Chapter 169: Extra 5

Speaking of the love story between the Baked Cake Heroine miss and Wei Meng, it started out a bit bumpy.

The Baked Cake Heroine miss was surnamed Jin and had a very lovely given name: Jin Hongdou. When the two were first married, during their honeymoon period filled with sweet affection, Wei Meng—influenced by how Pei Yuan addressed Bao Ning—once fondly called her “Little Hongdou.”

It was only later, as life went on and friction inevitably arose, that because both possessed fiery tempers and had engaged in several earth-shattering fights, Wei Meng could no longer bring himself to call her such a sticky-sweet name after witnessing Miss Jin’s knack for scratching people and biting ears. Face-to-face, he addressed her as Lady Hongdou; behind her back, he called her Jin the Big Tiger.

Naturally, walls have ears, and speaking ill behind someone’s back bound to be discovered eventually—but that is a story for later.

…

The first time Bao Ning heard about this Miss Jin was half a month after their initial meeting.

Summer was summer after all; even places further north grew hot. For this reason, Bao Ning specifically set aside a well to chill watermelons. She would place a watermelon in a basket, sink it into the well, and let it soak overnight. The next day, during the hottest hours, she would haul it out and slice it up to eat—the taste was absolute bliss.

On this afternoon, after waking from her nap, Bao Ning was digging into watermelon with her three children when she saw Pei Yuan leading a shy and bashful Wei Meng into the room.

Bao Ning rarely saw the physically powerful and formidable General Wei show such an expression—he looked extremely restrained, walking with a posture that was almost pigeon-toed.

She very warmly invited Wei Meng to sit down and asked with concern, “Did something happen?”

Wei Meng still looked very embarrassed. Pei Yuan had Yuanzi take half the watermelon and go outside with his younger brother and sister. Unable to stand Wei Meng’s coy and awkward display, Pei Yuan simply spoke up on his behalf: “This morning, General Wei took men to round up peddlers occupying the main street with their stalls. He met a girl selling baked cakes and took a liking to her. Taking advantage of fining her silver, he followed her all the way to her house, figured out where she lived, and now wants you to find a matchmaker to propose marriage.”

Bao Ning was utterly astonished: “Fallen in love with a girl who sells baked cakes? That’s already quite outrageous… outrageous aside, why did you go and fine her silver? Doing that, she’ll hate you to death! What proposal could there be? Put it out of your mind right now.”

“The state has its laws, and a family has its rules,” Wei Meng said in a thick, gruff voice. “I think the girl is quite good, but that’s a separate matter from her occupying the main street to set up a stall and getting fined. Even if my own old mother went to occupy the main street with a stall, she would still be fined.”

Bao Ning was momentarily speechless, at a loss for whether to call him righteous or a bit cracked in the head.

Pei Yuan didn’t care about this matter at all; he was solely focused on eating watermelon, crossing his legs, and enjoying the breeze wafting through the gauze window screen, feeling extraordinarily comfortable.

Bao Ning ceased arguing with Wei Meng over whether people should be fined. She asked, “How old does that girl look?”

Wei Meng recalled: “Probably around her early twenties.”

“You’re already in your mid-thirties…” Bao Ning pursed her lips. “To talk of romance with a young girl in her early twenties, isn’t that quite inappropriate?”

She tried her best to be tactful: “She might already have a family. At that age, she might even have two children for all you know. Besides, General Wei, even if that girl is single, her parents… are likely about the same age as you. I’m afraid they won’t be too happy.” The underlying meaning was: You’re too old; the girl won’t look twice at you.

Wei Meng felt a bit sad, but didn’t know how to refute it; what Bao Ning said was indeed true.

Pei Yuan couldn’t listen any longer and spoke up to advise: “Baobao, give Old Wei a hand and try. Old Wei is just a bit older in years, but he practices martial arts year-round, so his body is even sturdier than regular young lads—he doesn’t look old at all. Plus, he has no wives or concubines, owns a residence, and holds military merit to his name. He’s a very fine man; in my view, he’s much better than those playboy young masters from rich families. It’s rare in his half-lifetime to take a liking to a girl—regardless of whether it works out or not, we ought to do our best to help.”

Wei Meng was moved beyond words. The Little General still kept him in his thoughts after all, speaking a few rare human words for once.

“General Wei is a good man, I know,” Bao Ning remained worried. “But is that girl a good person? Meeting as strangers by chance—what if…” She remembered the girl Minmin whom Wei Meng had encountered many years ago. Minmin had broken Wei Meng’s heart thoroughly; Bao Ning was terrified this might be a second Minmin. Even if she didn’t sow discord, what if she ran off with Wei Meng’s money and treasures? Wouldn’t Wei Meng have to crash his head against a wall and end his own life then?

Pei Yuan also recalled the first time they met, when that girl jacked up the prices to sell baked cakes—selling a jar of sour plum soup for thirty wens. She certainly had nerve.

He echoed Bao Ning’s words: “This concern isn’t without reason. Whether she’s a good person or a bad person, we must test it out.”

Wei Meng eagerly waited for Bao Ning to find a matchmaker for him, agreeing with whatever was said, nodding incessantly: “Alright, alright.”

Bao Ning called Yuanzi to go to the city suburbs to fetch Chen Jia and Chen Jia’s son.

The second year after returning from the Xiongnu, Chen Jia retired from the army. His original ambition was to defend the country, but later, after the foreign enemies were repelled and the nation achieved peace, he felt there was no room left in the military camps to exert his talents, so he retired and opened a martial arts hall. Unexpectedly, the martial arts hall was managed exceedingly well; in less than a year, it had several hundred students, and Chen Jia became the famous Master Chen far and wide.

In the third year, A’chou came to Feng County as Pei Che’s special envoy to deliver New Year goods. Upon seeing Chen Jia, one thing led to another and they unexpectedly hit it off. After returning and explaining the situation to Pei Che, they were married by mid-year and gave birth to a son the following year—a speed so fast it left people gasping in astonishment.

Pei Yuan hadn’t cut off contact with him; during holidays and festivals, he would go visit. When Chen Jia’s son was born, it was even Pei Yuan who gave him his infant name: Tudou (Potato).

Tudou was truly far too dark-skinned, looking far too much like his father—as if Chen Jia’s face had been pressed into a dough ball to carve him out—not particularly good-looking. Even a person as tough as A’chou choked up at the first glance of this child, her eye rims turning red.

Bao Ning comforted her, saying that the uglier a child was in infancy, the more stunning they would become once they grew up.

A’chou didn’t believe it, crying as she said to Bao Ning: “But I looked like this when I was little too, and I didn’t turn out good-looking later either!”

That was the first time in Bao Ning’s memory she had seen A’chou cry. Little did A’chou know at the time that her little black potato really would grow up to become a renowned handsome man in the region—though that was something decades into the future.

…

Chen Jia and little Tudou quickly rushed over, and Bao Ning’s strategy had already been set—a strategy that was rustic to the extreme.

Once Chen Jia entered the room and sat firmly, Bao Ning had Pei Yuan hand over half a slice of watermelon, skipping even the pleasantries to ask directly: “Chen Jia, are you willing to do General Wei a favor?”

Her gaze was extremely earnest. Chen Jia froze for a moment, glancing at Wei Meng; Wei Meng’s gaze was also extremely earnest. An ill omen arose in his heart, and no longer eating the watermelon, he asked in a low voice: “Your Highness, a small favor or a big favor? A small favor is doable; for a big favor, borrowing money is also okay, but anything life-threatening is off the table.”

He then added: “My wife is about to give birth to our second child at home, which means another huge expense. If it’s borrowing money, don’t borrow too much; I can’t produce anything over fifty taels.”

Pei Yuan held back a surge of fire in his heart, wanting to kick him right out.

Back when little Tudou reached his full month, he had directly wrapped a red envelope of five hundred taels for them. Chen Jia had happily accepted it without even a single word of polite refusal, yet now he was crying poverty—he truly had the gall.

“Not borrowing money, not borrowing money,” Bao Ning wasn’t angry, waving her hand with a beam. “It’s just a small matter. Do you agree?”

Looking at Pei Yuan’s unfavorable expression, Chen Jia felt embarrassed as well. Hearing Bao Ning’s words, it was even harder to decline, so he immediately patted his chest and agreed: “Your Highness, rest assured! I will definitely carry this out smoothly and properly for you!”

…

An hour later, Chen Jia led little Tudou, both dressed in tattered and ragged clothes, squatting in front of the baked cake girl’s house.

Bao Ning’s idea was to have them pretend to be refugees fleeing disaster to see if the baked cake girl would extend a helping hand. If the girl was willing to help, it proved she was a kind-hearted person; if she coldly shooed them away, then she wasn’t kind-hearted.

Chen Jia looked as pale as ash—it had been a very, very long time since he had done something so embarrassing.

He didn’t agree with this method either, finding it as foolish as child’s play. But Bao Ning said this was a trick A’chou had once used, and she thought it was quite good. Chen Jia recalled—it indeed seemed to be so, back when he and A’chou first met in a shabby jellied tofu shop. He was left speechless.

Little Tudou was a quiet child, even quieter than Yuanzi was when he was little. Ignoring the people coming and going at the entrance, he merely leaned silently against the base of the low yellow-mud wall of the baked cake girl’s house, lowering his head to watch ants.

Chen Jia taught him: “Tudou, when someone comes out later, tap the bowl in your hand and say, ‘Please spare a little money.'”

Little Tudou gave a muffled “Mm.”

Chen Jia felt uneasy and instructed again: “Remember to say it pitiably, like you have no strength. Do you still remember the promise your Princess Aunt gave you? If this matter is done well, she’ll ask His Majesty the current Emperor to write an inscription for our martial arts hall. By then, we’ll be a Royal Martial Arts Hall. Who are you? You’re the young master of the Royal Martial Arts Hall, so you’ll be related to the imperial family.”

“Mm,” little Tudou nodded. “I understand.”

“With this identity, it’ll also be easier for you to propose marriage in the future,” Chen Jia said painstakingly. “You don’t know how hard it is to marry a girl from a good family nowadays. Don’t end up like your Uncle Wei—how pitiable… Repeat it again: when someone comes out later, what will you say?”

Little Tudou helplessly tapped the edge of the broken bowl: “Please spare a little money, great benefactor.”

Chen Jia was very satisfied: “Quite good.”

Not far away, Wei Meng hid behind a tree, nodding at Bao Ning and Pei Yuan as well: “This child Tudou is pretty good—has a bright future. Quite good.”

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, the wooden door was pushed open. Miss Jin stepped out holding a basin. Just as she was about to splash out the water, she saw the two people squatting at her door and was startled: “You—what are you two doing?”

Chen Jia gave little Tudou a look. Tudou tapped the bowl: “Please spare a little money, great benefactor.”

Miss Jin froze for a moment. Chen Jia immediately picked up the cue: “Miss, please be charitable. We haven’t had food for three days and have traveled such a long way. Seeing that you have a kind countenance, please grant us two baked cakes to eat, or even a bowl of thin porridge would do.”

“…” The baked cake girl fell silent.

Chen Jia’s heart sank. Judging by this reaction, was she not planning to give food? Wei Meng was also filled with anxiety, unable to help swallowing a mouthful of saliva. He tried to make excuses for the baked cake girl—this wasn’t real in the first place, it was all an act they staged to fool her, so even if she didn’t give charity, it meant nothing… Just as he wanted to use this logic to persuade Bao Ning, before he could open his mouth, he heard a voice like a thunderclap behind him.

“You’re a grown man—have you no shame at all?!”

Bao Ning shuddered from the fright. Pei Yuan hastily held her, and together they looked over at the doorway.

Chen Jia was also startled, watching as Miss Jin slammed the basin in her hand onto the ground and pointed at his nose, scolding him: “You have hands and feet, young and strong—what’s not good for you to do, that you must bring your son out to beg for food?! Has your self-respect been eaten by dogs?! How dare you say I have a kind countenance—just because I have a kind countenance, I have to give you cakes to eat? Acting like a robber! You truly make me burst with anger! We men of the Zhou Dynasty have always been mighty and heroic—look at that Cavalry General, General Wei Meng! Charging into battle, worth ten men on his own—that’s a real man! Where are you like him? A spineless coward, living off charity! Your son following you is truly eight lifetimes of bad luck!”

Chen Jia had never expected that doing this job would result in being scolded. He stood there stunned, utterly speechless.

Miss Jin glared at him fiercely: “Even if I have cakes, I won’t give them to you to eat!” Saying that, she stepped forward, pulled little Tudou by the hand into the house, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang , locking Chen Jia outside.

Behind the tree, Wei Meng was already walking on air as if stepping on cotton, floating with joy.

Bao Ning covered her mouth and giggled, imitating Miss Jin’s tone: “We men of the Zhou Dynasty have always been mighty and heroic—look at that Cavalry General, General Wei Meng.”

Pei Yuan chimed in: “Charging into battle, worth ten men on his own—that’s a real man.”

Bao Ning added again: “Where are you like him? A spineless coward, living off charity! Your son following you is truly eight lifetimes of bad luck!”

The two of them both burst into hearty laughter.

Hearing the laughter, Chen Jia walked over with a face full of gloom: “What sin did I commit in a past life? Not only was I scolded for no reason, but I even lost my son.”

Wei Meng patted his shoulder: “Your Tudou is a good kid. From now on, I’m his godfather—he won’t be shorted on New Year lucky money!”

Having said that, he turned around and began striding away with huge steps. Pei Yuan called out to him: “Where are you going?”

Wei Meng didn’t even turn his head back: “Going to prepare the betrothal gifts!”

Bao Ning and Pei Yuan exchanged a look, their lips curling into a smile: “The old man’s spring has finally arrived.”

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