“Pah, those who bully me will burn their tongues with spiciness!”
Ji Hong followed into the kitchen, where Yu Jinnian was peeling green onions.
The small green onions were stripped of their white parts, leaving only the fresh green leaves, which were then cut into segments and simmered in an oil pot until they turned a charred yellow. Soy sauce and sugar were mixed in a certain proportion and slowly poured into the oil pot, stirring continuously to blend the sauce with the oil. Only then could the scallion flavor be infused into the sauce, creating a perfect scallion oil topping. Since he was already making it, Yu Jinnian decided to make extra scallion oil to sell.
Next, he boiled the noodles, took them out, rinsed them with water, and gathered them in a bowl. He poured the scallion oil soup over them and sprinkled some chopped scallions on top, making a simple yet richly colored scallion oil noodle dish, with tender noodles and green onions.
Yu Jinnian then nonchalantly asked, “Do you know the person outside?”
“Not really.” Ji Hong leaned against the door, observing the boy’s somewhat awkward behavior, as if he wanted to look back at him but was too stubborn to do so. Ji Hong took a step back, handed him a towel to dry his hands, and asked, “How did you meet him?”
“Just ran into him on the way back from buying medicine, and he insisted on following me back.” Yu Jinnian glanced at him and casually made a pot of egg tea with hot bone broth. This egg tea could be paired with the scallion oil noodles as a set meal, like some small eateries often did, and it should sell well… After musing about various things, he finished all the preparations, wiped his hands, and looked at Ji Hong, saying, “But he bid you farewell without any issues. When did you have any issues with such a person? He doesn’t seem like a good person, daring to tease people in broad daylight!”
Ji Hong recalled the last time Jiang Bingren had flirted with him at the noodle shop and couldn’t help but frown: “He doesn’t seem like a good person. Stay away from him.”
“Are you taking charge of me now?” Yu Jinnian raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Ji Hong. A strand of hair fell from his temple, and he tried to tuck it back but failed. Ignoring it, he continued, “You haven’t said what he did to you. How come I don’t know? Did he also act as your protector against street robbers in broad daylight?”
So that’s what it was about. Ji Hong found it amusing but didn’t say anything. Instead, he moistened his fingers with clean water, tucked the strand of hair behind Yu Jinnian’s ear, and softly said, “There was no protector. A few days ago, he just came to the noodle shop and exchanged a few words.”
Whatever words he exchanged, it was probably more like a string of “little beauty” and “little lord” compliments, waving his golden fan without a care!
Yu Jinnian immediately understood and angrily spat, “I should add some horseradish to his soup!”
Ji Hong helplessly said, “Don’t provoke him. He’s the young master of Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant, the only son of the Jiang family.”
“Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant?” Yu Jinnian thought for a moment. This neighboring area wasn’t very big, with three counties and twenty-two villages, and Xinan County was the richest, located between north and south trade routes. The city was bustling with merchants, making the taverns, eateries, and inns flourish. Among them, “Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant” on Baihua Street in the east of the city was the most prosperous, thriving for a hundred years.
Speaking of Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant, it had some history. Baihua Street wasn’t originally called that; it was a more common name, “Jinbao Road,” meaning wealth and treasure.
It was said that this name change came from a young top scholar of the previous dynasty, who was from Xinan County. Although being a top scholar wasn’t rare, this young man was only seventeen when he passed the imperial exam with distinction, impressing everyone at the court and being personally appointed to the Hanlin Academy by the emperor. However, he was only seventeen, inevitably youthful and arrogant. When he returned home during a spring trip, he saw the name “Jinbao Road” and exclaimed, “Vulgar, vulgar, vulgar!” He then ordered a hundred pots of flowers to be lined along the road, making it vibrant and beautiful.
After this floral display, coinciding with the opening of a new tavern, the owner, upon hearing of the young scholar’s return, asked for a name for his tavern. The scholar, far from annoyed, immediately wrote “Spring Breeze Delight” and hung it above the tavern.
Since then, Jinbao Road was renamed Baihua Street, and the new tavern became today’s bustling “Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant.”
However, Yu Jinnian only knew the name Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant and had passed by it a few times, never paying attention to its interior or who the owner was. It turned out, Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant was owned by Jiang Bingren’s family.
Ji Hong said, “The Jiang family’s hundred-year foundation doesn’t rely solely on Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant. They must have other businesses. Plus, one of the Jiang sisters is the county magistrate’s favored concubine, very arrogant. So, don’t provoke that Jiang young master. If he says something, just ignore it.”
Yu Jinnian slowly agreed, puzzled, “How do you know so much?”
“It’s just that you know too little.” Ji Hong smiled. He seemed not to consider that if he left Yu Jinnian one day, who would teach him these things.
Yu Jinnian tilted his head, understanding, and nodded, smiling, “Alright, I got it. I won’t cause trouble.”
Seeing his sincere smile, Ji Hong felt relieved and sent out the scallion oil noodles to quickly get rid of the flirtatious young master.
Yu Jinnian watched Ji Hong’s back disappear behind the curtain to the front hall, then suddenly changed his expression, jumped up to reach a small jar on the kitchen cabinet, opened the lid, and sniffed. He sneezed from the strong smell. Holding his breath, he scooped a spoonful of yellow-green powder and sprinkled it into Jiang Bingren’s soup, adding a bit more seasoning.
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Jiang Bingren glanced at the noodles and then at the egg soup with an exceptionally disdainful expression. Just as he was about to say something, he looked up and saw Yu Jinnian staring at him with a mischievous smile. He immediately held his tongue, afraid that Yu Jinnian might say something revolting again, like the talk about pig intestine slices he had heard earlier, which had already made him swear off pork intestines for the month.
He picked up his bamboo chopsticks, still unable to resist sneering at the noodles, but having walked across the entire county, he was genuinely hungry and too tired to be picky. He lifted the noodles and took a bite.
The young master of Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant, now sitting in a shabby little shop, eating a bowl of plain scallion oil noodlesโif his extravagant friends saw this, they would surely mock him mercilessly for the rest of the year!
Jiang Bingren sighed deeply, chewing the noodles, smacking his lips: “Hmm?”
Though the scallion oil noodles looked simple, they were not perfunctory. The noodles were chewy, and the scallion oil imparted a rich aroma. Most importantly, the pickled radish added a wonderful contrast. Despite Spring Breeze Delight Restaurant’s array of exquisite dishes and fine wines, not to mention the entertainers performing for guests, it never sold such humble fare. He had tasted similar noodles from roadside vendors before, but they were bland and tasteless, unlike these delightful noodles.
He took a few more bites, and the disdain on his face gradually faded, replaced by frequent nods of approval.
Yu Jinnian had put up a homemade sign at the front of the shop, depicting a bowl of noodles and a bowl of soup encircled with decorative borders, with prices marked. Soon, many other customers came inquiring, and upon learning about the “set meal” discount, they eagerly ordered to try it out.
Meanwhile, Jiang Bingren finished one bowl and raised his hand to order another.
While waiting for his noodles, he picked up the egg soup and inspected it closely before taking a big gulp.
“Poofโ! Ah, helpโ!”
Ji Hong was busy with the accounts when he saw the young master spew the soup all over the table, his mouth covered in egg flowers, frantically looking for water while crying out for help. Turning his head, Ji Hong noticed Yu Jinnian, who had just brought out the dishes, standing with his back to the wall, shoulders shaking.
It seemed he was… laughing.
“…” Ji Hong rubbed his temples in exasperation, thinking, as expected. He took a pot of cold tea from the counter and placed it on Jiang Bingren’s table, then quickly walked over to Yu Jinnian, grabbing his hand and whispering, “Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t prank him again?”
Yu Jinnian stuck out his tongue, his eyes curving into crescents with laughter, as if a bright moon was reflected in them.
Ji Hong was momentarily stunned and said, “Ah, you…”
But then he thought, could it be that the boy was standing up for him?
Yu Jinnian didn’t reply, smiling as he slipped past Ji Hong, carrying the noodles over to Jiang Bingren’s table, innocently saying, “Oh dear, Young Master Jiang, what happened? Don’t you like our soup? Maybe the taste isn’t to your liking. Shall I get you something else?”
In his heart, he thought, ‘Spicy enough? Those who bully me won’t escape without a spicy lesson!’
Jiang Bingren, with tears streaming down his face from the spice, looked around pitifully. Others were drinking the same egg soup with normal expressions, even praising it. He, spoiled and pampered all his life, couldn’t fathom that Yu Jinnian had spiked his soup. He truly believed it was just a peculiar taste from an out-of-town establishment, thinking some places might indeed favor such a spicy concoction.
Most notably, no one among the other customers exposed the truth, and many felt a sense of schadenfreude.
This little young master, Jiang Bingren, had been notorious for his arrogance, harassing countless women and men alike, even teasing stray dogs he encountered. Many of the people here likely had sisters, daughters, or friends who had been on the receiving end of his mischief. Backed by his family’s wealth and his aunt’s status as the county magistrate’s favorite concubine, no one dared to confront him. Otherwise, with his brazen behavior, he would have long been beaten senseless.
Yu Jinnian extended his hand towards him, and Jiang Bingren, stepping back, forced a bitter smile, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Your noodle shop really has… a unique taste, unique taste…” He quickly abandoned his meal, tossed a silver ingot on the table, and, with his nose still red, made his escape, “Oh, I think my servant is looking for me. Goodbye, goodbye!”
Jiang Bingren fled from the noodle shop as if escaping from hell.
Ji Hong approached, intending to scold Yu Jinnian, but when the boy turned and winked at him, his heart softened instantly. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Satisfied?”
Yu Jinnian didn’t dare to push his luck after getting away with his prank and quickly nodded, promising, “Mr. Ji, I won’t do it again next time!”
The customers in the shop looked up at the two of them, finding them both exceptionally handsome, which made their meal even more enjoyable. Moreover, everyone knew that Mr. Ji, who handled the accounts, rarely smiled. He only ever seemed to smile when talking to Yu Jinnian, and when he did, it was like a gentle breeze carrying a thousand scents.
Ji Hong said, “Tonight, you will be punished by writing twenty more large characters.”
Yu Jinnian was about to bargain with him when, suddenly, a gray shadow rushed into the shop, paused briefly, then knelt at Yu Jinnian’s feet with a loud thud, bowing four or five times with a sound like thunder.
Yu Jinnian was startled and instinctively stepped aside. Looking down, he saw it was the maid with a red birthmark on half her face from Yicui Pavilion.
“What are you doing? Get up, we can talk.”
The maid looked up, her face covered in blood. With her already having a red birthmark, her face looked as if it had been dipped in a blood vat. Yu Jinnian was momentarily stunned. The maid hastily wiped her face with her sleeve and covered the unsightly half of her face, trembling for a long time.
In fact, Yu Jinnian wasn’t scared by her appearance but by how much blood she had lost, as if she had cracked her skull to bleed that much.
Yu Jinnian tried to part her hair to check the wound on her head.
The maid, feeling self-conscious about her appearance, retreated repeatedly and knocked her head on the ground three more times, not daring to get up, lying prostrate and crying out, “Please, Brother Nian! Save Sister Qing Huan! Please save her…”
The author has something to say:
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This story could also be called “Protective Little Nian and Sweetheart Princess Ji” (What?), with one responsible for being beautiful and the other for making money to support the family~~ Whoever dares to mess with us will be sent to see their mom!
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On XX/XX/XX at 17:00, a certain forum post:
OP [Nian Nian Eats Carp]: My little wife is always attracting unwanted admirers outside. What should I do? Online, not in a hurry.
2nd Floor [Rose]: Funny, my little wife also attracts unwanted admirers outside.
OP [Nian Nian Eats Carp] replied: Don’t even mention it. The unwanted admirer my wife attracts looks like a gingerbread man.
2nd Floor [Rose] replied: What a coincidence, my little wife also attracts a gingerbread man.
[Nian Nian Eats Carp] & [Rose]: …………
3rd Floor [Qing Amao]: Haha, I know, soon OP will postโThanks everyone, I got together with the second floor. Damn, it’s a trick! Rejecting dog food starts with me.
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Seeing some comments asking if the dishes in the story can be made, yes! Of course, they can! I’ve tried making them at home; it’s not too difficult, actually 233333.
PS: Your speculations about Second Brother are shocking… His story will be revealed later because it’s related to why Princess Ji became what he is today and why he’s afraid of the dark. It’s quite important~
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The story is set in a fictional world, and the interpretation rights belong to reporter Qing Amao.
Also, this is really just a light-hearted, happy story about eating, drinking, and falling in love, without any major villains or antagonists (if there were, they’d be dealt with quickly). It’s mainly about Little Nian Nian and Sweetheart Princess Ji stumbling their way to fame together~