Chapter 3 Early Frost (Part One)

  When the first snowflake floated down from the sky, Yang Yuyao was standing at the door to welcome her guest. She had deliberately worn a pure white cotton robe that trailed from her shoulders all the way to her feet. Her long black hair cascaded down her back without any adornment, like a waterfall flowing over her spine. Her slender waist, full hips, and delicate legs were accentuated by her elegant posture, while her face, lightly powdered with rouge, radiated joy. A pair of bright, dark eyes sparkled with delight, like a rare lotus blooming quietly beside an autumn lake. Lei Wanchun, who had just witnessed her captivating charm a few days ago, couldn't help but stare for a moment, blinking his eyes in surprise, and the polite phrases he had prepared beforehand were instantly forgotten.

  "What's wrong, Le Daxia doesn't recognize me so soon?" Yang Yutao had long expected that when Le Wanchun saw her, his face would show such an expression. She smiled slyly and asked with pursed lips.

  "Ah... " Lei Wanchun scratched the back of his neck, not hiding his embarrassment at all. "Indeed, it's quite different from the feeling two days ago. Madam, madam's attire today, looks like, just like..."

  He was tongue-tied for half a day, unable to utter a single word. It seemed that all words in the world lost their luster in front of a beauty, and it was more suitable not to use any language at all.

  Yang Yuyu smiled again, took the gift handed over by Lei Wanchun, and gently hugged it in her arms. "Lei Daxia is too polite. Today is just a simple meal to thank you for saving my life that day. Why bring gifts! Please come in, it's windy outside, please have tea inside."

  "This, haha. The thing that Old Lei brought out, of course, wouldn't meet the lady's standards. But coming empty-handed would be too impolite. It's just a small trinket, if the lady finds it pleasing to the eye, then play with it for a couple of days. If not, then just give it to the servants as a reward!"

  As they spoke, the host and guest walked side by side towards the main hall for tonight's gathering, about three inches apart. The candles on both sides of the corridor cast a warm glow, causing their shadows to suddenly advance and retreat. But that sweet floral scent grew stronger, enveloping the entire courtyard and everyone in it, as if they had stepped into a sweet dream.

  Yang Yuyu carried the gift given by Lei Wanchun into the main hall, her mood suddenly becoming like a little girl's, eager and impatient. She led the guests to their seats, personally serving them a cup of tea, and smiled as she said: "I don't know what treasure is inside. Would you mind if I open the box now?"

  "Don't call me benefactor!" Lei Wanchun almost spat out the hot tea, "I just passed by there, it was just a favor. If you call me benefactor again, I won't know how much I weigh. The box can be opened casually, I've said it's not something valuable. Maybe madam doesn't know, but Old Lei is currently just a soldier..."

  Before he could finish his humble words, Yang Yuyao had already gently opened the gift box. Inside was a piece of Yue kiln white porcelain, which was already quite valuable for an ordinary commoner's family. For the Guo State Lady's mansion, which used beeswax as candles, it seemed too shabby. The only thing worth praising was that the entire white porcelain was fired into the shape of a galloping horse, without saddle or reins, with four hooves in mid-air.

  "What a fine horse! I've never seen such a beautiful steed!" Yang Yuyao, who was used to seeing all sorts of treasures and treated gold as dirt, was surprisingly interested in this ceramic horse. She held it up in front of her eyes, examining it carefully. After admiring it for a while, she carefully placed it in the Many Treasures Pavilion in her room, then gently patted it with her hand, afraid that if she put it down carelessly, it would shatter into pieces.

  "A friend helped me pick it out. I didn't expect it to enter the eyes of my wife!" Seeing that the other party cherished the gift he gave, Lei Wanchun was in a great mood and added with a smile.

  "Are those two brothers from the Qin family?" Yang Yuyao brought her gaze back from the horse and walked gently to sit opposite Lei Wanchun. Since it was a small dinner for just the two of them, she chose a square table instead of the usual low table used in large banquets. This way, they sat facing each other with their knees bent, and slightly raising their heads, they could see the sparkle in each other's eyes clearly.

  It wasn't until now that Lei Wanchun realized the abnormality of his seat. Embarrassed by his slow reaction, he quickly straightened up and smiled as he replied: "No, Guo Mo, Guo Zhen brothers have been busy with family matters lately and didn't have time to accompany me on this leisurely stroll. It was my superior, Zhang, who helped choose it. He reads more books and is more meticulous in his thinking!"

  "Ah Gong's......" she asked, suddenly realizing that she had again touched upon Lei Wan Chun's taboo. Yang Yu Xiao hastily covered her lips with her spring onion-like fingers, "Look at my memory. I called you Ah Gong again. But if I don't call you Ah Gong, what should I call you instead?"

  "Hey, just call me Old Lei, brave warrior. Or you can just shout out my name if you want. I'm a rough guy, not too particular about these things!" Lei Wanchun swung his hand casually, indicating that the other person could relax, while also trying to make himself feel more at ease.

  He wasn't a country bumpkin who had never seen a beauty, and before coming to the banquet, he had boasted to Zhang Xun and Wang Cong that he was upright and straightforward, and would absolutely not be confused by the sight of a beautiful woman. But all his promises began to lose effect as soon as he saw Madame Guo, and he felt flustered in his heart, as if several hundred hands were scratching him.

  "Then don't call me madam!" Yang Yuyao pouted, haggling with Lei Wanchun like a little girl. "My name is Yang Yuyao, nickname Peier. Brother Lei calls me Yuyao, either one is fine!"

  "Obeying the lady's orders!" Lei Wanchun Zheng nodded his head, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter those few words that the other party was expecting. He shook his head, smiled and said: "I'm not used to calling people by their nicknames. Let's just simplify things, you and I will address each other directly. Anyway, tonight there probably won't be a third person around!"

  "Alright!" A faint sense of disappointment flashed through Yang Yuyao's heart, but soon a smile bloomed on her face again. "What does Brother Lei like to eat?"

  "What do you have here?" Lei Wanchun, no longer being polite, smiled and asked back, "Guests follow the host's convenience. As long as there is wine and meat, that's enough. Don't bother with any exotic delicacies from all over the world. If I eat it, I won't be able to tell if it's good or not. And besides, it may not even fill my stomach!"

  Yang Yuyu was taken aback, not expecting Lei Wanchun's request to be so simple. For this banquet, she had put in a lot of thought beforehand. In these times, not only did royal banquets emphasize luxury, but even ordinary wealthy households in Chang'an City would spare no expense when hosting guests, as long as they weren't struggling to make ends meet; dishes like swallow's nest, shark fin, deer lips, bear paws, and camel hooves were all considered essential.

  Who would have thought that Leiwanchun's request was so simple. He didn't want to taste those delicacies, just asking for a drunken fullness. For the chef in the mansion of Guo Guofu, this requirement was too vague. But this couldn't stump Yang Yuyao, she just nodded and had an idea, patted her hand and ordered the maid serving wine: "Let the kitchen prepare a freshly slaughtered small deer, skin removed, and bring it here directly. Also prepare charcoal basin, stone board and roasting frame. Today's snow is just right for us to have a hot meal!"

  This is quite beyond Lei Wanchun's expectations. He laughed and asked with wide eyes, "You're also willing to eat barbecue? My goodness, I thought only a rough person like me would enjoy this kind of food!"

  "Roasting is best done fresh. " Yang Yuyao smiled in response, her eyes sparkling with wit.

  After a brief moment, a small deer with its skin just peeled off was sent over. Yang Yuyao waved her hand and ordered the maid who had come to attend to her to retreat, then rolled up her sleeves, cut off a piece of meat from the deer's back that had a bit of light yellow fat on it, threaded it onto an iron skewer, and slowly placed it on the white copper charcoal basin that the servants had just brought in.

  Inside the basin is high-quality white charcoal, without a single wisp of smoke. The blue flames dance up and down. The venison with fat chunks is smoked by the hot air, immediately bubbling out a layer of oil. As the oil droplets gather bigger and bigger, they slowly merge into drops. Finally, when it can no longer hold on to the meat chunk, it falls into the fire basin with a "plop".

  The blue flame in the fire bowl suddenly jumped up and turned into bright golden yellow in mid-air. Yang Yuyao, however, did not dodge or evade, picked up an iron skewer with meat on it, and slowly stirred it over the yellow flames. Watching as the surface of the meat also turned golden yellow, she smiled and took the meat out, placing it on a silver platter, using a knife to lightly slice it into thin pieces. Then, she presented the seasonings and meat slices together to Lei Wanchun, "It's been a long time since I've done this, my hands are already clumsy. Hope Big Brother Lei can eat it!"

  "If this is still considered clumsy, then the things Old Lei usually bakes himself are only fit to feed dogs!" Lei Wanchun, who had already been stunned into stupidity, shook his head and laughed as he took over the tray. He couldn't remember how many times he had been shocked tonight. He hadn't expected that when he casually mentioned it, the female host would actually personally bake meat for him to eat. What's more, a woman in silk clothes and jade food could even make roasting meat so skillfully.

  "It's a taste that can be called Big Brother!" Yang Yuyu smiled and asked in a low voice after watching Lei Wanchun eat a few pieces of meat.

  "Great, great. The flavor is simply authentic!" With meat in his mouth, Lei Wanchun also relaxed a lot, nodded and praised with a smile.

  Suddenly, he found all the roasted meat in front of him. He quickly pushed the plate forward and smiled politely: "You eat too! How can good things be given to Lao Lei alone?"

  Yang Yuyao nodded, picked up a small piece of meat with her chopsticks, dipped it in the seasoning box in front of her, and slowly savored it. The fresh roasted meat had a rich flavor, she originally thought this thing was too spicy, but tonight it tasted very smooth. So she picked up several more pieces with her chopsticks and ate them elegantly. Then she used an iron skewer to pierce several pieces of venison spine and slowly roasted them.

  "I'm here to help you!" Lei Wanchun felt embarrassed just eating and not doing any work, so he snatched a few skewers from the iron rack and slowly turned them over the fire pit in imitation of Yang Yuyao. Yang Yuyao smiled at him and didn't refuse, quietly staring at the flames, enjoying the warmth and tranquility of the moment.

  In a moment, several pieces of meat were all cooked. The host and guest cut the meat together, without distinguishing which piece was roasted by whom. With a mouthful of wine and a slice of meat, they began to eat happily. Before long, both of them had beads of sweat on their foreheads, and their faces turned red and hot, with an indescribable warmth.

  "Did Big Brother just say that Little Zhang Tanhua is your immediate superior?" Yang Yuyao had a weak stomach and was full after eating a few pieces. She then placed the stone slab on top, slowly roasting it. Preparing to use it to roast deer legs later.

  "Hmm!" Lei Wanchun put down his wine cup and responded with a smile. "Yes, I started following him seven or eight years ago. At that time, he hadn't been appointed as an official yet, and we were stuck together in the capital city. Thanks to the help of Old Master Qin from the Qin Manor, he managed to get a job as a county magistrate!"

  Yang Yuyu had already inquired about Lei Wanchun's past through various channels, but at this moment, hearing the other party mention it personally still had a very intimate flavor. "Sister thinks that Big Brother and Little Zhang Tanhua should be two completely different types of people. Why would you give up being a carefree and leisurely wanderer and instead listen to his orders?!"

  "That's a long story!" Lei Wanchun took another sip of wine and shook his head with a smile.

  "Can you tell me about it?" Yang Yuyao tilted her head, obviously very curious about the reason.

  "Heh heh, if you're interested in listening, I don't mind telling you!" Lei Wanchun replied with a smile, casually putting a piece of roasted meat into his mouth. As he savored the rich flavor of the countryside, he chuckled and said: "That year, I had just beheaded a villain and was feeling great. But then I ran into him at a Taoist temple where we were both staying. Several friends praised my skill for ridding the people of a scourge, but he just gave a cold snort when he heard it!"

  "Why?" Perhaps it was because she had been lonely for too long, Yang Yuyao suddenly heard these Jianghu legends and her interest was so strong that she couldn't hide it.

  Lei Wanchun smiled and continued, "I also questioned him like that at the time. You're just a bookworm who doesn't understand anything, yet you dare to laugh at me? In the end, he was able to stump me with just a few words."

  "He asked me why I killed that scoundrel. I said the scoundrel deserved to die, and he asked me if killing someone without the permission of the authorities wasn't also taking a life!"

  "Of course not!" Yang Yuyu immediately stood up for Lei Wanchun, her eyes wide with indignation.

  "I also think so. That evil gangster killed innocent people and must have gotten what he deserved. But then he asked me, on what basis can we be sure that"

  "Are the scoundrels I killed innocent? Before I killed the scoundrel, did I ask him why he committed murder? If the scoundrel also had a reason for killing people, does my behavior count as randomly killing innocents?"

  Eating while talking is extremely impolite in a banquet, but Lei Wanchun's carefree and casual manner of having one mouthful of wine and one mouthful of meat at a time gave people a very relaxed and comfortable feeling. Yang Yuyao listened for a while and was infected by the other party, so she picked up her wine cup again and started eating with one mouthful of wine and one mouthful of meat.

  "I was fooled by Zhang Zhou. Let him get out of the way, don't spoil my mood. But then he asked me again, knowing that he might have done something wrong and not allowing others to speak, is it a kind of evil behavior? If his skills are better than mine at this moment, would taking up a knife and chopping me be considered ridding the people of a scourge?"

  "This guy is really annoying, if I were you, I'd beat him up!" Yang Yuyao said with a curl of her lip, extremely disdainfully.

  "But if I had beaten him, wouldn't that have thoroughly confirmed the four words 'bullying with power and prestige'?" Lei Wanchun shook his head, put away his smile, and said in a low voice. "Then I asked him, what if it were him instead of me? He said, all things in this world must follow rules. No one can use their own likes and dislikes to replace the law. If it were him, he would catch that evil rascal and take him to court, let the authorities judge. Whoever deserves to be beaten with a board should be beaten with a board, whoever deserves to be beheaded should be beheaded. If everyone were like me, completely relying on their own personal judgment to decide others' life and death, then this world would not have more heroes, but rather a group of robbers!"

  This theory is quite novel, and Yang Yuyao listened with a bewildered expression. In her heart, she clearly knew that Zhang Xun's words were too naive, and there was no possibility of realization within the Tang Dynasty. So-called rules have always been used to protect those in power, while those without power or influence are crushed by these rules.

  "He said that if there's anything wrong with the rules, he can find a way to get the imperial court to change them. If an official is acting unlawfully, he can impeach him before the imperial court and ask for his removal. But when everyone takes their own likes and dislikes as the standard, and goes around playing hero, that's unacceptable. It looks like they're doing good deeds for the people, but in reality, they themselves may have become a great scourge. If there are outlaws relying on their martial arts skills to go around killing people, yet claiming they're upholding justice, and the authorities don't have the power to restrain them... then in the end, this world will become one where whoever has the biggest fist gets to decide what's right. It'll be no different from a pack of wolves!"

  "I couldn't outdo him. I had no choice but to scold him as a bookworm. He said, 'You haven't seen how I do things, how can you know whether what I say is feasible or not?' So, I made a bet with him that if he became an official, one day he would forget his humble beginnings. He told me, 'You can watch me at any time, and if you find out that I've forgotten, feel free to cut off my head with a knife.' At the time, I had drunk too much wine and impulsively agreed. Who knew that kid hadn't even become an official yet? By the time he became a small county magistrate, it was already several years later!"

  Lei Wanchun was never good with words, so his speech was a bit incoherent. But Yang Yuyao listened intently beside him. She poured another cup of wine for the other person and half a cup for herself, raised it to her eyebrows, and smiled as she summarized: "After all, big brother is still a heroic figure who keeps his promises. If it were me, I would have taken back my words in a moment of impulse and run away with my tail between my legs afterwards. Anyway, Zhang wouldn't be able to catch up with me!"

  "Later, I found out that his words actually made a lot of sense!" Lei Wanchun sighed, grabbed the wine cup and downed it in one gulp. "Although he has been hitting a brick wall everywhere these years, an official like him, no matter where he goes, the local villains will restrain their behavior. The effect is indeed a hundred times stronger than me carrying this precious sword and killing people all over the place!"

  "That's not necessarily true, where can you find so many good officials like Zhang Xiaohua?!" Yang Yuyao had long forgotten her identity and smiled, commenting in a low voice. "Aren't they all flattering those above them and exploiting those below them without restraint? Zhang Xiaohua is powerless against them. On the contrary, it's people like Big Brother who take action with their swords that make them wary!"

  "I'm also helpless against them!" Lei Wanchun laughed and shook his head. "Not all martial artists like to be heroes. The higher the official, the stronger the warriors they keep by their side. For a county magistrate or that level of official, I might still be able to get away with assassinating them. But for a governor or above, it's very difficult to escape unscathed. As for those even higher up, like your brother, I reckon before I could even get within ten steps of him, I'd be shot full of holes by crossbow bolts!"

  "Brother?" Yang Yuyao suddenly woke up, staring with a pair of piercing eyes, and smiled as she asked. "In your eyes, is brother considered unforgivable?"

  "I was just speaking figuratively, I didn't mean to say that you are unforgivably evil!" Lei Wanchun explained hastily, also suddenly coming back to his senses.

  Note 1: Bao Xiao, also known as Bai Yi, is one of the eight fine horses of King Mu.