Lu Jing'an wanted to roll his eyes, but he remembered that the other party was a princess, so he held back.
Who's clever? Do they think no one can tell?
If it weren't for Qiuyue's brute strength, and his mother's refusal to let the servants go out to play with him, and the fact that cleverness was of little use, how could he have kept this stupid servant by his side!
That's incredibly stupid. If he doesn't want Qiuyue, then no one else will.
When Gu Yaoniang heard that the seemingly dull young servant was named Qiuyue, she chuckled softly.
Lu Jing'an had no such reservations with Gu Yaoniang. Seeing her chuckle, he raised his eyebrows, put his hands on his hips, and asked, "Is it that funny?"
He put his hands on his hips and realized he hadn't washed his hands. When Qiuyue brought the water over, he angrily slapped her face with his hand. Seeing Qiuyue's distressed expression and her reluctance to dodge, he felt a little better.
Gu Yaoniang didn't argue with him. Instead, she looked curiously at the lump of mud that Lu Jing'an had brought back and asked, "What is this?"
Seeing her curiosity, Lu Jing'an was somewhat smug and deliberately didn't want to tell her, so he didn't answer.
Gu Yaoniang leaned closer to take a look. She could vaguely make out some white, thread-like things inside the clump of mud, but they were not clearly visible because they were covered in mud.
"Could it be bamboo fungus?"
Lu Jing'an was smugly waiting for Gu Yaoniang to press him for answers, but when he heard Gu Yaoniang say it out loud, he was shocked: "How did you know!"
Gu Yaoniang scoffed, "Young Master Lu, my family owns a restaurant, and I know how to cook. If a lazy young master like you knows that, why wouldn't I?"
Lu Jing'an was angered by Gu Yaoniang again.
So what if he knows? What do you mean by "he knows everything"? Is he really that ignorant?
That country girl, I don't like a single thing she says!
Since Yao Niang has said so, it's even less likely that he would say he didn't know before.
Today, he was curious about the dark thing hidden in the mud. His second brother told him that it was bamboo fungus mixed in with the mud.
His favorite drink was bamboo fungus soup, and this was the first time he had seen bamboo fungus that was not washed or cooked properly, which he found quite novel. His second brother said that bamboo fungus was delicate, and since it was covered in mud, it must have been touched by a small animal or a person. So he picked it up, intending to make bamboo fungus soup that night.
Since it had already been damaged once, he naturally wanted to personally take good care of it and bring it to the kitchen.
Lu Jing'an watched Yao Niang's lips move, but he didn't know how to refute her.
The dark-faced man beside them had been waiting for quite a while, and tentatively called out, "Wife."
Gu Yaoniang then remembered that the matter of the bamboo skewers had not yet been resolved, and she began to worry about it again.
Seeing her worried expression, Lu Jing'an felt a little better and said sarcastically, "Why is Lady Gu not drinking tea and embroidering with the princess in her room, but instead running to the kitchen to join in the fun?"
"Yao Niang, we want to have barbecue tonight, but we don't have any bamboo skewers for the meat."
Princess Ruining, fearing that Gu Yaoniang would start arguing with Lu Jing'an again, answered herself.
Lu Jing'an exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Oh my! Does Madam Gu actually know how to make barbecue?"
Gu Yaoniang was always gentle and compliant, avoiding trouble. The only thing she couldn't tolerate was anyone questioning her cooking skills.
Although... she had never cooked barbecue before.
“Of course I can! It’s just that there are no iron skewers or bamboo skewers in the estate,” she said apologetically to Princess Ruining, afraid that Princess Ruining would be in a difficult position. “Since there aren’t any, then let’s just forget about it.”
There are regrets, but the conditions don't allow it, so we won't bother.
Lu Jing'an retorted, "What do you mean 'forget it'! Forgetting it means I don't know how!"
Princess Ruining found it amusing, glared at him, and patted Yao Niang's hand reassuringly.
Lu Jing'an was provoked by that glance. In his habitually trouble-making mind, the princess cousin's glance was of great significance: it was a sign of contempt for him, respect for Yao Niang, and disregard for the truth in his words.
He grew anxious: "It's just a shortage of bamboo skewers! No big deal! Madam Gu, I'll make you some bamboo skewers. You must make some roasted meat tonight so I can broaden my horizons!"
Having said that, without even looking at Princess Ruining and Gu Yaoniang's reactions, he turned and left with Qiuyue.
Gu Yaoniang stood there, stunned, and asked hesitantly, "Princess, can he really make this?"
Princess Ruining hesitated for a moment: "Probably? He's angry with you, he'll do it no matter what."
Although she also felt it was somewhat difficult.
Meanwhile, Lu Jing'an, accompanied by Qiu Yue, went to find the guards that the Lu family had brought to the manor.
He dared not order around the royal guards brought by the eldest prince, but he took away every single guard brought by the Lu family by name.
Lu Zhaoan was puzzled and, fearing something might happen, followed Lu Jingan to the kitchen.
Gu Yaoniang was directing the kitchen staff to slice the meat into slices and cut it into chunks, then rinse it in clean water to remove the blood.
Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps. He looked up and saw a group of tall and burly guards following behind Lu Jing'an. He was dumbfounded.
Could it be that the young master of the Lu family felt he had lost face and brought his guards to cause trouble?
When Lu Jing'an saw her arrive, he called out, "Madam Gu! I've brought you the person. What kind of bamboo skewers do you want? I'll make them for you!"
Gu Yaoniang's lips twitched, yet she felt that this arrangement made some sense...
Who says only cooks are good with knives? Guards spend all day wielding knives and spears; they might even be better at splitting bamboo to make bamboo skewers!
After hearing her request, Lu Jing'an left like the wind with his guards.
Lu Zhaoan, however, did not follow.
He was somewhat surprised to see that Yao Niang was wearing armbands, and asked, "Is Madam Gu going to cook?"
Yao Niang never showed any fear in front of Lu Jing'an, but she felt a little nervous seeing Lu Zhao'an's gentle and polite demeanor. She couldn't explain why.
She nodded gently: "I want to make barbecue."
Lu Zhaoan nodded slightly, but kept looking at her, as if he wanted to hear her continue.
Under Lu Zhaoan's gaze, Yao Niang couldn't help but wonder if she had been too brief, and quickly added, "When I passed through Jinzhou before, the local taverns would slice or dice meat, skewer it with bamboo sticks, and sprinkle it with seasonings to make grilled meat. I want to make that today."
Lu Zhaoan nodded slightly again: "Does Madam Gu want to do it herself?"
“Yes,” Yao Niang replied.
"I'll help you."
Lu Zhaoan didn't ask any questions and stepped inside.
For some reason, Yao Niang felt that Lu Zhao'an's refined and otherworldly demeanor made him completely out of place in the messy kitchen, and she wanted to get rid of him.
Princess Ruining replied, "Very well! Yaoniang, with my cousin's help, I'll be going now!"
Without waiting for their reaction, he slipped away, taking Wang Zhilan with him.
Lu Zhaoan was wearing a narrow-sleeved Hu-style robe when he went hunting today, but he changed it when he returned to the manor. Now the sleeves are wide, which would be a bit inconvenient if he were to actually do something.
Unlike Yao Niang's hesitation, Lu Zhao'an asked the kitchen staff for a pair of armbands and neatly tied them on.
He turned his head, his deep features forming a beautiful silhouette in the afterglow of the setting sun, surrounded by a fuzzy halo.
He asked, "Madam Gu, what do you need me to do?"
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