God was not in his favor, and it rained heavily.
Rong Xi woke up from his dream and heard the lingering sound of rain outside. For a moment, he felt sleepy again.
The wind and rain whipped up the window paper again, battering against the window frame with a loud flapping sound.
It would be nice if there was glass.
He opened his eyes and sighed again.
Rong’s house was located in a corner and still maintained its tranquility. But Mengshan County was in an uproar on a rainy night.
Cao Xianwei, who was in charge of the law, was suddenly detained and was waiting to be escorted to Shengjing. When flawless evidence was placed in front of him, he could no longer scream.
Qin Ke was dressed in mysterious clothes and had a stern face.
“If you reveal the mastermind, your life may be spared.”
A mere county magistrate in one city was simply unable to monopolize the method of smelting iron.
Not only that, they were hiding in Rong’s mansion before, and the county magistrate sent people to search from house to house, which must have been the order of the mastermind.
Cao Xianwei knew that the situation was over, and burst into tears, “I really don’t know; please spare me!”
Qin Ke actually had a guess in his mind about who the mastermind was, but he had no evidence in his hand. Seeing that the magistrate didn’t seem to be lying, it seemed that the mastermind was hiding deep.
Thinking of this, Qin Ke didn’t say anything more and just kept him in custody for the sake of his well-being.
The Magistrate of Mengshan County was dismissed overnight, causing all the county officials to remain silent.
The rain continued unabated until dawn. Judging from its intensity, it seemed like it would never stop.
Qin Ke and the other two took a carriage to Rong’s house as promised.
The three of them arrived, but Rong Xi was completely unaware. He was busy preparing ingredients in the kitchen.
When the Liu family’s grandfather and grandson saw their old friends coming, they all warmly welcomed them, introduced them into the main hall, and served them tea and snacks.
Qin Ke and Chen Chuangu had been staying here for about half a month and were already familiar with the place. Liang Siwen, on the other hand, looked around curiously, noting the dilapidated state of the house and sighing inwardly.
Having met Rong Xi the day before, he had noticed that the man had lost a significant amount of weight and no longer resembled his formerly plump self. Liang Siwen couldn’t help but surmise that Rong Xi’s life must be extremely frugal.
He was not injured, but Rong Xi was sent to a remote wasteland. Thinking about it carefully, he felt quite sorry.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Oljcu Vlkfc ibbxfv eq jcv rjk atja Tbecu Zjrafg Ebcu’r ojmf kjr rwlilcu jcv tlr fsfr kfgf mifjg. Ktf gjlc yftlcv tlw obgwfv j megajlc, gfoifmalcu tlr oluegf. Lf ofia atja tf tjv j ubbv yfjglcu jcv ugjmfoei jqqfjgjcmf.
He is no worse than Rong Lian, he thought to himself.
A sudden jolt of surprise ran through him. How can he be so deluded? Rong Lian is a renowned scholar from Shengjing, known for his handsome appearance and elegant demeanor, admired by many. How can Rong Xi even be compared to him?
He quickly lowered his head and stopped looking.
“Master Chen, Brother Chen, Liang Siwen.” Rong Xi saluted them one by one.
The three returned the favor.
Qin Ke grasped the cup and said casually: “Due to the previous situation, I concealed my name; please don’t blame me.”
Before Rong Xi could respond, his eyes were full of smiles, and his voice was soft, “I’m Qin Ke.”
Qin Ke’s name was known to everyone in the Wei Dynasty.
Rong Xi didn’t know whether to salute or not, so he continued: “You and I are friends. How much older I am, my other name is Sizhi, you can just call me brother Si.”
Chen Chuangu and Liang Siwen were both surprised.
He had never seen Prince Qin Ke be so amiable and approachable to anyone. Although Chen Chuangu also liked Rong Xi, it was strange to see this behavior from Qin Ke.
Rong Xi got off the donkey along the slope and said with a smile: “Brother Si.”
With honored guests at his doorstep, he naturally had to prepare a meal with the utmost care. By the time of the afternoon, the dining table was set, and the bowls and plates were arranged.
Steamed sea bass, mushroom stewed chicken, shrimp tofu, vegetarian stir-fried bean sprouts, soy sauce braised eggplant, paired with white soft polished rice, it was like a feast for the gods.
Liang Siwen sighed with each bite, exclaiming that this was far more delicious than the dishes at Jin Shi Xuan! No wonder Father had a poor appetite yesterday; it was all because of Rong Xi’s culinary skills.
The guests devoured the food with gusto, emptying the plates and still feeling unsatisfied.
Rong Xi felt quite satisfied when he saw it.
After eating, Qin Ke and the others were about to leave. Chen Chuangu held Rong Xi’s wrist with tears in his eyes and said, “I don’t know when I could see you again.”
As he was speaking, Liu Zishi arrived carrying a wooden box.
The wooden box was exquisite and beautiful, clearly crafted by Feng Shan.
“A little kindness.” Rong Xi explained with a smile, “This is white sugar.”
“White sugar?” Liang Siwen was the most curious and hurriedly opened it to take a look. There were several rows of white sugar in the box, all wrapped in sugar coating.
He took off the sugar coating and saw the crystal clear sugar!
“I’ve never seen white sugar, where did you get it?” Liang Siwen asked in surprise.
Not even Shengjing.
Qin Ke and Chen Chuangu looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking.
White sugar is rare and must be extremely precious. Rong Xi was able to give away so much, so he must have some connection to white sugar.
Young Master Rong became even more mysterious and unfathomable.
“Thank you, Young Master Rong, for the generous gift.” Qin Ke accepted it calmly.
But he asked again: “I saw a new stone mill in the courtyard. What is it used for?”
There were still some traces of soybean slurry on the stone mill, and Qin Ke had already seen it with his sharp eyes.
Logically speaking, tofu was a new product, and there were no tofu shops in the common people’s world yet. Almost no one knew how to make tofu, but the Rong residence had a stone mill specifically for grinding soybeans.
It was so obvious that Qin Ke could guess it.
Upon hearing this, Rong Xi smiled calmly and replied, “To be honest, I have a fondness for culinary research. I discovered the tofu recipe from an unusual book, and I would personally try it out during my leisure time. Fortunately, my experiments were successful.”
His tone was calm, without the slightest hint of nervousness, and it didn’t look like he was faking it.
“A strange book? What kind of strange book?” Liang Siwen always asked whenever he was puzzled.
Although Hu Yulin and Jiang Weiping heard about the strange book, they never asked about it. Qin Ke and Chen Chuangu also didn’t ask about it. The young boy Siwen, with his simple mind, stopped Rong Xi from asking about it.
Rong Xi paused for a moment, then replied apologetically, “It has been a long time, and I have forgotten.”
Qin Ke suddenly let out a light laugh. “After being treated so generously by Eldest Young Master today, I fear that nothing will taste good back in the capital. I wonder, Young Master Rong, do you have any plans to return to the capital?”
The tall man stood under the eaves of the corridor, the gray, hazy rain curtain further accentuating his noble appearance. His eyes were deep and serene, as if they could see into the depths of one’s heart.
There was a chill on Rong Xi’s back, and his heart was slightly shuddering.
The King of Qin County, known as “Yam Luo”, would never be as friendly and elegant as he appeared. Having gone through the flames of war, killed countless enemies, and had a deep mind, this man was more unpredictable than he imagined.
“Compared with the prosperity of Shengjing, I prefer the pastoral scenery.”
This was what he said from the bottom of his heart. He really had no intention of returning to Shengjing for the time being.
“Everyone has their own aspirations.” Qin Ke took a deep look at him, “Young Master Rong, I will take my leave now.”
The three of them walked away in the rain, and Rong Xi stood under the eaves of the corridor and watched for a long time.
“Young master, let’s go back to the house?” Liu Zishi asked in a low voice when he saw him frowning in thought.
“Return.”
If he was not mistaken, Qin Ke should already be aware that all these matters were related to him. However, he had never thought of concealing them further. Knowing or not knowing, as long as it did not violate the laws of the Wei Dynasty, he had nothing to fear.
In the carriage, Liang Siwen held the candy box and asked Qin Ke: “Father, can I have a taste?”
Qin Ke’s expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly. He did not have a sweet tooth, so he would leave the white sugar for Liang Siwen.
“Brother Si, do you also think that both sugar and tofu are made by Rong Xi?” Chen Chuangu asked with a smile.
Liang Siwen, his mouth still lingering with the sweetness of the candy, looked up at Chen Chuangu in surprise and confusion. “Uncle Chen,” he asked, “do you mean that Rong Xi made all of these?”
“We’ll find out when we get back.” Qin Ke replied.
He had already sent people to investigate secretly. There must be someone around Hu, Jiang, Duan, and Zheng who knew the secret.
Rong Xi didn’t seem to be trying to hide anything either.
“What if it is?” Chen Chuangu’s eyes curled up and he asked again.
Qin Ke rarely paid attention to such matters, but in the case of Rong Xi, he was different from his usual self.
“If so, he may know more about how to smelt iron; if not, these new things have their origins.”
What he needed most was the method of smelting iron.
The author has something to say:
I won’t write about the disputes in the court in detail~ Little cuties can make up their own minds (*^▽^*) Anyway, the county captain was arrested (〃’▽’〃)
Also, this book is fictitious. Historically, potatoes and corn were introduced to China from America during the Ming Dynasty . I may write about some crops later, some were introduced in the Ming Dynasty, and some were introduced in the Qing Dynasty. Don’t pay too much attention, little cuties~
Thank you for the translation 🙂
Thanks for the chapter!
I wonder if the ML is Qin Ke. I got a feeling for it. But he has a son so he must not be very young or maybe liang siwen is not his real son? Or this is an age gap couple? I can’t stop thinking about how rong xi is still only 16.. QAQ
Yes, he is the ML. He is older than Rong Xi 9 years old, and Liang Siwen is an adopt son.
He is 25??.. QAQ it’s okayy babygirll no one has to know. lol
Oh dang I didn’t know rong xi was ONLY 16 rn 😳 (me and my forgetful mind) had my mind going when liang siwen called qin ke ‘father’ like how old is liang siwen again 😩 9 year gap ain’t so bad but they will wait until rong xi is of age right…?
Yes, they wait until he is 18 LOL
In general, for the Middle Ages, 15 years is the normal age for a man to get married. So it could be historical accurate if he will be in “relationship” in that age
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
So in the scene where the ML is asking Rong Xi to call him Si-ge (brother Si), I thought they were in RX’s house…? It said before they he came out of the kitchen to greet them. And yhen it’s: “Rong Xi got off the donkey along the slope and said with a smile: “Brother Si”. Is that sentence some kind of a chinese metaphor or idiom I don’t get? 🤣 Sorry, I tend to imagine the scenes when I read, so this was very funny
You’re right. I will check and fix this
At the time I translated, I understood that Rong Xi went out of the house and sat on a donkey to meet them. I was so into the story that I didn’t recheck twice. I will check again and make the content more clear ^^
Sorry~ The previous reply was what I thought at first time. And then I read it again and understood the meaning but I forgot to put note on it. I just read again and finally I know what was going on LOL. It meant “luckily go with the flow”: Rong Xi didn’t want to be overly formal, but he also couldn’t be completely informal. Qin Ke assisted him by allowing him to adopt a less formal tone.
True, that would make sense! Thank you so much for the effort you are putting into translating this story, it’s such an enjoyable read, and the characters are really likable (at least the main ones)