The Innocent Heart - Chapter 5

The next day, Guan Yueyao did not sleep until she naturally awoke as usual. The sky was barely beginning to lighten when a series of warm, wet touches came from the corner of her mouth.

Guan Yueyao started, opened her eyes, and saw the puppy right by her head, licking the corner of her mouth.

“Shoo! Get away!” Guan Yueyao disgustedly wiped the corner of her mouth and pushed the puppy away slightly. However, the puppy seemed unaware of the human’s displeasure, persistently wagging its tail and inching closer again.

Having her peaceful sleep disturbed, Guan Yueyao was not in a good mood. She simply sat up, rubbed her eyes, and turned to look at the broken small table.

Fortunately, the remaining mutton spine bones were all exactly where they should have been. As for the piece she had given to the puppy, the meat attached to the bone had long been gnawed clean, and the bone was marked with numerous deep and shallow teeth marks.

It seemed that even though the puppy was too young to fully chew bones of that size, it had certainly used it often for teething.

Being a girl, Guan Yueyao ultimately could not resist the soft, fuzzy, and utterly adorable little creature. She sighed, picked up the small thing that was still nudging her side, and squeezed it tightly in her embrace as if to vent her frustration.

“So you’ve decided to rely on me, haven’t you?” Guan Yueyao asked through gritted teeth. But the puppy could not answer her question; it just kept actively kicking its two short hind legs and happily wagging its tail.

It was truly too early. Guan Yueyao put the puppy down and lay back again, attempting to catch a bit more sleep. Yet, her mind had other ideas. Various thoughts darted here and there, making it difficult for her to fall back asleep.

However, getting up so early just seemed somewhat undesirable. Guan Yueyao simply lay on the straw heap with her eyes closed, seemingly wrestling with something.

The area around the manor was quite quiet due to the lack of human habitation. The puppy also curled up at her feet and fell asleep. The dim interior finally offered a slightly drowsy atmosphere.

Guan Yueyao yawned, and unconsciously, she finally drifted off to sleep again, just as she had wished.

“Hey, wake up, wake up! Guan Yueyao, Guan Yueyao! Why are you still sleeping in broad daylight?”

After an unknown period of sleep, a noisy, boisterous young voice suddenly sounded beside her. Guan Yueyao opened her eyes again, only to see Huo Qubing standing beside her straw pile, looking down at her with dissatisfaction.

“What are you shouting about! What time is it that you’re waking people up?” Huo Qubing was not a furry, pitiful puppy. Guan Yueyao did not have the good nature to tolerate this and yelled back harshly.

“The sun is already high in the sky! Why are you still sleeping? You promised to teach me martial arts!” Huo Qubing was unafraid. He folded his arms and glared at Guan Yueyao with a condemning tone. “Hurry up and teach me martial arts, or I’ll have my servants come over and tear down your house!”

Huo Qubing threatened her, likely because he saw that although Guan Yueyao was awake, she was still lying lazily on the straw heap with no intention of getting up.

Unfortunately, such an attempt to suppress her with authority might work on ordinary people. But Guan Yueyao’s nature was stubborn; she responded best to gentleness and worst to coercion.

As the elders often said, she had a ‘rebel bone’ in the back of her head. If you did not push her, she might comply with your wishes, but the more you pressured her, the more she refused to submit obediently.

A bit of her morning grumpiness had not yet dissipated, and upon hearing Huo Qubing’s threat, she became even more irritable.

“No! I won’t teach you! Tear down this broken house if you like, I’ll just find another place to live!” Guan Yueyao sprang up from the ground, stood close to Huo Qubing, and retorted, almost face-to-face with him.

Not long after Huo Qubing was born, his maternal aunt was favored by the current Emperor and brought into the palace. Although she experienced some difficulties in the interim, she was now highly favored and had successively given birth to two daughters for the Emperor, subtly gaining ground against Empress Chen Ajiao.

As for his maternal uncle, despite being an Empress’s relative and from humble origins, he was deeply trusted by the Emperor.

At home, because of his mother’s doting and his uncle’s tolerance, Huo Qubing had long developed an unyielding personality. He was passionate about martial arts and extremely talented. Even the name Qubing (meaning “to rid of illness” or “to rid of trouble”) was bestowed by the current Emperor, showing the depth of the Wei family’s imperial favor.

Although Chang’an City was full of imperial relatives and nobles, the Wei family’s current power was not yet top-tier. However, Huo Qubing had grown up surrounded by luxury and wealth since childhood.

When had he ever suffered such insolence from a beggar, who, in his eyes, was of very low status?

Unable to argue, the two started fighting again. This time, Guan Yueyao held nothing back and gave Huo Qubing a severe beating. Watching the boy sit helplessly on the ground, the irritation in her heart dissipated.

Only then did she remember: Oh no, I said I would take this kid to the old man’s mutton stall today to clarify the source of the money.

Thinking this, Guan Yueyao couldn’t help but glance at the boy sitting on the ground, glaring at her with a look of defiance—

His silk robe was now dirty from rolling around on the ground, his neat hair bun was loose and dangling, and worst of all, the corner of his mouth had been split open by her punch and was now bleeding.

If she brought him to the old man’s stall looking like this, it would surely look like she had coerced the brat…

Guan Yueyao thought with a headache. It’s all this annoying brat’s fault for getting me angry for no reason!

Grrrr… Her stomach complained a few times just then. Only then did Guan Yueyao remember that she hadn’t eaten anything since waking up. She decided to ignore the annoying boy, grabbed the package of mutton spine bones in a huff, and walked toward the outside.

Under the eaves, a simple stove made of stacked stones and a small, broken earthenware pot were the cooking tools Guan Yueyao had used to heat food these past few days.

This small courtyard contained a pond that, miraculously, remained clear despite being unattended. Guan Yueyao, of course, did not know that this was because the residence was located on the west side of Chang’an City, drawing water from the Jue Shui River that flowed through the compound.

She first took the earthenware pot to the nearby pond to fetch water and wash her hands, then returned to the eaves. She then took the tinderbox and flint to start a fire, before pouring the mutton spine bones into the pot. Once the water boiled, a subtle aroma immediately wafted out.

The puppy, which had been off playing somewhere, must have smelled the meat. It now trotted over and sat down beside Guan Yueyao, seeming to wait for the delicious pot of mutton soup to finish boiling.

Guan Yueyao propped her chin on her hands, gazing distractedly at the boiling water before her. She was so hungry that, unable to wait for the soup to simmer and absorb more flavor, she reached out to grab a piece of mutton spine bone to gnaw on.

“Hiss! Hot! Hot! Hot!”

The searing touch instantly turned Guan Yueyao’s hand red, and her fingers gripping the mutton bone stung with pain. But the food was hard-won. Despite the pain, Guan Yueyao still couldn’t bear to let it go.

“Here, take this!” Suddenly, a reluctant voice sounded behind her. Guan Yueyao turned around and saw that it was Huo Qubing, holding the broken earthenware bowl she had left in the house, standing behind her.

Guan Yueyao’s mind was now completely preoccupied with the pain, tossing aside her earlier awkwardness. She snatched the earthenware bowl, and without worrying whether the bowl was clean or not, she dropped the hot mutton spine bone into it.

“Hoo, hoo!” The mutton bone, which had nowhere to rest, finally had a place. Guan Yueyao freed her hand and desperately blew on her already red fingers at her mouth, trying to alleviate the unbearable pain.

The boiling mutton soup continued to steam in the pot, the aroma growing stronger. Even Huo Qubing, who was accustomed to fine cuisine, couldn’t help but twitch his nose to smell it.

Having missed the opportunity to learn the secret of the horse stance from Guan Yueyao yesterday, Huo Qubing had eagerly rushed out this morning after completing his archery and riding training with his instructor at the manor.

It was now midday. Logically, it was time for lunch. Although commoners in the Han Dynasty still primarily ate two meals a day, nobles like Huo Qubing had already begun eating three meals.

After their recent fight, and having eaten breakfast early, Huo Qubing’s stomach was now completely empty. Looking at the simple pot of mutton soup, he felt as if it were some rare delicacy and swallowed his saliva.

Guan Yueyao’s attention was also fully focused on the pot of mutton soup. Hissing softly, she lifted the pot from the stove, let it cool slightly on the side, and then poured the soup into her bowl.

In early spring Chang’an, even at noon, the weather was still a bit chilly. A bowl of hot mutton soup warmed her through. Guan Yueyao felt her whole body relax, and her mood lifted.

She picked out a mutton bone that still had a little meat on it and placed it in front of the puppy, then poured herself another bowl of mutton soup. Just as she tilted her head back to drink it, she heard Huo Qubing ask, “Is it that good?”

I almost forgot about this kid, Guan Yueyao thought, turning her head. She saw Huo Qubing staring intently at the pot of mutton soup, lost in thought. Although his tone was one of casual indifference, the expression on his face betrayed him.

Guan Yueyao was now half-full and, having just beaten Huo Qubing, was in a great mood. She ignored his lack of sincerity and handed over the bowl of mutton soup she hadn’t yet drunk.

“It’s delicious! Try it if you don’t believe me!”

Huo Qubing had been accustomed to the finest clothing and food since childhood. Not only was this the first time he would drink soup from a bowl someone else had used, but it was also perhaps the first time he had seen such an old, rough earthenware bowl.

He wanted to refuse, but the rich aroma of the mutton soup wafting into his nose seemed to be tempting him. Huo Qubing hesitated for a moment, but finally could not resist. He reached out and took the earthenware bowl from Guan Yueyao’s hand, closed his eyes, and tossed the soup into his mouth.

“How can this soup be so delicious? It’s even better than the imperial chef’s cooking in the palace!” After finishing the soup, Huo Qubing smacked his lips, clearly wanting more, and his eyes subconsciously darted back to the earthenware pot.

“Right? The old man who gave me these mutton spine bones has delicious mutton at his stall. I don’t know how he makes it.” Guan Yueyao was also delighted that someone liked the pot of mutton soup.

Although she had a fiery and ‘chuunibyou’ personality, she was very generous and loyal to those she considered friends. Hearing Huo Qubing’s praise made her feel a little closer to him.

“Here, try this mutton bone, too.” She placed the earthenware pot containing the mutton bones between them, signaling Huo Qubing to taste them.

Huo Qubing was not a delicate person. That bowl of mutton soup had officially broken the ice. Now, without further hesitation, he sat down on the ground like Guan Yueyao, rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a mutton bone, and started gnawing on it.

Perhaps young people have a strange yearning for rebellious actions that defy propriety. Not having to sit formally while eating made Huo Qubing feel that this meal, though not filling enough, was thoroughly enjoyable.

“It’s a pity, there’s not much left. I haven’t had enough yet,” Huo Qubing finally sighed with lingering desire, which made Guan Yueyao laugh heartily.

“What’s the big deal? I’ll take you to the stall for another meal later. You’re paying, of course!”

On this afternoon in early spring, still carrying a hint of chill, the two teenagers sat shoulder-to-shoulder, sharing a simple pot of mutton soup. It seemed that, without realizing it, their relationship had grown a little closer, just like the mutton soup that was gradually running out in the pot.