TATSD Chapter 36

They arrived early, and the Zhang household wasn’t particularly lively yet.

A maid passed by and saw Ji Wei but acted like she hadn’t. She was carrying a basin of clear water and hurried along.

Someone probably wasn’t awake yet, and she was rushing to attend to them.

Ji Wei led Liu Yimian to the main hall, which was empty. He found a young servant he didn’t recognize and asked him to notify the steward of his arrival.

After waiting for a while, Zhang Quan finally appeared, rushing over with a slightly angry expression.

“Why did you come so early? Just leave your things and be on your way. I’ve got a lot to do,” Zhang Quan called a maid over and motioned for her to take the oiled paper package from Ji Wei’s hand.

But Ji Wei avoided her.

“If the steward has business to attend to, by all means, please do. I’ll wait here,” Ji Wei said calmly, sitting down, unhurried, and staring steadily at the steward.

Zhang Quan, on the other hand, was not as composed. The day had only just started, and he was already juggling the kitchen’s breakfast orders and supervising the maids and servants in their duties for the masters.

If it weren’t for a servant stopping him earlier, he would have been helping the old master take his morning walk around the garden.

The old master had trouble with his legs, so every morning and evening, he needed to stroll around the courtyard. Zhang Quan usually accompanied him to keep an eye on him.

Thinking about this, he became even more annoyed with Ji Wei, feeling that this man had no sense of timing. His tone was sharp with impatience.

“Fine, wait if you want to,” he said, flipping his sleeves in frustration as he walked away.

“Brother Ji, do you think it’s okay to upset the steward like that?” Liu Yimian asked, a bit nervous. It was his first time visiting the Zhang family, and everything felt so new to him. Seeing Zhang Quan storm off only made his worries more apparent.

“It’s nothing. The stewards always had an issue with me. This is nothing new.”

The two of them sat in the hall for a long time, not knowing if they’d been forgotten or if it was intentional. Apart from the servant they saw earlier, no one else appeared, and not even tea was offered.

Ji Wei patted Liu Yimian’s hand reassuringly.

“Don’t worry.”

Zhang Mingyuan had a habit of rising early to study. His servant had already brought him washing water and tea before dawn.

He always drank a strong cup of tea in the morning to refresh himself before starting his studies.

About half an hour later, his servant Qingzhu came running in to inform him.

“Master Lu has arrived. Do you want to go see him?”

“Really? Has Brother Lu come?”

Zhang Mingyuan couldn’t hide his joy. He quickly put down his book and rushed to the door.

Sure enough, there stood Lu Yushu. However, Lu wasn’t the only one in the main hall; there were others, too.

“Brother Lu, what brings you here?” Zhang Mingyuan smiled and warmly greeted him, shaking Lu’s hand as he looked him over.

It had been almost three months since they last saw each other.

Growing up, things had changed. They no longer visited each other’s homes as often as they used to. Sometimes, they would stay over at each other’s places for half a month, but now, with the pressures of life and studies, they could only meet occasionally.

So, both were genuinely happy to see each other.

After exchanging greetings, Lu Yushu glanced at Ji Wei.

“Brother, who is this?”

“This is Mr. Ji Wei from West Alley. He’s had some dealings with my family and brings us food from time to time,” Zhang Mingyuan smiled as he spoke.

“You must have come early. You probably haven’t had breakfast yet, right? Why don’t you join us? Mr. Ji here is quite the cook; his food is hard to forget,” Zhang Mingyuan gave a small bow to Ji Wei, who returned the gesture along with Liu Yimian.

“Mr. Ji, you haven’t introduced the person beside you,” Zhang Mingyuan said, noticing the red mark on Liu Yimian’s forehead and pausing momentarily before quickly regaining his composure.

Unlike men and women, young male companions were less common but not unheard of.

Zhang Mingyuan had seen one before but didn’t expect that the person Ji Wei brought would be a young man.

“This is Liu Yimian,” Ji Wei said without elaborating further.

Zhang Mingyuan didn’t overthink it. Since the young man was with Ji Wei, they were connected. It wasn’t his place to ask more.

“I brought something today called doughnuts. Gentlemen, take a look—” Ji Wei unwrapped the oiled paper package, revealing the circular doughnuts inside.

Compared to fried doughnuts, baked doughnuts had a brighter color and looked more appetizing.

“Doughnuts? I’ve never heard of that before. What an odd name,” Zhang Mingyuan examined the doughnuts and made a gesture, seeking Ji Wei’s permission to take one.

“Of course, you both should try them,” Ji Wei said.

As soon as Zhang saw Lu Yushu and heard him referred to as Brother Lu, Ji Wei immediately guessed the young guest’s identity.

It was likely the son of the county magistrate.

Who else could Zhang Mingyuan treat with such warmth and familiarity?

Zhang handed the paper bag to Lu Yushu first, letting him take one before choosing one for himself. Eager to try, he took a bite.

After last time’s experience with the biscuits Ji Wei brought, Zhang had been curious about these new doughnuts. But out of pride, he hadn’t wanted to ask directly.

As soon as he tasted this new flavor, he couldn’t help but squint slightly, savoring it and slowing down his chewing to enjoy every bite.

Lu Yushu and Zhang Mingyuan exchanged glances, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes.

“Mr. Ji, you never fail to surprise me each time we meet.” The last time he saw Ji Wei was when he first brought over butter cookies. Since then, the cookies had been sent directly to his house, and he hadn’t seen Ji Wei again.

“This is a special recipe I developed for doughnuts—soft and sweet, even suitable for Old Master Zhang.” Ji Wei made a point to mention the subject that had come up before, though he had only been sending cookies because he hadn’t had time to make the doughnuts.

Now that he had finally created a treat suitable for both young and old, he wasn’t about to miss the chance to earn some favor with Old Master Zhang.

“Mr. Ji, you’re very thoughtful,” Zhang Mingyuan said, thanking him on behalf of his father.

Listening to this, Lu Yushu sensed something was off.

“These doughnuts and the cookies before… they were all made by Mr. Ji?” But if that was the case, why had a student from the academy named Wen Xuan also been selling something similar?

“Indeed!” Zhang Mingyuan, excited, pulled Lu Yushu to sit down. “My father even praised Mr. Ji last time. You know Father rarely compliments anyone.”

This surprised Lu Yushu.

“But a few days ago, I saw someone at the academy selling something called ‘cookies.’ Mr. Ji, do you know anything about this?”

Ji Wei smiled slightly. “I noticed his family was struggling and that he had no means to make a living, so I hired him to help promote my goods at the county school. It seems he’s doing a great job.”

“The students are practically fighting over them—it’s working very well,” Lu Yushu said, a rare smile breaking across his usually stoic face.

He had been impressed by Ji Wei’s ingenuity, but after hearing Ji’s explanation, he couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for him.

“I also placed an order. When will it be ready?” Lu Yushu asked.

“It’ll take another two or three days.”

“Gentlemen, take a look at this.” Ji Wei pushed a jar of jam in front of Zhang Mingyuan. “This is hawthorn jam. It’s tangy and sweet, perfect for whetting the appetite. Why not try dipping the doughnuts in it? It’s a whole different experience.”

Zhang Mingyuan took the jar and, along with Lu Yushu, dipped their doughnuts into the hawthorn jam.

The combination of sweet and tangy flavors exploded on their tongues, the intense taste like a wave crashing over them. It made Zhang Mingyuan feel a pang of hunger he hadn’t expected.

“Strange! I woke up early this morning with a bitter taste in my mouth and no appetite, so I usually only eat two meals a day. But just after two bites of this doughnut dipped in jam, I suddenly have the urge to feast. Mr. Ji, you’re truly remarkable!” Zhang Mingyuan’s words were full of genuine admiration.

Ji Wei deflected the praise modestly and then asked if Zhang Mingyuan had been busy lately.

“Not really. I mostly stay home reading. Sometimes, when I get bored, I take a walk around the courtyard. I hardly ever leave the house. I’m always hoping Brother Lu will come to visit me,” Zhang Mingyuan glanced at Lu Yushu, who gave a wry smile.

“Brother, I also wish I had more time to see you.”

“Scholar Zhang, if you’re free, could I trouble you to offer some guidance to my younger brother?” Ji Wei said as he pulled Liu Yimian to his feet, walking over to Zhang Mingyuan and bowing to him.

Liu Yimian, who had been sitting quietly, was so nervous he didn’t dare make a sound. Now that Ji Wei had pulled him up, his heart was racing, and his mind went blank. He could barely speak.

Is Brother Ji asking Scholar Zhang to be his teacher?

Liu Yimian was so overjoyed he nearly fainted.

“Hm?” Zhang Mingyuan was a little confused.

“My younger brother loves to read and has a strong desire to learn. Unfortunately, I’m not a scholar myself and can’t offer him much guidance. I wanted to send him to the academy, but I feared he’d be rejected. It’s been a difficult situation.”

“I humbly ask Scholar Zhang to offer him some guidance,” Ji Wei said, bowing deeply, showing the highest form of respect. Zhang Mingyuan quickly stood up to help him, not daring to accept such a grand gesture.

“Please, Mr. Ji, this is no trouble at all. If there’s any difficulty, you can always ask me at the Zhang household.”

“But I worry I’ll disturb your studies…”

“It’s no bother at all. I get bored sometimes, and having someone to talk to would be a relief!” Zhang Mingyuan was straightforward and honest, not one to keep things to himself, and readily agreed.

“We wouldn’t want to impose on you every day. How about this: every three days, I’ll have Yimian bring some food, and perhaps you could offer him a few pointers. Would that work?”

“Of course, no problem at all.”

“Thank you very much, Scholar Zhang.”

After Ji Wei finished speaking, he gave Liu Yimian a gentle nudge, bringing him out of his daze.

Still, in a fog, Liu Yimian muttered his thanks. As they were about to leave, he pinched his arm and asked, “Brother Ji, am I dreaming?”

“You silly boy, it’s real. Scholar Zhang is now your teacher. If you have any questions, you can ask him.”

Liu Yimian was so happy that his feet barely touched the ground as he walked. He couldn’t help but cling to Ji Wei’s arm, and though it drew some attention, Ji Wei let it go since Liu Yimian was overjoyed.

“Wait!” Just as they reached the door, a servant came running over.

“Is something the matter?”

“My young master said that since he’s eaten your food, it wouldn’t be right not to offer something in return. He asked me to give you this.” The servant raised a pale green paper package, adorned with simple white patterns and some unusual characters on the front. The overall design was very elegant.

Ji Wei brought it to his nose and caught a light tea fragrance.

It was a tea package.

Judging by the weight in his hand, it couldn’t be more than an ounce or two.

“This is good tea my master’s friend brought from the south. He only managed to get one pound of it. It’s a small gift, but please accept it.” The servant, being from the county magistrate’s household, knew how to speak and act with grace.

Ji Wei wasn’t about to dismiss the gift.

Never mind the tea itself; just the fact that it was given by the magistrate’s son was enough to make him feel honored. Even if it had been a sheet of paper, he would have gladly accepted it.

It was their first meeting, and he hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise.

Ji Wei gratefully took the gift and, after expressing his thanks many times over, finally left with Liu Yimian.