Chapter 25

Yin Xiaoman shifted to the side, avoiding the man’s breath, then freed one hand to point to the side. “There’s rice in the pot.”

Shen Qingyun froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected that after coming back so late, and even after leaving a note, his wife would still leave him dinner.

He took a couple of steps to the side, lifted the lid off the large iron pot on the stove, and was greeted by a slight wave of warm air.

He knew that Yin Xiaoman had the habit of turning off the fire late and leaving some warm water in the pot. But now, it was almost eleven at night, and there was still steam coming from the pot.

Just how late had she turned off the fire?

If she wasn’t specifically waiting for him, Shen Qingyun wouldn’t believe it.

Looking at the several bowls on top of the steamer inside the pot, which had been covered with plates to keep them warm, a surge of emotions washed over him.

Seeing him staring at the pot without moving, Yin Xiaoman found it a bit odd. After a moment’s thought, she spoke. “I turned off the fire late today. The food shouldn’t be too cold. You can try it. If it’s cold, I’ll reheat it for you.”

“No need, it’s still warm.”

Shen Qingyun quickly responded, saying as he spoke while taking out the small bowls, still retaining some warmth.

The slightly larger bowl contained three cornmeal dumplings, clearly prepared for him, as they were much bigger than the ones they usually ate.

The other two bowls contained one with mustard greens stir-fried with small catfish and the other with jellyfish and cabbage hearts.

There was also a larger soup bowl, with a seafood soup made from shellfish meat and greens.

Looking at such a lavish dinner, Shen Qingyun hesitated for a moment before picking up his chopsticks.

It wasn’t that he was overthinking things; it was simply that—ever since his wife came, his meals had been too good.

It made his heart feel uneasy, as he could never fully relax.

Yin Xiaoman glanced at the man at the table and started to explain aloud. “The catfish was brought by Sister-in-law Cui. She said that when she went out for a walk this morning, she saw someone delivering them to the canteen, but the canteen workers refused them because they were too small and troublesome to clean. So, she brought them all back for me. The jellyfish and clams were what we picked up at the beach today. As for the cabbage and greens…”

“You went to the beach today?” Shen Qingyun asked, a bit surprised.

If he hadn’t been mistaken, Wife was a native of Shuanggui Village, and she probably had never even seen the sea.

Back then, the main reason she hadn’t wanted to accompany him when he was stationed elsewhere was that she didn’t want to change environments, fearing she wouldn’t get used to it.

Now, just a few days later, she could even go beachcombing?

Yin Xiaoman clearly had already realized this as well.

But this was something she couldn’t hide, especially since in the future, she would likely go beachcombing more often. There was no need to hide it. She nodded. “I went out with Sister-in-law the other day. I asked Uncle Li for directions, and I was curious to see what it was like. But I didn’t expect Da Bao to be so capable! He can dig for clams and even catch crabs. You probably don’t know, but even Erniu has a lot of courage. She’s great at catching crabs.”

As she spoke about something that interested her, Yin Xiaoman became clearly animated, her eyes shining, and she spoke more than usual.

Shen Qingyun didn’t interrupt, simply listening quietly, his gaze toward her growing softer.

He liked this feeling.

This was the longest time he had spent alone with her since they had come to live together, and it was also the time when he had heard her talk the most.

He listened as she chattered about their beachcombing trip, as she talked about how strong the two kids were, even hearing her faint complaints, like how she felt the children were better than him in some ways…

Shen Qingyun felt both sweetness and warmth in his heart, a comforting sensation that made him want to sigh.

The frustration that had been weighing on him all day slowly faded away without him even noticing.

His gaze toward his wife became more and more intense, more passionate.

He thought to himself: This is what life should be!

To have such a family, such a wife—he felt content for the rest of his life.

To make this kind of life last even longer, to keep things this way, he was willing to do anything.

---

Lichun stood frozen in front of the note on the table, her body stiff and unmoving for a long time.

Her expression remained unchanged, but inside, waves of turmoil crashed through her heart.

It wasn’t the first time things had gone missing from the small warehouse.

They had suspected before whether there had been a thief or an insider involved.

They had investigated for a long time, but found nothing.

After all, this was the Imperial Kitchen, located within the palace—only a limited number of people could come and go. None of them seemed like the type who would steal a bag of rice or a jar of oil.

So, after many days of investigation and finding no clues at all, they had no choice but to blame the missing items on the cat and the “Yellow Immortal.”

But deep down, not just Lichun, but no one truly believed it.

When Eunuch Wei had called them out for a scolding earlier, although he officially cited that setting up the incense offering was not in accordance with the rules, Lichun could easily read between the lines.

Eunuch Wei was subtly reminding her that he had already helped to suppress this matter. While past incidents could be overlooked, similar situations could not happen again.

If something went missing again and word spread outside the Imperial Kitchen, their entire group would be dismissed.

When she returned, Lichun felt utterly defeated, thinking that she could only leave it to fate.

But then, to her surprise, she found a note on her desk!

Unable to resist, she reached out and picked up the paper, bringing it close to the candlelight to examine it. The more she looked, the more mysterious it seemed.

This paper, after so many years in the palace, Lichun had never seen anything like it. It was so smooth, with faint green horizontal stripes running across it.

She had no idea how those stripes had been imprinted, but they seemed like the writing on a book page—impossible to erase.

What caught her attention even more was the ink used to write on it. The color was a blue as deep as the sky. The delicate handwriting revealed that the brush used was definitely not the common kind found in the palace.

Lichun’s gaze lingered on the cloud drawn at the bottom of the note, and she felt an inexplicable sense that this symbol had a deeper meaning.

What was the writer trying to convey? Was the message hinting that they were not from this world, but from above the clouds?

Thinking along those lines, Lichun’s heart started pounding, and she instinctively gripped the paper tightly in her hands, trying to calm her racing thoughts.

It wasn’t that she was overthinking—it was just that so many strange things had happened that were impossible to explain.

Not to mention the missing items from the small warehouse—how had they disappeared? But just this paper, how had it ended up on her desk?

She distinctly remembered that when she left the room, there was nothing but the account book on the desk.

And the Imperial Kitchen had no backdoor. Just a moment ago, everyone had gathered in the front courtyard. Not even a person—or a bird, or an insect—could enter without anyone noticing.

Moreover, the room had been locked.

The more she thought about it, the more agitated Lichun became. She quickly decided to follow the instructions on the note and gather the items listed.

Though she didn’t understand why the celestial beings would want such mundane items from the human world, following the instructions seemed like the only right course of action.

“One bag of rice, half a cabbage…” she murmured, picking up a piece of paper from the desk and carefully transcribing the list.

He decided to personally supervise the housekeeper tomorrow and ensure the best goods were bought.

As for the silver that the fairy had mentioned, she left it where it was, not daring to move it at all.

---

Although she had stayed up late the previous night, Shen Qingyun still got up as usual the next morning and went out for his morning run.

Yin Xiaoman also struggled to get up.

She knew that the man had come back late the night before partly out of frustration, but his work was indeed busy.

Since she had promised to take care of the household, she had to make sure that he always had good meals.

She placed the extra steamed buns she had made the previous day into the steamer to reheat, then took out the prepared clam meat and cooked a new soup, adding some stir-fried mustard greens and catfish to accompany the rice.

When Shen Qingyun returned from his run, he walked into the house, and the warm breakfast had already been laid out on the table.

In just a few days, there would be a competition. It was his first time participating in the military competition for the whole regiment since his promotion to battalion commander, and it was extremely important for both him and the Vanguard Battalion.

Shen Qingyun really had no time to spare. Eating was like a battle. By the time Yin Xiaoman had yet to wake the child, he had already finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

He returned to the bedroom, took out the passbook and money, and shoved them into Yin Xiaoman’s hands. Without waiting for her to refuse, he forcefully closed her hand around the money.

Then he looked at her and said, “Take it. I’m busy, and I’m not always at home. In a few days, we’ll be going to the regiment for the competition. We’ll be gone for at least half a month. You can’t be without some money on hand.”

Actually, after what had happened the day before, Yin Xiaoman already felt too embarrassed to refuse him firmly again. Hearing his words now, she could only silently nod in agreement.

Seeing her nod, Shen Qingyun’s face broke into a smile again. He had no intention of hiding his feelings and said cheerfully to Yin Xiaoman, “Don’t go out this morning. Gao Chong and the others are going to the regiment for errands. I’ll have him bring two thermos bottles back from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. That way, you won’t have to keep the fire on at night just to warm up water.”

Yin Xiaoman nodded again.

She had never seen a thermos bottle but imagined it must be similar to the silver bottles used in the palace to warm water for the princess at night.

The thought of having such a container for water made her happy, as she wouldn’t have to run to the kitchen if she wanted a drink at night. She couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing his wife so obedient and smiling at him with such a sweet expression, Shen Qingyun’s heart, which had been hanging in tension, finally relaxed.

It was only then that he suddenly remembered something important and quickly added, “I almost forgot. Don’t cook dinner tonight. Brother Qi said we should go to his house for baozi. He said it’s to treat us, to welcome us. He mentioned it several days ago and even said that Sister-in-law is going to make us doubao.”

When she heard that they were going to visit someone else’s home, Yin Xiaoman hesitated a little.

She had never been a guest at someone else’s house before. She had no experience in this regard and didn’t know if there were any rules to follow.

“Should we bring a gift?” she asked hesitantly.

“A gift?” Shen Qingyun was taken aback for a moment. His first reaction was that his wife was really considerate about these things.

They lived so close, it was like a step away. If his wife hadn’t mentioned it, he wouldn’t have remembered at all that gifts were even expected.

But then he recalled that when Xiaoman and the others had arrived, Sister-in-law had specially come over to bring a gift.

“Then… should we bring something?” he asked.

He thought for a moment, then waved his hand confidently. “Just bring over a bowl of that crab dish you made yesterday.”

It would be best to bring some wine too, so they could have a sip while they were at it.

Yin Xiaoman paused in her actions, then gave Shen Qingyun a resentful glance. But since it was rare for him to bring it up, she didn’t want to make him lose face.

She could only nod in agreement.

But she was so angry that she didn’t say another word.

However, Shen Qingyun seemed completely unaware of his wife’s displeasure. He just felt really happy this morning, as everything he wanted to do had been accomplished.

It felt like the sky was bluer than usual.

Though it was supposed to be a gathering in the evening, Cui Yan wasn’t at all polite with Yin Xiaoman. Not long after lunch, she hurried over to drag her to her house to help out.

As Cui Yan put it, “The other day when we had your stir-fried mixed fish, our whole family felt like we were lovesick, we couldn’t stop thinking about it. Now we finally have the chance, if I don’t let you show off your skills properly, my whole family will never stop complaining about me.”

Cui Yan also said, “Xiaoman, you take charge of the cooking, I’ll assist you. Whatever you need, just tell me, I’ll make sure to prepare everything!”

Though that was what she said, when Yin Xiaoman actually went with her to the kitchen and took a look around, she couldn’t help but sigh secretly.

The entire kitchen, aside from a salt jar, a vinegar bottle, a few large spices that had been used who knows how many times, and a small handful of Sichuan peppercorns, had absolutely nothing else.

With such spices, how could the dish possibly have a good flavor?

But she also understood that this was the typical setup for an ordinary family in this era. In fact, it could be considered good compared to most families.

At least for tonight’s gathering, Cui Yan had specially gone to the county town to buy a piece of meat, tofu, potatoes, radishes, and some common vegetables. She didn’t even know where Cui Yan had gotten a live chicken from!

“Not many people are coming over tonight,” Cui Yan said. “Aside from our two families, it’s only Deputy Battalion Commander Li Jianjun, Staff Officer Yuan Ming, Peng Shao, and Liu Chang from the health clinic. They’re all really close with Qi Feng and Xiao Shen. Everything’s on you, just cook however you like, and Sister-in-law will help you out!”

When Yin Xiaoman heard this, she started counting the heads on her fingers. After calculating, there were a total of twelve people.

According to the usual rules in most families, children typically didn’t sit at the table. They were just given something to eat and sent on their way, so they didn’t count as part of the total.

But Yin Xiaoman wasn’t going to do that.

She looked at the ingredients spread out on the kitchen table, and the recipe was already forming in her mind.

“Sister-in-law, can you kill the chicken for me? You don’t need to worry about anything else. I’ll take care of the rest,” she said.

Upon hearing this, Cui Yan didn’t ask any more questions and readily agreed.

Having come from the capital, Cui Yan naturally had seen more of the world than most people. After tasting Xiaoman’s cooking, she was sure that the young woman came from a family of a certain standing.

People from such families usually had their own recipes that had been passed down, some of which could not be shared with others.

In these times, Cui Yan naturally kept such thoughts to herself and wouldn’t say them aloud. But when it came to helping, she would do her best.

She knew that when Xiaoman didn’t want to cook with someone nearby, Cui Yan would make sure to stay out of her way.

Yin Xiaoman had no idea that a simple request to her sister-in-law had led to so many thoughts being formed in Cui Yan’s mind.

The reason she didn’t want Cui Yan around was simply because it was inconvenient to get out the spices.

Yin Xiaoman knew that when cooking outside, it was impossible to cook as freely as she could at home, using whatever she wanted.

But as a former cook, she couldn’t bear to let the meat and chicken go to waste just because there weren’t enough spices.

She walked around the kitchen and, unable to resist, called her son out.

When Da Bao heard her, he quickly ran back home, and Cui Yan, who was plucking chicken feathers in the yard, wasn’t happy about it.

“Hey, Xiaoman, if you’re missing anything, just tell me. But I can’t go taking things from your house for the dishes!”

She knew this young wife was a straightforward person, but who would just give away food? It wasn’t like you could just hand things out casually!

“It’s fine, Sister-in-law, I’m just taking a little bit of the pickled mustard greens from home to use as an accompaniment,” Yin Xiaoman explained.

When Cui Yan heard it was pickled vegetables, she stopped arguing.

In this day and age, which family didn’t have a few jars of pickled vegetables? Taking a bit of it wasn’t a big deal.

“If you need pickled vegetables, Sister-in-law still has some pickled sour cabbage. It’s under the stove. You can take it yourself if you need it.”

“Alright then!”

After cleaning the chicken and handing it to Yin Xiaoman, Cui Yan began organizing a group of kids to borrow chairs and bowls from the cafeteria.

Worried that there might not be enough staple food, she specially went out to buy twenty steamed buns made with two parts flour to one part water.

By the time they returned, carrying everything back with lively chatter, Cui Yan’s eldest son, Qiangzi, called out from a distance.

“Aunt Man has cooked again! It’s going to smell so good!”

His younger brother, Huzi, immediately joined in, sucking in air dramatically. “Mom, I’m going to Aunt Man’s house for dinner! I want to eat braised mixed fish!”

Cui Yan, still holding chairs in her hands, was so angry that she kicked at her son’s legs.

“Your Aunt Man is at our house right now! Look at you two! From now on, don’t call me ‘mom’—go call Aunt Man ‘mom’ like Da Bao and Erniu! Let’s see if she wants you two!”

Da Bao, standing nearby, couldn’t stop grinning, his heart soaring with happiness.

Erniu was too young to do any work, but his sharp tongue was impressive.

Hearing Cui Yan’s words, he didn’t hold back, adding, “My mom doesn’t want you guys, she thinks you eat too much!”

The remark made everyone laugh, even Cui Yan couldn’t help but chuckle.

The group entered the house, chatting and laughing, only to find that Qi Feng and Shen Qingyun had already returned. They must have been thinking about the gathering and came back earlier than expected.

Perhaps because he was used to being spoiled with good food by his wife every day, Shen Qingyun seemed quite calm at this moment.

On the other hand, Qi Feng, being much older, was acting like a young boy, constantly peeking into the kitchen, unable to control his curiosity.

As soon as Cui Yan stepped inside, she heard him urging Shen Qingyun, “Go in and help your wife. See if there are any dishes ready to bring out. What’s it doing in there, taking up space?”

Cui Yan was so frustrated she almost couldn’t breathe and nearly jumped up in anger.

“Bring what out? If you bring it out, will there be any left for later? Go, go, go! If you don’t have anything to do, go sit in the room and don’t come here and make trouble!”

She waved her hand dismissively at the two men, her face full of disdain.

Seeing that his “plan” had been seen through, Qi Feng felt a little embarrassed. He let out a few awkward laughs, reached for the four children, and ruffled Da Bao’s hair.

“Go, let’s not make trouble. All of you go with Uncle to the room. I’ll get the flying chess out for you to play with.”

After shooing away a few kids who were just waiting to eat, Cui Yan entered the kitchen, and when she saw the scene inside, she was completely shocked!

The dishes for today were all bought by her. She had woken up before dawn and rushed to the county town to get them.

When she bought everything, she had been excited for a long time, thinking that today’s meal would definitely be presentable and could easily make it to the “Four Big Bowls” level.

But she never expected that Xiaoman could make the meal look so grand!

Looking at the several large platters already arranged and ready to be cooked, and the chicken soup simmering on the stove, Cui Yan was left speechless.

“Xiaoman, where did you get all these ingredients? You didn’t bring everything from your own house, did you?”

“No, they’re all from what you prepared. Oh, Sister-in-law, you came at the right time.”

Seeing her arrive, Yin Xiaoman beamed with joy. “Sister-in-law, you take care of the fire. I’ll take the chicken soup to my place to keep simmering. Otherwise, there won’t be enough space on the stove.”

“Don’t move, I’ll go. I’ll go!”

When Cui Yan saw Yin Xiaoman about to carry the large, bubbling clay pot of chicken soup, she quickly stopped her. “With your little arms and legs, you’ll burn yourself!”

Seeing how nervous Cui Yan was, Yin Xiaoman couldn’t help but laugh. “Sister-in-law, don’t underestimate me, I’m really strong!” she said, raising the hand that was holding the spatula.

Hearing this, Cui Yan stopped arguing and just smiled, narrowing her eyes at her.

What she didn’t know was that everything Yin Xiaoman said was the truth.

She had entered the Imperial Kitchen at the age of eleven, starting as a little firekeeper. She had done every kind of hard work, and nothing was beyond her. She had done it all.

In the heat of summer, she had cooked porridge, with the porridge vat taller than she was.

Standing on a stool, with both hands holding the spatula, she would stir for two to three hours at a time. If she stirred too slowly or lost focus even for a moment, the porridge would likely stick to the bottom, and she would be punished by the supervisor.

Her neck, chest, and back were covered in rashes, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. She didn’t know how many times her knees had swollen from kneeling.

Her shins had been beaten so often that sometimes she couldn’t even walk.

Having endured those days, what hardship was there that she couldn’t bear now?

Most households these days didn’t lock their doors. Since Cui Yan said she would simmer the soup, Yin Xiaoman didn’t stop her. She just reminded her about the heat, and then she got to work preparing the dishes.

Tonight’s dinner was incredibly lavish.

Yin Xiaoman prepared seven dishes and one soup, which were: pickled cabbage with pork, stir-fried mustard greens with oil residue, tofu with clam meat stew, sea jellyfish with shredded cabbage, and drunken crab she brought from home.

She also made full use of the chicken. The chicken head, neck, feet, and bones were used to make soup, while the chicken breast meat was cut into cubes and stir-fried with carrots and potatoes.

As for the chicken legs and wings, she chopped them into small pieces, stewed them with chicken blood, gizzards, and some black fungus and dried mushrooms from Cui Yan’s house to make braised chicken.

With just one chicken, she managed to make two dishes and a soup.

Cui Yan’s house, like theirs, also ate in the kitchen.

Yin Xiaoman worked diligently on the dishes without paying much attention to anything else. By the time she finished preparing everything, it was already almost completely dark outside.

She first scooped out small portions of food for the children and set them aside. Then, she washed her hands and prepared to go out and tell everyone that dinner was ready.

Just as she opened the kitchen door, she froze in place.

Yin Xiaoman never expected that, on such a cold day, when she opened the door, she would find a large crowd standing in the middle of the yard. They were all talking distractedly about something.

As soon as they saw her open the door, they all fell silent, their gazes fixed on her, their eyes full of longing.