Chapter 55 - 28: Storytelling
Shi Fengju, with an empty stomach, waited for a while but did not hear the door open or see Lan Xiang coming. He suspected that his cousin must have stopped her out of spite.
Shi Fengju bitterly smiled, feeling the hunger gnawing at him as he looked at the cold dishes and rice on the table. He couldn’t bear life like this anymore!
Forget it! If he couldn’t eat, it wouldn’t kill him to starve for one meal! The young master, who had been pampered since birth, finally experienced the taste of hunger. Silently reciting "Starve the body and skin, work the tendons and bones," he took a book from the bookshelf, planning to read for a while to pass the time before returning to Ningyuan later. By then, he would ask Xingzhi to cook a midnight snack. Although he didn’t usually eat late-night snacks, it should be alright today. After all, wasn’t he the master of the house?
However, as he started reading, his eyes were immediately drawn to a tantalizing passage: "Cook fish knife with honey wine, clear sauce on a plate... simmer with ham, bamboo shoot, and chicken soup, a uniquely delicious taste..." He closed the book and saw the bold title, "Suiyuan Food List"!
Shi Fengju felt the suppressed hunger inside him surge. He unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva and, irritated, threw the book far away. He decided to lean back in his chair with his eyes closed to rest his mind.
After about two quarters of an hour, Shi Fengju felt it was time to leave, so he ordered Chang Huan to clean the study and headed to Ningyuan himself.
From behind the dark pomegranate bushes, two slender young girls appeared, both looking at Shi Fengju as he walked towards Ningyuan. One had jealousy burning in her eyes, while the other looked fearful and anxious.
"You advised me to come here to deliver his meal, but look! He couldn’t even wait for two quarters of an hour! What a nuisance!" Gu Fangzi coldly glared at Lan Xiang and sneered.
Lan Xiang’s lips moved, but she dared not make a sound, lowering her head even more. She thought she was indeed being nosy!
"Let’s go! Don’t just stand here catching a cold!" Gu Fangzi angrily crumbled the delicate flowers and stomped on them.