Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

Chapter 115 - 100: Oil Cake and You Su

Wang’s Fried Cake Shop, in front of the shop.

"Ms Wang."

The hunched and white-haired cake-selling granny heard someone call her, so she put down the dough she was continually kneading, lifted her head to look at the person who had come, and at first glance, her slightly squinted old eyes sparkled immediately.

"Are you... You Su’s junior apprentice sister?"

Ji Lingruo’s eyes, as charming as autumn moons, fluttered twice, her voice melodious and gentle:

"Ms Wang, you know me?"

In her memory, although she loved eating the fried cakes from this shop the most, she’d never personally come to buy them, so how could the granny recognize her?

"Of course! Apart from you, which other girl in this city deserves the title of ’the world’s number one beauty’?" Ms Wang’s face was kind, and every wrinkle was filled with a smile.

Ji Lingruo’s sharp and delicate face instantly turned crimson. The elderly woman had no intention of teasing, but her words were full of praise for the girl’s beauty, yet they still sounded unbearably embarrassing to her. She felt both shy and annoyed inwardly, secretly resenting her blind senior apprentice brother’s loose tongue; how could he boast like that to others?

"Ms Wang, you’re joking, those are just my senior brother’s blind praises." Ji Lingruo awkwardly pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"No jokes, no jokes, it’s definitely true." Ms Wang smiled as she wiped her flour-covered hands on her apron and continued, "You’re here to buy cakes, right? Usually, it’s You Su who comes to buy. Now that he’s injured from saving everyone, is he lying in bed craving them and sent you? He’s our great benefactor, so I’ll pack more for you. In the future, when you come here to eat, it’ll all be free."

Ms Wang then enthusiastically packed beef and dried plum pickle stuffed cakes, despite her age, she clearly remembered the types the apprentices loved the most.

Ji Lingruo gave a sweet smile, feeling proud as she walked through the streets this morning with others showing admiration for her senior brother, her heart filled with joy. Nonetheless, she took a few silver coins from her purse and handed them over.

"What are you doing, girl? I sell cakes for fun, if I say they’re free, then they’re free." Ms Wang softened her face, pretending to be upset.

"No, no, Ms Wang, this isn’t cake money." Ji Lingruo hurriedly explained, not wanting to upset this kind old lady.

"Then what kind of money is it?" Ms Wang turned her curious eyes towards her.

"I, I..." Ji Lingruo was a bit hesitant to speak but mustered the courage to continue, "It’s money to pay my respects to you as my mentor."

"Mentor?" Ms Wang obviously hadn’t expected this answer, her tone full of surprise.

Ji Lingruo lightly bit her lip, thinking that her wish to be apprenticed was hopeless. While she didn’t quite understand the human race’s customs, she knew learning to make cakes was no different from learning a cultivation technique; both are skills vital for survival, not easily taught.

But as she was about to leave, she didn’t know when she would return again. When she comes back, could she still savor this familiar taste?

This fried cake had accompanied her during the happiest three years of her life; she didn’t want to easily forget this flavor. Whether for herself or to make them for You Su, she must learn how to make these cakes.

"Yes, Ms Wang, I want to learn how to make these fried cakes from you."

Ji Lingruo spoke solemnly, decisively taking all her silver coins from her purse, holding them in her hand until they shone brightly.

Ms Wang was also stunned, not frightened by the silver coins, but looking at the girl with soft eyes:

"You’re leaving, aren’t you?"

The elder’s hair was half-white, always sighing that her old eyes were dim, yet seeing more clearly than anyone else. Ji Lingruo was startled but obediently nodded.

"Yes."

"Does You Su know?"

Ji Lingruo nodded again, Ms Wang smiled peacefully, pushing back Ji Lingruo’s hand that held the silver coins:

"As long as he knows, say proper goodbyes to have proper reunions, don’t be like those storybooks where they leave without a word; it seems carefree but the heart regrets it. If you’re sincere about learning, I can teach you for free."

Ji Lingruo felt deeply warm inside upon hearing this. She didn’t insist further, knowing the elderly lady openly wouldn’t accept the money, thanking her in words instead:

"Thank you, Ms Wang!"

The young girl said this, trying to bow deeply in gratitude, but was quickly stopped by the elderly woman. Who had been working hard for most of her life, her hands rough and wrinkled, gently holding Ji Lingruo’s soft, fair hand, she spoke earnestly:

"It’s just learning to make a cake, why all the ceremony. Only, these beautiful hands of yours, soon you’ll be kneading dough and frying, be careful, or You Su will be worried."

Ji Lingruo allowed the other party to hold her hand and pouted, "He won’t feel sorry for me. In the sect, all the dirty and tiring work is left for me."

"Is this You Su kid so terrible?"

Ms Wang led Ji Lingruo into the shop while agreeing with the girl’s complaints. But the girl’s delicate skin had already betrayed the truth, and Ms Wang didn’t want to expose her little thoughts, finding her extremely endearing instead.

The old woman had a son, but he struggled to start his family in a larger city. The two elders didn’t want to part with their ancestral shop nor burden their son, so they voluntarily separated from him and the grandchildren. Seeing the lovely Ji Lingruo now, it was as if she was looking at her own granddaughter.

Ji Lingruo wanted to continue complaining about You Su along with the old woman’s remarks, as often the best way to bond with someone is to complain about another person together. Unfortunately, the bad words got stuck when they reached her mouth, and Ji Lingruo shook her head, troubled by the fact that she had been lured too deeply by You Su’s facade, to the point where she couldn’t speak ill of him even behind his back.

"Actually, it’s not like that. He’s still quite nice to me..." Ji Lingruo laughed awkwardly.

Ms Wang patted Ji Lingruo’s hand, wearing a playful expression that said, "I understand, I understand."

"Girl, do you know why You Su is named You Su?"

"Why?" Ji Lingruo’s beautiful eyes sparkled with sudden interest.

"Haha, it’s because your master also loves to eat my cakes. When she found You Su, she didn’t know what to name him. After thinking it over, she simply called him ’You Su.’ Before You Su was five years old, the neighbors all called him ’You Su.’ He’s quite a peculiar one, a blind child who couldn’t read, yet at five, he announced to everyone that his name was ’You Su,’ meaning ’You’ as in ’traveling,’ and ’Su’ as in ’perilla.’ Anyone who teased him with ’You Su’ would incur his ire. And you know what, the city’s teachers say the name ’You Su’ is quite interesting. But speaking is not the same as writing, and us old folks still call him ’You Su’ anyway."

Ji Lingruo had always thought it was a coincidence but never imagined there was such a reason behind it. Hearing about You Su’s childhood antics conjured a vivid image of a spirited blind child in her mind, increasingly entertained as she listened, with her lips curving upwards and adding a touch of unique charm to the humble shop.

...

At this moment, breakfast time hadn’t come yet, and only a few scattered shops on the breakfast street were open for business. There weren’t many diners, but it couldn’t be called deserted.

In front of Wang’s Fried Cake Shop, three well-dressed young Cultivators gathered.

"You’ve misunderstood, it’s the cakes on the left that are for sale. What you just ate were the cakes on the right, which aren’t for customers. They’re ones my apprentice made for practice."

Ms Wang explained with a smile. She didn’t know these three Cultivator guests by sight, but judging by their attire, they were reinforcements sent from other cities to support Chuyun City in recent days. She had already warned them once just now, but they insisted on buying the cake Ji Lingruo had tried to make, which led to the dispute.

The leading young Cultivator frowned upon hearing this, glancing at the angry-looking girl beside him. Even at a second glance, he still found himself struck by the girl’s beauty.

The prettier the flower, the more thorns it has. He had been drawn by the girl’s beauty to buy the cake and attempt to strike up a conversation. So he purposely bought the burnt cake to make an introduction, but the girl shattered the cake in his hand, leaving him with no face.

Although he wasn’t afraid of this Initial Spirit Platform Realm girl, this wasn’t his turf. Using force to oppress others was not appropriate. With a slight shift in his mind, he came up with a brilliant idea to regain his face and righteously declared:

"Such a bad omen, we traveled thousands of miles to help your Chuyun City, and we can’t even enjoy a meal peacefully. Since it’s a practice piece, why display it outside? Instead of blaming your apprentice for poor skills, you’re blaming me for taking the wrong cake. This cake stall is rather unreasonable."

A Cultivator dressed like him responded, "That’s right! Why display it outside if it’s not for sale? Your Wang’s Fried Cake is famous even in Naha City. In my opinion, it doesn’t live up to its name!"

Another companion spread his hand and called out, "Everyone, come and see! Wang’s Fried Cake is selling substandard goods and gouging us outsiders!"

"Ms Wang, what’s going on?"

"Madam, it shouldn’t be. This cake shop is ancestral."

"What shouldn’t be? Am I deceiving you or something! Check the cakes yourself and see if there are many burnt parts."

Sure enough, among the basket of cakes on the right side of the oil pot, there were numerous ones with conspicuous burnt spots.

"This..." Ms Wang wanted to explain, but her voice was drowned out by the noisy crowd that gathered around.

"Hey! If you think you’ve been wronged, I’ll replace them with three fresh ones for you! Why make up rumors here?" Ji Lingruo’s eyebrows stood upright.

"Hmph! Isn’t it because we’re asking the locals for justice? If we couldn’t speak, wouldn’t we just take your loss quietly?"

Ji Lingruo bit her teeth, fists tightly clenched. The cultivation of these three wasn’t beyond the Spirit Platform Realm, so if they were looking for trouble, she wasn’t afraid. Ms Liou had just informed her through voice transmission that she’d be leaving tomorrow and was surely watching nearby. But they weren’t making any moves, choosing instead to use their tongues to tarnish the shop’s reputation. If she couldn’t hold back and acted first, she’d fall right into their trap.

But she inherently disliked interacting with strangers, and seeing even more bystanders gather to watch made her mind feel muddled, unsure how to respond. In her heart, she started blaming herself; if Ms Wang lost business because of her, she’d be hard-pressed to forgive herself.

"Who said Wang’s Fried Cake was selling substandard goods?"

A clear voice rang out loudly, overpowering the chaotic chatter.