Watching the little princess and the Eighth Prince enthusiastically pouring lobsters, each one held with tiny scissors, into the fish basket, the Fourth Prince felt a little frustrated; he hadn't caught a single fish all day. Their movements, one fishing and the other scooping, were remarkably coordinated.
Even the usually composed Fourth Prince was now restless, watching his little princess chatting and laughing freely with another man—how could this be proper?!
However, our Comrade Lanqin was completely unaware that her husband was quite dissatisfied with her at that moment.
You little brat, keep smiling at other men, just wait till tonight I get my hands on you!
That guy, he's so clueless. What's gotten into him today? Why isn't he following the ninth and tenth brothers? Why is he coming here to join in the fun?
Fourth Master silently cursed the couple on the opposite boat in his mind.
Suddenly, a wild duck took flight from the lotus flowers. Immediately afterward, a feather shot swiftly in the direction the duck had flown.
"Snap!" The arrow struck the wild duck. Then, it fell straight onto the water in front of Lanqin.
All of this happened so suddenly, in less than ten seconds, turning a beautiful wild duck from vibrant life to a violent death.
Lanqin screamed, and the shrimp fishing rod in her hand slipped into the water. The troublemaker then glided into their view in his small boat.
"Fourth Brother, Eighth Brother, so you're all here. Did you see the wild duck I shot?" The Fourteenth Prince, completely oblivious to Lanqin's angry glare, asked cheerfully.
"You've come at the perfect time." Fourth Master immediately showed a rare smile and said, "You're on your octopus boat."
When the wild duck fell into the water, Eighth Master immediately grabbed the arrow stuck in it and pulled the duck out.
Only then did the Fourteenth Prince notice that Lanqin was looking at him angrily, so he asked a particularly awkward question: "Little sister-in-law, what are you doing on Brother Ba's boat?"
"I was fishing for shrimp with Uncle Ba, and my fishing rod was knocked into the water by your wild duck. Come and get it with me!" Lanqin said angrily, looking at her shrimp fishing rod floating on the water.
The Fourteenth Prince chuckled and teased her, "Little sister-in-law, why aren't you fishing for crayfish with my Fourth Brother? Why are you fishing with my Eighth Brother instead?"
Upon hearing the implication in his words, Lanqin thought to herself, "Oh no, this feudal society places great emphasis on the separation of men and women. Was I just too open-minded?" Thinking this, Lanqin couldn't help but glance at the Fourth Master, only to find that he was currently wearing a stern expression.
"Master wants to fish, and if I fish for shrimp on the side, I'll scare the fish away. Eighth Master specially helped me fish, isn't it all so that he can make braised shrimp for everyone later!" Lanqin said to Fourth Master with a wronged expression.
When Fourth Master saw that the little princess was "explaining" to him, he stopped putting on a long face and immediately said, "I had bad luck today and didn't catch a single fish. I wonder how Ninth and Tenth Princes fared?"
“They’ve caught quite a few over there. We’ll cook them all later.” The Fourteenth Prince immediately forgot about the question from before, slid the boat to the spot where the shrimp fishing rods were floating, and helped Lanqin pick them up.
His interruption dampened everyone's spirits, and they all rowed their small boats toward the shore. Lanqin returned to Fourth Master's boat first, and she keenly noticed that his expression softened considerably when she returned.
Is he jealous because I just went lobster fishing with Master Ba? Anyway, this guy doesn't seem very happy.
Okay, I was just trying to ease the awkward atmosphere between you guys!
Su Peisheng and the other servants had been waiting on the shore. When they saw their master and the two princes return, they greeted them with smiles.
"Master, you and the princess caught so many lobsters!" Su Peisheng said with a smile as he took the fish basket handed to him by the Fourth Master.
Lanqin is speechless!
Su Peisheng, being the kind of person he was, immediately realized he had said the wrong thing, so he quickly changed the subject, saying, "Master, this servant thinks the scenery here is quite nice. We can have lunch in that octagonal pavilion."
The Fourth Prince thought it was a good idea, so he nodded and helped Lanqin, the Fourteenth Prince, and the Eighth Prince ashore.
Before long, Peach Blossom Ninth and Tenth Prince also returned. They had caught several large grass carp, which made lunch more appetizing.
Looking at this army of numbers, Lanqin felt a bit of pressure, so she volunteered to go to the kitchen to instruct Niu Baoquan on how to make braised prawns.
After Lanqin followed Su Peisheng to the kitchen, the princes went to rest in an octagonal pavilion next to the lotus pond.
Meanwhile, the kitchen was on high alert. Ever since the princes arrived at the estate, they had all been eager to serve their master. Moreover, Niu Baoquan had received such a great reward and had been granted permission by his master to return to the Fourth Prince's residence to serve him, making him the envy of everyone.
When Lanqin, supporting Nianxue's arm, followed Su Peisheng to the entrance of the kitchen, she saw several cooks inside fawning over Old Niu, wishing he could promote them and take them away with him.
"Oh, you've just received a reward and you're already acting all high and mighty, like you don't recognize anyone!" Su Peisheng said sarcastically.
Niu Baoquan was quick-witted; he recognized the voice immediately. He pushed through the crowd and rushed to Su Peisheng, bowing deeply before daring to look up. When he saw Lanqin following behind Su Peisheng, he immediately knelt down, saying, "This servant greets the Princess!"
No matter how arrogant he is, this is a very important person he can't afford to offend. If it weren't for Lanqin, how could he have been fortunate enough to enter the Fourth Prince's mansion?
"Get up. I'm here to ask you to cook a dish. Do you know how to make braised prawns?" Lanqin gestured to Su Peisheng not to make things difficult for him anymore. She really couldn't bear to see someone as old as Lao Niutou, who could be her father, kneeling down.
"Your Highness, I can cook shrimp, but I've never made braised shrimp like you mentioned. Please, Your Highness, show me how." A bead of sweat rolled down Niu Baoquan's forehead as he thought to himself: I haven't even entered the manor yet, and if I don't serve you well now, that won't do.
"It's not difficult. Do you have spices like Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and red peppers here?" Lanqin asked, relying on her memory.
"Yes, all the seasonings and utensils are provided here," Niu Baoquan replied respectfully.
"That's great." Lanqin smiled and then described the appearance, taste, and preparation of the braised prawns.
To be fair, Niu Baoquan was indeed a good cook. He followed Lan Qin's instructions and made a few shrimp to test the taste, and it was a success on the first try. Lan Qin tasted one, and the flavor immediately won her over. It was almost identical to the taste she remembered, and even better.
Damn it, the cooks serving the prince are truly something else; they're all culinary masters.
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