Her eyes quickly darting, she smiled again and said to He Dazhuang, “We don’t have to compete. Today, I’d like something light. Could I make myself a bowl of noodles? I promise, I’ll only need a little bit of bone, a little bit of scallions, a little bit of greens, and two eggs—just enough for one serving of noodles.”
This Wangfei was truly too approachable.
He Dazhuang and the cook exchanged a glance.
The cook reluctantly nodded. “Wangfei, this servant will light another stove for you. Otherwise, it would be too difficult.”
“Alright, thank you for the trouble.” Xiang Zhile smiled innocently.
Under the cook’s watchful eye—or rather, her gaze—Xiang Zhile skillfully simmered the bones for broth, blanched the greens in boiling water, and poached two eggs.
Once the bone broth came to a boil, she deftly skimmed out the bone fragments.
She added the cooked noodles and blanched greens to the bone broth, placing the poached eggs on top.
She didn’t waste the bones used for the broth either. She stir-fried them with a little oil and minced garlic, then added water and simmered them until tender.
Once the bones were soft and tender, she placed them on top of the eggs and sprinkled scallions over them.
A simple dinner was now ready.
Satisfied, Xiang Zhile placed the bowl of noodles into a food container, politely bid farewell to He Dazhuang and the cook, and asked them to secretly purchase some lotus root for her tomorrow before leaving the kitchen.
On the other end, Yan Junnuo was still reviewing documents in his study.
An unfamiliar sense of hunger struck him, and he couldn’t help but glance at the door a few more times.
Not long after, Chu Shan came to report.
“Wangye, it’s time for dinner.”
He immediately set down the Zhu Pi Yu Bi, strode out with his long legs, and headed toward the dining hall.
On the dining table, an array of exquisite dishes was laid out.
Only the steamed pork with rice flour and lotus root pork rib soup were missing.
His expression instantly turned cold.
Thinking he was displeased because he couldn’t see Xiang Zhile, Chu Shan quickly said, “Wangfei is on her way. If you’re not hungry, you can wait a little.”
Sure enough, after hearing this, his expression softened slightly.
Xiang Zhile arrived at the dining hall carrying the food container. Seeing Chu Shan standing nearby, she raised an eyebrow with a faint, knowing smile.
Then, she said to Yan Junnuo, “Wangye, I’m truly sorry. There was a minor mishap in the kitchen today, so Qieshen broke her promise tonight—I didn’t manage to make the steamed pork with rice flour or the lotus root pork rib soup.”
Yan Junnuo stared at her food container and nodded slightly. “It’s fine. Let’s eat.”
Sensing his displeasure, though she didn’t know where it came from, Xiang Zhile took out a bowl of garlic-infused pork rib and egg noodles from the food container under Chu Shan’s wide-eyed gaze.
“Wangye, these dishes really aren’t suitable for you right now—they’re too oily and too heavily seasoned. If you don’t mind, Qieshen made you a bowl of noodles. Could you make do with this?”
“Wangye…” Chu Shan immediately tried to intervene.
Yan Junnuo shot him a sharp glance, and Chu Shan immediately fell silent.
Inwardly, he cursed: Which traitor dared to ignore his orders?
Xiang Zhile placed the noodles in front of Yan Junnuo. As she rinsed a few pieces of chicken in water and placed them on the noodles, she reminded him, “Since you have stomach issues, you need to be extra careful. Stomach problems aren’t like a common cold, where you recover and it’s over. With stomach issues, even after you get better, you still need to take care of yourself—it’s more troublesome.”
Her chattering lips were red and full of life. Yan Junnuo couldn’t help but swallow.
“Why are you staring at me? Eat.” Xiang Zhile looked up and noticed he seemed distracted, unable to resist urging him with concern.
Yan Junnuo lowered his gaze to the simple bowl of noodles before him, feeling inexplicably conflicted.
Could the midday meal earlier have been merely a ploy to lower his guard, with the real challenge lying here?
Admittedly, the aroma of the noodles had successfully whetted his appetite.
He glanced at Chu Shan again, who happened to be looking at him with concern.
After an internal struggle, he finally took the first piece of spare rib from the noodles under Chu Shan’s worried gaze.
The rib had been stewed until the meat fell effortlessly from the bone—tender, soft, and melting in his mouth. The garlic fragrance instantly filled his senses, and before he realized it, his chopsticks were already reaching for a second piece.
He paused slightly, wanting to put down the chopsticks, but his fingers seemed to have a mind of their own.
They even took the initiative to lift a strand of noodles to his mouth.
The noodles were soft yet firm, perfectly cooked. The rich broth, infused with the aroma of eggs, made every corner of his taste buds sing.
Unconsciously, the noodles dwindled, and he even took several sips of the soup.
Chu Shan watched from the side, swallowing hard.
It had been a long time since he had seen Wangye with such an appetite, actually finishing a whole bowl of noodles.
Staring at the empty large bowl, Yan Junnuo once again lamented why he had been cursed with such disobedient hands.