Peace Order

Chapter 1810 - 83: Reputation and Fission

Then the shopkeeper wiped his hands and went forward, smiling: "Old gentleman, you’ve come."

Qu Hanxiu, meticulous as always, replied: "Hmm."

The shopkeeper asked: "The usual?"

Qu Hanxiu smiled, looking at the street outside, and said: "No."

He looked at the shopkeeper and said: "Today I want to try something new."

The shopkeeper was stunned but didn’t mind, just smiled and said:

"Alright, have a seat for a moment."

The shopkeeper swiftly brought a bowl of radish and old duck soup, a bowl of rice, and a plate of pickled vegetable shreds, which were simple yet delightful. Qu Hanxiu ate meticulously, but noticed an old man and a child at a nearby table, who seemed to have just arrived from elsewhere. Their speech carried a different accent.

It was their first time in Jiangnan, and they weren’t familiar with the local dishes.

A child coming from a poor place to a prosperous one often feels stubborn, easily influenced by the environment, always feeling that everyone is watching and mocking them, naturally leading to a lot of awkward feelings.

The more awkward they feel, the worse they perform.

While he was sweating with anxiety, he heard a laugh, his body tensed up, and then he heard a familiar hometown accent: "That’s not how you eat it."

He was stunned, lifted his head, and saw an old man smiling at him, speaking his native dialect, which was even close to the local accent, and he couldn’t help but feel a strong sense of kinship.

The child asked hesitantly: "Are you, are you also from Wulitu, Zhao County?"

Qu Hanxiu smiled: "You and your grandfather left your hometown because..."

The child exchanged a glance with his grandfather, a man much younger than Qu Hanxiu, and said: "Ah, well, it’s because the child is talented, he solved those puzzles left by the Mo Family Masters. The Mo Family Master said before leaving, that anyone who could solve the puzzles has the talent for the Mo Family Mechanism and can try their luck here."

"Prince Qin said studying is valuable."

"So, we brought the child here to give it a try."

"We’re not seeking great wealth, just don’t want the child to end up like us, digging in the dirt for food."

"We just arrived today and are unfamiliar with the local eating customs, causing a bit of a joke."

Qu Hanxiu smiled: "What’s so hard to digest?"

"The world is so vast, even if you are a genius, visiting illustrious teachers, when you reach my age with white hair, there’s still much you don’t understand. If you’re afraid to ask, you’ll never know."

"But if you ask, won’t you know?"

The child said instinctively: "But you’ll be laughed at."

Qu Hanxiu smiled and replied: "So what if they laugh?"

The child was stunned.

Qu Hanxiu said: "It’s through being laughed at that we move forward. Want to learn how to eat?"

The child hesitated, stood up, brushed his clothes regardless of the patches, bowed sincerely, and said: "Please teach me, sir."

Qu Hanxiu smiled triumphantly, stroking his beard: "The young one can be taught."

"If you want to learn, I will teach you."

The old man, holding the bun, explained with enthusiasm: "This bun can be eaten plain, soaked, however, you like it. Just pick it up and bite into it."

"Some people eat it plain to taste the grain’s aroma inside the bun."

"Then break off a little, soak it in the duck-blood soup, let it absorb the duck flavor, tasting like duck meat but not quite, rather wonderful."

"Additionally, I also learned a fabulous way to eat it from a young gentleman."

Qu Hanxiu raised his eyebrows, proudly held half a bun, stood it up, poked the soft middle, then squeezed to form a hollow.

Then he put in duck blood, duck giblets, and pickled radish, handing it to the child, who took a big bite. As he bit in, the sturdy bun, the soft duck blood, crisp duck giblets, radish, various textures emerged.

His eyes widened.

He took another big bite.

Qu Hanxiu stroked his beard and smiled confidently: "How is it? Delicious, right?"

The child nodded vigorously.

"So, don’t fear asking, don’t fear the unknown."

"If you don’t ask, you won’t know such wonderful opportunities exist."

"Is face that important?"

The child paused for a long time and said: "But some people always refuse to ask."

He was silent for a moment and said: "If one could record these things and secrets in a book, telling everyone, it’d be great, even those who can’t speak can learn a lot from the book."

Qu Hanxiu smiled and asked: "What is your name?"

The child answered: "Song Da."

Qu Hanxiu said: "That name is too crude, not in accordance with propriety."

The child stood up and bowed, said: "Please teach me, sir."

Qu Hanxiu was stunned, laughed: "You’re really a curious one, no wonder you could solve the Mo Family Masters’ puzzles. Alright, I’ll give you a name..." Qu Hanxiu stroked his beard, contemplated for a long time, and said: "In ancient times, heroes were born according to the stars."

"You shall be called Song Yingxing."

"Among the myriad stars, Changgeng is the vibrant morning star lighting up the night, I hope you can write such an all-encompassing book as you say."

"So, you’ll be called Song Yingxing, courtesy name Changgeng."

The child respectfully thanked him, and Qu Hanxiu left with a smile, looking at the landscape between heaven and earth, walking leisurely towards a nearby lake in Jiangnan. The old man looked at the lake, his expression warm and serene, got up, and slowly strolled.

Nan Hanwen stumbled to the eating place, but Qu Hanxiu was nowhere to be seen.