Chapter 23: Eating Together

“Today, Auntie is making scallion pancakes for you all,” Ye Xin Ran announced with a smile.

“Smells amazing! Auntie’s pancakes must be delicious,” Chang An exclaimed, showering her with praise.

Fortunately, Ye Xin Ran was now immune to such flattery and wouldn’t let it go to her head.

“I just discussed it with your Second Uncle. After breakfast, we’ll go to the market together. Chang An will come along to see the doctor. Chang Sheng and Chang Ping will stay at home. If you get hungry at noon, just eat the pancakes.”

“Okay, Auntie!”

Hearing that everything had been planned out so clearly, the three children nodded in agreement.

Once Ye Xin Ran had finished frying more than a dozen pancakes, stir-frying a plate of shredded yam, and boiling a simple cabbage soup, she called everyone to the table.

Chang An ran to the front yard to fetch his Second Uncle.

The freshly made scallion pancakes were steaming hot. Ye Xin Ran took a bite first, and only then did the children begin to eat.

“Mmm! So good! Auntie’s cooking is amazing!” Chang An praised after taking a bite.

Seeing that his Second Uncle was sitting nearby but hadn’t started eating, Chang An grabbed a pancake from the plate and handed it to Xiao Huai’an. “Second Uncle, try this one. It’s so tasty!”

This was Xiao Huai’an’s first time eating at the same table with someone other than the three children since arriving in Yun Bian Village. It felt slightly awkward.

He took the pancake that Chang An handed him and finished it in just a few bites.

“How is it? Isn’t it delicious?” Chang An asked eagerly.

Xiao Huai’an nodded. “Hmm, easy to swallow.”

Hearing this, Chang Sheng and Chang Ping each offered Xiao Huai’an a pancake.

Xiao Huai’an silently ate three pancakes in total, then drank a bowl of soup. Only then did he put down his chopsticks, his usually cold expression softened slightly by the warm meal.

“I’m done eating. We’ll head to the country town soon. Chang An, come find me after you finish your meal.”

With that, he was the first to leave the table.

The three children watched their Second Uncle’s retreating figure, then turned to Ye Xin Ran in unison. “Auntie, did you hear that? Second Uncle said your cooking was good!”

Ye Xin Ran: “I’m not deaf. He clearly just said it was ‘easy to swallow.’ How is that a compliment?”

“Is that how your Second Uncle praises food, by saying it’s easy to swallow?” Ye Xin Ran asked the children, puzzled.

“No!”

Chang Sheng shook his head vigorously. “Second Uncle never comments on whether food is good or bad.”

Chang An nodded immediately, echoing his brother’s sentiment. “Exactly!”

Feeling the need to chime in, Chang Ping added, “Second Uncle isn’t picky at all. He could eat pig slop and still finish it without a word, but he’d never say if it was tasty or not.”

At this, the other two brothers turned to Chang Ping. “Keep your voice down! What if Second Uncle hears you?”

Chang Ping quickly covered his mouth with both hands, nervously glancing outside.

Chang Sheng summarized solemnly, “In any case, Second Uncle doesn’t care much about food. He used to eat burnt porridge without batting an eye. We had to eat it with him, too.”

Hearing this, Ye Xin Ran finally understood what kind of life the three children had led before.

“No wonder they’re so easily won over by simple food.”

Ye Xin Ran immediately decided to put more effort into cooking better meals.

“Today, Auntie will buy some meat in town and make something even tastier for you tonight,” she promised.

“Yay!” The children were overjoyed and already started speculating about what dinner might be.

After breakfast, Ye Xin Ran packed her small pouch in her room. When she came out, Xiao Huai’an was already waiting for her at the door with Chang An.

The three of them walked to the village entrance, only to find that the ox cart they were expecting was not there.

“I heard there should be an ox cart today?” Ye Xin Ran muttered to herself.

Just then, the village chief happened to pass by. Seeing them standing there, he asked, “Are you waiting for a cart to go to town?”

“Yes,” Ye Xin Ran replied.

The village chief waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t bother waiting. Everyone’s heading to the mountains to dig for kudzu roots today. I just saw Niu Er’s family leave, so there’s no ox cart today.”

Ye Xin Ran suddenly remembered that the kudzu roots hadn’t been fully harvested yesterday, and everyone had planned to go back and gather the remaining ones.

Xiao Huai’an stayed silent, observing quietly.

He was somewhat surprised by Ye Xin Ran’s adaptability. In just a few days, she had become so familiar with the village chief.

But the village chief’s helpfulness didn’t stop there.

Seeing the hint of disappointment on Ye Xin Ran’s face, he added, “Do you have something urgent to take care of in town? If it’s important, I have a hand cart at home. Xiao Huai’an can pull it and take you both there.”

“That would be too much trouble!” Ye Xin Ran hesitated, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“What trouble? It’s just our own stuff,” the village chief said cheerfully.

He then led the three of them to his house and brought out the hand cart.

The cart was heavy, with large wooden wheels about the size of millstones, but the platform was spacious.

After placing Xiao Huai’an’s bamboo basket on it and seating Ye Xin Ran and Chang An, there was still plenty of room left.

Looking at the solid wood structure of the cart, Ye Xin Ran grew concerned. “Isn’t this thing too heavy? It’s more than ten miles round trip. Are you sure it’s okay?”

“It’s fine,” Xiao Huai’an replied succinctly. He lifted the cart handles and began walking.

His pace wasn’t slow, but his uneven gait made it hard to believe he was entirely fine.

“Maybe we should forget it and wait for the ox cart tomorrow. It wouldn’t hurt to delay,” Ye Xin Ran suggested.

“It’s fine. The paths I take to the mountains are much tougher than this,” Xiao Huai’an said. “The game won’t hold its value if left for a day. I must go to town today.”

Chang An, watching his Second Uncle struggle, felt a pang of sadness.

“Second Uncle, I don’t need to take medicine anymore. Save the money and use it to treat your leg instead,” he said quietly.

Xiao Huai’an glanced at him. “Since when do you get to decide whether your illness gets treated?”

Chang An lowered his head and fell silent again. Ye Xin Ran patted his hand, intending to get off the cart and walk herself.

But Xiao Huai’an interrupted. “You’re so thin, you weigh less than the game I carry. Getting on and off won’t make a difference.”

Ye Xin Ran had no choice but to stay seated.

She kept Chang An company by chatting with him while occasionally stealing glances at Xiao Huai’an’s back.

He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, a well-shaped rear, and long legs, a perfect physique. His slender fingers gripped the cart handles tightly, and veins bulged on the backs of his hands as he pulled the cart uphill.

“With a body like that, what was his occupation before his exile? Was he also a hunter?”

Ye Xin Ran found herself growing curious about this man’s past.

It took Xiao Huai’an nearly an hour to cover the seven or eight miles to town.

Once there, he headed to a familiar shop to sell the game he had hunted. Ye Xin Ran, needing to sell some items herself, agreed to meet him later at Yong Le Hall, the medical clinic on the main street.

In her bundle were the clothes, hairpins, and jade ornaments she had received from the scholar the day before.

These items could easily be pawned together at a pawnshop.

Walking along the main street, she spotted a shop with a red flag bearing the word “Pawn” and stepped inside.