Chapter 4: Golden Hairpins in Cloudlike Tresses and Blossoming Beauty

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Facing Xiaosan’s puzzled look, Cao Chengyu showed no embarrassment.

“Mr. Yang gave me quite a scolding—I nearly couldn’t come back, but luckily I ran fast.”

“Call Xiaolian, you two go prepare together, and don’t let the personal maids catch you.”

“Alright.”

Once the instructions were given, it wasn’t long before Xiaosan came back, bringing along a maid in green. The two of them, trembling under the weight, carried a large basket of ingredients into the kitchen.

The maid in green was Xiaolian, sold to the Cao family as a child and now serving as Cao Chengyu’s personal attendant.

Xiaolian was delicate and pretty, with a small face and large eyes. She got along well with him, and among the helpers in the Cao residence, she was his “right arm.”

As soon as she entered, she saw her young master grinning mischievously at her.

Xiaolian’s face was full of grievance.

“Master, what are you up to now? If Madam finds out, she’ll blame me again—you’re going to get Xiaolian in trouble.”

“Hehe, it’s fine.”

“This is just between the three of us. As long as we don’t tell anyone, nothing will happen.”

He said this while gently rubbing Xiaolian’s head, smiling broadly.

“Master~”

Xiaolian whimpered, her cheeks tinged with pink, head lowered, hands nervously twisting the corners of her dress—utterly adorable.

Oh, this damned charm of mine.

Cao Chengyu tapped his forehead in mock frustration.

“Let’s get to work, let’s get to work.”

“Xiaolian, wash the ingredients. Xiaosan, light the fire. Today your young master is going to do something exhilarating.”

“Count on us.”

Each got busy with their tasks, and Cao Chengyu didn’t idle either. This pot had just been cast—it needed to be seasoned, oiled and rinsed a few times.

For the clear soup base, he needed to simmer a bone broth.

It was a lengthy process.

All morning, Cao Chengyu was busy—simmering the broth, slicing meat, prepping vegetables—putting in a great deal of effort to get everything ready.

Next was to stir-fry the spicy soup base.

This was his first time making it, so he could only go by his own imagination.

He heated the pot, poured in oil, and added scallions, sliced ginger, bay leaves, cinnamon, star anise—all spices he’d purchased at great expense.

Of course, who knew what they were called before; Cao Chengyu named them as he liked.

He waited until the scallions and ginger were fried to a crisp golden, then fished them out with a slotted spoon.

He let the spices simmer for another seven or eight minutes before removing them, then added a generous amount of dried chili, chili powder, homemade bean paste, oyster sauce, and garlic.

After mixing everything well, he poured in the bone broth and a suitable amount of salt. The spicy soup base was almost ready.

The clear soup base was simpler. With bone broth as the foundation, he added enoki mushrooms, scallions, goji berries, yam, winter bamboo shoots, and winter melon slices, simmering them for a while until it was done.

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To make the broth rich, it needed to be repeatedly simmered and refined.

This was the most time-consuming part.

Due to inexperience, he ruined a batch of spicy soup and had to start over.

By the time everything was ready, it was already four in the afternoon.

Time for supper.

“Phew…”

After a day’s work, everyone was tired.

Still, there was no meal for the two helpers.

Cao Chengyu apologized.

“Xiaosan, Xiaolian, thank you both. You’ve helped me a lot. Next time, I’ll treat you to a feast.”

“You’re too kind, young master. Xiaolian was only doing her duty.”

“Xiaosan dares not take credit—it’s all thanks to the young master.”

The two were so deferential they nearly knelt.

Cao Chengyu helplessly touched his nose. After so much training, they were still like this… Ah, some things just can’t be changed by effort.

Sighing, Young Master Cao leisurely pushed his cart toward Aunt Lin’s rose garden.

On the way, he encountered several young masters and misses from the third branch, exchanged brief greetings, and went their separate ways.

Within the Cao family, things were fairly harmonious. The main issue was that the women of the various branches loved to gossip. Since they had no real power, they caused only minor troubles—nothing serious.

Among the children, the atmosphere was cheerful. None had grown up yet, and there was none of that legendary ruthlessness.

Competition and factionalism only made sense with a mature mind; otherwise, how could those in charge trust you to handle affairs if your brain hadn’t fully developed? Even child prodigies were no exception.

The customs of the ancients were like this—valuing tradition and experience. Modern people might call it old-fashioned, but it was, in fact, a sign of responsibility toward the family and ancestors.

Especially here. Just look at how Cao Chengyu had to sneak around just to cook a meal.

Lost in thought, he arrived at the rose garden.

He pushed the cart into the pavilion and began to set up.

He placed the pot, lit the charcoal underneath, and took out the sliced meats, fresh shrimp, and vegetables.

Satisfied, he knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

A familiar voice came from inside, making Cao Chengyu a bit nervous.

“It’s me, Chengyu.”

“Squeak—”

“Chengyu, why do you always come at this hour? Can’t you spend a little more time chatting with your aunt?”

As the door opened, Aunt Lin appeared, dressed in a purple fox-fur coat. The golden hairpiece in her coiffed hair added a touch of noble elegance.

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It seemed she’d been out today.

Her black hair fell gracefully, and her cheeks were flushed from the cold. She was rubbing her hands and breathing warm air into them.

A scene of cloud-like tresses and a golden hairpin, a beauty warm as spring behind the hibiscus curtain!

Bai Juyi did not lie to me.

I may not be an emperor, but who wouldn’t want to spend a spring night with such a lovely woman?

Indeed, the words of scholars are always refined.

“Aunt, today I’ve prepared something special to share with you.”

“Something special? Is it crab soup?”

“No, today it’s something substantial. Come, it’s over at the pavilion.”

“Substantial? How substantial…”

Curious, Lin Jiaoyun followed her favorite nephew to the pavilion in the garden.

It was built for cool summer evenings, and hadn’t been used in a while, giving it a fresh charm.

Before she even entered, the bubbling spicy aroma wafted into her nose, making her swallow involuntarily.

“What is this?”

Seeing Aunt Lin’s curious gaze, Cao Chengyu couldn’t help feeling proud.

“This is called hotpot. This is a divided pot—one side spicy, one side clear. One is numbing and aromatic, the other tender and refreshing. It’s a rare delicacy.”

“That’s new.”

Aunt Lin hurried forward and saw much of the food was raw, and she looked disappointed.

“Chengyu, are you teasing your aunt? It’s raw—how can anyone eat that?”

“Don’t worry. As the saying goes, you can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry. Let me show you, and you’ll understand.”

Cao Chengyu smiled confidently.

He took out three dipping bowls—two for spicy sauce, one for sesame sauce.

First, he ladled two spoonfuls of boiling spicy broth into a spicy sauce bowl and mixed it well.

Then, he picked up a slice of beef and put it in the spicy pot, letting it cook for about thirty seconds before retrieving it.

He dipped it in the sauce.

The beef, now coated in thick red broth, was tender and slippery, speckled with garlic, a perfect companion to the meat.

One bite, and the pleasure was indescribable.

“Gulp~”

Aunt Lin stared, quickly sat down, and imitated his actions, dipping a slice of beef and popping it into her mouth.

The tender beef, garlic aroma, and spicy, numbing flavor merged perfectly, exploding in her mouth.

“Delicious!”