Chapter 155 The Best Chicken Soup
It was almost dusk outside, and the aroma of rich chicken soup filled the small kitchen.
Looking at the bubbling casserole, Su Luoxue softly asked the palace maid beside her, "Is this soup... ready?"
The palace maid carefully lifted the lid, gently poked the chicken with her chopsticks, and reported, "Your Majesty, the chicken is tender and the soup is rich and flavorful. It's ready."
Su Luoxue smiled with relief: "Alright. Ladle out the soup, and take it along with the other side dishes to the outer room of the bedchamber."
"Yes." The palace maids quickly responded and began to prepare swiftly.
Su Luoxue washed her hands, tidied her slightly disheveled hair, and said to everyone, "You can wait outside. I will go and wake His Majesty myself."
She walked quietly back to her bedchamber alone. Li Dehai was guarding outside the door; upon seeing her return, he quickly bowed. "Your Majesty..."
Su Luoxue gestured for him to be quiet and gently pushed open the palace door.
Inside the room, Yuwen Che was still fast asleep, the weariness between his brows seemingly lessened somewhat. Su Luoxue walked to the bedside, leaned down, and softly called in his ear, "A-Che... A-Che, wake up, it's time for dinner."
Yuwen Che's eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes. In the hazy light of waking up, what came into view was Su Luoxue's gentle, smiling eyes.
He instinctively reached out and grasped her wrist, his voice hoarse from just waking up: "Xue'er... what time is it?"
"It's almost dark." Su Luoxue let him hold her hand and answered softly, "I've had dinner prepared. Why don't you get up and have some? You haven't had a proper meal for two days."
Yuwen Che sat up and stretched his stiff shoulders. A faint pain came from the wound on his back, which made him fully awake.
He noticed the unusual scent on her and couldn't help but ask, "You... went to the kitchenette just now?"
Su Luoxue pursed her lips slightly and nodded, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation and barely perceptible nervousness: "Um... I... I made the soup myself. It might... not taste as good as the imperial chef's, would you... like to try some?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Che's eyes flashed with surprise and barely concealed joy. He grasped Su Luoxue's hand and examined it carefully: "Xue'er...you personally cooked soup for me?"
Su Luoxue felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and nodded gently.
Yuwen Che immediately grabbed her hands and examined them anxiously, his brows furrowing slightly: "Did you burn yourself? Did you cut yourself? The kitchen floor is slippery, did you bump into anything?"
Seeing his anxious and worried expression, as if he were afraid she would get hurt, Su Luoxue couldn't help but chuckle, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
She withdrew her hand, twirled gently in front of him, and said softly, "Look, you're really alright, not a scratch at all. I've had the maids bring in the food, shall we... go and try it? It's my first time cooking, I don't know if it'll suit your taste."
Yuwen Che was relieved and looked at her with gentle eyes, a pleasant smile curving his lips: "Alright, I will definitely try Xue'er's cooking."
He stood up, and Su Luoxue quickly went to help him. The two walked together to the outer room, where several light dishes were already laid out on the table, with a steaming bowl of chicken soup in the center, its aroma filling the air.
Yuwen Che pulled her to sit down beside him, personally ladled out a bowl of soup, blew on it to warm it up, and then handed it to her: "You've been busy for so long, drink some to warm yourself up first."
Su Luoxue shook her head, pushed the bowl back in front of him, and said expectantly, "No, this soup was specially made for you. You drink it first. Tell me... how does it taste?"
Looking into her bright eyes, Yuwen Che no longer refused. He picked up the bowl and carefully took a sip. The chicken soup might not have tasted particularly delicious, but in his mouth, it seemed sweeter than any fine wine.
He put down the bowl, took her hand, his gaze deep and earnest, and said, word by word, "This is the best soup I have ever drunk."
Su Luoxue's cheeks flushed slightly, and a satisfied and happy smile appeared in her eyes. She gently scolded, "You're so glib..."
Su Luoxue picked up her chopsticks, placed some stir-fried vegetables in his bowl, and looked at him with a hint of pride and a little embarrassment: "Try this... and that... um, I made all of these."
A genuine look of surprise appeared in Yuwen Che's eyes, and the corners of his lips turned up: "Okay." He picked up the dish she had laid out and began to taste it in small bites.
The taste is indeed... inconsistent.
Some dishes were clearly under-salted, and tasted rather bland.
Some, however, seemed to have a shaky hand and were a bit too salty, and their cooking time wasn't quite right.
But Yuwen Che ate with great care, even relish, showing no sign of disgust, only warmth in his eyes.
When he tasted a dish that was cooked just right and tasted quite good, he immediately picked up a piece with his chopsticks, carefully blew on it, and held it to Su Luoxue's lips: "Xue'er, try it too, this is really delicious."
Su Luoxue ate it from his hand, savoring the taste. It was just ordinary home cooking, far inferior to the exquisite skills of the imperial chef.
But seeing the genuine appreciation and joy in his eyes, her heart felt filled with sweetness.
Yuwen Che put down his chopsticks and took her hand: "Xue'er, I like it very much, I really like it. But promise me, from now on, these things will still be handled by the imperial chef, okay?"
He gently stroked her fingertips with his thumb, his eyes filled with tenderness: "I married you into the palace so that you could enjoy a life of luxury, to be the precious jewel I hold in my palm, not so that you could be tainted by this grime and smoke."
"I'm even more afraid that you might accidentally hurt yourself. Seeing you busy for me, I feel... both happy and reluctant."
Su Luoxue grasped his hand and nodded obediently, "Okay, I understand. In the future... just once in a while, is that alright?"
Looking at her expectant eyes, Yuwen Che finally smiled helplessly and indulgently, gently flicking the tip of her nose: "Alright, as you wish. But you must have a palace servant watching carefully, and you are not allowed to do it alone."
"Okay, whatever you say." Su Luoxue agreed with a smile, and served him another half bowl of rice. "Then eat more, you must be starving these past two days."
Yuwen Che truly ate all the food Su Luoxue had prepared, including the not-so-perfect chicken soup, and finished it all.
Watching him put down his chopsticks, Su Luoxue asked with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation, "How was it? Was it... to your liking?"
Yuwen Che took her hand, his gaze sincere, and he didn't hold back his praise: "Delicious, it's the most special and best meal I've ever had."
Su Luoxue knew there was an element of comfort in his words, but she still couldn't help but smile, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart. She looked at the hazy moonlight outside the window and suggested, "Ache, how about we go for a walk to digest our food? You've been lying down for so long, you should move around a bit."
Yuwen Che naturally complied, stood up, and habitually took her hand: "Alright, I'll accompany you."
The two walked hand in hand out of the Sizheng Hall and strolled slowly through the palace gardens. The moonlight, like water, shone on the two walking side by side.
Su Luoxue leaned against him, feeling the cool evening breeze on her face, and suddenly said softly, "Ache, looking at Hao'er today, I felt... both heartache and some relief."
Yuwen Che paused slightly, turning his head to look at her: "Hmm?"
"He was terrified himself, but he still remembered to protect his younger siblings."
Su Luoxue said gently, "Ache, let's... visit him more often in the future, okay? Let's not leave him alone anymore."
Yuwen Che was silent for a moment, recalling the small but determined figure in the sea of fire, and the suppressed tears he had shed in front of him today. He nodded, pulled her closer to him, and said in a low voice, "Alright, I promise you. He is my son, and I... will try to be a good father."
Under the moonlight, the two smiled at each other, and many unresolved issues seemed to quietly melt away. They continued their stroll, talking in hushed tones, about nothing more than the children's amusing anecdotes or ordinary sights and sounds from the palace—simple yet heartwarming.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
