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墨書 Inktalez
A chance encounter with a patient did not bring any changes to Qin Yaru's life.
As Duan Yang passed, the weather grew hotter. Qin Yaru had not suffered through the sweltering heat for many years. Even though Wudang County was nestled among mountains and rivers, it was still unbearably stuffy. Before dawn, she found it hard to sleep in the heat and had no choice but to rise early.
After washing her face and head with cool water and starting a fire to cook, she suddenly heard a knock at the door. Qin Yaru was taken aback—who could be visiting at such an early hour?
Chen Family Village was accustomed to working from sunrise to sunset; the villagers would not visit others' homes so early unless it was something important!
After a moment of thought, Qin Yaru peeked through the crack in the kitchen door towards the yard. In the dim light, she carefully observed that it was Matriarch Fang from the Fang Family standing outside the gate.
Qin Yaru was startled; Fang's complexion did not look good at all, with dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept all night.
Perhaps hearing the commotion, Fang stood at the door with a worried expression and called out loudly, "Qin Yaru! Qin Yaru! Are you home?"
Quickly tidying her hair and adjusting her clothes, Qin Yaru hurriedly went out to open the door, smiling as she said, "Aunt, what brings you here? Come in and sit down; I'll make some tea."
"Don't bother," Fang immediately grasped Qin Yaru's hand. "Qin Yaru, I came today because I have something to ask of you. If you can't help us, my uncle and I will truly be left with no way out!"
Qin Yaru was taken aback. "Aunt, what do you mean by that? How could I possibly bear such a request from you? What is it? If it's within my ability, I will certainly not refuse!"
Fang grimaced as she said, "You know that recently many areas in Jiunzhou have suffered disasters. Wudang has also been affected. Although there haven't been any refugees coming here yet, there are signs that you should be able to see."
Qin Yaru nodded. Wudang was relatively fine since it was near water. However, other places in Jiunzhou had experienced two consecutive years of severe droughts; life had become very difficult for the people. Even in Wudang, there were many poor individuals from other regions coming to seek a living on the streets.
"Because of this, yesterday, a special envoy responsible for disaster relief arrived in Wudang County. He is a noble from the capital and reportedly a Marquis."
At this point, the Fang Family shook their heads repeatedly. "The disaster has passed for over half a year, yet the special envoy only just arrived, and he came to our remote Wudang. I don't know what is wrong with these nobles!"
"This Marquis is quite picky; he looks down on all the food from Wudang County and often throws tantrums. In just two days, he has caused unrest throughout Wudang County. Our Wu County Magistrate spent a lot of money to find out that this Marquis loves Pufferfish above all else and wants to prepare a Pufferfish Feast to please him... Alas, the only ones who can prepare Pufferfish in Wudang County are the South City Head Chef and the North High Chef, but both of them are out of town."
The expression on the Fang Family's faces was particularly grim. "The Wu County Magistrate is offering five hundred taels as a reward to hire a chef to prepare Pufferfish. He has assigned this task to your second brother and warned that if he cannot serve the noble well, your second brother's future will be very difficult."
"Ah, Qin Yaru, your three uncles and I only have these two sons. Your second brother is not only studious but also rather foolish. The Wu County Magistrate has been in the officialdom for many years and has many connections; if he really wants to suppress him, even though your second brother has already passed the scholar examination, it will be extremely difficult for him to advance further. If it comes to that, I might as well die to avoid seeing my son suffer."
Qin Yaru frowned. In this era where everything is deemed inferior except for scholarly pursuits, even the slightest possibility of affecting her son's future was a significant matter for the Fang Family; no wonder she felt this way!
"It doesn't seem like it's the right time for Pufferfish..." Qin Yaru smiled bitterly. "So Aunt wants me to prepare this Pufferfish Feast?"
The Fang Family nodded gently. "Qin Yaru, you are well-read and knowledgeable... I wonder if you can do it?"
Her tone was quite hesitant, but time was pressing; the Wu County Magistrate needed to see a renowned chef who could prepare Pufferfish today. The couple had already searched yesterday but found no trustworthy chefs willing to take on the task. In this situation, Qin Yaru was practically their last hope.
After thinking for a while, Qin Yaru ultimately nodded—five hundred taels was no small sum! With this money, even if there were changes regarding Chen Wenyue's matter in the future, she would feel more secure.
The Fang Family immediately breathed a sigh of relief, feeling half their worries lifted. "Ordinary people might want to try it, but I can't believe it; if anything happens to the noble, even several lives wouldn't be enough to compensate. If you agree, Qin Yaru, that would be perfect."
Although Pufferfish is delicious, it is extremely poisonous. Many gourmets have died trying to eat Pufferfish, but common folk like them dare not let that noble take such risks.
If it weren't for the dire circumstances, the Fang Family would not have sought out Qin Yaru, as it is not an easy task.
It's just that others couldn't find anyone, but they knew Qin Yaru well enough. They understood that Consort Qin was steady in temperament and would never promise what she couldn't accomplish. Coming from a wealthy family, she was skilled in cooking and prepared exquisite meals. It was said that Teacher Qin was also quite good with Pufferfish, so she must be familiar with it.
Choosing her was certainly more reassuring than someone whose background was unknown.
After exchanging a few casual words and agreeing to meet at noon to check the ingredients, Qin Yaru sent the Fang Family on their way.
Sister Wang, upon hearing that Qin Yaru intended to prepare a Pufferfish Feast, was immediately alarmed. Although she wasn't terrified, she felt quite uneasy and kept asking questions despite Qin Yaru repeatedly emphasizing that she had done it several times and was confident. Still, Sister Wang found it hard to relax.
Qin Yaru couldn't help but smile wryly at the situation. She lamented how her past suffering had blinded her to the fact that this era was actually filled with simple folk. Neighbors shared strong bonds, almost like family. Even though there were a few hypocrites who spoiled others' moods, she shouldn't have lost hope. If she had been stronger back then, her fate wouldn't have led her to become Chen Wenyue's concubine, estranged from her beloved son, ending in depression.
As for handling Pufferfish, Qin Yaru wasn't particularly expert but had prepared it several times before. There was even Gao Feng who insisted on having Pufferfish at midnight once, demanding she cook in the dark. Given the current conditions, it seemed easy enough; she didn't think much of it. When the time came, she strolled over to the clan leader's house and asked him to lead her to see the ingredients.
Meanwhile, the male lead of the "Pufferfish Feast," Pang Yuan Ying, showed little interest in the grand banquet hosted by the county officials and appeared somewhat bored.
His surname was Pang, and his full name was Yuan Ying. The Pang Family was a prestigious scholarly family in the capital. Their ancestors were granted titles by the British nobility, and many descendants were outstanding. In this generation, there were two brothers in the Pang Family. Pang Yuan Ying's older brother inherited their ancestor's legacy; he was well-rounded in both literature and martial arts and displayed exceptional maturity for his age. However, Pang Yuan Ying was different; he was exceptionally handsome and held a higher status than his brother. He should have been a pride of the family but instead earned a notorious reputation as a troublemaker in his youth!
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