Chapter 34 - 34 Braised Spring Bamboo Shoots 1

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Yes, the young master gave it to the young lady,” Xiaobei replied.

“Where did your young master get this from?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Well… I don’t know…” Xiaobei was evasive.

Is your young master in the courtyard?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll go find him!”

Since Wei Jinyi’s answer couldn’t be obtained from Xiaobei, she might as well ask Wei Jinyi herself.

in the bedroom, the lower half of Wei Jinyi’s body was covered by the quilt, and the upper half was propped up against the cushion, holding a book in his hand. He was wearing a white gown, and his face was still a bit pale, and he looked like an emaciated man who has just been drenched in the rain.

Wei Ruo walked over and Wei Jinyi looked up at her.

“Are you giving me this valuable ginseng?” Wei Ruo asked, pointing at the box in her hand.

“Yes.”

“Where did you get such a valuable thing?” Wei Ruo was curious.

“I saved an old man some years ago, it’s a gift from him.” Wei Jinyi replied. Xiaobei, who was listening on the side, was grumbling in his heart. The young master was lying without blushing! It was not from saving someone, the ginseng was clearly from…

“Are you sure you want to give me this valuable ginseng? If sold, it can worth a lot of silver! There should be at least two hundred taels.” Wei Ruo reminded him.

“You saved my life, it worth more than the ginseng can offer.” Wei Jinyi replied. The medicine that Wei Ruo had given him was a rare item that could not be bought or found elsewhere.

Although what he said was right nevertheless, from Wei Ruo’s perspective Wei Jinyi’s appearance suggested that the value of the ginseng probably exceeded all his possessions.

He was so poor yet he could give her such a valuable item. Clearly, he was someone who knew how to be grateful. Her decision to risk exposing herself to save him that day wasn’t wrong.

“Alright then, I’ll accept the ginseng. Next time, I’ll use it to make some great replenishing pills and gift a few of them back to you,” said Wei Ruo.

“Okay.” Wei Jinyi agreed, but he didn’t really expect Wei Ruo to give him any great replenishing pills.

###

Two days later, Wei Jinyi finally “recovered” from his illness.

He could eat, drink, get out of bed, and walk.

Everyone in the Wei Residence breathed a sigh of relief, no longer having to fear of being punished by Wei Mingting.

Wei Ruo came to visit Wei Jinyi again, and also to take some bamboo shoots from his courtyard.

If she didn’t eat these bamboo shoots soon, they would become old and unusable. Rather than wasting them, she decided to offer them to her “Wuzang Temple” [tummy].

Just as Xiaobei was serving food to Wei Jinyi, Wei Ruo entered the room. Looking at the dishes, Wei Ruo appeared surprised. The porridge was fine, recovering from a serious illness requires a bit of liquid to help with absorption in the stomach.

The problem lay with the two plates of dishes: one plate of somewhat yellowish-green vegetables and another with similarly unappetizing, seriously suspected of being burnt, radishes.

Even though it’s true that a person who had just recovered from a severe illness should eat light, but what’s with the yellowing and burnt dishes?

“Did the main kitchen send you wilted vegetables?” Wei Ruo asked.

“No, the vegetables that the main kitchen sent are quite fresh,” Xiaobei explained.

In the past, they might have been given unsavory vegetables, but now the servants at the residence wouldn’t dare withhold their provision.

“So, did your own kitchen ruin the dishes?” Wei Ruo asked.

Hearing this, Xiaobei scratched his head in embarrassment: “Well… Miss, the cook here is me… and I’m not very good at cooking…”

Xiaobei quickly added, “But, I usually do a bit better than this, I rarely burn food anymore. Today was an exception because I was cooking while worrying about young master’s medication!”

There were only two people in the Zhu Bamboo Residence, and although there was a small kitchen that could cook small meals, it didn’t have a proper cook. Wei Ruo turned to Xiumei and gave her a look.

Without needing Wei Ruo to say anything, Xiumei already understood her intent.

“Miss, shall I use these bamboo shoots to cook a dish of braised spring bamboo shoots?” Xiumei suggested.

“Go ahead, you peel the shoots first, and I’ll go get some sweet potato starch for you.” Wei Ruo said.

The mistress and maid began to act separately. Their enthusiasm made Xiaobei anxious.

Thinking about the spicy dish that Wei Ruo made last time, Xiaobei didn’t dare to hold any hopes for the upcoming meal.

“Young master, do you want me to stop them?”

“Let them be.”

Unlike the previous rejection and impatience, Wei Jinyi didn’t refuse this time.

It wasn’t long before Wei Ruo returned with Xiumei. Xiumei was holding a bowl n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

of braised spring bamboo shoots steaming hot.

Xiumei put the bowl on the bedside table of Wei Jinyi and said, “Second young master, try these spring shoots. They’re not going to be spicy this time, they won’t make you choke.”

Wei Jinyi looked at the tender yellow bamboo shoots covered with a thick brown sauce, shining with oily glitter, and topped with fresh green onions. Compared with the yellowish and burnt vegetables and radishes cooked by Xiaobei, these bamboo shoots were much more enticing.

With an attitude of giving it a try, Wei Jinyi picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, savoring it carefully.

He did not choke or cough this time. His expressions were usually limited and would not show any extreme emotions, so it was hard to gauge his opinion on the braised spring bamboo shoots by his expression alone.

“The flavor is rich, fresh and tasty, it has the sweetness of the shoots and a complex taste of the sauce, what’s that?”

Wei Jinyi looked up at Wei Ruo.

“It’s soy sauce. Didn’t I give you a jar?”

Indeed, she did give him one, but Wei Jinyi had never tasted it. He had asked

Xiaobei to dispose of it and didn’t know where Xiaobei had put it.

Xiaobei guiltily lowered his head and looked at the floor, fearing that Wei Ruo would discover he had carelessly stored her gift.

Little did he know that his mistress was indeed serious about her soy sauce. It was her secret recipe, and as it turned out, was indeed a valuable medicinal ingredient as she claimed.

“How is it? Better than those vegetables and radishes, right?” Wei Ruo asked smiling.

“Mmm.” Wei Jinyi replied in his low voice, his emotions hardly discernible.

Wei Ruo watched as Wei Jinyi finished an entire bowl of porridge and a plate full of braised spring bamboo shoots, before leaving the residence with Xiumei a satisfied smile on her face.

Once Wei Ruo left, Wei Jinyi asked Xiaobei where the jar of soy sauce had gone.

“I’ll go find it!” Xiaobei hurriedly ran into the kitchen to search. He found the jar collecting dust in a corner.

Even though the surface was dusty, the jar was well-sealed, so the content should be okay.

Xiaobei returned to Wei Jinyi’s bedroom, holding the jar of soy sauce excitedly.

“Young master, look, the jar is still here and it’s been stored well.”

“Mmm, store it well.”

Yes, my master! I’ll keep it in the safest place!”

No matter how tasty this soy sauce is, being a gift from Wei Ruo, they had to treat it with respect.

The relationship between their young master and Wei Ruo had changed.. They

had become “friends through adversity!”