CHAPTER 2014: CHAPTER 2013: THE TASTE OF MEAT PANCAKES

Even though winter has set in, it shouldn’t be this cold. You know, this is the south.

The hurried breath of the man beside her could be heard, Bai Ruozhu turned her head and saw his legs trembling and his upper and lower teeth chattering non-stop. Bai Ruozhu’s hearing was excellent; she could only hear the sound of his teeth clattering.

She suddenly felt sorry, truly burdening this man.

"We’ll wander around on our own. You can wait at the door," Bai Ruozhu said.

Unexpectedly, the man straightened up immediately and said, "No way, I’ll accompany you. If anything happens, I won’t be at peace for the rest of my life."

This man was indeed responsible and sincere.

"If you’re scared, just follow behind us. My subordinate here is excellent in martial arts," Bai Ruozhu said.

"Good, good." It seemed he felt more assured and wasn’t trembling as fiercely.

"Why was it so cold just now? Was it similarly cold when you previously brought people to the Pan Residence to look at the house?" Bai Ruozhu asked. On opening the door, the cold felt like a chilling wind, quite like the presence of ghosts.

The man nodded hastily, "Indeed, even coming in the height of summer, it’s cooler inside than outside. If it weren’t for the ghostly wailing at night, it would be perfect for escaping the heat."

"This location shouldn’t be so cold," Bai Ruozhu mumbled deliberately, "I wonder how long no one has lived here; without attendants watching over, many places must be pretty run down, right?"

"Old Master Pan once said if someone is willing to buy it, he’d pay to have it repaired a bit," the man replied.

Beside them, Jianqi suddenly spoke up, "This mansion is cheap as it is; if he pays for repairs, what money would he even pocket?"

The man smiled awkwardly, "Old Master Pan is quite generous."

Bai Ruozhu, however, understood the twists and turns involved. The ancients believed in ghosts and gods. If a mansion had ghost rumors, it was said to affect the family’s fortune and even harm descendants. Once word got out, many families would refuse to marry into it. Hence, the Pan Family wants to sell it even at a loss.

Jianqi glanced at Bai Ruozhu, also realizing the subtlety, and chose not to ask further.

At this time, the three of them walked to the Main Hall. The Main Hall was indeed terribly run-down, with dust everywhere, and many places on the roof had spider webs.

Bai Ruozhu gave Jianqi a look, signaling him to observe the surroundings to see if there were any traces to follow.

"The last time I showed someone the house was six months ago. Besides, no one dares to come clean, so it’s like this," the man said honestly.

"It’s okay, let’s go check out other places," Bai Ruozhu said.

The trio left the Main Hall and headed toward the Side Room. The man pointed ahead, saying, "This was originally the Main Courtyard. To the west were the yards for the young ladies of the Pan Family, and to the east for the young masters. Beyond is a small garden, and further past that is where the servants lived."

Bai Ruozhu exited the Main House, her nostrils twitched slightly.

"No one has come to clean for six months either?" she asked.

The man chuckled dryly twice, "We used to arrange for someone to do sweeping; they ended up scared sick, and no one else wanted to come."

Bai Ruozhu uttered an ’oh,’ already having a judgment in mind—it’s nothing but four words: pretending to be supernatural.

Afterwards, she followed the others in a circle, but found nothing else. Perhaps those pretending to be supernatural sensed their martial prowess and dared not easily appear.

Just as they were about to leave, when they reached the Main Gate, they heard a crash, and the plaque by the door fell!

Bai Ruozhu and Jianqi reacted quickly; only the man, who lacked martial arts skills, could not dodge. He instinctively closed his eyes, and his legs began to tremble again.

He was just saying this place was not worth coming to, now he’d have to peel off a layer of skin.

To his surprise, he felt his body lighten as Jianqi pulled him aside. Immediately following, the plaque smashed to the ground, breaking into two pieces.

"How, how could this happen?" The man came to his senses, didn’t wait to be grateful before shouting, "Let’s hurry and leave; surely the vicious ghost here is angry!"

Bai Ruozhu squinted at the plaque on the ground, then looked up at the beam above the door, smirking coldly inside.

Those pretending to be supernatural are indeed very cautious.

"Let’s hurry and leave; we mustn’t be tainted by misfortune," the man urged.

Upon leaving the Pan Family, the man again advised them to think carefully. Bai Ruozhu said she would consider it, then bid farewell and left.

"Master, that was man-made," Jianqi said, "Although the person was very careful and left no trace, there were still some flaws. For instance, the dust on the ground is covered, but some places have freshly scattered dust."

Bai Ruozhu showed a surprised expression, "You could tell even that? Isn’t all dust the same? At most, it’s just dry or wet."

"I’ve received training in this aspect before," Jianqi answered simply.

Bai Ruozhu nodded, "I noticed too. That person can’t stay inside without eating or drinking; I just happened to smell the scent of sesame seed cake."

Jianqi’s mouth twitched; he hadn’t smelled anything. How did his master’s nose grow?

"Alright, let’s go back and meet up with father and mother, and explore the Pan Residence at night," Bai Ruozhu said.

"Yes."

When the two returned to the Inn, they found Lin Pinger and Bai Yihong each gnawing on a sesame seed cake, eating with great relish.

Jianqi quickly glanced at Bai Ruozhu; his master had just mentioned sesame seed cake.

"Wow, smells so good, where did you get the sesame seed cake?" Bai Ruozhu asked with a smile.

Lin Pinger hurriedly handed one to her, saying: "Your second brother bought them back, said this place is famous in town. There’s a line every day, and they’re often sold out before noon. The store then closes to rest."

Little Dengdeng mumbled beside them, "Mother, hurry and eat. Second uncle said it’s not good once it cools."

Bai Ruozhu took a bite of the sesame seed cake, "Yes, this is the taste."

Everyone thought she meant it was delicious, but only Jianqi understood what she meant.

At this time, the sesame seed cake is like a modern meat bun, only in Danliang Country they called it Bai sesame seed cake or meat sesame seed cake.

This place’s meat is well-marinated, the sesame seed cake crispy, and when combined, it is indeed delicious.

Jianqi got a sesame seed cake too. After eating, he said, "Master, shall we go ask the people selling sesame seed cakes?"

"Didn’t they say it’s closed? Probably couldn’t figure anything out. That person can steal our goods, can’t he steal a few sesame seed cakes too?" Bai Ruozhu said with a laugh.

Jianqi froze for a moment; he only thought the thief would queue for sesame seed cakes, forgetting their skill lies in theft.

After the meal, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Bai Ruozhu took Dengdeng to play in the Space, allowing him to play with Xiaohei, while she worked on making drug powder beside them.

The opponent was an expert at hiding, possibly some mysterious thief, so she had to use some drug powder to make him cough up her stolen goods.