Where were they wandering off to? Of course, it was to the kitchen, where those two, stuck together like conjoined twins, were.
Lao Fan tiptoed to sneak a peek inside, just in time to see Lin Yuan slicing beef in sauce. Xia Zheng, pressed tightly against the cutting board beside her, opened his mouth and leaned towards her. Lin Yuan pursed her lips into a smile, pinched a slice of the freshly cut beef, and fed it to him. Xia Zheng chewed contentedly, not willing to swallow it just yet.
Lao Fan shivered, feeling as if all his goosebumps were about to fall off. These two little rascals, hadn’t they said they were going to cook? How had it turned into this! No wonder he had been waiting left and right and the food still hadn’t made it to the table, didn’t they know his stomach was growling with hunger?
Fuming, Lao Fan rolled up his sleeves ready to go in and give the two a good scolding, but before he could act, he was forcefully pulled away from the kitchen by Princess Anle.
It wasn’t until they were far away that she let him go, "Hey, you girl, why did you pull me away?"
Princess Anle suppressed her laughter; she had seen everything clearly just now. At first, she couldn’t believe that the man acting coquettish with Lin Yuan was indeed her son. She knew her own son the best. Since Xia Zheng was young, he had always pushed away female voices, barring her, his mother. No other woman could get close to him, no matter who she was.
Because of this, she endured quite a bit of gossip, even some of the nosy Madams and young ladies in the Capital had privately suggested her son didn’t like women. That infuriated her, and she swore she would find a good woman for her son.
But this son also really gave her a lot to worry about. When he wasn’t at home every few days, he was mixed up with Zhao Hongde, Su Tianrui, and their bunch. This, of course, only gave rise to more idle talk. Although everyone, due to the General Mansion’s prestige, didn’t dare say anything openly, spreading rumors was ultimately detrimental to her son.
She was hopeful at first seeing some contact between Su Qiuyu and Xia Zheng, thinking maybe her son liked Su Qiuyu. But when she brought it up with her son, he was all eyes and nose, claiming Su Qiuyu was nothing more than a sister to him.
Not only that, but within a few days, he had run off again.
Ah, as a mother, to this point, she really had done all she could.
However, seeing Xia Zheng’s intimate actions with Lin Yuan just now, honestly, she felt a huge sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Finally at ease, she knew her son did like women, he just hadn’t met the right one yet.
Seeing Lao Fan still intent on disturbing the young couple in the kitchen, Princess Anle quickly grabbed his sleeve, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she headed towards the second floor, "It turns out Yuanyuan can cook, that’s really rare. Let’s go, we better wait for them to finish. I think they are almost done, no need for us to go and help."
Lao Fan was furious, "Who said anything about helping? I’m going to scold them. Damn it, they said they came to cook, but they’re actually snacking on the sly! Especially that stinky kid, eating beef! Didn’t even think to leave a piece for me."
His last sentence came out conspicuously quieter, even Lao Fan himself felt somewhat embarrassed to be angling for a share of food like a child.
Princess Anle shook her head with a laugh and went back.
Lao Fan, feeling bored, huffed a breath and followed suit, "If they don’t serve the food soon, I might just go and tear down the kitchen, hmph."
However, this time, Lin Yuan really didn’t keep them waiting for long; after the two returned and chatted for a while, Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng entered, announcing that the meal was ready any time.
Lin Yuan’s cheeks were still a bit flushed from just being busy, and Princess Anle, with a touch of tenderness, took her hand, "Good child, I didn’t expect you could cook. You’ve really worked hard."