TTTQF Chapter 112

Widely Praised

The vegetable seedlings grow bigger day by day, and Jiang Miao gradually becomes accustomed to life on the back mountain of the Imperial Academy. Every morning, after sending the two children to the Children’s Hall, he follows the other women who also bring their children to school and heads to the dining hall's kitchen to retrieve his portion of vegetables.

After bringing back the vegetables, he washes and chops them, completing all the prep work, then tends to the vegetable garden—pulling weeds, watering, and sometimes even bringing over some plant ash to fertilize the soil.

The aunts enjoy their work immensely and are extremely meticulous when caring for the sprouting seedlings. It's almost as if they want to dig them up, plant them in flower pots, and bring them home. Jiang Miao fully understands this feeling. It's not about the food itself, but the sense of accomplishment gained from watching the process of growth, from sprouting to maturity. Labor is always the most honorable pursuit.

On this day, like usual, Jiang Miao holds the hands of the two children and sends them to the Children’s Hall. Since they tell him they feel hungry in the morning, Jiang Miao prepares snacks wrapped in oiled paper and places them in their school bags each day. Yesterday, he made brown sugar cake, and today he made rice cake. Though the textures and flavors are different, both are equally delicious.

The two children reluctantly bid farewell to Jiang Miao at the entrance. In fact, Xiao Shitou wasn't this emotional before—he's already quite used to going to school. But since Pei Mu behaves this way every day, Xiao Shitou gets influenced by him. He’s mainly concerned that Jiang Miao might think Xiao Mu is more obedient.

Jiang Miao patiently soothes them, patting each child on the head, and then sends them inside. He watches them walk away, their backs disappearing into the hall, but fails to notice that someone else is watching him. Just as he is about to turn and leave, a woman in her thirties suddenly approaches and stands in front of him.

"This... sister, is there something you need?" Jiang Miao's words take a quick turn. He almost blurts out 'auntie,' which would surely offend her!

"Brother Jiang, my husband's family name is Wang. I've come today with a small request," she says, looking a bit embarrassed.

Jiang Miao has never interacted with her before, so he feels a bit nervous and curious, unsure of what she wants to ask of him. Could it be that she also wants to grow vegetables? If so, he wouldn't mind helping.

"Sister Wang, just say it. If it's something I can manage, I certainly won't refuse," Jiang Miao responds, making his stance clear that he won't agree to unreasonable requests.

"Well, it's like this. My youngest son is a classmate of your two younger brothers. Lately, when he comes home, he often complains, saying that during their breaks, your younger brothers frequently take out food to eat, which makes him quite envious," Sister Wang explains, half-smiling.

Jiang Miao feels a bit embarrassed. So, it turns out his snacks are making the other children crave them. Is this woman asking him to stop making food from now on? If that's the case, he wouldn't be able to comply. At most, he could remind Xiao Shitou and Xiao Mu to try and eat their snacks in less crowded places in the future.

Realizing that Jiang Miao seems to have misunderstood, Sister Wang hurriedly explains, "After I hear about it, I also pack some cakes for him to take along. But he still isn’t happy and says your younger brothers’ cakes look tastier. So, I want to ask which bakery you buy them from, so I can buy some for my son to satisfy his cravings."

Sister Wang thinks her child is being too greedy, but seeing his unhappy face makes her feel sorry for him.

Jiang Miao breathes a sigh of relief and smiles, "Oh, there's no need to worry. Those snacks aren't bought from any shop; I make them myself."

Now it's Sister Wang’s turn to feel embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, thinking about how her child keeps talking about the cakes every day, she can't help but ask, "Brother Jiang, could I buy a few of your cakes?"

After saying that, she realizes she has been too forward and quickly adds, "I don’t mean to treat you like a merchant. It's just that my son can't stop thinking about them, and I feel sorry for him. If you think it's inappropriate, it's completely fine."

Jiang Miao laughs and says, "Sister Wang, your motherly love is truly touching. It's just a few cakes; how could I accept money for them? I still have some at home. Wait here for a moment, and I’ll pack some for you."

Before Sister Wang can refuse, Jiang Miao already turns and quickly walks toward the courtyard. He heads to the kitchen and lifts the lid off the steamer, revealing the rice cakes he has steamed earlier that morning. The cakes are cup-shaped, with a few goji berries placed on top, like clusters of red lotus flowers on a snowy mountain. Just from the appearance, they are already quite striking. Taking a bite, one finds them fragrant, soft, and sweet. Made from freshly milled rice flour, the aroma of the rice is rich, making one feel as if they are standing in a golden sea of rice, their heart filled with happiness

He picks out a few pieces, wraps them in oiled paper, and after a moment's thought, wraps the rest in a large piece of oiled paper to share with the other women.

Sister Wang stands awkwardly in place but feels relieved when Jiang Miao returns. He hands her the small package and then lifts the larger one in his hand, saying, "I’ve been living here for quite some time and haven’t yet treated everyone to anything. Since I made a bit extra today, I thought I’d take the opportunity to do so."

He says this, of course, to prevent Sister Wang from insisting on paying him. The other women who are familiar with him have been waiting nearby, and as soon as he arrives, they gather around, just in time to hear what he says.

"Brother Jiang, are you treating us today? Looks like we’re in for a treat!" Aunt Luo says with a smile.

"Aunt Luo, how do you know it’s a treat before you’ve even tasted it? If it doesn’t taste good later, you can’t take back those words," Jiang Miao jokes. Then he opens the large package and begins sharing the rice cakes with everyone, even giving the extras to others who have sent their children to school.

The soft and sweet rice cakes receive widespread praise, with everyone saying they taste even better than those sold in shops. Unfortunately, the rice cakes are not very large, and after just a few bites, they are gone, leaving everyone wanting more.

Sister Wang notices the subtle glances coming her way and, hurriedly thanking Jiang Miao, makes a quick escape. She fears that if she stays any longer, the rice cakes in her hands will be divided up by everyone.

The adults, of course, don’t act like greedy children. Though they feel a bit of regret, they carry on with their tasks as usual.

However, the children in the elementary hall can’t hide their gazes, all staring at Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu. When the teacher goes inside to take a break, the two pull out the rice cakes wrapped in their school bags and begin eating them with great delight. The sweet aroma makes the other children around them swallow their saliva.

The students in the hall are not from poor families, and soon many of them take out their own snacks, nibbling at them here and there. However, the snacks available at the time are mostly meant to be savored slowly with tea, so eating them dry is a bit choking and overly greasy. Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu, oblivious to the envious looks around them, happily enjoy their rice cakes.

Meanwhile, Pei Che, who has also brought some snacks, takes out his rice cakes during the break. His portion is noticeably larger than the two children's. Of course, this isn’t due to favoritism on Jiang Miao’s part; he simply knows that Pei Che has a few friends with him and doesn’t want only one person eating while the others watch.

As soon as Pei Che takes out his rice cakes, Han Qin and the others come over. Without needing any invitation, the three of them skillfully reach into the oiled paper package and stuff the snacks into their mouths as soon as they get them.

Pei Che sighs quietly and begins chewing faster, hoping to eat a few more before they’re all gone. But, having grown up together, how could the others not have the same idea?

In no time, the oiled paper bag is completely empty.

Han Qin glares resentfully as Su Jin stuffs the last rice cake into his mouth, then turns to Pei Che and says, "Ah Che, tomorrow you need to ask Brother Jiang to make more. This guy eats way too much!"

Pei Che, irritated, responds, "As if you're any better? Today’s already plenty. If we eat any more, we won’t need lunch."

Han Qin, feeling wronged, says, "Well, unlike you, we don’t have lunch guaranteed. We’re counting on having more in the morning to fill us up."

Pei Che was speechless. "Did Jingcui Garden close?"

"Not exactly, but you know how the food there tastes. After they switched chefs last month, it’s gotten even worse," Han Qin complains. "When will we finally get to visit your house again?"

"Yeah, Ah Che, we’re still thinking about those dishes from last time," He Chen adds.

Su Jin glances at them and nods in agreement, his eyes full of longing.

Pei Che sighs, "I’ll go back and ask Ah Miao."

Han Qin is tempted to call Pei Che a "wife-whipped husband," needing to ask for permission even to host a meal, but since he hasn’t secured the food yet, he wisely keeps quiet.

When he returns home at noon, Pei Che heads straight to the kitchen. He glances around, feeling a bit disappointed. Clearly, there are plenty of rice cakes left in the steamer from that morning.

Jiang Miao asks, "What? Do you want to eat more?" The two children have already come by earlier to ask for more.

"Ahem, I’m not one to indulge in such cravings," Pei Che feigns calmness. "The reason I come into the kitchen is to ask if we can invite Han Qin and the others over for dinner tonight."

Jiang Miao is stir-frying and replies without even turning around, "Why ask me? If you want to invite them, just invite them."

"That won’t do. You’re the one who does the cooking. Whether or not we can invite them is for you to decide," Pei Che says, disagreeing.

Jiang Miao smiles. This is what he likes about Pei Che. Despite his noble background, he respects others.

"Invite them, sure. I’ll get some more ingredients this afternoon. In the future, just bring them over whenever they want. Eating out at Jingcui Garden all the time must be pretty expensive." Jiang Miao recalls the gifts the three of them gave last time—if sold, they could probably fund quite a few meals at Jingcui Garden. After receiving such lavish gifts, hosting them for a few meals is no big deal.

Pei Che feels deeply touched, thinking that Jiang Miao says this to make sure he won’t lose face in front of his friends.

Jiang Miao doesn’t know what Pei Che is thinking as he stands silently, but having such a tall figure standing in the kitchen hinders his cooking. So, he quickly shooes him away. "Alright, stop standing around here. Take the finished dishes out. The rest will be ready soon."

Assigned to work, Pei Che's face shows no reluctance, only a look of contentment.

Jiang Miao continues stir-frying quickly, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees the expression on Pei Che's face. He can’t help but smile. This fastidious young master has been pulled down to the level of the common folk after all. He wonders how others would react if they saw this scene—would their jaws drop in shock?

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Table of Contents