This dish was incredibly extravagant.
The two squeezed back to the noodle shop, with Sui Sui peeking out through the crack of the door. Seeing them return, she quickly ran to fetch them dry towels, then went back to hiding behind the door. Yu Jinnian handed the pig’s knuckle to the little girl, instructing her to take it to the kitchen, and then he and Ji Hong went back to their room to dry off and change clothes.
Yu Jinnian took down his hair and roughly dried himself off. Turning around, he saw Ji Hong’s long hair almost dripping wet, with half of his shoulder also soaked. He checked himself and found he was dry, except for his feet, which were slightly damp and cold.
Feeling a bit guilty, Yu Jinnian helped Ji Hong change clothes. When he peeled off the wet clothes, his fingers inevitably touched Ji Hong’s skin. It was wet, smooth, and felt like it was covered in a layer of grease, snow-white and slippery. Though the body was not particularly hot, Yu Jinnian recoiled as if scalded.
Ji Hong, with his back to Yu Jinnian, asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Yu Jinnian suppressed his unusual hesitation, hurriedly removing Ji Hong’s dirty clothes and draping a set of dry, clean clothes over him. “Put these on quickly, or you’ll catch a cold.”
Ji Hong lowered his head slightly, his disheveled hair sliding down his shoulders, revealing and concealing the small patch of skin on his nape. His body was thin, not gaunt but not muscular either, with a thin layer of soft, resilient flesh over his spine. When he lowered his head, a couple of rounded vertebrae were visible.
Yu Jinnian wondered how a high-born son could end up like this. He glanced a few more times, feeling uncomfortable and unsure where to rest his gaze. Thankfully, Ji Hong soon arranged his collar, hiding the rarely seen patch of skin.
“Jinnian, Jinnian?”
Yu Jinnian, brought back to reality, mumbled a response. He blinked several times in confusion before seeing Ji Hong holding a towel and looking back at him with a soft tone, “Could you help me dry my hair?”
“Oh, okay.” Yu Jinnian took the towel, letting Ji Hong sit on a round stool with his back to him.
Ji Hong sat obediently, not moving at all. A handful of dark hair flowed through Yu Jinnian’s fingers like silk, giving him a sense of slipperiness. He grasped the ends of Ji Hong’s hair with one hand and used the towel with the other, slowly drying from the top. Occasionally, he massaged Ji Hong’s tense scalp with his fingers. After drying the top, Yu Jinnian reached to gather the hair in front of Ji Hong’s chest.
Being behind Ji Hong, with much of the hair covering him, Yu Jinnian’s hand barely caught any hair, accidentally touching Ji Hong’s Adam’s apple. The Adam’s apple rolled under his fingertips, causing Yu Jinnian’s heart to leap, and his fingers curled in nervousness, scratching Ji Hong’s neck.
Ji Hong let out a low, short “Ah” sound.
Yu Jinnian quickly apologized, “Sorry, did I scratch you?”
Ji Hong raised his hand to his neck, ambiguously replying, “Maybe.”
“What do you mean ‘maybe’? Let me see.” Yu Jinnian moved in front of him, bending to lift Ji Hong’s hair. Seeing Ji Hong still holding his neck, he reached out to pry his hand away, “Where? Let me see.”
After much effort, Yu Jinnian finally moved Ji Hong’s hand, only to find no scratch marks. Instead, he heard a soft chuckle from above.
Yu Jinnian bit his teeth in frustration, thinking this seemingly obedient person was actually quite mischievous! He looked up to glare at Ji Hong, only to find Ji Hong staring back. With his eyelids lowered, his dark eyes were half-covered, making his gaze deep and captivating. His face, in the shadows of his hair, appeared more profound… different from usual. Ji Hong’s gaze was so compelling that Yu Jinnian wanted to look away but couldn’t. His throat felt dry, so he stammered, “You… tricked me.”
“No, look again carefully.” Ji Hong replied nonchalantly, holding the boy’s hand and guiding him to feel once more.
Yu Jinnian’s fingers just touched Ji Hong’s Adam’s apple, which moved as if it were a living thing. He stared blankly, and Ji Hong suddenly let out a soft “Hmm?” from his nose, the sound vibrating through his bones to Yu Jinnian’s hand, making his five fingers tingle and unable to exert any strength.
“From so far away, how could you see clearly?” Ji Hong pulled him closer, asking, “Can you see clearly now?”
Yu Jinnian was almost pressed against Ji Hong. He could see not just the supposed injury but every detail of Ji Hong’s chin, the fine hairs, and the subtle lines on his lips. Ji Hong’s lips were slightly thin, but his nose was high and prominent. Following his features upward, Yu Jinnian inadvertently met Ji Hong’s eyes, which held a deep amusement.
With only a few inches between them, Ji Hong lowered his voice, forming a pleasing curve with his lips, “Can you see clearly now?”
“…” Yu Jinnian suddenly realized he was being teased again. Filled with embarrassment and anger, he turned to the table, grabbing the hair ribbon he had removed earlier. Quickly, he wrapped it around Ji Hong’s neck twice and tied a side bow, saying through gritted teeth, “Very clear! Severely injured! Don’t move; I’ll bandage it for you!”
Ji Hong didn’t intend to move, allowing the young man to decorate his neck with the ribbon. Then he watched Yu Jinnian, like an agitated rabbit, showing his teeth and hopping away.
Yu Jinnian had used the ribbon Ji Hong had gifted him, a ribbon he liked very much and had barely used. But since he had run out, he couldn’t ask for it back… Anyway, he would definitely untie it himself later, so he decided to retrieve it secretly when they slept. This thought brightened his mood, and he tied his hair with a short string, then went to the kitchen to cook.
Lifting the pig’s knuckle from the basin, Yu Jinnian patted it and hummed, “At least you’re obedient!”
He set a pot of water to boil, separated the skin and meat from the knuckle, removed the bones, blanched it to remove the blood, and then marinated the meat with soy sauce, yellow wine, scallions, ginger, and Sichuan pepper. As the water boiled, he added two or three star anise, then placed the pig skin in the pot. The purchased knuckle had already been roughly depilated, but some small hairs remained. These could only be removed by blanching in boiling water and then pulling them out one by one.
The most tedious part of preparing pig knuckle is hair removal, as it requires patience but is crucial. These small hairs, though insignificant, greatly affect the texture. Imagine biting into a beautifully cooked knuckle only to be pricked by hard hairs—how off-putting!
Yu Jinnian patiently treated the pig skin, let it cool slightly, then fetched a clean, porous cloth and a roll of twine.
The dish he was preparing was called “Entwined Flower Dream Meat,” a name full of poetic imagery, suggesting grandeur, elegance, and aromatic enchantment. A small bite was said to capture the essence of the world’s spirits, entwining with flowers and dreaming with clouds.
If diners brought their golden plates and ivory chopsticks, seated high in pavilions, listening to delicate music, and served by graceful women, they might indeed taste the dreamlike essence
Otherwise, accepting its more mundane name in the everyday world—known widely as soy-braised knuckle—was more realistic.
Indeed, the dish was simply soy-braised knuckle, named “Entwined Flower Dream Meat” due to the swirling patterns seen when sliced, earning it a refined title in literary circles to elevate it to grand banquets.
Yu Jinnian laid the treated pig skin on the table, wrapped the marinated knuckle meat inside, rolled it tightly into an even cylinder, then wrapped it securely with cloth and bound it with twine.
In another pot, he added bay leaves, star anise, fennel, ginger slices, scallion sections, and yellow wine soy sauce, with a touch of sugar, then placed the wrapped knuckle inside. Once boiling, he reduced it to a slow simmer for an hour, occasionally checking to ensure the pot didn’t dry out.
As he covered the pot and started making soup, the rain outside seemed to lessen, dripping intermittently from the eaves. Amid the dripping, he suddenly heard a fluttering sound. Initially ignoring it, he heard it again moments later.
Following the sound, he found a pair of green lights flashing in the corner between a large clay jar and the wall.
Startled, Yu Jinnian frightened the creature, which also scared him. They both darted in the same direction, resulting in the creature crashing into his leg and him stepping on its tail.
“Meeoww—!”
Yu Jinnian froze at the pitiful cry, only to find a small kitten the size of a palm, covered in gray mud with fur matted by rain and dirt. Its nose was pitch black, as if it had been dipped in ink.
The kitten, having its tail stepped on, darted back into the corner, arching its body to lick its tail. After a few licks, it hissed at Yu Jinnian, fur bristling.
Yu Jinnian peered into the corner behind the jar. It was a spot rarely cleaned, and he found several small bones, some leftover scraps of unknown origin, and a few tattered cloth pieces. The little creature clearly considered this place home, coming and going freely.
It was no wonder, the kitchen was warm and had plenty of good food. If he were a cat, he would like it here too.
Yu Jinnian grabbed a small shrimp to lure the kitten out. The kitten looked up, hissed, and then shrank back. He tried again, dangling a shrimp on a string above the corner. The kitten sniffed, seemingly tempted.
After a moment, two more shrimps fell down.
The kitten’s eyes brightened and it reached out to grab.
Before it could catch the shrimp, it was lifted by the scruff of its neck from its hiding spot.
The scruff is a sensitive spot for all cats; even the most unruly will calm down when held by the scruff. The kitten curled up obediently.
Yu Jinnian examined the dirty little kitten, smiling inwardly. What problem couldn’t be solved with a shrimp? If one shrimp wasn’t enough, then two would do. Right, little one?
The kitten glared at him, meowing with its soft, pinkish claws extending. But to Yu Jinnian, its threatening meows sounded like soft “meeows.”
“I didn’t step on your tail on purpose. Why so fierce?” Yu Jinnian switched from holding to cuddling the kitten, feeding it the shrimps he had used as bait. The kitten, realizing there was food, quickly calmed down, looking up at him expectantly.
It meowed, “Mee?”
Yu Jinnian, as if understanding, responded, “Mee, mee?”
The kitten continued, “Mee mee mee!”
Yu Jinnian petted its head, “Mee.”
Behind him, a soft chuckle sounded. Yu Jinnian turned to see Ji Hong leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, one leg slightly bent. He asked, “What were you two talking about? Care to share with Ji?”
Yu Jinnian, seeing the obvious bow on Ji Hong’s neck, felt his lips twitch. Earlier, in his anger, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now the ribbon against Ji Hong’s fair neck reminded him of something lewd and playful. He said, “Why haven’t you taken off that ribbon?”
“Hmm?” Ji Hong touched the bow on his neck, pretending to be troubled. “This? You said I was seriously injured and needed bandaging. How dare I remove it without your permission?”
Yu Jinnian thought: Shameless! Then you should never take it off for the rest of your life!
Author’s Note:
Ji: This bow is lovely; Niannian gave it to me.
Niannian: == (Can I say I don’t know him?)