Chapter 98: Almond Curd

The next morning, Fang Bao did not return as promised, but no one from the Kaifeng Prefecture was particularly worried.

It was common for plans to change temporarily while on official business depending on the circumstances.

Moreover, after releasing the first batch of people, the number of remaining pilgrims at Fuyun Temple was now roughly equal to the number of people Fang Bao had taken along. Most of the remaining pilgrims were either delicate women or those who had always lived comfortably and enjoyed privileges. Even if someone tried to incite trouble, the situation could still be controlled.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Justice had indeed sent over the case files for several cases as agreed, filling almost half a cart.

Originally, Tu Yao had only intended to review the files with Song Guan and others, but there were just too many documents, all meticulously organized, making it difficult to find any loopholes, and progress was slow.

So after a while, Tu Yao found an excuse to bring Xie Yu over to help review the files together.

It was true that he wanted to avoid things, but what Xie Yu wanted to avoid specifically was the Tian Shuy case. Before the court officially classified and consolidated all these cases as a series, they were all independent and unrelated.

Therefore, as the saying goes, it was always the old foxes who knew the tricks best, and were quickest at exploiting loopholes.

After chatting with Lady Zhao for a while, Ma Bing packed up a large food container and headed to the Baihualou.

Summer had not yet passed, and although a heavy rain had eased the heat for a day, the morning of this day was once again blazing hot.

The blinding sunlight distorted the air, the large trees along the roadside looked wilted from the heat, and after walking the entire way, Ma Bing had broken out into a greasy sweat.

When Ma Bing showed up with the food container, Zhang Baoyue thought it was something special. But after opening it, she burst into laughter, “Eggplant fritters!”

Pucao, carrying a bowl of apricot curd, curiously asked, “Eggplant fritters? What’s that?”

She had been born into poverty and had hardly ever eaten meat as a child. After coming to Baihualou, the madam also wouldn’t allow the courtesans to eat greasy or strongly flavored foods, so she had never heard of such a thing.

Zhang Baoyue gestured toward the container with her chin, “Look, it’s right there.”

Eggplants were thick-fleshed and quite different from other vegetables. Every summer when eggplants were abundant, many restaurants would stuff them with a bit of minced meat, coat them in batter, and fry them, calling it “eating meat” in a grand way, specially made for the common people to satisfy their cravings.

But meat was expensive, and oil wasn’t cheap either. Even so, not everyone could afford it.

As Pucao leaned in, she saw a white porcelain plate inside the container holding several golden-fried pieces.

“Smells great!” she said, sniffing eagerly.

“Go ahead and eat. They were just made this morning and are still warm.”

Ma Bing took out the plate, and in addition, there were also quartered salted eggs with runny yolks, a plate of crisp pickled melon as a side dish, and she handed chopsticks to both of them.

Pucao cheerfully thanked her, while Zhang Baoyue hesitated slightly.

It had been a long time since she had eaten this kind of food.

“It’s still early morning, who eats such greasy stuff…”

Even as she said that, as soon as Ma Bing pretended to take the chopsticks back, she quickly grabbed them first.

Ma Bing grinned at her.

Realizing she had been teased, Zhang Baoyue blushed, muttered a “humph,” and decided to give in, joining Pucao to eat together.

Most men in the world liked being depended on by women, especially courtesans, who were expected to be soft and pitiable, as if waiting for their “saviors” to pity and rescue them, so few courtesans were particularly plump.

Moreover, the madams were afraid the girls might gather enough strength to resist and escape, preferring them to be as frail as possible. Therefore, in recent days, what Ma Bing did most was not just feed Zhang Baoyue and Pucao medicine, but to feed them regular meals.

Eat, eat heartily, and eat in various ways.

After eating, they must also exercise!

Do the Five Animal Frolics, practice the Eight Pieces of Brocade, move around a lot, which improved their appetites. With better appetites, they naturally ate more, gained strength, and added solid muscle. From the outside, they didn’t look fat at all, but rather thinner.

The two sisters had secretly practiced for these days and indeed improved their appetites. They devoured everything in a flurry, soon finishing the plate.

Even the bits of oil residue left at the bottom of the plate were eagerly eaten by Pucao.

They ate the fried eggplant fritters while Ma Bing drank chilled apricot curd, which was sweet and delicious.

June was almost over, but the heat still lingered. Cold drinks still dominated the market, such as plum juice, red bean frost, iced mung bean powder, osmanthus sour plum soup, southern sweet nectars, and lychee pastes, all refreshing and pleasant.

More upscale restaurants used ice to chill their drinks, while even street vendors would prepare a large basin of well water to keep their drinks cool.

This apricot curd was made by washing thick-fleshed apricots, cutting them in half, adding rock sugar to cook them until soft, carefully removing the skins, and then straining the cooked apricot flesh through a fine sieve multiple times until obtaining a smooth, creamy nectar as delicate as ointment.

Chilled with ice cubes, it was served with a spoonful of cream and half a cup of spring water.

Golden yellow and glossy, fragrant, sweet and sour, it was very effective at relieving the summer heat.

Baihualou earned a fortune every day, so money was no issue, and they always used ice during summer.

The apricot curd Ma Bing was eating had originally been chilled inside a crystal-clear ice block, and when Pucao brought it over, you could still see the faint wisps of cold vapor rising from it.

Tiny droplets of water condensed on the cup’s surface, running down in thin streams when touched by a fingertip.

After finishing a bowl of apricot curd and dispelling the heat, Zhang Baoyue and the others had also finished their “battle.”

“Delicious!”

Pucao smacked her lips.

“This year’s new wheat flour, mixed with several eggs to make the batter, with both meat and oil—how could it not be fragrant?” Ma Bing smiled, poked Pucao’s forehead playfully, and then took her pulse, “Mm, your pulse is much stronger now.”

Zhang Baoyue lazily let out a burp, leaning back against the chair, watching the two before her with tender eyes.

These were the two people she cared about most in this world.

“These days, I’ve attracted a wealthy patron. He loves playing polo, so I said it looked interesting, and he offered to teach me horseback riding. Although the madam wasn’t very pleased, she couldn’t refuse a guest’s request and had to agree.” Zhang Baoyue said softly.

Besides music, calligraphy, painting, and bedroom skills, the madam didn’t want the courtesans learning anything else.

But if the request came from a wealthy patron, that was a different matter.

Ma Bing gave her a thumbs-up, “Great!”

When it came to escaping, they naturally couldn’t rely on others. But the journey northwest would be very arduous, and with their tentative plan set for autumn, the road ahead would inevitably be filled with dust storms, snow, and wind. They would need to travel by carriage.

If they hired a carriage, they would need a driver, but then their every move on the journey would no longer be a secret.

Moreover, most drivers these days were men. If they noticed two women traveling alone, and over time developed ill intentions, what then?

So, besides improving their health, another thing Zhang Baoyue and Pucao needed to do was learn to ride horses.

This wasn’t easy for courtesans, but Zhang Baoyue had done it.

Ma Bing said, “Actually, driving a cart isn’t that hard either, as long as you can make the animals understand commands. If you learn to ride a horse, you’ll have another way to go.”

Learning to ride a horse meant learning to control the animal, and once that was mastered, driving a cart would be no problem.

When the time came, they would be able to ride horses, and if pursued, they could quickly abandon the carriage and flee on horseback.

“By then, I’ll prepare the carriage and horses for you in advance, along with the travel documents and identity papers,” Ma Bing said. “After that, you’ll have to rely on yourselves.”

On her way back, Ma Bing happened to see a shop she had once visited with Yuan Yuan, and for a moment, she was lost in thought.

She wondered… but then shook her head, dismissing the thought. No, she wouldn’t think about it anymore!

What right did she have to be sentimental?

With a self-mocking smile, Ma Bing shook her head, driving away those inappropriate thoughts, then flicked the reins and continued forward.

It was already late June, but the sunlight was still intense, bright and glaring, making it hard to look directly at.

The big black horse absorbed the heat particularly well, its brown coat scalding to the touch, and it was clearly unhappy.

Ma Bing had no choice but to buy a pot of water from a roadside vendor and pour a little on the horse’s body every so often.

The big black horse finally calmed down, happily swishing its tail.

Ma Bing pinched its big ears in exasperation and amusement, “Getting more spoiled every day!”

The big black horse snorted loudly, acknowledging its fault but showing no intention of changing.

In the wild, there were no such concerns, but this was the city. Life was short for a horse, and a brief pursuit of pleasure wasn’t wrong at all!

Not far down the road, Ma Bing spotted a familiar figure, “Uncle Pei…”

Actually, since the dragon boat race, she hadn’t seen Pei Rong again.

Although she had intentionally avoided him, in terms of their daily routines, the two of them hadn’t had much interaction to begin with.

Perhaps she had stared too long, or maybe Pei Rong’s years of military life had honed his alertness beyond the ordinary. The next moment, Pei Rong suddenly looked up.

Hmm?

The old man was taken aback; it was a young lady.

Hmm, she looked somewhat familiar.

Ma Bing stiffened and had no choice but to dismount, walking over to greet him actively, “General Pei.”

It had been many years, and Uncle Pei had indeed aged.

Rubbing his head, Pei Rong felt like he had seen this young lady somewhere before, but he just couldn’t recall at the moment, “And you are?”

Ma Bing smiled, instantly relaxing, “You once played polo with Minister Xie, and I was there too. Your general’s might left a deep impression.”

“Oh!” Pei Rong immediately remembered, his eyes lighting up, “So it’s you! You’re the girl who caught the ball barehanded!”

He had only seen her from a distance at the time, just a glimpse of her dashing figure on the field and in the stands, which had sparked his thoughts about finding a daughter-in-law. In truth, he hadn’t known exactly what she looked like.

Ma Bing nodded generously and said, “Just lucky.”

“Ah, don’t adopt that false modesty of the literati,” Pei Rong waved his big hand and dismounted too, asking with interest, “I can see you’re quite skilled. You must be from a military family. Which family are you from?”

He might even know her family!

Back then, after Xie Yu’s bold declaration at the pavilion, Pei Rong had temporarily given up on his thoughts.

But a few days later, the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.

He mentioned it to his wife again, only to be scolded by the old lady.

“You fool! When a girl is available, many young men will pursue her. That young marquis having an interest is nothing special.

After all, the boy is not married and the girl is not betrothed, and no formal engagement has been made. She’s not officially part of the Xie family yet, so why shouldn’t we take a look?!”

Pei Rong: “…”

Right!

He had been outsmarted by that kid Xie!

From that day on, Pei Rong’s heart had once again stirred with the desire to find a daughter-in-law.

Unfortunately, now Ma Bing was staying at the Kaifeng Prefecture, and the Pei family had no private connection with Tu Yao and Lady Zhao, so there was no suitable excuse to meet.

Later, Ma Bing was busy with official duties and then went to Fuyun Temple, so the matter was postponed again and again until now.

Ma Bing’s heart pounded, looking at the old general with white hair and beard, her eyes welling up with tears.

“I… I’m surnamed Ma, just an ordinary person, not from any notable family.”

“Surnamed Ma?” Pei Rong was taken aback.

Now that he had come closer, he finally got a good look at Ma Bing’s face, but the sense of familiarity in his heart grew stronger.

Was it because of the polo match?

No, he immediately dismissed that thought.

This feeling was deeper and more distant, definitely not just from a fleeting glance at the polo field.

Why?

Where did this feeling of a long-lost reunion come from?

Pei Rong furrowed his brows, trying hard to think, feeling that some long-buried fragments of memory deep in his mind were trying to resurface.

Seeing his strange expression, Ma Bing suddenly felt nervous.

Could it be…

Impossible, right?

So much time had passed, and she had been so young back then…

She dared not take the risk and quickly mounted her horse, hastily saying goodbye, “General Pei, I just remembered I have something to do. Please excuse my rudeness!”

Without waiting for him to speak, she spurred her horse and left.

Pei Rong, lost in thought, had no time to respond. The rider and horse quickly turned into a whirlwind, rushing past him.

Instinctively turning around, Pei Rong saw a retreating figure.

In an instant, something broke free from deep within his mind, and distant scenes rapidly flashed before his eyes, finally overlapping with the gradually fading back view.

In this little girl, he had seen the demeanor of an old friend from years ago?!

No wonder she looked familiar, no wonder…

Impossible!

Pei Rong’s tiger-like eyes widened, muttering to himself, “Impossible… how can she surnamed Ma?!”

“Surnamed Ma?”

Pei Rong was startled, then suddenly thought of something, a nearly absurd idea quickly forming in his mind:

Right, perhaps, perhaps she really could be surnamed Ma.