Butcher Fulang’s Noodle Shop - Chapter 10
Uncle Gao entered the courtyard, causing chaos in the Gao family. Not to mention the old lady of the Gao family, even the two granddaughters were bewildered. Typically, their mother bore the brunt of abuse, suffering a bruised nose and swollen face.
So, why was their father limping this time?
The old lady of the Gao family had never witnessed her son endure such humiliation. She was trembling with anxiety.
Her sweet grandson, finally willing to put down the chicken bones, ran to Gao Mingda and inquired, “Dad, what happened to your legs?”
Gao Mingda, still in Xu Zhongyue’s grasp, sensed the young man’s powerful arms, as hard as stone, and a smile on his face that was capable of striking fear.
Gao Mingda replied with difficulty, “No, it’s nothing. I ran too quickly and wasn’t paying attention to my steps. I tripped and fell…”
The room contained people of all ages. After Gao Mingda seemingly relented, it was Xu Zhongyue who helped him inside the house and onto the large bed.
During this time, Gao Mingda cast several glances in Song Shi’an’s direction but hesitated to speak. If Xu Zhongyue, the “kind-hearted passerby,” weren’t present, he might not have anything positive to say.
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The day before, Song Yuchun and Wang Jiaojiao had come to visit Aunt Liu.
Gao Mingda knew Song Yuchun’s family well, as the Song family’s restaurant was thriving, hosting banquets that cost at least one tael of silver. This was far from affordable for the ordinary townspeople. He had passed by the restaurant several times, seeing the bright lights and the carriages and horses, and understood that this brother-in-law was wealthy.
He had visited with his wife a few times, believing that with such a well-off relative, they should have socialized more frequently. However, when he did go, Song Yuchun and Wang Jiaojiao had treated them with indifference, not even offering a cup of tea.
Instead, his wife had quietly helped her nephew, Song Shi’an, when he was in need. Still, he initially perceived her as timid and easily swayed, changing his opinion only after Song Yuchun and his wife paid a visit.
Days ago, Song Yuchun and his wife had visited, scolding Aunt Liu for secretly helping her betrothed nephew, Song Shi’an, elope with a ruffian. Their accusations extended to her sister and portrayed them all as foxes with unsavory family traditions.
.
Once the visitors had left, Gao Mingda’s anger surged.
He had controlled his temper and attempted to persuade Aunt Liu to take Song Shi’an back to the Song family. After all, Wang Jiaojiao, his mother, had stated that if Aunt Liu could convince Song Shi’an to marry Yuan Jiang, she would personally provide them with ten taels of silver as a token of gratitude.
Surprisingly, from yesterday until now, Aunt Liu was resolute, refusing to let go. She entirely disregarded her husband and mother-in-law’s well-being, asserting that if Song Shi’an returned, the child’s life would be in danger.
Gao Mingda lay on the bed, shooting occasional sinister glances at Song Shi’an. He hadn’t made the connection between the confident young man before him and the timid child from the Song Family Restaurant.
Now that the child had grown, he was tall and had a slim waist that could be encircled with one hand. His face was fair and smooth, and his eyes were as dark as water. It was no wonder someone like Jiang Yuanwai was willing to marry him.
Uncle Gao’s lingering gaze made Song Shi’an uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the man had no opportunity to observe more. Xu Zhongyue had moved a couple of steps away and positioned himself in front of Song Shi’an, leaving no space for Gao Mingda to encroach.
Before long, Aunt Liu rushed over with Dr. Zhou. Dr. Zhou examined Gao Mingda’s legs, securing them with wooden boards to immobilize him and advise rest. It would be a month or two before he could stand again.
After taking a pain-relieving potion, Gao Mingda fell into a drowsy slumber. The old lady of the Gao family also laid down on the bed.
.
Aunt Liu closed the door and took them to the woodshed to converse.
Compared to the tidy and elegant furniture in the bedroom, the woodshed was noticeably shabbier. However, Aunt Liu seemed much more at ease in this setting.
Aunt Liu found a thick piece of wood and sat down, gesturing for them to make themselves comfortable. Song Shi’an squatted at his feet, opened the cloth covering the basket, and first unveiled the wrapped four-color cakes.
Three kilograms of high-quality pork was still there, exhibiting fresh and tender meat with an intricate, snowflake-like pattern of fat and lean. The large bowl also contained braised pig heart, liver, kidney, and large intestine.
Aunt Liu waved her hands in a hurry, saying, “You should take these back with you. Enjoy them yourself; you’re working so hard. You’ve saved up some food and still think of your aunt. I understand. Just seeing it is enough; no need to give it all to me.”
Witnessing her aunt’s deep concern for him, Song Shi’an’s eyes welled up with tears, reminiscent of his parents who had tragically passed away after his college graduation. If they were still alive, he wouldn’t have had to assume responsibility for the family business so soon.
“Auntie, I’m leading a much better life now. I’m involved in some small businesses and making a decent income every day. Please keep these… don’t give them to anyone else. You should take care of yourself and use these for your own well-being. I’ll find other ways to show my gratitude to you later,” Song Shi’an insisted, placing the items in Aunt Liu’s lap.
Aunt Liu teared up, gripping Song Shi’an’s hand and unable to find words to express her gratitude.
Just as Song Shi’an was about to take out some money, Xu Zhongyue, who had been standing silently by the door, suddenly pulled the cloth to cover the basket. Both Aunt Liu and Song Shi’an looked up at him, seeing him shake his head. In a moment, the door was forcefully pushed open, and a sturdy boy of about six or seven years old entered.
He was Aunt Liu and Gao Mingda’s son. When Song Shi’an met his cousin for the first time, he thought the child had a charming round face but somewhat mischievous eyes, as if concealing some mischief.
Aunt Liu stopped crying, but her son had already rushed to her, shouting, “I knew you were hiding something good! Grandma, Mom hid it—”
Aunt Liu had raised her two daughters on her own, while her son was pampered by her mother-in-law and had never shown her affection.
Aunt Liu was alarmed and tried to cover her son’s mouth. The child was strong and wriggled in her arms like a slippery fish.
In a pleading tone, Aunt. Liu whispered, “It’s just a small treat. Mom wanted your sisters to try it too. Please stop shouting and leave!”
The son kicked Aunt Liu a few times and muttered incoherently, “Last time… the money you earned from selling the handkerchiefs… you secretly took your sisters to eat dumplings. Don’t think I don’t know, and that I don’t deserve a share!”
Aunt Liu was taken aback. Her daughters sometimes went without enough food because she had little to spare.
Seeing that Aunt Liu couldn’t control him any longer, Song Shi’an acted swiftly, grabbing a handful of braised pig sesame and stuffing it into the child’s mouth. His cousin chewed it for a moment and displayed a blissful expression as if he had just tasted a delicacy.
He wriggled out of Aunt Liu’s embrace, picked up a large ceramic bowl, concealed it under his outer robe, and vanished without a trace.
Aunt Liu watched her son disappear in resignation and then said after a moment, “Don’t worry about him. He’s probably hiding somewhere and enjoying it all by himself. He won’t even share it with his father.”
Song Shi’an thought to himself, at three years old, his cousin was evidently spoiled by his mother, and he might grow up to be ten times worse than his father.
Since the troublemaker was a child, Xu Zhongyue couldn’t do much earlier. But this time, he bolted the wooden door and leaned against it. Song Shi’an could finally take out all the money and help Aunt Liu dig a deep hole in the ground, burying it underneath a stack of firewood.
As their eyes met, Song Shi’an felt choked up, and Aunt Liu sighed, “This is fate. As the saying goes, marriage is a woman’s second rebirth, and having shuanger is like experiencing hell or heaven. I hope this life brings better fortune, and you won’t have to go through this suffering in the next.”
Song Shi’an didn’t quite agree with Aunt Liu’s sentiment, but before he could respond, she glanced at Xu Zhongyue, then back at him, her expression softening.
“An ge’er, don’t worry. You’re not as unlucky as your aunt. The man you like seems calm and reliable.” She gently touched Song Shi’an’s face and noticed he had gained a bit of weight since their last meeting.
With the concern that Gao Mingda and the old lady of the Gao family might be waiting for her, Aunt Liu lowered her voice and mentioned Song Yuchun and Wang Jiaojiao’s visit, suggesting, “Now that you have a prospective suitor, you might consider marrying him sooner. Once you’re married, you won’t have to worry about being given away as a concubine.”
It took Song Shi’an a moment to realize that Aunt Liu had misunderstood the situation. Mentioning marriage and calling the man she had in mind “reliable” in front of Xu Zhongyue might make him think that she was trying to arrange their marriage forcefully.
Embarrassed, Song Shi’an tried to clarify, “Aunt, you’ve misunderstood. I do understand that getting married is important, and I’m looking for someone right now… I mean, I’m in a hurry to find a candidate. You see, there’s this person I have in mind. He’s plump, fair, always has a bright smile, and a dimple on his cheek. I’m thinking of making delicious food to win his heart. Maybe he’ll agree to marry me!”
He was, of course, referring to Yun ge’er, the shungaer from the Sun family. Xu Zhongyue shouldn’t be angry upon hearing that he had a prospective suitor.
Xu Zhongyue, however, seemed like he found Song Shi’an’s words difficult to bear. He turned his head away and didn’t want to hear more, but his chest was heaving with what appeared to be intense emotion. Song Shi’an couldn’t figure out what had upset him.
Yet, this man was an enigma, strong as Pan An, robust as Lu Zhishen, yet as temperamental as Lin Daiyu, never willing to communicate his thoughts clearly, leaving others to guess.
Aunt Liu covered her mouth with a smile. With age, she found the young couple’s interactions endearing and didn’t mind their occasional misunderstandings.
“Xu ge-ge, did I say something wrong? If so, please accept my apology…” Song Shi’an inquired, somewhat puzzled by Xu Zhongyue’s reaction.
Xu Zhongyue waved his hand, hoping that Song Shi’an would just stop talking so he wouldn’t have to worry about him. This peculiar man seemed to fear overthinking.
After some reflection, Xu Zhongyue approached Aunt Liu, clasped his fists, and bowed. “I acted impulsively and injured my aunt’s husband. I’m sincerely sorry.”
Aunt Liu, who seemed pleased with being addressed as “aunt,” smiled warmly, seemingly indifferent to the pain from her injury.
“It’s alright,” Aunt Liu finally mustered the courage to say what was on her mind. “I should thank you. My mother-in-law is frail, so she incites her son to beat me. Now that he’s crippled for a month or two, I can finally get some peaceful rest.”
Aunt Liu signaled for Xu Zhongyue to come closer, and this towering man knelt down in front of her, enabling her to look him directly in the eyes.
“Good young man, I heard you’re a butcher. Do you have your parents here? How many siblings do you have?”
She asked Xu Zhongyue and the man answered accurately.
Song Shi’an blinked his eyes, something was wrong. Why did his Aunt Liu ask things like checking household registration??