know if there was some kind of magic in the boy’s words, but he felt the pear soup in his mouth becoming sweeter and clearer. The pear meat, already stewed to a soft pulp, and the slippery silver fungus slid down his throat like a pair of gentle hands, instantly dispelling the discomfort caused by the smoke.
After drinking half a cup, he suddenly felt the figure in front of him become heavier. The boy leaned over the counter with both elbows, looking at him with mischievous eyes. It was as if the silver fungus that had just slid into his stomach suddenly expanded, making Ji Hong feel a strange itch in his heart.
Yu Jinnian blinked, leaned in closer, almost touching his face, and asked mysteriously, “Mr. Ji, do you also want to know… how to make chopped pepper fish head?”
Ji Hong couldn’t help but twitch his eyelids and pursed his lips.
Yu Jinnian chuckled, finally stood up straight, raised an eyebrow: “Come help me at Aunt Wu’s house, and I’ll make you chopped pepper fish head, how about that?”
The author has something to say:
Reporter Qing Amao interviewed Jinnian: “Brother Nian, what was your first impression of your partner?”
Yu Jinnian: “Weak, pitiful, helpless… but can eat.”
Ji Hong: ?????
(The following scene is not suitable for children. Commercial break in progress.)
——Our reporter will continue to follow up!