misfortune
While Shen Xiujin was stunned, the plate in front of him was already filled with various dishes by Zhao Fanghua.
"These are all my favorites. See if they suit your taste." Zhao Fanghua said with a smile.
Shen Xiujin was dazzled by Zhao Fanghua's smile for a moment, and after realizing something was wrong, he lowered his head and said, "Whatever His Highness likes, naturally, is good."
Zhao Fanghua clapped her hands with a smile, and then nudged Shen Xiujin's arm with her elbow: "Shen Xiujin, you have such a sweet mouth."
"What...what?" Shen Xiujin looked at Zhao Fanghua in panic, his eyes full of disbelief. He always felt that he had just been teased by Zhao Fanghua, but after the teasing, Zhao Fanghua did not appreciate his embarrassment, but started to eat heartily.
Shen Xiujin looked at the table full of delicious food in front of him and secretly swallowed his saliva. He was not a foodie. For the first twenty years of his life, simple meals were the norm. He even considered frugality a virtue. It was not until he won the third place in the imperial examination, was granted marriage to a princess, and was favored by the eldest princess, who took him and his son into the princess's mansion, that his life improved.
Shen Xiujin picked up a piece of tofu, which was covered with golden soup. The tofu was smooth and tender, and the juice was sweet. Shen Xiujin put down his chopsticks and praised: "Your Highness's chef is very skilled. Even this ordinary tofu can be made so delicious."
Zhao Fanghua was quite proud when she heard this: "This is crab meat tofu. It's a pity that crabs are not plump enough nowadays. For this small dish, the cook must have peeled a full twenty crabs."
Shen Xiu Jin stared at the dish of tofu in shock, secretly estimating its price, and couldn't help feeling a little regretful that his mother didn't come to dine in order to prove herself.
Then she began to complain about Zhao Fanghua. No matter what, if her future husband's mother, her future mother-in-law, did not come to dinner, as the future daughter-in-law, she should at least go to their house in person to invite them, which was only proper.
In the end, I became a little angry. Using such precious crab roe to match the tofu that can be found everywhere is really a waste of resources and an extravagance!
Zhao Fanghua didn't know what was going on in Shen Xiujin's mind. She just felt that with a handsome man by her side and delicious food in front of her, she had a very satisfying meal.
After eating and drinking, Zhao Fanghua yawned. Ever since she traveled through time, she had developed a good habit of taking a nap after lunch. As for what time she would start her nap, that all depended on her mood. Since she had nothing to do and no mobile phone to kill time, sleeping became her best way to kill time.
Zhao Fanghua went back to the house to rest with the help of Shuyu. Shen Xiujin looked at the table full of food and felt a little sorry. How much could he and Zhao Fanghua eat from such a large table?
He stopped the maid who was about to clean up and asked, "What are you going to do with the leftovers? Are you going to save them for dinner?"
The maid was startled, then bowed and said, "Replying to Mr. Shen, His Highness said that we can deal with the remaining dishes ourselves."
They said they would handle it themselves, but in reality, they just let the maids divide the food among themselves. Nobles and nobles would not rummage through the dishes when eating, and they would have their personal maids help them to spread the dishes. In addition, the eldest princess always used the best food, so even the leftovers were much better than the food prepared by the maids.
Shen Xiujin looked reluctant and asked, "By the way, has the meal for the old lady been delivered?"
The maid replied, "Teacher Shen, Aunt Shuyu has instructed that the old lady is old and tired from the long journey, so she shouldn't eat any heavy meats. She has asked the kitchen to cook a bowl of thin noodles in a broth and a few refreshing side dishes. It hasn't been sent yet."
Shen Xiujin was secretly unhappy, thinking that Zhao Fanghua was looking down on his mother. Zhao Fanghua himself would even add crab roe to his tofu, but he gave his future mother-in-law chicken noodle soup. What was so special about chicken noodle soup? Only poor families who only ate chicken once or twice a year would be reluctant to throw away the leftover chicken soup and would have to pair it with noodles or rice to be considered a meat meal.
Shen Xiu Jin naturally didn't know that ordinary people ate chicken for the chicken meat, but royal relatives like the eldest princess would simmer the chicken for several hours just for that bowl of chicken soup, and the chicken was just waste left for the chef to deal with.
Chen Xiujin looked at the table full of dishes, and the more he looked at it, the more unhappy he became. He ordered, "Since it hasn't been delivered yet, there's no need to do so. Put all these dishes in the food box and I'll deliver it to my mother personally."
The maids who were preparing to clean up looked at each other and finally nodded in agreement.
Shen Xiujin strode to Fushoutang with a food box in hand.
"Mother, look what I brought you." As soon as Shen Xiujin entered the house, he opened the food box as if presenting a treasure, and placed the food inside on the round table one by one.
Ruan took a look and her eyes lit up immediately, but she still pretended to turn her head away and said with a pout, "Humph, why don't you wait until I starve to death before sending it to me."
Even though she said that, Ruan's stomach started to growl.
"Mother." Shen Xiujin smiled and bowed to Ruan, saying flatteringly, "Mother, this is all my fault. I apologize to you."
Upon hearing this, Ruan reluctantly turned her head and picked up the chopsticks with reluctance.
Shen Xiujin helped to serve the dishes, while introducing them: "This is not ordinary tofu, this is crab roe tofu, with crab roe from twenty crabs added in it. My son loved it as soon as he tasted it..."
"Have you eaten it?" Ruan asked suspiciously, "Is this leftover?"
Shen Xiujin nodded in confusion, "What's wrong, mother?"
Ruan was furious. She put down her chopsticks heavily, pointed at Shen Xiujin, and asked, "You, you, you actually gave your mother leftovers?!"
Shen Xiujin still didn't understand why Ruan was so angry, and asked, "What's wrong with leftovers? In the past, what we looked forward to most was the leftovers that father brought back from working for the master's family. Although all kinds of vegetables were mixed together, and even when it was hot, some of the dishes had changed in taste by the time father came back, but at least there was meat. And what I brought you this time was different, we didn't..."
Before Shen Xiujin could finish his words, the furious Ruan had already swept all the dishes on the round table to the ground, and the porcelain fell to the ground with a "crackling" sound.
Furious, Ruan loudly demanded, "Is it possible that such a large princess mansion still lacks food for an old woman like me? They even give me leftovers. I think Zhao Fanghua is deliberately trying to embarrass me and starve me to death!"
When Shen Xiujin heard this, he also felt that everything was Zhao Fanghua's fault. Since it was her fault, she caused him to be punished by his mother.
She could have prepared another identical meal for Ruan, but instead she ordered the kitchen to make some chicken noodle soup. Wasn't that discrimination? Wasn't that disrespectful to her mother? Wasn't that disrespectful to herself?
Thinking of this, Shen Xiujin's dissatisfaction with Zhao Fanghua reached its peak. At this moment, he suddenly missed the tenderness and kindness of his cousin Ruan Jiaojiao.
Mother was right. She was her cousin, and they had grown up together. Now she was pregnant with her own child. Wasn't it only natural for her to enter the mansion? It would be a good opportunity to dampen Zhao Fanghua's prestige.
Shen Xiujin had been holding back until the afternoon, when he arrived at Fanghua Garden where Zhao Fanghua lived. As soon as he entered the yard, he saw Zhao Fanghua lying on a bamboo rocking chair in the courtyard basking in the sun. Peihuan was standing beside her, fanning her, and Shuyu on the other side said something to her, which made Zhao Fanghua laugh so hard that her body trembled.
Shen Xiujin was stunned for a moment and even forgot to move forward. Instead, Zhao Fanghua was the first to see Shen Xiujin. Her eyes lit up and she called out, "Ah! Shen Xiujin!"
Shen Xiujin took a few steps forward, half lowered his head and remained silent.
Zhao Fanghua tilted her head and asked curiously, "What's the matter?"
"I..." Shen Xiujin opened his mouth but didn't know where to start. He just stared at Zhao Fanghua's blinking almond-shaped eyes in a daze.
"If you don't say it, I'll say it!" Ruan's high-pitched and sharp voice sounded.
Zhao Fanghua tilted his head and saw Ruan coming up to him with a heroic and proud look.
Ruan looked at Zhao Fanghua lying in the rocking chair, and couldn't help but snorted again, and glanced at Shen Xiujin with disdain in her eyes: "I knew that you, who turned your elbows outward, were unreliable."
After that, he turned to Zhao Fanghua and said arrogantly, "Xiu Jin's cousin Jiaojiao and my son grew up together, and now she is pregnant. As the legal wife, you should find an auspicious day to bring her back home and take good care of her. Don't let our bloodline of the Shen family suffer outside."
"What is it?" Zhao Fanghua was full of questions, unable to digest the meaning of Ruan's words for a moment.
Hearing Zhao Fanghua's words, Ruan was furious again and said harshly: "I am your mother-in-law! If it weren't for the fact that you were married by the Queen Mother, I would never let him marry you! If you don't want to be divorced, bring Jiaojiao back home as soon as possible!"
Zhao Fanghua was so angry that she stood up. "Are you still asleep? What are you talking about in your sleep? You keep talking about divorcing me. I'm the eldest princess. Who are you to deserve this?!"
"You, you, you!" Ruan pointed at Zhao Fanghua in anger. Shen Xiujing, who was standing by, looked at his mother and then at Zhao Fanghua, feeling torn. Ruan looked at her son for a long time without saying anything, then turned away. Shen Xiujing looked at his mother's departing back, gritted his teeth, bowed to Zhao Fanghua to apologize, and hurriedly followed.
"Psycho!" Zhao Fanghua cursed inwardly as he looked at the two men's backs.
But then I thought, no! Where did this cousin come from, and she's pregnant? And this old woman, I knew she wasn't a good person to deal with after just one encounter. This wasn't what we agreed on!
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