Chapter 145: s.n.a.t.c.hing Back Little Munchkins
The night was cold.
In the Xu family’s mansion, Xu Chengxuan was lying on a rattan chair covered with a mattress and tiger skin. After one of his arms and legs were crippled by Yan Jiuchao’s guards, he began to recuperate from his boredom.
He was Xu Shao’s legitimate son and had two older brothers. Unfortunately, they were both born from concubines and their statuses were not as n.o.ble as his. After knowing that he was seriously injured, Worthy Consort Xu invited the best imperial physicians and sent the best medicine. His broken arm and leg had already been reconnected, but he was still far from fully recovering.
The moment he fell ill, his two illegitimate brothers rushed to his father like clowns. This was because Slave Bi was no longer around. If he was, he would definitely make them suffer!
“Third Young Master! Third Young Master!” A pageboy ran over in a panic.
!!
“What’s wrong now? What did my two brothers do again?” Ever since Xu Chengxuan became an injured patient, he had become a little eccentric.
The pageboy said embarra.s.sedly, “It’s not Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master, it’s…”
“What is it!” Xu Chengxuan was impatient.
The pageboy glanced at him from the corner of his eye and did not even have the strength to report. He retreated to the side dejectedly.
“Are you deaf or mute? If you have something to say, just say it—” Xu Chengxuan turned around and cursed. When he saw the man striding towards him, he was stunned. “Cousin?”
Yan Huaijing’s expression was cold, and his entire body was filled with a terrifying aura. Xu Chengxuan had never seen him so scary before. He was so stunned that he could not say something.
Yan Huaijing glanced around. “All of you, stand down!”
The pageboy and maidservants retreated obediently.
“Why isn’t he retreating?” Xu Chengxuan glanced at Jun Chang’an, who was standing at the side, and muttered softly.
Jun Chang’an did not even look at him.
Yan Huaijing came to the rattan chair and looked down at Xu Chengxuan, who was unable to get up and bow. “You’re already crippled, yet you’re still not obedient! Why did you do this?”
“What do you mean why? Cousin, aren’t you here to see me? Why are you like my father, reprimanding me the moment you see me?” Xu Chengxuan said aggrievedly.
Xu Chengxuan was the legitimate son of the family and had a good appearance. Since he was young, he had been doted on by Worthy Consort Xu. His relationship with Yan Huaijing was naturally much closer than others, so he did not have the etiquette of a ruler and minister.
In the past, when he saw his cousin like this, Yan Huaijing would indulge him like a big brother. However, after this incident, he could no longer treat Xu Chengxuan as that heartless child.
“You still don’t admit it? Alright, then take a look at what this is!” Yan Huaijing threw the small metal cylinder he had been holding all the way to Xu Chengxuan’s clothes.
The moment he saw what it was, Xu Chengxuan’s expression changed.
“What? You have nothing to say?” Yan Huaijing asked coldly.
Xu Chengxuan’s eyes flashed and he pretended to be dumb. “What is this? Where did Cousin get it from?”
Yan Huaijing looked at him resentfully. “You won’t shed tears until you see the coffin! Chang’an!”
Jun Chang’an unhurriedly pa.s.sed through the moon-shaped door and grabbed the steward Xu Chengxuan had sent to the Tianxiang Restaurant on Chang’an Street. He threw him in front of Xu Chengxuan expressionlessly.
The steward’s face was bruised and swollen. He looked at Xu Chengxuan in fear. “Young… Young Master…”
Xu Chengxuan looked at his incompetent appearance and understood everything. This fellow probably didn’t withstand Jun Chang’an’s methods and said everything that he shouldn’t have said!
“Get lost!” Xu Chengxuan shouted.
The steward scrambled away. Xu Chengxuan turned away angrily.
Yan Huaijing said coldly, “Why did you do that? Did Miss Yu provoke you?”
“Miss Yu?” Xu Chengxuan turned around strangely. “Why are you calling her so intimately? Do you know her?”
Yan Huaijing said sternly, “I’m the one asking you questions now.”
Xu Chengxuan snorted coldly. “Why else? She was the one who broke my arm and leg! I was just teaching her a lesson!”
Yan Huaijing frowned and said, “Yan Jiuchao broke your arm and leg. What has it got to do with her?”
Xu Chengxuan mocked, “I only found out a few days ago that she’s Yan Jiuchao’s woman!”
“What nonsense are you talking about!” Yan Huaijing’s eyes suddenly turned cold.
Xu Chengxuan was in a fit of anger and did not notice his cousin’s strange behavior. “I’m not spouting nonsense! The day before, she went to Tianxiang Restaurant and slandered Chef Yang for plagiarizing her family’s recipes. The next day, Yan Jiuchao came to my Tianxiang Restaurant and smashed it. Cousin, do you think this is a coincidence? At first, I didn’t think about her. That day, my guard entered the palace to deliver snacks to Aunt. When he saw Eunuch w.a.n.g go to pick up Yan Jiuchao, he was cautious and followed him all the way. In the end, Cousin, guess what? Yan Jiuchao actually moved to that girl’s village! Cousin, if you tell me that this is a coincidence again, then I’ll admit my loss!”
Yan Huaijing suddenly remembered the word “Yan” that Yu Wan had called out before she fell asleep, so she didn’t know him. She didn’t call him, but… Yan Jiuchao? Did she think he was Yan Jiuchao? Or did she hope that the person who came to save her was Yan Jiuchao?
Either way, it meant that she did know Yan Jiuchao.
Yan Jiuchao had smashed the Tianxiang Restaurant and beaten up Xu Chengxuan because of her? In order not to push her into the limelight, he had specially beaten up the second-generation heirs of the Capital.
These thoughts, these thoughts!
“Cousin, don’t doubt me. What I said is true. I was just too angry and couldn’t take it lying down. When I found out that she was also partic.i.p.ating in the compet.i.tion, I went to get someone to teach her a lesson.” Xu Chengxuan couldn’t use force, so he pulled Yan Huaijing’s sleeve and revealed a pitiful look.
If it weren’t for the thing found in the icehouse, Yan Huaijing might have been deceived by him. “A little lesson? You colluded with the Ghost Clan of Southern Xinjiang. If word gets out, I wonder who will teach who a lesson!”
“What Ghost Clan?” Xu Chengxuan was confused.
His expression did not seem to be fake. Yan Huaijing pointed at the iron tube on him. “Who gave you this?”
Xu Chengxuan sighed sadly. “Slave Bi, but he left and never came back. Cousin, if it’s convenient, ask Jun Chang’an to help me look for him. I have more worries without him.”
“Where did you meet him?” Yan Huaijing asked.
Xu Chengxuan recounted his experience of befriending Slave Bi in detail. He did not know Slave Bi’s ident.i.ty, so he did not think there was a need to hide it.
Yan Huaijing looked at him without blinking. “What else did he give you? Hand it all over.”
Xu Chengxuan snorted. “What? He’s no longer around. Can’t I keep his things for myself?”
Yan Huaijing asked calmly, “Do you still want to find him?”
Compared to the dead things left behind by Slave Bi, Xu Chengxuan wanted the living person more. He gritted his teeth and painfully handed over Slave Bi’s “remains” to Yan Huaijing.
“In the future, don’t bring any random people back to the residence, and don’t secretly cause trouble. If I find you unruly again, I’ll send you back to Prefecture Xu!”
After Yan Huaijing warned Xu Chengxuan, he left with Jun Chang’an with the box.
Xu Chengxuan looked at Jun Chang’an’s departing figure with a trace of jealousy in his eyes.
… .
Master Qin sent Yu Wan and the others back to Lotus Flower Village.
Master Qin had asked around just now. The chief chef of Uncle’s group was full of praise for Uncle’s dishes. In order to ensure the fairness of the compet.i.tion, they did not tell the chief chef who made each dish in advance. Therefore, it was definitely not like what Yan Ruyu suspected, that the Second Prince was the one who helped the Yu family advance.
Of course, the chief chef was also quite satisfied with the culinary skills of the remaining two chefs, especially Madam Du. Her culinary skills had improved by leaps and bounds over the years, and she was already as good as the rumors.
“There’s still a tough battle tomorrow.” Master Qin sighed.
The first day of the compet.i.tion was just an appetizer. They will only see the real compet.i.tion tomorrow. They could not let their guard down.
Moreover, this kind of compet.i.tion had a certain degree of subjectivity. Some people liked this kind of compet.i.tion. For example, the chief chef praised their dishes. If they encountered someone who didn’t like them, they could only pray for themselves.
When the carriage arrived at the village entrance, Uncle said, “Let’s stop here. It’s getting late, so I won’t keep Master Qin for tea. Take care, Master Qin.”
Master Qin smiled and bade farewell.
The few of them alighted from the carriage and returned to the old residence. After they had dinner, Aunt and Madam Jiang waited for them to eat before accompanying them to eat.
Aunt cooked a plate of fried tofu with spring onions, a bowl of braised pork with beancurd, a pot of cured meat, spring bamboo shoots, and thick soup, as well as a few side dishes bought from town. The vegetables in the fields were gone, so if they wanted to eat, they could go to town to buy them. In order to reward them with a sumptuous meal, Aunt, who was always diligent and thrifty, actually learned from the people in town and went to buy side dishes.
“Aunt, take a seat. I’ll do it.” Yu Wan went to the kitchen and took the bowl and chopsticks from her.
Aunt pushed her hand away. “Sit down. You’ve been tired all day.”
Yu Wan smiled. “You make it sound like you’re idling at home.”
Although her aunt did not say it, Yu Wan understood that she was not as relaxed as them when they were outside. Her aunt was also busy with the work at home and the business at the workshop.
Yu Wan insisted on taking the bowls and chopsticks.
“This child!” Aunt glared at her.
“Zhenzhen, carry.” The youngest daughter stood on her tiptoes.
Aunt also gave her a bowl, and she eagerly carried it to the central room.
“Eh? Where’s Little Bruiser?” Yu Wan asked. When she entered the house, she didn’t see the little guy who was getting more and more clingy. This was really strange.
Madam Jiang smiled and didn’t say anything.
Aunt picked up a piece of pork belly for Madam Jiang. “He’s angry with you!”
Yu Wan raised her eyebrows strangely. “Angry at me? Why?”
The farmers had a large appet.i.te. Although they had eaten in the Capital, the men each brought a large bowl of rice now that they were at the table. Yu Song finished three bowls in one go and wanted to eat more. He glanced at Yu Wan and calmly put down his bowl and chopsticks.
Yu Wan was not very hungry. After drinking some soup, she went to look for Little Bruiser.
Little Bruiser was lying beside Yu Feng’s bed, his little b.u.t.t raised high. His head was buried in his arms, looking like he was ignoring everyone.
Yu Wan gently came behind him and called Little Bruiser. Little Bruiser buried his head even more tightly.
Yu Wan patted his little b.u.t.t. “Why? Are you really angry with me?”
Little Bruiser buried his head in one hand and reached behind him with the other to brush Yu Wan’s hand away.
Aiyo, she was not allowed to touch it.
Yu Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She turned Little Bruiser, who was sulking at her, around. Little Bruiser struggled, but how could he be Yu Wan’s match? Not long after, Yu Wan straightened his body.
Yu Wan bent down and looked at him. He turned his face away angrily!
Yu Wan clicked her tongue and pinched his tanned little face. “You even learned to pull a long face at me. Do you believe that I’ll spank you?”
Little Bruiser said angrily, “Go ahead and hit me!”
Yu Wan smiled at him. “So you’re willing to speak?”
Little Bruiser crossed his arms tightly and tilted his head. “Hmph!”
“Why are you angry at me? You have to tell me, right? Otherwise, if I do it again, won’t you be the one getting angry?” Yu Wan said patiently.
Little Bruiser felt that his sister’s words made sense. He turned around, placed his hands on his hips, and said resentfully to Yu Wan, “Who asked you not to bring me along when you go out!”
“Just because of this…” Yu Wan had forgotten that this was a chatterbox who liked to travel. Yu Wan smiled in her heart, but on the surface, she said helplessly, “You can’t blame me for this. I called you when I left. Who asked you to sleep so soundly that I couldn’t wake you up?”
“I… I… When did I?” Little Bruiser blushed.
The bad sister continued to blame him. “Didn’t you wake up by yourself in the past? This time, you didn’t get up. I thought you didn’t want to go.”
“Aiya, I want to go! I want to go!” Little Bruiser stomped his feet anxiously.
Yu Wan laughed in her heart. Why were children so gullible? My brother was about to cry. And I still thought it was fun to tease him. I’m such a bad sister.
Yu Wan was done teasing him. She pointed at the central room and said, “Then go ask Second Brother. If he can take care of you tomorrow, I’ll bring you there.”
“Why me?” Yu Song said unhappily.
“Because you can’t help,” Little Bruiser said bluntly.
Yu Song, who was despised by his brother: “…”
Why did he feel like beating him up so badly?
Yu Feng had inherited some of his father’s culinary skills, so he was quite good at it. Yu Song was not like his brother who could boil and cook, nor was he like Yu Wan who could handle knife skills and meat dishes. His existence was very useless, so it was not wrong for him to be sent to take care of Little Bruiser. However, how could a grown man be looked down upon by a little child?
Yu Song refused to let go no matter what. Little Bruiser used all kinds of methods and was just short of hanging on his lap and calling him father. Yu Song was pestered until he couldn’t do anything. He had an idea and said, “Let Third Aunt bring you there!”
Third Aunt was from the city, so she shouldn’t get lost in the city.
“Sis, can you let Mom bring me there?” Little Bruiser asked weakly.
Yu Wan looked at Madam Jiang.
Madam Jiang looked at Yu Wan gently and said with a smile, “Does Ah Wan want me to go?”
Yu Wan had been in Lotus Flower Village for so long, but she had never seen her mother leave the village. The furthest her mother had gone was the village entrance. Usually, she only walked around her own house and the old residence. Occasionally, she would go to Aunt Zhang’s house, but not much.
To be fair, Yu Wan hoped that her mother would go out to relax.
“Yes.” Yu Wan nodded.
Madam Jiang smiled dotingly. “Okay.”
Yu Song was relieved. This small burden was finally thrown out!
Yu Wan blinked at him and said, “Second Brother, I’ll leave my mother and Bruiser to you tomorrow.”
Yu Song : “…”
Yu Song: “?!”
“W-what?!” Yu Song was in a mess…
… .
Yan Manor.
Yan Ruyu brought the three little lads back to the manor. The four of them did not look too good.
The little ones, whose pig buns were thrown away, were angry and aggrieved. They ignored Yan Ruyu along the way.
It was just a stranger’s things. If she threw it away, so be it. The little ones actually dared to show her att.i.tude. Yan Ruyu was even more furious. If it wasn’t for Aunt Lin stopping her, she would have wanted to beat them.
“You can’t spoil the children. They’ll be obedient after two beatings,” the maidservant muttered.
Aunt Lin glared at her. This maidservant was called Lychee and was introduced by the steward of the residence. It was said that she was a distant relative, but in Aunt Lin’s opinion, she was shallow and ill-mannered. She was really not suitable to be a servant by Young Miss’s side.
There were some things that Miss could say and some things that Miss could do. This was because Miss was the mother of the little masters, but servants were always servants. They could not be disrespectful to their master.
The carriage arrived at the Yan Manor.
Aunt Lin and Lychee helped Yan Ruyu out of the carriage. Yan Ruyu said to the three little fellows, “Get out!”
The three of them clenched their fists and did not move.
“Are you going to get down or not?” Yan Ruyu’s tone turned cold.
The three of them did not go down.
Yan Ruyu said coldly, “You guys are getting more and more unruly nowadays. Don’t you remember what I taught you? Alright, then listen carefully. Either you come down now and obediently go back to the house to eat, or…”
“Miss.” Aunt Lin interrupted Yan Ruyu. This was not Prefecture Xu anymore. There were so many people watching. If the news of the punishment of the children reached the ears of the Princess Consort and Young Master Yan, it would not be easy to explain.
Yan Ruyu took a deep breath and pinched her fingers. “Bring them back to the courtyard.”
The guards went to carry the children, and the three of them punched and kicked.
Yan Ruyu was furious. She walked into the carriage, grabbed a small arm, and pulled it out roughly.
The little one was in pain.
“Yu’er! All of you, leave!” Mrs. Yan arrived in time and dismissed everyone. She carried Third Brother, whose arm was in pain, from Yan Ruyu’s hands and scolded, “What are you doing!”
After being angered by that village girl and the three little fellows, even her mother had come to anger her. Yan Ruyu was filled with anger. She coldly left the few little fellows and flicked her sleeves as she entered the manor!
“This child, it’s been so many years, but her temper hasn’t changed at all… She’s already a mother, why is she still so willful?” Mrs. Yan muttered and rubbed Third Brother’s arm. “Alright, don’t be angry anymore. We’ll go to Grandma’s tonight. Grandma prepared some delicious food.”
Mrs. Yan led the three little munchkins into the mansion.
Coincidentally, at this moment, a carriage stopped opposite the Yan Manor. The three little lads turned their heads and saw a young madam alighting from the carriage. Immediately after, she smiled and carried her three-year-old son down the carriage.
Her face was filled with love for her son.
The three little lads lowered their heads dejectedly. Why was it that only their mother didn’t like them?