Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 387 - 24 Ox 3 Joy

Chapter 387: Chapter 24 Ox 3 Joy

Chapter 387: Chapter 24 Ox 3 Joy

“`

The situation was not complicated.

Yu Jie’s husband, Official Zhen, had gone to the Pass to trade in furs. When their home underwent a great upheaval, Yu Jie sent someone to find him and followed the government official to the county to file a report.

That night, Yu Jie thought she had gone to sleep, when suddenly she heard someone calling her name. She opened her eyes to find it was her husband.

The moment Yu Jie saw her husband, she burst into tears and threw herself at him, recounting the murder of her mother-in-law through sobs.

Official Zhen by the bed comforted her with kind words, yet showed no trace of sorrow. When Yu Jie’s crying subsided, he embraced her, comforting her further with intentions for intimate pleasure.

Yu Jie was in no mood for such things and quickly struggled free. But Official Zhen did not let go, which she found very strange and made her wary.

As they were tussling, there was a loud commotion outside. The servant Yu Jie had sent to find her husband had returned, bringing with him a travel-worn man—who else could it be but Official Zhen?

The Official Zhen outside and the Official Zhen inside exchanged glances, their features, hair bun, clothes, and accessories matched perfectly!

That’s when the trouble really started!

The two Official Zhens ended up in a scuffle, and in the ensuing chaos, Yu Jie couldn’t tell which one had come in first and which one second. In her panic, she naturally thought of Governor Li, who was skilled in vanquishing monsters and demons.

The situation was just as described. The two Official Zhens had been separated by the officials only after becoming black and blue in the backyard.

Xiaodao listened eagerly, while Li Yan displayed no emotion.

Nobody would come to us if we didn’t take care of matters, and besides, it was no more than lifting a finger for us.

Li Yan looked at General Zheng, “Old Zheng, can you trouble your soldiers to bring this woman’s real and fake husbands here?”

General Zheng nodded, picked two alert and capable soldiers, and followed Yu Jie.

About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, they arrived.

Official Zhen had a ruddy complexion, thick eyebrows, and a broad nose, looking quite gallant, but was presently gasping for air, with dark circles around his eyes, lacking all semblance of a wealthy man’s grace.

The other Official Zhen was also in the same state, blood streaming from his nostrils, reluctantly following the officials, still struggling to fight the dark-eyed Official Zhen.

“Please, Lord Governor, make a decision.”

Yu Jie knelt on the ground.

Zhang Shouhan swept back and forth between the two Official Zhens with his gaze, cracked a slight smile, but remained silent.

Dark ripples danced in Xiaodao’s eyes, and before long, he burst into laughter.

Li Yan, with his arms folded, looked at Yu Jie, then at the sky, and said to Xiaodao, “It’s almost dawn, weren’t you going to prepare a midnight snack? Let’s make it breakfast instead.”

Xiaodao nodded and shouted into the house, “Yongchang, get up, get up.”

Cao Yongchang, who hadn’t slept a wink inside the house, didn’t hurry out. After Xiaodao called again, he finally opened the door, feigned a yawn for effect.

“Ahem, Taoist Zhang, in matters like this, you should be the one to…”

Li Wuyi was trying to offer Li Yan a way out as he did not believe such matters were within Li Yan’s expertise.

Zhang Shouhan, however, shook his head without saying a word.

The dark-eyed Official Zhen couldn’t hold back any longer, “I say, Governor Li, my wife mentioned you have a way to discern the true from the false; that’s why I came over. What’s this all about?”

Li Yan raised an eyebrow, “If you ask me, how could the master of the Zhen Residence conveniently come to the county? Clearly, both of you are fake. Take them out and behead them; once dead, they’ll revert to their original form!”

Yu Jie cried out, “No, Lord Governor! The official who came back with our servant, Xiaojiu, he’s the real one. I’m sure of it.”

Li Yan scoffed, “What would a woman know! Seize them, take them out!”

No sooner had his words fallen than the soldiers briskly grabbed the shoulders of the two men, their expressions grim.

At this, both Official Zhens, real or fake, changed color.

The real official thought, how could I die so senselessly!

The fake one thought, could this officer be trying to trip me up? If I resist, I’m revealed as a monster. If I don’t, am I to just watch him kill me?

That’s when Xiaodao stepped in, “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I have something for you two.”

“`

He handed over a basket full of potatoes.

“What are you doing!”

Official Zhen with a bleeding nose spoke.

“Isn’t it about determining the true from the false? I’ll help you two decide.”

Cha Xiaodao took his position, “Both of you peel the potatoes. Whoever peels the most and the fastest will be the real one.”

“Absurd!” “You’re clearly mocking me!”

The two shouted in unison.

Li Yan sneered, “Not peeling? Take them out and behead them.”

“You!”

Both exclaimed in unison.

Li Yan looked displeased.

Official Zhen with dark circles under his eyes gritted his teeth for a while and ultimately said helplessly, “I’ll peel.”

Official Zhen with the bleeding nose looked reluctant, but at this moment, everyone was watching him, so he had to swallow his pride and picked up a potato as well.

Kitchen knives and cutting boards were prepared for them.

Cha Xiaodao had a government official find a large iron pot and gather ingredients such as green onions, ginger, garlic, salt, star anise, cinnamon, tea leaves, and white sugar, among others.

The soldiers and officials who had gathered around were amused. They had started the evening talking about quelling rebellion and then about subduing a monster, but they hadn’t seen a shadow. The dawn was almost breaking, and now they were eagerly watching two identical people peel potatoes, looking at each other in confusion, not knowing what to do.

In a short time, the Official Zhen with dark circles had cut a large pile, and had also peeled the potatoes quite beautifully, while the bleeding-nose Official Zhen was clumsy.

Cha Xiaodao directed with a command, “Cut the potatoes into chunks, slice the ginger, cut green onion pieces. How can you live with such large chunks? Hey, hey, I said green onion pieces, did I say strips? Aren’t you going to wash the ginger slices before cutting? What are you doing wiping your nose with your sleeve; aren’t we going to eat later?”

“Light the fire!”

“Add water! Add firewood!”

The two Officials Zhen busied themselves until daybreak, while the sky was lightening but not yet fully light.

The Official Zhen with the bleeding nose had been falling behind the entire time, not knowing how to cut green onions or ginger, and even got scorched by the fire. Seeing Cha Xiaodao being picky, he became so angry that his face turned crimson. He threw his firewood onto the ground and, pointing at Cha Xiaodao’s nose, yelled furiously, “A man can be killed, but not humiliated. There has never been a precedent in the laws of the Great Ming where a military officer decides life and death. I want to see who here would dare to kill me!”

Cha Xiaodao ignored him and walked over to the other Official Zhen with the dark circles.

This Official Zhen had performed his tasks beautifully: the fire was well-fed, the ginger and green onion slices were neatly cut, and the potato chunks were of even size.

Cha Xiaodao walked over to him, both watching the boiling water in the soup pot.

“You’re doing well.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,”

Official Zhen with the dark circles glanced proudly at the bleeding-nose Official Zhen, as if to say, look at my skills.

Cha Xiaodao patted his shoulder, then gestured with his mouth towards the soup pot, “Then you go in.”

“…”

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The entire courtyard fell silent.

Sweat rolled down the back of the Official Zhen with dark circles.

A Fleeting Glimpse

[Niu Sanxi]: One of the Five Hundred Drill Winds under the Qian Guang Cave’s Golden Mountain Old Ancestor from Fulong Mountain in Ganzhou. A 500-year adept bull monster, he was ordered by the Golden Mountain Old Ancestor to deliver an invitation to the chiefs of the Five Immortals Outside of the Pass to celebrate the Old Ancestor acquiring an adopted daughter. On his way through this county, he became tempted by greed.

Special traits (abilities): Little Heaven Gang Transformation (disguising oneself as another person)

Heart Piercing (able to glimpse into the thoughts of ordinary people)

At this time, Li Yan had already started exchanging pleasantries with County Magistrate Li and General Zheng, “You two have worked hard tonight. Please, stay for a simple meal. I assure you, my subordinates’ cooking skills are in no way inferior to those chefs in the Capital City’s restaurants. Tonight, we shall have… potato stewed with beef.”