Old Lady Huo and Li Yishu, who knew the real situation, wore expressions that were a comical mix of laughter and tears, utterly speechless.
Li Yishu’s eyes darted, and a plan came to her. “Cousin, I heard my cousin-in-law has four personal maids attending to her. Yishu is all alone and doesn’t deserve such high standards. Perhaps Yishu should just stay in the main courtyard to keep Aunt company—”
Jiang Xingyan’s heart leapt with joy.
This was like dozing off and having a pillow appear.
She hadn’t expected Li Yishu to be so helpful proactively bringing up the four maids and saving her the effort.
She waved a hand magnanimously. “It’s no trouble. We can simply reassign those four maids away from the side courtyard.”
Li Yishu was stunned.
That’s not what I meant, Cousin!
Jiang Xingyan gave her no chance to argue. “Perfect. I’m concerned Little Ya might not adjust well to life in the military camp. Since those four often cared for her, she should be more familiar with them. They will all come with me to the camp.”
Old Lady Huo tried to object. “Ci’er, this—”
Yun Chunfeng interrupted. “General Huo, it’s getting late. You have morning court tomorrow. It’s time to return to the camp.”
Having solved a major problem, Jiang Xingyan felt incredibly lighthearted.
Yun-ge’er was becoming more and more agreeable, so perceptive.
“Yuzhu, go quickly and find the four maids—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Have them pack their bags, bring my military texts, and all of Little Ya’s necessities. We depart immediately.”
Yuzhu shot a terrified glance at Old Lady Huo. Seeing the old woman grit her teeth and nod, she hastily agreed and hurried out the door.
The miserable states of Baozhu and Jinzhu were constant reminders not to give the young general the slightest excuse for fault.
Even if the Old Lady hadn’t nodded, she would have had to go.
General Huo was truly terrifying!
She walked briskly, first going to notify the separate courtyard, then running to the side courtyard.
Seeing the wounds on Summer Breeze and Winter Sun’s faces hadn’t yet faded, she simply had them wear veils.
After all, their mistress was in her hands; she wasn’t afraid they’d talk out of turn.
All four women had grown wiser. The moment they entered, they made a show of being reluctant to part with “Jiang Xingyan,” to avoid raising anyone’s suspicions.
Jiang Xingyan spotted at a glance the bamboo tube containing the sealed divorce agreement on Summer Breeze’s back and nodded in approval.
“Good. All of you, behave properly. At the camp, don’t look around, touch things, or ask questions recklessly. If you violate military rules, this general will not be lenient!”
These words were all for Old Lady Huo’s benefit.
Sure enough, seeing “Huo Ci’s” businesslike attitude, Old Lady Huo relaxed.
The matter of the side courtyard… Ci’er would find out eventually.
But not now.
Once he and Shu’er had consummated their relationship and had a child, even if a fuss was made then, there would be limits.
Huo Ci kept his head down, looking utterly defeated.
But he also breathed a huge sigh of relief inside.
With Jiang Xingyan protecting those four maids, he would no longer be constrained.
In the current situation, the only way out was to break before you could build.
Huo Ci made up his mind, looking up with a burning gaze to watch Jiang Xingyan leave with the entourage.
The six of them piled grandly into the carriage.
Fortunately, the carriage was spacious, or they truly wouldn’t have fit.
With Yun Chunfeng present, no matter how excited the four maids felt inside, they didn’t dare show it, remaining silent one and all.
They had been chosen as Jiang Xingyan’s personal maids after Old Master Jiang arrived in the capital, so they didn’t know Yun-ge’er.
The night was deep, probably around 9 PM.
The carriage moved slowly, careful not to disturb the surrounding silence.
Suddenly, the aroma of food wafted into the carriage.
Jiang Xingyan hadn’t eaten her fill earlier, and coupled with Huo Ci’s substantial appetite, her stomach chose that moment to betray her with a loud rumble.
Her face flushed red with embarrassment.
Yun Chunfeng spoke up timely. “I hope the General doesn’t laugh, but with so many people in the manor earlier, I was too concerned with saving face and only ate a little. The smell from this stall is truly enticing. If I don’t have a bowl, I’m afraid I won’t sleep tonight.”
His words made the four maids chuckle, and even Jiang Xingyan couldn’t help a smile.
See? Yun-ge’er is so considerate.
She immediately called for the carriage to stop and, along with the driver, approached the small stall emitting the delicious smell.
It was selling wontons.
An elderly couple ran it, pushing a simple cart with some low tables and stools set to the side.
The stall was small but impeccably clean.
All the utensils had been wiped spotless by the old woman, without a trace of grease or water stains.
A pot of rich, milky-white bone broth bubbled away, and on a wooden tray were neatly arranged, plump little wontons.
A small ceramic dish nearby held chopped scallions and cilantro.
Salt, vinegar, chili oil, sesame oil—it had everything.
Usually, only the occasional late-night drinker would buy a bowl or two. The stall owners had never seen so many people at once.
They all swarmed over, startling the old couple.
The old man asked, trembling slightly, “Customers, what can I do for you?”
Yun Chunfeng produced a silver ingot from his sleeve.
“Eight bowls of wontons.”
The old man hurriedly waved his hands. “One bowl is ten coppers. This is far too much!”
Yun Chunfeng smiled faintly. “Consider it a deposit. General Huo has taken a liking to your wontons and is offering you a position supplying the military camp. Every afternoon, make as many wontons as you can and deliver them to the camp. General Huo will buy them all.”
The old man was stunned speechless.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to do.
“G-General Huo? The son of the old General Huo?”
Jiang Xingyan stepped forward and bowed slightly. “Indeed.”
The old woman came over and gave her husband a light pinch. “Noble guests are here! What are you standing around for? Get cooking!”
The simple old man numbly agreed and turned to busy himself.
The old woman naturally and calmly took the money, smiling and flattering them. “I said why my left eyelid kept twitching all day! So it was because I was going to meet the God of Wealth. Our son is a butcher. Every day he brings home some scraps of meat and bones nobody wants. We simmer them into broth and wrap wontons, earning what little we can. We are deeply honored the General doesn’t find it beneath him. Tomorrow we’ll definitely buy some good quality pork belly and make a proper batch to send over.”
Jiang Xingyan quickly said, “Please don’t overexert yourselves, elders.”
The old woman thanked them profusely while deftly helping her husband.
Soon, a steaming bowl of wontons was placed before Jiang Xingyan.
Before she could move, Yun Chunfeng skillfully added scallions, vinegar, sesame oil, and finally a heaping spoonful of chili oil, then pushed the bowl back to her.
Jiang Xingyan waved her hand in front of his eyes.
Was Yun-ge’er truly blind? He was more proficient than she was.
Yun Chunfeng didn’t react to Jiang Xingyan’s probing. He suddenly seemed to remember something, slapped his forehead, and pulled the bowl back.
Jiang Xingyan: ?
“General, please don’t mind me. I am too accustomed to serving the Jiang family’s young miss from the past and subconsciously seasoned it to her taste. I’ll eat this bowl myself.”
He stirred it with his spoon, then seemed to recall something, smiling fondly. “The young miss also loved wontons, with lots of chili oil. The Old Master worried it would hurt her spleen and stomach and limited her spice intake. Every day she would pester me to take her out secretly for a bowl of extra-spicy wontons. For this, I was punished by the Old Master more times than I can count. But… every time I saw the young miss’s pleading eyes, I could never harden my heart to refuse her.”
The memories Yun Chunfeng evoked made Jiang Xingyan’s nose sting.
Those carefree days seemed so distant.
More distant than her previous life.
Yet, thinking carefully, less than ten years had passed.
“Imperial Astrologer,” she said, her voice slightly thick, “please prepare a bowl like that for me as well. It sounds delicious.”