CH 36

The sky was already dark, there was no moon tonight, but the sky was full of stars, and the milky way was clearly defined, enveloping the entire Tanghe County in a magnificent luster.

The beads of stars were clear and bright, separated by a gate, naturally they could see each other’s expressions clearly. The two stared at each other for a while, then Yuan Ci Xian said first, “Assistant Minister Lu.”

Lu Shi Qing coughed lightly, and said “um”.

“Are you looking for me?” she continued.

He froze slightly, just before the word “yes” slipped out of his lips, he switched, “I can’t sleep, came out for a walk.”

Just now he impulsively rushed out, but before he could think of a suitable explanation, Yuan Ci Xian suddenly appeared, so he wanted to use “go for a walk” as an excuse to postpone.

After Lu Shi Qing finished answering, he asked again: “What about you?”

Yuan Ci Xian pouted, snorted softly, looked at the tip of her shoe and said, “I can’t sleep either, so come out for a walk.”

He said “Oh” then said: “Let’s go then.” After saying that, he turned and went outside.

Yuan Ci Xian was stunned in place for a few seconds, after realizing that this seemed to be an invitation to take a walk with her, she then raised her heel. He seemed to be slowing down his steps, so she was quickly the same level with him.

The two of them remained silent all the way until they crossed the entire courtyard, but suddenly said in unison: “I…”

Lu Shi Qing stopped and tilted his head to look at her, probably asking her to speak first.

Yuan Ci Xian turned to face him, hesitated and said: “I’m sorry, Assistant Minister Lu, I’m actually here to apologize to you.”

Lu Shi Qing was confused by her words: “What are you apologizing for?”

“Just now listening to the young man in the courtyard, I just realized that today is your birthday. If I had known it earlier, I would not be angry with you. Anyway, the birthday is the biggest, and on the day of your birthday, you can be forgiven for anything you do.”

Her tone was sullen, and she didn’t sound very happy, as if she was reluctantly accommodating him.

Lu Shi Qing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Whatever you do can be forgiven?”

Yuan Ci Xian nodded, looked at the sky, then added: “It’s fine before dawn. After dawn, I may be angry with you again.”

She kept her head down as she spoke, leaving him with only the top of her head to look at. Lu Shi Qing looked down at her for a while, and smiled helplessly: “Don’t be angry at dawn. What County Magistrate Zhu said is all nonsense.”

Yuan Ci Xian raised her head in surprise. She did remember that he denied it in the afternoon, but she didn’t believe it. After all, how could County Magistrate Zhu speak nonsense in front of the imperial envoy.

“How dare he lie to me and eat bear heart and leopard gall?”

Lu Shi Qing couldn’t explain, and evaded: “How do I know why he suddenly went crazy? You just need to know that I didn’t promise that kind of thing.”

Yuan Ci Xian looked suspicious: “I don’t believe it.” She then added, “Unless you make a poisonous oath.”

He choked up: “What poisonous oath?”

“If you are lying to me right now, you’ll be covered in dog hair before dawn.”

It’s really poisonous. He laughed angrily for a moment, but still did as she said and swore word by word.

Yuan Ci Xian reluctantly believed it now, and clapped her hands in a good mood and said, “Okay, I believe you for now.”

Lu Shi Qing glanced at her, and was just about to tell her to go back to her room to rest, but suddenly heard a “gurgle” sound. His gaze moved and shifted down to where the sound came from – her stomach.

Yuan Ci Xian hugged her stomach awkwardly as early as the sound of “gur” fell and “rr” was not yet started, but it was still noticed by him, so she could only sneer and say: “Assistant Minister Lu, I didn’t eat enough at dinner, originally relied on being angry with you to support myself, but now that I forgive you, my stomach become empty.”

Lu Shi Qing was both angry and funny: “I saw that you ate a lot during dinner, I’m afraid it’s me who didn’t move the chopsticks much, right?”

Right. She nodded: “Then aren’t you hungry?”

He affirmed: “Not hungry.” As soon as the words fell, the silent night was once again broken by a “Grrr” sound.

Lu Shi Qing was taken aback. This sound was not from him. Definitely Not.

But Yuan Ci Xian had already burst into laughter: “You are such a liar!”

He looked at the person in front of him who was rocking back and forth laughing, and sighed for a long while: “I’ll ask someone to bring some food, and send a portion to your courtyard, you go back and wait.”

Yuan Ci Xian waved her hand to stop him: “It’s late at night, why bother others, let’s do it ourselves and have enough food for us.”

Lu Shi Qing suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.

After a stick of incense, the two sneaked into Zhu Mansion’s kitchen. Yuan Ci Xian bent over to take the lead, Lu Shi Qing couldn’t persuade her and was forced to follow. Then outside, Xiao Hei was ordered by the master to squatted at the door of the kitchen to keep watch.

Yuan Ci Xian wondered, this Zhu Mansion was a county magistrate’s mansion after all, how come there were so few guards, especially around the kitchen, there were not even a gatekeeper.

Lu Shi Qing understood. It seemed that County Magistrate Zhu deliberately let him and Yuan Ci Xian “go for a walk” around Zhu Mansion without any worries tonight, so he evacuated everyone. So while Yuan Ci Xian was groping in the dark in the kitchen, struggling to find something to eat, he simply lit the fire pocket.

Yuan Ci Xian was startled, and raised her hand to put out the fire. She lowered her voice and said, “Someone will find out!”

He turned sideways and dodged: “So what if we were found out? Can County Magistrate Zhu still report to the official and arrest you and me?”

Oh, that makes sense.

Seeing that she did not object anymore, Lu Shi Qing lit the oil lamp in the room with the light of the fire pocket. The room were then brightly lit, and on top the clean kitchen table there were several baskets of fresh vegetables and dough, but it seemed to be a little hard after being left for a long time.

Yuan Ci Xian was taken aback, and muttered: “Why is there no ready-made food?”

Lu Shi Qing knew that this must also be County Magistrate Zhu’s handwriting, so he glanced at her: “Just now who said she want to do it herself?”

She wrinkled her face: “I am, but I thought it would be enough if there’s a few dishes. I don’t know how to cook.” After saying that, she looked at Lu Shi Qing expectantly, “Maybe you can?”

The answer to her question was of course a sharp look.

He was a man, and had a cleanliness obsession, so he must hate the smoke-filled kitchen. Yuan Ci Xian also understood this, but it was not good if she didn’t eat, she was about to starve to death.

Lu Shi Qing saw that her face was pale with hunger, and sighed, “It’s better to call someone.” After saying that, he turned around and left.

When Yuan Ci Xian heard this, she refused, grabbed his sleeve and said, “Don’t, I’ll try. What if I’m talented?”

What if she was talented and made a bowl of noodles that was so delicious and unforgettable, and from then on, she captured Lu Shi Qing’s heart through his belly, and made him unable to let her go again? What’s more, today was his birthday, then a bowl of noodles was perfect, it was simply a golden opportunity sent by Heaven.

Thinking like this, Yuan Ci Xian’s heart had already blossomed, and she rolled up her sleeves energetically, then went to wash her hands.

Lu Shi Qing saw her posture as if she was going to beat someone, although he didn’t agree, he was also curious about what she could do, so he stood aside without stopping her, until he saw her take a kitchen knife and chop the dough with one blow.

With a “pop”, the hardened dough was cut in half.

“…” Although Lu Shi Qing entered the kitchen for the first time, he also knew that making noodles was definitely not like this, or why not call it chopped noodles?

He recalled the last time he was in Chang’an West City where he observed the dim sum shop guy making steamed buns, and now he couldn’t bear to look at her, said, “I’ll do it, you go chop the vegetables.”

She was so skilled with knife, so it’s better to chop vegetables.

Yuan Ci Xian also felt that it seemed not right doing it like this, so she pondered for a while, and smiled embarrassedly: “Then I will trouble you.”

Lu Shi Qing went to knead the dough after cleaning his hands, sighing while kneading. After all, how many lifetimes of bad luck did he have to meet Yuan Ci Xian, and now he even had to do a job of a servant.

Yuan Ci Xian was cleaning the red spinach by the side, looked at him, and was full of praise for his technique: “Assistant Minister Lu, to be able to be knead by you, it’s the blessing of three lifetimes for this piece of dough!”

It’s unknown what important thoughts were provoked by her words, Lu Shi Qing paused, and suddenly let his imagination roamed.

He remembered that in that absurd dream, he rubbed something like this.

He stared straight at the snow-white dough under his hands, quickly suppressed a trace of strangeness in his body, and continued silently.

Yuan Ci Xian with great difficulty cut the vegetables. Except for swinging the knife a little too hard and almost split the chopping board, nothing unexpected happened, but when she finished her work and turned around, she was startled by the noodles as thick as Lu Shi Qing’s little finger in his hands.

She didn’t seem to have eaten this kind of noodles.

But she was too embarrassed to be choosy, and praised against her will: “Assistant Minister Lu, you are really amazing, this craftmanship is really exquisite.”

Where Lu Shi Qing could hear what was in her heart. He looked at her, but didn’t want to be humble, after all, it was not easy for him to produce such result for the first time, so he said: “Okay, you go down.”

She nodded encouragingly, and after she arranged the ingredients and noodles one by one, she picked up the spatula, but suddenly stunned.

She frowned and thought about for a while, and couldn’t help asking: “Did we miss something?”

Lu Shi Qing looked back after washing his hands, and moved his gaze down to the stove hole full of firewood, and said wearily: “I forgot to start a fire.”

He had no choice but to throw himself back into the stove.

Soon, the stove was full of smoke and fire. While sitting on the low stool to add the firewood, Lu Shi Qing asked Yuan Ci Xian above: “Is the fire enough?”

Where did Yuan Ci Xian know how to measure it, but seeing that a pot of water had not boiled for a long time, she kept saying: “Not enough, keep adding!”

Lu Shi Qing threw the firewood one bundle at a time, and when she said “enough”, his handsome face was already covered in soot, looking like a sorry figure to the point his face couldn’t be recognized.

When Yuan Ci Xian saw him, she trembled with laughter, and almost threw a shovelful of salt into the pot with her shaking hand. Lu Shi Qing was so angry that he plunged himself into the water to wipe his face.

Although the process was a bit chaotic, when the colorless spinach noodles came out of the pot, the two actually held a little hope. Both of them pulled out a pair of chopsticks, stood in front of the stove, held a porcelain bowl and looked at each other, seemingly waiting for the other to try first.

After hesitating for a while, Yuan Ci Xian said: “Why don’t I count to three and let’s move our chopsticks together?

It’s just a noodle, and it’s not poisonous, why make such trouble. Lu Shi Qing frowned: “No need, I’ll eat first.” After he finished speaking, he picked up a few thick noodles and stuffed them into his mouth.

Yuan Ci Xian stared at his face for a moment, a little afraid and a little expectant, but saw that his expression remained the same without any change.

She asked anxiously: “How is it?”

Lu Shi Qing swallowed the noodles slowly, and then said calmly: “It’s pretty good, you’ll know after eating.”

Yuan Ci Xian was overjoyed in her heart, and quickly move her chopsticks, but after stuffing a noodle into her mouth, her face froze.

So, so salty! Her dear mother!

Lu Shi Qing looked at her with a smile, pretending to be questioning.

She looked at him, and had to continue to chew.

Ahh, so, so hard!

Yuan Ci Xian was about to cry. So in order to trick her into eating the noodles, he deliberately acted calm and breezy?

She turned her head and wanted to spit it out, but she heard the other person cough in a deep voice, as if warning her.

This noodle was painstakingly made by him, so if she spit it out like this, is it appropriate?

Yuan Ci Xian naturally understood what he meant, but it was so salty that her tears overflowed, she bit the noodles and said vaguely and aggrievedly: “If you have the ability to finish eating, I will also not waste it.”

“You mean it?”

Seeing her nodding, Lu Shi Qing sneered, lowered his head and started eating.

Yuan Ci Xian was dumbfounded, but she couldn’t take back her words and the split water cannot be retrieved, so she had no choice but to bury her head and follow his footsteps.

Lu Shi Qing was still calm at first, but finally couldn’t continue acting after eating, his brows were deeply frowned, and the corners of his mouth twitched. Yuan Ci Xian was even more exaggerated, bursting into tears while sucking and pouring the noodles into her mouth.

It wasn’t until the bottom of the bowls of spinach noodles could be seen that the two of them put down the porcelain bowls together with a “bang”, and stared angrily at each other while chewing the noodles that were still not soften in their mouths.

TN: Hmm… what kind of dough he kneaded in his dream?