IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Barbarian Tribute’s Big Red Fruit, Perfect for a Late-Night Snack

Yun Qi knocked twice on the door and tiptoed into the Kitchen.

The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board stopped for a moment, then resumed, louder and more frequent.

Yun Qi cautiously approached Lin Yan, his voice barely audible, “Big Brother, I’m back.”

Lin Yan slammed the knife into the minced meat, looking at Yun Qi with a strange tone, “Oh, so His Royal Highness Prince is finally willing to return. Did you go see a confidante today, or did you go looking for someone’s Ge’er?”

Yun Qi felt wronged, Yun Qi wouldn’t… Yun Qi would not only speak up but also have teary eyes and stammer, not fully evoking Lin Yan’s guilt until the mission was complete.

Yun Qi’s return extinguished most of Lin Yan’s anger, and looking at those innocent eyes, even the last bit of flame was gone.

Seeing that the time was right, Yun Qi mumbled in defense, “I’m the most virtuous husband; doesn’t Big Brother know?”

“What does that have to do with me? I’m not your husband,” Lin Yan shrugged, seemingly indifferent, but the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

“Big Brother, don’t be angry. I was indeed late coming back today, but…” Yun Qi seized the opportunity and brought the potted plant in front of Lin Yan, “I found the tomatoes you wanted.”

Lin Yan stuck the kitchen knife into the cutting board, casually washed his hands in the basin, and darted over to the potted plant.

“Where did you find these?” Lin Yan affectionately pinched the green fruit and then touched the red one beside it.

Lin Yan’s attention was completely focused on the tomatoes; he didn’t even notice the exquisite carvings on the pot containing them. He thought the inconvenient handle was also made of pure copper, engraved with delicate hidden patterns.

Yun Qi had wanted to change the pot for the tomatoes, but he had negotiated with those people for a long time and was worried about damaging the tomato roots, so he could only bring it back as it was. He was sure Lin Yan wouldn’t look closely, and he had already made up a story for the tomatoes’ origin, “I met an old woman selling bonsai at the market using this as a decoration. I made a trip to her house and was delayed for a while.”

Lin Yan was completely attracted by the green and red tomatoes and completely believed Yun Qi’s casually made-up excuse.

Yun Qi felt somewhat guilty about how easily Lin Yan was deceived. This guilt gradually magnified, connecting with past memories, collectively condemning Yun Qi’s baseness. The headache that hadn’t flared up in a month showed signs of returning, and Yun Qi raised his hand to press his temples, but his stomach rumbled first.

“I’ll prepare something for you to eat,” Lin Yan plucked off a few ripe tomatoes, eager to try them.

“Big Brother has been busy all day; let me…”

“No, no,” Lin Yan put the tomatoes in the water basin, washed them quickly, cut a cross on each with a knife, “I haven’t seen these big red fruits in so long, my hands are itching to cook.”

Yun Qi reluctantly suppressed his headache, trying to cheer himself up. He had to find something to do now, or he would start overthinking. Yun Qi looked around the Kitchen and finally locked onto a target, “I’ll make noodles.”

“Go ahead, go ahead,” Lin Yan waved his hand and continued what he was doing.

Noodles and scrambled eggs with tomatoes didn’t require much skill, and the sauce and noodles were ready almost simultaneously.

Lin Yan took a small bowl and picked out two strands for himself.

Yun Qi picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a large mouthful, and offered it to Lin Yan, “Big Brother, eat without worry; I made enough for two…”

“No, no, I’ve already had dinner; it’s just that I haven’t eaten tomatoes in so long, I just want a bite,” Lin Yan waved his hands repeatedly, scooped a spoonful of sauce into his bowl, and mixed it in a few quick motions.

The evenly sized noodles were coated in tomato sauce, the eggs were fluffy like clouds, and scallions and cilantro were sprinkled on top.

Yun Qi didn’t refuse anymore. Although these noodles were meant for two, he could eat them all himself. He followed Lin Yan’s example, stirred them evenly, and put a mouthful in his mouth.

The tomato flavor was particularly domineering, sweet and sour, and appetizing. Yun Qi raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress his surprised expression, and shifted his attention away from the tomato. The eggs were soft, tender, and savory, the scallions were fresh, and the seasoning was salty and fragrant; each bite was rich in layers and had a long aftertaste.

The full bowl of noodles quickly emptied, and Yun Qi wiped out the last two strands, letting out a small burp of satisfaction.

“Full?” Lin Yan smiled, his eyes curved, and pushed his bowl in front of Yun Qi, “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Yun Qi nodded and began to obediently clear the table.

Lin Yan stretched and muttered to himself in a small voice, “I want to eat tomato chips, I want to eat shrimp crackers, I want to eat jelly…”

Yun Qi secretly noted these down in his heart, the guilt that had just been suppressed turning into despair.

He had thought that as long as he could create conditions for Lin Yan similar to those of that era, Lin Yan wouldn’t always be thinking about leaving.

But the more he tried, the more he realized how far away he was from that era. He couldn’t change the Great Zhou’s political landscape, nor could he make Great Zhou’s technology advance by leaps and bounds, and even… he couldn’t even satisfy Lin Yan’s appetite.

“Are you in a bad mood?” Lin Yan, who had already left, returned. Yun Qi quickly adjusted his emotions. But the mushroom that was beginning to grow couldn’t escape Lin Yan’s eyes. Lin Yan leaned closer to Yun Qi and whispered mysteriously, “Come to my room tonight…”

The sudden invitation caught Yun Qi off guard, and his brain, which had just started to self-destruct, crashed directly.

“Why are you so dazed?” Lin Yan stuffed two bowls into Yun Qi’s hands, pushed him toward the sink, “I’ll help you clean up together, come to my room tonight to play games together.”

Just playing games…

Yun Qi breathed a sigh of relief, the slight disappointment instantly turning into excitement again.

Playing games was also good. As long as he could be by Lin Yan’s side, it was good.

The next day was another day of bustling business.

People fear fame like pigs fear fattening. The Hunan cuisine business was becoming more and more popular, and the customers coming to the restaurant were a mixed bunch, all sorts of people.

Cheng Que wasn’t afraid of troublemakers, after all, with Gu Zhan on hand, the local ruffians didn’t dare to come. As for those who wanted to use their power to amass wealth in the Capital City, Cheng Que had seen them a few times. Those people spoke bombastically, made a basketful of threats, but then never came back.

Cheng Que wasn’t like Lin Yan, believing in so-called discoveries of conscience and self-abasement. It could only mean that there were big shots in his restaurant whom those people couldn’t afford to offend.

He knew everything about Gu Zhan; Lin Yan was naive, so that only left Yun Qi, who followed Lin Yan.

So, when those strange people appeared in the restaurant again, Cheng Que immediately found Yun Qi, who was helping in the back Kitchen, “Young Master Mo, those people are here again?”

Yun Qi was helping Lin Yan pick vegetables, secretly observing the person in front of him, immersed in the fantasy of a “married couple’s shop.” The sudden appearance of Cheng Que burst the pink bubble. Yun Qi’s expression flashed with displeasure for a moment, then returned to normal. He casually asked, “What people?”

Cheng Que pointed upstairs, “Those few from Qingxiao Ward upstairs. They’ve been coming for several days, sitting there all day. I don’t know if they’re waiting for someone or plotting something.”

“Give it to me,” Yun Qi took the dish that Lin Yan had just cooked and placed it on the tray, “I’ll go take a look.”

Lin Yan had heard most of what Cheng Que said. He pressed down on the tray in Yun Qi’s hand and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Yun Qi patted Lin Yan’s hand, signaling him to relax, “Just serve the dishes normally, Big Brother. I’ll handle this.”

Lin Yan always felt that Yun Qi was a little different, as if he was hiding something from him, but the Capital City was a pool of muddy water; even if he knew, he couldn’t help much. Yun Qi going up wasn’t just to serve dishes. After hesitating again and again, Lin Yan still didn’t ask any more questions, just somewhat long-windedly instructed, “Okay… be careful, come back early.”

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