Chapter 30: Xu Nian Brings Dumpling Ears

Two Days Later

As agreed, Xu Nian set out for Ling Mountain with Hunter Wang. Along with them was Hunter Wang’s brother-in-law, Zhao Bo.

Since they would be passing by the county school on the way, Xu Nian had prepared some food for the three brothers over the past two days.

Ling Mountain was southwest of Wanying Village, even farther from the village than the county town.

The group of four walked for over half an hour before they arrived at the county school at the foot of Ling Mountain.

Xu Fugui carried a basket on his back and accompanied Xu Nian to the entrance of the school.

An elderly gatekeeper was dozing under the corridor. Xu Nian approached quietly and said in a soft voice:

“Old sir, excuse me for disturbing you.”

The old man opened his eyes and saw a young girl standing before him. Guessing she must have come to visit a student, he asked,

“Young lady, who are you looking for?”

“Old sir, I’m looking for my younger brother, Xu Ji. Could you help me call him?”

“Do you know which class he’s in?”

Xu Nian was momentarily stunned. She had no idea which class he had been assigned to. Did that mean she had come all this way for nothing?

“Old sir, my brothers are new students, so I don’t actually know which class they’re in.”

The old man was a warm-hearted person. “Then do you know the name of any of his classmates?”

Xu Nian had no idea, so she asked instead, “What about Xu Kang and Xu Jian? Do you know them, sir?”

The old man thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

“I do! I do! Xu Jian is in Class D Middle. That kid has swept the courtyard here quite a few times.”

“You wait here. I’ll go call him for you.”

Watching the old man walk away, Xu Fugui felt quite pleased. “Looks like Jian’er is diligent. He even helps the old man with chores.”

Xu Nian glanced at her uncle, debating whether to say something. She had a feeling he was overthinking things.

The two of them waited outside for about fifteen minutes before Xu Jian finally strolled out at a leisurely pace.

“Eldest sister, it’s really you! And Father, you’re here too!”

Xu Fugui nodded, smiling at his son but unsure what to ask.

It was Xu Nian who inquired about how the three brothers were settling in at the county school. Upon hearing that everything was going well, she finally felt at ease.

She then took out the items she had prepared.

“This jar of meat sauce was made by Grandma. And these are dumpling ears that I made together with Second Aunt and Third Aunt. They’re raw, so you’ll need to pay the kitchen staff a little to cook them for you.”

Xu Jian, like a well-behaved child, nodded obediently at each instruction.

When Xu Nian learned that the three brothers wouldn’t be returning home during the break, she took a piece of broken silver from her pouch and handed it to Xu Jian.

“You’re all still growing, so don’t be stingy with money. Use this to buy something good to eat.”

“Eldest sister, we haven’t even spent much of the money you gave us before.”

“Then just keep this as a backup. Now go back quickly. We need to get going too.”

It was freezing cold, and Hunter Wang and the others were still waiting in the cart. Xu Nian didn’t want to delay any longer.

Xu Fugui and Xu Nian had just taken a few steps when they suddenly heard a voice from inside the courtyard.

“Xu Jian, you’ve violated Article Eight of the County School Regulations. You will be punished by sweeping the front yard after lunch.”

A wail of despair followed.

“Mentor Zhou, I know I was wrong! My father and elder sister came to visit me, and I got too excited and forgot my gentlemanly conduct. Can I not sweep the courtyard?”

“……”

The voices faded as they walked farther away, but Xu Fugui’s smile had disappeared.

Xu Nian, however, didn’t think it was a big deal. When she was younger, she had been punished by her teacher to clean the blackboard during recess for being too mischievous.

“Second Uncle, you should be happy. If Fourth Brother can still be bouncing around after sweeping the yard in this freezing weather, it means he’s just as strong as any normal person.

Xu Nian’s words made Xu Fugui pause in thought. It was true—neither of his sons had even caught a cold in a long time.

Seeing her uncle’s lips curve into a smile again, Xu Nian thought to herself, He’s pretty easy to cheer up.

Meanwhile, at the county school, Xu Jian had been caught red-handed by Mentor Zhou because he got carried away. His excitement quickly turned into disappointment.

Xu Kang noticed Xu Jian returning to the classroom with his head down, carrying a bundle, but since the instructor was still teaching, he couldn’t ask what had happened.

When class finally ended, Xu Kang walked over and asked.

After learning that their eldest sister had come to visit, he was happy but also a little disappointed that he had missed her.

Still, he didn’t understand why Xu Jian seemed so upset.

Xu Jian hesitated, unsure if he should say anything. But in the end, he knew they would find out sooner or later, so he clenched his teeth and admitted that he had been punished.

Xu Kang was speechless. He couldn’t tell if Xu Jian was just unlucky or if he had some sort of talent for getting caught by Mentor Zhou every time.

After all, students made mistakes all the time, but not everyone got caught.

Shaking his head, Xu Kang sighed and went back to his seat. There was nothing he could do.

Lunchtime

At noon, Xu Kang and Xu Jian went to find Xu Ji in Class D Upper, then headed to Ziyuan Courtyard together. Fan Wensi joined them as well.

On the way, Xu Jian passed on their eldest sister’s instructions and handed Xu Ji the broken silver she had given him.

Fan Wensi, however, was more interested in the bundle Xu Jian was carrying.

“This is meat sauce that Grandma made, and dumpling ears that Eldest Sister, my mother, and Third Aunt wrapped. I don’t really know what dumpling ears are, though.”

Xu Ji and Xu Kang were just as clueless. Back in Dahe Village, they had never eaten them before.

But Fan Wensi, a native of Beijiang, knew right away.

“I know! Dumpling ears are a Beijiang specialty. The outside is made of dough, and the inside has a filling. They’re called dumpling ears because they look like little ears.”

As he spoke, he could almost smell their delicious aroma.

At Ziyuan Courtyard

Before the three brothers could react, Fan Wensi grabbed the dumpling ears and headed straight for the kitchen. Seeing Xu Jian frozen in place, he laughed, “I’ll take them over—it’ll save us a few coins.”

Xu Jian: “……”

When Fan Wensi returned with the cooked dumpling ears, many students in the courtyard turned to look. And when the jar of meat sauce was opened, their gazes became even more eager.

The meals at Ziyuan Courtyard were simple, and the rich smell of the food was hard to resist. Xu Ji, feeling the weight of all the hungry stares, decided to invite a few classmates to share.

When they bit into the dumpling ears and saw the filling, they were surprised—fresh greens in this season?

Xu Nian had made two types: one with pork and amaranth, the other with pork and chives.

By the end of the meal, even the usually reserved Xu Ji had started moving his chopsticks faster. This group of people could really eat—especially Fan Wensi, who popped them into his mouth like a hungry beast.

Xu Jian noticed a few people eyeing his bowl and quickly covered it with his hands.

“This is for Uncle Chen—keep your chopsticks away!”

Fan Wensi sighed and set his chopsticks down. “Why are you bringing food to Uncle Chen?”

Xu Jian answered confidently, “Because I’m thoughtful! He went out of his way to call me over, so of course, I have to thank him properly.”

Xu Kang laughed, “Not just so he’ll cover for you next time?”

Ignoring his third brother’s remark, Xu Jian huffed and walked off with the dumpling ears.

Only then did everyone realize—Xu Jian had been punished by Mentor Zhou again.