Chapter 160: The Old Man’s Unwilling Request
Bai Ruozhu did not understand why the old man perceived her as a cunning person. Of course, Bai Ruozhu herself did not consider herself a saint, but she was genuinely wronged this time. She had only just found out that Yu Hongxiu was from Jiangnan, and she did not know that Bai Yibo was so ignorant as to consider crabs to be vile creatures. Otherwise, for the sake of their guests’ reputation, she would have warned Bai Yibo.
Yu Hongxiu started to eat, but as no one else followed suit, she found it embarrassing to eat alone with Mr. Xie. Bai Ruozhu noticed Yu Hongxiu’s awkwardness and laughed, "We are lucky today – we can learn from Mrs. Xie how to eat crab in the most authentic way."
With these words, Yu Hongxiu’s crab eating turned into a demonstration for everyone else, allowing her to show off her genteel demeanor while explaining the process.
Yu Hongxiu gratefully responded to Bai Ruozhu with a smile and began explaining to everyone how to eat the crab.
As Bai Ruozhu prepared to return to the kitchen to continue her work, she turned her head and saw Bai Yibo gesturing at her. Though it was silent, she could tell that the three-word phrase he mouthed was: ’bootlicker.’
Bai Ruozhu chose to ignore him. Such a man, so surprisingly foolish, who only did foolish things, yet she had to clean up his mess. What right did he have to call her a sycophant? And a Scholar at that – he had so little understanding of the world, which made Bai Ruozhu wonder how he became a Scholar in the first place.
Soon, the rest of Bai Ruozhu’s dishes began to be served, plate by plate. Among them was Spicy Duck Blood, which attracted Mr. Xie’s interest; it turned out he liked strong flavors.
Upon hearing Mr. Xie’s compliment, Bai Ruozhu laughed and said, "There is also a spicy sour stomach-shred soup coming up later, which I think matches your taste."
Mr. Xie nodded in delight, remarking, "Just by the name, it sounds appetizing."
After Bai Ruozhu had brought out the rest of the soups and dim sums, she suddenly remembered something as she looked at the stewed pear. How could she forget? Crabs are already a food with ’cold energy’, and if paired with the ’cooling’ property of the pear, it could easily damage one’s spleen and stomach, especially for those with weak spleens and stomachs.
Given that she herself did not eat crab, and the autumn dryness made her think of stewed pears to soothe throats, she had forgotten about this crucial detail.
"Mrs. Xie, you should not eat the stewed pear. Pears and crabs should not be consumed together. It is my negligence," Bai Ruozhu apologized with a smile to Yu Hongxiu.
"You’ve been calling me Sister Hongxiu, so don’t make us feel distant from each other," Yu Hongxiu responded, smiling yet casting a stern look at Bai Ruozhu, clearly making a point to the others. She moved the stewed pear to the side, saying, "I’ll just have the other soups."
This should have been a minor matter. Those who did not eat crab could have the stewed pear, while those who did, could still enjoy the creamy fish soup. But Bai Yibo once again took this as an opportunity to trouble Bai Ruozhu.
"Pears cannot be eaten with crab? Pears are fruits, and I have never heard of them being incompatible with anything. Ruozhu, you should not be making such a claim without knowing the facts," Bai Yibo said with a smile, as if he were kindly giving advice to his younger sibling.
This time, before Bai Ruozhu could respond, Bai Zepei calmly said, "What my little sister says makes sense. Crabs are ’cold’ and pears are ’cooling’. Consuming them together can indeed be harmful to one’s spleen and stomach."
"Zepei’s analysis is correct. I’m glad to see that your knowledge has broadened since we last met," Mr. Xie praised, nodding approvingly.
With these few sentences, Bai Ruozhu’s words were confirmed, and it was actually Mr. Xie who had spoken on her behalf. Bai Yibo was speechless once again; whether it was out of anger or humiliation, his face turned red.
Mr. Xie’s sense of appreciation for Bai Zepei made it implicitly clear how lacking Bai Yibo’s knowledge was, which was a shame given his age.
In Danliang Country, the Imperial Examination did not admire purely bookish knowledge, hence the importance placed on strategy. Many scholars would travel to learn, inspired by the saying ’to travel ten thousand miles is better than to read ten thousand books’. A wide range of travel would naturally broaden one’s horizons.
Bai Yibo was a perfect example of what not to do. He was too lazy, always stayed at home and ate off his parents. At his mature age, he managed to pass the exam and become a Scholar, but his knowledge remained superficial.
Seeing that his eldest son had lost face yet again, the old man started coughing in anger. The crowd immediately expressed their concerns, and Lin Ping’er hurriedly got up to pour him a hot cup of soup. It took him a while to recover.
"It’s all right...it’s all right, I was merely choked by a fishbone, do pardon my clumsiness," the old man spoke.
Bai Ruozhu quietly glanced at the old man’s bowl. The fish soup was made from fish heads, which naturally had no bones. Moreover, she filtered the soup carefully with a fine cloth to make sure no bone was left. How could there be a bone stuck in his throat? The old man’s excuse made it seem as though she was being careless, not considering the safety of him and the guests.
She held her tongue. It was probably better to say nothing.
Bai Yibo, being the dutiful son, stood up to pat the old man’s back. He sighed, remarking, "One must be careful when preparing fish, especially when it’s for the elderly."
This time, he showed some wits by not naming Bai Ruozhu directly, but the insinuation was clearly aimed at her.
Bai Ruozhu bowed slightly and said, "It is my negligence. Grandpa should not have had the fish soup. Should we change it to the spicy sour stomach-shred soup instead?"
The old man waved his hand dismissively, appearing generous. He said, "No worries, it is my old eyes playing tricks on me. I can’t even clearly see a fishbone. You can go eat, no need to bother about me."
On the surface, this might seem like he was being considerate, but upon further analysis, the sentence is loaded with complaints - he is old and can’t see properly, yet Bai Ruozhu does not consider his well-being.
Most importantly, when he stated, "You can go eat," it meant that she should leave the table, implying that she was only eligible to eat in the kitchen.
In rural counterparts, some families would still uphold the tradition of male superiority, where women couldn’t join the men at the table. Men would be served the best dishes, while the women would have to wait until the men had finished, eating leftovers in the kitchen.
However, the Bai family did not follow such rules, or at least, Bai Ruozhu’s household did not. It was apparent that the old man resented Bai Ruozhu so much that he didn’t want her at the table.
Lin Ping’er was visibly taken aback by the old man’s audacity. Bai Ruozhu quietly shook her head at her, signaling her to stay calm. It was better to pretend they did not understand and avoid causing a scene that would embarrass their family.
"Ruozhu, come over here and sit next to me. Tell me how you made these Jinxianyou Towers. I am enjoying them very much," Yu Hongxiu invited with a smile, gesturing for Bai Ruozhu to sit next to her.
Bai Ruozhu gratefully smiled at her and moved a stool to sit beside her.
The old man’s face alternated between shades of green and white, probably because he found Bai Ruozhu’s actions too presumptuous, completely disregarding his words. He was so upset that he even put down his chopsticks.
As Mr. Xie respected elders, he politely made a toast to the old man, uttering a few pleasantries which made the old man finally pick up his chopsticks again.
"Ah, my eldest son has been living with me in the countryside for many years, which has limited his growth. He always tends to my needs, which has hindered him from expanding his horizons," the old man said to Mr. Xie after a couple of rounds of drinks, appearing quite apologetic.
"Brother Yibo has always been a late bloomer and will certainly make more progress in the future," Mr. Xie diplomatically responded.
"I hope so too. Therefore, I’d like to make a small request," the old man said, looking at Mr. Xie pointedly. At this point, the color drained from all the faces in the Bai household.