Three young men devoured several dishes of food, leaving no scrap for the people outside the wall.
"Little bastards..."
The men from West Village were so angry they cursed loudly. They could only watch the entire time!
On Xu Hengyan and Xie Jiang's table, there were still some soup remnants at the bottom of the bowls, but no one dared to approach them.
The two of them possessed too much majesty.
The men from West Village approached Lu Bao Hong again, nudging him with their elbows and instinctively lowering their voices, "Who are these two people you tied up? Are they perhaps princes and nobles from the capital?"
"Something like that."
Lu Bao Hong had intended to deny it, but considering the flourishing Duke of Wei's mansion and Xu Hengyan's status as heir, they were far more valuable than princes and nobles.
Xie Jiang was not a member of the Great Yu imperial family, but there were already speculations inside and outside the court. Xie Jiang was a prince or noble of Lan Yong, and with her disdainful demeanor, no one would believe she wasn't.
"Oh, so it's true then."
"Do all princes and nobles look like this?"
"With such looks and presence, could it be fake?"
The men from West Village chattered in low voices, swallowed their saliva, and left cursing.
Lu Bao Hong glared fiercely at Xie Jiang and was about to leave.
Unexpectedly, Xie Jiang called out to him, "Wait a moment."
Lu Bao Hong was secretly delighted.
The little beast had finally figured it out, realizing who held her in their grasp.
If her cooking could satisfy him, he might even consider letting her live a few more days.
Xie Jiang pointed to the two rabbits with their legs tied and thrown in the corner, "Find me a cage. If you can't find one, have your men cut bamboo and quickly weave one."
"..."
Lu Bao Hong wished he could end her with a single blow!
Xie Jiang said, "Young Master Xu is waiting for them, hurry up and do it."
Lu Bao Hong snorted and left in a huff.
Xiao Hu and Dong Zi vied to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen.
Luo Shou, with his belly full and satisfied, asked Xie Jiang with a hint of longing, "Can we come back for dinner tonight?"
Xie Jiang replied, "You guys eat too much. You ate everything we brought back just now. Are we going to eat the north wind tonight?"
Luo Shou said with a bit of embarrassment, "How about I bring over the piece of meat from my house? Young Master Xie, your cooking is too delicious. It's a waste for us to cook it ourselves at home..."
The fish was caught by them from the river that morning.
The wild boar leg and wild pheasant and rabbit were obtained from Luo Dahai and his group.
Of course, they didn't just get the amount they ate for lunch.
The rest had been taken home by Luo Shou, Dong Zi, and Xiao Hu respectively.
"Can I bring the piece of meat from my house too?" Xiao Hu, just coming out of the kitchen, happened to hear Luo Shou's words and immediately looked at Xie Jiang expectantly.
Dong Zi also rushed to the kitchen door, wiping water droplets off himself while giving Xie Jiang a sheepish grin, "Me too, me too..."
Xie Jiang immediately understood their intentions, "You want me to cook it for you, and then you can take it back for your families to eat?"
Luo Shou said somewhat bashfully, "My little Qing Qing has never left the village before, nor has she eaten such delicious food..."
Not only did they eat their fill, but they also remembered their families. Xie Jiang nodded secretly, "Then bring it all over. If I don't have enough ingredients, you can go find some more."
Dong Zi said excitedly, "I've remembered it all. I know what ingredients are needed. I'll go find them right away!"
He had originally intended to go back himself and try to cook it for his parents and younger sister according to Young Master Xie's method. Even if his cooking skills were far inferior, at least some essence would remain.
But how could it compare to what Young Master Xie made with his own hands!
Young Master Xie was actually so accommodating!
Luo Shou, emboldened, added, "Then... can you make a few dishes?"
Xie Jiang sneered, "What, do you want me to prepare a banquet for you?"
Luo Shou quickly waved his hands, "How could we possibly do that? Braised pork is fine, braised pork is the most fragrant."
Xiao Hu nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, just braised pork, braised pork is too delicious."
Xie Jiang suddenly changed the subject, "It's not impossible to prepare a banquet."
Luo Shou was startled, "Ah, ah?"
Xie Jiang beckoned them over with her finger. As the three drew closer, she whispered a few instructions to them.
Luo Shou and his companions seemed to understand, yet also not understand.
Seeing the confusion in their eyes, Xie Jiang said to them again, "Just do as I've instructed. Don't worry about my intentions. You'll understand when the time comes."
Luo Shou looked at her, a little anxious, "When will that time be?"
Xie Jiang replied, "Why so many questions? Go work."
Luo Shou vaguely thought he understood something, but due to the lack of information, he only had a hazy idea, ultimately not fully comprehending.
"Oh, then we'll go back now and bring all the meat over first."
Braised pork was still more important! The three of them ran off happily.
The small courtyard finally became quiet.
Xu Hengyan stood by the corner, looking at the two rabbits, and only then realized they were very small. "You asked Lu Bao Hong to send a cage. Are you planning to keep these two rabbits?"
Xie Jiang walked towards him with a beaming smile, "When I go out, it would be boring for you to be here alone, so I got them to keep you company."
Xu Hengyan was very surprised, "Did you specifically find these two little rabbits to keep me entertained?"
Xie Jiang presented them to Xu Hengyan like a treasure, "Yes, yes. Luo Shou and the others took the big, fat ones. I only wanted the small ones. They're small and fluffy, aren't they cute?"
"They are very cute," Xu Hengyan said as if referring to the rabbits, but his eyes were on her.
The two little rabbits had their legs tied together, and could only stare at them, unable to move, looking pitiful.
"They're not hungry. I'll find something for them to eat."
Xie Jiang bent down to look for a moment, then darted into the kitchen.
A moment later, she came out with a handful of greens, shared some with Xu Hengyan, and took a stalk of vegetable to stuff into a rabbit's mouth.
The little rabbit trembled, not daring to open its mouth.
Xie Jiang frowned, "Hengyan, have you ever raised a pet?"
Xu Hengyan replied, "Never."
Xie Jiang continued to bring the greens towards the rabbit's mouth.
Xu Hengyan said softly, "They are probably very scared. They'll get used to it slowly."
Xie Jiang thought for a moment and didn't force it, instead placing the greens in front of them.
Xu Hengyan squatted down beside her, looking at her beautiful profile, "Don't you like eating rabbit legs the most? Why didn't you get two fat rabbits?"
Xie Jiang looked up at him, "Don't you want to raise rabbits?"
Xu Hengyan smiled and shook his head, "No, but if you wanted two small ones, wouldn't that mean no rabbit legs for you?"
After a long period of waiting and hesitation, seeing that they meant no harm, the little rabbits finally opened their mouths.
Xie Jiang's eyes lit up as she watched, "They're eating, they're eating the greens! We can eat rabbit legs anytime, but they can keep you company."
Watching the little rabbits nibble on the leaves, Xie Jiang's eyes were filled with surprise and joy. She looked up at Xu Hengyan, "Hengyan, you are more important."
Xu Hengyan also smiled, his smile exceptionally clear and bright, like the sky after rain.