Chapter 8

A thin wooden board, engraved with straight lines running horizontally and vertically. Thirty-two small wooden pieces fought within this confined space. Cang Jingkong learned this game called Xiangqi (Chinese chess) in the first moment, and Wei Qing, with his small eyes wide open, watched the chessboard intently. At such a young age, he already understood the principle of not speaking while watching a game, which was quite rare.

Uh, well. What Wei Qing was actually looking at was the pastries on the side of the chessboard. Clearly, this future great general preferred to eat, especially pastries made with lard. Yun Xiao found them disgusting just looking at them, and Cang Jingkong even claimed they were specially supplied by the royal family. He gave one to Wei Qing, who immediately ran off to munch on it, and even remembered to break off a piece for his sister.

Yun Xiao had always been curious about Cang Jingkong's beard, almost reaching out to pull it several times. Cang Jingkong's beard was very beautiful, a standard three-strand long beard, meticulously groomed, and so neat that it could be used to write with a bit of ink.

Eunuchs having beards, and such beautiful ones, was unscientific. These guys were supposed to have been castrated as children, right?

Finally, he understood. When Cang Jingkong introduced his son to Yun Xiao, he understood. This guy was a disgraced official, castrated after making a mistake, just like Sima Qian. No wonder he had such a beautiful beard.

Cang Lan was a robust young man, with a well-built physique. If he were in the modern world, he would surely be considered a god by many single women. He quickly rotated a hundred-pound stone lock between his hands. The young man was quiet, clearly influenced by his eunuch father.

Unable to tolerate the Han Dynasty's diet, the so-called royal pastries were of poor quality, let alone the food prepared at the post station. After witnessing the entire cooking process, Yun Xiao had the impulse to beat up the cook.

Splashing water danced in the large pot, and a basin of white flour was sprinkled into it. Large pieces of mutton, emitting a strong smell of blood and mutton, danced with the flour in the pot. A ring of white foam formed around the pot, floating in the wind.

"Damn it, is this fit for human consumption?" Xiao Bai was also terrified of this diet, running away every mealtime.

After a few punches and kicks, Yun Xiao chased away the cook. He mixed the flour with water, kneaded it, and rolled it out thin. He found a few stones to prop up a smooth stone slab, lit a fire underneath, and the slab soon became scorching hot. Yun Xiao quickly spread a layer of oil on it and placed the rolled-out dough on top.

When one side turned golden brown, he flipped it with a spade.

He sliced the mutton into thin strips, continuously stir-fried them with the spade, and added some green onion threads, creating a supreme delicacy.

Using a large pancake to wrap the mutton strips, he took a bite, and oil dripped from his mouth, filling him with a sense of happiness.

When Yun Xiao turned around, he was startled to see a group of people outside the kitchen, staring at him with wide eyes, as if observing a Martian. To avoid being revered, he decided to share the joy. He rolled a pancake for Cang Jingkong, who was already drooling all over the floor.

After the first bite, the old man couldn't stop. He finished one in a few bites, even faster than Xiao Bai. He took another one and started rolling it himself. Clearly, humility and courtesy were not Cang Jingkong's strong points. He scooped up all the mutton on the plate, rolled a large, thick pancake, and walked away, leaving the others to swallow their saliva.

He didn't plan to teach the two cooks, who looked like butchers, so Wei Aunt led Wei Ya and Wei Qing to help. The cooks were only responsible for kneading the dough and baking the pancakes, while the children handled the more suitable tasks, such as slicing the mutton with sharp knives. Wei Qing seemed very skilled with knives, and Yun Xiao's military dagger seemed to come alive in his hands, slicing the mutton into neat, uniform strips, comparable to the level of Donglai Shun in the modern world.

This kid was clearly a natural with knives.

Wei Aunt had a natural talent for cooking. In no time, she was using the spade with great skill, flipping the food with ease.

Yun Xiao noticed that Cang Lan wasn't fighting for the pancakes with the others but was sitting on a stone lock, eating a bland porridge. He took a rolled pancake, filled it with a large amount of mutton, and walked over to Cang Lan, offering it to him.

"Eat it."

Cang Lan glanced at the pancake, didn't reach out to take it, and didn't respond, but his moving Adam's apple betrayed his hunger. Yun Xiao pulled Cang Lan's hand, placed the pancake in it, and left. Sometimes, gaining someone's trust is so simple, just a word, an expression, or an action. For this slightly autistic boy, it was just a rolled pancake.

"Let me be your guard." Cang Lan knelt on one knee, looking at Yun Xiao with a pleading gaze, ignoring the surprised look on his father's face from the other side of the chessboard.

Yun Xiao was holding a piece of wood, about to checkmate, but he paused when he heard Cang Lan's words, his hand stopping mid-air.

"I am the son of a disgraced official, the son of a eunuch. No one respects me, no one talks to me. If you respect me, I will be your guard, ready to face any danger without hesitation."

Human needs have five levels: physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

Yun Xiao couldn't help but admire Maslow's greatness. The young man before him had a strong need for respect, and perhaps some self-actualization.

"Cang Lan's father is a disgraced official, and Cang Lan has been mocked since childhood. Everyone says I study and practice martial arts diligently, but only I know it's because other children don't play with me. For ten years, no one has spoken to me voluntarily, no one has given me anything. I will repay you for even the smallest favor. If you don't mind that I am the son of a eunuch, please take me in as your guard."

One can imagine the psychological pressure a son of a disgraced and castrated official would face. Having a mild case of autism was already a sign of strength; a normal person might have gone mad.

Cang Jingkong was moved to tears, though he wasn't actually old, being less than forty. But the hardships of life had turned his hair white, making him look like a man in his fifties, showing the constant torment in his heart.

"Old servant, I beg you to take in Lan. This child has suffered so much. It's all because of me."

Yun Xiao helped Cang Jingkong up and sat back down, patting Cang Lan's shoulder.

Years of higher education made Yun Xiao look down on those who kowtowed. He believed the primary function of knees was for walking, not for kneeling. Cang Lan was already sobbing and kowtowing on the ground. People with autism often have obsessive tendencies, and if he didn't take Cang Lan in, he might really kowtow to death.

"Follow me from now on. As long as I have food, I won't let you go hungry. Go find Wei Aunt and see if you can help. And fill your belly; you're still growing, so eat more."

Cang Lan kowtowed once and went to the kitchen, while Cang Jingkong repeatedly thanked Yun Xiao.

The chess game was over, and Cang Jingkong had become a bowing machine. Yun Xiao sent him away with kind words. Xiao Bai suddenly appeared from a corner, opening his mouth to sniff, thankfully not to catch a mouse.

Yun Xiao scratched Xiao Bai under the chin, and Xiao Bai closed his eyes in comfort, purring.

The night sky, free of pollution, was exceptionally brilliant. The stars twinkled, as if mocking Yun Xiao, the穿越者 (time traveler). Yun Xiao thought of the concept of generational gaps, with some saying a gap forms every three years. In his case...

He was really going to live in a time over two thousand years ago. As a master's graduate, he hoped he wouldn't have too hard a time in the Han Dynasty. Looking at the bustling kitchen, Yun Xiao hugged Xiao Bai and slowly fell asleep.

"Achoo"

Yun Xiao didn't find spiritual salvation but got a cold. Spending a night outside with Xiao Bai resulted in a runny nose. Pain radiated from every joint in his body, and despite the help of paracetamol, he was still suffering terribly.

Xiao Bai was very concerned about Yun Xiao's condition, often sniffing his face with his small nose and touching his head with his little paws, as if checking his temperature.

Yun Xiao frequently fell into a deep sleep, and when he woke up, there would be all sorts of strange things on his pillow: sparrows, snakes, moles, fish, and even a fat rabbit yesterday. This little guy was getting more capable, but Yun Xiao's heart couldn't take it.

Imagine waking up to a dead snake with round, black eyes staring at you. How would you feel?

After several failed attempts to educate him, Yun Xiao resorted to the ultimate punishment: solitary confinement. He had Cang Lan make a large wooden box, and every time Xiao Bai misbehaved, he was put in it.

When they crossed the Yellow River, Xiao Bai finally understood Yun Xiao's intentions. No more strange things appeared on Yun Xiao's pillow, but the little guy looked at him with a slightly resentful gaze. There was no choice; after a scolding, he still had to give him a treat. At the ferry, he bought some small fish, lightly salted and fried until crispy, truly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Each fried fish was precious, and Xiao Bai would sit by the pot, watching intently. When Wei Qing tried to take one, he ended up with several bloody wounds on his hand.

It seemed that the instinct to protect food was deeply rooted in felines, and Yun Xiao believed it was unnecessary to correct such a deep-seated trait. Animals should maintain some of their natural instincts.

Now, Xiao Bai had developed a habit of not eating anything raw. His fur was exceptionally bright, possibly due to his frequent consumption of fish. Touching him felt like petting an otter. Wei Ya, curious, tried to blow on his fur, but ended up with a mouth full of fur. This little girl now brushed her teeth with willow branches, probably more times in the past few days than in her entire life.

It was the season for shedding, and blowing on a leopard's fur was a sign of being full and bored. Wei Ya and Wei Qing now saw Xiao Bai as a ferocious beast and avoided any place where he appeared.

Liu Cheng had told Yun Xiao that there were bandits on the road from Mayi to Chang'an. Yun Xiao was prepared for this, but when the bandits appeared, he was still shocked.