Union

Chapter 70 Misunderstanding Again

There's no good or bad about it. You're the Second Master, so naturally you get to decide.

As Yunying thought this, her cheeks turned even redder.

Her pale fingers gripped the handkerchief, and she remained silent for a moment.

Noticing that her sleeve was being tugged, Yunying quickly looked down and saw that the Second Master was pulling her sleeve and dragging her to one side.

With this tug, they entered a wonton shop.

“We’re standing in the middle of the road, blocking the way. Why don’t you sit down at this wonton shop for a bit? I’ll go order two bowls of wontons and buy some other snacks while I’m at it.”

Yunying's bottom was already touching the stool, but when she heard Second Master say that he was going to order wontons and buy food, Yunying immediately couldn't sit still.

"I'll go, you sit here." He was, after all, a county magistrate, and countless people had seen his true face. If someone saw him going to buy food, wouldn't he lose face?

Besides, he was the master, and she was the servant.

Yunying had her reservations, but the Second Master did not.

Then the Second Master pressed Yunying back into her seat, telling her to sit properly and that he would be right back.

The wonton shop is run by a middle-aged couple.

The man in charge of the household was responsible for cooking and serving the wontons, while his aunt sat behind him, deftly wrapping the wontons.

As soon as Yunying and the Second Master arrived, the couple noticed them.

After all, the two were exceptionally good-looking; they had never seen anyone so beautiful in their lives.

Seeing that the young couple was being polite, the auntie selling wontons smiled and said, "Good girl, please sit down. If your husband is so kind to you, then you should accept it. You never know how many times you'll get this opportunity in your life; you might not get another chance like this."

Seeing Yunying's cheeks flushed bright red, her aunt said in a knowing tone, "You two just got married, right? Oh dear, it's only at times like this that men will lower themselves to flatter us and fawn over us. Wait a year or two, until the novelty wears off, and then you'll see if they'll still give us the time of day when you ask them to buy you things."

My aunt has a loud voice; everyone in the shop can hear her.

Actually, this isn't a proper shop; it's just a shed and storefront set up by a couple.

They only run a breakfast business. Once there are more customers, they have to dismantle their stall so as not to delay their relatives' business.

The shed was drafty, and since the aunt had a loud voice, everyone around could hear what she said.

Immediately, the old lady and the young woman echoed in agreement, saying, "They'll only be used for this for a year or two."

“My husband is very proud. We’ve been married for thirty years, and he’s never gone out with me.”

“My husband is heartless and has never bought me even a single piece of candy.”

"Don't be shy, young lady. If we can benefit from it, then we should. It's a blessing for us women that men give us face in public."

Yunying: "..."

Unable to explain it any further, Yunying decided to give up the struggle.

It's all her fault for not checking the almanac before leaving her room today; otherwise, she wouldn't have been mistaken for the Second Master's wife twice in one day.

Yunying blushed and couldn't help but cover her face with her hands.

The noise from the crowd was too loud, and even if she tried to refute them, she couldn't drown them out. Besides, this was only one meeting, and she wouldn't be able to see them a second time, so it didn't really matter whether she explained or not.

Yunying thought this way, and she did this way.

She sat silently on the stool waiting for the Second Master. The Second Master ordered the wontons and walked up to her with a smile on his face.

He had a slight smile on his face, but upon closer inspection, the smile was awkward.

Yunying didn't think that the Second Master was embarrassed because the older women and aunts had misunderstood their relationship and felt that he had ruined her reputation and let her down.

Second Master isn't that kind of person. It's already a favor if he doesn't tease her. Expecting him to feel guilty is absolutely impossible.

Sure enough, the Second Master came closer and looked at Yun Ying.

Seeing this, Yunying felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy. "What are you doing?"

The second master held out his long, slender, fair hand in front of her, and said with a hint of embarrassment, "I didn't bring any money. Let me lend you some first, and I'll go out and buy you some food."

The aunties and grandmas who were listening intently to their conversation burst into laughter again upon hearing this.

"Oh my, this young wife is actually in charge of the money."

"This is incredible! You really can't judge a book by its cover."

"If my daughter-in-law looked like that, I would be willing to let her manage all the family's assets."

Yunying had already lay flat, ignoring everything. She acted as if she were a clay figure, unable to hear anything anyone was saying.

The wontons were ready quickly. When the uncle saw that the second master had not returned for a long time, he was worried that the soup would get cold, so he asked if we should wait a while before serving it.

Seeing the Second Master approaching with a lot of things, Yunying quickly said to the Uncle, "No need to wait, let's go now."

The wontons had just been served when Second Master went under the shed.

Today he was dressed in a dark blue cross-collar robe, wearing cloud-patterned boots, a jade crown, and a jade belt; he looked every bit the noble young master.

But at this moment, he was holding a lot of food that was completely out of character for him. There were egg pancakes, sesame cakes, steamed buns, as well as flower cakes, sweet cakes, and even a string of candied hawthorns.

The aunties around them burst into laughter at the sight. Yunying was completely numb and pretended not to hear, but after the second master sat down, Yunying couldn't help but lean closer and ask, "How can we finish eating so much? Besides, it's one thing for you to buy breakfast, but why did you also buy candied hawthorns? Do you think I'm a child?"

Second Master raised an eyebrow at her. "Who said only children can eat candied hawthorns?" He then shoved the candied hawthorns into her hands. "You've been staring at these candied hawthorns the whole time. Didn't you want some?"

"Me?" Yunying pointed to herself. "When did I start staring at the candied hawthorn vendor?"

"Think carefully again about whether you have it or not."

Yunying thought about it carefully, and then realized that she hadn't actually been staring at the candied hawthorns, but she had been staring at the stall behind the candied hawthorn vendor.

There were some small combs and wooden hairpins on it.

The item was unremarkable and the price wasn't high, but Yunying immediately noticed how exquisite the carving was.

She liked the items and was thinking of buying a few when she got back. She could use them herself or give one or two to Qiu Ning, so that the girl wouldn't find out she went out without her and cause trouble for her later.

It must have been those few extra glances she gave that caught the Second Master's attention, which led to his misunderstanding.

Yunying was speechless for a moment, but for some reason, she felt a little sweet inside.

The two began to eat wontons, which smelled delicious and tasted very fresh.

The filling mainly consists of chopped fish and shrimp, which are cooked and then placed in a broth, topped with dried shrimp and seaweed. It does indeed taste somewhat like modern wontons.

It tastes much better than the various brands of wontons sold today; it's incredibly delicious, even a little sweet.

Yunying ate one and then scooped up a second one. She whispered to the Second Master, "I didn't expect there to be such delicious breakfast on this street. No wonder it's so expensive and so popular. You really do get what you pay for."

Second Master nodded, and after swallowing the food in his mouth, he asked Yunying, "How does it compare to the one made by the kitchen maid in the manor?"

"The cook's cooking isn't bad either, but this uncle and aunt's is even more delicious."

"I like it. I'll bring you here again when I have time."

Yunying paused, then muttered softly, "I don't need you to take me. I can come out and eat by myself if I want to."

"That's true. Now that you're in charge, it's easy for you to go out."

Yunying wanted to roll her eyes, and even more so, she wanted to kick the Second Master.

What's with this sarcastic tone? Can't you see all those aunties and grandmas over there listening to our whispers?

With that mournful tone, everyone probably thinks I'm some kind of shrew and you're some kind of pitiful young man.

Yunying was about to signal to the Second Master to take it easy when a dark shadow fell in front of her, and then someone leaned down and approached them.

Yunying immediately raised her head, and even the Second Master looked up.

Yunying vaguely recognized the person who came; this person... seemed to be the registrar of the county government?

Yunying couldn't remember the man's identity, but he looked honest and simple, and was now bowing to the Second Master with great fear. Seeing this, Yunying couldn't help but think, if he was afraid of the Second Master, why did he rush to get closer to him?
If it were her, she would have run away in a flash while the Second Master wasn't paying attention.

Yunying was lost in thought when the Second Master turned his head and listened to the man say a few words. Then the man bowed to the Second Master and turned to leave.

Perhaps noticing Yunying's curious gaze, the man nodded kindly to her before politely leaving the shed.

After everyone had gone far away, Yunying had almost finished her breakfast, and the Second Master also put down his chopsticks.

Yunying finally asked the question that had been bothering her, "Is this person the registrar of the county government?"

Second Master nodded. "You've seen him before?"

"I think I've seen it before, but I can't remember exactly where."

Second Master said, "This is not a big deal. There's no need to waste energy and time on him."

Yunying looked at the Second Master in surprise. The Second Master's tone was too indifferent when he talked about this person.

She initially thought it was because that person had disturbed their meal, but upon closer reflection, she realized that the Second Master wasn't that kind of person.

Yunying suddenly remembered helping the Second Master with the accounts.

At that time, she had guessed that if someone could pull tricks under Magistrate Fan's nose and have access to the county government's accounts, then this person must be someone from within the county government, and definitely not someone without a name or surname.

The man from earlier was the registrar of Yun Gui County.

Could it be him?
Yunying gently moved closer to the Second Master. The Second Master didn't know what she was going to do, but he still cooperated by slightly lowering his body.

Yunying asked, "Those taxes, were they his?"

A delicate fragrance of a young woman, accompanied by wisps of warm breath, wafted over his ears. The Second Master's Adam's apple bobbed as he forced himself to remain composed, preventing himself from losing his composure.

But his eyes darkened, like a bottomless abyss, beneath which a volcano spewed fiery lava.

After a long while, the second master hummed in agreement.

Yunying got the answer and couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement, "You can really know a person's face but not their heart."

The old man looked so honest and simple, with deep lines between his brows. Coupled with his fear of the Second Master, she thought he was just an ordinary, pedantic, and cowardly official. But it turned out that he was the biggest rat hiding in the county government!

This person's disguise is truly masterful!

Two updates today, la la la...

(End of this chapter)