Chapter 917 Feeding little girls is prohibited here!
morning.
At the entrance of Qingliang Valley Dining Hall.
Two figures arrived, but it wasn't Li Shu.
They were two unfamiliar Yue women.
On the snow-white Wu skirt, a blooming pale blue orchid pattern is embroidered on the cuffs, making it exceptionally elegant.
They stopped at the entrance of the dining hall and peered into the lower hall, their eyes seemingly searching for something.
Purpose unknown.
Ouyang Rong noticed with his sharp eyes that one of the women was carrying a red lacquered food box.
The red lacquered food box looked very familiar to him.
"Excuse me, is this food box from your dining hall?"
A Yue woman with an orchid-like voice asked calmly.
No one moved from their workstations. Ouyang Rong took off his apron and, under the watchful eyes of the women cooking around him, calmly walked forward.
"mine."
He said.
The two orchid-like Yue women sized up the dull-witted young man with their eyes:
Who are you?
Ouyang Rong answered truthfully:
"The cook is Liu Aliang."
Lan Hua, the young lady, opened the food box, gesturing for the leftovers inside, and then checked again:
"Did you cook all these dishes?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at them.
The two young women, dressed in orchids, stared intently at him.
He nodded without changing his expression:
"Yes, I did it."
After a pause, as the two women looked at each other, Ouyang Rong raised his hand and asked:
"May I ask why this food box is in the hands of the two fairies? I remember I made the meal for that little fairy."
A woman suddenly asked:
"Li Shu?"
"Um."
Another woman bluntly stated:
"This is what Her Majesty found with Xiao Shu."
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly.
Before he could ask any more questions, the two women suddenly turned around, took the food box, and left.
It disappeared without a trace very quickly.
It was as if they had never been there.
The entrance to the dining hall was quiet again.
Ouyang Rong glanced in the direction they had left, then turned back and walked back to his original spot.
I had a vague premonition.
Just then, a woman's voice came from the side.
"Did you do this on purpose?"
Ouyang Rong's hand, which was reaching for the apron, paused slightly.
He turned around and his eyes met Wu Cui's.
She was sitting by the window in the corner of the dining hall, flipping through a book. She seemed to have been watching Ouyang Rong's conversation with the two young ladies from the Orchid Pavilion the whole time.
At that moment, Wu Cui glanced at him, then looked down at the stove.
Ouyang Rong understood what she meant; she was referring to the fact that he cooked for Li Shu every day.
He calmly asked, "What makes you say that?"
Wu Cui said to herself:
"Those two fairies are from the side of the two goddesses. They don't come here often, and they don't usually eat the food from our Qingliang Valley Dining Hall."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "I see."
Wu Cui looked at him and asked softly:
"Were you very familiar with the two fairies who came to see you the other day?"
"I guess so."
Ouyang Rong retorted, "You're very observant."
Wu Cui pursed her lips, and after a moment, said with certainty:
"Aren't you also unwilling to give up and want to take a gamble?"
Ouyang Rong's expression froze for a moment, then he vaguely remembered what Aunt Zhu had mentioned before.
He continued tying his apron and tidying the stove, saying in a calm voice:
"I guess so, but it's not the same as yours."
Wu Cui looked puzzled.
Ouyang Rong pointed to the stove, smiled slightly, and said:
"I want to be the head chef, to cook for everyone, so that goddesses and fairies can all eat my food. I want to..." He deliberately raised his voice, suppressing a laugh, "to become the King of Chefs."
"Chef King?" Wu Cui frowned. "What is that? Is it some kind of honor?"
Ouyang Rong answered sincerely:
"It means the best cook."
Seeing the slight upturn at the corners of the taciturn young man's lips, Wu Cui couldn't help but ask:
"Isn't that still a cook? What's the difference?"
Ouyang Rong admitted it directly, without any concealment:
"That's right."
Wu Cui was even more puzzled: "Want to be a cook your whole life? Aren't you just like me, eliminated after the assessment? Why are you so short-sighted?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"No, no, no, being a cook is not easy."
Wu Cui's face was stern:
"What's so hard about it? You're a grown man, and you've got the ambition. Besides, what's so difficult about it?"
Ouyang Rong originally wanted to tease her by asking if she knew the saying "governing a large country is like cooking a small fish," and then make up some nonsense in a serious manner. However, he immediately remembered that he was currently disguised as the dull and taciturn cook A Liang, and it was inconvenient for him to say anything flirtatious.
He shook his head and turned away to attend to his work.
You don't understand.
Wu Cui: ...
She really didn't understand Ouyang Rong's thought process.
There were many topics he had planned to discuss, such as whether his recent "feeding" of the little fairy like a creepy uncle was an attempt to "trick" her into revealing her cultivation techniques... He swallowed all of these thoughts.
Wu Cui lowered her head silently and continued reading before lunch preparation time began.
Ouyang Rong did the same, taking advantage of the fact that Aunt Zhu hadn't arrived yet, he continued to cook new dishes.
After waiting for a long time, Li Shu still did not arrive.
On the contrary, the arrival and personal inquiry of the two orchid-scented Yue women just now have given rise to some speculations.
Before long, Aunt Zhu arrived at the dining hall.
Ouyang Rong gave up the stove and turned to move firewood.
With many stoves in operation, the lunch preparations for the Yue women in Qingliang Valley and the surrounding area are in full swing.
Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside.
Ouyang Rong turned his head to look.
It was the same two Yue women with orchids from before. They had returned, but now they stood to the left and right of another unfamiliar Yue woman. This woman's white Wu dress had bright red orchid patterns on the cuffs, suggesting that she was of higher status. The other two Yue women with orchids followed closely behind.
A Yue woman dressed in orchid-like flowers stepped forward and asked towards the door, "Who's in charge here?"
Grandma Sun, who was sitting closest to the stove, immediately dropped her spoon and ran to the door:
"I am a humble woman named Sun, the head cook of this place. May I ask what brings you three celestial maidens here..."
Grandma Sun first glanced at the newcomer's clothes, her tone respectful and ingratiating.
The Yue woman with the red orchid pattern on her sleeves turned around and led Madam Sun to talk under a jujube tree in the outer courtyard.
After they left, a noisy commotion arose in the crowded dining hall.
Everyone was curious.
Ouyang Rong was already somewhat prepared, and after noticing that Li Shu hadn't come today, he had some guesses.
A short-legged little girl's back flashed before my eyes as she waved her hand confidently.
He began to feel a little hopeful.
A short while later, Sun suddenly ran into the dining hall and came to Ouyang Rong and Zhu's stove.
Her face wore an unexpectedly stern expression as she angrily questioned:
"Liu Aliang! Zhu, Zhu Youti! Who gave you permission to give Li Xiaoxianzi special treatment? Don't you know that the Second Goddess has repeatedly forbidden Li Xiaoxianzi from being greedy? How can you be so insensible!"
Wu Cui and the group of elderly women who were in charge of cooking looked at each other in surprise.
Aunt Zhu was stunned for a moment, then looked fearful and aggrieved, waving her hands in defense.
Ouyang Rong turned his head to look, his brows furrowing slightly.
At this moment, he automatically ignored Sun's loud voice, which was trying to shift the blame. Amidst the uproar, he silently turned his head and looked towards the entrance of the dining hall.
The three orchid-scented Yue women who had come to question and correct the situation had already turned and left, their backs cold and aloof.
There was only one food box, sitting alone under the tree.
No one picked it up.
...
Ouyang Rong made a mistake.
No, it should be said that the cook, A Liang, made a mistake.
...
The sun was shining brightly in the morning.
The dappled shade of the trees fell in the courtyard, and the wet patches on the bluestone slabs not far from the well were quickly dried, only to be soaked again by the splashing well water.
Outside the courtyard, Li Wan was walking gracefully towards them.
Her black hair was tied into a bun, and she wore a royal blue gauze robe with smoky sleeves. She carried a basket of clothes in one hand and quickly pushed open the courtyard gate.
After opening the door, the woman paused briefly at the entrance of the courtyard. Her bright, almond-shaped eyes, adorned with delicate eyebrows, darted around the sunny courtyard, finally settling on the taciturn man who was washing clothes by the well.
Because of the heat, Ouyang Rong was shirtless in his own courtyard, but he put his shirt on before Li Wan opened the door.
Li Wan stood at the door, neither entering the courtyard nor speaking immediately.
Ouyang Rong scooped up a handful of cold water and rubbed his palms together.
At this time of day, it would normally be a crucial period for lunch preparations, and he would be busy in the dining hall.
However, Ouyang Rong did not go in the past two days.
After cleaning his hands, the young man put down his work, grabbed a bamboo basket next to him, which was full of dates that had been washed with well water beforehand and were covered with cool water stains.
He walked to the door, handed it to the lady, and gestured to her.
Li Wan picked up a date, took a bite of the crisp jujube, and kept her eyes fixed on Ouyang Rong the whole time.
She noticed that the young man remained expressionless and calm, as if he hadn't noticed anything.
"well."
Li Wan sighed and said:
"I inquired about the Sun family's situation for you. It's quite serious, but... it's not serious enough to warrant your dismissal from the kitchen."
Ouyang Rong nodded calmly.
"Um."
Li Wan shook her head and slowly said:
"That little fairy is named Li Shu. She was brought back from Jiangnan by the Second Goddess. She is currently the Second Goddess's only direct disciple and has a noble status. However, she is too young and is known for being naughty and mischievous in the Sword Swamp. She is also a little glutton and used to run to various dining halls every day to steal food..."
Even the gentle nature of the Second Goddess couldn't resist. Starting three months ago, she was forbidden from eating anything other than three meals a day, and the various dining halls were not allowed to prepare special meals for her. This Little Fairy Li must have been afraid of the Second Goddess, because she stopped stealing food.
"However, she still can't change her gluttonous nature. She doesn't steal food anymore, but she's started running to the different dining halls every day before mealtime to see which one has the best food, and then she stays there to eat. This is still within the rules set by the goddess, but, until you this time..."
Li Wan hesitated, then stopped speaking.
Ouyang Rong remained expressionless.
Everything is now clear.
In fact, he hadn't been to the dining hall for the past two days and had already figured out some details and roughly understood the ins and outs. He had long since moved past the stage of being angry and laughing at the short-legged little girl's behavior of tricking his "good friend".
Now I'm just speechless.
You little brat, waving your hand after taking the favor is really a way of refusing it, isn't it?
Why didn't she just say it clearly... Okay, she always pretended to be mute and kept mumbling "uh uh uh." Maybe at some point she did understand, but he just didn't get it right.
Besides, you were actually refusing with "uh-uh" sounds the whole time, but the weird uncle forced you to eat a lot of delicious food, so you had no choice but to do it.
I've really fallen for your trick.
Indeed, when traveling and navigating the world, the people you should be most wary of are women, children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but complain in his heart.
And what's most infuriating is that you not only sneak food, but you also get caught...
The image of the short-legged little girl sneaking in with a hint of cunning flashed before his eyes again, and at that moment, Ouyang Rong took a deep breath.
I never expected to be tricked by a little girl.
Looking back now, he still believes he was cautious enough and had played it safe.
I was mainly swayed by the newly redeemed two-color blessing, which interfered with my judgment.
Who would have thought that after receiving a blessing with a 100% success rate, you would turn around and step out the door, only to fall into a pit?
Naturally, when encountering events or people, one should try to make inferences that are beneficial.
In addition, she is Li Yu's daughter.
Li Yu is quite honest and reliable.
This led him to far underestimate the level of abstract thinking this little girl possessed...
Li Wan, who was standing to the side, quietly finished eating her dates. During this time, she couldn't help but glance at the slightly displeased look on the young man's face.
She whispered:
"After your matter was reported, the Second Goddess gave an extra instruction: that the Sun family and the Qingliang Valley Dining Hall should not punish you too severely, and just remember the prohibition in the future..."
"However, based on my guess, perhaps the Second Goddess knows more about your relationship with Miss Aqing, so she naturally won't punish you too much. But, the Qingliang Valley Dining Hall, including Madam Sun, doesn't know, so they have some other arrangements for you, which you might not be satisfied with... Aliang, do you think I should go to Madam Sun again and privately tell her..."
She hesitated for a moment, her eyes searching.
Ouyang Rong asked directly:
"What arrangements?"
Li Wan sighed softly, her words muffled:
"The new arrangement is that you won't be able to stay in the dining hall for the time being."
Ouyang Rong asked a strange question:
"What do you mean? Are you going to kick me out of the dining hall?"
"It's not exactly being expelled, it just means we're temporarily keeping you away from the kitchen. You can't even be an assistant cook anymore; you'll have to do some fieldwork. In Sun's words, it's about laying low for a while."
Ouyang Rong looked puzzled:
"Field...work?"
Li Wan nodded.
Seeing that Ouyang Rong had stopped washing clothes, she looked around, walked over, and asked softly:
"How about I go over there again and have a chat with Madam Sun, and subtly reveal Miss Aqing's identity? I'll also slip you a red envelope and see if I can help you get a different job. Fieldwork isn't easy, and good jobs are never available to you. You should try to stay in the dining hall."
She couldn't help but complain:
"They're all seasoned, cunning errand boys, very timid. They think you're easy to bully because you have no connections, and your honest, unassuming nature makes them think you're easy to take advantage of. You can't get a word out of them for a long time, so naturally they'll make you do all the hard work and make you suffer..."
Ouyang Rong remained silent.
Just as Li Wan turned around, preparing to go look for Madam Sun again, the young man suddenly spoke:
"Let's not mention Aqing."
"you……"
Li Wan frowned and turned around, ready to persuade him again, but met his calm and steady gaze.
Ouyang Rong wiped his hands and said calmly:
"Madam, please explain in detail, what kind of fieldwork is it?"
(End of this chapter)
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