EPISODE 5

chapter 5

Head Chef Wang had grown up in a family who was well known for producing culinary talents and knew first hand just how cutthroat the culinary world was. In his experience, all famous chefs who had signature dishes guarded and hoarded their recipes zealously. However, this particular little girl in front of him had no qualms in sharing her secrets. The older man rubbed his hands sheepishly before he said, “Miss Yu… might it be a good idea to discuss this with your parents before you make a final decision?”

“No need to ask them. This recipe was personally developed by me; no one else at home knows about it. If you don’t believe, ask my older brother right now!” Yu Xiaocao waved her hand dismissively at the head chef’s suggestion.

Once Third Young Master Zhou confirmed her statement with Yu Hang, he thought for a bit before making his final decision. “Alright! Then I will take your generous gift graciously. In the future, if you run into any trouble, feel free to come to the Zhou Family residence to find me!”

Yu Xiaocao grinned in delight and thought, ‘Whippersnapper, I was just waiting for those words!’

“Oh right! Since the weather is hot now, make sure to store any leftover oyster sauce in the icehouse. It can’t be held for more than a month before it goes bad.” After leaving her last piece of advice to the two men, she rubbed the pouch containing her hard-earned money and prepared to leave.

“Don’t worry! Although it looks like we have a lot of oyster sauce, we have many customers here at Zhenxiu Restaurant. I’d be surprised if this even lasted a week!” Head Chef Wang carefully poured the sauce into a bottle and cradled it like it was a world treasure before he reluctantly set it down again.

At the same time, the flow of customers into Zhenxiu Restaurant started to increase, and the back kitchen started to bustle with activity. Zhou Zixu ordered the restaurant staff to add ‘Oyster Seasoned Green Vegetables’ to County Magistrate Wu’s banquet menu.

Head Chef Wang took out the abalone and had a pensive look on his face. He needed to figure out the best way to serve this high-quality abalone to awe and impress the magistrate’s guests.

Yu Xiaocao couldn’t help but give him a suggestion. “You could try making ‘Abalone with Garlic Sauce [1]’. If the guests don’t like the taste of garlic, you can switch it out for the oyster sauce instead. The sauce can elevate the intrinsic flavor of the abalone. But take your time in deciding, Head Chef Wang.”

Under the escort of Third Young Master Zhou and Manager Jiang, the two siblings finally left Zhenxiu Restaurant. Coincidentally, the magistrate’s son had come over directly after finishing school and saw the brother sister pair leave.

Third Young Master Zhou was not normally a humble person, so seeing him treat a couple of children who were dressed like street urchins so politely was out of the ordinary. The young man couldn’t help but ask incredulously, “Third Young Master Zhou, what are the identities of these two children? They must be extraordinary in order to catch your eye.”

Zhou Zixu clasped his two hands together and perfunctorily greeted him. He quickly reverted back to his usual dandy self. “Brother Wu, I see that school must have let out early today? Come in, come in! I just had a new shipment of Clouds and Mists tea come in. This batch has a strong fragrance and has the color of fresh dew. Very hard to find now!”

Young Master Wu only had one elegant hobby: drinking and comparing teas. Once he heard Zhenxiu Restaurant had received a rare batch, all curious thoughts about the odd sibling pair went straight out of his mind. He followed Zhou Zixu into a private room.

“Let’s go shopping, Eldest Brother! Whatever you want to eat is on me today!” Now that Yu Xiaocao had money in her hands, she felt more confident. Her back was ramrod straight as she strode imposingly down the road.

Yu Hang flicked her forehead teasingly but then lowered his voice before he said, “We’re still one household right now. Any money we earn has to be handed over. If Grandmother finds out we have so much silver now, she definitely would not be happy. I feel like it’s better that we…”

Yu Xiaocao quickly brought her hands up to protect the purse hidden in her clothes. Her eyes glinted with annoyance. “Is the money that our dad brings home not enough? He’s the one keeping the whole family afloat, including our uncle who’s studying in the town! Let the adults find ways to keep the family running! They don’t need to know about this little extra income that we earned!”

Yu Hang opened his mouth to say something but his sister quickly interrupted him. “Hand it over, hand it over! You guys are just encouraging Grandmother’s behavior. Just think about! How much money has father given to them? And how much of that money comes back to us? You better not tell anyone about the money we made today, otherwise you’re not my older brother anymore!”

Seeing that Yu Xiaocao was adamant, Yu Hang decided it was useless to try to change her mind. Instead, he reminded her, “Then make sure you hide the money well! You can’t let grandmother or the other family members find out…”

“Don’t worry so much about the stuff I’m in charge of!” Yu Xiaocao slapped her chest to show Yu Hand she had everything handled. Her spirits were up now that she had money in hand. She gleefully pulled her brother along to go shopping for the first time.

As the two of them strolled, Yu Xiaocao checked out all of the prices and stored them for future use. At the grain shop, millet, potato starch, and maize were all two copper coins a catty. White flour was five copper coins a catty. Northern lands didn’t plant a lot of rice, so it was seven copper coins a catty.

The price of a catty of high-quality pork twenty copper coins, while one single live chicken was forty copper coins.

Although the imperial court had stabilized prices recently, peace had only recently come to the empire. Most commoners lived similar lives to the fishermen in Dongshan Village: eking out in poverty day by day.

The more she understood the circumstances of this world, the more Yu Xiaocao missed her old world. Modern life was still better! Even though her childhood was not easy, it still wasn’t as bad the lives most people led here. After living as the oldest sister in her past live, she had already gotten used to handling all of the responsibilities. Her mind whirled as she started to come up with ideas to get rich. She needed more money in order to help her family live a better life. One where they weren’t always worrying about their next meal.

A nearby hawker cried out, “Big meat buns [2]! Delicious and tasty meat buns!!” The sound of his harsh voice neatly cut through her thoughts.

Grumble, grumble….Their stomachs groaned and yowled at thought of food. They both had gotten up early that morning, and neither of them had eaten anything before setting out.

Yu Xiaocao rubbed her shriveled tummy as the smell of the meat buns floated into her nose. She waved a fist in the air and said, “Let’s go and eat some meat buns!”

“Give us four big meat buns and two bowls of egg drop soup [3]!” After getting their food, Yu Xiaocao walked over to a low table at the side of the road and made sure to call her brother over to eat food. Although they couldn’t afford to eat at a high class restaurant, they could still eat as much they wanted from the food stalls!

Yu Hang had taken trips with his dad before to town. On those trips, neither of them would spend a single copper coin out of frugalness. His little sister, on the other hand, had no qualms on spending a handful of coins in one transaction. The amount of money she spent on their meal was almost enough to buy two catties of white rice and three catties of white flour…

“I’ll….I’ll just eat three plain buns and drink some water instead…” said Yu Hang after looking at all of the prices. He settled on spending just one copper coin for his meal.

Yu Xiaocao knew her brother had thriftiness down to his bones. She silently counted out twelve copper coins and handed it to the hawker selling breakfast foods. The merchant cleverly took out four stuffed buns and had his wife ladle out two steaming bowls of soup up.

“Don’t make a fuss! We already bought the food, so just eat it now!” Yu Xiaocao grabbed one of the hot buns and ****** it into Yu Hang’s hands. She opened her mouth wide and sank her teeth into another bun.

Mmmmm… these ancient people knew how to make some delicious meat buns. The skins were appropriately thin and there was plenty of filling in the bun. Every bite had the satisfying, rich taste of meat. The savory flavor filled and melted in her mouth. Perhaps she was too hungry but she thought that there was nothing more delicious in the world than these meat buns right here.

She alternated between sips of soup and bites of pastry. Within minutes, Xiaocao had polished off two buns and her bowl of soup. Filled to satisfaction, she let out a happy little burp. So full now! In the past few days, she had never been able to eat as much as she did today. It was good to have money! This experience solidified her desire to save up her own private purse in the future.

Although he was physically older, Yu Hang was still a ten year old child. After seeing his little sister eat so happily, he couldn’t help but also take a bite. The rest was history after that first bite. Before he knew it, all of the food had disappeared into his little belly. He rubbed his bulging tummy sheepishly and grinned in embarrassment.

“This stall’s meat buns are really too delicious! We need to buy some for mother, father, and Little Shitou too!” Yu Xiaocao was not a stingy person and wanted to share her good fortune with her family. Don’t worry little brother, your older sister will always think of you when there’s good food around! Aren’t I a good sister?

Yu Hang’s cute face scrunched up in worry. “I don’t mind buying some for our parents, little sister, and little brother but this can’t get out to other people! If grandmother finds out, she’ll definitely want to know where we got the money from. Wouldn’t we be dead meat then?”

Yu Xiaocao glared at her brother. “Are you stupid? Why would we let Grandmother know? Can’t we learn from Eldest Aunt’s example? She eats food on the sly all the time!”

Their eldest aunt, Madam Li, never came back from her maiden home empty-handed. However, all of the food she brought back was hidden in her rooms. Only when no one was around would she surreptitiously take out some snacks and eat them with her son.

Yu Xiaocao bought ten more meat buns and had the hawker wrap them up carefully in oiled paper. The wrapped package was then stuffed into their battered ceramic pot. Earlier, they had placed some old rags on the top to hide their precious abalones. They also used the same tactic now to hide their forbidden pastries.

By the time the two of them arrived at the city gate, they could see that Uncle Ma was already there, waiting for them. The older matron who sold vegetables was also there. Her face was lit up with happiness. Judging by the large empty basket next to the woman, it wasn’t hard to see why.

“Xiaosha, Xiaocao, hurry up! We’re just waiting for you two!” Uncle Ma stood up when he saw them and waved to the two siblings.

“What about the lady who was selling eggs?” Yu Xiaocao inquired as she hopped onto the donkey cart. “She’s not here yet.”

The older lady who sold vegetables smiled, “Oh her? She sold off all of her eggs earlier and left already. She asked me to help her bring her basket back home. Xiaocao, what’s in that pot of yours? It looks pretty heavy.”

Yu Xiaocao sighed dejectedly, a sad expression on her little face. “My mother made some fermented soybean paste. We had wanted to see if we could sell them for a few copper coins and buy some coarse grains back home. But we couldn’t even sell a copper coin’s worth earlier! And now we’re down the four copper coins that we used for the ride here!”

When the matron heard it was soybean paste, she lost interest in the contents of the pot. She comforted the little girl absentmindedly and then leaned her body against the side of the wagon and dozed off.

Yu Hang couldn’t help but stare at his little sister when he heard her glibly lie between her teeth. Where did she learn to lie so easily? That’s not good. When he got back home, he needed to remind his mother to raise her more carefully. Otherwise, his sister might grow up to be too crooked.

When the two siblings arrived back to their village, they saw a familiar, tall figure standing on the road, waiting anxiously for them.

“Father? Father! We’re back!” Yu Xiaocao balanced the heavy ceramic pot in her hand as she ran with a staggering gait towards Yu Hai.

Yu Hai put down the game in his hands, effortlessly lifted his daughter up in the air, and faced his son with a stern look on his face. “You’re pretty brave, huh? You took your little sister out without a word to anyone, eh? Two little kids running around without anyone to look out for you. What if you guys encountered some bad people?”

He then turned to his daughter and spoke in a softer tone, “Cao’er, in the future, if you want to go into town tell father! Father will bring you there. It’s already past lunchtime, you must be hungry right? Father made sure to leave three steamed rolls [1] for you. You should eat them while they’re still hot!”

Ehhhh! Doting only on the daughter, he was truly a fool for his youngest daughter! Yu Xiaocao had a bashful expression on her face while being carried by her father. She wriggled out of her father’s grasp and said, “Older brother and I have already eaten in town! We ate two large meat buns! I’m so full now, father! I also bought some for you too! You should eat them while we walk!”

Yu Xiaocao knew her grandmother’s miserly temperament. Since her father had steamed rolls for them to eat, it meant that he had to go hungry. This man woke up at the crack of dawn to go hunting in the mountains and later had to go into town to sell his game. It wasn’t right for him to go hungry.

Yu Xiaocao forced three pastries into her father’s hands. She looked at the mangled and bloody game on the ground and felt her heart skip a beat. “Father, I want to eat roasted pheasant. Is it possible to leave one of these for me?” Hunting today went so-so. Yu Hai had only caught some small game: two Reeves’s pheasants, three wild hares, and two plump nondescript wild birds.

Yu Hang pulled gently at his sister’s sleeves and whispered, “Grandmother already saw the game that father caught today. She always knows how much money these will go for. If he comes back with less money, all hell will break loose! Didn’t we already eat some meat buns today? We’ll eat some pheasant meat in the future!”

The congenial expression on Yu Hai’s didn’t change throughout the whole interaction between his two children. “Leaving you a pheasant is not a problem! But your older brother is also right, Cao’er. After your latest illness, your stomach is still quite weak. So you shouldn’t eat roasted pheasant right now. In a few days, once your body is all better, Father will definitely leave you a nice, fat pheasant for you to eat!”

Yu Xiaocao was pretty sure that there was nothing wrong with her body now. But it was obvious that no one in her immediate family believed that. It looked like she still had to prove herself to them!

Following that, the two siblings ran around the village, looking for their mother, Xiaolian, and little brother. They soon discovered that their mother was at the creek washing the bedsheets. Xiaolian had taken Little Shitou out to the foot of the West Mountains to pick up some firewood.

No one lived at the foot of the West Mountains, and few people from the village went there normally. It was the perfect place—cough cough—for dividing out their secretly acquired meat buns. The two of them split to complete their mission. Yu Hang went to the river to find Madam Liu while Xiao Cao took the ceramic pot with the pastries to the foot of the mountains.

“Mother, mother! Xiaocao, she…ah…you should come over and look yourself!” A lot of other women from the village were washing their laundry at the bank of the stream. Yu Hang didn’t dare to explain the situation clearly, and he also was too honest to come up with a good lie on the spot. The only thing he could do was to insinuate there was something wrong with his younger sister.

When Madam Liu heard his half-finished sentence, she hurriedly got up. The sheet in her hands almost slipped out and drifted away into the creek.

Yu Hang instantly felt guilty when he saw how worried she was. He tried to backtrack, “Mother, don’t worry! Little sister is fine!”

“You’re not a doctor,” Madam Liu retorted. “How would you know for sure your sister is okay? I need to see her myself. Auntie Futian, do you mind keeping an eye on these sheets for me? If I don’t come back before you’re done, could you do me a favor and bring them back for me?” Liu Muyun wiped her hands dry and then rushed after her son. The two of them pelted in the direction of the West Mountains.

“Ah…it must be Xiaocao again! Dahai’s wife has a cruel fate in this lifetime…” All of the women who were doing laundry in the river were used to Madam Liu leaving halfway before she finished her load. Nine times out of ten, it usually had something to do with her sickly daughter.

On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao was having a more difficult time finding her sister and brother. The mountains here covered a large area, and there were plenty of places for two children to pick up firewood. Luckily, Xiaolian and Little Shitou were both cautious and didn’t dare to venture deep into the mountain range. The two of them stayed at the foot of the mountains. With a little bit of effort, Xiaocao finally found them.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so tired right now! You two really lead me on a merry chase!” lamented Xiaocao when she found the two of them. She collapsed onto the ground and sat on the long grass, completely out of breath. She used her small fists to punch her legs in an effort to loosen the muscles up. This little body is seriously too weak! Even after walking this short of a distance tired it out! In the distance, Madam Liu, who was following her oldest son, could see what had happened. She ran all the way there, her heart in her mouth. When she got to where Xiaocao had collapsed, she swept her daughter into her arms and repeatedly asked, “Cao’er, where do you feel uncomfortable? Mother will bring you home… Xiaosha, go find Doctor You right now.”

Yu Hang didn’t immediately leave and instead asked his sister with concern, “Youngest sister, do you really not feel well?”

“What do you mean by ‘do you really not feel well’? Are you saying that she’s faking it? Go find the doctor!” Liu Muyun exclaimed. She bent down and held her youngest daughter.

Yu Xiaocao saw that her mother’s face had gone white with worry, so she quickly scampered up and jumped twice on the ground to show Madam Liu that she was fine. “Mother, I’m fine! Who told you I wasn’t feeling well? Tell me and I’ll hit them for you! Eldest Brother, were you the one who scared mother?”

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Madam Liu inspected her daughter from head to toe. Xiaocao really didn’t look like she had fallen ill again. She felt relieved, so she turned to scold her son, “So what did you call me here for? You interrupted me while I was in the middle of washing! I still have half of the sheets to do!”

Yu Xiaocao quickly came to her brother’s defense. “Mom, didn’t we visit town today? I bought some meat buns for all of us. Here, take a taste!”

“Meat buns? Second sister, second sister, are those the large buns? The ones stuffed with ground meat and made with white wheat flour?” Little Shitou’s eyes opened wide when he saw the pastries in his sister’s hands. Saliva started to pool in his mouth as he stared pitifully at his sister.

Xiaocao grinned and pinched the little boy’s cheek. “What? Do you think there are other types of meat buns? Relax, I also bought some for you!”

True to her word, she split the remaining seven stuffed meat buns between her mother and two siblings. Madam Liu received three, while her sister and brother got two each.

Little Shitou carefully wiped his hands on his clothes before he received the pastries from his older sister. He opened his mouth wide and took a giant bite. The slightly sweet bread combined with the dense and fatty taste of the meat harmonized together. In his eagerness to wolf the food down, the little boy almost choked while trying to swallow his large mouthful.

Madam Liu tenderly patted her youngest son’s back. Instead of eating, she began to scold her oldest son and second daughter. “How could you two just disappear without a word and go to town by yourselves? Especially you, Xiaosha! You know your sister has a weak body, how could you make her walk so far? What would you have done if she had collapsed from exhaustion?”

Yu Xiaocao interjected to defend her brother, “Mother, we went with Uncle Ma from the neighboring village. We took his donkey cart into town. Don’t worry about me, I’m not tired at all. Please start eating now. If you let the stuffed buns sit for too long, they won’t taste good anymore!”

“Where did you get the money to ride the cart and to buy these pastries?” Madam Liu asked sternly as she stared at her youngest daughter.

Xiaolian, who was eating a meat bun in tiny, small bites, quietly replied, “Mother, I gave the money to her so she could take the donkey cart. Earlier I had picked some herbal medicine and sold them. Because it was only a few copper coins, I didn’t hand the money over to the main house.”

Madam Liu persisted, “Then where did the money for these pastries come from?” The meat buns left for her remained untouched.

“I know, I know!” exclaimed Little Shitou as he waved a small fist in excitement. He had already devoured one of his large meat-filled buns. “Yesterday we went to the sea and caught some abalone. Second Sister hid them, so she must have sold them for money!”

Yu Xiaocao grasped the little boy’s cheeks with both hands and pulled gently. She grinned, “Our Little Shitou is so smart! You guessed right! Mother, please don’t worry and eat now. The money I used to buy them is clean.”

Madam Liu had not realized the shenanigans her children had gotten into yesterday. She sighed, “You little imp, you’re quite daring, huh? But…is it right to hide something like this from your grandmother?”

“What’s wrong with it? Mother, you and father are too obedient. Just look at Eldest Uncle and Younger Uncle, they’re both so selfish. Younger Uncle lives in a rented house in town and eats white rice every day! His wife even bought a servant girl to do housework!” The hot-tempered Yu Xiaolian complained as she continued to eat her savory pastry.

“Also, look at Eldest Aunt and Brother Heizi. Both of them spend the entire day hiding in their rooms eating their own snacks. Look at their figures and then look at yours and little sister’s…They always claim that the food they eat is from Eldest Aunt’s maiden home, but it’s not like she doesn’t have any brothers. Why would they give so much to a daughter who’s already married? Such a bad lie!”

Liu Muyun looked at her children’s thin faces and stick-like figures after being prompted by her oldest daughter. She sighed deeply and carefully used the oiled paper in her hands to wrap her share up.

“Mother, why aren’t you eating them?” asked Little Shitou. He had already started on his second meat bun. After stuffing himself with the first one, he was able to savor and enjoy his second one more easily. “The meat buns are really tasty! They have a lot of meat in them! If I could eat some every day, I’d be the happiest boy on earth!!”

Yu Xiaocao felt her heart ache after hearing her little brother’s declaration. The little guy was too easily satisfied! His vision of heaven was being able to eat meat-stuffed pastries every day. In her previous life, there were too many spoiled brats who could eat meat every day yet were still very picky. When compared to the elementary school aged Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian, their lives were too different! Ah, children who grew up in up poor families truly matured faster.

Their mother rubbed her youngest son’s head and smiled gently. The hair on his head was brittle and dry. “Your mother isn’t hungry. I’ll leave these buns for you and your second sister for tonight, one for each of you…”

Yu Xiaocao hurriedly interrupted, “Mom! Brother Heizi somehow always knows when there’s food around! He’s like a dog, always sniffing around for something to eat. If you bring these buns back, he’ll definitely find them. And if he finds them, grandmother will find out. And if grandmother finds out and asks where we got the money to buy the meat buns, how would you reply?”

After thinking for a bit, Madam Liu had to admit her daughter was right. She unwrapped her share of the food and handed one towards Xiaocao. “Your mother can’t eat this much food. Cao’er, come eat another one.”

Xiaocao laughed and patted her bulging belly. “These buns are too big for me! I already ate two earlier, and I also had a bowl of egg soup. If I eat any more, I think I’ll end up exploding. Older brother and I already ate, so you should hurry and eat. Make sure no one sees you!”

Yu Xiaolian had originally planned on leaving her second pastry behind, so she could give it to her little sister at dinner. However, when she heard what Xiaocao told their mother, she started gnawing on her other stuffed bun without any more hesitation. ‘Hmph! That shameless fatty, Yu Heizi, absolutely can’t get a piece of this!’

Shortly after the whole family finished the meat buns, an unfamiliar male voice sounded from a nearby stand of trees. “Eh? Auntie Liu, Xiaosha, Xiaolian, and Little Shitou, why are all of you here?” The stranger sounded youthful and had a clear-pitched voice.

All of them immediately turned their heads around to look. A young man dressed in a neat and casual set of clothes strolled out of gloomy shadows of the trees. A hunting bow was slung on his back. The youth had thick brows and a pair of clear, dark eyes. His nose was straight, and he had a square jawline. Although he was wearing plain, homespun clothing, it didn’t detract from his heroic figure one bit.

‘Whoa! The ancients truly did have flower boys! The novels weren’t pulling my leg! The young man who almost drowned, the town’s handsome and youthful restaurant owner, and this hot and rugged teenage boy are all perfect specimens of good-looking men. Now that I think about it, my own two brothers would be quite handsome if they weren’t so thin.’

Yu Hang threw the piece of firewood from his hand in excitement and eagerly stepped forward. “Brother Han, are you here to check on your traps?”

Zhao Han looked at Xiaocao inquisitively before he smiled and nodded, “I didn’t have time earlier this morning to stop by. Now that I have some free time, I decided to take a walk in the mountains. Is this little girl…your second younger sister?”

“Yes, this is my youngest sister. Her name is Xiaocao. When she was first born, she was weaker than a kitten so my dad decided to give her a name that would help her grow. He hoped that she would be able to grow as quickly as grass and as tenacious as a weed! Little sister, this is Uncle Zhao’s son, Brother Han. Go greet him now!” Yu Hang caressed her head as if he was petting a puppy.

Yu Xiaocao ducked away from her brother’s hand and silently grumbled. ‘Can you stop embarrassing me in front of strangers? Isn’t it bad enough I have such an…unique…name? Did you really have to explain the reasoning too?’

‘Uncle Zhao’s son, who is Uncle Zhao? Oh right, he must be the son of Hunter Zhao, the village’s best hunter. I think father learned how to hunt from this guy, so I probably should treat his son well.’

Xiaocao pasted a polite smile on her face and sweetly said, “Older Brother Zhao!”

Zhao Han guffawed. “Uncle Dahai calls my dad ‘Older Brother Zhao’, now you also are calling me ‘Older Brother Zhao’. Who are we referring to now? Xiaocao, just follow Little Shitou’s lead. Call me ‘Brother Han’ instead!”

“Brother Han! Second Sister, if you follow Brother Han, then you will be able to eat meat!” The little foodie, Little Shitou, licked his lips greedily.

Outnumbered, Yu Xiaocao could only follow their example. “Brother Han….” The sound of her voice was soft and weak. If Zhao Han didn’t have good hearing, he wouldn’t have been able to hear her greeting.

Zhao Han copied Yu Hang and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Are you not fully recovered? You still seem pretty weak… If there’s any game caught in the traps, your Brother Han will roast some meat for you!”

“Don’t forget about me, Brother Han!” When Little Shitou heard that they could possibly eat meat, he immediately jumped up and circled around Zhao Han with admiration.

Zhao Han pinched the little boy’s cheeks and grinned. “Of course! I would never leave our Little Shitou behind!”

“Brother Han, why are you like my second sister? Both of you really like pinching other people’s cheeks for some reason.” Little Shitou pouted as he scampered away from the youth. The little boy held his face between his two hands and had an aggrieved expression on his face.

Seeing that all of her children were laughing and playing happily, Madam Liu glanced at the sky to check the time. “Go on and play. I still haven’t finished washing the bed sheets so I need to go back to the stream. Don’t play too rough and remember to come home to eat supper!”

The custom of having three meals a day started after the ascension of the first emperor of the current dynasty. Decades had passed since the start of the custom, and so, having breakfast, lunch, and supper was customary among the upper classes and in upscale restaurants. However, most peasants still stuck with having two meals a day: once in the morning and once in the evening. The reality was that they couldn’t afford to eat more frequently. This was something that Yu Xiaocao found very difficult to stomach.

“Mother, don’t worry! I’m here to watch over younger brother and younger sisters!” Yu Hang promised. Although he really wanted to tag along with Brother Han to check the traps, he still remembered that they were responsible for gathering firewood.

He had just found out from Xiaolian that grandmother had thrown a tantrum when she didn’t see him in the morning. In order to appease her, his mother and sister had to take on more chores at home.

Zhao Han was well aware of the particular circumstances of this group of siblings. He turned to Xiaocao and Little Shitou and beckoned them to follow him. “Do you guys want to follow me to check the traps?”

“Yes! Yes!” Little Shitou, who was still a young child, immediately agreed without thinking.

On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao felt guilty when she saw her older sister and brother working hard to find firewood. When Yu Xiaolian saw her hesitate, she smiled and said, “Little sister, you’re still too weak right now! Do you really think you can help us with this? Don’t be a bother and cause more trouble for us by staying here!”

“Second Sister, we can still help them collect firewood when we hike down the mountain later!” Little Shitou had a clever mind and quickly found an excuse to persuade his sister.

In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had lived on the plains, so she had never experienced hunting in the mountains. Now that she had the chance, she couldn’t resist satisfying her curiosity. After hesitating for a second, she decided to follow the two boys, “Older brother, Xiaolian, I’ll help you guys as soon as I can. I swear I’ll come back soon!” The traps that Zhao Han had set were all along the periphery of the mountain range, away from the deep forests where more ferocious animals lived. In fact, even larger game was scarce in this area. This was why he was comfortable with bringing two small children along with him.

It was still summer right now, so the temperature outside was scorching, especially out in the open and under the blistering sun. However, underneath the cover of the trees, it was shady and cool, almost as if it was autumn. The chilly air felt comfortable after sweating the whole morning. Yu Xiaocao started to wonder if this would be a good place to escape to when the weather got even hotter.

“Be careful, Xiaocao! There’s a trap right in front of you, so be careful not to fall in!” Zhao Han warned suddenly. He had noticed that the little girl was looking around curiously and was not paying attention to the ground at her feet. How could she be so inattentive in such dangerous surroundings?

A trap? Yu Xiaocao bent over to inspect the ground more carefully. To her surprise, there was one patch on the ground that looked different from the rest of the terrain. She had to admit that this Brother Zhao had some pretty good skills. Had she not looked carefully, she wouldn’t have been able to find the trap.

“Are you not afraid that some of the villagers might get hurt from your traps here? Other people go through here too.” Yu Xiaocao asked, a concerned look on her face.

Little Shitou giggled and interjected, “Second Sister, besides you, the entire village knows the marks that the Zhao family uses on their traps. Even the three year olds in the village know what to look for. Look at the knotted string over there. If you ever see this, it means that there’s a trap nearby and you have to be careful!”

At this moment, Yu Xiaocao noticed that on a nearby tree, there was indeed a grass rope woven into a distinctive knot. She rubbed her nose sheepishly in embarrassment.

Zhao Han skillfully switched the conversation topic for her. “It looks like this trap hasn’t been tripped, let’s go further in to check on the others. Xiaocao, if you start feeling tired, make sure to tell me.”

Yu Xiaocao raised her voice in assent and followed Zhao Han closely. The three of them went deeper into the forest. The light dimmed perceptively the further they walked, and the underbrush became more thick and unruly. Fortunately, there was a worn path in the forest so they didn’t have to push through too much vegetation.

Little Shitou grabbed a long tree branch and used it to constantly whip the lush underbrush. Not only would this drive away any snakes but it could also startle some hidden pheasants to run out in the open.

“Wait a moment!” The handsome Zhao Han called out. He instructed the two siblings to stay where they were while he disappeared into the nearby brush.

The forest in the mountains was thick with trees and other plants. Branches criss-crossed against each other and blocked any sunlight from reaching the ground. Occasionally, some beams of light were able to escape through the cracks. There were a couple beams right now that lit up this little grove. Above them a bird suddenly spread out its wings and flew away. It cried eerily as it left. The two kids noticed that that a bush started shaking not too far away from them, as if there was something walking through there…

“Second Sister… are you afraid right now?” Little Shitou asked with a trembling voice. He scuttled closer to her and pulled on her hand. His eyes were large with fright as he scanned the area around him.

Yu Xiaocao deliberately teased him. “Little coward! Didn’t Brother Han tell you? We’re on the outskirts of the deep forest. Most big game won’t come here, let alone anything big and mean! Didn’t you just say you were going to ‘protect your older sister’? Why are you scared now?”

Little Shitou let go of her hand, ashamed, and started to tear a piece of grass apart with his fingers. He softly muttered, “When I grow up, I’ll make sure to protect Second Sister——oh, look, Brother Han’s back now!”

Xiaocao turned to face the direction that Zhao Han had left earlier. Sure enough, after the brush rattled a bit, Zhao Han’s tall and steady figure appeared in front of them.

“Look what I have! What do you two think this is?” The youth asked as he dangled something in his hands in front of the two little kids.

Little Shitou hopped up and exclaimed in a voice that echoed, “Pheasant eggs! Second sister, he has Reeves’s pheasant eggs! Eggs are so tasty, and they’re great for strengthening the body!”

“Here, take them. In a bit we’ll cook some eggs to eat!” Zhao Han grinned as he put five pheasant eggs into the two siblings’ hands. Afterwards, he continued to lead the way through the forest.

All of the traps he had set earlier were placed in the dense undergrowth. From time to time, the young man would walk off the dirt path to inspect his traps while the brother and sister pair stayed on the trail. After inspecting more than ten traps in the past two hours, Xiaocao was starting to feel exhausted.

Luckily, their trip was not in vain. One of the traps had caught a freshly killed wild hare, while Zhao Han was also able to shoot down a fat and plump turtledove.

“You guys must be tired now. I bet you both are also hungry. I know a good place for us to stop at and make some food.” Throughout the journey, Zhao Han had kept a close eye on the two siblings.

Little Shitou’s condition was not bad. He spent most of his time running around like crazy with the other kids from the village, so he had a decent amount of energy in his little body. On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao had a weaker constitution. The difference between the two wasn’t surprising. For someone who had been sickly since the day she was born, it was a miracle Xiaocao could walk so long on a rough, mountain trail.

Zhao Han knew this area of the forest like the back of his own hand. He lead the two siblings through the dense underbrush. After tramping through the forest for another quarter-hour, Yu Xiaocao suddenly noticed that they had walked into an unexpected area. They were in a beautiful valley that seemed to appear from nowhere.

The sides of the valley were bracketed on both sides by the mountains. Verdant green leaves shimmered in the sunlight, and the valley seemed to be carpeted lushly with vegetation. A small creek gurgled happily through the valley. The flowing water cut through the grass like a dark blue thread in a piece of fine brocade. Even the air seemed more clear and fresh here!

“Wow! This is amazing! It’s such a beautiful place!” Yu Xiaocao deeply inhaled the fresh air into her lungs and breathed out dreamily.

Zhao Han smiled and watched indulgently as the little girl plunged into the long grass and rolled around comfortably. To him, she looked like a cute little cat, spoiled and adorable.

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