Yun Ye received the warmest welcome at his family’s front gate. The entire household stood at the entrance to welcome the family head back to the residence. As soon as he dismounted, the little girls surrounded their elder brother, chattering away about how the bullies who used to oppress them were now kneeling outside the gate begging for forgiveness.
He had already seen them at the entrance, so Yun Ye naturally understood what was going on. His beating of He Laoer and today’s glorious appearance at court had caused them tremendous distress. They feared the Yun residence would settle old scores. With nowhere to flee and nowhere to hide, their only option was to come apologize, hoping to appease the Yun family’s fury.
Standing at a higher position, one’s perspective changes. Previously, the Yun family had merely been a wealthy household in Chang’an City, with several hundred mu of ancestral farmland and three or four shops. Several male members of the Yun family served as minor clerks in government offices—one could say they lived without contention with the world. It was only because of their connection to the infamous Yun Dingxing that they suffered this great calamity.
Who exactly was Yun Dingxing? The father-in-law of Sui Crown Prince Yang Yong. A wretched man whose character was too vile to describe, famous throughout Chang’an for corruption and fickleness. During his glory days, even His Majesty Li Er had served under him. When he saw Yang Yong fall from grace, he resolutely threw himself under Sui Emperor Yang Guang’s banner. He pursued his son-in-law’s remnant followers even more zealously than Yang Guang himself, personally beheading the two sons his own daughter had borne for Yang Yong. To be able to murder even his own grandsons—truly beastly behavior.
Later, when his luck ran out, the petty man who had gained power had offended too many people, so naturally no one stood up to speak for him, and he fled without a trace. When he escaped, all those surnamed Yun in Chang’an City suffered great misfortune. Regardless of whether they were actually involved, anyone with the surname Yun was targeted for persecution. Combined with Yang Xuangan’s rebellion, in which Yun Dingxing was also implicated, the Yun family’s tragic fate was sealed. The male members were almost completely slaughtered, while the women and property were seized by others taking advantage of the chaos. Their fate was truly miserable.
The person Yun Ye most wanted to kill was Yun Dingxing, the chief culprit of this disaster. If you don’t have the wisdom to match your ambitions, then don’t play double agent games—you only harm others and yourself. Half the reason he had inexplicably ended up in the Tang Dynasty might be because heaven couldn’t bear to see the Yun family’s miserable state and sent him back to rescue these women and children. Of course, the old lady’s day and night prayers also played a catalyzing role.
What you’ve eaten of mine, spit it back out. What you’ve taken of mine, return it. If you’ve bullied me, you must be prepared to be bullied by me in return. Kneeling at the gate hoping for forgiveness? Too naive.
Yun Ye said nothing. He picked up Little Bei—the girl had been pushed to the outside and was crying loudly. After wiping Little Bei’s tears, he said to the steward aunt: “Find the detailed accounts of the Yun family’s previous properties, calculate how much profit there should have been over these years, add double that amount, and make them compensate.” Having said this, he led the group of little girls back into the residence. Such a small matter didn’t require Lord Marquis himself to handle it—a household steward was more than sufficient. Right now, his urgent priority was to see how that fat pig had been prepared. The whole family was still waiting to eat.
The steward aunt also felt it was beneath the dignity of a distinguished marquis to handle such matters. She hurried off to consult with the old lady about whether there were any forgotten Yun family properties. Servants closed the Yun residence’s main gate. Outside the gate, those merchants and minor officials knelt even more respectfully. The Yun family’s head had returned…
A large fat pig hung on a rack outside the kitchen, cleaned thoroughly by the butcher. Yun Ye directed the butcher to divide the pork—ribs, tenderloin, pork belly, and fat specifically set aside. He then found the fatty and lean hind leg meat and instructed it to be minced for later use. Four pig trotters were clearly not enough. Yun Ye had already bought a cartful of pig trotters at the West Market. If Old Cheng found out he had made delicious food without sending him any, when he threw a fit, ordinary people couldn’t withstand it. To avoid a few beatings, he might as well make his portion too.
The cooking equipment forged at the military camp had long been sent back. Tang Dynasty dishes consisted of either boiling or roasting, or else eating things raw—like kuai and similar items. These were unhygienic—the parasites inside couldn’t be killed, leading to all sorts of strange diseases. Just thinking about pork tapeworms crawling all over one’s belly was terrifying. In later generations, even with health inspections, one couldn’t feel completely at ease, let alone now.
Stir-frying roughly originated in the Song Dynasty—an era that emphasized food and clothing, with extremely abundant material wealth. A paradise for literati, and unless you were an angry youth, it was the preferred era for time travelers. Since he was stuck in the Great Tang, he had to do everything himself. No wok? Forge one. No spatula? Forge one. No seasonings? Find them himself. No MSG? This couldn’t be made yet, so he’d have to simmer chicken soup. No soy sauce? He’d brew it when he returned to the manor—he’d learned this as a child in the countryside, it wasn’t difficult.
No green vegetables—now that was life-threatening. Wenqiang Jian had them, but it only supplied a limited number of imperial family members. Even the Crown Prince could only have them intermittently—as a mere marquis, he shouldn’t even think about it. On hand he only had radishes, lotus roots, and a plate of garlic shoots contributed by Little Ya. These were the little girl’s treasured possessions, but because her brother wouldn’t eat, she generously contributed them. Then there was tofu and over a dozen types of dried vegetables. Today’s main focus was pork—fish and mutton wouldn’t be needed.
He stewed pig trotters in clay pots, using ten pots total. After bringing them to a boil over high heat, he poured out the water, added fresh water, threw in ginger, scallions, and garlic, wrapped the seasonings in cheesecloth, and simmered over low heat. His aunt stood behind watching carefully, and even called Runniang over to record the process. The old lady said she couldn’t bear to see her grandson toiling in the kitchen, so she didn’t come. Yun Ye couldn’t understand how preparing a few dishes to eat constituted toiling.
After bustling about for two hours, dinnertime was approaching. Yun Ye had two portions each made of pig trotters, red-braised lotus root pork, red-braised lion’s head meatballs, and sweet and sour spare ribs. Along with the fried twisted dough sticks, oil cakes, and chicken pieces, he had everything packed up and instructed the steward aunt to send them to the Cheng and Niu residences as a token of goodwill.
Behind him, the group of little girls had been eating bit by bit since Yun Ye started cooking, and their aunt couldn’t stop them no matter how hard she tried. She said that for young ladies, developing such gluttonous habits was not good. Yun Ye didn’t care—when he was little, he had constantly snacked while his mother cooked, and hadn’t he grown up just fine? Moreover, the younger sisters had suffered hardship. Just thinking about how at five or six years old they had served their masters, unable to eat their fill or stay warm, enduring over a year of such conditions—he felt nothing but affection. How could he worry about whether they were sneaking food?
The blood sausages were stuffed, the five-spice sausages were stuffed, the pig kidneys were stir-fried into kidney flowers. Two large tables were completely full, leaving the old lady dumbstruck.
In the dining hall, the sound of people salivating filled the air. From the outer courtyard came the distant sounds of scrambling for food. Zhuang Santing’s scolding voice was particularly loud—the battle situation must be intense.
“Ye’er, do you and your master eat meals like this every day?” The old lady found it somewhat incredible. The red-braised lion’s head meatballs suited her taste perfectly, the sweet and sour pork tenderloin was deliciously tangy, and the pig trotters were soft, tender, falling-off-the-bone fragrant. One bite brought satisfaction from the depths of one’s heart.
“This is nothing—just some crude home-style dishes. Once your grandson grows the few missing seasonings, you can really enjoy a proper taste.” Yun Ye boasted grandly.
The exquisite cuisine of later generations could probably only be savored in dreams. He was just a half-baked chef—making a few home-style dishes was no problem, but creating grand dishes from north and south was pure fantasy.
Yun Ye had already eaten his fill. Now he diligently served food to the old lady, not neglecting the several elders either. Each of the little girls held a pig trotter to gnaw on, eating until their faces were greasy. Really fearing they might stuff themselves sick, he ordered servants to brew some hawthorn water to help them digest.
The rice was untouched, but every dish was devoured clean. The whole family glowed with satisfaction and contentment.
His aunt covered her mouth, embarrassed as she burped, rubbing her chest a few times before saying: “No wonder Brother Ye wouldn’t eat the regular food. After eating meals like this, other dishes truly can’t compare. Brother Ye has really been living in comfort following the old immortal.”
“Haha, Aunt, you’re absolutely right. While the entire Yun family was suffering, only your nephew was traveling the world enjoying comfort with his master. It really is rather improper. However, now that I’ve returned, there’s no reason for me to enjoy comfort while you all suffer. Those Yun family enemies kneeling outside the gate—whoever owes our family a life debt, whoever owes our family money—we’ll settle each account one by one, without mercy. Since His Majesty has made such a grand show of elevating my title, he won’t obstruct me from taking revenge. You all handle it as you see fit.”
“Any elders or sisters who plan to return to their husband’s families should tell Grandmother. I’m not an unreasonable person. Since they mercilessly drove my Yun family daughters out back then, they must welcome them back with great ceremony and fanfare. Except for my Yun family members, they shouldn’t even dream of stepping through our door. If they suffer any humiliation after returning to their husband’s families, I’ll make those families wish they were dead!” Earlier in the kitchen, his aunt had mentioned that several aunts and sisters who had children wanted to return because their husband’s families had come to fetch them. At the end of the day, they couldn’t bear to part with their flesh and blood. The men apologized and softened their stance, and all the suffering of these years was forgotten.
“I’m not going back, Brother! I’m not going back!” Little Xi hugged Yun Ye’s leg, crying bitterly. Second Aunt looked at them both with a troubled expression.
“Little Xi certainly won’t go back. From now on, she’ll stay with me. I’ll arrange her marriage myself when the time comes. If they’re tired of living, let them come to the house demanding people.” Yun Ye showed not the slightest consideration. After speaking to Second Aunt, he bid the old lady goodbye and left the dining hall with the eight little ones to digest their food in the garden.
“Second Sister, what’s gotten into you? Not staying in a perfectly good marquis’s residence, but wanting to run back to suffer? Brother Ye is kind-hearted, fond of Little Xi, and filial. In the few days since returning, he’s genuinely treated us as elders with respect. Doing this—aren’t you stabbing him in the heart?” First Aunt was very angry.
The old lady stopped the eldest’s complaints: “Everyone walks their own path. Only the foot knows whether the shoe fits. Since you want to return, then return. Your husband’s family still has two sons—being concerned about them is reasonable. You needn’t worry about Brother Ye. He’s young and a general—naturally his temper isn’t good. He’ll arrange things very well for Little Xi, much better than following you to a modest household. Your husband’s family is just seeing that the Yun family has risen again and developing thoughts of currying favor. With you there, Brother Ye will always give some face. When you leave, take three hundred strings of cash. This is your nephew’s private money for you, to prepare for any contingency.” Having said this, she rose from the dining table and, supported by maids, went to the garden.