OFTLHFRO C104

Chapter 104 Not Spending Your Money Anyway

At another table, Xue Kang watched the couple whispering together, his expression sour.

He could not understand why someone as powerful as Hou Yan would be fond of a man.

And Luo Mingchen, to his eyes, seemed weak—aside from his looks and his cooking, he was utterly useless.

There were plenty of skilled cooks. To Xue Kang, it was simply that Hou Yan had been thrown away in a village and wasted. If the Grand General had raised him by his side, he would surely have been able to inherit command of the Hou Army without issue.

But now, though he had strength, he liked men. Once on the battlefield, Xue Kang thought, he likely wouldn’t live long.

Over the past few days, Luo Mingchen had already noticed that whenever Xue Kang saw him close with Hou Yan, he would look utterly disgusted.

So, when Xue Kang glanced their way again, Luo Mingchen deliberately kissed Hou Yan on the cheek, making Xue Kang nearly gag and turn his face away, never looking a second time.

Hou Yan glanced first at Luo Mingchen, then at Xue Kang, but said nothing.

When Luo Mingchen saw the oily mark left on Hou Yan’s face, he guiltily wiped it away for him.

After a while longer, Luo Mingchen suddenly remembered a saying: “They say people who are homophobic are usually deep in the closet.”

Hou Yan thought it over carefully but could not grasp the meaning. “Hm?”

Luo Mingchen explained: “You know how our relationship is called ‘tong’ [同, short for 同性戀, tóngxìngliàn, same-sex love]. In my world, when someone tells others they’re ‘tong,’ it’s called ‘coming out of the closet’ [出櫃, chūguì]. Get it now?”

Once he understood those terms, Hou Yan thought over Luo Mingchen’s earlier words and finally made sense of them.

For example, when Luo Mingchen often talked about things like ‘genes,’ taken together, Hou Yan could roughly guess the meaning.

“I understand.”

Looking at Xue Kang’s back, Hou Yan suddenly realized why he seemed so repulsed.

If Luo Mingchen were swapped for Xue Kang, he wouldn’t be able to accept it either.

After dinner, the two took the children to stroll around the post station. Once they had digested a little, they returned to wash and sleep.

When Huo Yuhui saw those foreigners speaking in strange tongues, he finally understood just how much more he had to learn.

The next morning they set out again. Near noon, Luo Mingchen spotted the Third Prince’s spicy hotpot (malatang)¹ restaurant.

It wasn’t a street stall but a grand, three-story building, bustling with patrons. The servers were run ragged.

Since they had come all this way, Luo Mingchen suggested they stop and eat a bowl.

Xue Kang objected: “We can eat dry rations. That will save time and allow us to return earlier.”

Rolling his eyes, Luo Mingchen climbed down from the carriage. “It’s not even your money. If you don’t want to eat, then go. We can find our own way. Goodbye.”

Xue Kang was nearly choked with anger, turning to Hou Yan: “Young Master, the Grand General has already been waiting so long.”

But Hou Yan, already holding Huo Xinyue and following Luo Mingchen down, said calmly: “A little while won’t make a difference. If Vice General Xue is in such a hurry, he can ride ahead to tell Father we’re safe.”

Xue Kang: “……”

Though he dearly wanted to abandon them there, reason told him he could not. He could only grit his teeth and follow.

Inside, the staff quickly found them a good table on the second floor, so that the three children would not be jostled.

Because she was so young, Huo Xinyue could only eat some light broth.

Luo Mingchen specially ordered a large bowl of rice for her too, in case she wasn’t full.

Upon hearing they had milk tea, Luo Mingchen ordered a pot.

After one sip, Huo Xiang whispered: “Little Daddy, it’s not as tasty as yours.”

He spoke softly enough that no one else heard.

Luo Mingchen told him, “From now on, we’ll keep that as our little secret. Don’t let anyone else know.”

Huo Xiang immediately looked nervously around, then relaxed once he saw no one watching. He whispered back, “Okay.”

“Good boy.”

After tasting it himself, Luo Mingchen found it indeed a bit inferior. The goat milk had been boiled too long, making the texture less smooth, and the almonds were not quite the same.

The almonds he used from his space were just slightly better.

The malatang, however, was a pleasant surprise.

The price of each ingredient wasn’t expensive. Located by the official road, the shop drew many passing merchants. Even porters with little money could afford a bowl. The broth was rich and flavorful, and in the dead of winter, a bowl would warm one to the core.

Partnering with others was far more comfortable than running the shop alone. Though the profits weren’t enormous, there was far less to worry about.

While ordering, Luo Mingchen had noticed a problem. The dishes were written on menus and explained by servers.

Since not everyone could read, they needed many staff.

However, each dish was numbered, so ordering was not overly difficult.

As they were finishing, Luo Mingchen said: “Why don’t I draw the dishes instead?”

It reminded Hou Yan of when Luo Mingchen had drawn milk tea and tofu on wooden boards. Strange at first glance, but also charming.

“All right.”

Since they were going to the capital anyway, he could pass the drawings to the Third Prince directly.

After they had eaten, the five stepped out. Xue Kang was still shivering by the carriage. They said nothing, for freezing there was his own choice.

Half an hour later, the carriage finally reached the capital gates.

Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang pressed against the window, watching the crowd queued at the gate.

At the sight of the walls, Xue Kang finally breathed easier.

Thinking back over the journey, he felt only bitter weariness.

With Xue Kang leading the way, the guards at the gate didn’t inspect too closely. They glanced at them, then waved them through, even waiving the entry fee.

Luo Mingchen had thought the capital would be similar to Yuanzhou Prefecture, but once inside he realized the streets were far larger, the paving smoother, and the crowds and carriages countless.

Even after entering, they had to travel over an hour before reaching the Grand General’s mansion.

Seeing the place, Huo Xiang lost his appetite for his candied hawthorn, whispering: “Is Grandpa very fierce?”

“Even if he is, he won’t beat people at random. He’s not some mad dog biting whoever passes by.”

Luo Mingchen thought, even if Huo Yuntao tried to threaten Hou Yan with their safety, it would depend on whether he himself allowed it.

The words managed to make Huo Xiang laugh, easing his fear.

The carriage halted and the five dismounted.

Hou Yan saw the gates shut. When Xue Kang directed them to a side door, he sneered: “Since Father doesn’t wish us to return, we’ll just enjoy ourselves in the capital for a few days and then go home. Mingchen, let’s find an inn.”

Luo Mingchen tilted his head, blinking. Though he didn’t quite follow, he still replied, “Oh.”

Xue Kang was startled. “Young Master, we’ve come home. Why leave?”

“If this is my home, why must we enter through a side door? Is the main gate not to be opened?”

Xue Kang had not expected him to say that. “The main gate is only opened when necessary…”

“I have been gone for years, and even now it is unnecessary to open it? Clearly Father has no genuine welcome. Why then should I enter?”

Listening, Luo Mingchen nodded, finally grasping the point.

Hou Yan was the rightful heir of the Grand General’s household. After so many years, for them not to open the main gate—if they meekly entered by the side, they would forever be forced to yield.

This was nothing less than the mansion delivering a humiliation.

News of Hou Yan’s return would certainly have spread among the nobles. For the rightful heir to slip in through the side door—what would that look like?

And more than that—he was the legitimate eldest son.

Luo Mingchen might not understand all the twists of etiquette, but once reminded, even he knew this was unacceptable.

Footnotes:

1. 麻辣燙 (malatang): A popular Chinese street food consisting of skewered vegetables, meats, and other items cooked in a spicy, numbing broth flavored with Sichuan peppercorns. Here, it is presented as a large, formal restaurant. 
2. 長壽麵 (longevity noodles) (mentioned earlier): A traditional birthday dish symbolizing long life in Chinese culture, usually made as one long unbroken strand. 
3. 糖葫蘆 (candied hawthorn): A traditional Chinese winter snack where hawthorn berries are skewered and coated in hardened sugar syrup, shiny and sweet-tart.
4. In modern Chinese, 同 (tóng) is shorthand for 同性戀 (tóngxìngliàn, “homosexual”). The phrase 出櫃 (chūguì) literally means “to come out of the closet,” just like in English, referring to openly acknowledging one’s sexuality