Arc 2: Part 14
The young lady walked out with a cold expression, clearly in a bad mood. Spotting a few idle cooks whispering and chatting nearby, her face darkened and she abruptly shouted, "What are you dawdling for? Someone get over here. The bone soup is ready, bring it down now!"
The girl who appeared was Xiao Qingwan.
However, she was now dressed in kitchen clothes, playing the role of Xiao Bai Zhu, acting as an assistant to the real chef.
The cooks jumped in fright and whirl around fumbling, trying to appease her, "Miss, we are on it. We didn't mean to upset you!"
With that, they hurried into the kitchen.
Xiao Qingwan snorted derisively, pulling off the cap on her head in irritation.
Xiao Bai Zhu had mentioned preparing some medicinal meals, supposedly to invigorate and provide energy to Xiao Lingchen, but she didn't understand much of it. In her mind, wasn't it just making some bone soup? How did it also involve adding a handful of herbal ingredients that looked like tree roots?
She thought simply cooking something edible for Xiao Lingchen would be enough. Why make it a medicinal meal? So troublesome.
Why add medicine to bone soup?
What if Xiao Lingchen has an adverse reaction? What then?
She certainly didn't want to be the one to shield Xiao Bai Zhu then.
Just now, she had been idly daydreaming in the kitchen while Tong Su was busy preparing the next dish. Upon noticing the finished bone soup, Tong Su called out to her to bring down the pot.
Xiao Qingwan took one look at the steaming white soup and quickly recoiled. She could hardly stand to risk her carefully manicured hands on the hot pot.
So, frowning, she decided to step out and call for help.
“Tch, that damn girl...”
Just as she was about to turn back around, a cold voice unexpectedly rang out from not too far behind her.
“Bai Zhu bone soup? Xiao Qingwan, did you make this?” (Note: Quick reminder that Bai Zhu is a medicinal herb in Chinese traditional medicine.)
The chilly voice left Xiao Qingwan in shock, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
—Who had suddenly arrived?
She hastily turned around, her whole body tensing as she identified the newcomer.
An tall figure had sometime appeared at the court's door leading to the outside!
The man gave her a cold, dispassionate look. His deep eyes were so dark and mysterious that it was hard to read his emotions.
His figure was somewhat frail, and his complexion slightly pale. Yet, there was no sense of weakness about him. On the contrary, it only enhanced his icy and aloof demeanor, making him seem distant and indifferent.
Xiao Qingwan's heart lurched.
"Brother? How did you come over here?"
She was of similar build to Xiao Bai Zhu, and their kitchen attire was completely identical. This was meant to confuse their identities; usually, nobody would recognize them—however, how did Xiao Lingchen manage to identify her?
Xiao Lingchen slightly raised his eyebrows, nonchalantly replying, "Just taking a casual stroll."
Just a casual stroll!
How did he happen to wander into the kitchen? This was a long way from his study!
"Ah, I see. You seem to be in a good mood today, brother," Xiao Qingwan attempted to appease him. "I'll bring the bone soup to you later. Make sure to have several bowls..."
Half surprised and half panicked, Xiao Qingwan was afraid of revealing a flaw. She tried hard to smile brilliantly, repeatedly flattering and sweetening her words towards Xiao Lingchen.
But the more panicked Xiao Qingwan became, the more Xiao Lingchen seemed to persist. With a hint of impatience in his voice, he asked again, "Did you make this Bai Zhu bone soup?"
"Yes, yes," Xiao Qingwan nodded continuously, her expression unchanged as she emphasized, "I made it! It's a nourishing soup to help replenish your body, brother. Why do you ask? Don't you like it? — If you don't like it, I'll change it right away!"
Xiao Lingchen replied, "There's no need to change it. But since it's a medicinal cuisine, tell me, why did you use Bai Zhu with the bones?"
Her explanation?!
Xiao Qingwan suddenly panicked.
She didn't know anything about medicinal cuisines. How could she know why Bai Zhu, something that looked like tree roots, was added to the soup?
How could she answer?!
A wave of coldness surged from Xiao Qingwan's tailbone to her skull.
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