It was already the middle of winter. Rain and snow scattered over Lin Nan City, the snowflakes melting as they touched the ground, causing a chilly and fresh atmosphere to envelope the city. With every breath, the coolness would seep into the heart. Ah Luo wore a light blue cotton robe and with a confident smile, she slowly walked down the stairs and wandered around. There was an abundance of shops both large and small in the city. There were fur pelts from the western Qi Empire, mountain goods from the southwestern Xia Empire, and silks from the southern Chen Empire. Scattered amongst them were restaurants and inns with their overhanging eaves as well as small and simple taverns. Ah Luo commented to herself that tourism and trade really drove the economic development of Lin Nan. She would head out on the streets today and look at Lin Nan, the largest logistics base in the Ning Empire.
The bustle of Lin Nan was different to that of Feng City’s. There were merchants with various accents and busy porters. As Lin Nan was a large wharf, passenger ships still came and went frequently in the cold winter season. Only the presence of soldiers patrolling around reminded everyone that this was a border city.
She strolled leisurely out of the south city gate. She stood at the wharf and looked at the merchant ships there. The tallest one was two stories high, more than 65 metres long and had many masts with the sails down. She was very curious about how many people were needed to row such a large ship. Looking closer, she saw a square hole underneath the deck and imagined the spectacular scene of the oars protruding out as the ship moved.
From Madam Zhang’s small restaurant to the main streets all the way to the wharf outside the city gate, she observed the liveliness for quite a long time and the scenery was quite nice. She still had not figured out how to make money. Having travelled through several countries and sold goods by the Han River, Ah Luo found that this was the one thing she was unable to do right now. She also did not want to open something like Su Xin Zhai and be the proprietress. There were so many people coming and going in restaurants and it was possible for something to happen again. As for having a public entertainment hall for singing, playing musical instruments, and dancing, she remembered that most of the entertainment halls in the modern era had a backing. Besides, all the entertainment halls in the Ning Empire had to go to the local authorities to file and collect taxes and she could not be put on record. Lin Nan’s population was varied and there were many soldiers and there was a saying that a scholar is always wrong in front of a soldier. What did soldiers do on their days off? Naturally, they would go and amuse themselves at brothels. She did not want for her hall to be messed up if someone did not wait on them well.
Walking leisurely back to the central area of the city, Ah Luo took steady steps though all sorts of thoughts kept turning in her mind. In the distance, there was a flag hung among the large banyan trees and Yi Luo Restaurant was written on it. She thought to herself that the name sounded pretty good and seeing the word ‘restaurant’, she felt hunger pangs in her stomach. Ah Luo pursed her lips and swallowed. She still had not eaten the dishes of Lin Nan and quickening her pace, she walked over.
The restaurant was built next to the trees, built into the style of a stilted building and a spring flowed from the hill behind it. The lowest level was built on stilts on the rocks on the slope and it had a single tier of gable and hip wood eaves, an external terrace and corridor, windows with carved flower frames and cotton paper, exquisite and quaint. The green banyan trees shaded the small courtyard. The slopes of the hill were washed green by the spring. It not only prevented passing pedestrians from looking in but the view of the streets outside could be seen from within. Ah Luo fell in love with this place at first sight.
Fine water droplets landed on her cotton robe and with a smile, she walked in. She lifted the heavy curtains that were used to block the cold wind and a gust of warmth rushed out. There was a brazier set up inside the restaurant. The owner had meticulously thrown in a few citrus peels and a fragrance overflowed. With artworks hung in a scattered manner on the walls and zither placed in one corner, it was furnished elegantly. Ah Luo was a little curious about what kind of person the owner was.
It was probably past noon and there were not many people in the restaurant. There were only two or three tables of guests in the main area. She went straight to the window and sat down. Shortly after, a clear and pleasant voice spoke to her, “Young master, would you like tea or food and wine?”
Ah Luo was startled and raising her head, she saw a delicate and pretty girl who was about 20-years-old looking at her with a smile. “Are you the one who opened this restaurant?”
“My name is Ying Xiu.”
Ying Xiu? Ah Luo smiled slightly, “What a good name.” She had a good impression of this girl who had opened this restaurant. She could not help but deepen her smile, “I have just arrived in Lin Nan. Could I ask Miss Ying Xiu to recommend a few dishes? Just two or three of your best dishes, and do you have rice wine? Could you warm up a pot for me?”
Ying Xiu’s heart skipped a beat. This young master in front of her spoke in such a gentle manner yet his tone was not one that could be refused. When had such a uniquely graceful young master come to Lin Nan? Compared to the piece of ice nearby, this person had a smile that bloomed like spring flowers. She could not help but turn her head to the side.
Ah Luo saw that Ying Xiu was slightly stunned, having turned her gaze to the side, so she followed her glance and was secretly surprised. It was said that the five noble sons of Feng City were all able and virtuous, yet Lin Nan was not bad either. She had casually walked into a random restaurant yet had encountered an excellent variety that did not lose to them.
As though feeling the gazes, that other man turned his head and glanced at Ying Xiu who blushed slightly, shaking her head a little. That man looked again at Ah Luo and was startled. It seemed like a person carved from jade!
Ah Luo’s and that man’s eyes met and despite the burning brazier in the restaurant, she felt a cold breeze. She furrowed her brows slightly. She smiled and said to Ying Xiu, “Could it be that Miss did not catch it? Just two or three small dishes and a pot of hot wine will do.”
Ying Xiu blushed suddenly and hurriedly said, “Please wait Young Master, Ying Xiu will go and prepare now.”
She quickly walked towards the counter and instructed the staff hastily. Ah Luo could not help but feel proud, it was a good thing to be born pretty. Entering a restaurant caused the owner to personally come and wait on her. She secretly thought to herself that she could show off to Xiao Yu again when she returned.
Not long after, Ying Xiu personally took the tray from the waiter and lightly placed down three small dishes and a pot of hot wine, gently saying, “This is stir fried winter bamboo shoots, stewed rabbit meat, and deep fried small river fish. All of the produce is local and the wine is brewed exclusively in this restaurant and is called Li Ren Zui, available only during winter. The warmed wine is fragrant and strong with a long lasting aftereffect. Young Master, please don’t drink too much.”
Ah Luo was very surprised that this Yi Luo Restaurant seemed to be a good place. She could not help but be somewhat interested in Ying Xiu and asked, “Miss, do you have some time? Could you tell me about the local specialties?”
Surprise appeared in Ying Xiu’s eyes and it seemed like her eyes glanced at the person over the other side. She smiled and said, “As long as I won’t be disturbing the Young Master.”
“Greetings Young Master, I heard that this is your first time in Lin Nan. If you don’t mind, perhaps I can explain it to you?”
Ah Luo saw that it was that icy handsome man interrupting. She turned her eyes to Ying Xiu’s reddened face. It seemed that this owner was interested in this icy man. She did not know what the icy man meant when he interrupted just then. She smiled and said, “Very well. I had only just come to Lin Nan, yet the people here are all so enthusiastic.”
As soon as she said this, Ying Xiu’s face reddened even more and she hurriedly said, “Please take your time Young Masters, Ying Xiu still has guests to take care of.” After saying this, she left quickly.
The icy man sat down and said, “My name is Gu Tian Xing. I wonder what this Young Master name is?”
Ah Luo was shocked. It turned out that this was one of Feng City’s five noble sons, the son of the Right Minister, Gu Tian Xiang. He was someone that she had never seen before and it seemed that he had been in Lin Nan. Her head turned a few times before she said, “My name is Cheng Jin and I came from Feng City to Lin Nan to visit relatives, it is my first time here. I do not know what is unique about these three dishes, so, Brother, please explain.” After speaking, she reached out with her chopsticks to eat, pouring another cup of wine and drinking it. Her mouth was filled with fragrance and her stomach felt even hungrier so she could not help eating a few more mouthfuls. Suddenly, she thought that this was not right and she hurriedly raised her head, smiling at the icy man and saying, “Walking around the city all day has made me hungry. Brother, why don’t we eat together while talking?”
A smile formed on the icy man’s mouth and he did not refuse, pouring a cup of wine to drink as he slowly said, “These winter bamboo shoots are hard to find. In the winter, bamboo shoots are hidden in the ground and cannot be seen. Only experienced people living in the mountains would know where to find them. Without experience, you would not be able to find even one shoot after digging for a whole day. I heard that one method was to look at the shadow of the top of the bamboo. Right underneath the tip of the bamboo will be where the bamboo shoots are, though not every bamboo tip has shoots under it. Fragrant, sweet, and crisp, stir frying them is the best.”
Ah Luo nodded and ate a few bites of the bamboo shoots. They were truly fragrant, sweet, and crisp. She was happy to have heard something so interesting and she toasted Gu Tiang Xiang. With her eyes wide open, she continued to listen to him.
Seeing Ah Luo’s eyes, Gu Tian Xiang felt startled and could not help but feel a slight familiarity, though he was unable to recall why. The reason why he had come over to talk was because one, he saw that Ah Luo was charming and he inwardly praised this, and two, the situation between the two empires was becoming increasingly tense as of late. Hearing that this was the first time she had come to Lin Nan, he deliberately wanted to test her. Taking a sip of wine, he said slowly, “Rabbit meat can be found anywhere, yet the rabbits of Lin Nan are different. It is not easy to catch such wild mountain rabbits. They are smaller than normal rabbits and even after finding a rabbit burrow, they cannot be caught. After marking the hole of the burrow, look around nearby and there will be two other small holes within two metres. Seal them both, then smoke the first hole and open a net to wait for them. If the rabbits are startled when the other two holes are sealed, they will quickly flee without waiting for you to set up the net. Hence, it usually takes two or three people to catch a single rabbit.”
Ah Luo smiled and said, “So it turns out that cunning rabbits really have three burrows. I wonder if a martial artist would be able to catch rabbits easily?”
Gu Tian Xing was shocked and said to himself, could it be that she recognised me? Does she know I can do martial arts? He had doubts in his heart and he always thought over things a bit too much. He said lightly, “If it was Tian Xiang who went to catch a rabbit, it would not be able to escape my hands no matter how cunning it was.”
Ah Luo felt that there was a hidden meaning in his words, yet she was unable to understand it at this time. With a smile, she said, “If Master Gu went to catch rabbits, it would be overkill. What’s the background behind this deep fried small river fish?”
Gu Tian Xiang’s testing words were easily dismissed by Ah Luo and his doubts deepened further. Who was this young man with such a calm, composed manner and clear jade-like complexion? He had been in the army for many years and he had an unnatural murderous aura surrounding him. Whenever he glanced at ordinary people, they would become too frightened to speak. This pair of eyes in front of him were so crystal clear and lively, yet it was obvious that there was no internal force. What was his background to be able to ignore this murderous aura? Gu Tian Xian made up his mind to investigate Ah Luo. Then he continued, “This kind of small river fish is also called rockfish and cannot be caught with a net. In the shallow waters at night, illuminate the surface of the water with lanterns and when the fish are resting on the rocks, with fast eyes and hands, catch them one by one. During the day, they are slippery and swim without stopping. Also, as they are as small as fingers, they are difficult to catch.”
Ah Luo gave an ‘oh’ and pretended to be surprised. This Gu Tian Xiang seemed to know everything about things in Lin Nan. His mind must be meticulous, otherwise, how could he pay such attention to detail? He had finished talking and the food was almost gone, yet she saw that he had no intention of leaving. Did he recognise her? This was obviously impossible as they had never met before and portraits from three years ago were not photographs, so how similar could it be? Ah Luo did not know for what purpose Gu Tian Xiang wanted to talk to her. As he was the general of the South Navy, it was natural that he was capable to an extent. Ah Luo thought carefully. Seeing as he was not leaving, he sought topics related to food for discussion, such as full bamboo banquets, five ways to eat rabbit, and full fish banquets, talking exaggeratedly about topics related to these three dishes.
Gu Tiang Xiang became more and more surprised. Cheng Jin was only 17 or 18 years old, yet she seemed so well-informed. The banquets she talked about were not something that commoners could have eaten. He carefully asked, “Has Little Brother travelled to many places? You seem very knowledgeable and it’s truly admirable!”
Ah Luo pursed her lips and thought that if she was to talk about Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, from the tableware to the ingredients, it was likely that his eye would fall out. It was not that she was knowledgeable, it was just that she had lived around 20 years longer. With a light laugh, she said, “I just enjoy eating and some of them are only things I had heard. I am just having fun talking to Brother.”
“I like listening to Young Master talk about interesting things. I wonder if Young Master would be willing to sit with me for a while longer? In this weather, it is an honour to meet someone as talented as Young Master and to be able to have such an extraordinary conversation.”
Ah Luo thought that if it was not for the fact that she knew his identity, she would have left ages ago, yet now she did not dare to. Since she was idle anyway, there were a great many things she could chat about and she could talk for a thousand and one nights. Besides, if they chatted well, perhaps she would be able to learn more about the situation in the city. At that moment, Ah Luo and Gu Tian Xiang talked about anything and everything from things that flew in the sky to things that swam in the water, discussing all the various interesting customs and products of each empire.
Gu Tian Xiang’s eyes widened the more he listened and the coldness in his eyes gradually disappeared slightly, replaced by curiosity and admiration. No matter where the conversation turned, Ah Luo looked at him frankly and she understood everything about Feng City clearly. Her Feng City accent was fluent and affable, and Gu Tian Xiang finally believed that this Cheng Jin was not a spy from the enemy. He laughed loudly and said, “Brother and I really get along well. I wonder how long Brother will stay in Lin Nan? If you will be here for a long time, come chat and drink with me often.”
Having drunk Li Ren Zui, Ah Luo was slightly drunk and smiled inwardly. From Young Master, to Brother, to Little Brother, this Gu Tian Xiang had asked about Feng City rather quickly, likely wanting to test whether she was being truthful about her background. Ah Luo recalled the registration book she had filled out when entering the city and said to herself that there was no way he would see her as a spy from the enemy empire. At this time, Gu Tian Xiang had cleared his suspicions and the two of them talked more naturally.
Gu Tian Xiang relaxed his mind and aside from never mentioning military affairs, he liked Ah Luo’s candid opinions more and more. Looking at the colour of the sky, it had gotten late without them knowing and he slowly got to his feet, clasping his hands in front of his chest in a slight bow, “Tian Xiang still has things to do, so I will leave first. When I have time, I will talk and drink with Little Brother again.”
Ah Luo smiled in return. Alone, she walked back slowly.
At the eastern part of Lin Nan City, in the study in the backyard of the military office, Liu Ying reported quietly, “The Third Miss walked around the city for a long time and stared at the wharf outside the south city gate for ages.”
Liu Jue thought for a while, then said, “Did she explore the waterway?”
“She watched it for a while, but did not ask anyone anything.”
“And then?”
Liu Ying hesitated slightly and Liu Jue turned around, saying lightly, “Need me to ask a second time?”
Liu Ying hurriedly said, “At 12:30pm, she went into Yi Luo Restaurant and met General Tian Xiang. They drank and chatted happily at the same table. They left around 3-5pm, General Tian Xiang returning to the military base and Third Miss returning to Chang Le Restaurant.”
When had she met Gu Tian Xiang? Wow, how was she a daughter of a noble family?! Liu Jue was slightly jealous and suddenly asked, “With Tian Xiang’s eyesight, he did not realise that she was a female?”
“This…” Liu Ying hesitated again. Liu Jue wondered and said, “Has she changed a lot? The painting by the Ge forces had shown her face was slightly longer, though her eyes were still the same as before, otherwise they would not have recognised her.”
“My Lord, according to the Ming forces, the mannerisms of the Third Miss were no different than that of a man. Wearing a long robe that did not reveal her neck in the winter and coupled with her young age, those who do not know would not easily realise it was a female.”
Liu Jue sighed softly, “I see. Keep following her. If she meets up with General Tian Xiang, instruct the Ming forces to stay a little further away and remember Tian Xiang must not find out.”
He stared fixedly out of the window where a winter plum flower was blooming and the nearby narcissus flowers were graceful. Several tall begonia trees had been planted and were covered with red flowers, the fragrance spreading everywhere. He remembered that day when he interrupted Ah Luo as she was viewing the flowers and admiring the scenery, angering her. It seemed like she was a flower lover. When he had gone to the Begonia Garden, there had been a begonia in the courtyard. In tears, Minister Li had told him that when Ah Luo was six, she had made a poem that said begonias care not for their rouge color, standing independently in the fine misty rain. It seemed like she liked begonias too. Liu Jue was idiotically entranced. He instructed Liu Ying, “Go to the navy’s military base and find General Tian Xiang. Tell him I am inviting him to have a drink after military affairs are finished.”
