Chapter 3

A bowl of zhajiang (a type of Chinese noodle dish) doesn't include the secret letter from the Jia family. (3/605)

No noodles.

‘What can I do with one arm? I should at least clean up a bit. Dirt under the fingernails! Damn it.’

The brat who ate my food neatly placed the intact bowl on the table and left.

He even cleaned up the bowl himself, as if asking for praise.

I was sitting on the floor, holding one arm and looking dazed, when a man's voice came from behind.

"Is the innkeeper here? The, business... has..."

I slowly turned around with a gloomy face, and there stood three women and a middle-aged man.

Even amidst the chaos, I observed the appearance of the guests.

If they were martial artists, I would have chased them away even in the rain.

The man and woman stood awkwardly in front of the broken door.

Fortunately, they didn't seem to be martial artists.

The man in the group wore a Jinxian Guan (a type of hat) and held a white feather fan, looking like Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms game.

The hat and fan were something only a learned family would use, giving him the air of an older scholar.

‘The two women look like maids, and one of them has her face covered, so they might be a family?’

They seemed to have taken shelter from the sudden heavy rain, but when they saw the chaotic scene and the arm in my hand, the four of them leaned forward and looked shocked.

It was a situation where they might suspect a murder had taken place in the inn.

I could only let out a bitter smile and wave the arm at them.

"I want to do business, but martial artists caused a commotion and left this as a gift. Haha... Ha..."

"Oh..."

The guests looked at me with pity.

***

I was sitting on the floor, holding one arm, and the guests who entered the inn were at a loss, creating an awkward standoff.

Then, a loud noise came from beyond the guests.

-Clang

"Oh my!"

The maids made a fuss and hugged each other at the loud noise.

The sound was caused by the half-broken door finally falling out.

The awkward standoff ended because of the door falling.

The man finally asked with a very apologetic look.

"Unfortunately, it's raining heavily, so can we stay for the night? I'm really sorry... "

He kept stroking his beard, looking very awkward. He seemed embarrassed to ask given the chaotic state of the inn and my dazed appearance.

But I could understand his situation.

Although this town is on the main road, the nearest city, Qingchuan, is about a day's walk away. If it rains heavily at night, it's impossible to travel.

Moreover, with three women, where could they go in the rain?

The women's clothes here are thin and stick to the body when it rains. Exactly.

If they walked until tomorrow, they would have to show their figures to the men they meet on the main road.

Honestly, it was difficult to accept guests in this situation, but as a fan of the Three Kingdoms game, I believed that among those wearing Zhuge Liang's fashion, there were no villains. So, I decided to accept them.

I threw the arm towards the kitchen and said to the guests.

"Fortunately, the annex is undamaged, so there shouldn't be a problem with sleeping. However, I need to check the ingredients for the meal."

Fortunately, the annexes for accommodation were a bit separate, so I could accept guests.

However, the inn's dining area was in chaos, so there might be some issues with preparing dinner.

When I informed the guest of this, the man, who seemed well-educated, replied very politely.

"We just need a place to rest. Even if it's not possible, don't worry too much. We have some snacks. I'm really sorry... "

The man kept apologizing. Honestly, he didn't need to apologize. The ones who should apologize were the brats earlier.

"Understood, sir. Please sit on one side and rest for a moment. I'll prepare a place for you."

I pushed the broken chairs and tables aside and brought a few intact chairs to lead the guests.

Since guests had arrived, I needed to prepare a place for them to sit.

"Please sit over here."

"Is it okay like this...?"

The guests, looking very apologetic, couldn't even sit down.

"Since I've accepted you as guests, it's difficult if you act like this. Sir."

Only after I repeatedly urged them did the man finally move.

"Hehe, you're very polite, young man."

The man and the lady, who seemed to be his daughter, sat down, and I quickly moved.

I pushed the broken chairs aside and brought an intact table in front of the guests. Seeing my plight, the two women who looked like maids came to help.

However, I stopped them because the wood was sharp.

"Oh, Misses, you don't have to."

"Oh, Miss, hehe..."

"We need to clean up quickly so we can sit down."

The maids, who seemed to have good personalities, quickly helped me set up two intact tables and prepare chairs. They skillfully prepared places for themselves and the innkeepers to sit.

They were very strong.

When the two places were quickly set up, the man's voice was heard.

"Let's all eat together, not separately."

The man suggested eating together, but the maids declined.

In this situation, it's rare to see someone treat maids so well, so it seemed that the principle that among those wearing Zhuge Liang's fashion, there are no villains, held true.

"No, sir, how can we... You and the lady should eat."

"Since the inn is in chaos, it's better to eat together. Isn't that right, innkeeper?"

The man tried to persuade me, but I didn't have time to engage in this awkward negotiation.

First, I needed to check what food was available.

"I'll check the ingredients and see what food can be prepared. Please wait a moment."

When I entered the kitchen, I saw a new mess.

These brats had made a mess in the kitchen as well. The dumplings I had prepared were rolling on the floor.

The pot for boiling water had fallen over, flooding the kitchen.

The pot with the broth for the noodle dish had also fallen over, leaving no broth.

The guests had been caught in the rain and needed warm soup, but it was impossible to prepare a soup dish.

I first set up the stove, lit a fire, and filled the pot with water.

When I checked the ingredients, the vegetables were mashed, and the pork hanging from the ceiling had rolled on the floor, but it seemed fine after washing.

I brought towels from the cupboard to the still wet guests.

"Sir, only chao mian (stir-fried noodles) can be prepared right now. Is that okay?"

"Hehe, chao mian? In this situation, we can't be picky about the type of food. Bring it out."

The man smiled pleasantly.

Relieved by his words, I went back to the kitchen to prepare the food.

If someone from my previous life saw me suggesting strange food to guests, they might think, "Isn't it supposed to be su mian (plain noodles) in an inn?"

Honestly, that's a misunderstanding due to lack of knowledge about martial arts or China.

The su mian we often see in martial arts novels, "Bring out a bowl of su mian," doesn't actually exist in the martial arts world.

Or rather, it does exist, but not in the way we think.

When we think of su mian, we usually think of thin noodles. However, in China, su mian refers to noodles made by wrapping dough around a stick, applying oil, and stretching it.

To a Korean, it might be described as dried noodles hung on a stick and oiled.

Another type of su mian is a spicy noodle dish that soldiers in Chongqing ate during the Southern Song Dynasty to survive the cold winter when the Yuan Dynasty invaded.

Since I live in a martial arts era before the Yuan Dynasty, Chongqing su mian doesn't exist.

Indeed! It turns out that the phrase "Bring out a bowl of su mian" in inns only appears in martial arts novels.

The romantic su mian of martial arts is a food that doesn't actually exist.

I was surprised when I learned this while studying Chinese cuisine.

It was a moment when one of the romantic elements of martial arts novels disappeared, so it was natural to be surprised.

I smiled, recalling that moment.

Since the rain was still pouring, I decided to serve tea to the wet guests first. When the water in the pot I had set up earlier started boiling, I poured it into a teapot, added tea leaves, and brought it out.

"It's cold, so please have some tea first."

"This guy is doing everything amidst the chaos. Hehe."

"Thank you, innkeeper."

The woman in the veil, who had been silent since entering the inn, finally spoke.

The moment I heard the voice of the woman, who seemed to be the man's daughter, I could express my feeling in one word.

The sound of jade beads rolling on a silver platter.

I was amazed that such a beautiful sound existed in the world.

When I looked at her in surprise, her blue eyes, reflected by the hanging lamps, caught my eye.

'Blue eyes?'

Perfect voice with blue eyes?

I was startled by this exotic beauty, and she noticed my gaze and turned her head to avoid it.

Realizing my mistake, I quickly apologized. Staring at a lady's face is impolite.

"Excuse me, Miss. And sir."

"Ah, you were surprised by the blue eyes. My wife is from the north. Don't worry, she's not a ghost. Haha."

In this world, ordinary people often fear blue eyes, thinking they are the eyes of ghosts.

Noticing her eyes, I saw that her gaze, which had been startled, now looked sad.

She must have lived with similar misunderstandings.

I quickly apologized to her.

"Miss, I apologize. I didn't think they were the eyes of a ghost. They just looked like a clear blue lake, which surprised me. Please don't take it to heart."

Her eyes trembled at my words.

The man laughed and said, "This guy is flirting with my daughter in front of her father? Haha, you're brave."

"Sir, I apologize."

Although he was joking, I felt it was better to leave, so I quickly headed back to the kitchen.

I could see his eyebrows twitching.

Fathers with beautiful daughters see all men as enemies, so they are very dangerous.

No matter how much they wear Zhuge Liang's fashion, which villains can't wear.

I took a deep breath in the kitchen and started boiling the noodles in the pot of boiling water.

To prepare the chao mian I had suggested to the man.