Chapter 161
Fu Xianyun nodded and exclaimed. “I didn’t expect Huang Yang Town to have such a rare dish.”
Lu Sheng did not speak further. She smiled faintly and returned to the counter.
Looking at her back, Yu Linglong smiled and said, “No wonder Sihan was unmoved by Fu Yiyi. It seems like Miss Lu is indeed much more likable than her. I quite like her too.”
Fu Yiyi was the adopted daughter of the Fu family and the daughter of Prime Minister Fu’s friend. Her original name was Liu Yiyi, but because her parents died when she was young, Prime Minister Fu brought her back to the Fu family and changed her name to Fu Yiyi.
Compared to Shangguan Linger, she was Chu Sihan’s real childhood sweetheart.
They lived under the same roof, studied in the same private school, and often discussed knowledge together.
It was a pity that Chu Sihan treated her the same way he treated Fu Sisi. He only treated her as his cousin.
Everyone in the Fu family knew how Fu Yiyi felt about Chu Sihan, but only Chu Sihan did not know.
Knowing that his wife disliked Fu Yiyi, Fu Xianyun smiled helplessly and said, “A one-sided relationship will never bear fruit.”
He had watched Fu Yiyi grow up. Although she was not his biological sister, she was more like a biological sister to him.
In the past, he also hoped that she and Chu Sihan would be together.
However, he was a man and had his beloved wife. He understood the way a man looked at his beloved.
The way Chu Sihan looked at Fu Yiyi was emotionless, no different from the way he looked at him.
That was also why he knew that Chu Sihan allowed Fu Yiyi to get close to him not because he had feelings for her, but because her surname was Fu. That was all.
“Fu Yiyi heard that Miss Lu is a commoner. She would gossip behind Mother’s back every day, saying that she’s a farm girl and is definitely illiterate. I heard everything.”
Yu Linglong pouted. “In terms of looks, Miss Lu is not inferior to her at all. Moreover, I saw Miss Lu’s handwriting just now. It’s better than yours. That’s why our Sihan has good taste!”
She and Fu Yiyi hated each other.
She was just an adopted daughter, yet she relied on the fact that Prime Minister Fu and Mdm Fu doted on her and bossed them around. She looked so annoying.
Fu Xianyun chuckled. “Alright. Isn’t Mother finding some good families for her? There should be news soon. When she’s married, you don’t have to suffer anymore.”
He was also afraid that his wife would be bullied in the capital, which was why he requested to take up the post here.
Both his mother and father doted on Fu Yiyi. After all, Fu Yiyi’s parents had died to save his father.
“I’m afraid she doesn’t want to.”
Yu Linglong placed a piece of sweet and sour pork into her son’s bowl and continued, “As long as Sihan doesn’t get married, she won’t give up. If you don’t believe me, take a look when the time comes.”
Regarding this matter, Prime Minister Fu and Mdm Fu also had a headache. After all, Chu Sihan’s marriage could be considered as an order by the State Minister and could not be broken up.
Moreover, Prime Minister Fu could not make Fu Yiyi Chu Sihan’s concubine. After all, she was the only child left behind by his close friend.
Furthermore, even if Fu Yiyi did not care about status, Chu Sihan had to be willing to do so.
The problem was that Prime Minister Fu had once jokingly asked Chu Sihan to marry Fu Yiyi. However, he had rejected him.
It was obvious that Chu Sihan did not have feelings for Fu Yiyi.
Fu Lei knew his nephew too well. He was stubborn. Once he made up his mind, he would follow through to the end.
Moreover, although he was the Prime Minister, he did not dare to provoke Chu Sihan easily.
Chapter 162
Lu Sheng was busy with bookkeeping when there was a commotion at the door.
She looked out the door and saw a carriage with the word “Chu” on it.
At first, she thought that Chu Sihan had returned. She smiled and went forward to welcome him.
Unexpectedly, when the curtain was lifted, it was Nanny Kong, who followed Mdm Chu, who came out.
Her smile faded a little as she nodded at Nanny Kong.
Nanny Kong returned her greeting politely. However, when the curtain was lifted again, Mdm Chu and Matriarch Chu came down from the carriage.
Lu Sheng was puzzled. Why were there so many big shots in her small temple today?
“Mdm Chu, Matriarch Chu!”
Although Lu Sheng had never met Matriarch Chu, seeing Mdm Chu’s attitude, this person was undoubtedly Matriarch Chu.
Mdm Chu nodded slightly at her. Matriarch Chu sized her up with a smile and finally nodded in satisfaction.
He Lai, who was helping out by the side, hurriedly pulled He Qin along. He was about to speed up the clearing of the table when Lu Ran suddenly pulled him back.
Lu Ran spoke indifferently, “They have seats.”
Just as he finished speaking, he saw Magistrate Fu’s family suddenly get up.
“Greetings, Matriarch Chu, Aunt!”
Lu Sheng finally understood.
So, Fu Xianyun was Chu Sihan’s cousin. No wonder the couple looked at her like that. What did someone say?
Matriarch Chu chuckled and said, “I heard from Sihan that Miss Lu’s shop is opening today and there are many new and interesting food that we wanted to try. Why are you all here?”
“What a coincidence!” Fu Xianyun also smiled and said, “We heard from Sihan as well.”
Lu Sheng rubbed her temples as she heard this.
Actually, there was no need for him to help her pull customers. There were still many people waiting outside.
She was very busy and had no time to entertain these big shots.
“Oh right, Aunt, didn’t Sihan return to Huang Yang Town too? Why didn’t he come with you guys?”
After everyone sat down, Yu Linglong asked in a gentle voice.
Mdm Chu shook her head. “He said he was going to prepare something. I don’t know either.”
After she said that, she looked up at Lu Sheng, who was standing at the side with a faint smile, and said indifferently, “Prepare all the delicious dishes here.”
Lu Sheng could tell that Mdm Chu didn’t like her very much.
But what did this have to do with her?
She smiled and said, “Please take a seat. You might have to wait for the dishes for a while. I’ll provide your orders to the kitchen now.”
He Lai pulled a waiter over and asked him to bring the cutlery over.
Matriarch Chu looked at Lu Sheng’s back and then at Mdm Chu, her expression somewhat unhappy.
She knew very well what her daughter-in-law was thinking.
Last night, when her grandson had just returned, she couldn’t wait to speak up for Shangguan Linger. Because of this, Chu Sihan, who had always respected her, even gave her the cold shoulder.
Yu Linglong noticed that the atmosphere wasn’t right, and she hurriedly said with a smile, “Sihan’s taste isn’t bad. Miss Lu has a good appearance, and she’s hardworking and capable. She’s a really good young woman.”
She wanted to praise Chu Sihan’s taste and ease the atmosphere.
Unexpectedly, when she said this, Mdm Chu’s expression suddenly changed. It seemed to have darkened a little.
Yu Linglong looked at Fu Xianyun awkwardly and was about to lower her head to eat and cover up her embarrassment.
Mdm Chu suddenly said, “Her background is still a little lacking.”
“So what if her background is poor?” Matriarch Chu said indifferently, “This is the person the State Minister has appointed for Sihan.”
She disliked this part of her daughter-in-law the most. If she had not looked down on the Chu family in every way back then, would she have done something wrong on impulse?
Chapter 163
“Mother is right.”
Sensing Matriarch Chu’s displeasure, Mdm Chu hurriedly shut up.
Because Chu Hongzhong was busy with business all year round, he made a trip back for his son’s marriage the previous time. Seeing that things didn’t work out, he stayed in the residence for a few days before leaving again.
Now, although she had control over the family, she still had to listen to Matriarch Chu.
The current Chu Mansion was no longer the Chu Mansion that allowed her to be picky about. Her son was not very close to her, and her husband did not care about the matters in the Chu Mansion. Furthermore, he had a reputation for being a playboy.
If she did not follow the Matriarch, if Chu Hongzhong brought another wife back in the future, she would probably not be able to move an inch in the Chu Mansion.
Fu Xianyun glanced at his aunt and sighed inwardly.
He heard from his wet nurse that when his aunt was still unmarried, she didn’t get along well with his mother. The two often had conflicts over a small matter.
Sometimes, it would even reach Grandmother’s ears. Fortunately, Grandmother was a person who would help reason rather than kin.
It was also because of this that his aunt didn’t like his mother and had a deep resentment towards his grandmother.
Chu Sihan’s personality did not seem like his uncle or aunt. It also wasn’t like Matriarch Chu and the deceased Old Master Chu.
He had once told his father about this matter, but his father had coldly warned him not to spout nonsense.
Actually, he just wanted to express that Chu Sihan’s personality was better than anyone else in the Chu family.
However, for some reason, his father felt that he was questioning Chu Sihan’s background.
Just as the atmosphere reached a deadlock, Chu Sihan and Chu Yun arrived.
“Lord!”
Lu Sheng, who had just walked out of the kitchen, saw Chu Sihan walking into the restaurant and her eyes lit up instantly.
“Yes.”
Chu Sihan looked at her and said softly, “Here.”
“What’s this?”
Lu Sheng took it and asked curiously.
Chu Sihan whispered, “A gift for the opening.”
Lu Sheng chuckled. “Thank you, Lord!”
“And this.”
Chu Sihan took another box from Chu Yun and handed it to her.
Lu Sheng raised her eyebrows. “This is also a gift for the opening?”
“No.” He looked down at her and said, “You mentioned previously that you had a cousin who wanted to get married, and you wanted to choose a hairpin as a gift. Although this isn’t made of the same material, it’s still a high-grade jade.”
Lu Sheng was stunned. “Uh…”
Since when did she have a cousin who was getting married? Her only cousin was He Zhang’s daughter, but she had long gotten married.
She had only said it casually back then. Who knew that Chu Sihan would remember it until now?
“What’s wrong?”
Chu Sihan was puzzled by her sudden silence.
“No… nothing. Thank you, Lord!”
It seemed like she had to find some time to explain things to him.
“Han Er is here.”
Mdm Chu interrupted.
Chu Sihan looked over, his gentle gaze instantly becoming much more indifferent.
This change made Mdm Chu feel a little upset.
She had raised this child up, yet his attitude towards her was even worse than an outsider.
“Han Er, come over and sit.”
Matriarch Chu patted the spot beside her and smiled.
Chu Sihan nodded and said a few words to Lu Sheng before walking over to sit down.
Lu Sheng went into the kitchen and brought a set of cutlery over personally. Chu Yun ran to the kitchen with Lu Ran and the others.
“Miss Lu, why don’t you sit with us as well?”
Fu Xianyun suggested with a smile.
“No need. I’m still busy.”
After Lu Sheng declined Fu Xianyun’s invitation, she said to Chu Sihan, “Lord, please take a seat. The dishes will be served soon.”
Without waiting for his reply, she hurried back to the counter.
Chapter 164
“Grandma, this is for you.”
Fu Shuo, who had been silent, picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and placed it in Fu Ting’s bowl.
Fu Ting smiled at him but didn’t say anything. Instead, she said to Fu Xianyun, “Your father said that you insisted on coming here. What exactly happened?”
With Fu Xianyun’s intelligence, coming to a small place like Huang Yang Town to be a county magistrate was a waste of talent.
With her brother’s ability, wouldn’t it be a hundred times better if he arranged for her nephew to do some errands in the capital?
Fu Xianyun said, “I think this place is not bad and it’s close to Aunt, so I came over.”
Mdm Chu frowned. “Isn’t the capital closer to our Fu family? If there’s anything, at least your father will be there to support you. Your cousin doesn’t come back often, and your aunt is just a weak woman who can’t help you much. Why come to such a small place to suffer?”
The more she talked about this being a small place, the more unhappy Matriarch Chu.
“Our Huang Yang Town has countless merchants from all over the world. Although we can’t compare to the capital, we are still far above the mark compared to other places.”
Upon hearing the Matriarch speak, Mdm Chu’s expression changed slightly, but she did not dare say anything else.
Matriarch Chu glanced at her indifferently, her expression full of dissatisfaction.
Chu Sihan looked down and poured himself a cup of tea without saying anything.
If it wasn’t for Lu Sheng, he probably wouldn’t even bother coming back to Huang Yang Town.
When he was young, he watched his mother and grandmother fight with the Jiang family. After her younger brother passed away and the Jiang family went to prison, his grandmother stayed in the temple hall to pay her respects to Buddha all year round. Only then did the Chu Mansion become much quieter.
In the end, for some reason, his grandmother suddenly returned recently. On the surface, Mother appeared to be obedient to Grandmother, but in reality, the two of them had been fighting a lot in private.
He could probably understand why his father would rather travel around the world than return home.
“The dishes are here!”
He Lai walked over with two plates of food. One was honey roast duck, while the other was sweet and sour pork.
After he put down the dishes, he nodded slightly at Chu Sihan. “Please enjoy your meal. The remaining dishes will be served soon.”
“Sihan, try it quickly.” Fu Xianyun said, “Although Miss Lu’s restaurant isn’t big, the dishes here are all new and varied, and the taste isn’t inferior to your Tian Xiang Restaurant.”
“I know.”
Chu Sihan picked up his chopsticks and gave Fu Shuo a roasted duck leg.
“Thank you, Uncle!”
Fu Shuo smiled and thanked him.
After serving the dishes, He Lai served a plate of fries.
He smiled and said, “Ah Sheng made this for the child.”
Beside the plate was a dipping saucer filled with ketchup.
“What is this?”
Yu Linglong pointed to the ketchup.
He Lai said, “This is ketchup. Ah Sheng made it. Dip it with fries.”
“So this thing is called fries?”
Yu Linglong curiously picked up a stick, dipped it in ketchup, and put it into her mouth.
“Yes, it tastes pretty good.”
She took another stick and continued eating. After eating, she took another stick.
A few moments later, half the plate of fries was gone.
“Mother, Pretty Sister made this for me!”
Fu Shuo said anxiously.
If he didn’t say anything, his mother would have finished eating.
“Ah? Right, this is for you!”
Yu Linglong smiled and said, “This thing is really addictive.”
Fu Shuo finally tasted the fries and happily let Matriarch Chu have a taste.
Matriarch Chu took one and dipped it in the sauce before putting it into her mouth.
“Yes, crispy and fragrant. Not bad! I wonder what it’s made of?”
He Lai explained, “It’s made of potatoes.”
Chapter 165
“Potatoes?”
Matriarch Chu subconsciously looked at Chu Sihan, “Han Er, do you know what this thing is?”
Chu Sihan shook his head slightly.
He had only found out about this ‘potato’ when he returned to the Lu family.
“This potato is quite a strange thing.”
Fu Xianyun said, “Not only can you make vinegar potato strips with it, but you can also stew it with chicken meat and make it into fries.”
At first, he thought that this potato was a specialty of Huang Yang Town. In the end, even the Chu family did not know what it was.
“Miss Lu, where did you get this?” Fu Xianyun was very curious.
Chu Sihan: “Yes, I’ve eaten this before, but never asked about it.”
This little girl already knew some strange skills, to begin with, so there was nothing to be surprised about that she had these strange things on her.
“You’ve already eaten this before?” Fu Xianyun raised his eyebrows.
“Yes.”
“Where did you eat it?”
“The Lu family.”
Fu Xianyun was surprised. “You’ve been to the Lu family?”
Chu Sihan nodded calmly. “I’ve been there a few times.”
Fu Xianyun chuckled. “I used to think that you were a taciturn person, but now it seems that I’ve been wrong all these years. I’ve never understood you!”
To think that he used to think that Chu Sihan was not someone who took the initiative. It seemed that he was blind.
It wasn’t that Chu Sihan didn’t know how to take the initiative. It was just that he hadn’t met anyone who made him take the initiative before.
“And?” Chu Sihan raised his eyebrows.
“And?” Fu Xianyun smiled and said, “This lowly official naturally hopes that you will continue to work hard and bring my sister-in-law home as soon as possible.”
Chu Sihan glanced at him. Although he did not show any expression on his face, he agreed with him in his heart.
Mdm Chu glanced at Chu Sihan and said lightly, “Eat, the food will turn cold soon.”
“Come, Han Er, have some soup.”
Matriarch Chu scooped a bowl of soup for Chu Sihan and placed it in front of him with a kind smile.
“Thank you, Grandmother!”
He took two sips of the soup, then placed it back on the table.
Lu Sheng stood in front of the counter and glanced over. She pursed her lips into a smile and continued to organize her things.
Not long after, someone knocked on the counter.
Lu Sheng raised her head and saw a man in a bamboo hat standing in front of her.
However, that exposed half of his silver hair revealed his identity immediately.
“Master, why are you here? Aren’t you in the capital?”
Lu Zhou took off his bamboo hat and looked at her. “I predicted that your restaurant would open today, so I came over.”
He looked around and nodded. “The person I found for you is not bad, right?”
“Of course!” Lu Sheng smiled and said perfunctorily, “Master’s taste is naturally the best.”
“Third…”
Lu Ran walked over and was about to greet them when Lu Zhou stopped him.
“Since you are Shenger’s brother, you are family. There’s no need to be so polite.”
“Fa… family?”
Lu Ran’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at Lu Sheng doubtfully.
There was a lot of noise inside, so he did not hear Lu Sheng’s and Lu Zhou’s conversation.
Lu Sheng laughed dryly and explained guiltily, “Actually… he’s my master.”
Lu Ran was suddenly enlightened. “In that case, you went to the Thousand Leaf Inn back then to meet the Third Prince?”
Lu Sheng nodded. “Yes.”
Lu Ran was just about to say something when someone suddenly shouted for him.
“Brother Lu!”
The three of them turned around and saw Mu Yan, Yu Yang, and Lin Jiang walk in.
“Third Prince!”
When he saw Lu Zhou’s face, Mu Yan couldn’t help but gasp.
“Uh, how about I find you a place to sit first?” Lu Sheng asked Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou glanced at Chu Sihan and said with a faint smile, “There’s no need for that. Prepare another set of cutlery and I’ll sit there.”
He had finally arrived at Huang Yang Town today after being on the roads for such a long time. He was still hungry. If he sat there, not only would he able to get a free meal, but they might even be able to give the little girl some face.