108, Cut Off with a Single Stroke (5 updates +
Xie Zhinuan was angry.
Yuanbao was terrified.
He hurriedly spoke up, “Miss Xie, Miss Xie, don’t be angry, my master just spoke off the cuff, I, I, I…”
But Xie Zhinuan had already taken out fifty taels of silver from inside the house and stuffed them into his hands, “These past days, cooking for your master, I’ve taken quite a bit of advantage too. Now, I’m returning this silver to you in full. From now on, you can find whoever you want to cook; if you want quality, there’s quality, if you want quantity, there’s quantity, I won’t serve!”
She slammed the door shut.
Xie Zhinuan snorted and went to the kitchen to eat.
The hot weather was vexing.
Aunt Chen, Silly Girl, and Grandma Chen stiffened, they hadn’t expected Xie Zhinuan to lose her temper.
“What are you dazing for, eat!” Xie Zhinuan said softly.
“Miss, are you very angry?” Aunt Chen asked.
“Not angry, what’s there to be angry about!” Xie Zhinuan drank a few sips of soup before continuing, “On such a hot day, one should actually stick to light and simple food. But the gentleman across there had to be picky. If it were cool weather, cooking more dishes wouldn’t be a problem. But in this heat, isn’t it just torturing people? I, for one, am not willing to serve. This afternoon’s dessert doesn’t need to be made either, let’s enjoy some leisure!”
Aunt Chen heaved a sigh of relief, “So, are we not making money anymore?”
“We’ll make money, but there’s no rush, we’ll take it slow. One can’t earn all the money in the world!” Xie Zhinuan finished speaking and lowered her head to continue eating.
She clearly didn’t want to continue discussing the matter.
Aunt Chen said no more, exchanging a glance with Grandma Chen; both their eyes were filled with a helpless and worried look.
That gentleman, seemingly gentle and refined, but being a high-ranking official used to giving orders, might he not lash out in a fit of rage against Xie Zhinuan?
Even Silly Girl, usually the most talkative, fell silent. The delicious food seemed to lose its taste as she sneaked looks at Xie Zhinuan, who was eating with relish.
Her heart felt tight and tense.
She wanted to advise, but didn’t know what to say.
Outside, Yuanbao, sweaty with anxiety, had no clue that Xie Zhinuan would simply walk away from an argument. It’s quite possible that she had long since grown tired of cooking for his master, and now she had found the perfect excuse without even needing to look for one.
Upon realizing this, Yuanbao broke out in a cold sweat and quickly ran back to report the matter to Li Hengyi.
Li Hengyi, looking at the food on the table, took a sip of his porridge, thinking that Miss Xie from next door must be curious about him and would come over to meet him, which put him in a very good mood.
He couldn’t help eating a few more mouthfuls of the dishes.
Seeing Yuanbao climbing over the wall to come in, Li Hengyi’s eyebrows slightly furrowed, figuring he must be coming back with good news. He asked indifferently, “What did Miss Xie say?”
Yuanbao swallowed, “Master, Miss Xie said she won’t cook for you anymore, she even returned the silver!”
Li Hengyi’s hand tightened on his chopsticks, the silver ingot instantly being bent by his grip.
He glanced up coldly at Yuanbao, “What did you say?”
“Miss Xie said she won’t cook for you anymore and returned the silver just as it was!”
“…”
This time, Li Hengyi understood clearly.
He had first thought he’d misheard.
“Is there a shortage of idle silver?” Li Hengyi asked.
“No, Miss Xie complained about the hot weather, saying cooking was too hot. She also said that she wanted to eat something light and simple, and you were asking her to make more dishes, which stressed her out, so…” Yuanbao tactfully avoided the full story.
He dared not say Xie Zhinuan had looked displeased at the time, nor that she had been less than polite.
There was even a hint of fierceness.
Li Hengyi’s brows were tightly knit. Suddenly, he stood up, swept everything on the table to the floor, shattering bowls and scattering dishes.
Still feeling unappeased, Li Hengyi kicked over a stool, shouting furiously, “What kind of message are you delivering? Huh? Did I tell you to say that?”
Chapter 110