Chapter 37
Fang Yu turned his head to look back and saw a smartly dressed young man standing behind the servant. The man wore a white brocade robe with red plum blossoms embroidered on the hem and cuffs. He appeared to be about the same age as Fang Yu, with a gentle and refined demeanor that exuded the air of an aristocratic family. He was also very polite, offering Fang Yu a slight smile and a nod of greeting.
"No problem, I was about to leave anyway. I'll consider it a friendly gesture to yield the seat to your young master."
He stood up and directed the waiter to go in and clear the table. As the proprietor, giving up a seat for a guest was no big deal—he would earn the money either way.
"Many thanks to you, sir."
Fang Yu waved his hand.
As he left, the master and servant entered the private room. He faintly overheard the man sighing: "Time truly flies. Yuncheng has changed quite a bit."
"Young master left Yuncheng when you were only twelve or thirteen. So many years have passed, yet you still remember how Yuncheng looked."
"I lived here for over a decade in my youth. How could I easily forget?"
From the conversation, it sounded like this person was originally a local of Yuncheng. Seeing his exceptional bearing, which even seemed to surpass that of Li Yun, the son of an official from the capital who had taken up a post as the education commissioner, Fang Yu wondered who this notable figure might be.
"What are you looking at?"
Qiao Hezhi had just come upstairs to find him. As he passed the stairwell, he saw Fang Yu lost in thought and nearly bumped into him.
"A very handsome gentleman arrived, so I gave up the private room to him."
Qiao Hezhi raised an eyebrow. "If it were a young lady or a ger that made you linger and look back, that would be one thing. But it's a man, and you've been staring for so long."
Fang Yu chuckled. "If it weren't a man, wouldn't me looking a few more times upset you? Alright, I won't look anymore. If fate allows, we'll meet again someday. I see today's business is pretty much on track now. The shopkeeper is handling things well, and the waiters are diligent. There's not much left for us to do."
Qiao Hezhi nodded. Today, the Book and Tea House's business was booming, which pleased both him and his father. His father had even pulled him aside privately to praise Fang Yu for his attentiveness to the family business and his ability to socialize with the education commissioner. These days, it seemed the person had improved considerably.
He naturally wanted to tell his father that the capable one wasn't the son-in-law he had originally chosen, but a completely new person. Of course, he wasn't as useless as before. However, this was a secret he could never divulge, so he would never speak of it.
He simply helped Fang Yu by saying that Fang Yu acknowledged his past errors and had now reformed into a responsible man capable of managing the household. He even forced himself to praise his father's past judgment in choosing a son-in-law, and so on.
"Father said if you have time today, he'd like you to come over for a meal at home. Tomorrow you'll have to return to the academy, so it might be hard to get together."
Fang Yu nodded. "I should have accompanied you back on the second day of the new year, but unfortunately I was recovering from my injury. Today is perfect."
Qiao Hezhi happily agreed. They then took the family's large carriage together with Qiao Xinnian to the Qiao family residence.
"Such a happy day is rare, and it's still the New Year period. Your mother-in-law has prepared good dishes to go with wine. Today, I'll dig up the fine wine I buried under the plum tree in the courtyard and share a jar with you. That wine was buried the year Hezhi was born. In the blink of an eye, sixteen years have passed."
Qiao Hezhi laughed. "If we waited a bit longer to drink it, it would be seventeen years."
Hearing this, Fang Yu's eyes filled with anticipation. "Isn't this the proper 'nu'er hong'? Then I am in for a treat today."
[女儿红 (nǚ'ér hóng): lit. daughter red; fig. a type of Shaoxing wine traditionally buried when a daughter is born and dug up for her wedding banquet]
The three people—father-in-law, son, and sons-in-law—chatted and laughed all the way, arriving at Hufengjing quickly.
Fang Yu got out of the carriage and helped Qiao Hezhi down. Hufengjing could be considered the gathering place for Yuncheng's wealthy households. During the New Year, everywhere was cleaned and tidied up. The numerous red lanterns hanging around were so many they almost transformed the bleak winter scenery into a spring scene full of blooming flowers. The lanterns themselves were exquisitely crafted and varied in design—round ones, rabbit-shaped ones. If a child came here, they could spend a whole day just looking at the lanterns.
"Hey, I see the neighboring Yu residence seems to have been specially cleaned. It's tidier than in previous years. Have the Yu family members returned?"
Hearing this, Qiao Xinnian, who was guiding Fang Yu into the residence, paused briefly and glanced at the large mansion next door. "Ah... I heard from the servants that it seems the Yu family is returning to worship ancestors or something. I didn't inquire in detail. Let's go, it's cold outside. Hurry inside."
Fang Yu hadn't paid much attention initially. The last time he came to Hufengjing, he had noticed the neighboring Yu residence, with two imposing stone lions guarding its entrance. In terms of the size of the estate, the Qiao family was not inferior, but the grandeur of the main gate alone was something the Qiao family clearly couldn't match.
Previously, while strolling by the lake after a meal, Fang Yu had casually asked Qiao Hezhi about it. He heard that the neighboring Yu residence belonged to an official's family who later moved to the capital. Their ancestral home was always maintained, but no masters lived there. At the time, he merely found it impressive and asked a couple of questions, not giving it much thought.
Today, seeing that people seemed to have returned, and Qiao's father didn't seem to want them to meet the Yu family members—almost as if there was some past grievance—Fang Yu felt it wasn't his place to ask more. If it was something he should know, the elders would naturally tell him.
Fang Yu then tugged Qiao Hezhi's hand. "What's wrong? Did you have childhood playmates there? If they've really returned, they would surely come look for you."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Hezhi hesitated for a moment, then smiled lightly. "It would be better if they didn't."
He wrapped his arm around Fang Yu's. "I can smell the aroma from the house from afar. It seems like they made 'pit lamb' today. Master, didn't you mention craving it to me before? Let's go in and see."
Qiao Hezhi's nose was sharp. Upon entering the residence, sure enough, pit lamb was being prepared. Qiao's mother was busy in the main kitchen.
"I've brought him back for you today. Don't complain when we drink wine tonight!"
Seeing Qiao's mother, Qiao Xinnian said cheerfully.
"Always thinking about those few sips of your wine," Qiao's mother scolded with a laugh. Then, turning to Fang Yu, she said, "Dear son-in-law, please take a seat."
Qiao Hezhi said, "He won't sit. He's been longing for pit lamb for a long time. It's a pity we don't have the proper oven at home, otherwise I would have made it. Seeing Mother making pit lamb today, he's bound to watch with curiosity."
Fang Yu smiled and stepped forward to observe. "That's right."
This so-called pit lamb was actually roasted whole lamb.
However, the roasting method was different. First, a pit three feet deep was dug in the ground, then a tall platform was built with bricks and stones to form a vertical oven. An iron pot was placed on top with an iron rack. The whole marinated lamb was hung inside the oven, with a strong fire burning outside and smoking/roasting inside. It required a whole night to prepare.
All these pots, utensils, and items were made of iron. Ordinary families could hardly afford to buy iron, let alone go through such trouble. Consequently, the value of pit lamb was naturally high; even the imperial palace and nobility considered it a banquet dish.
Qiao's mother lifted the oven lid, and the aroma of roasted lamb flooded out. Judging by its appearance, it had probably been prepared since last night. This meal today was clearly planned well in advance, showing great thoughtfulness.
The lamb was spread flat by the iron rack. Its body had been marinated with seasonings and had now been roasted for several hours, turning a smoked, lean meat color all over. The sizzling, dripping oil made one's mouth water.
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