Chapter 556: Mutton Soup (7)
Indignation rose in Eldest Madam’s heart. It was bad enough that Chu Lian hadn’t made a peep after Guilin Restaurant’s reopening had failed so spectacularly. However, she still had the mood to cook up more delicious food at home!
Wasn’t that too much of her?!
In the time it took for these thoughts to pass through her mind, she had already entered Songtao Court with her daughter.
A maidservant immediately ran in to report their arrival.
By the time they reached the parlour, Chu Lian and He Changdi were already drinking mutton soup and eating flower rolls.
The savoury vegetable flower rolls and the pot of thick, warming mutton soup, as well as the various plates of appetisers, presented a huge feast for the eyes. He Ying and her daughter had started salivating without realising it.
Chu Lian and He Sanlang had already been informed that He Ying and her daughter had come, so they weren’t surprised in the least.
When Chu Lian set down the white porcelain bowl in her hands, Xiyan immediately stepped forward with a wet towel for her to wipe her hands. Following that, Chu Lian slowly stood up and bobbed towards Eldest Madam in greeting.
“What might be the reason for this visit, Aunt?” Chu Lian’s smile was as charming and brilliant as ever. Her tone was also friendly and her voice pleasant to the ear. The way she kept a faint smile on her lips as she spoke was as refreshing as the newly arrived spring breeze.
However, when faced with this sight, only anger and irritation abounded in He Ying’s heart.
She harrumphed coldly, “What? I can’t just pay a visit to you without a proper reason now?”
Once she finished speaking, He Sanlang looked up from his soup and cast a deliberate, cold glance at her.
That one look was enough to send chills down Eldest Madam’s spine. However, she quickly recovered her calm and propped herself up with the facade of a senior family member. She sat right down on a sandalwood chair without waiting for an invite.
Pan Nianzhen sat obediently behind herm other like a harmless little pet.
“What do you mean, Aunt? Of course you’re welcome to visit us anytime you like,” Chu Lian’s mood didn’t seem to be affected by He Ying’s words at all. Conversely, she seemed rather agreeable and amenable. She took her seat again right after.
While He Sanlang was seemingly drinking his soup without a care at one side, he had been watching Chu Lian the whole time. Seeing that her appetite wasn’t very good and that she hadn’t eaten much, he filled up her bowl of soup again and set it before her.
“Drink more,” He Changdi’s magnetic voice was especially seductive when he lowered his volume to a husky whisper.
It was Pan Nianzhen’s first time hearing such a gentle tone from her cousin. Her face instantly turned red.
She replayed the scene again in her mind, but placed herself in Chu Lian’s position instead. While listening to He Changdi’s voice, she drifted away into her daydreams…
Chu Lian wanted to reject the bowl of soup. She had already eaten a whole Shandong steamed bun earlier and she had topped it off with half a bowl of soup and a single flower roll. This was already more than enough for her tiny stomach, so she tried to push the bowl away. Unfortunately, He Changdi was much more stubborn than she was, especially with the effect of his threatening glare sent her way.
Chu Lian still felt rather hot, so she hadn’t wanted to drink too much mutton soup. It wasn’t good to disobey He Sanlang at this time though.
If his strange temper really flared up, he wouldn’t care if it were right in front of outsiders.
Chu Lian pouted and started sipping slowly at the fresh mutton soup, still acting like an unwilling child. She even fished out the mutton and lamb organs she didn’t like and threw them into He Sanlang’s bowl.
Although He Changdi’s expression hadn’t changed and he looked as unfriendly as ever, he didn’t seem to mind eating all of the food that his wife had rejected and thrown into his bowl.
This unintentional display of unconditional love and pampering from He Sanlang made Pan Nianzhen mad with jealousy!
She wanted to push Chu Lian away and sit in her place to accept all of He Changdi’s care and concern.
Meanwhile, Eldest Madam stared at the loving couple seated across from him, stunned by their reaction and about to explode from frustration.
She hadn’t thought that Chu Lian would continue eating by herself right after those short replies.
Hey! They weren’t invisible!
He Ying’s face was flushed red from her mounting anger.
Most importantly, that soup they were drinking was just too fragrant. She didn’t know what it was, but it had hooked her appetite.
As stubborn and proud as Eldest Madam and Miss Pan were, they couldn’t control the unconscious reaction of saliva pooling in their mouths.
Especially when they watched He Changdi eating so heartily. They were starting to get hungrier and hungrier…
Thanks to the failing mess of Guilin Restaurant, Eldest Madam had barely been able to summon up any appetite these two days. She and her daughter had only eaten a few bites for their lunch today too, so it was about time to eat again.
It was the ultimate torture to be faced with delicious food while starving.
He Ying and Pan Nianzhen were facing that exact torment now.
Perhaps even her stomach was agreeing with her sentiments, as a loud grumble sounded from Eldest Madam’s belly.
Wenlan, who was on standby in the parlour, almost burst out into laughter, but she managed to get it under control after her sister glared at her.
Dissatisfaction was now clear in He Ying’s eyes. She had already made it so obvious, yet these people were acting as if they hadn’t noticed anything at all. They just refused to bring up the steaming hot and tantalising dishes on the table.
He Changdi had a huge appetite. Furthermore, since these dishes had all been cooked by Chu Lian herself, he couldn’t help eating a few more bowls than usual.
When Eldest Madam saw that He Sanlang had just taken another serving of soup from the claypot in front of him, she finally spoke up, unable to resist the great temptation presented by the food.
“Ah, what a coincidence, I didn’t think that you would be having your lunch at this time. What is this soup? It smells delicious, and I’ve never tried this before.”
He Ying stared right at the claypot in a very obvious hint.