Upon tasting the congee, the savory and salty flavor of the meat congee immediately hits you!

The cured pork was smoked; its salty and savory flavor carried a hint of fruitwood and pine, melting into the thick and creamy congee base, giving the entire bowl of congee a unique savory taste!

The cured pork was a perfect balance of lean and fat, the lean meat firm and not dry, with a slight chewiness, interspersed with a layer of glistening fat. One bite, and the perfect balance of lean and fat! The diced white radish soaked up the congee broth, the diced carrot was crisp, and the dried tofu carried the unique fragrance of soybeans; all the ingredients dissolved completely into the fine and savory congee base.

Compared to the sweet and soft texture of the sweet congee, the savory congee’s flavor lay more in its “freshness”!

The combination of sweet and salty, along with the warmth of the congee base, from mouth to throat to stomach, after two bowls of congee, the chill brought in from outside was completely dispelled, and your hands and feet felt warm.

After finishing two bowls of porridge, Liu Yuan let out a satisfied burp, his complexion softening slightly. He reached into his pocket, finding it empty, and then reached out to Bai Zhu and Wei Fu, asking, “Did you bring a handkerchief? Let me wipe my face; I tripped and fell this morning, looking quite disheveled!”

Bai Zhu pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Liu Yuan, saying, “I was wondering why our usually most eager-to-eat-breakfast Liu was late today; it turns out he fell! A natural disaster!”

A natural disaster? Liu Yuan, who was about to wipe his face with the handkerchief, spat and said, “Where do all these natural disasters come from? It’s all man-made!”

As for what kind of man-made disaster… Liu Yuan sneered as he vigorously wiped his face. “On the way, I ran into those rich idlers humming a tune, accompanied by a few fortune tellers, saying they were going to the outskirts of the city to look at the feng shui of a cemetery. I was so angry about that case that I snorted and mocked them, saying, ‘Those who do such immoral things will surely be punished by heaven!’ As a result, those people… those people… humph!”

Thinking of those people, without saying a word, one of them snatched the whip from the coachman beside him and lashed it across the horse. The carriage spurred towards him, startling Liu Yuan. He tried to dodge but tripped and fell. The horse stopped right in front of him, and the man in the carriage, holding a cricket jar, laughed and stopped the carriage. He handed the whip to the driver, clicked his tongue twice, and said, “How dare you, Liu, block my way like that? If I hadn’t pulled this beast quickly, you would be dead under its hooves today!”

He then kicked the horse hard, causing it to neigh in pain before being whipped again, writhing in agony.

The man glared at the horse, cursed, “You blind beast!” and turned to leave.

Liu Yuan understood the veiled insult perfectly. Only after the men left did passersby dare to help him up.

As Liu Yuan vigorously wiped his face and recounted his morning’s ordeal, Bai Zhu’s and Wei Fu’s expressions were also grim. However, seeing the force with which Liu Yuan was wiping his face, they said, “Stop wiping! If you keep wiping, you’ll probably break the skin on your face!”

His face was only covered in dust; why was he wiping so hard? Ultimately, it was just that he had nowhere to vent his frustration!

Bai Zhu and Wei Fu exchanged a glance. Although they had persuaded Liu Yuan to stop, their expressions didn’t soften much. Bai Zhu nudged Wei Fu and sighed, “Old Wei, you tell us!”

Hearing this, Liu Yuan jolted awake and picked up the face towel he had just put down again: “What happened?”

Meeting Liu Yuan’s gaze, Wei Fu sighed but still spoke: “There’s something I need to tell you!”

As for what it was…

“That guy surnamed Yang is in trouble!” Wei Fu said.

Liu Yuan’s face turned pale instantly: “How could it be bad?”

The man surnamed Yang was left in Dali Temple. Could it be that those people would dare to rush into Dali Temple and commit violence?

“That’s really not it!” Wei Fu said. “After Yang hit his head, he’s been acting crazy ever since. At first, we all suspected he was faking it! This morning, during the shift change of the guards, he ran out in a mad dash. The guards, fearing he was faking it to escape, chased after him along with a few servants. Then, when Yang ran up the corridor where he had previously tripped, he missed again and fell down…” Wei Fu shook his head, pointing to the back of his head, and said, “The last time the problem was already quite serious, and this time he’s hit this very spot…”

Liu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat: “How is he?”

“He’s done for!” Wei Fu shook his head and said, “Young Madam Chang and the Chang family are overjoyed. They said it’s a blessing from heaven, and they even sent over a basket of pastries this morning!” Wei Fu pointed to the full basket of pastries in the hall and said, “They even bought firecrackers to celebrate!”

It wasn’t that they were protecting Young Master Yang! In fact, in their eyes, Yang’s fate was well-deserved. But if that Young Master Yang had just left like that, then all the evidence that could have been used against these people would also be gone. How could anyone be happy about that?

Liu Yuan’s face darkened even more upon hearing this, and he subconsciously raised his voice: “So… we’re just going to let those people continue to roam free?”

The constables and clerks who were busy with their work in the hall all stopped what they were doing, their faces turning grim.

Not to mention that they had been busy for so long, and seeing the real culprit still running around was infuriating! Just think about these people… if they continued to live as “rich and idle people” outside, who knows how many people would suffer!

The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop! Tanguyan, who had come to collect the Laba porridge bowls, had just stepped into the hall when she heard Liu Yuan’s question. She pursed her lips, lowered her head, and went in, saying, “I’m here to collect the bowls,” before taking the plate in front of Liu Yuan.

Liu Yuan, who usually loved to joke around, had no time to pay attention to Tangyuan. He just looked at everyone with resentment in his eyes!

After clearing away the plates, Tangyuan ran back to the kitchen. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. She walked over to Wen Mingtang and Ah Bing, who were busy preparing dishes at the counter, and said, “That Young Master Yang really is done for!”

When the Young Master Yang made a fuss this morning, they were cooking Laba porridge in the kitchen. They went out to check and saw with their own eyes that the Young Master Yang’s head hit the ground directly. It looked like he had died on the spot!

The constables were unwilling to accept it and called a doctor, but the man had already passed away and been taken away by the King of Hell. Even calling Bian Que and Hua Tuo¹ was useless!

It was fine that Young Master Yang died, but he didn’t even leave anything he should have said. This was a big problem!

“Do you think that wailing and crying, Madam Yang knows anything about this?” Tangyuan thought for a moment and asked the two of them.

Wen Mingtang paused in her chopping, thought for a moment, and shook her head, saying, “I think it’s unlikely!”

If Madam Yang knew about this, given her profit-driven nature, the cloth shop business wouldn’t have failed so miserably back then!

However, if that were the case, then Young Master Yang was initially unaware of this matter, just like Madam Yang. Master Yang, whether to protect his wife and children or for some other reason, kept it from them! But later… how did Young Master Yang find out about them?

(End of Chapter)

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Footnote

1. Bian Que and Hua Tuo were two of the most famous physicians in ancient China. Bian Que was believed to have lived during the Warring States period and was renowned for his remarkable diagnostic abilities, becoming a legendary figure in traditional Chinese medicine. Hua Tuo lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and was famous for his medical skills, especially surgery, and for reportedly using an herbal anesthetic during operations. In Chinese literature, mentioning them together is often a way to praise someone’s exceptional medical skill.