There were actually people in this world who dared to covet his buttocks.
With business coming in, Yu Jinnian didn’t rest either. After lunch, he got busy.
The Moon Festival is the second biggest festival after New Year’s Day. As the saying goes, “On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the moon is at its zenith, and the platters are filled with melons and pomegranates.” At this time, fruits and vegetables are harvested, and people across the country celebrate the joyous festival. Even a small noodle shop like theirs got busy early on. Even little Sui Sui, with her small hands, picked up a cloth and carefully wiped down the counter.
Most of the restaurants in Xinan County had already refurbished and decorated their storefronts. Some even had colorful silk ribbons tied at their doors. Looking down the street, the whole place seemed brand new, and even the faces of the passersby were filled with joyous smiles.
The shop didn’t have extra money to compete with others in terms of decoration, but they could still afford to buy a new banner. The bright and fresh banner with the word “Food” written on it fluttered in the wind, lifting Yu Jinnian’s spirits. He then ran to the carpenter’s shop across the street and bought some wooden strips and thin boards, which were just leftover scraps and didn’t cost much. He only paid for the carpenter to cut the strips into tenons, mortises, and a peculiar groove. He also bought a few mooncake molds, engraved with patterns like moons, flowers, and rabbits. Compared to the Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity, and Happiness mooncakes in big restaurants, these looked much more refreshing and cute.
Ji Hong, who was forced to stay at home due to his poor health, was standing behind the counter. After waiting for a long time, he saw the boy coming back with a pile of wood from afar. He quickly went out to help, taking two pieces: “What are these for? Your hands are all worn out.”
Yu Jinnian smiled and threw the wooden strips and boards at the shop entrance, bending down to assemble them. Once the wooden strips were interlocked and the boards inserted, it became a small signboard, the kind often seen in front of coffee shops, displaying daily specials or hot items. When placed on the road, it was instantly noticeable.
This kind of thing was common in Yu Jinnian’s world but unheard of in the Da Xia Dynasty. Even Ji Hong found it novel. He had wanted to help when he saw the boy hammering the mortise and tenon joints but didn’t know where to start. Just as he was distracted, Yu Jinnian had already assembled it and pulled out a piece of white mud from his pocket.
White mud, commonly known as “white clay,” is a miraculous little white block. It is a traditional Chinese medicine called chalk, used to treat women’s blood stasis and men’s organ cold. But it not only cures illnesses but can also be used to wash clothes and as painting powder, and it’s abundant and cheap.
Ji Hong didn’t know what he bought the white mud for until he saw Yu Jinnian pick out a small piece and start drawing on the board.
Actually, Yu Jinnian was just using it as chalk. After all, white mud mainly consists of calcium carbonate, similar to chalk. He originally wanted Ji Hong to write “Presale Mooncakes” on the signboard but then realized that not everyone could read, so he decided to draw a mooncake instead, making it clear and easy to understand.
Around the Moon Festival, every household was making mooncakes, either for their own consumption or for sale. The aroma of baked mooncakes filled the city. Although Yu Jinnian could make some so-called health mooncake fillings, they would be expensive. While some wealthy people might find it novel and buy one or two to try, it was better to earn through small profits but high sales.
Mooncakes had to be made, but they couldn’t be the same as everyone else’s.
After setting up the signboard, Yu Jinnian went into the kitchen.
First, he took glutinous rice flour, wheat flour, sticky rice flour, and powdered sugar, putting them in a large bowl. He added fresh milk and oil—the oil had to be odorless, such as seed oil or soybean oil, because if peanut oil was used, its inherent aroma would ruin the mooncake’s flavor. He mixed the water and flour evenly, sifted out the residue, let it stand for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, and then steamed it while stirring, making a smooth, sticky dough. While the dough was cooling, he fried a bowl of hand powder, used to sprinkle on hands and the board to prevent sticking.
With the dough ready, it was time to make the filling.
In addition to the lotus paste filling requested by Qing Huan, Yu Jinnian made many other fillings. Sweet ones included red and green bean paste, delicate rose paste, jujube paste, purple sweet potato, black sesame, and the Da Xia people’s favorite five-nut filling, which Yu Jinnian wished he could ban from mooncakes. There were also two savory fillings: meat floss and ham. Counting them, there were nine or ten types.
While Ji Hong attended to the front, Yu Jinnian was still too busy, so he brought Sui Sui in to help him knead the dough and filling.
The little girl was skillful, making dough balls of uniform size, which made Yu Jinnian very satisfied.
However, he didn’t know that the front was already buzzing. The scent from steaming the dough with milk and the various fillings had drifted to the front hall, and a group of diners was craning their necks and sniffing the aroma coming from the backyard.
“What is this smell? It’s both sweet and fragrant. Is it mooncakes?”
“I thought I smelled wrong. Look, Brother Nian has put up a little thing at the door. Doesn’t it have a picture of a mooncake on it?”
“Wow, this thing is interesting. Tomorrow, I’ll put one in front of my candy shop too!”
After a round of laughter, several people had already taken out money, ready to order mooncakes at the noodle shop. Some new customers, seeing Yu Jinnian’s small and shabby shop, didn’t trust his skills and preferred to buy mooncakes from big restaurants and eateries.
Some people mocked, “You aren’t afraid of eating bugs from food made in such a shabby little shop?”
Ji Hong glanced at the speaker, a well-dressed young master. There were many people earlier, so he hadn’t noticed when this person came in, accompanied by two servants, and even in this mid-autumn weather, he was still fanning himself—a display of wealth and status.
“Ah! There are ants on this table! Who knows if there’s something dirty in the pot too?”
His exclamation made a few people who initially wanted to order mooncakes hesitate.
“Eat what?” Ji Hong, standing at eight feet tall, loomed like a towering wall in front of the young master, his eyes cold, making people feel uneasy.
The young master was startled for a moment but was quickly captivated by the man’s appearance. He stammered, “You, what do you have here?”
Ji Hong responded coldly, “It’s on the wall.”
The young master turned to look and indeed saw a circle of small wooden plaques hanging on the wall, with names of common dishes like stir-fried bean sprouts, braised eggplant, and cold lotus root salad. Compared to the beauty in front of him, these dishes seemed crude and unappealing. He sneered disdainfully, “Just these?” He looked at Ji Hong several times, feeling a rush of warmth in his heart, and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Not eating? Then leave.” Ji Hong didn’t answer, throwing down a rag and turning to leave.
The young master looked down and saw it was a rag: “You—!”
“Ungrateful!” The servant beside him slapped the table, “Do you know who my young master is?!”
The young master had heard from his servants about an unparalleled beauty at a shabby noodle shop in the west of the city, which prompted him to lower himself to come and see. The beauty was indeed stunning, but his words were sharp, so he had to bring up his status to intimidate him. He proudly unfolded his fan, waiting for Ji Hong to serve him tea and apologize. The fan was bought at a high price from the Treasure Pavilion in the capital, made of ivory and silk, with a design embroidered by the best imperial embroidery workshop of the time, gold and silver threads stitching a pure white plum blossom, and a small poem on the back.
Ji Hong found the poem quite familiar.
“…” No, it was very familiar.
Despite his young age, this young master prided himself on being a suave and charming regular at places like the Yicui Pavilion and the Flower Pavilion, not discriminating between men and women, and indulging in both. He had a round face and almond-shaped eyes that were quite likable, and with a wealthy family background that allowed him to spend lavishly, he was known as a playboy in Xinan County. Seeing Ji Hong staring at his golden plum blossom fan, he assumed Ji Hong liked it. The young master, who adored beautiful people, especially those like Ji Hong with a touch of aloofness, thought it was perfect. Immediately, he decided to reward him with it.
However, before he could speak, the young master’s expression turned bitter, and he pulled out a piece of black jade from his waist instead: “This fan has a poem personally written by Lord Qingluan. I haven’t even had time to warm it myself, so I can’t give it to you. But this piece of black jade was brought by a foreign merchant caravan and is a good item. You can have it!”
The servants, seeing their young master so generously give away precious black jade to a mere noodle shop worker, clutched their chests in disbelief. But then they thought, their young master flirted with many people, and the treasures he casually gave away were countless, so a piece of black jade wasn’t a big deal.
Ji Hong didn’t even glance at the dark jade, instead, he coldly sneered: “Really? How come I don’t know?”
“If you could tell it’s a good thing, you wouldn’t be working in this broken shop.” The young master raised his eyebrows arrogantly, eyeing the beautiful Ji with a lascivious look. “If the beauty lacks money, come find me at the Jiang residence in the east of the city. I will not treat the beauty poorly.”
He usually liked soft and adorable young men and women, but had never encountered someone with such a cold charm. This made Ji Hong seem even more ethereal and intriguing, making the young master feel that all his previous flings paled in comparison to Ji Hong.
Too bad he was a bit tall, but height had its advantages too, more fun, right?
Before he even touched him, Jiang Bingren’s mind was already running wild, his almond eyes darting around, fixated on Ji Hong’s buttocks.
Ji Hong probably never imagined that there would be someone in this world daring enough to covet his buttocks.
“—Young master, young master! We must leave quickly, the master has returned home!”
Another servant came running in, sweating profusely. Jiang Bingren’s face turned pale upon hearing this, and he stood up in a hurry, like a mouse seeing a cat, scrambling to leave while asking in a panic, “What happened? Wasn’t father supposed to be in the provincial capital? Why is he back now?!”
“I don’t know. It seems there was a business mishap over there, so he returned early.”
“Why didn’t you come to call me earlier!” Jiang Bingren tucked the fan he had been showing off into his waist, lifted his robes, and ran. As he exited, he turned back to wink at Ji Hong, shouting, “Remember to come find me at the Jiang residence!”
Ji Hong: ………..
Not long after Jiang Bingren left, Sui Sui came running out, tugging at his sleeve and pointing toward the kitchen.
The little girl had a ring of white powder around her mouth. Ji Hong wiped it off with his sleeve and asked, “Is Jinnian looking for me?”
Sui Sui nodded with a hum.
The kitchen was filled with various bowls of fillings and already-made pastries. Ji Hong walked in, unsure where to step. Strangely, there was no fire for baking mooncakes, only a pot of soup bubbling away, and a few colorful doughs in a porcelain basin at the boy’s feet.
The boy was busy among them. Ji Hong’s heart softened, so he didn’t mention the earlier incident to Yu Jinnian to avoid troubling him.
Seeing Ji Hong, Yu Jinnian picked up a porcelain plate and greeted him, “You’re here, try this and see if it’s good.”
The boy’s hands and face were covered with white powder, likely from making mooncakes. Ji Hong looked at the small cake with a jade rabbit imprint on the plate. It was as translucent as jade, making the boy’s fingers look round and adorable. Instead of taking it, Ji Hong leaned in and took a bite.
Yu Jinnian was used to this lazy way of eating.
The pastry was soft and glutinous, with a faint coolness, melting on the tongue and spreading a sweet fragrance.
Ji Hong was surprised, “Is this a mooncake?”
Yu Jinnian’s lips curled up, “This is called a snow skin mooncake, how is it?”
The little cake’s skin was indeed cool and smooth, living up to its name. This kind of cool, little pastry was unheard of in Xinan County, or even the capital. Ji Hong nodded, not sparing his praise, “It’s very novel. It will surely sell well.”
Hearing Ji Hong’s words, Yu Jinnian was delighted and picked out a few more snow skin mooncakes with different fillings for Ji Hong to try. Seeing him so enthusiastic, Ji Hong couldn’t refuse and ended up eating so many that he was almost too full to walk.
In addition to the plain snow skin, Yu Jinnian also made colored snow skin using natural dyes: red skin from red yeast rice powder, purple skin from purple sweet potato, and green skin from tea powder. These colorful mooncakes looked beautiful when displayed together.
Unfortunately, there was no refrigerator, and ice cellars were not something a small household could afford. The mooncakes could only be sealed in porcelain jars and placed in the courtyard well to cool. The well water was cold in late autumn, making the mooncakes still taste fine but unable to be stored for long. They had to be sold on the same day they were made.
With Ji Hong, a young master, as his taste tester, Yu Jinnian confidently took a batch of snow skin mooncakes out for trial sale. He also cut open a dozen or so mooncakes of various flavors and set them up at the shop entrance for sampling.
“Can we really eat for free?” someone asked, skeptical.
Yu Jinnian nodded with a smile, “Yes, really. Try it if you don’t believe me.”
That person tried a red bean paste one and exclaimed, “It’s fragrant, glutinous, and pleasantly cool!” This drew other onlookers to crowd in for a taste. For a while, the noodle shop was the liveliest place on the street.
Yu Jinnian was jostled back and forth and suddenly found himself lifted by his collar, being rescued.
He smelled a fresh scent different from the noodle shop’s aroma and turned to see that his rescuer was indeed Ji Hong. He complained to the man, “I didn’t expect so many people, it almost crushed me!”
Though his words were complaining, his face was full of smiles.
A diner was pushed, causing him to bump into Yu Jinnian’s back. Yu Jinnian stumbled and fell into Ji Hong’s arms.
Ji Hong spread his arms and caught the boy, moving to a quieter spot. He then gently patted the boy’s hair, whispering, “Be careful.”
The voice from above was warm and soft, and the spot behind Yu Jinnian’s ear where Ji Hong’s fingers touched felt ticklish. Yu Jinnian’s face was buried in Ji Hong’s chest, inhaling a peculiar scent, a mix of fragrance and medicine that he couldn’t quite place. It took him a moment to snap out of it. He shrank his neck and mumbled, “Oh,” before hurriedly turning and diving back into the crowd.
Ji Hong: …Then why did I rescue you just now?
The sensation of the boy’s cool earlobe still lingered on Ji Hong’s fingers, reminiscent of the snow skin mooncake he had just eaten. Speaking of which, Ji Hong suddenly craved another mooncake.
Yu Jinnian shouted from the crowd, “Snow skin mooncakes, unique to One Bowl Noodle Shop! Perfect for gifting friends, family, wives, and children. Don’t miss out! One for a special tasting price, two for a double deal. Buy a set and get a free pack of our special health tea. Buy multiple sets and get extra mooncakes for free!”
“So pretty, my wife will definitely like them. Nian, give me a pair!”
“I want a set too, with all the different flavors!”
“I’ll pre-order two sets! I’ll pick them up tomorrow.”
Yu Jinnian smiled, “Sure, sure, we have plenty. Those who pre-order, please come here to register.” He turned and waved, “Ji Hong! Come help me!”
Ji Hong looked up at the clear autumn sky, feeling that this kind of life seemed quite nice.
…
After selling the batch and registering all the pre-orders, it was already evening. Ji Hong, having washed up, returned to his room to find Yu Jinnian counting money, happily counting one, two, three, four coins.
Including the money earned from cooking for Aunt Wu’s family and making medicinal meals for the He family, plus the deposit from Qing Huan for the mooncakes, even after deducting expenses, they had earned more than ten taels of silver.
Yu Jinnian clicked his tongue in admiration, “Truly like the god of wealth descending.”
“What?” Ji Hong, sitting on the bed, flipping through the day’s accounts, his hair still wet, draped over his shoulders.
Yu Jinnian went to the kitchen, brought back a bowl of stew that had been simmering, and took a clean towel from the clothesline outside. He ran over to the bed, handed the stew to Ji Hong, and sat behind him to dry his hair.
Immersed in the joy of making money, Yu Jinnian didn’t find this inappropriate. After all, with everyone having long hair, it looked nice but was troublesome to dry. Besides, Ji Hong had a weak constitution, and with the cold weather, if he caught a chill, wouldn’t it be Yu Jinnian who would have to take care of him?
Ji Hong’s hair was smooth and dark, contrasting with his overly pale skin, making him look somewhat sickly. Yu Jinnian diagnosed him with a pale tongue, weak pulse, poor appetite, cold hands and feet, and a lackluster complexion, indicating insufficient qi and blood, and deficiencies in the lungs and kidneys. His dizziness and palpitations during their trip to the He family were also symptoms of this condition. Although he seemed severely weak, getting short of breath and dizzy with slight exertion, to Yu Jinnian, these weren’t major problems.
The key to his treatment was simple—eating.
Of course, he could supplement with some herbal remedies like Buzhong Yiqi Pills or Eight Treasures Decoction, but eating was more enjoyable. Given Ji Hong’s refined manner, he likely had access to the best medicine, and perhaps he had taken so much that he never wanted to smell it again.
The kidneys are the source of innate vitality, the origin of life, and the foundation of vitality, while the spleen is the source of acquired vitality, responsible for producing qi and blood. Therefore, eating well, eating enough, and eating healthily, combined with regular exercise, would naturally strengthen the body. Yu Jinnian called this his “pig-rearing plan.”
At this moment, his “beautiful piglet” was holding the stew Yu Jinnian made, attracted by its aroma.
“What kind of soup is this?” Ji Hong asked.
Yu Jinnian replied, “Astragalus and lean pork soup. Slow-cooked with astragalus, goji berries, red dates, and lean pork, it has the effect of replenishing qi and blood. Drinking it will be beneficial for you. This is just the beginning. I have many more methods to nurse you back to health. If you want to get strong, listen to me, and I’ll make you as strong as an ox!”
“Like an ox or a tiger?” Ji Hong chuckled, taking the bowl and sipping slowly. The taste was fresh but not salty, the medicinal aroma pleasant but not bitter. Drinking it at night, he truly felt warmed up, and he nodded, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
On the small cabinet by the bed was still the “Qingluan Poetry Collection.” Seeing that Ji Hong had nothing urgent to do, and the accounts could be checked anytime, Yu Jinnian smiled and asked, “Ji Hong, can you read me some poetry? Tell me about it.”
Having eaten his food and received his help, Ji Hong had no choice but to set aside the accounts book and pick up the poetry collection. He opened a page and began to read.
Yu Jinnian couldn’t recognize many of the characters, but having grown up reading medical history, classics, and ancient literary masterpieces, he could understand the poetry. He started to appreciate why “Lord Qingluan” had so many fans—his poems possessed a refined elegance, a subtle charm that evoked a unique sensation. While there might be many brilliant and passionate poets in the world, known for their vivid and thrilling works, Lord Qingluan’s poems, with their serene and quiet grace, made it feel as if flowers never wilted, grass remained ever green, and everything was perpetually beautiful, almost to the point of being fantastical.
Who among the world’s lovesick men and women wouldn’t want to live in such a golden dream, forever intoxicated and never waking?
“Huh?” Yu Jinnian suddenly noticed something different about the poetry collection, “Weren’t these pages unreadable before? How come they suddenly have text?” Seeing that the newly filled pages were also poems by Lord Qingluan, Yu Jinnian realized, “So you’re a fan of Lord Qingluan too?”
Ji Hong: …Should he tell him the truth?
Unaware of Ji Hong’s inner turmoil, Yu Jinnian mumbled, “But his depiction of the far northern snowfields is so beautiful. Is there really such a beautiful place?”
By the time the poem was finished, Ji Hong’s hair was almost dry. He put down the empty bowl, gently tucked the boy’s cold feet into the blanket, and softly said, “No, it’s not real.”
Yu Jinnian snuggled into the blanket, pulling it up to his shoulders, and frowned, “How do you know it’s not real?”
“Just a guess.” Ji Hong sat by the bed, his eyes gentle as he watched the boy resting with his eyes closed. He suddenly asked, “Do you like Lord Qingluan… his poems?”
“He…” Yu Jinnian started but then fell silent.
Looking closer, he realized Yu Jinnian had already fallen asleep.
Ji Hong: Where did he learn to fall asleep so quickly?
Author’s Note:
–
OMG! If Young Master Ji becomes as strong as an ox or a tiger, will you still want your buttocks, Yu Xianian?!
–
Young Master Ji’s Diary Exposed!!:
– Today someone invited my little cutie to a brothel. Noted in my little book!
– Today someone coveted my buttocks. Noted in my little book.
– Today my little cutie personally made soup for me! Aaaah, explosion!
–
Young Master Ji himself →
– Ji Gongzi’s diary →
– Yu Jinnian: = = (This can’t be the real Ji Gongzi.)
–
Today I wrote six thousand characters! Praise me, praise me~~