This time, Xiao Bojian had actually sent a proper message for once. What he had written on that note actually wasn't flowery professions of love this time, but since he had 'cried wolf' so many times, it wasn’t surprising that Chu Lian didn't even want to look at it.
The contents of that note were related to Chu Lian's father.
Through sheer luck, the normally idle Second Master of House Ying, Chu Qizheng, had somehow gotten a proper fifth-ranked position that in reality was just a cushy job. Not only that, but he seemed to have gotten connected to the Pan Estate somehow.
There was definitely something up considering how abnormal this situation was. Xiao Bojian had just wanted to inform Chu Lian of this news and ask if she had any idea what was going on. Unfortunately, that little paper note had already gone up in flames.
When Xiao Bojian noticed that he’d been clenching his fists this entire time, he realised that he was starting to lose his patience.
The Autumn Examinations!
This year, no one was going to stop him. He had put up with so much these past ten years, all for the sake of finally showing off his brilliance in court. He was definitely going to become the person who stood on that peak!
Chu Lian led her maidservants into Old Duke Zheng's bedroom. At this time, Old Duchess Zheng and Matriarch He were both waiting for her in the outer room.
When she heard someone report that Chu Lian had come back with the food, Old Duchess Zheng couldn't sit still any longer and quickly stood up.
Matriarch He gently reassured her, "Don't worry, this old woman has faith in the cooking skills of Sanlang's wife."
Chu Lian was actually more anxious than the two elderly women. She even had a little doubt in her heart. Was Old Duke Zheng really going to be cured by just eating a tasty meal?
She was led to Old Duke Zheng's bedside. Some maidservants had already set up a small table next to the bed. Chu Lian took the box of food from Xiyan's hands and personally arranged the dishes one by one on the small table.
Chu Lian glanced at the unconscious Old Duke Zheng and frowned. Her shiny black eyes darted about, and then after a moment of thought, she began to speak in a soft, gentle voice.
"A superior man possesses extraordinary comprehension and intellect. His excellence within is displayed through his posture and actions without. To seek enlightenment from crabs, today we have offered up some oranges with crab inside.
“The cool of mid-autumn is when the taste of crabs and oranges are at their best. No wonder Old Duke Zheng has them in his thoughts. However, as a gourmand, Old Duke Zheng surely must have eaten many fresh crabs and quality oranges before. However, have you ever tried eating crabs and oranges together?
“This junior has a secret recipe here called stuffed orange with crab meat. With this method of cooking, you could say that the fragrance of oranges and the freshness of the crab have both been expressed to their fullest. Fresh and fragrant, paired with five other types of seasonings. For those who are unable to taste this dish at least once, it’ll be their life’s biggest regret..."
While Chu Lian was describing the dish, she opened up one of the stuffed oranges. The originally sealed aroma instantly drifted through the air and diffused across the room. The whole room was now brimming with a smell that was as fresh and fragrant as Chu Lian had described.
Furthermore, her speech was so tempting that even Old Duchess Zheng and Matriarch He, as well as the imperial physician waiting off to the side, had all secretly took a whiff and immediately had to gulp down their saliva. Of course, this also had an effect on the bedridden old duke.
Old Duke Zheng had still been in the midst of unconsciousness. Suddenly, his eyelids twitched and he opened up his wrinkled old eyes.
Although his pupils seemed a little misty at first, they quickly sharpened. He wrinkled his nose, as if detecting the smell of good food in the air.
When he finally distinguished what that aroma was made of, his old eyes shone with a new light. Old Duke Zheng struggled to sit up, shouting with a hoarse voice, "Quick, quickly! Help me up!"
When Old Duchess Zheng saw that her husband had finally woken up, she couldn’t restrain herself any longer and began to cry. Tears slid down her cheeks as she exclaimed, "My Duke, you've finally recovered your appetite!" And without waiting for the servants to move, she rushed over to the old duke's side and personally helped him sit up against the headboard.
Chu Lian was clever enough to quickly recover from her instance of surprise. She moved over the table in front of Old Duke Zheng to make room.
Old Duke Zheng had been bedridden for quite a period of time. The struggle just now seemed to have used up all his remaining strength. He couldn't even lift his hand up, and could only stare right at that plate of stuffed orange with crab meat.
Old Duchess Zheng quickly took up one of the oranges and personally fed it to him.
Once the soup entered his mouth, Old Duke Zheng's eyes shone even brighter. His heart moved, his eyes lit up, his nose flared and his mouth smacked with the sound of his enjoyment.
After swallowing a mouthful of heaven, Old Duke Zheng had completely tossed his idea of fasting to the back of his head. If not for Old Duchess Zheng holding him back and not letting him eat too much at once, he would have probably gulped down an entire stuffed orange in two or three bites.
Since Old Duke Zheng had woken up and had already broken his fast, it wasn't appropriate if strangers continued loitering inside the inner room. Leaving Old Duchess Zheng inside, the younger Duchess Zheng invited the guests, including the imperial physician, to the outer room.
After Duchess Zheng invited Matriarch He to take a seat, she curtseyed to Chu Lian in gratitude. "This was all thanks to Honoured Lady Jinyi's efforts today. Please, accept this bow from me."
Chu Lian quickly helped the younger Duchess Zheng up. "Madam, please don't stand on ceremony with me. It was just a small matter."
Duchess Zheng shook her head. "Honoured Lady Jinyi, you don't have to be so humble. Even the imperial cooks couldn't have made such an amazing dish. Honoured Lady really has some marvellous ideas. It's awe-inspiring to me."
The back of Chu Lian's ears felt a little hot. How were these 'marvellous ideas'? She was merely a gourmet who had collected knowledge from the centuries of cooks before her... Duchess Zheng had really evaluated her too highly.
When Matriarch He saw her granddaughter-in-law looking so embarrassed, she chuckled. "Sanlang's wife, have you made more of those stuffed oranges? If there's more, bring some up for us to taste as well. My appetite’s been awakened after your small introduction just now."
Chu Lian nodded. "I have!"
Chu Lian retrieved a larger box of food from Mingyan's hands. The servants had sent over quite a number of oranges to the kitchen, and it hadn’t taken much to prepare them. Thus, Chu Lian had made a few more portions, thinking to let everyone have a taste of something new. With Matriarch He’s prompting, it was just the right time to bring out the extra portions.
Each person was given one orange; even the imperial physician who had come to check on Old Duke Zheng had one.
The people present here weren't as picky as Old Duke Zheng. Thus, the impact of the gourmet food was even stronger on them.
The imperial physician held on to the empty orange, feeling unsatisfied. He stared at the empty shell in his hands, finally having a shred of sympathy for Old Duke Zheng's predicament.
After tasting something so carefully prepared and so delicious, having to return to normal fare was like going from heaven to hell. It was extremely painful.
Old Duke Zheng had just woken up, so no matter how tasty the food was, Old Duchess Zheng didn't dare to give him much of it. She could only try her best to persuade him to pace himself, and finally managed to convince the old duke.
After finishing his meal, Old Duke Zheng had used up all the energy he had. He closed his eyes and returned to bed. The imperial physician took this chance to enter the inner room again and check the old duke's pulse. When he came out, Old Duchess Zheng anxiously asked about the old duke's health.
The physician smiled and reported that the duke would be fine.
Actually, Old Duke Zheng had a healthy body and sharp mind, despite his age. He was just a little more picky about his food. He was only bedridden because he had decided to fast- now that he was willing to eat, and since Chu Lian had prepared such a nourishing meal, his body would recover just fine, given some time. In the days ahead, he just had to drink some nourishing decoction and return to eating normally.
The ladies of the Zheng Estate were overjoyed. Matriarch He was also happy for her old sister upon hearing the news.
Since Old Duke Zheng was fine now, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to continue disturbing his rest. Thus, Matriarch He wanted to bid her goodbyes for today.
Old Duchess Zheng had just agreed to send them off when her daughter-in-law, the younger Duchess Zheng, tugged at her sleeve and shot a look at her.
She then whispered a little into Old Duchess Zheng's ear.
The old woman stiffened for a bit. Her expression turned a little troubled and she turned to Matriarch He with some degree of embarrassment. She then looked again at the bright-eyed Chu Lian standing behind Matriarch He.
"Old Sister, I have a request..."
The slight smile on Matriarch He's face disappeared as she said, "Although we're not sisters by blood, our friendship is no less closer than a pair of real sisters! What is there that you can't speak of in front of me?"
After hearing such a generous reassurance from Matriarch He, Old Duchess Zheng finally set down her pride to plead, "Could you let Honoured Lady Jinyi stay in the Zheng Estate for a few more days? Old Sister, you know that my Duke has a picky appetite. I'm afraid that he won't want to eat anything again after waking up..."
Old Duchess Zheng knew that her request was a little too much. Chu Lian wasn't married to House Zheng, and she didn't have any close connections with House Zheng, either. Furthermore, she was already married to someone else. It would be very improper for her to stay at the Zheng Estate.
Also, this request did make it seem like the old duchess was treating Chu Lian like a mere cook. Even if Chu Lian didn't hold a ranked noble title like she did now, this was a rather degrading request.
If this matter didn't concern Old Duke Zheng's health, Matriarch He would have flown into a rage at her old sister.
When Chu Lian heard this request, her brows furrowed together. She really wanted to reject it outright, but this was Old Duchess Zheng and Matriarch He's conversation. It wasn't her place to speak here, let alone interrupt.
Thus, Chu Lian's expectant eyes turned to Matriarch He's face. If the matriarch decided to 'hand' her out without any hesitation, then Chu Lian would be utterly disappointed at the 'He Family'.
Any trace of a smile had been completely wiped from Matriarch He's face. A stern expression took its place instead. She looked at her old sister and, after a moment of thought, shook her head. Then, she firmly said, "I know you're anxious, but this request is too unreasonable. Sanlang's wife is still young. I won't be able to rest easy if she's staying somewhere outside of the Jing'an Estate."
On top of that, Chu Lian could only help with the pressing matter at hand; she couldn't take care of Old Duke Zheng forever. She wasn't a servant. She was House Jing'an's Third Young Madam, Sanlang's lawfully wedded wife.
Chu Lian hadn't expected Matriarch He to have refused the request so resolutely. Not only was she not disappointed, she could also feel herself grow a little fonder and warmer towards the He Family.
Due to this fondness, her eyes shone brightly with the warmth of her feelings.
Old Duchess Zheng also hadn't expected such a curt refusal from her old sister. She didn't know how to repair the current situation. She opened her mouth, but was at a loss of what to say. Old Duchess Zheng also knew that her request had been too overboard, but she was still unhappy that she had been refused so directly.
The younger Duchess Zheng didn't know what to say either, so the air around them turned awkward.
Chu Lian noticed that the situation was taking a turn for the worse, so after a quick turn of wits, she said, "Grandmother, Old Duchess Zheng is just worried for the old duke. Old Duke Zheng is simply craving good food. As long as he has something new to eat, he should be fine. Actually, this can be solved even without Granddaughter-in-Law around!"
At Chu Lian’s proposal, everyone looked at her with surprise.
She really had a solution to this problem?
As long as Matriarch He supported her, Chu Lian would give her best to help them out. If it was just having to make new dishes for Old Duke Zheng, then Chu Lian had plenty of ideas that could work even without her there.