Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Cui Shao was naturally gifted, so I assumed he would learn quickly. However, after quite some time, the dough in the basin still hadn’t come together. I let out a sigh; good white flour shouldn’t be wasted.

I rolled up my sleeves and reached into the basin as well. “There’s no secret trick to it, really. Just add the water sparingly to the flour, and if it’s too wet, add more flour…”

But as we worked the dough, somehow our hands became stuck together.

Cui Shao gripped my hand, looking at me with a beaming smile. “I’ve got it now. Yu, you really are an excellent teacher.”

And so, at the entrance of the alley at dusk, one could see the elegant, moon-like Cui Shao with his sleeves rolled up, kneading and slamming dough. The heat from the furnace flushed his face red, yet he didn’t show a hint of disdain; instead, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

One evening, a luxurious carriage pulled up beside the sesame cake stall.

By now, Yu’s Sesame Cakes had gained a bit of local fame. Even some wealthy families came to try them for a change of pace, so I didn’t pay much attention. I assumed it was just another rich person tired of delicacies and looking for a new flavor.

That was until a middle-aged man dressed in official court robes stepped down from the carriage.

“My Lord, how many would you like?”

The middle-aged man glared at me before looking at Cui Shao with an expression of pained regret. “It really is you! Cui! Shao!”

He spoke through gritted teeth, looking as if Cui Shao had committed some heinous crime.

Cui Shao looked up at him, but his hands didn’t stop moving. “So it’s Uncle Liu. Do you also want to try my wife’s sesame cakes? Eight wen each.”

“This is scandalous! You are the sole son of the Cui Clan, yet you act like a common street vendor. You are a disgrace to the Noble Families! Even the Emperor knows you are selling sesame cakes; he even laughed about it during court today. I didn’t believe it at first, but seeing you now, you don’t have an ounce of shame! I truly misjudged you back then – I actually thought you could lead the Cui Clan to a resurgence!”

Lord Liu spoke with such righteous indignation that one might think Cui Shao had personally wronged him.

Cui Shao let out a cold laugh. “A disgrace? Uncle Liu, you were close with my father. If he hadn’t given you half a sesame cake back then, you might have died on the road while fleeing the famine. Later, when you entered the bureaucracy, my father promoted and protected you many times. That is how you reached your current position. If you truly feel so sorry for the Cui Family, why did you hide in your manor like a shrinking turtle when the Cui Clan fell into trouble? Why wouldn’t you say a single word on my father’s behalf?”

Cui Shao wasn’t anxious or angry; he even maintained a hint of his usual languid air. But his words were like knives, and Lord Liu’s face paled.

“The Emperor was in a fit of rage then! One had to move slowly and plan carefully!”

“Oh? Move slowly?” Cui Shao scooped a bit of water and sprinkled it into the basin. With a few movements, the dough became smooth and supple. “Then later, when I was placed under house arrest, when the Cui Family was seized, and when I was castrated… Uncle Liu, where were you then?”

“You!”

Lord Liu was left speechless, able only to continue his accusations: “You truly have changed. The Cui Shao of the past was as gentle as jade, cautious in word and deed. You weren’t this biting and insolent. The Cui Clan is finished! Finished forever!”