LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 101: You Su
Chapter 101: You Su
In front of Wang’s Crispy Oil Pancakes stall.
“Granny.”
The hunched, white-haired old woman selling pancakes heard someone call her and put down the dough she had been kneading. She looked up at the newcomer, and her slightly squinted eyes instantly lit up with recognition.
“You are… You Su’s Junior Sister?”
Ji Lingruo’s peach-blossom eyes, charming as the autumn moon, blinked a few times. Her voice was clear and melodious:
“Granny, you know me?”
In her memory, although she loved the pancakes from this stall, she had never come to buy them herself. How could the old woman recognize her?
“Of course! Other than you, who in this city could live up to the title of ‘the most beautiful girl in the world’?” Granny Wang’s face was full of kindness, every wrinkle radiating warmth.
Ji Lingruo’s delicate face instantly turned crimson. The old woman’s words carried no hint of teasing, only genuine praise for her beauty, but hearing it still made her feel unbearably embarrassed. She felt both shy and annoyed, silently cursing her blind Senior Brother for being so loose-lipped. How could he go around boasting about her like that?
“Granny, you’re joking. That’s just my Senior Brother talking nonsense,” Ji Lingruo said, forcing an awkward smile.
“No, no, it’s not nonsense. It’s well-deserved,” Granny Wang said with a smile, wiping her flour-covered hands on her apron. “Are you here to buy pancakes? You Su used to come buy them before, but now he’s injured from saving everyone. Is he lying in bed craving them and sent you instead? He’s our great benefactor. I’ll pack a few extra for you. From now on, whenever you come to Granny’s stall, you don’t have to pay.”
Granny Wang enthusiastically packed pancakes filled with beef and pickled vegetables. Despite her age, she clearly remembered the favorite flavors of this pair of Senior Brother and Junior Sister.
Ji Lingruo smiled sweetly, feeling a sense of pride as she walked through the city this morning, hearing people’s reverence for her Senior Brother. However, she still took out a few taels of silver from her purse and handed them over.
“Girl, what are you doing? Granny sells pancakes for fun. I said no payment, so no payment,” Granny Wang said, her face stern as if she were about to get angry.
“No, no, Granny, this isn’t for the pancakes,” Ji Lingruo quickly explained, not wanting to upset the kind old woman.
“Then what is it for?” Granny Wang’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“I… I…” Ji Lingruo hesitated, then mustered her courage. “This is tuition money. I want to learn from you.”
“Learn from me?” Granny Wang was clearly surprised by this answer.
Ji Lingruo bit her lower lip, thinking her request might be refused. Although she didn’t fully understand human customs, she knew that learning to make pancakes was no different from learning a cultivation technique—it was a valuable skill passed down through generations, not something easily taught to outsiders.
But she was leaving soon, and she didn’t know when she would return. Would she still be able to taste this familiar flavor when she came back?
These pancakes had accompanied her through the happiest three years of her life. She didn’t want to forget this taste. Whether it was for herself or for You Su, she had to learn how to make them.
“That’s right, Granny. I want to learn how to make these pancakes.”
Ji Lingruo’s tone was serious. She took out all the silver from her purse, holding it in her hands, the coins glinting brightly.
Granny Wang was momentarily stunned, not by the money, but by the girl’s sincerity. Her eyes softened as she looked at Ji Lingruo.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
The old woman’s hair was half-white, and though she often complained about her failing eyesight, she saw things more clearly than anyone. Ji Lingruo was taken aback but nodded obediently.
“Yes.”
“Does You Su know?”
Ji Lingruo nodded again. Granny Wang smiled gently and pushed the silver back into Ji Lingruo’s hands.
“That’s good. A proper farewell leads to a proper reunion. Don’t be like those characters in stories who leave without a word, thinking it’s cool but regretting it later. If you really want to learn, Granny can teach you without taking your money.”
Ji Lingruo felt a warm surge of gratitude. She didn’t push the matter further, knowing the old woman wouldn’t accept the money openly. Instead, she expressed her thanks verbally.
“Thank you, Granny!”
The girl even started to bow deeply, but the old woman quickly stopped her. Granny Wang’s hands, rough and wrinkled from years of hard work, held Ji Lingruo’s soft, fair hands with care.
“It’s just making pancakes. No need for such formalities. But your hands are so beautiful. Be careful when kneading the dough and frying the pancakes, or You Su will feel bad.”
Ji Lingruo let the old woman hold her hands and pouted. “He wouldn’t care. At the sect, he makes me do all the dirty and hard work.”
“Is You Su really that terrible?”
Granny Wang led Ji Lingruo into the stall, playing along with the girl’s complaints. However, Ji Lingruo’s delicate skin betrayed the truth—she clearly hadn’t done much hard labor. Granny Wang didn’t expose her little lie, finding her even more endearing.
The old woman had a son who had struggled to build a life in a larger city. Unwilling to burden him, she and her husband had chosen to stay behind and run the family stall. Seeing the charming Ji Lingruo, she felt as if she were looking at her own granddaughter.
Ji Lingruo had planned to continue complaining about You Su, knowing that sharing grievances was a quick way to bond with someone. But the words stuck in her throat. She shook her head, frustrated at how deeply she had been fooled by You Su’s seemingly upright demeanor. She couldn’t even bring herself to badmouth him behind his back.
“Actually, he’s not that bad… He treats me quite well,” Ji Lingruo said with an awkward laugh.
Granny Wang patted Ji Lingruo’s hand, her expression saying, “I understand, I understand.”
“Girl, do you know why You Su is called You Su?”
“Why?” Ji Lingruo’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Ha! It’s because your Master also loves my pancakes. When she found You Su, she didn’t know what to name him. After thinking about it, she just called him ‘You Su’ (Crispy Oil). Until he was five, everyone in the neighborhood called him that. Isn’t it strange? He’s blind and couldn’t read, but when he was five, he suddenly declared that his name was ‘You Su’—the ‘You’ from ‘roaming’ and the ‘Su’ from ‘perilla.’ He even got mad if anyone teased him by calling him ‘Crispy Oil.’ The scholars in the city said the name ‘You Su’ had a nice ring to it. But speaking isn’t the same as writing, so us old folks still call him ‘Crispy Oil.’”
Ji Lingruo had always thought it was a coincidence, but now she understood the story behind the name. As she listened to the tales of You Su’s childhood, an image of a spirited blind boy emerged in her mind. The more she listened, the more fascinated she became, and her lips curled into a smile, adding a unique charm to the humble stall.
By this time, it was still early, and only a few stalls on the breakfast street were open. The number of customers was small but not nonexistent.
In front of Wang’s Crispy Oil Pancakes stall, three well-dressed young cultivators had gathered.
“Sir, you’ve misunderstood. The pancakes on the left are for sale. The one you just ate was on the right—that’s not for customers. It’s for my apprentice to practice with.”
Granny Wang explained with an apologetic smile. She didn’t recognize these three cultivators, but judging by their attire, they were likely reinforcements sent from another city to aid Chuyun City. She had already reminded them once, but they had insisted on buying the pancake Ji Lingruo had been practicing with, leading to the current dispute.
The leader of the three, a young man with thick eyebrows, frowned and glanced at the glaring girl beside him. Even after a second look, he was still struck by her beauty.
However, the more beautiful the flower, the sharper its thorns. Earlier, he had been drawn to the girl’s beauty and had come to buy pancakes, hoping to strike up a conversation. But when he deliberately bought the burnt pancake as an excuse to talk to her, she had shattered it in his hand without a second thought, leaving him no face.
Although he wasn’t afraid of the girl, who was only at the initial stage of the Spirit Platform Realm, he knew it wasn’t wise to use force in someone else’s territory. Instead, he came up with a clever plan to save face and said righteously:
“What bad luck. We came all the way to help Chuyun City, and we can’t even enjoy a proper breakfast. If it’s a practice pancake, why is it on display? Instead of blaming your apprentice for her poor skills, you blame me for picking the wrong pancake. Your stall is being unreasonable.”
One of his companions chimed in, “Exactly! If it’s not for sale, why put it out? I’ve heard of Wang’s Crispy Oil Pancakes, but it seems the reputation is undeserved!”
Another companion raised his voice, calling out to the crowd, “Everyone, come see! Wang’s Crispy Oil Pancakes is selling subpar goods and cheating us outsiders!”
“Auntie Wang, what’s going on?”
“Sir, that can’t be right. This stall has been around for generations.”
“How can it not be? Do you think I’m lying? Look at these pancakes—see how burnt they are?”
Indeed, the basket on the right side of the oil pot was filled with pancakes, many of which had obvious burnt spots.
“This…” Granny Wang tried to explain, but her voice was quickly drowned out by the growing crowd.
“Hey! If you feel cheated, we’ll replace your pancakes! Why are you spreading rumors?” Ji Lingruo’s willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed in anger.
“Hmph! Are you only saying that because we brought the townsfolk to judge? If we stayed silent, wouldn’t we have just swallowed this injustice?”
Ji Lingruo clenched her teeth and fists. The three cultivators were only at the Spirit Platform Realm, so she wasn’t afraid of them. Granny Liu had already informed her through a message that they would be leaving tomorrow, so she was likely watching nearby. But the three cultivators weren’t making a move—instead, they were using their words to tarnish the stall’s reputation. If she lost her temper and attacked first, wouldn’t that be playing right into their hands?
But she wasn’t used to dealing with strangers, and the growing crowd made her mind go blank. She couldn’t think of a way to handle the situation. She couldn’t help but blame herself—if Granny Wang lost business because of her, she would never forgive herself.
“Who said Wang’s Crispy Oil Pancakes is selling subpar goods?”
A clear, resonant voice rose above the noisy crowd.