This was all thanks to his sister; the honor of their "Yao Men Zhi Jia" family was earned by her, and because of that, they were treated with more respect at the Prefect's mansion.
Yun Erman hadn't eaten lamb skewers since they moved into their new house.
His sister, knowing the family's difficulties, used her good fortune to attract a large sheep and invited the entire village to a lamb feast.
Sister Hua had drunk so much tea she was almost full. She asked Yun Erman, "If the Prefect doesn't return tonight, won't we be delayed another day?"
Everything was so coincidental...
Neither the Prefect nor his wife were home.
Yun Erman scratched his head, and dandruff fell like snowflakes. "There's nothing we can do. Everyone at home is waiting for a reply. My father and mother are so worried they can't eat. If this isn't sorted out, I won't have the face to go back!"
Sister Hua's eyes darted around after hearing this. "Do you think the Prefect might already know about this and has gone out with people to look for the children..."
Yun Erman paused for a moment, thinking it was very possible.
Even if Young Master Kong didn't write to Prefect Qin, Prefect Chen wouldn't just stand by and do nothing.
He likely wrote to Prefect Qin early in the morning.
Just then, the housekeeper walked in. Yun Erman quickly asked, "Old sir, has the Prefect gone to look for the children?"
The housekeeper grunted an affirmative and instructed the servants to bring the food.
Braised carp, stir-fried garlic sprouts, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a bowl of tofu soup, and a plate of pickled radish.
The staple foods were steamed buns, flower rolls, and rice.
Such a meal was considered top-notch in Dashui Village.
Yun Erman was curious. "Old sir, weren't you just roasting lamb skewers? Where are the skewers?"
"What lamb skewers?" The housekeeper looked utterly bewildered. "My wife dislikes the smell of lamb, so we never roast lamb or anything like that in the mansion. Where would lamb skewers come from?"
Is this person so hungry he's hallucinating, constantly talking about roasted lamb? Isn't the braised carp delicious?
Yun Erman blinked and looked at Sister Hua. "Did you smell it too just now?"
Sister Hua nodded. "I definitely smelled roasted lamb!"
The housekeeper smiled faintly. "There's nothing strange about that. Perhaps the house next door is roasting lamb. Eat while it's hot. The fish will get fishy if it cools down..."
Alright!
Yun Erman's dream of lamb skewers was completely shattered.
He reached out to grab a steamed bun. Seeing this, Sister Hua hit his hand with her chopsticks. "Did you wash your hands?"
Yun Erman glanced at her. This woman even cared if he washed his hands.
Back when Liu Cuirong was around, she didn't care even if he went to grab a steamed bun right after going to the outhouse...
"Wash your hands clean before eating!" Sister Hua went outside and brought him a basin of water.
The housekeeper sighed inwardly, thinking what a virtuous wife.
If she were to wear a beautiful dress and be meticulously groomed, who would be able to tell she was a village woman?
It truly was a case of "people rely on clothes, horses rely on saddles." Not dressing up wouldn't do.
This Yun family's second son was truly something, letting his wife dress like this and bringing her out.
After Yun Erman washed his hands, he began to feast.
He devoured six large steamed buns in one go, drank half a basin of tofu soup, and the braised carp was reduced to a single bone.
Sister Hua didn't eat much. She occasionally picked up a piece of food for Yun Erman and wiped the corner of his mouth when it got stained with soup.
After they had eaten their fill and were satisfied, both felt extremely sleepy.
The housekeeper arranged for a guest room for them to rest in.
"Housekeeper, housekeeper! Those two grubby children are roasting lamb at the main gate. Hurry and go see!" the gatekeeper's runner called out.
The housekeeper frowned. "What grubby children?"
"It's... it's those two little ones who came to find Master and Madam."
The housekeeper wasn't aware of this and quickly went out to meet them.
He saw Xiao Xitian and Xiao Jinheng sitting by the wall, with a barbecue grill in front of them. Red-hot charcoal was roasting a large lamb leg on the rack.
The little girl was holding a jar, sprinkling seasoning onto the lamb leg.
"Wow, it smells so good!" Xiao Xitian licked her lips.
When the surface of the lamb leg was roasted to a golden crisp and oozing oil, it could be sliced off and eaten. Then, they would continue to turn the lamb leg, slowly roasting the meat inside.
"Here, open your mouth!" Xiao Jinheng cut off a piece of lamb and offered it to Xiao Xitian's mouth.
"Ah!" Xiao Xitian took a bite, her eyes sparkling. "Delicious..."
If they had known it would be this delicious, they would have saved the lamb chops. Those were also incredibly tasty when roasted.
The housekeeper walked over with his hands behind his back, looked at the lamb leg on the grill, licked his lips, and asked, "Why are you roasting lamb in front of the Prefect's mansion?"
No wonder Yun Erman said he smelled lamb skewers. So it was these two little ones doing it.
Xiao Jinheng glanced at him and said indifferently, "Or should we roast it inside?"
The housekeeper's expression faltered. What a sharp-tongued child.
"Uncle, we came to find Prefect Uncle, but the gatekeeper wouldn't let us in, so we had to wait here!" Xiao Xitian said.
Upon hearing this, the housekeeper became somewhat curious. "What are you looking for my master for?"
Could they be Prefect Qin's illegitimate children from outside?
Came back to recognize their father?
Xiao Xitian recounted the entire story, from being washed away by the flood to arriving in the prefectural city on a small boat, without missing a single detail.
The housekeeper listened, becoming more and more shocked, his eyes almost popping out.
"You, you are those two missing children?" the housekeeper asked, his mouth agape.
My goodness, why is heaven so fond of playing jokes?
The Prefect was desperately searching outside, and these two little ones had actually come to the Prefect's mansion.
"That's us!" Xiao Jinheng said.
Not only that, but they had also perfectly missed Prefect Qin while on the boat.
The housekeeper, filled with trepidation, reached out for the lamb leg. "Quick, quick, go inside and roast it! Oh, it's hot, it's burning me!"
"Hahahaha!" Xiao Xitian was so amused she almost cried.
This housekeeper was so silly!
"Hmph, your household runners need to be replaced. Not only are they arrogant, but they also refused to let us in. I, this young master, refuse to go in today. I will wait until Prefect Qin returns..."
Xiao Jinheng's temper flared up again.
Hearing this, the housekeeper turned back and glared at the gatekeeper's runner, scolding him furiously. "You scoundrel! They are honored guests of our mansion, and you dared to stop them? Pack your things and get out immediately! Hurry!"
"House... housekeeper, I didn't know who they were!" the runner said with a miserable expression.
"Get out, or I'll break all three of your legs!" The housekeeper was truly angry.
Xiao Xitian was startled and quickly covered her crotch, then scurried away.
"My two young masters, please, please go inside, won't you?" the housekeeper pleaded.
The Prefect himself had gone out in the middle of the night to find them, so he, a mere housekeeper, dared not offend them.
"Alright!" Xiao Jinheng clapped his hands, pulled Xiao Xitian up, and said, "Prepare a guest room and bathing water for us."
He intended to have a good, comfortable sleep.
"Yes, yes, yes, no problem!"
So, the housekeeper led the two little buns to the room next to Yun Erman's.