Chapter 60

Cai Ban and Chi Cha Deng

Cai Ban and Chi Cha Deng

Starting with Dongpo Rou, Dongpo Tofu, Dongpo Fish, and Dongpo Elbow.

Although I wanted to strip Su Dongpo down to his underwear, I decided to hold back since I had achieved my primary goal. The relationship wasn't strained.

Su Dongpo, though stubborn and picky, didn't seem to be a timid person, and he didn't blame me or Uncle Zhuge too much.

In the end, I wrote down the recipe for Dongpo Rou and handed it to Su Dongpo.

"I noticed you seemed satisfied, so I wrote down the cooking method in detail."

"Really? What a blessing! I must try making it at home. And I really am busy, so I'll have to postpone the next invitation."

I wanted to strip him down to his underwear, but since I had achieved my goal, I decided to stop there.

Famous actor Uncle Zhuge recognized the place, and Aunt Zhuge and I were satisfied that they enjoyed the Dongpo Rou.

After that, the reception for Su Dongpo ended, and what awaited Zhuge Qing and me was the long-awaited honeymoon!

Since we were in the capital, we decided to visit various places in Tokyo with a minimal entourage, as Uncle and Aunt Zhuge suggested.

The capital was indeed a bustling city.

Tall pavilions and countless people.

Among the places we aimed to visit were the iron pagoda of Kai Bao Temple, the lantern tower of Tian Qing Temple, and Da Xiangguo Temple, recommended by the ship's owner.

Though they were all temples, I was amazed to find that there were multi-story pavilions in this era, and Zhuge Qing and I marveled at their grandeur even from a distance.

We also made offerings to enhance the power of the talismans.

'The talismans seem to lack potency. Why wasn't the first night... If this continues, I might have to go back to the cross...'

A little worry began to creep into my heart.

***

Just like in the famous poet's poem from my past life, a meal is an essential part of the process of confirming love between a man and a woman.

Since takeout was popular in this era, even the emperor would buy food from restaurants in the capital, so Zhuge Qing and I decided to go out for dinner.

We walked affectionately to a restaurant in a wealthy neighborhood, leaving our guards behind.

However, we were a bit late due to sightseeing and chatting along the way.

The restaurant, already lit with lanterns, was packed with no empty seats. After circling a few places, we finally found a quieter restaurant in a more secluded area.

The restaurant had bamboo baskets covering the lanterns, perhaps to protect against the rain. As Zhuge Qing and I entered, a strangely dressed woman owner greeted us.

"Welcome...?"

The owner seemed slightly surprised to see us.

'Is this a bad restaurant?'

The owner's reaction to seeing customers made me wonder if it wasn't a good place, but then four male customers walked out, looking very satisfied and adjusting their belts. Feeling relieved, I asked for a seat.

"We're just two, so please give us a seat."

"Two, you say?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no. It might just be a bit more expensive."

Seeing the four customers leave, I assumed it was an omakase restaurant that only operated with four-person tables, so I nodded.

"Alright."

We were led to a small room.

A very elaborately decorated small room.

Zhuge Qing and I settled in and sipped the tea that was served first while chatting.

"Uncle, I've never been to such a restaurant before, so I'm really looking forward to it."

"Of course, I'll take you to places like this often."

"You seem to come here frequently. You're very skilled."

"Hehe, of course. I ate at places like this every day when I traveled."

We were chatting happily when the door suddenly opened. I thought a waiter had come to take our order, but as we were engrossed in our conversation, someone sat next to Zhuge Qing.

I glanced over and was shocked.

My eyes widened, and my gaze was drawn like a magnet.

When I saw the naked woman in a sheer, lacy dress smiling next to Zhuge Qing, I was stunned.

I pointed at her, and Zhuge Qing, equally shocked, pointed back at me.

"Uncle, what is this? Why are they...?"

The two women looked at each other, puzzled, and then one of them snapped her fingers and asked with a strange smile.

"Oh? Is this your first time?"

I was already frozen, having lied about coming here often, but I felt Zhuge Qing nodding behind me.

The woman who asked chuckled.

"Didn't you check the lantern when you came in?"

"The lantern? It was just a Chi Cha lantern, right?"

Confused, I answered blankly, and the two women looked at each other and laughed.

"Didn't you see the bamboo basket on top of the lantern? Ah, you must not know since you're from a wealthy family and a scholar. Hehe. If there's a bamboo basket on top of a Chi Cha lantern, it means it's a place where you can eat and also do something embarrassing with a woman."

Shocked by the woman's explanation, I grabbed Zhuge Qing's hand and ran out of the restaurant like a madman.

We ran for a while until we couldn't see the restaurant anymore, then stopped to catch our breath.

"Huff, huff..."

But a cold voice whispered in my ear as I panted.

"Uncle, do you really come here every day?"

Feeling a chill from her strange gesture of rubbing her thumb against her index finger, I had to clear the misunderstanding and tell the truth.

"First, first time!"

***

Cao Gai, the leader of the Beggar Gang, and Qi Lun, the wheel beggar, were at the headquarters located in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the border, organizing information collected by the literate beggars (Wen Gai) and the common beggars (Qi Gai).

Qi Lun, who was organizing the scattered papers, asked the literate beggars.

"Only useless information, is there anything interesting?"

He asked because usually, when organizing information, at least one or two interesting stories would come up, but lately, there were hardly any.

Stories like the concubine of the Minister of Revenue having an affair with a servant or the daughter of a high official eloping with a scholar were rare these days.

One of the literate beggars, checking a paper, replied.

"Ah, it says that the daughter of the Zhuge family and her son-in-law have just arrived here."

The daughter of the Zhuge family was a woman known even to Cao Gai, and her son-in-law was a significant figure due to his unusual behavior at the Tang family's event.

Recalling their backgrounds, Qi Lun whistled.

"Hehe, that son-in-law probably doesn't even know who he married."

"Of course, almost no one in the martial world knows."

"Poor guy... Anyway, if they're in Tokyo, they must be here to meet Zhuge Jue, the Chief of the Host and Guest Department."

"Probably."

As they were discussing the daughter of the Zhuge family and her son-in-law, a beggar ran in, handed a bundle of papers, and disappeared.

"Where did this information come from?"

"It's from Hubei. Information about the Zhuge family's wedding ceremony has just arrived."

The Zhuge family had invited people from all over for the wedding, so they already knew that the only daughter of the Zhuge family, who had no brothers, was getting married. The detailed information about the wedding from the Hubei branch had just arrived.

But as Qi Lun nodded to the literate beggar's story, he heard a surprised voice.

"Hey! There's a bit of an unusual story here?"

"Unusual?"

Qi Lun looked up at the literate beggar, who replied.

"He was clearly a chef, but he injured many experts at the banquet...?"

"What do you mean? I thought he was just a chef who couldn't practice martial arts. Could it be...?"

Qi Lun was surprised because, given that the son-in-law had earned the title of "Food Dragon" for his poisonous dishes at the Tang family, he wondered if the son-in-law had used poison to injure the experts.

The literate beggar, who was also puzzled, continued.

"But the injured parts are quite peculiar."

"Where were the experts injured?"

"They all said they were injured on their palates..."

"What the hell! Show me the paper!"

The literate beggar handed over the paper, and Qi Lun, furious, examined it.

The paper, written in a beggar's scrawl, had one line.

"The son-in-law of the Zhuge family. Injured the palates of dozens of experts attending the banquet with his cooking technique."

"What the...?"

The other literate beggars gathered around to check the paper, and one of them slapped his palm and exclaimed.

"Judging by the internal injuries, he must be an expert in palm techniques. Did he hide his skills?"

Qi Lun frowned, thinking that if the son-in-law was truly an expert, he would need to verify it himself.

Injuring many experts at once was a story the Beggar Gang couldn't ignore.

If left unchecked, it could cause significant trouble in the martial world.

"I'll have to check this out myself."

"Go yourself?"

"If the information about injuring experts is true, I must act personally."

"But what if... it's another mistake by the drunk branch leader in Hubei...?"

Qi Lun frowned, thinking about the drunk branch leader in Hubei, Qu Gai, who had once sent incorrect information while drunk, leading to a severe beating from the Gang Leader.

If he made another mistake, he would surely be beaten to a pulp again.

"If he hasn't learned his lesson from the last beating, I'll have to catch him again. And if it's just another mistake, we can just enjoy the food and come back."

The literate beggars, worried, asked.

"Is it safe to go to the Zhuge family?"

"I'm Qi Lun of the Cao Gai! I can beg for food even in an empty field. Can't I get a meal at the Zhuge family?"

Despite his low martial arts level, Qi Lun, known for his begging skills, had become the head of the headquarters in Kaifeng, the capital of the Beggar Gang. The literate beggars started shouting.

"Head of the headquarters, take me with you!"