As the housekeeper had said, the people who had been delegated from the Princess Residence indeed worked efficiently and neatly - preparing two tables of lunch was simply a breeze. Right at noon, the meals were promptly served.
Half an hour before mealtime, Su Xingze had the scholars from Jiangzhou entertain themselves while he ventured into the kitchen. After rolling up his sleeves, he attracted the attention of everyone in the kitchen.
The kitchen maids delegated from the Princess Residence were stunned and cautiously inquired, "Young Master Su, what dish are you planning to make? Just leave it to us."
Su Xingze shook his head. "I’ll do it myself."
Without much explanation, under the scrutiny of the kitchen maids, he prepared four dishes.
After he finished, he instructed one of them, "Bring these dishes to my younger sister’s courtyard. These should be enough for the Duanhua Princess and my sister."
The instructed maid gave a bemused nod.
Then, Su Xingze left the kitchen and returned to his courtyard to take a quick bath and change clothes before proceeding to the front hall.
By the time the dishes were delivered to Su Rong’s courtyard, both Su Rong and Duanhua had already woken up. Su Rong had taken her medicine and then napped again, looking much better than when Duanhua had arrived. The two had gotten out of bed together and were now seated in the hall, waiting for food to be delivered.
As the maid systematically placed the four dishes on the table in succession from the food box, Su Rong blinked in surprise but said nothing. Duanhua uttered a surprised "Eh?" "These dishes, don’t they seem to be made by the cooks from our Princess Residence?"
The maid shook her head, "Duanhua Princess, Young Master Su personally made these four dishes and asked them to be delivered here for you and the seventh lady."
Duanhua laughed, looking at Su Rong, "I thought we wouldn’t be able to eat it today. I never expected your brother to actually cook it especially for us."
Su Rong replied, "My brother is a man of his word, and since he promised, he won’t go back on his words. Let’s eat!"
Duanhua nodded vigorously, picked up her chopsticks, took a bite and found the taste unexpectedly good. "Hmm," she hummed, "Your brother is wonderful."
Su Rong responded with a hum.
Duanhua murmured, "Why don’t I have a brother like that?"
She sampled every dish and muttered again, "Can I borrow half of your big brother?"
Su Rong ignored her.
Duanhua puckered her lips and ceased speaking, concentrating on her meal instead.
By this time, the people from the Princess Residence in the kitchen understood that Young Master Su had previously promised to cook lunch for the princess. Despite the great number of guests in the residence, he did not go back on his word and still managed to find time to cook.
A young master who cooked had a unique charm. Although there was a saying, "A gentleman stays away from the kitchen", the kitchen maids from the Princess Residence deeply felt that Su Xingze, as good as the rumors suggested, was honorable and trustworthy.
Chen Zhou, Jiang Xing and the others in the front hall naturally didn’t know that Su Xingze had excused himself for a brief half-hour to cook. They just noticed that he had bathed and changed clothes. Knowing that he likes to keep clean, they didn’t ask further.
Thus, when the madam returned to Duke Residence at ’East Four Hutong’, after having finished her visit and lunch at the National Duke Residence, she found the Residence transformed.
The front hall was lively and bustling with many people, and all the servants walking around the courtyard were fashionably dressed.
She couldn’t help but ask in confusion, "Where did all these people come from?"
If it weren’t for the familiar faces of the household staff, she would have thought that she had walked into the wrong residence.
The Gatekeeper quickly explained, "Madam, after you left, Duanhua Princess arrived. Seeing that the Residence was quiet and short of staff, she arranged for some people to be delegated from the Princess Residence for temporary use. Not long after Duanhua Princess arrived, the scholars from Jiangzhou came. They are all still here."
The madam understood and refrained from interrupting the younger generation’s gathering in the front hall. She immediately led her six daughters straight to Su Rong’s courtyard.
At this point, Su Rong and Duanhua were enjoying tea by the brazier. Particularly Duanhua, who felt that the opportunity to enjoy a meal made by Su Xingze was rare, had finished all the dishes and was now waiting for the Hawthorn fruit tea on the stove to aid digestion after eating to her fill.
As the pair were chatting intermittently, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside. Duanhua turned her head and whispered to Su Rong, "Your mother and sisters?"
Su Rong nodded her head. Noting the time, it seemed they had come back a bit early, which suggested that they had returned directly after lunch at the Duke Residence without lingering.
As the Madam entered the room with the six young ladies, Duanhua quickly stood, dropped the hand she had been using to rub her stomach, and respectfully paid her respects to the Madam.
The Madam was extremely warm, gripping Duanhua’s hand with a loving expression on her face. She showered Duanhua with compliments from head to toe, only pulling her to sit down and speak with her after nearly inflating her with praises.
Duanhua had never met anyone as effusive in their affection as the Madam before. Her face gradually turned red with all the compliments and she kept looking at Su Rong.
Su Rong pretended not to notice and let her chat with the Madam, instead quietly asking her eldest sister, "How was your visit to the Duke Residence today?"
The eldest sister, in a low voice, said: "The people at the Duke Residence were very hospitable. The old Duke even entertained our mother for quite a while. Sheng An, the eldest princess imperial spouse; the Duchess; and the ladies were all very kind. The Crown Prince was also in the residence, apparently having arrived home late last night and intending to head to the military camp this morning. But after hearing that our mother was visiting, he stayed to keep her company for the day and left only after lunch. Zhou Gu was with us all the time, although he didn’t say much."
Su Rong nodded.
The eldest sister gazed at Su Rong, hesitated for a moment, then murmured in her ear: "Before we left, the Duchess had a private conversation with Mother for quite a while. After leaving the residence and boarding the carriage, Mother didn’t speak the entire way. Who knows what the Duchess had said to Mother."
Su Rong nodded again.
In a soft voice, the eldest sister remarked, "The family traditions of Duke Residence are truly outstanding."
Su Rong nodded again.
Seeing that after she had said all that, there were no further questions from Su Rong, the eldest sister stopped speaking.
The Madam was a talkative person. After speaking with Duanhua for a while, it was clearly noticeable that she fancied Duanhua. When she heard that Su Xingze had cooked the lunch for the two, her face lit up with joy. She told Duanhua, "From now on, the elder brother of Su Rong, is your elder brother too. Don’t be shy."
Her words contained a mastery that implied she needn’t feel hindered if she wanted to eat anything in the future but she didn’t actually say, "If you want to have something in the future, feel free to ask him." Instead, she only said that Su Rong’s brother was also her brother, so she shouldn’t be shy.
Duanhua glanced at Su Rong and nodded with a smile.
Su Rong cleared her throat, "Mother, would you like some tea? It helps with digestion."
The Madam finally paused in her speech, "Certainly, oh dear, the dishes made by the cooks at the Duke Residence were so delicious that I inadvertently overate. I certainly need something to aid digestion."
In reality, she hadn’t eaten that much. When visiting the Duke Residence, given the current delicate situation between the Su family and Zhou Gu, with the marriage cancellation hanging in the air, she was completely on her guard. How could she have possibly eaten a lot?
Su Rong, picking up the teapot, poured a cup for each person. As the Madam took a sip, she winced at the sour taste, "This is too sour, isn’t there any sugar?"
Su Rong paused for a moment, "I forgot."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
