Chapter 88: Elder Hua

When they reached the artificial hill, Liu Qin smiled and said to the two maids, "Cuiyu, you and Sister Cui Liu rest here for a while. I’m going to play in the back."

"What’s there to play with in the back? Miss, you’d better not run around," Cui Liu hurriedly tried to stop her, truly afraid the young lady would get into trouble again. After all, this wasn’t the family estate; if anything happened, how could she explain it?

"It’s fine, I’ll just play for a bit. Wait for me!"

Before the two could react, Liu Qin’s small figure darted away and disappeared. Cui Liu could only shake her head and was about to follow when Cuiyu interjected, "Sister, you stay here and keep watch. I’ll go."

Liu Qin, familiar with the place, made her way to a certain spot, but suddenly stopped. How could this be? Why was someone here?

Cuiyu, who had followed behind, was also stunned.

Hearing footsteps, a man, half-reclining against the rockery, eyes closed and gazing up at the sky, spoke weakly, "My obedient disciple, why did it take you so long to come back? You almost starved your master to death."

Only then did Liu Qin see clearly that the speaker was an old man, his hair and beard mottled with gray, the two tangled together as if they hadn’t been combed for days. If it weren’t for the blue satin robe he wore, she would have thought he belonged to the Beggar’s Sect.

"Grandpa," Liu Qin called out sweetly. Since she had interrupted someone’s meditation, she couldn’t just pretend nothing had happened. As the saying goes, a smiling face never gets hit—being polite could do no harm.

"Eh? Where did this little one come from?"

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, the old man opened his eyes in surprise, only to see a finely dressed little girl standing before him, grinning, with another maid in a red jacket standing behind her.

The old man’s eyes flickered as he sat up straighter. Only then did Liu Qin notice that despite the gray beard, his face was ruddy and showed few wrinkles; he looked rather amiable. But his smile seemed both kindly and a bit sly—what sort of situation was this? Why did she have the feeling she was about to be sold off?

Liu Qin became a little wary.

She heard the old man ask, "Are you from the manor, little one?"

Sure enough. Liu Qin nodded. For now, she’d pretend, to keep him from getting any ideas. At the same time, she retreated a little, ready to run if necessary.

"Wonderful! Little one, could you bring me something to eat? Grandpa is starving."

Liu Qin nearly stumbled. So he really was from the Beggar’s Sect. She’d heard that even the “Clean Clothes” branch of the Beggar’s Sect dressed well—this must be the case.

Liu Qin nodded inwardly, certain of her deduction, and replied crisply, "All right, just a moment."

She turned to instruct Cuiyu, and soon Cuiyu came back carrying a small food box, just as she’d been told to prepare in advance. After all, they’d arrived early with the old madam, and it would be more than an hour before the meal; she had to have something to tide herself over.

Liu Qin took the food box and told Cuiyu to keep watch outside.

Cuiyu was already used to her young mistress making friends with anyone in an instant; after all, wasn’t it the same with Wu the gatekeeper and Niu the coachman? They all adored the young lady, so she left without worry.

Liu Qin placed the food box on the ground and opened it, taking out two plates of snacks. The old man, spying the food, shot over in a flash, plopped down beside her, and grabbed a piece, stuffing it into his mouth as if he’d been starving.

How many days had it been since he’d eaten?

Liu Qin couldn’t help but feel sympathetic. The pain of hunger was truly unpleasant. She quickly, with a smile, picked up another piece and handed it over, kindly reminding, "Grandpa, eat slowly, don’t choke."

Mouth full, the old man’s eyes narrowed with delight as he nodded and mumbled, "My surname is Hua."

"Oh, Grandpa Hua, why are you here?"

After a few snacks, Grandpa Hua finally slowed down, replying with a grin, "Well, I heard there’d be good food at this wedding, so I came."

Having finished the snacks in his hand, Grandpa Hua smacked his lips regretfully. "These pastries aren’t soft enough, too sweet and cloying—not top quality. If I weren’t so hungry today, I wouldn’t touch them usually."

He seemed to have no sense of guilt about criticizing the host’s food after eating it.

Nor did Liu Qin. After all, it wasn’t her house. She nodded her little head in agreement. "Yes, they’re really not very good. If I weren’t hungry, I wouldn’t eat them either."

Grandpa Hua seemed to have found a soulmate, immediately perking up. Pointing at the remaining pastries, he began to impart his culinary wisdom: "Take this osmanthus cake, for example. It’s an ordinary treat, but the very best must be fluffy but not mushy, with the sweetness of flour and the fragrance of osmanthus perfectly balanced—fragrant but not cloying. Only then does the flavor linger on the palate."

Recalling the taste, Grandpa Hua wore an expression of blissful nostalgia. Then he leaned in close to Liu Qin and whispered conspiratorially, "Let me tell you, I’ve been to many wonderful places and eaten countless delicacies. Do you know the countries around Han? Dongli, Xixia, and Bei Xiao—I’ve visited them all. And not just visited; I even entered their royal palaces."

Seeing Liu Qin’s wide-eyed amazement, Grandpa Hua swelled with pride.

Liu Qin was genuinely envious. Who would have thought a “Clean Clothes” beggar could live so freely, roaming the world, eating and drinking well without spending a coin, even being invited into palaces? That was VIP treatment!

Wait—could Grandpa Hua be the Beggar’s Sect leader?

Under Liu Qin’s admiring gaze, Grandpa Hua continued showing off. "Why do you think I went to the palace? Of course, for the Imperial Kitchen! The finest foods in the world are gathered there. I’d sneak in and sample everything. I wouldn’t leave until I’d tried every dish."

Liu Qin was speechless. So she’d guessed wrong—he wasn’t the beggar chief, but a master thief specializing in food.

"You don’t believe me?" Liu Qin quickly nodded. "I believe you, of course I do."

Grandpa Hua was delighted, his boasting growing ever more animated. "And then there’s the Han Kingdom’s palace, where I’m practically a regular. Once, I waited three whole days for a dish. Do you know ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’? They say it takes three days to make, and when it’s done, the aroma is so enticing even Buddha would leap over the wall for a taste. I didn’t believe it, so I stayed nearby for three days. Before I even tasted it, just smelling that fragrance convinced me. That time, I stayed in the palace for a whole month, unwilling to leave."

This old man reminded her of Hong Qigong.

"You stayed for a month and no one discovered you?" Liu Qin was skeptical. Wasn’t the palace supposed to be so tightly guarded that not even a fly could get in? How did someone so conspicuous manage it?

Grandpa Hua froze at the question, then laughed awkwardly. "Oh, well..."

Then, putting on a stern look, he flicked his beard and said righteously, "So what if they found me? I didn’t take anything else, just ate a few dishes. They ganged up on a lonely old man—shameful, really."

Liu Qin was speechless again. Stealing food from the palace and then calling the guards shameless—just where did this old man come from?

She didn’t believe him, but her interest was undiminished. Honestly, being alone was rather dull, and now she had someone telling her stories—a perfect way to pass the time.

"So did they catch you? Were you locked up? I’ve heard the palace dungeons are terrifying."

Liu Qin patted her chest and made a show of being scared.

"Hmph, if it were a one-on-one fight, who could best me? I just fell for their dirty tricks, but I didn’t let them have it easy. What’s so scary about a tiny dungeon? It couldn’t hold me. If someone hadn’t interceded for me, I wouldn’t have left at all."