Chapter 19: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 19: 

 

With the intention of making a show of strength, Cui Xingzhou deliberately made a public appearance in front of the North Street residence.

However, Liu Mian Tang was unaware of her husband's deeper motives. She was solely focused on helping Li Mama clean and cut the crabs.

Although she didn’t cook often, she was adept at stir-frying spicy crabs, a dish her mother used to make for her. Her mother, a woman of the Jianghu (martial world), had married her father, a fallen noble, after being captivated by his charismatic demeanor, despite Liu Mian Tang's grandfather's opposition. Her large dowry helped fill the financial void in her father's family.

Her father had married her mother as a second wife, partly to bolster his household finances, which was similar to the arrangement when her father married her off to Cui Jiu for money.

Sadly, her mother, who was seen as a coarse and unrefined woman by her father, found that her dreams of a harmonious marriage were quickly shattered in their mismatched union, leading to an early demise.

Liu Mian Tang had once thought that her forced marriage to Cui Jiu would be even more dismal than her mother's experience. Yet, she found that her husband was not only handsome but also calm and principled, filled with affection and integrity.

With such a devoted husband, Liu Mian Tang felt that even a lifetime of plain food would be worth it. 

Thinking of this, she looked at her husband, who was reclining on a rattan chair in the courtyard, reading a book. She felt a surge of determination to be a good wife!

Unfortunately, Liu Mian Tang's hands were not accustomed to such work. After just two crabs, her wrists ached unbearably.

Li Mama, aware of her injury, took the knife from her and said, "Madam, you should rest. I'll finish preparing everything. You can handle the seasoning and cooking later. There's some freshly boiled sweet potato in the pot; please bring it to the master first to line his stomach. Eating crabs on an empty stomach isn’t good, as they are cold in nature."

So, Liu Mian Tang washed her hands and brought a bowl of steaming sweet potatoes to the small rattan table beside her husband’s chair. She then took a small bamboo stool, sat down next to the table, and began to peel a sweet potato for her husband, doing so with slow, careful movements.

In the quiet of the North Street, with no books to read, Cui Xingzhou quickly lost interest in the book he had picked up and set it aside. Instead, he gazed half-drowsily at his "wife", who was focused on peeling sweet potatoes.

The sunlight was just right, casting a warm glow on Liu Mian Tang’s fair skin, which shimmered like the crab roe buns he had eaten earlier. Her features were striking: bright eyes, a delicate nose, and long eyelashes half-closed in concentration. As she peeled the sweet potatoes with care, her slightly pursed lips revealed faint dimples on her cheeks.

From any angle, Liu Mian Tang was a rare beauty. It was astonishing that Lu Wen could be so heartless as to abandon her—he must be a man of great ambition...

Cui Xingzhou, enjoying this rare moment of leisure, found himself lost in thought. However, from Liu Mian Tang’s perspective, it felt as though her husband was staring at her with an intense gaze that was even hotter than the sun overhead. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she shyly offered a piece of sweet potato towards Cui Xingzhou’s mouth.

However, Cui Xingzhou was clearly caught off guard by her gesture. He kept his mouth tightly closed, seemingly unwilling to open it.

Liu Mian Tang, undeterred, gently nudged the soft, sticky sweet potato against his lips. "Hurry up and eat. You’re acting like a child who needs to be coaxed."

No one had ever dared to feed Cui Xingzhou in such a manner. Even the courtesans and dancers from the brothel, who were accustomed to charming and pleasing, would never have acted so boldly. If it were any other situation, Prince Huaiyang would have had a hundred ways to intimidate anyone daring enough to cross boundaries. But now, all he could do was reluctantly open his mouth and take a bite of the sweet potato, silently enduring the unconventional feeding.

Fortunately, this feeding moment was brief. Perhaps sensing her master's discomfort, Li Mama quickly prepared the crabs, chopping and seasoning them with practiced efficiency. She then called Liu Mian Tang to manage the cooking.

With neighbors from Sichuan living nearby, Liu Mian Tang used a genuine Doubanjiang for its authentic taste. To complement the delicious crabs, she generously poured half a jar of Shaoxing wine into the pot, reserving the rest for her husband to drink later.

Since there were two baskets of crabs, she prepared three different dishes: spicy stir-fried crabs, steamed crabs, and crab roe buns. For the buns, Liu Mian Tang used a long needle to disinfect and peel the crab roe, setting it aside for Li Mama to make the filling.

With the table piled high with crabs, Prince Huaiyang finally indulged in a hearty feast, savoring the flavors to his heart’s content. The spicy crabs, especially, brought out the full richness of the June yellow crabs, with a delightful blend of spiciness and sweetness that made one crave more.

Halfway through the meal, the first thing on Prince Huaiyang’s mind was to have Mo Ru purchase two more baskets of crabs the next day and have them sent to the North Street for cooking.

However, during this rare family dinner, someone came knocking at the door, drawn by the aroma.

When the knock was heard, Prince Huaiyang and his servant Mo Ru exchanged a glance—could it be rebels coming to make contact?

Mo Ru, quick-witted as always, hurried to the door and asked cautiously, “Who is it?”

Outside the door, a familiar voice said, “I’m Wang Shan, the servant of Mr. Zhao. Mr. Zhao bought some crabs today and happened to pass by here, so he thought he’d send some for Lady Liu to taste!”

Liu Mian Tang, who had been eating from a bowl, was startled and glanced quickly at Li Mama when she heard Zhao Quan's servant's voice. 

She was puzzled as to why Zhao Quan’s servant was delivering crabs specifically for her. 

Heaven bear witness! Liu Mian Tang had never had any dealings with Zhao Quan! They had actually fallen out before. Li Mama would need to confirm this with her husband later!

Mo Ru, upon hearing that it was the servant of the Marquis, relaxed his shoulders. He opened the door and saw that it was indeed Wang Shan, carrying two baskets of crabs, still dripping with water and looking very fresh.

Wang Shan wasn’t alone; behind him, on a horse-drawn carriage, Lord Zhao himself leaned out and said to Mo Ru, “So you’re here too. Is Master Jiu here as well? In that case, I might as well stay for lunch.”

With that, Lord Zhao eagerly got out of the carriage.

It turned out that Lord Zhao had come this way specifically today. He had been very upset with Lady Liu’s actions previously and had sworn to sever ties with her. However, once the anger subsided, he had begun to regret his decision.

It turns out that the fault wasn't entirely with Miss Liu. The real problem was with Cui Xingzhou, who was too difficult to deal with! If he wanted to use people as bait, he should have provided them with fine clothes and food. Instead, Cui Xingzhou was miserly and insisted on creating a story of fallen fortunes, which forced Miss Liu to struggle and work hard to restore the family's status.

If Zhao Quan ever fell on hard times and had a woman like Miss Liu to help manage things, it would truly be a rare and fortunate situation to have such a devoted wife.

Considering this, Zhao Quan might be able to forgive Miss Liu for messing up the matter of the skilled painter in front of him.

However, as a man of his word, Zhao Quan had once fiercely vowed to sever ties with Miss Liu, and now finding a way to reconcile or break the ice has been troubling him.

The feeling of regret and longing, akin to the yearning one experiences in youth, has been weighing heavily on him.

For a time, the Marquis was so troubled that he almost joined his wife in the temple to ring the wooden fish for peace of mind.

His mood was so low that he took a few days off from his duties at the marquis's residence. Yesterday, his mother invited him to visit the Prince residence.

The old marquis's wife and the Old Princess Consort had been close friends since their youth. Despite their marriages, their friendship had remained strong.

During their conversation, the two ladies mostly discussed their children and their spouses.

The old marquis's wife sighed as she thought about her own daughter-in-law, who could only rely on religious practices, and then looked with envy at the Old Princess Consort. She admired how she could keep her future daughter-in-law close and personally guide her, seeing the delicate and lovable demeanor of Miss Lian.

Although the Old Princess Consort had no intention of showing off, she couldn't help but feel a bit pleased with herself when praised. Second Miss Lian mentioned that she had chosen ten of the best crabs from the two large baskets, ensuring they were full and plump. She planned to personally prepare crab roe buns early the next morning and deliver them warm to the military camp for the prince.

The Old Princess Consort's words left the old marquis's wife astonished, admiring the meticulous care that Miss Lian put into her efforts.

Meanwhile, Zhao Quan’s eyes lit up as he heard this, realizing that he could have used the opportunity of the crabs to his advantage.

Returning to the marquis’s residence, Zhao Quan instructed his servant to buy four baskets of crabs. He personally selected the best two baskets and set out early the next morning for Lingquan Town. He intended to use the excuse of being on the way to deliver crabs to Miss Liu and make amends.

However, Zhao Quan did not anticipate that Prince Cui would arrive at the North Street residence at the same time.

However, with Prince Cui present, Zhao Quan could at least stay for the meal under proper pretense.

When Zhao Quan entered the courtyard, he found that Prince Cui and Liu Mian Tang were seated together and had already eaten most of the meal.

He immediately felt uncomfortable.

Prince Cui was not eating the crab roe buns sent by his fiancée, Miss Lian, but was instead dining with Liu Mian Tang. Zhao Quan felt this was a bit too much of a provocative display. What was Prince Cui’s true intention?

In Zhao Quan’s mind, he saw himself as Liu Mian Tang’s future husband. Seeing her sitting with a friend in the North Street residence made him feel quite unsettled.

When Zhao Quan saw the cold, calculated look in Prince Cui’s eyes, his jealousy was somewhat diminished. He realized that if he inadvertently disrupted Prince Cui’s plans, it could lead to serious consequences.

Thinking this, Zhao Quan quickly greeted Prince Cui with a forced smile, saying, “Master Cui is already enjoying the meal. If I had known you had already bought crabs, I would have brought something else.”

Prince Cui’s smile did not reach his eyes as he asked, “Mr. Zhao has come to deliver crabs?”

Realizing the purpose of his visit, Zhao Quan turned to Liu Mian Tang and cupped his hands, saying, “Miss Liu, I spoke hastily at Mr. Chen’s residence the other day. Please forgive me and do not hold it against me.”

Liu Mian Tang forced a smile, though it did not reach her eyes, and replied stiffly, “Mr. Zhao should be more considerate in the future. Thankfully, my husband is here today; otherwise, your sudden visit during the day could have led to gossip among the neighbors.”

Zhao Quan had prepared himself for Liu Mian Tang’s reluctance to forgive, but he was taken aback by her lack of sympathy. He felt a pang of sadness and, with tears almost welling up, said, “I did not think it through and nearly tarnished your reputation. I will write a letter in the future…”

He had initially planned to write a letter and arrange a meeting with Liu Mian Tang elsewhere. However, Prince Cui sensed Zhao Quan’s awkwardness and realized that continued argument might reveal vulnerabilities. So he intervened smoothly, saying, “My wife is mistaken; Mr. Zhao indeed has a matter to discuss with me.”

Zhao Quan was grateful for the prince’s clarification.

Given the deep misunderstanding with Liu Mian Tang, it was clear that staying here was futile. He decided it was better to leave with Prince Cui and seek another opportunity to make amends.

Unfortunately for the Marquis, who had come intending to enjoy a meal of crabs, he ended up leaving the courtyard with an empty stomach.

[Author’s Note:] Meow~~ Zhao Quan: What does the crab taste like????

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

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