Chapter 311
During the next period, Su Xiaoxiao meticulously flipped through each book, starting from the last page. Recipes from the Republican era usually had around two to three dishes, while those from the Qing Dynasty had about ten. Recipes from the Ming Dynasty had even more, approximately fifteen, but as she moved further back, she encountered characters that were unfamiliar and distinct from their era. Though most were recognizable, some were so obscure that understanding them was nearly impossible.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t attempt to guess those she couldn’t understand; she simply switched to the next book when she encountered difficulties. Each book, she copied down about twenty-five to thirty recipes, which was already impressive. Moreover, there was still a thick stack of books ahead of her, and she planned to study them further when the opportunity arose. This way, she hoped to understand all the ancient characters eventually.
At noon, He Xingzhi and Jiang Yexun went to get the meals. Each carried four lunchboxes. Although it wasn’t quite enough, they hadn’t considered bringing Su Hongchen along. The train was so crowded that having Su Hongchen join them would leave Aunt Guo and Su Xiaoxiao, the only women, alone with too many things to guard. Thus, they preferred the inconvenience of making two trips.
Jiang Yexun ordered braised pork, spicy fish, Kung Pao chicken, mapo tofu, sautéed lettuce, braised eggplant, and stir-fried celery with dried tofu. Without soup, he planned to make some milk later.
Since Xiaoxiao ate slowly and could easily choke if distracted, they always ensured every meal included soup. As for the rice, Jiang Yexun wasn’t in a rush; the train’s food supply was ample. However, good dishes tended to run out quickly, so Jiang Yexun and He Xingzhi hurried back with their lunchboxes.
The train was extremely crowded, and everyone was rushing to the dining car. As a result, a collision was almost inevitable. He Xingzhi, following closely behind Jiang Yexun, was bumped by someone. The force was strong enough to cause the lunchbox he was carrying to tip over.
The woman who bumped into him gasped in shock and hurriedly reached out to steady the lunchbox lid. However, the metal lunchbox was hot, and some of the scalding soup spilled onto her hand.
He Xingzhi wasn’t one to show sympathy. His first reaction was to ensure the food wasn’t ruined. Fearing that Brother Chen might think Brother Ye’s companion unreliable, he quickly adjusted his wrist to ensure the food was intact before turning a disapproving look at the woman who had bumped into him.
The woman’s familiar face made He Xingzhi’s frown deepen. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
The woman, who had been red-eyed and appeared quite distressed, was caught off guard by He Xingzhi’s reprimand. She had been about to complain but was now faced with an irritable man.
She forced a smile, feeling embarrassed and confused, “We don’t know each other. What are you talking about?”
The onlookers, noticing the interaction, began to eye He Xingzhi with suspicion. After boarding the train, everyone was wary of pickpockets and human traffickers. A strange man talking to an unknown woman immediately raised concerns.
He Xingzhi, unfamiliar with these social nuances, continued to frown. “Before the train arrives at the station, you greeted our companion on the platform.”
The woman awkwardly laughed, “I didn’t realize you were with them at the time. You didn’t say anything, so I didn’t pay much attention.”
“Next time, watch where you’re going. It’s lucky that the food didn’t spill. Otherwise, you’d have to buy us a new portion,” He Xingzhi said, visibly annoyed. He had no patience for clumsy people who caused trouble and then tried to shift the blame.
Without giving her a chance to respond, He Xingzhi followed Jiang Yexun back to their compartment. Jiang Yexun glanced back at the two women, his dark eyes cold and unfeeling. The two women felt a chill, as if they were the ones who had been wronged.
Jiang Yexun, uninterested in further confrontation, turned his gaze away and returned to the compartment with He Xingzhi. After placing the lunchboxes on the table, he said, “On our way back, we bumped into those two women who had been chatting with us on the platform. One of them knocked over He Xingzhi’s lunchbox, though the food didn’t spill, just some soup burned her hand.”
Su Hongchen’s eyes narrowed with suspicion immediately. “You seem to remember those two women quite well.”
The tone of Su Hongchen’s remark sounded somewhat jealous, causing Su Xiaoxiao to look at her brother with curiosity. Yet, given the era’s norms, familial feelings were generally open and normal, so Su Hongchen didn’t sense anything unusual.
Jiang Yexun lowered his gaze, explaining, “I mean, it’s too coincidental.”
After the previous incidents on the train and Su Hongchen’s experience, Jiang Yexun no longer believed in mere coincidences. To him, every coincidence was potentially a calculated scheme.
Su Hongchen quickly understood the implication and turned his gaze to the lunchboxes on the table. Two of them had soup stains.
“Are these two lunchboxes the ones the woman touched?” Su Hongchen asked coldly.
“Only the top one was touched by her,” He Xingzhi quickly clarified. Seeing both Jiang Yexun and Su Hongchen’s frowns deepening, he hurriedly assured them, “I’m sure it was just the top one that was affected. The others were untouched.”