Yet even someone as clever as Lin Heyu had moments of foolishness. Ever since his Teacher woke up from the pond, he felt this Teacher was different from before.

No longer seeking to smooth things over when trouble arose, nor reciting ancient maxims while shaking his head, this Teacher could now smilingly set traps for him, grinning like a fox. The more Lin Heyu thought about it, the angrier he became, grinding his molars as if crushing Ji Huai’s bones between those sharp rows of teeth the more he ground, the more fragrant it became, the more he ground, the more fragrant…

Fragrant?

Lin Heyu’s hands were immersed in the suddenly cool well water, clutching an exquisite bone china bowl. He jolted back to reality.

Where was this fragrance coming from? Was he so hungry he was hallucinating?

Following the scent outward, he immediately saw red. Damn it! Ji Huai’s storytelling was so captivating that a customer at the neighboring table had generously ordered a large braised pork knuckle for him. Ji Huai’s beautiful fox-like eyes fixed on that golden, glistening pork knuckle, his smile so wide his eyes disappeared into slits.

Here he was starving and grinding his teeth, while Ji Huai got treated like an honored guest with a giant pork knuckle to boot?

As the most favored young master of the Prime Minister’s Residence, what exotic delicacies hadn’t he tasted? A mere pork knuckle of course he wouldn’t, of course he wouldn’t… crave such a vulgar thing!

Yet the uncontrollably fragrant aroma of the pork knuckle drifted along the narrow corridor, wafting into the nostrils of the famished Lin Heyu.

He’d been wandering around all day with nothing but some tea to sustain him, his last bit of money already compensated to the tavern.

Lin Heyu swallowed hard, overwhelmed by sudden misery. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

He’d been stuck in this wretched village for so long, forced to eat whatever was available. This was his first time in town it felt like a lifetime since he’d last tasted meat. Faced with that golden, crispy pork knuckle, he couldn’t help but salivate. Glumly lowering his eyes, he patted his stomach, his damp hands sticking to his clothes and sending a chilling shiver through him.

The overwhelming aroma of the pork knuckle tantalized his taste buds, and even more so, stirred his inherently rebellious young heart.

His eyes sharpened with malice as he viciously tossed a plate into the filthy water. The jarring crash suddenly inspired a wicked idea.

Damn you, Ji Huai! We’ll see how I deal with you!

Cramped in this tiny back kitchen with little room to maneuver, Lin Heyu could only bare his teeth and pick up the most expensive plate, smashing it to the ground.

Hah! In his previous life of luxury, he could identify valuable tableware just by touch.

This would surely make that smug, trouble-making Master Ji continue storytelling here until next year!

The piercing sound of shattering porcelain startled the entranced customers in the main hall. Ji Huai had long anticipated the brat wouldn’t obediently stay in the back washing dishes he’d been prepared.

Yet it turned out to be the most predictable plate-smashing.

All the storytelling listeners simultaneously turned toward the noise from the kitchen.

There stood Lin Heyu, performing his “act” with exaggerated gestures and expressions.

“Oh dear, the bowl broke! This bowl must be quite expensive isn’t this porcelain from the Prosperous Capital’s Blue Flower Workshop? Proprietor, what should we do about this?”

Lin Heyu covered his mouth with both hands, putting on an exaggerated wide-eyed expression as he stared nervously at the shattered dishes. His manner was so affected that if given a handkerchief, he could have performed a yangko dance right then and there, surely out-twisting even the dancers from the pleasure houses.

“…”

Ji Huai looked down speechlessly at Yuan Yuan by his feet, finally squeezing out a sentence after a long pause: “Your friend here… might not be the brightest, is he?”

“Mhm, Teacher is right. Little Bird is a big fool.” Yuan Yuan clung to Ji Huai’s pant leg with his chubby little hands, licking his half-eaten candied hawthorn while his round eyes gazed at his usually ‘brilliant and majestic’ friend, nodding in profound agreement.

But Lin Heyu’s performance was far from over.

“Oh dear, how could I be so clumsy? I can’t even handle a simple task like washing dishes. Not like our Master Ji here – so incredibly talented, even his storytelling is magnificent. If Master Ji were washing these dishes, I’m sure not a single one would break.”

Lin Heyu batted his eyelashes, looking directly at Ji Huai through the crowd, his eyes practically broadcasting his smugness.

…Hiss, such strong green tea vibes.

So even in ancient times, with their backward thinking and rigid behavior, people could naturally master the art of being a “green tea” without being taught.

Impressive, truly impressive.

Ji Huai stared at the triumphant Lin Heyu with utter speechlessness, his beautiful eyebrows knitted tightly together.

Having such a student made him feel somewhat ashamed.

This change in expression, however, was interpreted by Lin Heyu as a sign of weakness. Lin Heyu secretly gloated, though seeing those beautiful features scrunched up uncomfortably made him feel somewhat unsettled. He paused for a moment before thinking, “Ah, forget it. Ji Huai is my teacher after all – I should share the responsibility with him.”

Beautiful people always deserve a little extra consideration…

“Lin Heyu, your illness lies in the head – if left untreated, it will surely worsen!”

Ji Huai’s light, airy remark instantly choked off Lin Heyu’s meager self-reflection and sympathy.

Indeed, one must never show even an ounce of sympathy or special treatment toward beautiful people – especially Ji Huai!

“You ” Lin Heyu naturally understood – the teacher was calling him sick.

All his previous delicate pretenses vanished instantly. Lin Heyu glared furiously, his face flushing red with anger. And to think he’d just had a pang of conscience, unwilling to let Ji Huai wash dishes alone, and had tried to remedy the situation! But this Ji Huai was completely unreasonable!

He only had himself to blame for nearly being seduced by good looks!

Yuan Yuan finally finished licking his candied hawthorn and looked up at his teacher with innocent confusion: “Teacher, what does that mean?”

Though dressed in ragged clothes, Ji Huai radiated the noble aura of a refined gentleman. His eyes curved into smiles as he watched Lin Heyu’s furious frustration, patting Yuan Yuan’s head with considerable pleasure. His voice, neither too loud nor too soft, reached everyone present:

“I said he may have the handsome appearance of a young man, but inside he’s seriously ill.”

“HAHAHAHA ”

Waves of roaring laughter swept toward Lin Heyu. His face turned the color of pig liver as he glared malevolently at the instigator.

Thanks to Ji Huai, he – the young master of the Prime Minister’s residence, who had grown up in luxury and done as he pleased – was experiencing the feeling of being laughed at for the first time in his life.

Before Lin Heyu could erupt, the waiter stopped laughing first. Swinging his towel leisurely, he said: “That bowl you broke – Old Zhang next door makes dozens of them every day. Three for one penny.”

At this, Lin Heyu truly widened his eyes, “How is that possible ”

“And as for Prosperous Capital’s Blue Flower Workshop, Prosperous Capital is thousands of miles away from here. Only high officials and nobles can afford their wares. How could common folk like us ever afford such things?”

The waiter’s indifferent words stung Lin Heyu even deeper. He still couldn’t believe someone could imitate Blue Flower Workshop porcelain to such perfection so flawless that even he couldn’t detect any difference!

Lin Heyu continued arguing, “Impossible. Their porcelain…”

“Alright, alright. Breaking one bowl isn’t such a big deal. The stories Cultivated Talent Ji told today were truly marvelous they’ve already earned more than enough to cover today’s tea expenses. One bowl means nothing.”

The portly manager came downstairs, having clearly witnessed the entire commotion from above.

The manager leisurely walked into the crowd and with a few words dismissed the ongoing dispute. But Lin Heyu wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to inquire further about the Blue Flower Workshop porcelain details. Before he could voice his doubts, Ji Huai strode forward, grabbed his arm, and with apologetic smiles to the surrounding people, pushed Lin Heyu back to the deserted kitchen area.

Lin Heyu didn’t appreciate the gesture and shook off Ji Huai’s hand, fuming, “What are you doing? I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

Ji Huai calmly looked at his hand, reddened from Lin Heyu’s rough treatment, and said indifferently, “Then what do you want to do? Make a huge scene over a broken bowl?”

Lin Heyu turned his head away from Ji Huai. He was choking with unspoken words, unable to explain how deeply the Blue Flower Workshop mattered to him. He could only swallow his frustration and all his doubts in silence.

Ji Huai sighed, “In this vast world, there are countless skilled artisans. What’s so surprising about someone imitating a bowl?”

“But those are patterns and designs the Blue Flower Workshop masters conceived through days and nights of labor! They were originally made for people who could appreciate and cherish such bowls and dishes, not for others to misuse and abuse.” Lin Heyu grew more agitated as he spoke, his indignation mounting.

“You…” Only then did Ji Huai truly look at this stubborn young man properly. He never expected this kid would understand protecting intellectual property rights, though he remained ignorant of worldly hardships.

“While counterfeiting famous wares is indeed wrong, these are just common folk at the bottom rung of society. They only care whether a bowl is sturdy or durable. They couldn’t care less about whether it’s counterfeit or who made it. Their lives are so simple that mere survival is their only concern.”

Lin Heyu knew he was being somewhat unreasonable. Having lived in this village for some time now, he’d witnessed how hard life was here, yet how genuine the local customs remained. He understood this deeply, but he still couldn’t let go of his anger about today’s events.

“But these… these were made by former Fenglin Army soldiers who had nowhere else to go,” Lin Heyu murmured dejectedly, “wearing their hands raw, burning their skin, crafting them piece by piece…”

Ji Huai didn’t catch what Lin Heyu muttered, but that didn’t stop him from continuing his supervisory role.

Ji Huai clattered out of the kitchen and returned to the tavern’s main hall.

“Hey, you ” Lin Heyu was dumbfounded. What was with this person? Who offers just a couple words of comfort before running off like that!

But Lin Heyu didn’t have to wait long. Ji Huai soon returned with light, brisk steps, though this time he was clutching a fragrant, crispy pork knuckle tightly in his hands.

“No need, I’m not particularly fond of it anyway.” Lin Heyu’s earlier anger vanished without a trace the moment she saw Ji Huai return with the braised pork knuckle. She even attempted to act reserved and put on a dignified front.

In reality, her mouth was practically flooding with saliva.

“Hmm?” Ji Huai was too preoccupied with the pork knuckle in his arms to clearly hear what Lin Heyu said. His face showed confusion as he took a big bite of the meat, mumbling: “Can’t hear what you’re saying, but the innkeeper’s message was clear – he won’t pursue the matter of you breaking that bowl, but you’ll have to wash all these dishes before you can leave.”

The pork knuckle was right there before her, its aroma growing increasingly tantalizing. Lin Heyu widened her eyes, staring incredulously at Ji Huai who was happily eating by himself.

“You! I–, ugh! Should’ve known you’d never have a change of heart!” This furious curse was gritted between Lin Heyu’s teeth and suppressed in her throat. She refused to show any hint of craving in front of Ji Huai, knowing full well this black-hearted Teacher would mercilessly mock her if she did.

Seething with anger but not daring to speak out, Lin Heyu grabbed the dishes from the cold water and began scrubbing vigorously. She didn’t care whether they were properly cleaned, just keeping her head down while focusing on finishing the mountain of dirty dishes piled behind her as quickly as possible.

She failed to notice Ji Huai’s slightly upturned lips and his fox-like eyes glimmering with amusement.

Lin Heyu kept her head down washing dishes while Ji Huai kept his head down gnawing on the pork knuckle. For a while, the small back kitchen maintained an unexpectedly harmonious quiet.

Except for the occasional sounds of swallowing saliva and the clattering of dishes.