Chapter 40.2

Since the things in the palace house wouldn’t spoil, Yin Xiaoman had basically turned the place into a storage room.

As long as it wasn’t something that needed to be eaten immediately, Yin Xiaoman basically kept everything here.

For this reason, she had even overturned her previous bed to expand the space in the room by almost half.

At this moment, she was squatting on the ground, rummaging through things, pondering what she needed to take back.

While Yin Xiaoman was leisurely picking through her things, she had no idea that at that very moment, Li Chun was so distressed that she didn’t know how much hair she had lost.

In front of a small cabinet in Imperial Kitchen, Li Chun had already knocked her head countless times, praying that the Savior Fairy would hear her pleas and rescue her from her troubles once again.

Since the last time she had used the shrimp given by the little fairy to make a bowl of fresh shrimp noodles for the concubine, Li Chun had gained quite a reputation in the palace.

Coincidentally, on the very day the fresh shrimp noodles were served, the emperor happened to visit the concubine’s palace, and they ate together.

It was said that the concubine only took one bite and immediately shed tears, saying that the noodles tasted just like the ones from her hometown. She hadn’t had such fresh and chewy shrimp in many years since entering the palace.

Even the emperor was moved, and the two of them awarded Imperial Kitchen with a first-class reward in silver. That wasn’t all—both the emperor and the concubine personally gave Li Chun a reward as well.

The news spread quickly throughout the entire palace. Within a day, everyone had heard that Aunt Li Chun’s fresh shrimp noodles were so delicious that even the emperor had enjoyed them.

In the following days, nearly every noble person who had any influence wanted to order the fresh shrimp noodles!

Fortunately, Li Chun had anticipated this and, when delivering the noodles to the concubine, had specifically spoken to the head steward in the concubine’s palace, offering him a fair number of benefits.

The steward, who was quite capable, passed Li Chun’s words along as expected.

The concubine, grateful for Li Chun fulfilling her wishes, had indeed spoken on her behalf.

She had carefully chosen a formal occasion to mention the matter, explaining that fresh shrimp was hard to come by and asking not to cause any trouble for Imperial Kitchen. This was how the matter had finally been settled.

Li Chun had thought that the issue was over, but two days ago, the manager from the Grand Prince’s palace had come to visit, saying that the Grand Prince’s birthday celebration was approaching. They had already received approval from the emperor and insisted that Imperial Kitchen could not slack off.

The manager also mentioned that every chef in Imperial Kitchen must prepare their best dish for the event, all of which would be presented to the Grand Prince for his personal tasting.

It seemed that, because the concubine had spoken up for Li Chun, the manager didn’t directly say it, but the implication was clear: The Grand Prince’s banquet had to surpass the concubine’s, not fall short.

The concubine had enjoyed the fresh shrimp noodles, so the Grand Prince’s birthday banquet would have to have something even better.

Li Chun felt a deep sense of dread at these words.

The concubine was someone Li Chun couldn’t afford to offend, and the Grand Prince was even more beyond her reach!

Though the crown prince had not been officially named yet, the Grand Prince was both the eldest and a legitimate son, the clear and undisputed heir to the throne.

Everyone knew that the only reason the emperor hadn’t officially appointed a crown prince yet was that he was waiting for him to grow older.

With someone like him, no matter how many heads Li Chun had, she wouldn’t dare to go against his wishes.

However, the shrimp had already been used up, the fairy hadn’t visited in a long time, and Li Chun had no idea how to contact her.

What could she do?

“Savior Fairy, if you can hear me, could you please descend once more and bestow some fresh shrimp upon me? The faithful servant is bowing before you. It’s not that I am greedy, but this situation with the Grand Prince is really difficult! I am nothing, but I cannot ruin the entire Imperial Kitchen. The great fairy is kind-hearted and merciful, please, I beg of you. As long as you help us get through this, I promise that one day, I will go to the temple and offer you incense, lighting a perpetual lamp to ensure the flame never goes out. Great fairy, please, I beg you, I bow before you.”

Then, there was the sound of head-bowing again.

Yin Xiaoman had just reached the door of the small room when she overheard this.

She froze immediately, unsure of whether to enter or retreat.

When she heard the final sentence, Yin Xiaoman was startled and quickly stepped aside, her expression turning speechless.

She hadn’t expected Li Chun to be in trouble again.

Moreover, from her words, it seemed this trouble wouldn’t end anytime soon.

Fortunately, she had always intended to establish a bartering system with Li Chun, so these troubles weren’t really a problem.

But—

Shrimp could be given, but all this “daily bowing.” “lighting perpetual lamps.” and “burning incense” really wasn’t necessary.

She was still alive, and she certainly didn’t want to be revered as an ancestor!

She glanced at the iron bucket in her hand, silently using her thoughts to toss two more shrimp inside. Then, she quietly replaced the bucket with a different one and placed it in the cupboard.

Yin Xiaoman had already become extremely skilled at doing these things, ensuring that she would never be discovered by Li Chun. However, she didn’t dare to follow her inside.

She had never tried it before, so Yin Xiaoman didn’t know if that girl could see her. But she knew the girl could see the notes she had left behind.

Therefore, Yin Xiaoman didn’t dare to take such a risk.

She didn’t stay long; after placing the iron barrel, she went straight back to the bedroom, and the only thought that kept circling in her mind was—she had to, absolutely had to, remember to leave a note later, making sure that girl would completely give up the idea of bowing to her every day!

The following days passed fairly smoothly.

Although Shen Qingyun had not returned, and due to the special circumstances, the confidentiality regulations prohibited sending letters home, Yin Xiaoman still managed to hear a little about his situation through Qi Feng’s words.

She knew that the regiment had secured the trial sailing rights for the new ship, and that, just as promised, the Colonel had indeed included the vanguard battalion in the first group of people to board the ship.

Shen Qingyun was naturally at the top of the list.

At this point, they had completed their pre-duty training and had started the trial sailing.

However, the location where the new ship was docked was still classified, and even Qi Feng didn’t know the exact whereabouts, apart from the people who were boarding the ship.

So, no one knew when Shen Qingyun would return or how much longer the training would take.

But it was certain that it would still be a long time.

The man was out there striving and serving the country, and as long as she knew he was safe, Yin Xiaoman naturally had no objections.

Moreover, she knew that what he was doing now was something he truly enjoyed.

She still clearly remembered the joy and excitement he had shown the day he left.

Therefore, unlike her last visit to the military factory, even though Shen Qingyun’s departure would still last a long time, her mood, on the whole, had remained calm and peaceful.

It wasn’t like the unease from before.

Days passed by, and the weather got warmer.

As the weather heated up, the variety of things that could be collected from the seaside also increased.

In addition to the most common clams and cockles, it was now occasionally possible to find some sizable fish. Even eels and ribbonfish could sometimes be caught, if luck was on her side.

Yin Xiaoman knew that such opportunities had to be seized, so recently, she had been taking the two children to the seaside almost every day to gather sea treasures.

One day, the three of them left home early again, carrying their things.

But before they even reached the gate of the family compound, they were stopped by a patrolling soldier.

“Sister-in-law, sorry, you can’t go out today.” The soldier looked at her and showed an apologetic expression.

Yin Xiaoman didn’t take it seriously.

Since the special incident, patrolling around the family compound had become a daily routine for the soldiers, and she encountered them every day.

So, she thought this was just another case of increased security.

She calmly nodded and was about to take the children back.

But before leaving, she curiously asked: “Has something happened again? Why is everyone being told not to go out?”

Upon hearing her question, the young soldier’s gaze became a little evasive, and he suddenly seemed hesitant to meet her eyes.

This made Yin Xiaoman sense something was off.

“What’s going on?” she pressed again.

The soldier cleared his throat and then spoke in a low voice: “It’s not that no one is allowed out. It’s just you… The instructor specifically told us that you must not go out today.”

The soldier’s words immediately left Yin Xiaoman stunned.

Just her?

Had she done something wrong?

Why was she being confined?

During this time, she hadn’t even gone to the black market!

Thinking of this, Yin Xiaoman became a little angry. She turned around and intended to find Qi Feng to ask about the situation.

But before she could reach home, she saw Cui Yan hurriedly running toward her.

If it had been at any other time, Yin Xiaoman might have thought little of it. But right now, without even needing to think, she knew that Cui Yan must have discovered that she and the children weren’t at home and was rushing to catch up with her!

So, this meant she already knew that her husband had given the order to stop her from going out?

At the thought, Yin Xiaoman felt a bit uncomfortable.

She walked toward Cui Yan. “Sister-in-law, why did Big Brother Qi tell me I can’t go out?” Yin Xiaoman didn’t beat around the bush, asking directly as soon as she saw Cui Yan.

In Yin Xiaoman’s mind, she truly considered Cui Yan a good friend, so she didn’t want to play games with her. Whatever was on her mind, she asked directly.

Seeing that Yin Xiaoman hadn’t left yet, Cui Yan visibly let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t answer but grabbed Yin Xiaoman and pulled her back toward the house.

Once inside, she sent the two children out to play, then let out a deep sigh.

“Xiaoman, don’t blame your brother. He’s just worried that if you got angry, you wouldn’t be able to control yourself, so he thought he’d first go to the regiment to ask about the situation and see if there’s any way to resolve it. Sigh, to be honest, this is truly an unwarranted disaster. No one wanted this to happen. But since it’s already happened, don’t be upset. There’s nothing we can do to control it, is there?”

Yin Xiaoman became increasingly confused as she listened to Cui Yan’s vague and convoluted words. She couldn’t help but interrupt her: “Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? What exactly happened? Why would I be angry?”

As she spoke, she remembered the soldier’s obstruction from earlier, and she couldn’t help but find it both baffling and amusing.

“Sister-in-law, did Big Brother specifically tell the soldier to stop me because he thought I would be so angry that I’d go to the regiment and cause trouble? Does he think I’m that unreasonable?”

When Yin Xiaoman asked this, Cui Yan was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting that she wouldn’t know.

After a pause, she cautiously asked: “Xiaoman, you don’t know about how Little Shen got a big-character poster posted about him?”

“What big-character poster? What’s that?”

Seeing the expression on her sister-in-law’s face, Yin Xiaoman immediately sensed that whatever she was talking about was definitely something bad. 

But what exactly was a big-character poster?

She tried to dig through her memory, but she couldn’t find any relevant information.

Seeing the look on Yin Xiaoman’s face, Cui Yan’s expression became even more complicated. She wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved that the situation was still under control or amazed that this girl was so sheltered.

She must have been protected too well by her family!

At this thought, a trace of pity appeared in her eyes.

“Xiaoman, don’t think too much about it. If you don’t know, then you don’t know. The thing’s already happened, and there’s nothing you can do to help. Don’t worry, your brother’s already gone to the regiment, and the deputy Colonel’s also there. They won’t let things escalate, and they’ll definitely find a way to suppress it. After all, Little Shen is the head of the first battalion, the face of our vanguard battalion. They can’t let him fall!”