“Yes, homemade dried apricots. Eating some now will help balance things out.”

As Su Yujin spoke, she had Ai Cao fetch the dried apricots while she poured He Yanxiu a cup of osmanthus honey water.

The dried apricots were sweet and sour, and the osmanthus honey water was light and slightly sweet, quickly washing away the bitterness in his mouth.

He Yanxiu felt much better and let out a sigh of relief.

On an autumn day, the sky was high, and the clouds were light, the stars were bright, and the moonlight was clear.

Especially now, it was a waning crescent moon; although it was only just dark, the moon was already high in the sky, pouring down light like shattered silver.

Autumn insects chirped softly, and the leaves rustled.

It was a scene of serene beauty.

He Yanxiu narrowed his eyes.

A breeze swept by, carrying the slight chill of autumn. Su Yujin, dressed in thin clothes, couldn’t help but hunch her shoulders. A layer of fatigue clung to her face, a result of a long day’s work at the farm. “Second Master, please rest early. This servant will take her leave.”

“Go ahead,” He Yanxiu gestured, sitting down on the veranda and picking up a teacup from the tea table.

The osmanthus honey water was light on the palate, gradually becoming sweeter. Even long after swallowing, a delicate, sweet fragrance lingered.

The more he drank, the more reluctant he became to part with the flavor.

Whether it was because he had eaten too much for dinner, or because the osmanthus honey water was so delicious that he couldn’t resist drinking a couple more cups, or perhaps because the autumn moonlight was so precious…

In any case, by the time He Yanxiu returned to his room to sleep, the moon had completely set.

Even so late at night, He Yanxiu tossed and turned in bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep, and finally sat up.

“Second Master.”

Xing’an, hearing the commotion, quickly brought over a lamp. “Are you getting up in the middle of the night?”

“I remember hearing when I returned to the capital a few days ago that Wenjing had caused trouble by breaking the glass vase that the Duke of Anguo’s heir had presented to the Empress Dowager. Her uncle severely punished her, ordering her to stay home and reflect on her actions for a month without going out.”

Xing’an nodded. “That’s true. General Lu seemed quite angry about it and wanted to invoke the family law, but the Second and Third Generals stopped him. After much persuasion, and even the six young masters vouching for Miss Lu, the General changed it to a month of confinement and a punishment of copying the ‘Women’s Precepts’ one hundred times.”

“As for why Miss Lu was able to go out…”

Xing’an scratched his head. “I really don’t know. Perhaps Miss Lu pleased the General, and he forgave her and let her go?”

That was unlikely.

Eldest jiùjiu was the sternest and most old-fashioned of all his jiùjiu. Although he had been blessed with a daughter late in life, and she was the only girl of her generation in the family, whom he usually cherished like the apple of his eye, he never showed leniency when it came to matters of principle.

Moreover, Eldest jiùjiu had always been a man who kept his word. Even if he wished to indulge Lu Wenjing and could not bear to punish her, at most he would make it up to her afterward—he would never go back on his promise.

After thinking it over, the only possible reason was that she had run away on her own. As long as Eldest jiùjiu wasn’t home, Lu Wenjing was the little tyrant of the house, and no one dared to stop her or offend her, so running away wasn’t impossible.   

But while this made sense, a new problem arose—Lu Wenjing had gone to great lengths and risked a lot of danger to escape from home and come directly to Su Yujin in Qinghe, all because she was greedy for food.

But could someone really be that greedy?   

And Lu Wenjing and Yan Siying were best friends…   

He Yanxiu’s brows furrowed deeply.   

After staring at the flickering candlelight for a long while, He Yanxiu finally said, “Give the order tomorrow morning: do everything in your power to find it…”   

“Yes,” Xing’an replied, his expression serious.

After several days of sunshine, rain fell.

A typical autumn rain, fine as cow’s hair, continuous and persistent, showing no signs of stopping even after two full days.

Because of the rain, everything felt damp and sticky, with a strong autumn chill permeating the air.

The chill seeped into the bones.

Su Yujin added another layer of clothing, and these past few days she had been eating all sorts of hot pot dishes to ward off the dampness and chill of the weather.

Shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, white beech mushrooms… A truly authentic mushroom hot pot was made by simmering all kinds of mushrooms together. A handful of dried shrimp was added to enhance the flavor, and whether used for cooking meat or vegetables, everything came out fresh, savory, and delicious—something one could enjoy again and again without ever growing tired of it.

A mixed meatball soup hot pot made with bone broth, meatballs, leafy greens, and bamboo shoots—fragrant, delicious, and extremely flavorful.

The old duck, simmered with various seasonings over a low flame for an hour, was carefully prepared into a delicious old duck soup. Whether you eat the meat, drink the soup, or even cook some noodles, you’ll want to savor every last drop…

Seeing He Yanxiu staring at his wrist, which was covered in plasters, after finishing his meal and medicine, Su Yujin asked with some concern, “Second Master, are you feeling unwell again?”

“Yes.” He Yanxiu paused, then nodded to Su Yujin. “It feels a bit more painful than yesterday.”

A bit painful?

Su Yujin quickly checked it.

With careful rest these past few days, the swelling in He Yanxiu’s wrist had visibly subsided, and it should be fully healed in a few more days. Everything was fine now, so logically, it shouldn’t hurt.

“What kind of pain is it?” Su Yujin asked.

“I can’t quite put my finger on it… It just feels a bit uncomfortable.”

He Yanxiu looked at the raindrops dripping from the eaves.

“Perhaps it’s because of the weather.”

The damp and cold weather was particularly unfriendly to someone with a sprain like this.

“Possibly,” Su Yujin thought for a moment, “but it could also be because Second Master hasn’t been very careful about his diet lately. I think he should eat a light diet for the next few days, just some porridge and side dishes each day, and see if his condition improves.”

He Yanxiu, “…”

He had only wanted to find some excuse to stay a couple more days and freeload a couple more meals.

He hadn’t expected it to backfire, and now even the delicious food he was enjoying would have to be reduced to porridge and side dishes…

“It doesn’t seem to hurt as much now,” He Yanxiu said hurriedly. “Perhaps it’s because I was a little worried about my injury, so I felt uncomfortable everywhere.”

“It shouldn’t have much to do with whether I have been careful about my diet.”

“Yes, definitely not!”

He spoke with absolute certainty, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

So, don’t deprive him of all his delicious food.

He can still eat!

Su Yujin, “…”

She had never seen anyone as shameless as Second Master!

—

Achoo!

He Yande sneezed loudly.

“Master, are you alright?” The servant beside him lifted the carriage curtain and asked with concern.

“It’s alright, it’s probably just because of the rain.”

He couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone was badmouthing him behind his back!

Thinking of this, He Yande became somewhat impatient. “How much longer until we arrive?”

Someone reported early this morning that a bridge in the suburbs of Beijing, which He Yande was overseeing the construction of, had developed cracks.

(End of Chapter)

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