Chapter 106 Tofu Soup with Sugar...

Qingjiu quickly filled the water vat. Seeing his master return, he walked over with a smile, "Sir, what's wrong? Did you not enjoy your chat with Miss Qiao?"

"What could be making me unhappy?" Lu Zhao said, and went back into the house.

Qingjiu muttered to himself, "He's clearly unhappy." The adult's mood lately always seemed unpredictable to him.

The next day, when Qingjiu went to the City God's Office, she secretly approached Ouyang Yi and asked him to help analyze the situation.

"You mean, Brother Lu has been a bit hard to see through lately?" Ouyang Yi asked.

"Yeah yeah."

"Didn't you say that you grew up with Brother Lu and know everything about him? How come there are things you don't understand?" Ouyang Yi, having nothing else to do, pulled Qingjiu to the side courtyard. "Tell me in detail what happened."

Qingjiu scratched his head. "I can't really put it into words. Sometimes I feel like he's angry, but there's nothing that upsets him. Like yesterday, he talked to Miss Qiao for a while, and when he came back, he was in a hurry and didn't want to talk to me."

“It’s normal for him to ignore you; he’s never been one for many words. But as for Miss Qiao…”

Ouyang Yi paused, "Your Lord Lu wouldn't have taken a liking to someone, would he?"

"No way, my grandmother said that even if we don't want someone from a very high social class, it has to be a wealthy family," Qingjiu said.

"Hmph, would your master care about this? If he really cared about what the family thought, would he come to Lin'an?" Ouyang Yi had spent a long time with Lu Zhao. Although he didn't know what had happened in the Lu family, he knew that the eldest son of a large family would be expected to achieve great things. It was impossible for him to abandon his studies for martial arts, let alone stay in Lin'an for long.

Moreover, even though Old Madam Lu came to Lin'an, she was unable to bring the person back, which suggests there was no other way.

“That’s true.” Qingjiu thought of how resolutely her master and lord had broken off their relationship. Her master certainly wouldn’t care about the Lu family’s affairs. “But Miss Qiao the Fifth… she is beautiful, but my master isn’t such a superficial person. Besides, we’ve lived across the street from each other for so long, and I haven’t noticed anything. I don’t think so!”

Ouyang Yi looked at Qingjiu with an expression as if she were an idiot, "You've definitely never had feelings for a girl, have you?"

"Of course, my heart is only for you, sir!" Qingjiu said.

"I advise you to stop thinking about it. No matter how hard you try, you won't figure it out. You'll understand when you get a wife or take a fancy to a girl."

Ouyang Yi shook his head. Seeing that Qingjiu was still confused, he knew that it was useless to say anything more, so he sent Qingjiu away and went to find Lu Zhao.

"What's wrong?" Lu Zhao asked, noticing that Ouyang Yi was staring at him.

"Nothing much, I just had some free time right now, so I came to chat with you for a bit." Ouyang Yi sat down opposite Lu Zhao. "I heard your new house is all set up. When are you planning to move in?"

Lu Zhao looked at the dossier in his hand and said that he had no such plans at the moment.

"Why not move? The new house is so big, it should be more comfortable. Is there something you're reluctant to leave behind?" Ouyang Yi asked.

“I’m just used to living here. My grandmother insisted on buying the new house; I didn’t have that idea.” Lu Zhao sensed something was off about Ouyang Yi’s words. “If you want to say something, just say it directly.”

"We were really just chatting casually. Don't overthink it. We're colleagues and best friends, so of course I should show you some concern." Ouyang Yi changed the subject. "When are you free? Come over to my place for a couple of drinks."

He felt that he could talk more easily after drinking; now that he was so dry, it was difficult to ask him anything.

Lu Zhao said tomorrow will do.

"Alright, then you can come home with me after work tomorrow." Ouyang Yi thought he would buy more wine when he got home so he could ask questions tomorrow.

Lu Zhao was unaware that Ouyang Yi wanted to get him drunk to extract information. The two of them usually interacted frequently, and since Ouyang Yi had invited him, he should give him face.

When Qingjiu learned that they were going to the Ouyang family for dinner the next day, he was also very happy. On the way to Qiaoji, he thought to himself, "Sister-in-law Ouyang's cooking skills must be quite good, otherwise Lord Ouyang wouldn't be able to get so fat."

"How dare you call someone fat?" Lu Zhao glanced at Qingjiu. "You didn't get up to practice your boxing today. If you don't get up tomorrow, I'll wake you up with cold water."

Qingjiu shrank her neck as she listened, "Okay, okay, I'll get up, please don't say anything more." It sounded cold.

When the master and servant arrived at Qiao's Restaurant, they saw that the main hall was full. They took the initiative to go to the counter and said, "Aunt Qiao, business is good."

"Yes, business has been getting better and better since the New Year." Madam Lin glanced around the lobby and called out to her second daughter-in-law, "Are there any tables left on the second floor?"

Cao Yuan was carrying a plate of leftover food from the guests. "Without my mother, there are so many guests today, the place is completely full."

Madam Lin looked apologetically at Lu Zhao and his servant, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you to wait a moment, or I could pack it up for you. How would you like to eat it?"

Qingji rubbed his stomach. He came to Qiao's for dinner around the same time every day, and he was already hungry. He glanced around the backyard and said, "Auntie, aren't there tables and chairs in the backyard? We can just sit there and eat. We're so familiar with each other, we don't need to be so formal."

“But it’s still cold outside,” Lin said.

"It's alright, sir, what do you say?" Qingjiu looked at her master.

Lu Zhao agreed, "We can move the tables and chairs ourselves, you guys go about your business."

When the two of them ordered their food and sat down in the backyard, Lu Zhao was facing the kitchen.

The wooden window in the back kitchen faces Lu Zhao, who can see Qiao Mianmian busy at work. There are indeed many guests today. Qiao Mianmian is cooking for a while and then squatting down to add firewood to the stove.

Qiao Mianmian didn't even notice Lu Zhao in the yard. She had just finished stir-frying a bowl of yellow pumpkin and was now frying pumpkin pancakes.

Pumpkin pancakes are sweet and fragrant, and have become a must-order dessert for many customers. After heating the oil in the pan, she started frying the pumpkin pancakes, while instructing her two brothers, "Someone ordered braised fish. While the pan is still hot, kill the fish and make sure the shrimp wontons are wrapped up."

Qiao Jiawang went to kill the fish, and Qiao Jiaxing started making wontons. There was no time for anyone in the kitchen to rest.

As the group busied themselves, they saw a shadow appear at the doorway. Thinking it was Hu Qianqian or Cao Yuan, Qiao Jiaxing instinctively said, "Quickly add some water to the stove so I can cook wontons later. Hey... Lord Lu, is that you?"

"I saw you were busy, and since I had nothing to do, I came to help you start a fire." Lu Zhao said and sat down in front of the stove. He didn't know why he came. He saw Qiao Mianmian going to the stove to check on things every now and then, and the idea of ​​helping him popped into his head.

He glanced down at the stove and saw that the firewood was almost gone, so he quickly stuffed three more pieces of firewood inside.

"I dare not stuff so much!" Qiao Mianmian quickly called out, "I'm frying pumpkin cakes, I don't need such a high flame. Lord Lu, I think you should go and wait, we can handle things here."

She thought that Lu Zhao would never do kitchen work, and just sitting here looked very out of place.

"Huh?" Lu Zhao had never done this kind of work before, and returned two more pieces of firewood.

He felt embarrassed, but he had already said what he wanted to say and was already sitting there, so he couldn't just leave now. He had no choice but to stay there.

The pumpkin pancakes in the pan were fried quickly. Qiao Mianmian was too busy to take care of Lu Zhao. When she was frying fish, she hid behind her, but Lu Zhao didn't move. A drop of hot oil splashed onto his face.

Hearing Lu Zhao hiss, she turned her head and saw that Lu Zhao's right cheek near his ear was burned red. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I forgot to remind you to stay away when frying fish. Let me see, are you alright?"

She leaned over and saw that a blister had quickly formed on Lu Zhao's face. Feeling guilty, she instinctively blew on it to help. "How is it? Does it hurt a lot? I'll get a wet towel to put on it for you. Please don't scratch it, or it will leave a scar."

When Lu Zhao looked up, his heart pounded as he saw Qiao Mianmian's concerned expression. Qiao Mianmian's lips were naturally red, and he didn't hear what she was saying; he just watched her thin lips move.

Just then, the fish in the pot started to burn. Qiao Mianmian smelled the burning smell and hurriedly scooped it out.

Now it was Lu Zhao's turn to feel embarrassed. "I'm sorry, you're all so busy, and I'm just causing you trouble. No... don't worry about me, I'll go out now, this fish is on me."

Qiao Mianmian was busy preparing the fish, while Qiao Jiaxing saw Lu Zhao out. "Lord Lu, are you really alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm thick-skinned, I'm really fine." Lu Zhao's face turned visibly red. What's wrong with him today?

"I'll get you a wet wipe. Please have a seat." Qiao Jiaxing then called Qingjiu, "Go to the nearby pharmacy and buy some burn ointment. Otherwise, it won't look good if your father has such a handsome face with a scar."

When Qingjiu saw that his master had blisters on his face, he immediately checked his pockets to see if he had any money. “Sir, you have such delicate skin. If it were me, I would only get a small red dot. Please sit down, I’ll go buy you some burn ointment.”

Lu Zhao had just said that he had thick skin, but Qingjiu said that he had delicate skin. For a moment, Lu Zhao didn't want to eat this meal and wanted to go home as soon as possible.

When Qiao Jiaxing returned to the kitchen, he asked in surprise, "Lord Lu clearly doesn't know anything about kitchen work. Why did he come to help with the fire today?"

Qiao Mianmian fried the fish again and braised it. Listening to the "bubbling" sound in the pot, Qiao Mianmian glanced out the window and had to admit that Lu Zhao was really good-looking.

It was just an ordinary backyard, with a flock of chickens and ducks quacking, but as Lu Zhao sat there, he felt that the surrounding environment had become better.

Qiao Mianmian leaned close to her second brother and whispered, "I think Lord Lu has something on his mind."

"Where shall we begin?" Qiao Jiaxing asked.

"I don't know, but I just feel like he's been acting differently lately. I don't want to ask him what's wrong, but I have a feeling." Qiao Mianmian trusted her intuition; otherwise, why would Lu Zhao suddenly come to help in the kitchen?

In the past few days, Lu Zhao has given her a different feeling. She can't quite put her finger on it, but it's just different from before.

Qiao Jiaxing looked out the window at Lu Zhao and said, "Hmm... Stop chatting and go check on the fish in the pot!"

He could already smell the fish.

"Oh, I'll go take a look." Qiao Mianmian opened the pot lid. The fish had been stewed until it was flavorful. She sprinkled some scallions on top, then took the fish out and poured the broth over it.

After making the braised fish, she made a few more dishes, and then it was Lu Zhao's turn to order the braised pork with dried bamboo shoots and the spicy and sour pork skin.

The dried bamboo shoots had been soaked long ago. They were then simmered in two spoonfuls of braised pork broth until fully cooked, and then the braised pork was added and simmered together.

The dried bamboo shoots soak up the broth from the braised pork, while the braised pork absorbs the aroma of the bamboo shoots, creating an even more delicious flavor together.

Spicy and sour pork skin is being stir-fried in the pot. The deep-fried pork skin absorbs the soup even more. Qingjiu now prefers stronger flavors, so when the two of them order food, there will always be a spicy dish.

Qiao Mianmian prepared the dishes Lu Zhao ordered and also cooked tofu soup. She took it out herself and said, "Lord Lu, this is for you. It's cold outside, and it's kind of you to eat here. I remember you like tofu, so please have some soup while it's hot to warm yourselves up."

Qingjiu has returned. "Miss Qiao, do you still remember what my master likes to eat?"

"Of course, you're all regulars. I remember you like spicy food now." Qiao Mianmian was also hungry. Since there were no new customers coming, she went back to cook some dishes for her own family.

Today, her family made dumplings, and she set aside some to make pan-fried dumplings. She put the dumplings in the pan, first simmered them in oil for a while, and then added cornstarch water.

Listening to the crackling sounds from the pot, Qiao Mianmian thought of the blisters on Lu Zhao's face again and still felt guilty.

Looking at the tofu soup in front of him, Lu Zhao had already forgotten the pain of being scalded. After finishing a bowl of tofu soup, he swallowed his saliva with relish. "Was there sugar added to the tofu soup today? It tastes a little sweet?"

"Really?" Qingjiu took another sip. "No, it has a strong bean flavor, but it definitely doesn't have any sugar."

Lu Zhao gave him a look of utter disdain, as if a wild boar couldn't stomach fine food, and said, "What can you possibly taste?"