“This has never happened. I asked her, but Madam Su denied it to the death. She said the vegetables came from the field and were planted by her and her family.”
Wang Fei even wiped his sweat while talking, which I found a bit comical. Luckily, I didn't like the food, so I didn't eat it. Next time Xie Yuancheng forces me to eat something I don't like, I'll use that as an excuse.
"What's going on? This restaurant and inn is the best in town, no matter what. She's from a village, and she's a woman. How could they dare to take her in if she wasn't a cook?"
"Yes, I asked the head chef here, and he said that this girl is not very old, about fourteen or fifteen years old. But she has never made a mistake when cooking before, except this time."
"Who ate here before? Who lives here today?"
"They are all local families with spare money, and some tourists who have come because of the reputation. Today, when the Marquis and his wife came, we originally wanted to clean up the scene, but the Marquis was considerate of the people and said that we would not move and that we would be no different from the people of the day."
The cook and head chef in the kitchen were both unwell today. Since Madam Su always said surprising things and was an excellent cook, they asked her and her family to help out for the day.
"Has anyone else shown any unusual behavior?" Xie Yuancheng clearly didn't want to care anymore; he guessed the food wasn't clean.
"No, it was just that a rich family's child had been vomiting and having diarrhea, and after going to the clinic, he was fine."
"That's good. In the future, when it comes to larger places like this, don't always listen to the boasts of eloquent people. Pay more attention to quality. Anyone can say nice things, but not just anyone can do things well. She's not only a peasant girl, but she also brought her family to help as the head chef. The manager of this restaurant can stop working."
"Yes! I will definitely investigate thoroughly." Wang Fei left, and I hurriedly went to ask Xie Yuancheng what had happened. He just smiled and had someone fetch water, without saying a word.
Although it was a bit far from the main hall, I could still hear some distressing voices, the crying of young children, and the shouts of older people, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
"Ying'er, it's time to bathe and change." Xie Yuancheng took off my outer garment, and I immediately complained of being cold. "Your face is still flushed. You were winking at me while wearing a veil, and now you're complaining of being cold?"
"It's almost early winter, and I'm used to the cold. Tell me what happened just now."
"It's a good thing you're a picky eater and didn't eat the food served downstairs. I always thought it was just something people outside would eat casually, but I didn't expect it wasn't made by a professional chef."
"It doesn't look clean, and the food is very ordinary, not even as good as what you'd find in a small household. Besides, what's the use of just having a nice name if it doesn't look appetizing? It doesn't taste good either, and I don't even want to pick up the plates and chopsticks."
"Yes, I forgot that Ying'er is a picky eater. When we're out and about, we shouldn't be so picky."
"I know that if you send me some clean and white steamed buns, I might eat them, but if you send me something that is all show and no substance, and that doesn't look good or taste good, I would never eat it."
I don't know how he took off my clothes, but I was in the tub, and it was still warm. I invited him to come in too, otherwise I wouldn't let him sleep with me.
"You little rascal, I'll give in to you." Xie Yuancheng came in and rubbed my back. I leaned against the hot water and wanted to sleep. There was still a long way to go, and I didn't know if there would be any more hot showers later.
When I'm out, I don't care much about the food, but I absolutely must take a shower, otherwise I can't sleep well. A bath made me feel much better. Xie Yuancheng told me that there was something in the food that caused diarrhea and made me feel unwell. He didn't know if the food was mixed up or if it was laced with medicine, but anyway, it would make you feel very unwell for three or four days.
"Does no one here have a cook? Why does everyone end up in the kitchen?" I leaned against Xie Yuancheng to rest, and the scent of him made me feel at ease.
"I guess so. It's their business. Just be more careful in the future. Go to sleep now, you have to get up early tomorrow."
"Mmm~" I was about to fall asleep under the covers when Xie Yuancheng tried to tease me. I waved his hand away and said, "Go to sleep, I'm so sleepy."
“I’ve put out insect repellent and ward off evil spirits for you. If you wake up in the middle of the night and say you can’t sleep well and come to bother me, we won’t be in good spirits tomorrow morning.”
"Pah! You're the one who's not feeling well. As long as I can sleep next to you, anywhere is home."
"Ying'er~" Let him indulge in his self-pity. I need to rest first, and while I'm at it, I'll have a dream and see if there's anything I need to be careful about on the way.
When I woke up this morning, I was still wondering if it was a good thing that I hadn't been dreaming lately. I took the kingfisher out, but it didn't want to talk to me. I poked its little wings.
"Chirp chirp~" the kingfisher chirped at me, "In broad daylight, what business could there be? You've made such a big fuss, and you're taking the main road. Only someone with a screw loose would come back to rob us!"
"If you had said so earlier, I wouldn't have done anything to you. As long as the journey is safe, I can have peace of mind to argue with Xiao Chengcheng."
"Huh~ I really don't know how he can put up with you. Why don't I have such good luck?" The kingfisher was conflicted. I put it in my pocket, and now I'm not worried at all.
When Xie Yuancheng came in, he was still smiling. He thought I had something good to say, so I pinched his cheek. "Your fair and tender little face is so adorable!"
"You're trying to provoke people this early in the morning, or I won't let you leave the house!" You're so arrogant, but the teachers are all waiting. Let's see how you behave.
When we went out, Wang Fei was already waiting. Xie Yuancheng said a few words to him, and his face was beaming with joy. It's rare to see a man smile like that.
After they finished speaking, we set off. There really was a very beautiful carriage, with lanterns hanging outside and various decorations. It was just missing some pearls and gems to indicate the owner's high status.
I was in the carriage, no longer riding a horse with Xie Yuancheng. It was actually quite comfortable here, much more so than on horseback. Before we even left the town, we heard a sound. I lifted the curtain to look and saw a person dressed in white hopping towards us. The constables in front quickly stopped him.
"We beg Your Excellency to clear the name of our Su family! We have not harmed anyone. We beg Your Excellency to seek justice for us!"
Does this mean that Su is not a very good cook, but is very good at bragging?
"How dare you! It was already investigated yesterday. Although you didn't admit it, the recipes and meals were examined by the best doctors and coroners in the area. The dishes you prepared were seriously problematic. Moreover, you showed no remorse and came to block the Marquis of Anle's road early in the morning."
Wang Fei was indeed cut out to be an official; as soon as he made that sound, the noisy crowd stopped arguing.
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