Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 93

“How is it? Is the Dragon Boat Festival banquet at the palace good? What kind of dishes do they have?”

Jiang Miao, deeply envious of the palace banquet, can’t stop asking Pei Che as soon as he arrives. Pei Che attended the banquet last night and, after spending a bit of time at home this morning, came here.

Pei Che gives him a helpless look and replies, “There are twenty-eight dishes in total, including cold and hot dishes, as well as various snacks. Among them are knife-cut tea cakes, He Yi pastries…”

As he speaks, Jiang Miao nods along, and by the time Pei Che finishes listing all twenty-eight palace dishes, Jiang Miao is finally satisfied.

Jiang Miao nudges Pei Che’s arm with his elbow and teases, “You’re such a hypocrite. Didn’t you say before that you couldn’t remember the palace banquet food? You even said my cooking is better than the palace banquet. If you don’t like it, how can you remember all twenty-eight dishes so clearly, even down to the ingredients, without missing a single one?”

“Who was it again that told me to carefully observe the food at the palace banquet to satisfy his commoner curiosity? Well, is your curiosity satisfied now?” Pei Che snorts, clearly displeased with Jiang Miao’s behavior of pulling the plank after crossing the bridge.

Only heaven knows how embarrassed he is yesterday. While the other sons of noble families at his table chat away, he silently memorizes the dishes on the table. While they compose poetry, he stares at untouched food being taken away from other tables, feeling it is a waste. And when they admire the flowers and moon, he anxiously watches the maids carry in more dishes, praying they won’t bring out even more.

Such behavior naturally draws attention, and he even overhears the Marquis of Wuning’s son quietly asking someone if the Duke of Zhongguo’s household has fallen on hard times lately.

And the culprit behind all of this is now teasing him—how can he swallow his frustration?

“Huh? Is that me?” Jiang Miao chuckles sheepishly, pretending not to understand. Seeing Pei Che’s handsome face clouded with annoyance, he quickly changes the subject, “You have no idea—I taught Xiao Mu to speak yesterday!”

Pei Che immediately forgets his earlier frustration and jumps to his feet. “You taught Mu’er to speak? Did he say anything? What did he say?”

“Calm down, a house isn’t built in a day, and speech can’t be learned in one day either. Mu’er is like a baby just learning to talk. You have to be patient and teach him slowly,” Jiang Miao explains, understanding Pei Che’s excitement but knowing he has to temper it. Otherwise, the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Pei Che takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. He sits back down and says, “I’m too impatient. But does Mu’er really need to start all over again? He used to speak before.”

Jiang Miao replies, “When he first learned to speak, he was still very young. Even though he could say some words, it was just him mimicking adults. It didn’t mean he had fully grasped the ability. Also, his voice has been silent for years now. You mentioned before that in recent years, he even stopped crying out loud, only shedding silent tears. If something isn’t used often, its function deteriorates. It’s like a kitchen knife—if you don’t sharpen it regularly, it becomes so dull it can’t cut anything.”

Pei Che gives Jiang Miao a cryptic look. When Jiang Miao sees that he doesn’t respond, he asks, “What’s wrong? Did I say something you didn’t understand?”

Pei Che shakes his head. “Some of your words sound strange, but I can mostly grasp what you mean. I just think that sometimes, it feels like you know a lot more than you let on.”

“Haha,” Jiang Miao laughs awkwardly. “Really? I’m just talking nonsense. You’ve just never heard these things before, so they seem unusual to you. Ah, it sounds like something’s ready in the kitchen. I’ll go check.”

Pei Che chuckles softly, watching Jiang Miao hurriedly retreat. It reminds him of the saying, *“There’s no three hundred taels of silver hidden here.” He knows Jiang Miao has secrets, but they are tightly wrapped up. Every time he feels like he can’t uncover them, a small hint slips out unexpectedly.

(*refers to a well-known Chinese idiom. It comes from a humorous story about a man who, after burying 300 taels of silver in the ground, put up a sign saying “There are no 300 taels of silver buried here,” which ironically made it obvious that the silver was hidden there.)

This contradiction makes Pei Che intensely curious every time he is with Jiang Miao. It’s the same feeling Jiang Miao probably has when faced with delicious food.

 … 

Pei Che returns to the Imperial Academy, signaling the end of the Dragon Boat Festival. However, people’s enthusiasm for zongzi hasn’t faded.

Although they no longer buy many at once, zongzi still makes for a popular breakfast item, keeping the customers satisfied.

To keep the business going for a long time, Jiang Miao makes a trip back to Jiangjiawan, where he picks more zongzi leaves. This time, after washing the leaves, he boils them before letting them dry in the sun, so they can be stored for a long time.

Although this method slightly diminishes the color and fragrance, the zongzi wrapped with these leaves are still delicious.

The weather in the fifth month of the lunar calendar has already taken on the heat of summer. A heavy rain a few days earlier soaks the land and everything on it, granting Jiang Miao and the others a rare, peaceful night’s sleep.

Although the house is nice, it is still a bit small, making the interior feel stifling. Even though Jiang Miao has long laid bamboo mats on the bed, it does little to ease the heat that seems to radiate from within.

Several times, after the two little ones wake up, their hair is soaked with sweat. Worried about any lingering odor, Jiang Miao has no choice but to wash their hair as soon as they wake up. At those moments, he deeply misses the short haircuts of modern times—just a quick dip in the water and it’s done, a towel rub, and it’s dry. It is not as complicated as it is now.

To prevent them from waking up in a sweat again, Jiang Miao makes a decision—they are going to move.

Previously, he hasn’t wanted to expose his identity, and a strange sense of pride has made him refuse to move into the Jiang family estate. But now, all of Liangjing knows that the owner of the small Jiang family shop is the future wife of the heir to the Duke Zhongguo. It doesn’t matter where he lives anymore.

In fact, there is another reason he hasn’t been able to make up his mind about moving—the neighbors in this courtyard. In his heart, Jiang Miao has always considered this courtyard a reflection of the one he grew up in. His happiest, most carefree days are when he lived in a large courtyard like this.

Whether it is Boss Bai’s family or Aunt Liu, they have all helped him greatly. Although the other neighbors aren’t as close, there is always harmony between them.

When Jiang Miao tells them about his decision to move, everyone feels a bit down, but mostly, they are happy for him and give their blessings. Jiang Miao accepts their well wishes and, before leaving, prepares small gifts for each household as a way to honor the time they have shared as neighbors.

The gifts for the Bai family and Aunt Liu are a bit more substantial. The two aunts wipe away their tears. In their hearts, they have come to care for Jiang Miao, this optimistic and hardworking young man, as if he were their own nephew.

With a mix of reluctance and nostalgia, Jiang Miao gathers all his belongings, along with Jiang Yu and Xiao Shitou, and moves into the Jiang estate. The once-empty residence finally welcomes its new master.

Steward Wu receives the news a couple of days earlier and prepares everything. He leads the entire household in cleaning the estate until it is spotless, and the flowers and plants inside are carefully trimmed to look fresh and lively.

Sleeping in the spacious, well-ventilated bedroom, Jiang Miao enjoys a peaceful night’s rest. The only issue is that, despite there being plenty of rooms, Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu still insist on sleeping with him.

In fact, Jiang Miao manages to persuade Xiao Shitou, who, although pouting unhappily, eventually agrees to sleep in a different room. Pei Mu, however, is more difficult. Whenever he doesn’t want to listen, he pretends to be deaf and mute, and even takes out the jade-carved little fish that has hung around his neck for so long, pretending to be the autistic child at the beginning.

Pei Mu is impossible to persuade, and naturally, Xiao Shitou won’t agree to sleep in another room either. So, the three of them end up sharing one room. Fortunately, the bed in the room is large enough, so they don’t feel cramped at all.

Pei Mu sleeps well and even makes a cozy nest for Xiao Baidian. He finds a finely woven rattan basket, lines it with a layer of soft cotton fabric, and places it in the corner of the room, so the cat can sleep with them.

Steward Wu is particularly attentive to the young master’s needs. He even has a carpenter come by to cut a small hole at the bottom of the door for Xiao Baidian to make it easier for him to go in and out. Jiang Miao is quite pleased with this arrangement as well. Cats are nocturnal, and if Xiao Baidian isn’t allowed to go out at night, it would definitely start zooming around the house.

After moving into the new home, Jiang Miao goes to the Imperial Academy to bring Pei Che some food and casually mentions the move to him. Pei Che is surprised and says, “I thought you wouldn’t move out.”

“How could I not?” Jiang Miao teases with a smile. “The dignified heir of the Duke’s household has slept on the floor several times already. How could I let you keep doing that? Now there are plenty of rooms—sleep wherever you like.”

“Can I sleep in your room too?” Pei Che jokes, his eyes fixed on Jiang Miao, not missing a single reaction.

At this, Jiang Miao sighs and glances at Pei Mu, who is playing nearby. He leans in close to Pei Che and whispers, “Don’t even mention it. Your kid and my Xiao Shitou are so clingy. Despite all the rooms, they insist on squeezing into mine. And you want to sleep in my room? Dream on.”

Pei Che looks at Jiang Miao, who is quietly complaining, and a trace of frustration flashes in his eyes.

“They’ll eventually have to sleep on their own. In just a short while, it’ll be June 20th. By then, they definitely can’t be sleeping in your room,” Pei Che hints.

Jiang Miao is confused. “What’s so special about June 20th?”

Pei Che looks at him in disbelief. “Are you really forgetting, or are you just pretending not to know?”

“Huh?” Jiang Miao scratches his head. June 20th… June 20th! “Oh, that’s why the date sounded so familiar!” Jiang Miao suddenly realizes. “Isn’t that the wedding date we set earlier?”

Pei Che snorts coldly. “At least you still remember.”

“You,” Jiang Miao says, not the least bit guilty, instead sounding righteous, “if I forgot, couldn’t you have reminded me? I’m busy with business all day long, so it’s normal for me to forget things like this. I used to even forget my own birthday!”

“Fine!” Pei Che grits his teeth. “Master Jiang, the great head shopkeeper, you sure are forgetful. From now on, I’ll remember all the important things. How about that?”

Jiang Miao looks at his stern face and only belatedly realizes what is going on. He leans over and asks, “Are you mad?”

Pei Che picks up a book and holds it in front of his face, not wanting to pay attention to Jiang Miao.

“Really mad?” Jiang Miao is both surprised and amused. This sulking look of his really resembles how Pei Mu acts when he is upset.

Pei Che’s eyes are glued to the book as if he is seeing it for the first time, even though he has already memorized it.

“Don’t be mad,” Jiang Miao tries to make peace. “I’ll write down all the important dates in a notebook from now on, so I won’t miss anything important for you. How’s that?”

Pei Che’s sense of frustration doubles.

“How about this, I’ll help you relax?” Jiang Miao offers. Pei Che immediately looks up at him, but before he can react, Jiang Miao continues, “You scholars spend all day hunched over books—your neck and shoulders must be stiff. Let me give you a massage. I promise you’ll feel much better afterward. How about it?”

And so, Pei Che is reluctantly treated to a shoulder and neck massage. To his surprise, after it is over, his usually tense body actually feels somewhat relaxed.