Adorable Food Goddess - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“Third-in-charge, the agenda for the afternoon’s training has been completed, shall I add more?” Peng Wu, who was in charge of training, asked upon seeing the arrival of third-in-charge .

Xia Chunyu replied absent-mindedly, “No, it’s okay, let’s end training early today . ”

For the whole morning, he had been with first-in-charge, discussing the attack on Xin Yi . Second-in-charge’s suggestion was to attack aggressively, dispatching 2000 brothers from the stockade to take down Xin Yi .

This plan was favorable to him because by dispatching 2000 men and horses, the stockade would be left with only around 1000 men . The lack of manpower, plus with Song Qi around to operate from within to destroy the Broken Dragon Stone’s mechanism, He Lianxuan would be able to attack up the mountains . Besides, the 2000 men and horses dispatched, upon losing their headquarters, would be trapped between Xin Yi and Helian Xuan, and would be easily defeated .

The first-in-charge was more meticulous, however . He was opposed to the idea of almost coming out with full strength . He said that the plan to use force would result in too much loss so instead, they should use their wits . The huge difference in their opinions meant that there was yet a concrete plan to be laid out . Xia Chunyu purposely pretended to space out during the meeting, and when asked for suggestions, brought up several plans full of loopholes .

First-in-charge waved his hand disappointedly at him, merely saying, “Forget it, I know you are still worried about sister-in-law’s illness . Let’s just discuss this on another day . ”

He has to buy some time so that He Lianxuan would be able to make thorough preparations .

Peng Wu went ahead to dismiss the brothers who were dying of exhaustion before coming back to say, “Third-in-charge, about lunch…”

Xia Chunyu frowned, muttering, “Go to the kitchen and get some food . ”

“Third-in-charge, third-in-charge!” Song Qi called, running towards them .

Xia Chunyu watched him expectantly, wondering if something had happened to that blasted woman .

Song Qi panted, “Third-in-charge, sister-in-law told me to call you back to eat . She made a lot of good food . ”

Xia Chunyu was shocked . “She’s fine already?”

“A bit better but not completely healed . She went back to the room to lie down after cooking . ”

“Are you really that stupid? Why did you let her cook if she hasn’t fully recovered yet?” Xia Chunyu scolded .

Song Qi replied innocently, “Sister-in-law insisted that she want to make lunch . ”

“And you’re telling me that you couldn’t have persuaded her otherwise? Didn’t I get Auntie Jiang over to help? Where is she?” Xia Chunyu growled, his temper rising .

Song Qi watched as third-in-charge’s foot shift a little, as though he was about to kick someone, and took three steps back hurriedly, saying weakly, “Auntie Jiang helped . ”

He purposely didn’t say that Auntie Jiang only helped to smell the aroma and judge the appearance of the food, otherwise, he was certain that third-in-charge would’ve erupted .

“Scram,” Xia Chunyu barked at him .

Peng Wu walked over to Song Qi, patting him on the shoulder sympathetically . “Let’s just go back to eat . ”

Song Qi rolled his eyes, complaining softly, “He’s like a barrel of gunpowder, exploding with the slightest touch . ”

Peng Wu laughed . “Don’t take it to heart, third-in-charge is just anxious . ”

“Then why doesn’t he scold you too? Why is it always me?” Song Qi was indignant .

Peng Wu replied grudgingly, “Didn’t I get an earful yesterday too?”

Xia Chunyu returned to the courtyard and ran into Auntie Jiang who was smiling warmly at him . “Third-in-charge, the dishes are served . ”

Xia Chunyu walked straight into the room without acknowledging her .

Ye Jiayao was lying on the bed to rest, exhausted from cooking lunch . She didn’t realize that cooking while she was still slightly sick would be this tiring . Suddenly, she heard Auntie Jiang’s voice from outside, followed by someone entering the room .

She opened her eyes and saw third-in-charge by the door . “Feifei, you’re back!”

Xia Chunyu forgot all the things he was about to scold her with, overcome with disgust at the nickname she has given him .

“I warned you not to call me that,” Xia Chunyu growled, keeping his voice low, mindful that there were people outside that could be listening . Factoring in his raging temper, that was really not an easy feat .

Ye Jiayao beamed at him . “You don’t like it? I’ll change it to another one then . Husband? My lord? Hubby? Or BB?”

Xia Chunyu shuddered at her sheer stupidity, replying unkindly, “Chunyu . ”

“What? Dumb donkey? Why are you being insulting? I just thought a nickname would sound more intimate . You may not see me as your wife but I have already treated you as my husband . I’m yours for the rest of my life, and yet…” Ye Jiayao trailed off pitifully, covering her face to appear as though she was crying .

That name had followed him for 21 years and he never thought that it could be associated with a dumb donkey . Xia Dumb Donkey, what more a blind (Xia), dumb, donkey .

Xia Chunyu could not remain calm anymore as he bellowed, “That’s my name! Chunyu!” He carefully enunciated the two words to get it through her thick skull .

Ye Jiayao was stumped for a while before going down in a fit of laughter . His name literally means dumb donkey! Oh God, I can’t breathe! She was doubled over, laughing uncontrollably, pounding on the pillows hysterically .

“What are you laughing at? I forbid you to laugh!” Xia Chunyu yelled over her shrieks, embarrassed .

Ye Jiayao was laughing so hard she could hardly catch her breath, tears streaming down her face . She gasped, “Not…not laughing any . . . more . ”

Xia Chunyu wanted to lunge at her and wring her scrawny neck .

“Third-in-charge, time to eat!” Auntie Jiang called from outside .

Xia Chunyu left, still a mixture of annoyed and embarrassed . He was just about out of the door when he heard the wild laughter startup behind him . He fought the urge to hurl a teapot at her head and gloomily continued to the kitchen .

“Third-in-charge, hurry up, it would not taste nice if it is cold,” Auntie Jiang said .

Xia Chunyu suppressed the thought of going back to deal with that darned woman and focused on his meal .

No matter how annoying she was, he could not deny her skills . The lunch she has prepared was nothing short of sumptuous . The pork meatballs, garlic-fried mutton, lotus cake with chopped onion and bamboo shoots stewed in oil… their aromas mixed together immediately increased his appetite .

Xia Chunyu said, “Song Qi, get my Huadiao wine and let Uncle Jiang try it . ”

Song Qi stared back at him blankly .

“Are you deaf? Go get it!” Xia Chunyu barked at him .

Song Qi looked apprehensive as he weakly replied, “Third-in-charge, there’s no Huadiao anymore . ”

“Wasn’t there a jar left yesterday? Did you secretly drink it all?”

“Sister-in-law asked me to make red orpiment wine this morning and we scattered it all around,” Song Qi answered carefully . Surely, third-in-charge would not be unreasonable and still blame him for this .

It was only then that Xia Chunyu realized how much he has been drinking . Ever since he came up the mountains, he rarely even indulged in alcohol . He blamed Yaoyao’s cooking because once he saw the meal she has prepared, he would get the urge to drink . Fine food was the culprit .

“Third-in-charge, I still have a jar of Zhuyeqing if you’d like . ” Uncle Jiang suggested .

“Forget it, I am not drinking . I still have something in the afternoon and drinking too much might hold things up . ” Xia Chunyu waved his hand, picking up the chopsticks and poking it into the pork meatballs . “Let’s eat . ”

The meatballs were bursting with so much flavor, it tasted like heaven on his tongue . It holds firm and yet, it was tender enough that it practically dissolved in his mouth . It was the perfect texture and consistency . There was even the fragrance of spring onions and garlic but he was barely able to feel the garlic bits . The lotus cake was flawlessly crisp on the outside and soft, sweet, and sticky on the inside . The bamboo shoots stewed in oil was bright red, fresh and has just the right amount of bite to it . Even the garlic-fried mutton had no stench, only delicious fragrance to go with its tenderness .

She has managed to make home-cooked food that could compete with the standards of restaurant dishes . She really knew how to keep the original taste of the ingredients and at the same time, mix and match additional flavors to make an even more delicious taste . Her skills, from chopping to control of the fire, was something that required a long period of practice to master . He wondered if she cooked often at home . It was unheard of that a lady from a wealthy family step anywhere near a stove let alone manage to cook frequently .

“Delicious, isn’t it? My sister-in-law’s skills are awesome! She’s even better compared to the head chef in Ji Nan city’s Wang Xian Lou!” Song Qi ate merrily .

Xia Chunyu slapped the back of his head . “When have you been to Wang Xian Lou? Even I haven’t been there!”

Song Qi rubbed his head, muttering, “I heard it from someone else . Even if I go to Wang Xian Lou to be a guard, I would get rejected!”

Xia Chunyu glared at him, sneering, “Glad you know that . ”

Peng Wu and Uncle Jiang burst out laughing .

Halfway through his meal, Xia Chunyu asked, “Did your sister-in-law ate already?”

It was Auntie Jiang who answered, “Third madam has yet to eat . She did not have an appetite and just cooked some congee that she said she would eat later . ”

Xia Chunyu thought about it for a while, and said, “Then leave some dishes for her . ”

Upon hearing that, Song Qi withdrew his outstretched chopsticks that were ready to pick up some more food .

Auntie Jiang replied, “Third madam said not to leave food for her . She said that she will make vegetable with lean meat porridge . ”

Everyone picked their chopsticks back up and proceeded to continue engulfing everything on the plates . It looked like they all inhaled the food with how fast it disappeared .

Auntie Jang cleared all the utensils after lunch while everyone else scattered to their own thing . Xia Chunyu walked around the courtyard, going back to the room with a peace of mind upon seeing all the planted Sargasso .

He found Ye Jiayao in the bed, already heavily asleep . Xia Chunyu opened the window quietly, looked at her intently for a while before reaching out to feel her forehead . He was relieved that she was not feverish anymore .

He proceeded to his study in the second room of the west wing and took out a map to review . Xin Yi was 80 li away from Hei Feng Gang . It was the territory of Feng Chaolin from Xin Yi’s most influential clan . Due to Feng Chaolin’s loyalty and generosity to the needy, many heroes from Lv Lin seek asylum there, making the place highly mighty . It is also one of the few rich lands in Shan Dong because of its prosperous trade .

Hei Feng Gang have been eyeing Xin Yi for a long time yet have failed all their attempted attacks . Lately, He Lianxuan and Feng Chaolin were in talks of cooperation, and as the information leaked, first-in-charge became very worried . If Feng Chaolin sought help from the imperial court, it would be a great threat to Hei Feng Gang . Therefore, he wanted to attack Xin Yi as soon as possible before any solid deals of coordination came to place .

What kind of plan would satisfy first-in-charge, yet would still be able to let Xia Chunyu work with He Lianxuan? This was a thorny problem .

Ye Jiayao awoke, rubbing her tired eyes, stretching . Lethargically, she walked out of the room, starving and ready to eat . Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chunyu sitting at the table, a hand propping his chin up, brows tightly-knitted as he scribbled on a piece of paper . She wanted to go in to greet him but upon further consideration, she just decided not to disturb him .

She made herself a bowl of vegetable lean meat porridge and dug in with gusto . She returned to the room, ready to nap again, when she saw him still in the same position as she left him earlier, deep in thoughts .

Ye Jiayao turned back to the kitchen and proceeded to make him a pot of tea . The tea is top-grade Long Jing and she heard that it was raided by a group of dealers from the south . Mixing it with hot water, the tender, green tea leaves slowly opened up, like shoots blossoming from a branch, its deep fragrance seeping out .

Ye Jiayao walked into his study softly, putting the tea by his right hand, saying gently, “Have a cup of tea to clear your mind up . “