Chapter Six: My Name Is Gou Ye, Not Dog Roll!

The next morning, when Gou Ye awoke, the first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was once again Yun Niang. Fortunately, he was gradually getting used to it. He quickly dressed and ate the breakfast Yun Niang had prepared for him.

“A-Ye, you promised me you’d make something even tastier than candied hawthorn today. Don’t go back on your word!”

“Don’t worry, I promise you’ll be satisfied.”

Gou Ye took Yun Niang’s hand and led her away from the shabby thatched hut to the lakeside. The lakes of this era were truly clear, so transparent that even from a distance, you could see fish and shrimp swimming within.

“A-Ye, are you taking me fishing? But you don’t know how to fish at all!”

As soon as she said this, Gou Ye’s face darkened with embarrassment. This little girl, Yun Niang, knew him inside out. He couldn’t put on airs even if he wanted to. Luckily, fishing wasn’t his true purpose.

“Yun Niang, go home and bring some sugar and milk. I’ll make you ice cream in a bit.”

“Ice cream? What’s that?” Yun Niang was surprised. These past days, Gou Ye seemed to have changed, often speaking words she’d never heard before.

“A-Ye, is ice cream delicious?”

“Of course! Ice cream is amazing, and it’s winter now, so it’ll naturally set in the molds!”

Saying this, Gou Ye fetched a bucket of water from the river. He needed it to make the ice cream.

Seeing that Gou Ye was serious, Yun Niang ran home. She did have a little sugar and milk at home—not much, but since Gou Ye needed it, she would fetch it for him.

In his past life, Gou Ye had made ice cream before. In his time, the old-fashioned ice cream of his childhood gradually disappeared from the market. Craving that taste, Gou Ye had bought an ice cream mold online and made his own.

But now he lacked proper molds—what could he use instead? Gou Ye tried to recall if there was anything in the village that could serve as a substitute.

As it turned out, there was. Old Zhao at the entrance of the village made rice cakes, and his rice cake molds could work just as well.

So, Gou Ye quickly made his way to Old Zhao’s house. Thick white steam filled the room, and a rich aroma wafted out.

“Uncle Zhao, could I borrow your rice cake molds for a bit?”

“Molds? Xiao Ye, what do you want those for? You planning to make rice cakes too?”

“Oh, no, no, I just need to use them for a while. I’ll return them soon.”

“Alright, just remember to wash them first—there’s a lot of flour residue.”

Old Zhao handed him several molds.

Surprisingly, the rice cake molds were almost the same size as ice cream molds.

When Gou Ye returned home, Yun Niang was already back with the milk and sugar.

“A-Ye, I want to see how you make something tastier than candied hawthorn.”

Hands on her hips, Yun Niang looked skeptical.

“Hmph, just watch and see.”

Gou Ye took the sugar and molds and began his work. First, he poured water into the molds, then added sugar and milk, stirring well. Soon, the shape of old-fashioned ice cream started to form.

“If only I had a refrigerator,” Gou Ye couldn’t help but sigh.

If he had a fridge, he could simply pop the molds in, without the fuss of primitive refrigeration.

In this era, they used a large basin called a “jian.” The molds would be placed inside, covered, and surrounded by ice. The ice cream would set quickly.

“All done, Yun Niang. Soon you’ll get to taste something even better than candied hawthorn.”

Gou Ye spoke with confidence to Yun Niang. Her bright eyes blinked with curiosity—he wasn’t lying; he meant it.

“Yun Niang, does anyone in the village have books for the imperial exams? I’d like to borrow one.”

Waiting for the ice cream to set was a long process, so Gou Ye made small talk.

“Books for the exams? Mr. Zhuang’s family probably has some. He’s an old scholar,” Yun Niang replied after a moment’s thought.

“Mr. Zhuang?” Gou Ye recalled that there was indeed such a person in the village—an old scholar who had been taking the imperial exams for years but never passed.

“Sigh, it’s too hard to become a scholar these days. Better to focus on making a living,” Gou Ye said with a sigh.

“A-Ye, if you have a chance to take the exams, you should try,” Yun Niang urged, though her voice grew softer as she spoke.

“What’s wrong, Yun Niang?” Gou Ye noticed her change in mood and asked.

“It’s nothing.” She shook her head and quickly put on her sunny smile again. But Gou Ye could see a trace of sadness between her brows, hard to conceal.

“Did I say something wrong?” Gou Ye wondered, but decided not to dwell on it. Everyone had their secrets—he did, and so did Yun Niang and her mother.

Yun Niang’s mother had brought her to “Tumen Village” a few years ago, never mentioning her father. Gou Ye remembered that when they arrived, Yun Niang wore bright, elegant clothes, far from anything villagers could afford.

“Perhaps Yun Niang once belonged to a wealthy family,” Gou Ye murmured.

Before long, the ice cream was ready, wisps of cold mist curling from it as he removed it from the mold. Gou Ye took a small lick—the familiar taste of his childhood flooded his senses.

“Yes, this is it—the taste I remember!”

He handed one to Yun Niang, who mimicked him and took a lick. Her eyes lit up—Gou Ye hadn’t lied. The ice cream was delicious!

“Gou Ye, I want to take one home for my mother. It’s too good not to share.”

“Go ahead, take them.”

He’d made five altogether, using only a little milk and sugar, so he let Yun Niang take them all home.

“In truth, besides writing, I could get rich selling ice cream! But in the future, will I be remembered as the King of Ice Cream?” Gou Ye mused. On second thought, the cost of making ice cream was still too high to make it worthwhile. Better to stick to writing.

But things never go as planned. After writing for a while, Gou Ye found himself growing lazy and losing his drive to earn money—all because of that wretched black brute. If not for him, Gou Ye would still be diligently working.

Imagine writing your heart out, only to earn nothing—what a feeling.

He sighed.

Gou Ye put down his pen, giving up for now. He might as well be a layabout.

Just then, a clatter of horse hooves shattered his lazy daydream.

“Young man, I’ve brought your money back!” someone called.

Money? Gou Ye rushed out of his shabby hut to see what was happening.

It was that scatterbrained young master he’d met yesterday, sitting on his horse, looking excited.

Gou Ye was about to turn around and go back inside when something occurred to him.

“Wait—what did you say? My money’s been returned?”

He snapped to attention and ran up to the young man, who held a money pouch in his hand.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you, my little savings!”

It was indeed the same pouch the black-faced brute had stolen from him yesterday. Seeing his money returned, Gou Ye was overjoyed.

“Young man, that black brute was a fierce opponent! We fought three hundred rounds before I got your money back,” the horseman boasted.

Gou Ye didn’t hear a word—his eyes were fixed on his pouch.

He snatched it back and finally asked, “Sorry, brother, what were you saying just now?”

The horseman gaped. “So you didn’t hear a thing? All that effort for nothing!”

Swallowing his irritation, he continued, “By the way, may I ask your honorable name?”

“Gou.”

“Dog?”

“Get lost!”

“What?”

The horseman scratched his head. Was there really someone with such a name, or was he just ignorant?

“My name is Gou—not ‘Dog’!”

“Oh, don’t be disheartened, brother. A name is a gift from one’s parents—you shouldn’t dislike it.”

The horseman was thoroughly confused. Was this fellow’s name really “Dog Get Lost”? How truly bizarre!

This was too much. Gou Ye felt he might die of frustration. Was this man for real? Their conversation wasn’t even on the same wavelength.

“Brother, what’s that thing over there?” The horseman, as if discovering a new world, pointed to the ice cream molds and the “jian” Gou Ye had used.

“Oh, just something I made to satisfy a craving.”

“Something to satisfy a craving? Then it must be delicious!”

The horseman’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Could you let me try one, brother?”

Though Gou Ye didn’t know why this young master was so eager, he decided to oblige and get rid of him.

“Alright, have a taste. I’ll get you one now.”

He walked over to the molds, took one of the last two ice creams, and handed it to the young man.