Chapter 148: Tofu Pudding

Le Xu was led deep into the mountains. After trekking along a winding, labyrinthine path for over an hour, a fortress built high up on a ridge came into view.

He understood perfectly clearly now that he had indeed walked right into a bandits’ den. The brigands who had been plaguing the Qilian Mountains for the past six months were highly likely this very group of people. He just hadn’t expected their leader to be a woman who looked so frail she might blow away in the wind.

Le Xu stole another glance at Ah Chou, then promptly retracted the word “frail” from his mental evaluation.

He had encountered this particular patient, a young master surnamed Pei, for the first time a month ago. Back then, Young Master Pei was still able to walk around, though he had lost an arm and his complexion looked quite dreadful. Ah Chou had brought Young Master Pei to his medical clinic, where Le Xu examined him. It had taken a considerable amount of time to diagnose that he was afflicted with a poison known as Chidan (Crimson Cinnabar). This toxin was exceptionally sinister and potent; most victims were bitten or scratched by poisonous snakes or rats, and if not treated instantly, they would perish within a single day.

Young Master Pei’s desperate solution at the time had been to sever his own injured arm, temporarily halting the spread of the toxin. However, because the poison lingered in his system, it had slowly seeped into his muscles and bones over time, reducing him to his current state.

Having studied the art of toxicology under his father since childhood, Le Xu had some experience with this specific poison and had promised Ah Chou that he would concoct an antidote within a month.

He just hadn’t anticipated that the Chidan toxin would be so terrifyingly aggressive. Seeing Young Master Pei again today, the man was already blind, gaunt, and sitting listlessly on the daybed, his hearing significantly impaired as well.

Ah Chou watched him with a burning intensity, gripping her blade as she asked anxiously, “Can you cure him?”

Le Xu didn’t speak. He silently placed his three fingers against Young Master Pei’s wrist to check his pulse. Sensing the touch, the man offered a very gentle, soft-spoken “Thank you.”

Le Xu thought to himself that this was how a proper human being ought to react. Was threatening someone with a blade the way a normal person behaved? A bandit leader truly is a bandit leader.

He quickly withdrew his hand, his initial assessment of the Chidan toxin thoroughly confirmed. Reaching into his sleeve, he pulled out a piece of silk fabric covered in neat handwriting and turned to Ah Chou. “I’ve already brought the medicinal ingredients. They are pre-packaged into separate pouches inside the cloth bag hanging from my horse’s neck. Go brew them. The exact instructions for brewing are written at the very bottom of this silk cloth.”

Ah Chou’s expression shifted between shades of pale and flushed. She cast a furtive glance toward the burly men standing nearby; every single one of them had their heads lowered or were looking away, not a single soul stepping forward to accept the task.

Le Xu asked, “Did I not make myself clear?”

Ah Chou snapped furiously, “We’re illiterate!”

Le Xu shot her a surprised look. “Judging by your master’s refined demeanor, I assumed you were a maid from an affluent household. Are you telling me you don’t know a single character?”

“I am not a maid, I am a bodyguard!” Ah Chou glared at him before waving her hand for the men to take him away, commanding, “You go brew the medicine!”

Le Xu shook his head. “You truly have absolutely no manners.”

Ah Chou let out a huff, instructed the men to help her master lie down, and then followed Le Xu toward the kitchen. “I’m keeping my eyes on you. I’m afraid you harbor resentment against me and will try some underhanded tricks to retaliate.”

Le Xu let out a soft chuckle but said nothing more, scooping water from the large ceramic vat.

Attempting to strike up a conversation with Ah Chou, he asked, “How did your master get injured? Who did he offend? This poison isn’t something an ordinary person could possibly concoct.”

Ah Chou glared at him fiercely. “You talk too much! Mind your own business!”

“Why so aggressive? Do I really look like a villain?” Le Xu saw right through her. “I know you’re just putting on an act, thinking it’ll make me fear you, am I right? There’s really no need. If I truly intended to poison you all, none of you would escape. But I happen to be a good person.”

Sitting on a stack of firewood, Ah Chou’s face stiffened with guilt upon hearing his words. She instantly grabbed a nearby wooden log and barked sharply, “Hold your tongue!”

Le Xu didn’t get angry, replying with a smile, “You certainly are a loyal bodyguard, refusing to abandon your master even when he’s this ill. Have you perhaps given him your heart?”

“You pretty boy, you really do have a lot of garbage to spew,” Ah Chou said resentfully. “Why must my loyalty to the Young Master be driven by romance? Can’t it simply be because I value honor and loyalty? He saved my life once, so isn’t it only right that I protect him now? You pampered pretty boys have such narrow, sentimental minds—all you think about is love and romance, understanding nothing of the chivalrous spirit of the martial world. Besides, no matter how handsome the Young Master is, I don’t fancy men of his type. And don’t look at me like that—I don’t like your type either!”

Le Xu asked out of curiosity, “And why is that? Am I not handsome?”

“You are shockingly shameless,” Ah Chou scoffed. “I prefer men with dark complexions who are tall. I can’t stand men who talk at a snail’s pace, and I absolutely detest nags who talk non-stop.”

The image of the tall, lean young lieutenant by the Prince of Jibei’s side—the one named Chen Jia—suddenly flashed across Le Xu’s mind. He blurted out, “In that case, you ought to pay a visit to the Prince of Jibei’s manor. You might just find your ideal match there—he’s tall, dark-skinned, a man of few words, and he knows how to fight just like you.”

Ah Chou’s attention was completely caught by the first half of his sentence, missing his comment about an ideal match entirely. She asked urgently, “The Prince of Jibei’s manor? Hasn’t that place been abandoned for ages?”

“The Prince of Jibei returned a couple of months ago. The former county magistrate of Feng County was exiled—were you completely unaware?” Le Xu remarked. “Then again, it makes sense. You’ve been running ragged trying to find a cure for your master, and since Feng County is quite far from here, it’s normal that local gossip hasn’t reached you.”

Ah Chou’s breath hitched for a brief second, silently cursing her own carelessness for missing such a monumental piece of news.

She pressed, “How is the Prince of Jibei doing?”

Le Xu shot her a peculiar look. “What do you mean, ‘how is he doing’?”

“I’m done talking to you.” Ah Chou leaped down from the firewood pile and strode out of the kitchen. As she reached the doorway, she suddenly whirled around to deliver another threat: “Cure him properly. If you fail, I will kill you!”

Le Xu simply curled his lip.

…

Once Ah Chou returned to Pei Che’s quarters and ensured his meals and living arrangements were settled, she departed immediately, spurring her horse toward Feng County without a moment’s delay.

Before his illness had deteriorated to this point, Pei Che had made numerous attempts to gather information regarding Pei Yuan. However, this region was far too distant from the capital, and no valuable intelligence could be found. Later, Emperor Zhou had dispatched multiple search parties, and after narrow escapes from discovery, Pei Che simply rallied a group of impoverished local farmers, claimed the mountain as their stronghold, and used the easily defensible terrain to hold their ground.

Eventually, Pei Che fell gravely ill. Ah Chou became entirely consumed with seeking doctors and medicine, leaving her with no energy to spare for locating Pei Yuan. It wasn’t until today, when she accidentally learned from Le Xu that Pei Yuan was not only alive and well, but had also been restored to his royal title and had returned to his fiefdom.

Ah Chou wanted to see Pei Yuan in person to clarify everything that had transpired over the past year and, if possible, seek his assistance.

Yet, she harbored doubts. After everything that had changed with the passage of time, could Pei Yuan still be trusted?

Not daring to knock directly on the gates of the Prince of Jibei’s manor, Ah Chou crouched at a nearby intersection, observing the movements within the estate from the shadows.

…

As evening approached, bathed in the fading amber glow of the setting sun, the main gates of the manor swung open, and a man and a woman stepped out.

The man was tall and upright, with a sharp, youthful, and stern countenance, clad in a black cloak with a plush fox-fur collar. Nestled snugly in the crook of his arm was a petite, lovely woman, wrapped so securely in white marten fur that half her face was buried in the plush collar. Atop her head sat a dusty-pink fur hat. From a distance, she looked precisely like a fluffy snowball.

The woman had her hands tucked snugly inside the man’s sleeves, looking up to chat and laugh with him as they strolled leisurely toward West Street.

Ah Chou recognized the man as the Prince of Jibei at a single glance and stealthily shadowed them.

She watched as the pair walked into a modest little shop selling tofu pudding.

Ah Chou tilted her head in confusion. Crouching low by the shop entrance, she pretended to adjust the hem of her trousers while straining her ears to catch the conversation inside.

Seeing customers enter, the shop assistant eagerly stepped forward to wipe down the table. Pei Yuan declined, pulling a silk handkerchief from his own sleeve, dipping it in some tea, and meticulously scrubbing the table and stools himself. The assistant stared blankly at the exquisite silk handkerchief Pei Yuan had produced, taking a long moment to snap out of it before asking respectfully, “What can I get for you two?”

“Two bowls of tofu pudding, half a catty of date cakes, and a steamer of buns.” Pei Yuan produced a piece of paper covered in dense, detailed writing and instructed, “Follow the directions written here precisely. If it’s done well, you’ll receive extra coin; if it’s done poorly, you won’t get a single copper. Pay special attention to this: you must use fresh lard, the vegetables must be washed at least three times, and your hands must be scrubbed with soap powder.”

The assistant accepted the paper awkwardly. “Right away, sir! Rest assured!”

Crouching at the door, Ah Chou thought to herself: What a complete nag.

Bao Ning, thoroughly accustomed to this behavior, rested her chin in her hands as she waited happily. Finding herself a bit bored, she began idly playing with Pei Yuan’s fingers on the table.

Pei Yuan grumbled in disapproval, “You just insist on eating out…”

The moment the words left his mouth, Bao Ning shot him a sharp look. Realizing his blunder, Pei Yuan cleared his throat. “Fine, I’ll shut my mouth.”

Ah Chou thought: Is this Prince henpecked?

Pei Yuan said, “Take your hat off and place it over here by me. Aren’t you hot?”

“A little,” Bao Ning replied, removing her hat and reaching to unbutton her cloak. Pei Yuan intervened, “Just undo the top buttons, don’t take it off completely. If you take it off, you’ll catch a cold.”

Bao Ning complied with his words.

Ah Chou silently mouthed: He’s like an old nanny.

Despite her silent commentary, a bitter wave of envy welled up in her heart, and she couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

Bao Ning leaned her head against Pei Yuan’s shoulder, chatting with him about nothing in particular. Pei Yuan offered brief, half-interested responses, fully occupied with scalding their bowls and chopsticks with boiling tea.

Suddenly remembering something, Bao Ning sat up straight and demanded, “Didn’t you promise me you’d catch a wild roe deer for me? Where is it?”

Pei Yuan’s movements stiffened. He frowned at her, initially wanting to say, You’re pregnant, where on earth are you going to find the energy to tend to a roe deer? But on second thought, he knew that if he actually said that, Bao Ning would undoubtedly become upset, and dealing with her later would be an absolute nightmare.

The words shifted at the tip of his tongue: “Tomorrow, I’ll have Wei Meng take some men up the mountain to bag one for you.”

Bao Ning smiled with satisfaction. “Remember to catch two—a male and a female. If it’s just one, it’ll get too lonely by itself.”

Pei Yuan had heard that pregnant women were emotionally volatile, their minds shifting from one whim to another, and that he needed to accommodate her. He nodded, humming in agreement. “Alright.”

“And another thing, A-Mian is pregnant now too, and her belly is getting quite large. It looks so pitiful seeing her nesting all by herself in that little shed every day. How about this: tomorrow, take some coin and head over to the sheep farm in the west village to bring her husbands back.” Bao Ning added, “Since we don’t know which one is the father of her lambs, just bring all three of them back.”

Pei Yuan let out a sharp breath, turning to scold her, “Are you quite finished? What kind of nonsense is this?”

Bao Ning muttered under her breath, “How is it nonsense? Doesn’t it make perfect sense?”

“Bringing just one back is more than enough. Even if he’s not the biological father, he can be the godfather. Isn’t it just to keep A-Mian company?” Pei Yuan tried his absolute best to explain calmly. “Why must you bring back so many? Three rams fighting over her attention will turn the whole place upside down.”

“That won’t do. When the babies are born, how can their real father not be by their side? A-Mian would be so heartbroken otherwise,” Bao Ning countered. “You men truly understand absolutely nothing.”

Pei Yuan let out a cold scoff. “Fine, fine, fine, whatever you say. I’ll have them brought back tomorrow.”

Bao Ning pressed on, “And then there’s Jixiang and A-Huang; we can start preparing for their wedding as well. Now that A-Mian has a family of her own, if those two remain single, won’t they grow envious? I think pairing them together would be wonderful—childhood sweethearts, completely inseparable.”

Pei Yuan fired back sarcastically, “Are you a sheep or a dog? How have you managed to read the minds of these three beasts so thoroughly?”

Bao Ning knitted her brows. “Watch your tone!”

“Do women who become mothers just automatically love playing matchmaker? You are completely forcing this match; those two are entirely incompatible!” Pei Yuan refused, thoroughly exasperated. “Jixiang is far too aggressive and A-Huang is too docile. Jixiang is too tall and A-Huang is too short. When it comes time to breed them, A-Huang will literally have to stand on a stool.”

Bao Ning fired back, “Then you can just build a stool for him, or at worst, have someone hold him up. Is there anything that can’t be solved?”

Pei Yuan demanded, “Ji Bao Ning, have you lost your mind?”

Displeased, Bao Ning shoved him away. “If you’re going to talk, talk properly. Why are you calling me names?”

Pei Yuan sighed. “Since you have so much free time on your hands, stop worrying about A-Mian and A-Huang. Why don’t you find a woman for Wei Meng first, alright?”

Bao Ning hesitated for a moment. “That actually sounds like a pretty good idea…”

…Crouching at the entrance, Ah Chou’s head was spinning from listening to them. To the very end, she couldn’t figure out who A-Huang was, who A-Mian was, or what kind of creature Jixiang was supposed to be.

Frustrated by her inability to comprehend yet desperately wanting to understand, Ah Chou grew increasingly impatient. Feeling completely bewildered, she stood up, intending to edge closer inside the shop to get a clearer listen. Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from the street. As Ah Chou rose, she crashed heavily right into Chen Jia’s chest. The impact sent her tumbling backward, a sharp, fierce throb of pain lancing through her tailbone.

Enduring the pain, Ah Chou glared up in fury. “You—”

Chen Jia paid her absolutely no mind, brushing past her as he rushed anxiously toward Bao Ning and Pei Yuan. He lowered his voice and said, “Your Highness, Wangfei, you must return to the manor immediately. A woman named Minmin just arrived, claiming she shared a night of passion with General Wei a month ago and has now conceived his child. She’s come to demand a formal position. She’s throwing a massive tantrum, crying and making a scene right outside the manor gates, and a huge crowd of local citizens has gathered to watch. General Wei is completely at his wits’ end and dispatched me to fetch you both…”

Sansukini: I think Pei Che was the crown prince. And Pei Yuan’s character transformation is so profound. From a depressed, arrogant prince to a henpecked, somewhat gentle husband.

Sorry. I got confused with the chapters and skipped 147. I’m republishing this to correct the numbers and I’ve already added chapter 147. Thank you @Bchicki for pointing it out

P.S. Can I ask you guys to try my newer novel translation, https://secondlifetranslations.com/novel/rmcf/ I post 4 chapters a week and it’s a relatively, family redemption novel. Plugging the novel shamelessly. （〃・ω・〃）

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