That was a fragrance he had never smelled before. He couldn't tell what the smell was made of, but it was mesmerizing.
Laiyue had not eaten his dinner yet and was planning to bear with his hunger until his master went to sleep. Then, he would grab some dried foods to tide him over. However, a mesmerizing aroma just had to come wafting in with impeccable timing. All it took was one second and his stomach had already began to grumble.
The kitchen was upwind and it was breezy tonight; the aroma drifted over continuously, and he had nowhere to hide from it.
Smelling something so delicious on an empty stomach was practically the worst punishment he could think of for someone.
Laiyue saw that there were people moving around in the kitchen through the window; his eyes stared straight in their direction. He hated that his eyes couldn't simply stretch over and sneak through the window to see what Third Young Madam was instructing her servants to do.
He Changdi was reading a book in the study. Since it was early summer, it was a little hot at night, so he left the windows in the study half opened.
He had been immersed in reading his book. However, at some point in time, a particular fragrance had come drifting in through the window. It was strangely enticing; although He Sanlang had tried most of the delicacies in the Great Wu Dynasty, he couldn't tell what kind of delicacy this scent was coming from.
Only faint wisps of it had drifted into the study. However it was the elusiveness of this scent that made it even more enticing.
He Changdi took a deep breath and turned to look at the two boxes of food left on the desk. he was wondering if he should eat a little more, but upon thinking of how they looked, he lost all his appetite.
Forget it, he would bear with it for a little longer.
He Sanlang turned his attention back to the book and forced himself to concentrate.
On the other side, Chu Lian was leading her maidservants, who were carrying the food, to the parlour. They happened to pass by the study on their way there. Laiyue stared unblinkingly at the box in Xiyan's hands, almost drooling from the smell.
Xiyan still remembered how Laiyue had treated her when she had come to ask about dinner, so she rolled her eyes at him and kept her chin high as she walked past him.
As Laiyue watched Third Young Madam and the maidservants pass by, he could smell something delicious; it hooked his appetite and made him even hungrier.
However, this wasn't a good time to ask for food from Third Young Madam; he still had to guard the study door for Third Young Master.
Chu Lian instructed the maidservants to place the dishes on the table in the parlour.
The dishes consisted of a fragrant, cubed braised pork belly meat, kungpao chicken, sweet and sour bok choy, and a simple egg drop soup.
Xiyan gave Chu Lian a bowl of rice.
Once all the dishes were placed down, the entire parlour was filled with the scent of delicious food.
Senior Servant Gui and the personal maidservants had not eaten yet either. Chu Lian sat at the head of the table. When she saw that the maidservants were eyeing the plates and frantically gulping down their drool, she smiled. "Since you're all hungry, sit down and eat with me."
The moment she finished speaking, Senior Servant Gui stopped her by saying, "Third Young Madam, we are in the Jingan Household right now. You're the newly wedded bride! You must conduct yourself in a manner befitting of your new station! As our master, how could you let us servants eat together with you? If this were to get out, what would others say?"
Chu Lian felt helpless, but she understood that Senior Servant Gui was right. She also saw that even though Senior Servant Gui was eyeing the food just like the rest, she didn't make a single move for it.
"Alright, then I'll eat first. I've made extra for every dish. When I'm done, why don't you stay here in the parlour to eat?"
Senior Servant Gui nodded and didn't stop her this time.
Actually, she felt hungry just looking at these new, never-before-seen dishes. Back in the kitchen, when the braised meat had just finished cooking, Third Young Madam had let each of them have a taste. It had been so delicious that it could be compared to that roasted venison from before! No, it might even be more delicious!
At first she had thought that something made with this plain pork would surely be oily and unappetising. She hadn't expected it to be so tasty. However, when she had one piece, she immediately wanted to have another. She couldn't stop at all.
Senior Servant Gui was one of the older servants of the Ying Household, and she had even served at the side of Chu Lian's biological mother. She had a lot of worldly experience and a lot of self-restraint. However, even she couldn't hold back her appetite.
Chu Lian held her bowl of rice in one hand as she ate the dishes before her. Although these few dishes couldn't be compared to those of the modern world because of their lack of seasonings, she felt happy enough that she could eat dishes like these in the Great Wu Dynasty.
After arriving here mysteriously, this was the first meal that she had eaten so happily.
But she was already used to eating dishes like these in the past, so Chu Lian wasn't too affected by it, even though it had been a while. After eating her usual one bowl of rice, she was already 80% full.
As Chu Lian was eating, Senior Servant Gui hesitated for a moment before eventually speaking up. "Third Young Madam, why don't we call Third Young Master here to eat together with you?"
Chu Lian looked up in confusion with big, innocent-looking eyes, as if she didn't understand what Senior Servant Gui was saying. Perplexed, she said, "Hasn't he already eaten in the study? He even had two full boxes of food! There's a limit to what a single person can eat; let's not force him to eat more. Not to mention, it's not good to eat too much at night."
She spoke as if she was doing it out of consideration for He Sanlang. Chu Lian pouted and thought to herself, I don't give a damn for your food; since you're not letting me eat, don't think of eating any of mine either!
She used a ladle to scoop out a small bowl of egg drop soup. After drinking all of it, Chu Lian was completely full.
There was still plenty left on the table, which worked out fairly well. She had originally thought of letting the maidservants eat, as Chu Lian could only eat so much on her own, and she had a small appetite anyway. The sweet and sour bok choy was hardly touched at all.
Chu Lian was afraid that Senior Servant Gui would feel uncomfortable eating with her around, so she retreated into her bedroom after eating.
The maidservants were much more relaxed when Chu Lian wasn't around, as expected. They exchanged glances and giggled before they each took a bowl of rice and sat down to eat. Of course, Senior Servant Gui sat down as well.
The moment Fuyan and Jingyan took their first bite, their eyes lit up and the speed of their chopsticks increased.
Jingyan had her mouth full of food as she talked, completely lacking the dignity of a noble household's personal maidservant. "Sister Xiyan, did you make this? It's unbelievably fragrant and tasty! I've never eaten such tasty meat before!"
The corners of Xiyan's lips curled up. "Actually, I wasn't the one who came up with it. It was Third Young Madam who taught me how!"
Senior Servant Gui nodded. "All of you, do serve Third Young Madam to the best of your ability. Who knows if you might make her happy at some point and she'll teach you a few secret recipes in return? You won't have to worry about your livelihood or that of your future descendants."
Fuyan's eyes glimmered calculatively.
Although there was plenty for every single dish, Senior Servant Gui and the four maidservants tried to finish everything. They felt like they were about to burst.
The five of them held onto their stomachs in pain, but none of them regretted it.
Mingyan stood up and rubbed her swollen stomach in an exaggerated manner, causing Fuyan and Xiyan to smile.
"Look at you eat! Be careful of overeating!" Senior Servant Gui purposely tried to frighten Mingyan with a stern face.
However, Mingyan wasn't fooled. "Momo, it was just too delicious! Once I started, I couldn't stop!"
Senior Servant Gui looked at the plates on the table. There were only a few pieces of meat and some soup left. She turned to Xiyan and said, "Xiyan, bring the leftovers to the kitchen; we can have these with some rice tomorrow."
The dishes that were made with Third Young Madam's secret recipes were simply too delicious. Senior Servant Gui found it a waste to throw away even the tiniest scraps of the meal.
Xiyan happily took the leftovers to the kitchen.
When she passed by the entrance of the study she spotted Laiyue staring at her with bright eyes, "Sister Xiyan, do you still have any more food?"
Xiyan furrowed her brows and hid the boxes of food behind her. She raised her chin as she said guardedly, "What are you asking that for?! Don't tell me that you're not getting fed while serving Third Young Master. He got two whole boxes of food!"
Since she had been snubbed by Laiyue before, she couldn't help sounding a little mocking as she talked.
"That had nothing to do with me." Laiyue pointed towards the study behind him. "It was all Third Young Masters orders. I haven't eaten anything since afternoon, I'm so hungry that my front is probably stuck to my back right now."
When he finished speaking, Laiyue's stomach grumbled.
Xiyan gave him a good look, as if trying to tell if he was lying.
"Miss Xiyan, we're all servants, you can't possibly not know! No servant eats together with their master!" Laiyue was good at talking, and he managed to find Xiyan's weak spot.
"Are you sure you really didn't eat?"
"I really haven't eaten! See, my stomach's even growling! You heard that, right?"
Xiyan pursed her lips and placed the boxes of food down on a stone table nearby. She took out some leftover rice and dishes from inside. "There's not much left anyway. There's only a few pieces of braised meat, soup and a bowl of rice. Just take it to hold off your hunger for now!"
Laiyue swallowed visibly, "It's good enough as long as it's edible. I'm not too picky!"
Xiyan glared at him and poured the soup and pieces of meat onto the bowl of rice. It looked exactly like the modern meal, braised meat with rice.
She pushed the bowl to Laiyue, "Here, take it! Remember to give the bowl and chopsticks to the old servant in the kitchen to wash when you're done!"
Laiyue nodded furiously. Xiyan felt annoyed by his happy expression, so she took the boxes of food and quickly walked away.
Those who have eaten braised meat would know that the gravy alone was delicious when poured over white rice.
Laiyues nose twitched as he realised that the fragrance he had smelled before had come from this dish. What had Xiyan called it just now? That's right, braised meat!
Laiyue was really hungry by now. He squatted right at the entrance of the study with the bowl of food and gulped down the rice like a peasant farmer, with completely no dignity to speak of.
Even so, he had never eaten such a comfortable meal before. For some reason, he just found this dish unbelievably tasty!
He picked up a piece of braised meat with his chopsticks and watched it wobble before he stuffed it into his mouth. That amazing flavour spread on his tastebuds; it was a hundred times tastier than venison!
Unfortunately, there was just too little braised meat left over. He finished it all in a few bites, it wasn't enough for him at all.
Those darned maidservants were too greedy, they ate so much and left so little for him.
Laiyue kept thinking about the food. If there was a whole plate of braised meat in front of him right now, he would definitely be able to finish it all by himself. Furthermore, it would definitely be sparkling clean once he was done.
After having another two mouthfuls of rice soaked in the gravy from the braised meat, Laiyue's eyes closed in bliss as he savoured the taste of the rice in his mouth before swallowing.
He finished half of the large bowl of gravy-covered rice very quickly.
Meanwhile, the hardworking He Sanlang in the study was being tortured by the faint fragrance of the braised meat. In the end, he couldn't bear with it any longer. He threw down the book in his hands and walked out of the study. The moment he opened the door, he saw his personal manservant squatting at the entrance like a beggar, wolfing down a bowl of rice.
Most importantly, the fragrance emanating from the bowl in his hands was the one that was torturing him in the study.
He Changdi narrowed his eyes and stared at Laiyue with the corners of his lips curled up.
Laiyue was in the middle of eating happily! He suddenly felt a chill on his back; when he turned around and saw He Changdi, he looked up and abruptly started. He hadn't expected his master to come out at this time! He hurriedly tried to swallow the food in his mouth, but almost choked due to his urgency.
Laiyue quickly stood up and hid the bowl behind him before bowing in greeting to He Changi. "Young Master."
"Heh, I asked you to guard the door, but you're enjoying yourself eating out here! Tell me, what kind of food has made you forget all your etiquette!"
Laiyue knew that there was no use in concealing it at this point. He cast his gaze downwards and scratched his head, "Young Master, it's from the meal that Third Young Madam cooked. These are just some leftovers. They took pity on me and gave it to me after seeing me guarding the door here."
Chu Lian!
Rage built up in He Sanlang's heart. He hadn't thought that that wicked woman would actually make her maidservants cook after he took the boxes of food away!
What made him even angrier was that her servants seemed to have cooked something even better than his meal.
He Changdi reached out his hand with a cold expression.
Laiyue looked at his master in a daze, stammering out, "Young Young Master, what do you want?"
"Hand it over." He Sanlang's tone was icy cold, you could almost see the icicles forming in the air.
Laiyue didn't dare to disobey his order, so he could only hand over the half-eaten bowl of rice to He Changdi with a sad expression.
He Changdi took the bowl and used the light of the corridor to look at it.
Although it did smell tantalising, it had been completely messed up by Laiyue. He Changdi harrumphed in disdain and gave his judgement, "Vulgar."
Laiyue lowered his head and didn't dare to speak. However, he was hoping for Young Master to return the bowl to him in his heart; he wasn't done eating!
He Sanlang shoved the bowl back into Laiyue's hands after looking at it. He turned and entered the study again.
He murmured to himself, "I was wondering what delicacies that wicked woman could have made. So it was just something like that."
Although He Changdi said so, he smacked his lips unconsciously and gulped.
Laiyue quickly finished the remainder of the food in the bowl after taking it back, afraid that Third Young Master would come out and demand it back at any moment.
When the entire bowl of gravy-covered rice had entered Laiyues stomach, he couldn't help but rub his tummy, feeling extremely satisfied.
Chu Lian was leaning against the headboard of her bed, holding onto the comedy book while thinking of what to eat the next morning.
She had glanced over the ingredients in the kitchen just now, and had actually found some flour. Making steamed pork or shrimp dumplings would be too troublesome and Senior Servant Gui surely wouldn't let her do it herself. If it was too complicated, Xiyan and the rest wouldn't be able to learn the recipe either. After some thought, she decided that wontons were the easiest to make.
They just had to roll the skin flat, wrap some vegetable stuffing in the skin, and boil it in a pot.
After she finished deciding, Chu Lian tossed away the book in her hands and went to sleep happily.
He Sanlang slept in the study tonight.
The next day, when He Sanlang woke up, he called Laiyue in to serve him. However, he found that Laiyue seemed a little rushed while helping him into his clothes, as if he was going to hurry somewhere.
He Changdi watched Laiyue for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Laiyue! What are you hurrying for!"
Laiyues hands trembled and he quickly kneeled down to apologise.
He Sanlang sat by the bed and adjusted his collar. "Tell me the reason or I'll give you a punishment. Decide for yourself!"
Laiyue grimaced and scolded himself for being so greedy in his heart. However, Third Young Master was clearly angry by now, how could he possibly dare to hide it? Replying "Young Master, Third Young Madam is instructing the maidservants to prepare breakfast in in the kitchen."