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墨書 Inktalez
“What's wrong with you, Grandpa? I'm not well, very unwell.”
Su Rong was somewhat surprised by Xia Muxin's attitude at that moment, while also wary of what methods she might secretly employ. For a moment, he resembled a child who had not yet grown up, puffing out his cheeks and glaring. However, the words were somewhat amusing; it was clear they were said in anger. Yet, the hint of guilt and disappointment in his eyes did not escape Shen Muhan and his wife's notice.
Moreover, even Shen Muhan was a bit taken aback that Xia Muxin would lower her head. It seemed that since she was pushed in front of her family, she had never been acknowledged. His parents and grandfather feared he would be like Mu Qing, disappearing for five or ten years without returning. As long as things weren't too extreme, they wouldn't interfere. Even when it came to marriage, they allowed him to make his own choices because they believed he would eventually realize his mistakes. Marrying Xia Muxin was merely a detour in life, perhaps even an opportunity for growth. Thus, they turned a blind eye to it all. As for Su Rong, being his maternal grandfather, he always prioritized interests first, which led to the Retired Emperor receiving his true teachings. Otherwise, Tian Ming Rui would not have been so reluctant to take on the role of emperor. Now, Su Rong could only sit in that position to protect the woman he loved. He had resigned himself to everything but had to admit he was not a good emperor. He was merely waiting for the right moment; once that time came, he would definitely take Zhou Lijiao far away and never return to that walled courtyard, living like a gilded bird that could never escape.
Of course, the Retired Emperor's thoughts might be inscrutable to the world, but Su Rong understood them all too well. That was why he sought ways to protect the Su Family, starting with selling his granddaughter for glory. However, he had to criticize himself; he had truly chosen the wrong person and trusted the wrong people. Thus, upon learning that Su Xiuning went to seek out the Ouyang Family, disappointment flashed in his eyes. Hearing Xia Muxin call him Grandpa without holding grudges surprised him even more.
“Well then, should we eat this meal?”
Since Xia Muxin provided Su Rong with an opportunity to back down gracefully, Shen Muhan followed her lead and continued giving him an out. The question was neither too warm nor too cold but marked the first time he had ever invited someone since he became sensible.
This simple and emotionless statement made Su Rong widen his eyes in disbelief; he even rubbed his eyes in astonishment before finally responding with some excitement:
“Of course we should eat! How could we not?”
Xia Muxin was somewhat taken aback but soon chuckled softly. In truth, Su Rong was just a pitiful old man.
His lofty position and demanding nature made others afraid to approach him or show concern—even his own direct grandchildren kept their distance from him—leading him to shower all his care and affection on an outsider: Su Xiuning.
In reality, it was merely a search for psychological comfort.
“Alright, have someone bring Yan Zhouwan back; I’ll head to the kitchen.”
With that statement from Su Rong, which was unprecedentedly humble, Xia Muxin felt a surge of joy. She casually glanced at the somewhat dumbfounded Su Xiuning before turning to Shen Muhan and heading toward the kitchen.
“Good idea; prepare more dishes. Mu Qing will probably arrive soon.”
For Xia Muxin's sake, Shen Muhan acknowledged Su Rong's request. After all, since his sister's incident, he had neither called him Grandpa nor shown him any kindness. News had come through that someone had indeed seen his sister abroad; based on her portrait—despite how much time had passed—the beauty mark at the corner of her eye would never be mistaken. Yet he still hadn’t figured out why she had reappeared after so many years when he had personally buried her. Of course, all of this required verification; only when everything settled could conclusions be drawn. Meanwhile, he cast a deep glance at the still-grumbling Su Rong and raised an eyebrow as he sat there like a mountain.
Xia Muxin smiled slightly; her husband appeared cold on the surface but had a warm heart underneath. He knew Yan Zhouwan was avoiding Shen Muqing out of spite; that’s why it only took one night for someone to bring him over. Moreover, yesterday when he got off the carriage and approached Ming Da, it must have been for this very matter.
However, she had an overly good impression of her cunning husband. If she were to find out that Shen Muhan had gone to her room at night to keep her company because he was worried about Yan Zhouwan, or that his own emotions were affected by Yan Zhouwan's mood, leading to some disharmony in their marital life, she would surely raise a stick and hit him.
Upon entering the kitchen, Xia Muxin was astonished. Everyone treated her with utmost respect, calling her "Miss Xia" and "Lady Shen." This made her suspect that either this restaurant was owned by Shen Muhan, or he had bought it, or perhaps he had threatened the owner with a knife. Otherwise, the looks in their eyes could only be described as fervent.
It had been a long time since she last cooked, and as she glanced around, everything was available. She dealt with everyone with a forced smile before making an excuse for them to leave. Once the kitchen was quiet, she began preparing the dishes.
In fact, with the thick-skinned Su Xiuning included, there were only five or six people dining, so she didn’t need to make too much food. Moreover, seasonal vegetables were becoming scarce; chili peppers, water spinach, and eggplants dominated the selection. She had someone prepare fresh edamame; it seemed there was no custom of cooking edamame here since fully mature beans were usually made into tofu. Thus, she decided to set a precedent today with stir-fried beans and meat.
The rest were simple home-cooked dishes. She specially simmered a soup using bone broth as the base, adding two corn cobs and a white radish, along with a marrow bone. After simmering for half an hour, the marrow melted away while the corn and radish were added later to preserve their flavors and enhance the soup's richness.
She prepared a spicy fish head dish—one side spicy and the other sour—just looking at it made one’s appetite surge.
There were also home-style green beans and eggplants, Mapo Tofu, stir-fried water spinach, and smashed cucumbers.
Since the fish and soup were served in large bowls and plates, she only prepared seven small bowls for serving. Finally, she made a dessert: taro balls.
When the dishes were served on the table, Shen Muqing had already arrived and sat across from Su Rong. However, her expression was unusually poor; her eyes were downcast as if she held a strong dislike for Su Rong. Su Xiuning indeed did not leave; having washed her face but without makeup, she sat beside Su Rong. Perhaps Shen Muhan's words had put immense pressure on her; at this moment, she appeared very obedient. Their seating arrangement had also upgraded from the main hall to a private room.
"Has Yan Zhouwan arrived yet?"
Xia Muxin dried her hands with a towel placed on the rack in the private room. Her crisp voice broke the silence and dissipated any awkwardness in the air.
Shen Muhan waved at her to sit beside him. Xia Muxin felt no hesitation and sat down directly. In this era, there were many rules; women typically sat lower down. However, she never liked being looked down upon by such customs and paid them no mind. As soon as she took her seat, Su Rong raised an eyebrow but ultimately said nothing.
Yet that slight movement of his eyebrow made Shen Muhan uncomfortable.
He felt sorry for Xia Muxin who had been busy in the kitchen all this time; he poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her before slowly speaking up.
"I think it's about ready."
Xia Muxin was indeed thirsty; she gulped down the tea in one go. Knowing that Shen Muhan was responding to her earlier question, she put down her cup and smiled at him comfortably. Shen Muhan returned her smile with affection.
And just as he predicted accurately, as soon as he mentioned it, Yan Zhouwan arrived.
Yan Zhouwan was somewhat surprised when she saw the people in the private room. It wasn't just Shen Muqing; it was more about Su Rong. Her eye bags were deep, as if she hadn't slept for several days and nights. Her face looked haggard, and although she wore light makeup, it couldn't hide the sense of helplessness and desolation in her eyes.
Yan Zhouwan knew a bit about the situation. If it weren't for Shen Muhan being by her side, Su Rong would probably have rushed over to scold someone.
"Yan Zhouwan, come, sit here."
The table in the private room wasn't very large, perhaps a prank by Shen Muhan, with only six chairs. The last available seat was next to Shen Muqing. After Xia Muxin called her over, she shot a glance at the calm Shen Muhan and muttered something about him being cunning before watching Yan Zhouwan walk over calmly and take her seat.
During this time, aside from glancing at Shen Muqing when she entered, Yan Zhouwan didn't look at him again. This made Shen Muqing's face turn completely pale, and Xia Muxin's heart grew increasingly tense.
She even began to doubt whether she had made a mistake in trying to bring them together in the first place.
Shen Muhan, however, seemed unconcerned, acting like an outsider as he directly called for the dishes to be served.
As each dish was brought to the table, Su Rong couldn't help but widen her eyes. She had tasted all kinds of delicacies but had never seen fish head prepared like this before—one side was chopped green chili, and the other was red chopped chili. The soup was strange too, containing both radish and corn, yet the aroma made her mouth water. As for the stir-fried beans with meat, it was even more peculiar; she didn't even know what kind of beans they were.
The other dishes were common home-cooked meals but looked quite different. A small plate of vegetables appeared vibrantly green as if freshly picked, and eggplant was stir-fried with Green Beans...
"Is this bean a new invention? It tastes great."
- End of Chapter -
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