After finally getting through get out of class, Ye Caiping was so tired that she almost fell asleep sitting outside.
As expected, I couldn't hear anything at all!
Only after the female teacher left did Ye Caiping breathe a sigh of relief. She entered the classroom, but before she could speak, a servant boy walked in:
"Master said he would give Young Master Ye another hour of instruction this afternoon and invite him to lunch. Since Madam Ye is here, please join the other young ladies for lunch."
Ye Caiping couldn't refuse such a kind offer: "Okay, thank you, Master Shen."
"Auntie, this way." Shen Manman chuckled.
Ye Caiping said, "Didn't I give Xiao Qiu a food box this morning? It contained desserts I made."
"Okay, Xiao Qiu took it to the kitchen. Let's eat now, and she can bring it up after we finish eating."
Ye Caiping nodded.
Ye Huan'er stepped forward: "Mother, Uncle should be here to pick us up by now. Shouldn't we tell him?"
"He's not coming today. There's an injured person at home, so I sent him to the prefectural city to fetch a doctor."
"oh."
Soon, they arrived at the inner hall.
Shen Zhiyan sat in a chair drinking tea, while Ye Xuan stood nervously to the side.
When Ye Jin'er and her sister saw Shen Zhiyan, they were both astonished. This was Master Shen, Sister Man's father? There was no way a father could be so young and handsome.
Although they had been studying at the Shen family for several days, they went straight to Shen Manman's courtyard as soon as they entered the house and had never seen the legendary Master Shen.
Although they learned from Ye Xuan that Master Shen was not an old man, but about the same age as Ye Caiping, the three sisters were still stunned when they saw him.
Especially Ye Jin'er and Ye Huan'er.
Although their fathers were scumbags, they were among the most refined and cultured people in the surrounding area. But compared to this Master Shen, their fathers really became scumbags!
Shen Manman naturally knew that her father was handsome. Seeing that Ye Jin'er and the other two were stunned, she proudly introduced them:
"Jin-mei, Huan-mei, Yin-hua-mei, this is my father."
Ye Jin'er and the other two quickly greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Master Shen."
Shen Zhiyan said, "No need for such formalities."
Shen Manman whispered to Jin'er, "Isn't my father very handsome? Aunt Ye, don't you think so?"
Ye Caiping: "..."
Although it's true, how could she possibly boast about it? Wouldn't that be presumptuous?
"Manman." Shen Zhiyan's indifferent voice rang out, then he looked at Ye Caiping: "You flatter me."
Ye Caiping smiled but didn't say anything.
Shen Manman pouted her little lips.
The group sat down at the table, and servants brought in large food boxes, placing dishes on the table one by one.
There were ten dishes in total, five light and five spicy and sour.
Seeing this way of serving the dishes, Ye Caiping felt a warmth in her heart. It was because they didn't know their tastes, so they prepared several different flavors.
"Please use it." Shen Zhiyan smiled at Ye Caiping.
Ye Caiping nodded. Although he was unwilling to be Ye Xuan's tutor, although she had been taking advantage of him, although... anyway, she was not reserved at all.
As everyone started eating, Ye Jin'er and her sister, along with Ye Xuan, seemed a little nervous and hesitant.
Ye Caiping is eating stir-fried cured pork with bamboo shoots, Ye Jin'er is eating plain rice with her head down, Ye Huan'er is eating vegetables, and Shen Manman is eating sweet and sour pork ribs...
Only Shen Zhiyan was quietly eating a steamed crucian carp.
"Ah..." Shen Manman suddenly exclaimed softly.
Shen Zhiyan put down his chopsticks, and saw Shen Manman pick up a piece of thin, translucent cured meat. "This is the cured meat that my aunt gave me last time. It's really delicious."
Ye Caiping smiled and said, "I'm glad you like them. I'll send you a few more tomorrow."
Shen Zhiyan: "..."
After thinking for a moment, Shen Zhiyan placed a piece of fish on Shen Manman's plate.
Shen Manman slowly finished eating the cured meat before noticing the fish in her bowl: "Hmm... this crucian carp... wait, did you catch it, Dad?"
"Hmph!" Shen Zhiyan said indifferently while picking up some food.
"Wow, Daddy caught a fish!" Shen Manman exclaimed.
Ye Caiping was stunned. This guy who never caught a fish actually caught one! And not a small fry!
She fell silent as she thought about it.
He called her to class today, could it be... to tell her he caught a fish?
Although somewhat speechless, she still showed her support: "This fish is quite big. Master Shen has good luck. This is a stroke of good fortune for fish."
Shen Zhiyan smiled slightly: "It's alright."
Shen Manman said, "How come I heard that yesterday... um!"
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Zhiyan had already stuffed a piece of bamboo shoot into her mouth: "Eat your food properly."
Shen Manman choked for a moment, then thought about it and said, "Okay, I understand!"
He caught that fish last night; he's trying to show off!
He's still my own father, so I have to give him face.
Shen Manman then focused on eating the bamboo shoots without making a sound.
Ye Caiping was very supportive, picking up a piece of fish with her chopsticks: "Delicious."
She always loved crucian carp; although it had many bones, the flesh was tender and delicious. The Shen family's cook was highly skilled, controlling the heat and cooking time perfectly.
Shen Zhiyan was in a good mood.
He had eaten quite a few fish that Ye Caiping had brought him recently, and now he was finally letting her eat the fish he had caught. He felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Soon, everyone had eaten until they were about 70% full.
Shen Zhiyan had the remaining food removed, and Shen Manman said, "Xiao Qiu, bring it up."
Xiao Qiu turned and went out. A moment later, she came back in with a food box, placed a large soup bowl on the table, opened it, and ladled a bowl of coconut milk sago pudding for each person.
Then they brought out two plates with coconut milk jelly on them. The pieces were plump and white, and sprinkled with coconut flakes, making them very tempting.
"Dad, Aunt Ye made this," Shen Manman said urgently. "Have some."
Shen Zhiyan took a bite of the sago pudding, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
"Isn't it delicious?" Shen Manman asked with a smile. "Auntie, now you should tell me what kind of milk it's made with, right?"
Before Ye Caiping could speak, Shen Zhiyan had already said, "Xu Yu."
Ye Caiping breathed a sigh of relief; it turned out that coconuts were called Xuyu in this era.
Shen Manman suddenly realized: "So this is Xuyu? I read about it in a book before. It said that Xuyu grows by the sea and has abundant, sweet juice."
Shen Zhiyan said, "When I was young, I traveled and studied with my classmates and played by the sea. I also tasted Xuyu. But the juice there was clear as water, unlike this one, which is like milk and has a richer aroma."
Ye Caiping said, "I don't use the juice inside. I use the leftover meat. I grind it up and squeeze out the juice, which gives me a white, more fragrant liquid."
"Where did Auntie buy her son, Xu Yu?"
"Oh, I saw two merchants selling Xu Yu at a stall in the prefectural city a while ago. They had more than a dozen of them. Unfortunately, no one had ever seen it before, so they couldn't sell them. I found it interesting, so I bought some. The merchant even told me how to use it. I tried using it to make desserts, and I didn't expect it to be so delicious."
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