"I know you’re not running a restaurant."
"So, if you’re here as a guest, welcome. But if you have other ideas, then forget it," Meng Yao said bluntly.
"You don’t know who I am?" the Elder asked Meng Yao.
"I do know. You’re said to be a great scholar of the era, well-read, and currently the teacher of An’ger," Meng Yao replied.
The Elder nodded, as if to say, "At least you’re not too foolish."
"But what does that have to do with me?"
With that one line, Meng Yao made the Elder’s expression freeze.
"It’s the Ren Family who invited you, not me. So, you’re showing the wrong person your ’I should be grateful’ face."
Looking as if it’s an honor for me to have you eat food I made.
"You, you, you!" The Elder was at a loss for words, "Do you think this old man came just to freeload?"
"Ren Zhong says your two sons are studying?" The Elder spoke with a superior tone, "I might consider taking them as disciples."
"Ancient wisdom says scholars have integrity and do not bow for five pecks of rice. It seems that saying isn’t true," Meng Yao did not answer directly.
The Elder blushed. "You dare mock an old man like me."
"Do you know how many scholars want to become my disciples?" The Elder took a deep breath.
"I have no doubt about your status as a great scholar. After all, the Changping Marquis Mansion isn’t ordinary, and Ren Zhong isn’t foolish. If you didn’t have real skills, they wouldn’t be so eager for An’ger to become your disciple, right? But it really has nothing to do with me! My younger son already has a teacher. As for my eldest son, whether he takes a teacher or how he does it, that’s not for me to worry about," Meng Yao said with a smile.
"Arrogant, arrogant," the Elder fumed. "Just because your elder son topped the county exam, do you think you can rest easy?"
"I’ve never thought that."
"Let’s see the skills of this arrogant boy," the Elder said with a stern face.
"Oh, he’s injured and lying inside, so he can’t come out to pay respects," Meng Yao said.
"Which room?" the Elder asked.
"That one," Meng Yao pointed.
The Elder stormed off toward Zhao Dahe’s room.
"You... you..." Ren Zhong looked helpless, "The Elder is truly a great scholar, you..."
"Brother-in-law, do you think I disrespected the Elder?" Meng Yao asked.
Ren Zhong sighed and did not answer.
No need to feel, she indeed did not.
For someone who is revered by many, when it comes to her, it turns into freeloading.
"One, I didn’t ask him, two, he didn’t respect me," Meng Yao said calmly, "Throughout the entire process, I was just telling the truth, with no disrespect intended."
Ren Zhong was at a loss for words.
"Dad, I think Aunt is not wrong," Ren Zi’an said seriously, not bothered by the situation, "Master wants to eat Aunt’s cooking, that means he’s asking her a favor. When you ask for a favor, you should have the attitude of someone asking, which Master didn’t show."
Meng Yao happily picked up Ren Zi’an; this kid was worth doting on.
Exactly, now it’s the Elder looking for a free meal.
"An’ger, is there anything you’d like to eat? Aunt will make it for you," Meng Yao ignored Ren Zhong.
Ren Zhong is local, and some ideas are deeply rooted, so Meng Yao didn’t plan on debating who was right or wrong with him.
"I want Aunt’s double-skin milk and pudding," Ren Zi’an said happily.
"Ah, that, there’s no milk, so I can’t make it," Meng Yao said.
"Let Apu go buy some," Ren Zi’an suggested.
"Well, if Apu can buy some milk, Aunt will make it for you," Meng Yao said, "Besides those two, anything else you want to eat?"
"Milk tea with red bean paste."
"You’re having quite the showdown with milk," Meng Yao teased while tweaking Ren Zi’an’s nose.
"Apu will definitely find some; he knows where they sell it," Ren Zi’an stuck out his tongue.
"Because when we came back, we saw someone selling milk," Ren Zi’an said proudly.
"You clever little thing."
Sure enough, Apu quickly came back with a wooden bucket.
More than half a bucket of milk.
Meng Yao carried the milk into the kitchen and started working.
After Su Ye returned, she came to find Meng Yao. Seeing her busy, she quickly washed her hands to help.
Meng Yao assigned the task of rolling red beans to Su Ye.
Originally, the red beans should have been soaked overnight for better cooking, but now they could only use more heat.
It took nearly two hours to finish everything.
She was just about to call Ren Zi’an to eat when she saw the Elder walk out of Zhao Dahe’s room with a triumphant look.
"Zhao Dahe has become my disciple. Now, do I get to eat what you’ve made?"
Meng Yao was a bit surprised. Zhao Dahe wasn’t the type to respect someone just because they’re learned.
He knew to respect the people he wanted to respect.
So— ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
Meng Yao smiled broadly, "Does the Elder like sweets?"
The Elder was about to squeeze in a few taunts for satisfaction.
But this woman acted completely out of the ordinary.
She was like a different person from before.
Strangely enough, he didn’t feel that the woman was being opportunistic at all.
Though slightly uncomfortable, he still answered Meng Yao’s question.
"Sweet, the old man loves sweets," the Elder said sullenly.
"A friendly reminder, Elder, at your age, eating too many sweets can be quite a burden on your body," Meng Yao kept smiling, "So, I suggest, just a little sweet is good. Don’t worry, I’m confident in my skills, even mildly sweet will taste good."
"I always eat a lot of sweets."
"That’s why the Elder isn’t in good health. Prone to dizziness, dry mouth and throat," Meng Yao said.
Though not yet suffering from severe thirst, if he doesn’t control it, he’s ten out of ten likely to develop it.
"Don’t frighten me," the Elder said with some guilt, "You’re not a doctor, what do you know?"
Because, she hit the nail on the head.
"Why would I scare you? Now that my son has acknowledged you as his teacher, I certainly wouldn’t want you to have health problems," Meng Yao said sincerely, "Also, I’m a doctor, and a competent one at that."
"Master, if it weren’t for Aunt, I would have died long ago," Ren Zi’an chimed in at the right time, "My Aunt is very capable, extremely capable."
The Elder was silent for a moment, "Then do as you say."
"Alright, Elder," Meng Yao responded smoothly.
The double-skin milk and pudding Meng Yao made weren’t sweet on their own; the sweetness was controlled by the red bean paste added afterward.
She quickly prepared a serving for the Elder, and for the others, it was the regular sweetness level.
Except for Ren Zi’an and Qin Zheng, everyone else was trying these for the first time.
Meng Yao always believed that as long as someone liked sweets, no one could refuse double-skin milk pudding and milk tea.
Not to mention others’ reactions, just look at the Elder.
His face was full of disbelief, then he eagerly dug in.
Actions spoke for themselves.