Chapter 55

Chapter 55: A Boy with Taste

A Le Chuan didn’t have Li Da Niu’s brute strength, but with A Da helping, the two of them together could match Li Da Niu’s pace.

“A Da, Eldest Young Master Su is truly a good man. No wonder he’s the River Goddess’s son. I was ready to pay two hundred taels, but he wouldn’t take a single coin—and he’s even feeding us!”

A Le Chuan meant every word. This was the kindhearted household people only talked about in legends.

With two strong men lending a hand, the academy’s construction moved forward at a steady clip. But when it came time to eat, Su Xuan Ming nearly went cross-eyed.

“What? We’re out of golden rice?”

Golden rice was what you got when you cooked rice with golden chrysanthemum petals.

Su Yun Ting insisted that in a refined place, one should do refined things. So golden rice it was.

He never imagined that the batch they’d assumed would be more than enough still wouldn’t stretch far enough.

Su Xuan Ming looked over.

A Le Chuan had already polished off four huge bowls. A Da was pouring two bowls into his mouth at once—left hand, right hand, both tipping in perfect sync. And Li Da Niu, who looked as elegant as a scholar, had quietly eaten six bowls.

Well… that explained it.

Li Da Niu set down his porcelain bowl with painful reluctance and started, embarrassed, “Eldest Young Master Su, I…” At the same time, Su Xuan Ming lifted a sleeve and wiped at his eyes.

Li Da Niu’s mind went blank.

No way. They’d only eaten a little more than usual, and he’d made the young master cry?

If his mother heard about this, would she chase him out with a stick?

Su Xuan Ming sniffled hard and choked out, “Mother always said Great Zhou has only one capital. So that’s what she meant… You’ve suffered!”

Before anyone could stop him, he pushed his untouched portion of golden rice toward Li Da Niu, A Le Chuan, and A Da. “A gentleman’s word is his bond. Since I promised to fill your bellies, I will not go back on it.”

Li Da Niu stared at his bowl.

It held barely a third of a serving, yet it weighed on him like a thousand jin.

So this was the sort of man that young lady had raised?

General Gu always said you had to learn how to be a person before you learned the Four Books and Five Classics.

On that first lesson, Eldest Young Master Su outshone more officials and nobles than Li Da Niu could count.

That young lady… she had never forgotten General Gu. Never forgotten his teaching.

Li Da Niu lowered his head and ate in huge, noisy mouthfuls. Only his eyes betrayed him—sharp and steady, yet glittering with tiny points of tears.

“Brother! Brother! Third Brother—!”

Across the empty plain, a girl’s clear, lark-like voice startled the birds that had been pecking at the ground into flight.

A Le Chuan, who’d practically buried his face in his bowl, lifted his head and followed the sound.

A girl stood on the carriage shaft, waving toward them.

She was tall and graceful, with a slender, lovely posture. Her black hair fell like a cloud, and her bright eyes curved like autumn water, brimming with a lively spark that made her feel different from everyone else.

Out on that lonely stretch of wilderness, she shone like a little sun, pulling every gaze without even trying.

Su Yun Yan hopped down from the carriage and smiled warmly at the group. “The new shop hasn’t opened yet, so I made some food. Brothers, please try a bite.”

Su Xuan Ming, thrilled just to see her, stiffened the moment he heard the word food. His smile froze in place. He took several steps back and stammered, “Little Sister, Brother isn’t hungry.”

“Nonsense! You haven’t eaten. How could you not be hungry?” “Eleventh Sister, Seventh Brother really isn’t hungry. Give his share to Brother instead!”

Jiang Guang Hai gave Su Xuan Ming a push, then waved the household guards over to unload wooden crates. He acted so busy his feet barely touched the ground, as if he didn’t even have time to swallow.

The other sworn brothers sprang up as well, suddenly frantic with work, like the entire project would collapse without them.

Su Yun Yan puffed out her cheeks, eyes full of grievance. “Does this work have to be done? You’re so busy you can’t even spare a moment to eat?!”

Su Xuan Ming wanted to slip away too, but when he saw Su Yun Yan’s wounded expression, his conscience grabbed him by the collar. He turned around, resigned as if marching to his death, and said, “Little Sister, ignore them. Brother is hungry. Bring me a portion.”

Only then did Su Yun Yan’s face brighten. Her smile flashed like a rainbow after rain—so vivid it hurt the eyes.

In the corner, A Le Chuan had been staring so hard he forgot to blink. His heart thudded with anticipation. What kind of rare delicacy would a girl like this bring out?

Su Yun Yan lifted a four-tier redwood food carrier with a hexagonal brocade pattern and carefully opened the lid of the first tier.

In the next breath, an intensely unique scent seized the air like a tyrant taking a throne.

Inside sat a blue-and-white porcelain bowl, steaming hot. Red, green, white, black—toppings layered together in a way that was almost… almost… beautiful.

So beautiful it was practically—

“Moving,” A Le Chuan thought dazedly.

Su Xuan Ming swayed as if his soul had been yanked halfway out of his body. He clamped both hands over his nose and groaned, “Little Sister, have you finally abandoned the path of fine cuisine? Who on earth gave you the Culinary God Manual?!”

Su Yun Yan didn’t want to crush his fragile, hard-won confidence—nor could she bear to let him know that Mother’s most favored child was actually her—so she simply urged him on. “Brother, don’t ask. Hurry and try this bowl of luo si fen! It’s our shop’s signature dish. I guarantee it’s one of a kind in Capital!”

Su Xuan Ming looked half alive and half dead. “Little Sister, if I offended you somewhere, you can just finish me off. There’s no need to torture me like this.”

Su Yun Yan twisted her handkerchief tight and stamped her foot. “It’s not poisoned! I tried it myself! The smell is… forceful at first. But once you get used to it, you’ll love it.”

Su Xuan Ming refused to believe her. He wasn’t about to die before he’d even made it out the gate.

While the siblings deadlocked, A Le Chuan was drawn over by that strange, aggressive fragrance as if pulled by invisible strings. His throat bobbed as he swallowed. Every inch of him screamed the same two words: I want.

Su Yun Yan’s gaze landed on him. “Who are you?”

The boy was dirty, staring blankly, with several grains of white rice stuck to his cheek.

He looked like an outsider, dressed like one too.

But Great Zhou was open and welcoming. With all nations coming to pay tribute, Capital’s commoners had long stopped being surprised by foreign faces.

A Le Chuan’s face burned red. Thankfully, his wheat-colored skin hid it somewhat. “I… I’m A Le Chuan.”

“You want to try the luo si fen?”

A Le Chuan wanted to say yes, but the sound jammed in his throat. His eyes reddened with frustration. In the end, he could only nod—fast, helpless, earnest.

Su Yun Yan mistook it for a language barrier and softened her voice. “Don’t rush. I understand. There’s plenty. I’ll save you a bowl.”

She pulled a bowl from the second tier and held it out to him. “Can you use chopsticks?”

A Le Chuan nodded so hard he nearly rattled his own skull. The luo si fen smelled wonderful, yes—but the girl handing it to him was even more dazzling.

Su Yun Yan crouched beside him, smiling as she watched him dig in with fierce enthusiasm. “How are the sour bamboo shoots?”

“Very good!”

“Are the rice noodles springy and smooth?”

“Very good!”

“Is the tofu skin soaked through with broth?”

“Very good!”

Su Yun Yan’s eyes flicked sideways, quick and clever. “Then… would you like to be my shop clerk?”

“Very good!”

Su Yun Yan shot to her feet with a clap and spun excited circles around Su Xuan Ming. “Brother! I found the perfect shop clerk for my shop!”

Only then did A Le Chuan realize what he’d just agreed to.

But the butterfly in front of him was too bright, too beautiful, too impossible to catch. How could he bear to snatch his words back now?

His eyes looked as if they held starlight. A faint, doting smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.