Chapter 80: Xu Nian works as a barbecue assistant to Luo Jinan

Xu Nian felt that Luo Jinan was a little lackluster. How come he became so slick and playful? Where did his former demeanor as a young master go?

"I feel embarrassed when Nian Nian looks at me. I guess I need to stay a few more days so that Nian Nian can see my face more."

Xu Nian withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace. He was very sure that Luo Jinan had taken the wrong medicine.

"Nian Nian, why are you walking so fast? I'm really not hungry. You don't have to work so hard for me."

“Nian Nian…”

Xiu'er, who was following behind, looked at the two servants with sympathy. She didn't expect that the prince was more nagging than her mother. It was really hard for him to serve the two servants around him every day.

Liuyun and Liuqin pretended not to know and followed their two masters with dignified steps. However, they felt very mysterious about such a prince.

When they arrived in the kitchen, Xu Nian picked up a carrot and stuffed it into Luo Jinan's mouth. She didn't believe that eating wouldn't be enough to shut his mouth.

Luo Jinan took a bite of carrot and sighed, "Nian Nian is so good to me."

"Puchi" Xiu'er, who had followed and watched the whole journey, couldn't help laughing out loud, but when she saw the two people's calming expressions, she quickly put away her smile.

"Miss, Master, how are you."

Because they had just finished lunch and it was still early for dinner, the maids in the kitchen went to rest, leaving only two cooking maids here.

The two little girls were only eleven or twelve years old. When they saw the eldest lady and the guests coming to the kitchen, they came over in a hurry to pay their respects.

"I heard that my uncle brought back a sheep. Do you know where he put it?"

One of the little girls ran to the food storage smartly, took out a basin with great effort and said to Xu Nian, "Miss, Aunt Dong has already cut up the sheep, and there are still several basins left."

Xu Nian asked the two girls to pick out the shoulder and rib meat while she went to prepare the seasoning for the meat. Looking at Luo Jinan who was nibbling carrots leisurely, Xu Nian instructed: "Chop all the meat into small pieces, and chop that piece of meat into stuffing. I will make you mutton stuffing dumplings in the evening."

Luo Jinanle happily put down the carrots, picked up the knife and started to try. This was his first time cooking, and it was with Nian Nian. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and the more excited he became, the greater his strength became.

Xu Nian looked at the knife marks on the chopping board that were getting deeper and deeper, and complained in his heart: This doesn't look like someone with poor health.

"Be gentle, the chopping board has a grudge against you. Just put it there when you're tired of chopping. Don't use force on your injured arm."

Luo Jin'an responded with a smile, being so obedient that Xu Nian couldn't help but reflect on whether he was too harsh on him. As if to make up for it, he went over and tied his sleeves up again, and said in a gentle tone: "You don't have a poor appetite, but is there anything else you want to eat?"

Luo Jin'an curled his lips, as if he knew how to soften Nian Nian's heart, so he blinked his big eyes and said softly: "I love everything Nian Nian cooks."

Xu Nian felt her heart skip a beat as she looked at those eyes as clear as a lake, but Luo Jinan kept asking even though she knew the answer.

"Why is Nian Nian's face so red?"

Xu Nian turned around and said loudly: "The kitchen is too hot, aren't you hot?"

"Maybe I have a cold body so I don't feel it."

Luo Jinan was afraid that if he teased him too much, Xu Nian would really ignore him, so he continued to do his work obediently.

The two messengers and Xiu'er were also busy, some were kneading dough, some were making dumplings. When Mrs. Dong heard that the eldest lady was coming to the kitchen, she dared not rest and hurried over early.

Although Mrs. Dong hangs around in the small kitchen every day, she knows very well that the eldest daughter is the real boss in this mansion. It is said that the Xu family's fortune was earned by the eldest daughter.

"Young Master and Miss, you can take a rest. I, an old woman, will do the rough work."

Xu Nian didn't hesitate to do so, as Zhao Lan just handed him the bamboo sticks.

"Then you take two people with you to pack the dumplings, and Xiu'er and the rest of you come with me to try them out."

Xu Nian looked at Luo Jin'an's brocade robe, moved a small stool aside and patted it.

"Just sit here and be the supervisor. After all, I have to take care of you, the injured person."

Luo Jinan sat down obediently, and Xu Nian then felt at ease to lead everyone to get back to work.

Mrs. Dong would occasionally steal a glance at the young man sitting beside her. She heard that a distinguished guest had come to the host's house, but she didn't expect that he would be such a distinguished young man.

It took a whole afternoon for the group to prepare everything, and Xu Nian still felt a little embarrassed for Luo Jinan, who had been sitting obediently by the side for more than an hour.

"These are enough. Xiu'er, go see if my father has come down from the government office. If everyone is here, we can start."

Mrs. Dong fetched some clean water for everyone.

"Miss, please wash your hands first."

As soon as Xu Nian finished washing his hands, a towel was handed to him. The person holding the towel was Luo Jinan.

Xu Nian was not polite. After wiping his hands, he said to Mrs. Dong, "Thank you for your hard work this afternoon. Go to the cashier's office later and withdraw 200 coins from each of you. Just say it's a reward from me."

Mrs. Dong and her two little girls thanked him happily.

After leaving the kitchen, Xu Nian planned to go back to Qingteng Courtyard to change clothes. Looking at Luo Jinan who was following him closely, he said helplessly, "Aren't you going back to your own courtyard? Will you follow me while I change clothes?"

Luo Jinan didn't want to be the one who got angry because of a sentence. He turned around in panic and left with the two people without saying a word.

Shouzhuyuan was surprisingly lively today because Xu Nian had set up two barbecue stoves, grilling meat skewers, chicken wings and fish on one side and various vegetables, corn and sweet potatoes on the other.

Xiao Liuzi dragged Xu Ling around the two stoves. The aroma was so tempting that it tasted even better than the roasted lamb chops in the restaurant.

"Brother Changsheng, why aren't your skewers good? Why don't you let me grill them for you?"

Luo Jinan said calmly: "Little Six, Brother Changsheng will teach you something: those who want to achieve great things must learn to be patient."

Xiao Liuzi nodded as he was advised, but his stomach seemed to be unable to bear it anymore, so he dragged Xu Ling to eat a few skewers of vegetables to fill his stomach.

Looking at the two people who went to the side, Luo Jinan quickly threw the burnt skewer of meat in his hand aside.

"Puchi" Xu Nian couldn't help but chuckle when watching Luo Jinan's little movements, and then he moved lightly to stand behind him, helping him to sprinkle the ingredients and turn the food over.

Because of Xu Nian's movements, waves of elegant and subtle fragrance blew across Luo Jinan's profile. When the skewers were grilled, Luo Jinan's forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat.

Xu Nian looked at him in surprise, handed him a handkerchief and asked in confusion: "Isn't it because of your physical condition that you don't sweat?"

Luo Jinan wiped his forehead and said shyly, "I don't know why, maybe it's really too hot."

Xu Nian didn't think much about it. He held the skewers in one hand and pulled Luo Jinan's sleeve with the other hand and walked away from the charcoal fire.

At this moment, in the eyes of others, Luo Jinan's demeanor was that of a shy young wife.