Chapter 923 Zero Points
"Lord Xu, how does the red bean cake taste?"
Bai Cha entered carrying a teapot, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she asked.
These past two days, my young lady has been so busy that her face has become noticeably thinner. Bai Cha keeps this in mind and is thinking about cooking some desserts.
She's not a good cook; the only thing she can make is red bean cake.
Lin Yuesha ate a piece without showing any reaction, then went back to looking at the ledger. Bai Cha, eager for feedback, chose Xu Da, who was easier to talk to.
"It's delicious, but it uses up a lot of tea."
Xu Da drank a whole pot of tea after eating a single red bean cake before he realized it wasn't so choking anymore.
He hesitated for a moment, then decided to try to beautify the white tea, refraining from making any hurtful remarks.
Being a maid is not easy, especially with a master who is a great cook, Bai Cha can't compare no matter what she does.
Forget it, Bai Cha is just a maid, Xu Da shouldn't expect much from her skills.
"Really?"
Overjoyed at the praise, Bai Cha generously wrapped a few red bean cakes in oil paper. It was a rare treat for her cooking skills to be appreciated, and these cakes were her way of thanking Master Xu for his insightful comments.
"No need."
Xu Da shuddered. Wasn't it wrong to repay kindness with enmity? He tried to dodge, but Bai Cha enthusiastically forced it on him.
"Lord Xu, please don't be shy, please accept it."
Bai Cha replied crisply, "I heard you like red bean cakes."
"I love to eat, I love eating what Lin Yuesha makes."
Xu Da couldn't help but want to tell the truth. Was Bai Cha really being naive or just pretending? Hadn't he explained it clearly enough? He had pointed it out: eating red bean cakes wasted tea because they were too sweet. Was that hard to understand?
"I remember there aren't many red beans in the kitchen, and you need to be frugal with the white tea."
Xu Da decided to try a different approach, figuring he probably hadn't even tasted the red bean cakes this girl made.
"I understand."
Bai Cha readily agreed, which eased Xu Da's expression slightly. Before he could speak, Bai Cha quickly said, "There are only these few red beans left in the kitchen. I can't make any more even if I wanted to."
What? There are no more red beans?
Xu Da was so angry he couldn't speak. "That wasteful Bai Cha! If you can't make it, don't make it! Don't waste things!"
"My daughter says that if you don't study, you'll never improve."
Bai Cha said smugly, "Fortunately, this servant has talent."
Xu Da felt a tightness in his chest and couldn't catch his breath. He waved his hand to let Bai Cha go down first.
"Although we've run out of red beans, we still have mung beans. I can make mung bean cakes."
Bai Cha knew that Xu Da liked to eat snacks, so she volunteered.
Her mistress is busy with chores and cooking every day, which is exhausting. She wants to help her mistress with some of the burden.
After Bai Cha finished speaking, she turned around and skipped away.
After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lin Yuesha looked up from the ledger and finally gave Xu Da a glance. She rubbed her eyes; her eyes had become blurry from checking the ledgers these past few days.
"Cousin, you should advise Bai Cha in the future. Being a maid doesn't necessarily require good cooking skills. Reading account books is also a skill. Please don't think so negatively anymore."
Xu Da looked utterly exasperated. In the Northwest camp, the last remaining red beans were a precious ingredient, and they were being wasted like this.
For the New Year's Eve dinner, Lin Yuesha prepared steamed buns with red beans for the soldiers, but there was only a small bag of red beans left, which was specially prepared for Xu Da.
Bai Cha is such a troublemaker!
Xu Da couldn't say much, nor could he criticize the white tea, as if he were a fussy foodie.
I'll try to talk to her about it later.
Lin Yuesha chuckled to herself. She ate a red bean cake, drank a pot of tea, and made two trips to the outhouse. Now it was Xu Da's turn to share the hardships with her, and it felt pretty good.
The two exchanged a few words about something unrelated to the main topic. Xu Da glanced at Lin Yuesha out of the corner of his eye, his face full of conflict, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Cousin, after struggling for several days, I feel guilty and have decided to be honest with you and formally apologize."
Xu Da took a deep breath, his face solemn, and said seriously, "You must forgive me."
"how?"
My cousin is sorry to her, but how can I even begin to explain?
Lin Yuesha was confused by Xu Da and asked, "You sold me out?"
"No, no, how could that be?"
Xu Da felt deep remorse; he was the catalyst that caused the imbalance in the relationship between Qi Heng and Lin Yuesha.
"This is none of your business."
Mentioning Qi Heng, Lin Yuesha's face turned cold; the matter of deceiving him wouldn't be so easily forgotten.
She forgave him so easily; Qi Heng will likely repeat the offense.
Lin Yuesha's anger had long since subsided; she was merely putting on an act to see how Qi Heng would handle the situation.
It has to be said that Qi Heng, who is usually calm in the face of trouble, is incompetent in handling the conflict between the two, and can almost be considered a negative example.
"No, no, it has something to do with me."
Xu Da gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and took all the blame upon himself. "Qi Heng originally wanted to use a substitute, but I refused."
No matter how well the double hides, he is not as good as Qi Heng himself, and he is less likely to reveal his flaws in front of Yuwen Kun and Helian Cheng.
If it were a stand-in feeding the medicine to the Prince of Luo, they would have lost their composure long ago; they wouldn't have Qi Heng's calm demeanor.
"He had been trying to tell you, but I was the one who interfered and opposed it."
Xu Da confessed readily, saying, "I was afraid that if you knew the truth, you wouldn't be able to eat or sleep, and you would be too worried."
"So, you are the eternal sinner who caused the conflict between me and Qi Heng?"
Lin Yuesha leaned back in her chair, fiddling with her teacup. After so long, the scapegoat had finally appeared.
Qi Heng is quite capable; instead of admitting his mistake, he tries to make Xu Da take the blame. What a talent!
"I just don't understand why Qi Heng has suddenly become so indecisive and listens to you so much."
Lin Yuesha hit the nail on the head, leaving Xu Da speechless and dumbfounded.
It's too fake to expect Qi Heng to listen to him.
Xu Da covered his face. He had originally intended to persuade the couple to reconcile, but he hadn't thought things through and only wanted to take the blame, ignoring the logic.
"Qi Heng asked you to act as a mediator?"
Lin Yuesha scolded Xu Da, "Cousin, you need to know how to distinguish between close and distant relatives. You chickened out just because Qi Heng threatened you?"
Poverty and lowliness cannot sway him, power and force cannot subdue him. As a man of unyielding integrity, Xu Da was imprisoned in the dungeon by Helian Cheng and tortured every few days, but he did not yield. Yet Qi Heng frightened him like this with just a few words.
"No, cousin, it really is just a misunderstanding."
Xu Da lied, but it wasn't something Qi Heng taught him, he swore!
“I know that; he still has some sense left.”
Lin Yuesha nodded heavily, her face full of trust.
Xu Da forced a smile that looked more like a grimace; his cousin was probably cursing him.
"If this happened to you and Uya, how would you apologize?"
Lin Yuesha posed a probing question, estimating in her mind that Qi Heng would fail and Xu Da would likely fail completely.
However, Xu Da did not disappoint him, and said loudly, "A real man doesn't concern himself with trifles when it comes to achieving great things. Why bother explaining to a woman?"
He had his reasons for concealing the truth, and Uya simply needed to understand.
"What if she doesn't understand?"
Lin Yuesha cracked her knuckles; her hands were itching to move.
"There's nothing I can do if she doesn't understand."
Xu Da looked completely self-righteous, with an expression that said, "What can you do to me?"
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