By this time, the Qiao household had also become lively. Qiao Xinnian, upon hearing that his son was coming home, had rushed back as fast as he could and finally got to see his son's face.
Returning together with Qiao Xinnian was the eldest daughter of Qiao Hezhi's second uncle's family, Qiao Hezhi's cousin. Her voice entered the room with a loud exclamation even before she herself had fully stepped into the residence.
"Hezhi is back! I've missed you so much!"
Upon hearing his cousin from the second uncle's family had arrived, Qiao Hezhi shot his father a look of displeasure. Mother Qiao chided her husband, "You know very well Hezhi and Nanjia have never been on good terms since they were children. Why did you have to bring her with you?"
Qiao Xinnian was full of complaints: "Nanjia married into Dongsheng City. She heard I was there on business and came to visit. It just so happened that I received your message at that time. That girl heard Hezhi was coming for a visit and said she wanted to see Hezhi. How could I stop her?"
Seeing that his parents were about to start arguing, Qiao Hezhi quickly said, "A guest is a guest. It was just childhood foolishness when I quarreled with cousin. Now that we are both married, we certainly won't act like children anymore."
They had just quieted down when a woman draped in a fox fur cloak, her hair adorned with gold hairpins and lavish ornaments, walked in cheerfully.
"Cousin Nanjia."
"Oh, Hezhi, it's been so long since I've seen you!"
"This is the first time I've seen you since you got married. This time, your sister has brought you many gifts, all things you haven't used before—silks, glassware... enough to dazzle your eyes." The woman linked arms with Qiao Hezhi, full of warmth and enthusiasm: "Hey, it seems to me like Hezhi has lost weight. Are things not going well at your husband's home? Now that you're back home, you can tell your sister all about it."
"I'm fine. It's just that my appetite is poor in the cold winter, so I might not look very spirited," Qiao Hezhi said somewhat awkwardly, then changed the subject: "How have you been, Cousin?"
"How could I not be well? The County Magistrate dotes on me. One day he takes me for drinks, the next he takes me to banquets. Look, I've even gotten plumper."
Qiao Hezhi smiled: "The County Magistrate's kindness to you is clear for all to see."
Qiao Nanjia felt quite satisfied.
"By the way, did Hezhi's husband not come again? Last time for the formal visit home, he claimed his academy studies were too demanding, so he didn't accompany Hezhi back. While it's commendable that scholars prioritize imperial examinations, isn't the academy closed tomorrow? Why hasn't he come this time either? This shows far too little regard for you."
Qiao Hezhi knew then that Nanjia hadn't come all this way out of genuine goodwill to see him. First, she showed off her good life, and now she was using the matter of the last huimen to mock him. She really had too much free time.
It was a good thing she was only a concubine married to the County Magistrate of Dongsheng City. If she were the principal wife, she'd probably trample the entire Qiao family under her feet.
"So lively here." Fang Yu returned to find two additional people present. He identified Qiao Xinnian by his appearance and respectfully addressed him, "Father-in-law."
"You're back?" Upon hearing the familiar male voice, Qiao Hezhi quickly escaped his cousin's bewildering conversation and went forward to greet him with a smile. He reached out to take Fang Yu's hand. "Did Uncle say he could make it?"
Fang Yu didn't know why he had become so affectionate towards him after going out, but he held his hand in return. "He accepted the drawings and said he would try making them first. Uncle also gifted two high-quality pigments."
"Excellent, excellent, Son-in-law, please come to the warm hall for tea." Qiao Xinnian smiled upon seeing this. Everyone was pleased to see the young couple getting along well, with the sole exception of Qiao Nanjia, who looked displeased.
She smoothed things over with a light laugh: "Uncle, you kept this visit quite secret! If I'd known my cousin's husband was coming today, I wouldn't have barged in so thoughtlessly. Now I've made quite a spectacle of myself."
"I only learned of my son-in-law's visit when I returned home myself," he replied.
"And this is?" Fang Yu had not met Qiao Nanjia before and was surprised to see an extra person.
"This is my cousin, Nanjia, from my second uncle's family," Qiao Hezhi explained. "She is a few years younger than you, Master."
Fang Yu offered a polite greeting in return.
"Alright, let's all go into the warm hall for tea and a meal. The food is ready."
They had finally reached the main event of the meal. Fang Yu unceremoniously took Qiao Hezhi's hand and entered the warm hall. Qiao Nanjia still wanted to chatter a bit more but found no opportunity. Seeing the couple looking as impatient as if they'd never had a meal before, she could only lift the hem of her robe slightly and follow them inside.
The Qiao family had truly prepared a grand feast today, serving the winter delicacy popular in the city: Boxia Gong. This dish, known in later times as rabbit hot pot, featured a large pot of rich broth made from rabbit bones, which was already simmering and bubbling over the heat.
[拨霞供 (bō xiá gōng): lit. Billowing clouds and mist; a poetic name for a dish of thinly sliced rabbit meat cooked in a boiling broth, where the meat resembles rosy clouds when stirred.]
Fang Yu couldn't help but recite: "Waves surge in the sunny river snow, wind flips the glow of the evening clouds."
When Lin Hong composed this poem praising it, this rabbit hot pot gained this elegant dish name which spread among the people. Today he could also taste an authentic Boxia Gong.
Mother Qiao said with a smile, "The rabbit was hunted today by a hunter from the mountains—a winter ground rabbit. Try it quickly."
Fang Yu picked up his chopsticks and swished a piece of the thinly sliced rabbit meat in the boiling broth. The rabbit meat cooked quickly. He then dipped it into the savory sauce; it was delicious and had a pleasant chewiness. He swished and ate three portions in a row, lavishly praising Mother Qiao's culinary skills.
Mother Qiao was overjoyed by the praise and also introduced the Jinhua ham (dry-cured ham from Zhejiang province), stuffed pork loin with burned deer tendon... Fang Yu was practically overwhelmed.
Caught between his in-laws' competing hospitality, Fang Yu didn't know where to turn. On one side, his mother-in-law insisted he try a bite of every single dish. On the other, his father-in-law was determined to keep his cup full, pouring Qionghua nectar with one hand and Suihantang wine with the other. The wine cups were as large as rice bowls, and after several rounds, Fang Yu was struggling to keep up.
[Qionghua nectar (琼浆, qióng jiāng): lit. Jade flower nectar, a classical Chinese metaphor for exceptionally fine and exquisite wine or liquor]
The Qiao family dealt in the tea business and also the wine business. Qiao Xinnian could be said to have been steeped in wine since childhood. Fang Yu considered himself to have some capacity for alcohol, but felt he was showing off his meager skills in front of an expert.
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