Quick Transmigration: The Supporting Female Lead Stays Out of It - Chapter 14: Chef 13

Speaking of the Marquis of Weiyuan’s love of wine, it could be said that everyone in the Great Chu Kingdom knew about it. He couldn’t eat without wine in every meal, and he was almost frozen to death in the wilderness after drinking heavily in a snowstorm. The first thing he did when he woke up was still to drink, truly not seeing the coffin until he cried. He had made outstanding military achievements and had saved the previous emperor’s life three times. Although he was now convalescing in the capital, it was unknown when he would return to his southeastern base, but he was also a person that no one dared to provoke. He held a golden whip in his hand, bestowed upon him by the late emperor on his deathbed, which could strike down the foolish emperor and punish treacherous officials, possessing immense power.

To cater to his liking, every person who came to visit him would bring a jar of good wine. When he drank heartily, he would speak frankly; if the wine was of poor quality, he would immediately send the other party away. The method of currying favor with the Marquis of Weiyuan seemed simple, but it wasn’t. He followed his father on the battlefield at the age of eight, and at nine, he killed for the first time, and that night, he drank the strongest wine in the world, thus getting very drunk. From then on, he became addicted to alcohol, and now it had been thirty years, and he could be said to have seen countless wines.

He had long looked down on ordinary good wines, and he had also drunk a lot of nectar and jade liquid. Wanting to satisfy his appetite was simply as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

In order to please the Marquis of Weiyuan, the big, bearded man had spent who knew how much real gold and silver to buy wine in private, but it was always fruitless. However, he didn’t expect to accidentally meet the astonishingly skilled Shopkeeper Lin, and he also got a jar of the legendary Thousand Day Wine for free, the joy in his heart couldn’t be suppressed. He rushed and hurried, and only arrived in the capital three days later. Without finding an inn to rest, he immediately went to the Marquis of Weiyuan’s mansion to pay a visit.

There were dozens, if not hundreds, of people who came to the mansion to deliver wine every day. How could the butler let them all in? He just accepted the wine jar and sent the big, bearded man away. The big, bearded man repeatedly instructed, saying that this was the Thousand Day Wine, extremely rare, and he asked the butler to personally deliver it to the Marquis. The butler agreed verbally, but turned around and stuffed the wine into the storeroom specifically used to store wine.

The jar was only the size of a palm, and the wine wasn’t even full. Holding it in his hand felt light and flimsy, truly an embarrassment! These gift-givers were truly getting more and more absurd! After leaving the storeroom, the butler cursed the big, bearded man in his heart, and turned around and forgot about it. Thus, this jar of wine was quietly placed on the shelf to gather dust, and no one recognized it.

On the other side, Lin Dan’s convoy continued to travel along the official road. The three burly men, to prevent any further accidents, always guarded them. They ate breakfast and wanted to eat lunch, ate lunch and eagerly waited to eat dinner, and after eating dinner, they went to ask Shopkeeper Lin if there was any supper. The days were truly comfortable. Originally, taking a trip was an extremely dangerous thing. The three men had traveled back and forth for several months, and had lost seven or eight pounds, but now they had all recovered under Shopkeeper Lin’s skillful feeding, and their complexions were all more ruddy than the last.

Four days later, the convoy had arrived at the outskirts of the capital. They were only half a day’s journey away from entering the Xicheng Gate. However, Lin Dan stopped in a small town and bid farewell to the few burly men. They didn’t want to leave, saying that they would help to the very end, and they would definitely bring Shopkeeper Lin back to the capital in one piece. In fact, they couldn’t bear to part with her good cooking skills, and they acted like rascals.

Lin Dan was both amused and annoyed, but she couldn’t refuse, so she had to let them stay.

“Mother, I’m back!” She led a group of people to a small farm courtyard. Some vegetables were planted in the courtyard, a group of chickens and ducks were raised, and red and white roses were in full bloom, which looked very warm.

“Dan’er, you’re finally back!” Qi, who looked much older, ran out of the house, her eyes filled with tears. In her early years, she could follow her daughter to travel around and learn skills. Later, her health was not good, so she was sent back to the capital to recuperate. But although the capital was big, the people who should meet each other would meet sooner or later. One day, she met the second family on the street, and the second family informed Zhou and Yan Shouye, and the two of them hired local ruffians to come and cause trouble every day, forcing her to almost jump into a well.

She couldn’t understand why these people, who had already taken her husband’s things, still wanted to force them to death. But the human heart was evil and could not be speculated upon. Helpless, she could only retreat to this place to settle down, and only then did she live a few years of peaceful life.

“Mother, pack things up. We’ll rest here for a few days, and we’ll go back to the capital later.” Lin Dan picked up the gourd ladle and scooped water for everyone to drink.

“Going back to the capital again?” Qi was a little timid. She was really scared by Zhou and Yan Shouye, and she no longer had the courage of the past to regain her family property.

“Yes, of course we have to go back.” Lin Dan’s tone was gentle, but her expression was extremely firm. She had sworn to help the original owner prop up the Lin family, and she also wanted to clear Lin Baotian’s name. How could she not fulfill her promise? After ten years of traveling, this place had become her home and country. The original owner’s life was also her life, so the original owner’s responsibilities were naturally also her responsibilities.

“Alright, Mother will pack things up now. Mother has already raised those chickens and ducks for more than two months. You can catch them as you please if you want to eat them.” Qi turned back to the bedroom. Lin Dan rolled up her sleeves and said, “Today, we’ll have Dong’an chicken and Yongzhou bl00d duck for lunch.”

Everyone naturally responded enthusiastically, and then they got busy.

Lin Dan put the slaughtered chickens and ducks in a bucket of boiling water, which made it easier to pluck the feathers. The handsome man stood beside her, lowered his eyes and asked in a low voice: “You and your mother have been drifting outside for so many years?”

“Yes.” Lin Dan put the plucked chicken feathers and duck feathers into a bamboo basket for preservation. Chicken feathers could be made into feather dusters, and duck down could be stuffed into clothes for warmth, both of which were good things.

The man stared at her woman’s bun for a long time, and finally couldn’t help but ask: “Then what about your husband, why isn’t he by your side?”

Lin Dan raised her head in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected the man to inquire about her private matters. He looked like the kind of person who was extremely silent and self-controlled, and he shouldn’t be interested in other people’s private matters. However, there was nothing to hide, so she frankly said: “I haven’t married, where does a husband come from? I wore a woman’s bun for convenience when I went out. You’ve also seen that I only have my mother as a relative. If I get married, how would she depend on herself? Besides, I’ve been learning skills outside for many years, and I’ve been displaced and have no fixed place to live. It’s not possible to recruit a husband.”

After speaking, she gave a slight smile, her attitude open-minded: “It’s good like this now. We’ve gotten through the most difficult days, and what are we afraid of in the future? We only need to teach a few good apprentices, and I won’t be afraid of no one to take care of me in my later years.” Speaking of this, she seemed to remember something unpleasant, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed, and finally sighed with sorrow.

The man’s brows were knitted tightly, as if he had a lot to say, but didn’t know how to open his mouth. He took over the chickens and ducks, plucked the feathers carefully, and saw that Lin Dan had nothing to do and wanted to start a fire. He immediately said in a deep voice: “Go back to your room and rest, and have a good talk with your mother. Leave the work outside to us.”

Lin Dan glanced at the room, and found that Qi was earnestly looking at herself, so she agreed with a smile. This man seemed very cold, but he was actually very kind-hearted, and he was a good person.

After lunch, Lin Dan sent Qi back to rest, and she herself carried a small gift box to visit a guest. The handsome man followed immediately, fearing that she would encounter danger.

Lin Dan heard the footsteps and looked back, and couldn’t help but smile brightly.

The man stared at her bright smile, his gaze flickering.

The two of them didn’t speak along the way, but they didn’t feel dull or awkward. Instead, they felt extremely relaxed and at ease. After going around a few bends, they turned onto an official road, and they saw a post station on the side of the road. A thatched shed was located outside the post station, and a middle-aged woman was busy in the shed. Her hoarse shouts could be heard from afar.

Lin Dan walked to the front and cupped her hands in greeting: “Sister Wang, how have you been lately? Why isn’t Aunt Wang at the shop?”

“Who are you?” The middle-aged woman was stunned for a moment before she said, “Hey, I remember, you’re that little girl who did chores for my family! I haven’t seen you in ten years, and you’ve grown so big!” Back then, Lin Dan was short and small, but she was very hardworking. She could carry a hundred catties of beans on her shoulder, which left a very deep impression on the middle-aged woman.

Lin Dan kept saying it was her, and then patiently asked about the old woman’s situation. The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes, as if she was very disdainful of her own mother-in-law. No matter what Lin Dan asked, she wouldn’t answer. Lin Dan had no choice but to buy two bowls of tofu balls from her, and gave her five more coins, and only then did she find out that the old woman was selling food not far ahead, and it was a twenty-minute walk.

The tofu balls still had the same taste, which showed that the middle-aged woman had spent ten years, and finally learned her mother-in-law’s cooking skills. But for some reason, they would separate and open shops.

Lin Dan inquired about the situation from the passers-by along the way, and she felt indescribably sad. Aunt Wang truly treated her son and daughter-in-law well, but her son and daughter-in-law turned a blind eye, and after learning her skills, they proposed to separate the family. Not only did they let the old woman and her underage younger brother live alone, but they also took away the shop that the family relied on to make a living.

Aunt Wang’s restaurant had long gained fame, and it was also located next to the post station, so it had a constant stream of customers, and the business was naturally good. Now that she opened a new shop, the location was remote, and the taste and price were the same. Customers would naturally choose to go to the familiar place to patronize. Over time, her daughter-in-law completely replaced her.

Now, her income was meager. Her younger son broke his leg a few years ago and had no money to treat it, and he was crippled. Life was really difficult. When Lin Dan arrived, she saw Aunt Wang fetching water. Her son, with a limp, went forward to greet her, wanting to put the heavy shoulder pole on his own shoulders, but the old woman stopped him. The two of them argued and fought with each other, and their eyes were all red, but their eyes were full of tenderness and love for each other.

Seeing this scene, Lin Dan couldn’t help but feel sad. Without saying a word, she went over and snatched the shoulder pole, picked up the buckets, and stepped into the shop. The handsome man was stunned for a moment before he hurried forward, lifted the heavy buckets, poured them into the water tank, and took the shoulder pole, and said in a low voice: “Where is the water source? I’ll fetch it. You rest.”

“Right at the foot of that mountain, follow this path straight ahead.” Lin Dan had stayed here for three months, and every day she had to fetch a hundred or so catties of water, so she naturally knew where the water source was.

The man nodded, and went without a word. Wang Da, who was in a daze, finally came back to her senses, and said with surprise in her voice: “You’re Xiao Dan? Good child, where did you run off to all these years, I couldn’t find you anywhere!”