The next afternoon, Liuya couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Liuxin, who was sitting across from her with a stiff expression.
Liuxin: "..."
The sound of abacus beads clicking echoed in the west courtyard for several days. During this time, Wen Ye deliberately chose some complicated questions to ask Madam Lu, always picking the busiest moments to do so.
After several such visits, Madam Lu finally told her that if she really didn't understand, she could leave the accounts to Liuya and Liuxin to calculate, as long as she made sure to have someone supervise them.
Liuya and Liuxin, who had already been working on the abacus for five or six days: ...
Not wanting to let Madam Lu down, Wen Ye took on the role of supervisor herself.
After seven or eight days of this, Wen Ye noticed the two of them looking utterly drained, their spirits as wilted as frostbitten eggplants. With a grand wave of her hand, she decided to treat them to some roasted lamb chops and pig trotters.
The roasted pig trotters she had wanted to eat the last time were never made because Xu Yuejia was present that day, and she had completely forgotten about them afterward.
Today was the perfect opportunity to make up for it.
Wen Ye gave them half a day off. The lamb chops had been marinated for several hours, just waiting to be grilled.
The pig trotters were also singed over the fire, brushed with honey, and rotated as they roasted.
After the snow stopped, a biting cold wind began to blow.
They roasted the food in the courtyard, with a charcoal brazier burning nearby, so it wasn't too cold.
In the east courtyard, Xu Jingrong, who had been buried in his books, suddenly sniffed the air. What was that delicious smell?
He put down his book and walked out of his room. Xu Jinglin, who lived next door, also poked his head out and whispered, "Big brother, did you smell that too?"
Though the scent came and went, he was certain he wasn't mistaken.
Xu Jinglin was a foodie, and even the faintest aroma couldn't escape his nose. He was already drooling, "It smells like roasted pig trotters or something."
The two brothers exchanged a glance and quickly huddled together, thinking they had avoided the maids and servants in the east courtyard, and sneaked out.
Following the scent, they made their way to the west courtyard.
The brothers crept along, taking a few wrong turns along the way, and finally arrived at the arched bridge just a few steps away from the west courtyard. However, they were spotted by the old woman guarding the moon gate.
At first, the gatekeeper thought it was just some servant from another courtyard wandering around, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was the young master and the second young master!
The gatekeeper hurried over to greet them.
Seeing someone approaching, Xu Jingrong immediately straightened up, imitating his father, Duke Xu, by placing his hands behind his back and puffing out his chest.
Xu Jinglin tried to mimic him, but his hands were too short, and his chubby little body made it impossible for his hands to reach behind his back.
Xu Jingrong deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Rise."
The gatekeeper nervously stood up.
Xu Jingrong then pretended to cough and said, "I brought Jinglin to pay our respects to Aunt Wen. Go and announce us."
The gatekeeper, not daring to refuse the young master's request, quickly bowed and hurried off to deliver the message.
Xu Jingrong and his brother stood outside the moon gate, both taking a deep breath. The aroma was indeed coming from the west courtyard. Besides the roasted pig trotters his brother had mentioned, there seemed to be roasted lamb chops as well?
In all his years, Xu Jingrong had spent about twenty days a month dining with his mother in the main courtyard. His mother preferred light flavors and believed that children should avoid overly spicy or salty foods.
Even when lamb chops or pig trotters appeared on the table, they were usually served in soups.
Xu Jingrong had long grown tired of this, but even when he didn't dine in the main courtyard, the kitchen in his own east courtyard wouldn't dare to prepare such dishes for him without his mother's permission.
Roasted lamb chops and pig trotters were rare treats for him and his brother, enjoyed only two or three times a year at most.
And even then, they were limited to no more than two pieces each.
The gatekeeper moved quickly, so the brothers didn't have to wait long. However, someone else was walking ahead of her.
Xu Jingrong recognized her as Yun Zhi, one of Aunt Wen's maids.
Yun Zhi approached and first bowed to the two of them before saying, "Young Master, Second Young Master, please follow me."
In the courtyard, the roasting of the lamb chops and pig trotters was halfway done. The sizzling fat dripped onto the charcoal, causing the flames to leap up, startling Tao Zhi, who leaned back in alarm.
Her mix of fear and eagerness to poke at the fire amused Wen Ye, who couldn't stop laughing.
Liuya and Liuxin, who were usually tense, found themselves relaxing under the constant banter between Wen Ye and Tao Zhi.
Wen Ye caught sight of two small figures approaching and stood up from her stool.
The maids in the courtyard immediately stood and bowed to Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin.
Wen Ye brushed the charcoal dust off her hands, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Have you finished reading the books I gave you, Young Master?"
Xu Jingrong: "..."
Aunt Wen really knew how to hit a sore spot.
He sighed and said, "Aunt Wen, you can just call me Jingrong from now on."
Being called "Young Master" sounded too formal, and he wouldn't be able to bring up his desire for roasted lamb chops so easily.
Wen Ye nodded, "Alright, as you wish."
Then, with a glance at the two brothers, she asked, "You two didn't come here to study, did you?"
Her courtyard was hardly the place for scholarly pursuits.
Xu Jingrong was still figuring out how to broach the subject when his younger brother blurted out, "Roasted lamb chops!" Xu Jinglin exclaimed eagerly, "And roasted pig trotters!"
Though only five or six years old, Xu Jinglin could already speak clearly. However, in his excitement, a drop of drool escaped, causing his voice to falter.
Xu Jingrong wanted to cover his brother's mouth, but it was too late.
His dignified image in front of Aunt Wen was ruined.
Wen Ye didn't hold back her laughter, roaring with amusement.
Xu Jingrong tried to maintain a stoic expression.
Wen Ye reached out and ruffled the younger boy's hair, saying, "You could smell it from that far away? Do you have a dog's nose or something?"
She knew they had sneaked over because they hadn't brought any maids or servants with them.
But she figured they probably thought they were being stealthy.
Fortunately, she had prepared plenty. To keep the courtyard warm, she had roasted two racks of lamb chops and an unspecified number of pig trotters, intending to share any leftovers with the servants in the west courtyard.
Even with the addition of these two brothers, there would still be more than enough.
However, the two had rushed out without their cloaks, so Wen Ye had Yun Zhi fetch two of her own cloaks for them to wear temporarily, to shield them from the wind.
Xu Jingrong, wrapped in a pink cloak, felt a bit awkward, but Xu Jinglin was too focused on the roasted lamb chops and pig trotters to care.
Wen Ye had also prepared some vegetables, skewered and ready to grill. These were meant to be a light accompaniment to the rich meat dishes.
Seeing that Xu Jinglin was practically drooling, Wen Ye had Tao Zhi grill a skewer of cabbage for him, brushed with a mild sauce, and handed it over.
This would tide him over for now.
Xu Jingrong, seeing his brother with food, quickly grabbed two skewers of greens and began grilling them, imitating Tao Zhi's actions.
Wen Ye didn't have Tao Zhi help him, letting him figure it out on his own. If he burned them, he'd have to eat them himself.
Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin shared a dislike for vegetables.
But today, the grilled greens tasted surprisingly good, nothing like the bland, unpleasant vegetables they remembered.
One skewer led to another, and they couldn't stop eating.
Soon, the roasted lamb chops and pig trotters were ready. With the two boys present, Liuya and Liuxin didn't dare to stay and eat.
Wen Ye knew she couldn't change the deeply ingrained habits of the two women, so she had Yun Zhi wrap up a quarter of the lamb chops and pig trotters for them to take back and share with their sisters.
With fewer people in the courtyard, Xu Jingrong, patting his half-full stomach, declared, "When I become a general, I'll make sure my soldiers get to eat like this too!"
Wen Ye, gnawing on a pig trotter handed to her by Yun Zhi, didn't even look up as she said, "Then you'd better hit the books."
Xu Jingrong waved his hand dismissively, "Studying is for people who want to be scholars. I'm going to be a great general!"
Wen Ye nodded, "Yes, a great general who can't even read the signs on the city gates, leading a group of illiterate soldiers. You could attack the wrong city and no one would even know."
Xu Jingrong's face turned bright red as he mumbled, "Then I'll just learn to read all the characters."
He refused to be a general who attacked the wrong city—that would be too embarrassing!
Wen Ye glanced at him and added, "Yes, a general who can only read but can't understand a single page of military strategy. The enemy could easily trap you and your entire army with a simple formation."
Xu Jingrong's face turned even redder as he exclaimed, "I'm not that foolish!"
Wen Ye finished gnawing on a pig's trotter, took a sip of floral tea, and after a brief pause, said, "Really? Then why is it that I've heard you rarely score well on your class tests?"
Having his shortcomings exposed, Xu Jingrong was both embarrassed and indignant. He channeled his frustration into his appetite, tearing off a piece of meat from a lamb chop.
Being a general is so hard... Oh well, this roasted lamb chop is delicious!
*
In the main courtyard, Madam Lu, who had been busy all day, finally had a moment to rest before dinner.
However, she noticed that her two sons, who were supposed to join her for the meal, were nowhere to be seen.
Only Xu Yuxuan was circling around her.
Madam Lu affectionately patted him and couldn't help but ask Nanny Xian, "Where are Jingrong and Jinglin?"
Usually, by this time, the two brothers would have already arrived at the main courtyard.
Nanny Xian replied, "I've already sent Qingxue to the east courtyard."
As she spoke, Qingxue returned.
Behind her was Nanny Dong, who served Xu Jingrong.
Nanny Dong bowed and answered, "Reporting to Madam, the young master and the second young master secretly left the east courtyard around mid-afternoon. I sent someone to follow them discreetly and saw that they eventually entered the west courtyard, so I decided not to disturb them."
Madam Lu was surprised, "They went to the west courtyard?"
She then asked, "Have they finished their homework?"
Due to the continuous heavy snowfall, Madam Lu, out of consideration for the elderly scholar who came to teach at the Duke Xu's residence, had specifically asked him to wait until the snow stopped before resuming lessons.
Therefore, for the past few days, Xu Jingrong and Xu Jinglin had been working on the assignments left by their teacher.
The two brothers weren't particularly gifted in their studies, and apart from coming to the main courtyard for dinner to accompany Madam Lu, they hadn't left their rooms these past few days.
Nanny Dong replied respectfully, "I checked, and the young master and the second young master had finished their homework before leaving the east courtyard."
Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to let the two precious young masters run off like that.
If anything were to happen to them, even if it was minor, the punishment for the servants would be unavoidable.
Madam Lu generally didn't stop the two brothers from going wherever they pleased after finishing their homework, as long as it wasn't dangerous.
However, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about them going to the west courtyard for no apparent reason.
Nanny Xian, who knew her mistress best, noticed Madam Lu's furrowed brows and, after thinking for a moment, offered her speculation: "I've heard that the second madam loves reading. Perhaps the atmosphere in the west courtyard is quite pleasant. The young master and the second young master might have thought that being around someone who loves reading would encourage them to study more."
As a servant, it was natural to say things that the master would like to hear.
"Is that so?"
Seeing that it was getting late, Madam Lu decided not to dwell on it any longer and instead said, "Those two boys are probably staying in the west courtyard for dinner. Let's not wait for them. Nanny Xian, give the order to serve the meal."
As soon as she finished speaking, a little figure rushed into her arms, calling out sweetly, "Auntie~"
Madam Lu smiled and asked, "What does Xuan'er want to say?"
Xu Yuxuan shyly replied, "Mother, I want Mother~"
Madam Lu then remembered that, in order not to disturb Wen Ye's studies and account-checking, she and her son hadn't seen each other for five or six days.
It was rare for Xuan'er to hold out until today before mentioning it.
In an instant, Madam Lu made a decision. She called out to Nanny Xian, "Don't serve the dishes yet. Pick out some good ones and come with me to the west courtyard."
This would be a good opportunity to see what those two boys were up to in the west courtyard.
Nanny Xian responded, "Yes, Madam."
Madam Lu led the way, with Ji Yinyin carrying Xu Yuxuan half a step behind, followed by two maids who also attended to Xu Yuxuan.
On the right were Nanny Xian, Qingxue, and Bai Mei.
The group made their way in a grand procession toward the west courtyard.
Meanwhile, the west courtyard remained completely unaware.
Xu Jingrong had already devoured several lamb chops and two pig's trotters, along with a bowl of the egg-fried rice that his aunt had mentioned. He was now so full that he sat on a small stool, leaning back with his hands on the ground, staring up at the sky, wishing he could roll around in the snow.
His appearance was anything but dignified.
Xu Jinglin, on the other hand, sat properly on his stool, but he ate slowly and had no one to serve him. He was still working on his first pig's trotter.
Just then, a maid guarding the inner gate rushed in to report, "Madam, the Duchess is coming to our courtyard with the young master!"
Before Wen Ye could fully process the maid's words, Xu Jingrong sprang to his feet like a carp leaping out of water, exclaiming, "What?! My mother is coming?!"
"Oh no, oh no! If Mother sees us like this, she's definitely going to be furious!" Xu Jingrong paced around in a panic, wishing he could grow wings and fly away.
He glanced down at Xu Jinglin, who was still blissfully gnawing on his pig's trotter, completely unaware of the impending danger. Xu Jingrong's heart sank like a stone.
His backside was surely going to suffer again.
