"Dinner's ready!" Su Peisheng said to Si Hua and Shui Ling, who were taking care of Lan Qin in the room.
It turned out that Su Peisheng was impressed by Xiuzhu's ability to cure Lanqin's tremors, and he took the initiative to prepare dinner. After all, Xiuzhu had just stopped Lanqin's tremors; it wouldn't be right to let a young boy like him be in charge of dinner for all the adults.
So Su Peisheng shamelessly went to Xiuzhu to make peace, and immediately patted his chest and said that he was willing to cook dinner for everyone.
Seeing Su Peisheng's attitude, Xiuzhu was naturally happy to let him do it. Anyway, he was tired of cooking, and his master always made him cook. It was nice to be able to eat someone else's cooking today.
Su Peisheng went to the kitchen, carefully searched for the available ingredients, and then unleashed his culinary skills. Although he didn't work in the imperial kitchen, his cooking abilities were still quite good. When the Fourth Prince was away, Su Peisheng always cooked for him, and the Fourth Prince never complained, which showed that his cooking skills were excellent.
"Will the masters be back today? I can't eat anything with the master looking like this." Si Hua felt very guilty, thinking that she was the one who caused Lan Qin to be bitten.
"Sihua, you didn't eat much at noon. If you don't eat tonight, you'll faint before your master wakes up," Shuiling reminded her.
“Yes, Si Hua, let’s go eat something. You and Shui Ling can eat separately and take turns staying here,” Su Peisheng said.
Seeing that the two women were trying to persuade her, Si Hua had no choice but to nod.
"How about this, I'll go get your food. Master is usually kind to us, he shouldn't mind," Shui Ling said.
When Su Peisheng and Shui Ling came out of the house and arrived at the dining area, Gesang and Xiuzhu had already brought up all the dishes that Su Peisheng had prepared.
Shui Ling first served Si Hua rice, and then added vegetables to the bowl.
"Eunuch Su's cooking is really good, it looks delicious!" Shui Ling said.
Xiuzhu was taken aback and looked at Su Peisheng. Su Peisheng coughed, signaling Shuiling not to reveal her identity in front of outsiders. Shuiling then realized that she had misspoke.
"I'll go deliver food to Si Hua," Shui Ling said immediately. She had already filled her own bowl with rice and was preparing to eat with Si Hua over there.
Two men and a teenager sat at the table and began to eat.
"Brother Su's cooking is really good," Xiuzhu praised after taking a few bites.
"Hehe, you flatter me. Please eat more, young Taoist priest," Su Peisheng said with a smile.
"Where are you all from, and what are you doing at Wudang Mountain?" Xiuzhu asked.
"We're all from the capital. My husband is a silk merchant. We came here hoping to visit Wudang, but it was a real accident that my wife was bitten by that thing. Young Taoist priest, are you and your master from Wudang?" Su Peisheng made up an excuse.
“Yes, my master’s master was the second steward of Wudang. Because my master liked practicing medicine, he opened this clinic here to treat the people in the surrounding area,” Xiuzhu said.
"Isn't it a bit too high for your master to charge our master 10,000 taels for a consultation? According to what you just said, your master is a kind Taoist priest who practices medicine to help the people, specializing in treating these villagers in the mountains. He probably doesn't earn much money. I saw the ingredients in your kitchen, and there wasn't even a piece of meat. It was all vegetables, which shows that you live a very simple life. So why are you asking our master for such a high consultation fee?" Su Peisheng said.
When Xiuzhu heard what Su Peisheng said, he felt that what he said made sense, but he had been raised by his master since he was a child and had great respect for his master.
“Master must have his reasons for asking for so much silver,” Xiuzhu said.
"..." Su Peisheng glanced at the half-grown child a few times, speechless for a moment. In terms of his loyalty to the Fourth Master, he was no less devoted than this little brat.
“Brother, you don’t look like a Han Chinese. Are you Mongolian?” Xiuzhu asked when Gesang remained silent.
Gesang ate in silence the whole time, completely ignoring their conversation as if he had never heard it.
“He is a Manchu, not a Mongol,” Su Peisheng said.
Gesang glanced at Su Peisheng, his expression indicating his disapproval of his talkativeness. Su Peisheng suddenly realized that he had seemingly revealed the Fourth Prince's identity again. What silk merchant would hire a Manchu as a groom?
Just then, the sound of a door opening came from inside the house.
"Master is back!" Xiuzhu was the first to put down his rice bowl, stand up, and run out to see.
Sure enough, Zhou Tianhao, Fourth Master, and Ling Feng walked in. The bamboo baskets they carried were filled with fresh green plants.
"Master!" Su Peisheng and Gesang had also put down their rice bowls and come out.
"Xiuzhu, start decocting these two herbs according to the method I taught you." Zhou Tianhao put down the bamboo basket he was carrying, and then said, "I smell a fragrance. Are you eating?"
"Yes, Master, it was Brother Su who made the food. It was delicious." Xiuzhu said as she reached for the bamboo basket.
"Eat first!" Zhou Tianhao strode past him.
"Taoist Master, saving lives is the priority!" Fourth Master hurriedly said.
"No rush, it needs to boil for an hour for the medicinal properties to dissolve into the water!" Zhou Tianhao said this and went into the house.
"Master, shall I serve you your meal first?" Su Peisheng said immediately as he walked to the Fourth Master's side.
"Why are you cooking?" Fourth Master asked, glancing at Su Peisheng.
"This servant saw that the young Taoist priest Xiuzhu saved the concubine in time, and I want to reconcile with him." Su Peisheng then recounted the incident of Lanqin's trembling hands and feet.
"This is the last time!" Fourth Master said coldly, then walked towards Lanqin, "Bring me my food."
Su Peisheng immediately went to prepare a meal for the Fourth Master. Naturally, the Fourth Master would not dine with them, as Su had already prepared a separate meal for him.
Meanwhile, Si Hua and Shui Ling had finished their meal. When they saw the Fourth Master return, they quickly stepped aside, leaving the space to the Fourth Master and Lan Qin.
When Fourth Master learned that Lanqin's hands and feet were still trembling after they left, he became even more worried. He had no appetite for the meal Su Peisheng brought him, and only ate a little before stopping.
Meanwhile, Zhou Tianhao was thoroughly enjoying his meal, as Su Peisheng's food was indeed far superior to Xiuzhu's. He ate more and more, eventually finishing three bowls of rice.
"Xiuzhu, go and learn a few tricks from him. Your master will be in for a treat in the future," Zhou Tianhao said, finally putting down his rice bowl.
As Su Peisheng came in and helped Xiuzhu clear the dishes, he asked, "Daoist Master, are you ready to remove the poison from our lady?"
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