AUBTN -Chapter 85 Do You Miss Home?

“Enough with the flattery.” Shen Jue cut her off, his gaze deep and piercing.

“Since you have so much free time, why not go and air out my entire collection of books?”

With that, he strode off without looking back.

Su Hewan stood there, puzzled, staring at his retreating figure. “Who upset him this time?”

Oh, it’s Lord Lu!

“Wait, no… Lord Overseer, I’m your cousin, right? Why does a cousin have to do maid work?” Su Hewan realized something was off and hurried after Shen Jue.

Ever since these four started living together, the atmosphere at the fearsome Eastern Depot Overseer’s residence, Yu Garden, had undergone a drastic change.

The once grim and forbidding halls—where even a bird flying by would make one hold their breath—had now been completely transformed by these two ladies into a lively, bustling farm-style retreat.

Evening fell, and the sun dipped low in the west.

Shen Jue and Lu Yan returned from the palace, walking side by side as they entered the gates of Yu Garden.

Before reaching the main hall, a thick, acrid smoke, accompanied by a woman’s shrill screams, billowed from the direction of the back kitchen.

“Is it on fire?”

Lu Yan’s expression tensed instantly. His hand moved to the broadsword at his waist, eyes flashing with lethal intent.

Could this smell be some kind of poisonous smoke?

Shen Jue’s phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly, his whole body emanating a chilling aura.

The two exchanged a glance, then moved like lightning toward the kitchen.

As they reached the doorway, they saw a few of the usually ruthless Eastern Depot guards, looking dusty and disheveled, carrying water basins outside. Their faces were blackened as if dug straight from a coal pit.

At the center of the smoke stood Yu Qing, brandishing a large iron spatula. Two streaks of soot marked her face as she coughed while commanding with perfect confidence:

“Don’t panic! Everyone, stay calm! This is called ‘stir-frying on high heat!’ The fire got a little too strong, that’s all. It’s called wok hei! Do you understand wok hei?!”

Lu Yan: “……”

Shen Jue: “……”

Yu Qing turned and, seeing the two imposing figures at the doorway, not only didn’t show fear but brightened up. She tossed the spatula onto the counter, grabbed a plate, and ran over excitedly.

“Lu Yan! You’re just in time! Try the spicy chicken I invented myself! The chefs in Yu Garden really cook too blandly, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I cooked myself!”

“Come on, try it!”

Lu Yan looked at the blackened, reddened plate giving off a strange burnt smell and twitched at the corner of his mouth.

But Yu Qing’s deafening inner thoughts had already blasted in his ears:

【Praise me! Praise me! I almost burned off my eyebrows making this spicy chicken! I stole the secret recipes from that Sichuan restaurant back in the modern world! Lu Yan, the straight man, has definitely never had anything this good—he’s going to cry daddy from the spice!】

A vein twitched on Lu Yan’s temple.

Cry “daddy”?

Before he could speak, a crisp clattering sound came from the pavilion on the other side.

Shen Jue turned to see the usually quiet octagonal pavilion now crowded with people.

Several elite Eastern Depot operatives, normally in charge of assassinations and interrogations, were sitting around the stone table, scratching their heads, intently staring at… a pile of bamboo tiles carved with patterns?

Su Hewan sat nearby holding a teacup, looking mysteriously composed as she leisurely commanded:

“Hey hey hey, Xiao Li, don’t play that tile! If you do, you’ll ‘fire the cannon’! This hand is called ‘Pure One Suit,’ understand? It’s a national treasure, also a strategy! It’s all about deception and planning behind the scenes!”

Shen Jue stepped closer and saw that the bamboo tiles were engraved with characters like wan, tong, and tiao.

Seeing their Overseer arrive, the guards almost wet themselves, ready to kneel and apologize, but Su Hewan waved them off calmly.

“What’s the hurry? The Master always teaches us to balance work and rest. This is called mahjong—it exercises the brain and also strengthens camaraderie. Master, this seat is yours. Want to have a few rounds?”

Shen Jue looked down at Su Hewan from above. That cold, ascetic face of his practically screamed: Are you trying to get yourself killed?

Seeing his expression, Su Hewan felt a jolt of panic.

She had gone too far this time!

【I don’t want this either, but without a phone, I have to entertain myself somehow!】

【Besides, these foreign mercenaries deal with so much stress from killing and arson every day. If I don’t give them a way to vent, they’ll go completely off the rails sooner or later. I’m actually helping the Eastern Depot with team-building, okay!】

Team-building?

Shen Jue chewed on the unfamiliar phrase in his mind and sneered inwardly.

Well done, Su Hewan—making organized gambling sound so fresh and innocent. It would be a shame if the court lost her witty commentary.

During dinner, the atmosphere at the table was bizarrely harmonious.

On the table were the spicy chicken that Yu Qing had nearly burned the kitchen preparing, and the bubble milk tea that Su Hewan had instructed the servants to make (actually just milk tea with a few tapioca balls).

Lu Yan picked up a piece of chicken and took a bite. Instantly, the overpowering spice shot straight to his brain.

His expression changed abruptly, and just as he was about to spit it out, he met Yu Qing’s wide, expectant eyes.

Is it good? Is it good? Has it opened a whole new world for you?

Lu Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He forced the fiery piece down his throat, hoarsely saying, “…It’s okay.”

Yu Qing immediately beamed with delight.

Shen Jue, on the other hand, stared at the cup of milk tea with the floating black pearls, a look of disgust on his face.

“What… is this? Frog eggs?”

Su Hewan nearly spit out her food.

【Frog eggs? Master Shen, if you put that imagination to horror novels, it’d be a waste not to!】

She smiled politely and respectfully: “Master, this is called bubble milk tea—sweet but not cloying, chewy yet smooth, a magical remedy for fatigue and a boost to your mood. Would you like to try some?”

Shen Jue skeptically sipped.

The sweet creaminess blended with the tea’s fragrance, and those black pearls had a… unique chewiness.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad.

He glanced at Su Hewan, who was quietly shoveling rice into her mouth, and for once didn’t scold her.

And so, a few days passed in a chaotic but lively routine.

The servants of Yuyuan were completely won over by the two girls.

Although Miss Yu’s cooking was explosive, her bizarre dishes were strangely addictive.

Although Miss Su appeared refined, her mahjong games and impromptu storytelling from Journey to the West and Water Margin were more entertaining than any teahouse storyteller.

For a time, these two palace girls, once destined for sacrifice, became the most popular figures in Yuyuan.

Late at night.

Shen Jue and Lu Yan were still in the study discussing the defenses for the Temple of Heaven rites.

Su Hewan and Yu Qing sat side by side on the rooftop, each holding a cup of homemade milk tea, staring blankly at the brilliant stars above.

The night sky of the ancient era was truly beautiful.

No light pollution, the Milky Way stretched like a silken ribbon, stars scattered like embroidered gems, as if one could pluck them from the sky.

“Wanwan, do you miss home?”

Yu Qing swung her legs gently. Her voice, stripped of its usual daytime cheer, carried a rare note of loneliness.

Su Hewan sipped her milk tea, her gaze distant. “Of course. How could I not?”

“I miss my memory foam bed, my air conditioner, that whole cupboard of books… and even the oden from the convenience store downstairs.”