In the iron pot, pork bones simmered into a rich broth while red oil bubbled furiously. Slices of pork and fresh fish cooked the moment they were swished through the soup. Wild greens soaked up the savory broth, joined by freshly added shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and flatbread. The pot was filled to the brim, making everyone’s mouth water.
Madam Zhan filled a bowl to overflowing and handed it over. “You’ve had a hard journey. Sit down and eat something to warm yourself.”
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were both so warm and welcoming, treating the constables like family. Constable Wang couldn’t help feeling ashamed. He hadn’t done anything to help them along the way.
“That’s enough, that’s enough, Madam.”
Cheng Yao handed him a small bowl of dipping sauce. “Dip it in this.”
Constable Wang stared at the large bowl of “everything stew,” inwardly doubtful. “Can something all mixed together like this really taste good?”
Cheng Yao merely smiled without answering.
The people here had never eaten hot pot before, so their skepticism was understandable.
Constable Wang took the bowl and sat down.
The charcoal fire burned brightly, and the red oil bubbled, sending up a warm mist. He picked up a thin slice of pork with his chopsticks, dipped it into the sauce, coated it with sesame paste, and put it in his mouth. The fresh, spicy flavor instantly spread across his tongue, and his eyes lit up.
“It’s delicious!”
Constable Wang was thrilled and immediately began eating faster.
The other constables could only stare hungrily, swallowing repeatedly.
Cheng Yao first served her family, then added more ingredients to the pot. After swishing them through the broth once, she invited the remaining constables over.
They enjoyed certain privileges on the road, so it would make things more convenient if she maintained good relations with them.
Zhang Dapeng was practically drooling with envy, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to join them.
“With food this good, how could we go without wine?”
Liming Li ate until his face glowed red. He brought over a jug of wine, first filling a bowl each for the brothers Zhan Haoting and his brother, then sharing the rest with his fellow constables.
Everyone sat around the pot, basking in the warmth of the fire. The lively atmosphere was filled with cheer, and satisfied smiles touched every brow.
Cheng Yao brought over two bowls and drank a little with Zhan Haoting.
Unfortunately, she had an abysmal tolerance for alcohol. After only two sips, her small face flushed, like a peach blossom just beginning to bloom.
Zhan Haoting’s rough fingers gently brushed her flushed cheek. His voice was low and tender. “Are you drunk?”
As he spoke, he placed a piece of soft, tender tofu skin from his bowl into hers.
Cheng Yao raised her eyes and met his gaze, brimming with affection. Her cheeks grew even hotter, and she murmured, “You should eat too.”
Watching this, Constable Wang teased with a laugh, “The General certainly dotes on his wife!”
The corner of Zhan Haoting’s mouth curved upward, while the tenderness in his eyes remained undiminished. “She’s suffered alongside me, so naturally I have to treat her well.”
Cheng Yao smiled. When no one was watching, she secretly added some sliced mutton to the pot, swished it through the broth, and quickly fished it out.
She had done it so discreetly that no one noticed.
Still, the faint scent of mutton drifted through the air. Constable Wang paused for a moment, then continued stuffing his face as though nothing had happened.
Food was precious, and there was only so much mutton to go around. So what if she didn’t share it with them? They had already shown the utmost generosity by treating the constables to so many delicious dishes.
Cheng Yao divided the mutton among her family, then placed more than half a bowl into Zhan Haoting’s bowl.
Old Madam Zhan could only eat a little dried fish and a few bites of wild greens. The smell of meat from the other side drove her nearly mad with hunger, and tears streamed down her face.
She pounded her chest with her fist. “I have children and grandchildren by the dozens, yet they can all watch this old woman starve to death without lifting a finger. The heavens might as well take my worthless life and spare me this agony, as if ants were gnawing at my heart!”
Second Madam Zhan was furious too. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Mother, these unfilial descendants will suffer retribution. Just wait and see.”
“Grandmother, Mother, please stop,” Zhan Jinmo said weakly, exhausted from hunger. “If you hadn’t offended Eldest Sister-in-law, we wouldn’t have ended up like this. If you provoke her again, we may not even be allowed a mouthful of hot soup.”
“Haoche n, how can you say such a thing?” Second Madam Zhan objected. “Cheng Yao is showy and reckless. She has no respect for rank or seniority and doesn’t know how to honor her elders or care for the young. Your grandmother and I are her elders. What’s wrong with reprimanding her a little?”
She continued resentfully, “She merely used a bit of cleverness to resolve a few minor crises and ingratiated herself with the constables. That’s why everyone is so devoted to her. But you’re a scholar. How can you simply follow the crowd and flatter her?”
Zhan Jinmo felt utterly worn out.
“Mother, you and Grandmother were both seriously injured. Eldest Sister-in-law was the one who saved you with ginger soup. Are you unwilling to acknowledge even that life-saving kindness?”
Second Madam Zhan snorted disdainfully. “Who knows what kind of bewitching potion she gave you all? You actually believe a bowl of ginger soup can heal injuries and save lives?”
Zhan Jinmo lowered his voice. “She secretly added a miraculous medicine to it. Otherwise, do you really think you and Grandmother would have recovered from your injuries?”
Second Madam Zhan rolled her eyes. “It was simply because your grandmother and I were destined not to die. The heavens decided to spare us. What does that have to do with her?”
Zhan Jinmo fell silent.
He was completely speechless.
Feng Xianxian also put in her two cents. “Husband, you and the rest of the family have practically elevated Cheng Yao to the heavens. She’s really nothing more than an ordinary woman.”
Zhan Jinmo was silent for a long while before asking, “Do you think you could do everything Eldest Sister-in-law has done?”
Feng Xianxian faltered. “She had her maternal grandmother supplying provisions and two loyal servants handling things for her…”
Zhan Jinmo cut her off, his tone turning harsh as his anger rose. “I asked whether you could do what she did. If you can’t, then keep your mouth shut.”
Feng Xianxian muttered weakly, “She was simply lucky…”
“A horse may be capable of traveling a thousand miles, but without a rider, it cannot go anywhere. A person may harbor ambitions that reach the heavens, but without fortune, those ambitions cannot be fulfilled. Luck itself is a tremendous ability.”
Zhan Jinmo’s words left Feng Xianxian so stifled she could barely breathe.
Unwilling to concede, she craned her neck and shouted, “She abandoned her elders and refused to care for them. That makes her unfilial, unbrotherly, cold-hearted, and unjust!”
Zhan Jinmo looked at her with undisguised mockery. “And what of it?”
“I—I’ll tell everyone! I’ll make the whole world condemn her!”
“Who are you going to tell?” Zhan Jinmo sneered. “You don’t even know whether you’ll survive, yet you’re already thinking about harming someone else? How impressive. Besides, do you really think Eldest Sister-in-law would care?”
“You!”
Feng Xianxian was so furious that her nose nearly turned crooked. Without thinking, she blurted out, “You mention her every other sentence. If you like her so much, why didn’t you marry her back then?”
“I wasn’t blessed enough to have that fortune.” Zhan Jinmo’s expression turned desolate. “I’m just an ordinary, unsuccessful scholar. I’ve accomplished nothing, and I’m not worthy of her.”
He sighed. “The heavens are fair, after all. Worthless men belong with worthless women.”
“You!” Feng Xianxian’s face shifted between green and white. “Zhan Jinmo, who exactly are you looking down on? If you hadn’t pursued me relentlessly back then, would I have married you and ended up being exiled?”
“Which one of us was relentlessly pursuing the other?” Zhan Jinmo gave a bitter, self-mocking laugh. “But there’s no point arguing over that now. Choosing you as my wife was my mistake.”
He patted his own chest. “I was blind and deaf at heart.”
“Zhan Jinmo!”
Feng Xianxian felt as though her heart had been thrown into a pan of boiling oil and fried. The pain was unbearable.
“So you regret marrying me, do you? Fine.”
She nodded again and again, her smile more painful than tears as they filled her eyes.
“Since that’s how you feel, then let’s divorce.”
“What!” Second Madam Zhan stared at her in disbelief. “You want a divorce while we’re still on the road? Have you lost your mind? How will you survive once you leave the group?”
“I’d rather die than endure his humiliation.” Feng Xianxian could no longer hold back her tears; they streamed down her cheeks as her voice suddenly rose. “Cheng Yao is the only one in his heart!”
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone turned to look in their direction.
