Time was tight, so Zhong Momo had the kitchen quickly prepare three dishes. Uncle Tang said, "Have the kitchen cook some more! Otherwise there won't be enough."
The Qin family were all big eaters. Zhong Momo didn't dare underestimate these children either, and she had experience: "Already cooking. I told them to make ten dishes. Two pots of rice are steaming too. That'll be enough."
The Qin family had brought their own cooks and didn't eat with the soldiers.
The Qin family cooks knew many dishes and worked quickly. Zhong Momo had said the little young masters were hungry and told them to hurry. The cooks fired up four stoves at once. Before Gungun and Dandan had even finished half a bowl of rice, ten dishes were brought to the table.
The three brothers, holding their bowls, all froze.
Meng Ruqing sat beside Guaizai. Knowing he liked chicken, he put a drumstick in his bowl. "What's wrong? Is it not tasty?"
"It's not that. It's just too much food." Guaizai said, "Pretty Uncle, why did you cook so many dishes!"
Meng Ruqing asked, "Can't finish it? It's fine if you can't."
Gungun's little spoon was scraping rice so fast it left afterimages: "With Gungun and Dandan here, how could we not finish it?"
"Yes! It's not that we can't finish it. It's just that there are so many dishes, and some Guaizai has never even seen before. Pretty Uncle, what's this?" Guaizai asked.
Meng Ruqing looked toward Uncle Tang. Uncle Tang said they only had three or four dishes per meal—back and forth it was just cabbage, radish, green beans, cucumber. Whatever grew in the fields, they ate. They didn't make such a variety.
Zhong Momo had said the little young masters had arrived and told them to hurry and make some dishes. The cooks guessed right away it was Guaizai. How could they dare be careless? Normally if the dishes weren't to their liking, the masters wouldn't say anything—at most they'd just eat less. But a few years ago, when Guaizai was staying at the Qin residence, they hadn't known the child didn't care much for celery and had stir-fried a plate of it. As a result, Qin Hengxuan came looking for them directly and instructed that whenever the little young master was around, they were not to cook celery — not even the smell of it.
But Aunt Xu hadn't remembered. She normally managed the entire kitchen. The masters didn't come by often, and since she had been brought from the capital by Old Madam Qin, she held considerable status in the kitchen. She didn't usually cook herself. Later, seeing how much the masters valued Guaizai, she wanted to curry favor and personally took to the kitchen.
When others saw her cutting celery, apparently intending to stir-fry it with beef, several people kindly reminded her. Aunt Xu wouldn't listen. This dish was her specialty — the masters back home all loved it and had praised her for it! Celery was delicious! If the child didn't like it, it must have been because those people hadn't made it well last time.
But the next day, no one saw her again.
Rumor had it that the dish never even made it to the table — it was intercepted by the eldest young master (Qin Hengxuan) halfway there...
Clearly, he was valued.
Aside from Zhujun, they had never seen the eldest young master care so much about anyone.
This time was tight, but the cooks had experience. No matter how tight, they could pull together ten dishes.
Every one was different. They brought out all their signature skills.
The Qin family was an old aristocratic household. Even the vegetable choppers in their kitchen were no ordinary people.
When they'd gone to the Yan residence for a banquet, the table hadn't even had this many dishes. Some were beautifully plated, all reds and greens, and just looking at them made their mouths water. Gungun and Dandan had never seen so many dishes! Their eyes went wide, and they kept gulping down their saliva.
Looking completely like country bumpkins who'd never seen the world. Old Madam Qin's tears fell again. What kind of life had these children lived before! They hadn't even seen braised lion's head meatballs.
The three children ate with gusto, like a tornado passing through. The lion's head meatballs were the size of fists — Dandan went "awoo" and took down more than half in one bite, practically two bites per meatball.
Qin Hengxuan and Qin Hengyi had also eaten a lot when they were young, but now watching Guaizai, Gungun, and Dandan finish ten plates of food in one go—at this moment, not to mention Qin Hengxuan and Meng Ruqing, even Old Madam Qin, Zhong Momo, and Old General Qin, who had some experience, were dumbfounded, swallowing their saliva with extreme difficulty.
My goodness. Thank heavens the Qin family was wealthy and established, or there probably wouldn't be enough for three children to devour.
Qin Hengxuan thought of Fang Zichen and Zhao Ger at this moment, and his heart ached with grief. No wonder Zhao Ger had opened a shop—by all logic, they shouldn't have lacked food or drink—yet he still went to pick vegetable leaves, saving so tightly. Now he understood. How could they not save? Those two children had truly suffered, bearing such enormous pressure.
Ten dishes, but the portions were actually small.
Uncle Tang added more rice for the three children.
Guaizai poured the sauce from all the plates into one dish, then divided it between his younger brothers. In the end, there was a little left, and only then did he pour it into his own bowl. Seeing it still wasn't clean, he scraped a few more times with his spoon, and only then, satisfied, set the plate down.
"Thank you, Brother."
"Mm! Little brothers, eat quickly. Only when you're full can you grow tall."
The three children stirred their food and ate heartily again. A few grains of rice fell out, and Dandan picked them up and put them in his mouth.
Meng Ruqing and Old Madam Qin's eyes stung again.
Qin Hengxuan and Old General Qin felt bitter in their hearts too. The children had suffered before! Suffered.
"Are you full?" Meng Ruqing asked. "I'll have the kitchen cook some more dishes for you, alright?"
"No need." Guaizai said. "I brought noodles. In a bit, Guaizai will cook them for you."
Meng Ruqing: "……"
Meng Ruqing remembered that bowl of porridge from that year and still felt lingering fear, but the words of refusal wouldn't come out.
Old General Qin really, truly didn't want to die at this moment. He immediately lay down and said he wanted to rest.
Watching Qin Hengxuan lead the children out, Old General Qin was full of reluctance. He hadn't looked at them enough, but he'd better dodge this disaster first! He still wanted to watch the children grow up—he couldn't kick the bucket now!
Guaizai's cooking skills weren't great, but making instant noodles was still doable. At this moment, he made instant noodles for Qin Hengxuan and the others. The smell had them utterly entranced.
The Qin family was wealthy and established. What hadn't Qin Hengxuan and the others eaten — things that fly in the sky, run on the ground, swim in the water? Even imperial chef creations, they'd had plenty. But at this moment, they still felt this instant noodle was incredible. Truly delicious.
Qin Hengxuan ate three whole packets before stopping. Meng Ruqing also, for the first time ever, ate a full bowl.
"Pretty Uncle, Handsome Grandpa, and Grandma, is the instant noodle Guaizai made tasty?" Guaizai asked, lying on his stomach nearby.
Meng Ruqing stroked his head. "Delicious. Thank you, Guaizai."
"You're welcome!"
Old Madam Qin smiled, then led the three children back to Old General Qin's tent. She had naturally seen Old General Qin's reluctant gaze before leaving.
The children were talkative and weren't afraid in an unfamiliar place, chasing and playing. The tent was bustling, but no one minded the noise.
Lao Jiang came over. Just as he arrived outside the tent, he heard Old General Qin's hearty laughter. Going in, he saw the Qin family sitting around, clapping, while the two children performed somersaults on the mat, rolling around like balls. The scene was harmonious and joyful—especially Old General Qin. Lao Jiang felt momentarily dazed, wondering if he'd walked into the wrong place—Old General Qin was actually smiling???
At night, Gungun and Dandan shyly tugged at Meng Ruqing, saying they wanted to sleep with him.
Meng Ruqing couldn't have wanted it more!
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