The golden pancakes sprinkled with fresh green scallions looked incredibly appetizing.
Mo Yi glanced at Zhao Ling, who was leisurely sipping egg-skin soup, then looked at the pancakes and couldn’t help but swallow.
There were three of them, but only one pancake left…
Zhao Ling noticed this, put down his bowl, and said unhurriedly, “Brother Mo, no need to be polite. If you find it delicious, just eat it. Between us, being so formal is meaningless—our days ahead all depend on Brother Mo’s arrangements. Surely you don’t intend to keep a detailed account with me?” As he spoke, he smiled with a hint of playfulness in his eyes, “I’m planning to eat and drink for free, and even if you want to settle accounts with me, I won’t play along!”
Mo Yi was briefly stunned, then burst into laughter.
His laughter was hearty, his manner bold and generous, unexpectedly revealing a robust and commanding air, completely different from his usual quiet gloominess, as if he had become another person.
Fu Tingyun was secretly surprised.
Could this be Mo Yi’s true face?
Looking at him now, he didn’t resemble a subordinate manager in the slightest, but rather a general who commanded respect.
Zhao Ling, however, remained composed, unhurriedly taking a sip of his egg-skin soup.
“Brother, I was being too fussy,” Mo Yi said as he picked up the pancake and took a big bite, then exclaimed with appreciation, “Sister-in-law’s pancakes are comparable to the master chefs at ‘Thirteen Mountains’. I could almost swallow my tongue!”
Thirteen Mountains was one of the largest restaurants in Xi’an Prefecture, famous for its expertise in noodles and small snacks. People who visited Xi’an Prefecture would often bring back two boxes of Thirteen Mountains’ snacks as gifts.
Hearing Mo Yi address Fu Tingyun as “sister-in-law,” Zhao Ling looked somewhat embarrassed, quickly glancing at Fu Tingyun. Seeing that she was bent over cleaning the stove, seemingly unaware of their conversation, he relaxed slightly and smiled, “Brother Mo is too kind. This is about the only skill she has that’s presentable.”
“One such skill is enough,” Mo Yi laughed loudly again upon hearing this, “Brother Zhao will enjoy good food in the future!”
Zhao Ling smiled faintly, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his eyes.
Mo Yi paid no attention to it.
After all, they were young people, an unmarried couple, with thin skin.
Fu Tingyun, however, inwardly grumbled.
Who says I only know this one thing? I know plenty of things; it’s just that you’re too ignorant to know!
Even so, she felt somewhat pleased that Zhao Ling had at least acknowledged her cooking skills were presentable.
It was a pity that ingredients were limited; otherwise, she could have made some of the Fu family’s special noodle sauce for them to dip into, or dumplings filled with pork, dried scallops, and shiitake mushrooms, which would also taste good…
She threw the dirty water from cleaning the stove into the backyard.
Someone was peering over the courtyard wall.
Fu Tingyun looked closely and saw it was Zheng San Niang with her child.
Zheng San Niang smiled joyfully when she saw Fu Tingyun.
Fu Tingyun went to open the back door.
The scent of scallion oil permeating the air made Zheng San Niang appear intoxicated; she swallowed hard several times before smiling and saying, “Miss, I told my husband about your kindness in giving us food. My husband was very grateful and said he should come in person to kowtow and thank you, but because of propriety between men and women, he asked me and the child to kowtow on his behalf.” With that, she knelt.
Fu Tingyun felt she had only done a simple deed and couldn’t accept the Zheng family thanking her so profusely and repeatedly. Despite her protests, Zheng San Niang still kowtowed nine times.
“Miss, my husband said,” she rose with a smile, her expression relaxed as if having completed an important task. “he asked if you would give our child a name. When our child grows up, he will always remember your great kindness.”
“Give a name?” Fu Tingyun was surprised. “No, no, no, how could such an important matter be entrusted to me! Why don’t I give the child a milk name instead?”
A milk name was given by family members, while a formal name was usually given by a respected scholar or elder in the clan when the child reached the age for schooling.
“My husband said to ask you to give him a formal name,” Zheng San Niang smiled. “He was born on the first day of the month and is the first son and grandson in the family. His milk name is Yuan Yuan.”
Fu Tingyun felt embarrassed.
Mo Yi appeared at the back door: “Who’s in the courtyard?” His voice carried a hint of vigilance, suggesting concern for her safety.
“An acquaintance,” Fu Tingyun said, making eye signals to Zheng San Niang, “I’ll go inside now. We can talk about this another time.”
Zheng San Niang assumed Mo Yi was a member of Fu Tingyun’s household. Having witnessed Mo Yi’s fierceness when entering the town, she thought Fu Tingyun’s gift of food was done behind Mo Yi’s back. Afraid of causing trouble, she hurriedly bowed and ran away with her child.
Fu Tingyun couldn’t give food to others under Mo Yi’s nose without him knowing.
He thought this was womanly compassion and quite disapproved.
Not understanding why Zheng San Niang ran away upon seeing him, he muttered something and turned to enter the house, saying to Zhao Ling, “Don’t worry, it was a woman carrying a child.” Then he added, “Sister-in-law’s heart is too soft. Be careful not to be deceived.”
“Better to learn how to judge people now than to be deceived later,” Zhao Ling said leisurely as he poured a bowl of clear water into Mo Yi’s large bowl. “Brother Mo, please.”
Mo Yi picked it up and drank it all at once.
Those who didn’t know would have thought it was wine.
He also sighed, “If only we had some wine!” Then, brightening up, he said, “But don’t worry, I’ve already instructed Chen Six to bring some chicken, duck, fish, and meat. When the time comes, sister-in-law can prepare a feast for us, and we brothers can have a good gathering.”
Zhao Ling tactfully replied, “She rarely does these things at home, and I’m not sure how well she can prepare chicken, duck, fish, and meat. I just hope it will satisfy Brother Mo.”
Mo Yi was momentarily stunned.
Just moments ago, he had said that Miss Fu’s cooking skills were presentable, and now he was saying he wasn’t sure how well she could prepare meat dishes… Mo Yi thought for a moment and then laughed heartily.
The emphasis of the statement was on the first part, “She rarely does these things at home.”
“Brother Zhao, she hasn’t even become your wife yet, and you’re already so protective. Once she does, won’t you become a slave to your wife?” he teased Zhao Ling. “You’re too protective of Miss Fu. Let me tell you, women are like this—if you don’t beat them for three days, they’ll climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles…”
Fu Tingyun entered just as Mo Yi was speaking and couldn’t help but blush.
This was a big misunderstanding… she wondered when it could be cleared up.
Unexpectedly, Mo Yi went on to say something about “not beating women for three days, and they’ll climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles,” which immediately replaced her slight embarrassment with surging anger.
How could someone instigate such things?
No wonder those uneducated, crude people often beat their wives—it was all taught by people like Mo Yi.
This Mo Yi was not someone worth befriending.
But she didn’t show it on her face, entering with a faint smile.
Zhao Ling saw her and, thinking of the phrase “not yet married,” felt extremely awkward and hurriedly coughed.
Mo Yi inwardly laughed till his stomach hurt.
Being stuck in this forsaken place was extremely boring. If he didn’t find something to pass the time, he would go crazy.
Fortunately, there was this engaged couple…
Little did he know that he had completely offended Fu Tingyun.
…
That night, Fu Tingyun poured water for Zhao Ling to wash up.
Zhao Ling apologized on Mo Yi’s behalf in a low voice: “Miss Fu, don’t take Mo Yi’s words to heart. People from military camps are like that, they like to joke… After some time, we will go our separate ways…”
Fu Tingyun indignantly interrupted him: “He still wants to eat the chicken, duck, fish, and meat I make. Hmph, just wait and see how I’ll deal with him!”
Zhao Ling looked at her puffed-up appearance and felt that the air around them had become several degrees more lively.
He laughed quietly, his gaze as clear as the bright moonlight outside the window.
Fu Tingyun’s irritated heart suddenly calmed down.
“How can I blame the Ninth Master?” She lowered her head. Moonlight shone through the windowpane without paper, casting the lattice pattern on the ground. In the silent summer night, there was a sense of eternal peace and tranquility. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t spoken nonsense, how would Manager Mo have said such things…”
“No, no, no.” Seeing her with a lowered head, her voice tinged with unease, Zhao Ling hurriedly said, “At that time, you were also trying to save me. If anyone is at fault, it’s entirely my fault…” But not finding a reason for why it was his fault, he suddenly fell silent.
For a moment, the room was as quiet as the cold moonlight.
In the moonlight, Fu Tingyun could see the anxiety in his brow.
She couldn’t help but burst into a laugh, breaking the silence in the room: “It’s Mo Yi’s fault, yet we’re apologizing to each other. This is too easy for Mo Yi!”
In the cold moonlight, her lovely smile was charming with a touch of playfulness, causing his heart to suddenly pause, filled with some fluster: “Yes, yes!” He smiled awkwardly.
Seeing this, Fu Tingyun felt regretful.
Such an embarrassing matter, yet it came out so casually from her lips, no wonder Zhao Ling didn’t know how to respond.
She was extremely embarrassed and lowered her head as she walked out: “Then I’ll go first! It’s getting late, Ninth Master, after washing up, you should rest early too!”
Her expression was somewhat despondent.
Zhao Ling felt anxious seeing this and called out, “Miss Fu.”
Fu Tingyun turned back, looking at him without understanding, her wide almond eyes clear as a spring, seemingly reflecting his image, making Zhao Ling, who hadn’t thought about what to say, even more confused. He hurriedly found something to say: “If you don’t want to cook, I’ll talk to Mo Yi.” Before he could finish speaking, he realized it was inappropriate, as if she had complained to him about these things, when in fact, throughout their journey, no matter what they encountered, she had never shown the slightest impatience. He explained anxiously, “What I mean is, for the few days A-Sen is away, we can just eat whatever, and you don’t need to go to such effort to make pancakes…”
Speaking of this, Fu Tingyun felt somewhat dejected: “I know… that Mo Yi eats so much… I made ten pancakes, and he alone ate eight, which wasn’t enough, so he asked me to make ten more… I had originally planned to let Mo Yi deal with his problems…” She sighed, “We can all eat simply, but you’re still injured, you can’t just eat anything!”
Zhao Ling thought of how she had forced Mo Yi to go find eggs: “Pancakes must have eggs. Without eggs, how can you make pancakes?”
As a result, of the three eggs, she used two to make him egg-skin soup…
Suddenly, an unfamiliar emotion welled up from the bottom of his heart, like water, rippling outward. The next moment, it seemed about to overflow his heart, making him feel extremely apprehensive, rendering him speechless.
The room fell silent.
Receiving no response, Fu Tingyun couldn’t help but wonder. Upon careful thought, her face turned crimson.
How could she have said something so intimate as “We can all eat simply, but you’re still injured, you can’t just eat anything!” No wonder Zhao Ling didn’t know how to respond.
“A gentleman is quick to act but slow to speak,” she kept admonishing herself inwardly. “Speak too much, err too much… I must never make the same mistake again.”