Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1241 A Pot of Wild Vegetable Soup
"Look, a refugee just came to register his household," Lu Yang said, handing the documents in his hand to Prefect Wan.

"Just handle this kind of trivial matter according to the rules." Prefect Wan was somewhat surprised. Lu Yang couldn't possibly not handle such a small matter. Could it be that the refugee had some kind of status?
"Huh? This is the seal of the General of Pingnan?" Prefect Wan said in surprise. "Could he be a relative of the General of Pingnan?"

Lu Yang shook his head and repeated what Shi Jia had said.

Prefect Wan raised an eyebrow. "She didn't say why General Pingnan gave her the document?" With the enemy at hand, the general wouldn't have time to write a household registration document for a refugee. Surely that woman must have done something beneficial to the overall situation?

"No, I doubt she knows the specific reason either," Lu Yang said. In truth, he only wanted to inform Prefect Wan about the matter. After all, it involved the General of Pingnan. If the court were to win in the future and the General remembered this matter and inquired about it, it would be very inappropriate for the Prefect to know nothing.

Prefect Wan nodded. "Alright, go ahead and get busy. Anfu and Anlu are back. Come visit me at my home after you leave the office."

A look of delight flashed in Lu Yang's eyes. "I'd be honored to accept your offer!"

That night, the Prefect Wan's residence was brightly lit, and a large round table was set up in the hall, around which more than a dozen people sat. Laughter and cheerful conversation filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Really? The army has already recaptured Jiangling Prefecture?" Prefect Wan asked in surprise. All three of his adult children had joined the army. Although he, a civil official, had handed over three military officers, which made him extremely depressed, he had been thinking about his children every single day since they went to the battlefield.

Hearing from his children that they had participated in the siege, he felt a surge of pride amidst his worry.

"Yes, thanks to the general's discovery of a hidden passage, our army was able to launch a pincer attack on the Northern Barbarian army through this passage. In just three days, we successfully captured a city." Wan Anlu said with admiration.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Magistrate Wan clapped his hands and shouted. The others were overjoyed and raised their wine cups to drink.

People at the table, regardless of gender, toasted each other, creating a lively atmosphere.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a plump appearance led a servant carrying a large earthenware pot to Wan Anshou's side. "Third Young Master, your wild vegetable and cured meat soup is here."

Wan Anshou, who was drinking, lit up when he heard this. “Quickly, bring a bowl for Father, Mother, and all the uncles and elders present.”

Hearing this, Lu Yang, who was sitting to the side, asked curiously, "Third Young Master, have you found something delicious again?"

Wan Anshou nodded vigorously, "Uncle Lu, let me tell you, don't be fooled by the simple and cheap ingredients of this soup. It tastes incredibly delicious and has a rare touch of wildness..." He described the deliciousness of the wild vegetable and cured meat soup in great detail.

Lu Yang didn't react much, but inwardly he thought to himself that this third young master had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth and had never eaten such coarse food before. He probably just found it novel because it was his first time eating it.

"Oh, in that case, I'll have to give it a good taste," Lu Yang said with a smile.

But Wan Anshou was a very perceptive person; he could tell at a glance that Lu Yang didn't believe him, and he immediately became extremely agitated. "Everything I said is true! If you don't believe me, ask my eldest sister and my second brother!"

Lu Yang was taken aback. Why was this kid in such a hurry?

He looked at Wan Anfu with a puzzled expression, and the latter smiled and said, "Indeed, as my third brother said, the soup is fresh and delicious."

"Then I can't miss it even more." Lu Yang said with a smile, took the cured meat and wild vegetable soup handed to him by the servant, and took a sip. The saltiness was just right, and the flavors of wild vegetables and cured meat were also infused into the soup, which was indeed a unique taste.

"It's really delicious!" Lu Yang's eyes lit up. "Sir, you should try it too. It's really good, especially suitable for the cold winter." He invited his colleagues to eat.

Prefect Wan naturally wouldn't refuse, "Not bad." However, just as everyone was praising him, Wan Anshou exclaimed in disappointment, "No, this tastes wrong!"

Wan Anshou's disdainful tone stood out too much amidst the praise, so everyone turned to look at him. Prefect Wan's expression was particularly displeased.

What do you mean by this?! You're the one who says it's delicious, and then you're the one who says it's not. Are you treating us elders like monkeys?
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Wan Anshou felt a little guilty under their gazes. "I just think this soup isn't as good as the ones I've had before." His voice trailed off.

He glanced at Wan Anfu and Wan Anlu out of the corner of his eye and quickly added, "If you don't believe me, ask your eldest sister and second brother."

Everyone looked over instinctively, only to see that the two of them looked perfectly normal.

The portly middle-aged man beside him grew anxious. He was the cook at the Wan household, and he was the one who made the wild vegetable and cured meat soup. He hurriedly asked, "Third Young Master, is there anything missing from this soup?"

His family has been chefs for generations, and he has practiced cooking since childhood, honing his skills to perfection. He believes his culinary skills are unmatched.

Therefore, I felt somewhat uncomfortable upon hearing Wan Anshou's words.

"Uncle Zhu, don't listen to Lao San, this wild vegetable soup is very good," Wan Anlu hurriedly said. He couldn't upset Uncle Zhu, after all, his family depended on him for food!
However, Master Zhu was a stickler for reason. Since Wan Anshou had said something was wrong, there must be something lacking. So he continued to watch Wan Anshou.

"Third Young Master, what do you think?"

The others also looked at him, for everyone knew that Wan Anshou was extremely picky about food.

Wan Anshou scratched his head. He wasn't a chef, so how would he know about these things? "Ah, how would I know? It's just that the taste is different."

“That’s right, each has its own merits.” Wan Anlu quickly added, “Uncle Zhu, your soup tastes excellent, as Father and all the uncles agree. But everyone has their own taste, so how can the dishes be exactly the same?”

He then looked at Wan Anshou, "Third brother, you were starving all day back then, but now, you have all kinds of delicacies in front of you. The feeling of drinking the soup is different, so naturally the experience is different too!"

He gave Wan Anshou a warning look, telling him not to talk nonsense.

"Uh, it seems so." Wan Anshou scratched his head.

"Hurry up and apologize to Uncle Zhu!" Wan Anlu whispered in his ear. Honestly, of all people to offend, it had to be the cook!
"Uncle Zhu, I'm sorry, your soup was delicious!" Wan Anshou said apologetically, "I just..."

Master Zhu nodded, indicating that he didn't mind.

"Alright, Zhu Quan, go ahead and do your work. You don't need to wait on me here." Prefect Wan waved his hand, and after Master Zhu left, he looked at his three children and frowned. "What happened to you all going hungry all day?"

Wan Anfu and the others exchanged glances, somewhat annoyed, and hurriedly said, "Father, we were in a hurry to get back and prepare provisions, so we rarely stopped along the way. Just as we were about to return to Jingzhou Prefecture, we encountered Madam Li and her group who were cooking..."

She looked at Lu Yang and said, "Speaking of which, Madam Li said she would be settling down in Jingzhou Prefecture. She might go to the prefectural government office to see the magistrate in the next few days. At that time, I would like to ask Uncle Lu to do Madam Li a favor for the sake of his niece."

Lu Yang blinked. "Is the young lady referring to Li Yunniang?"

"Exactly!"