He Wenyan was struck dumb the moment he met those eyes.
More than ten years have passed, and it's not surprising that his physique has changed, but he wouldn't mistake those eyes.
When the two were newlyweds, Tan Xiaoping was young and charming. Whenever they were intimate, she would shyly cover her face with a silk handkerchief, only revealing her big, clear eyes that looked at him with a mixture of joy and reproach.
For two years, more than 600 days and nights, those scenes were etched into He Wenyan's very being, and he would never forget them.
Even though those eyes are no longer as bright and clear as they used to be, and wrinkles have appeared at the corners of them, showing a huge change from how they were back then, he would not mistake them!
After Yu Xiangxiang exchanged pleasantries with the Jun sisters, Lu Zhenniang signaled that class was about to begin and asked everyone to stand in front of their respective stoves.
He Wenyan remained standing upright in the middle of the kitchen, neither advancing nor retreating, but staring at her with an excited expression.
Lu Zhenniang frowned unhappily and whispered a few words to Wushuang, who was closest to her.
Wushuang immediately took small steps to He Wenyan's side and reached out to tug at his sleeve.
He Wenyan snapped out of his daze, only to hear Wushuang say, "Uncle He, Mr. Lu is about to start his lesson. Her ingredient combinations are all family secret recipes, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to stay here. If you are worried about Ayao, you can go outside the kitchen to a place where you can't hear the noise inside and wait."
This explanation seems reasonable on the surface, but it implies that He Wenyan stole the secret recipe.
Wushuang thought he would definitely leave in a huff.
To everyone's surprise, He Wenyan actually ordered someone to bring over a drum stool and place it under the stone steps of the eaves, directly opposite the door. He then plopped down on it and showed no intention of leaving.
Is this a pretext to find fault with them?
Wushuang had no choice but to think this way.
Although this uncle-in-law has always been good-tempered and treated her fairly well, that was all under the premise that He Yao hadn't gotten into trouble. Now... although Chu Yao keeps saying that He Yao's marriage wasn't his responsibility, would she believe him, or would the people of the Grand Princess's residence believe him?
Today, Lu Zhenniang is teaching how to make congee with preserved egg and lean pork.
This porridge may seem ordinary, but the more common the dish, the more skill it reveals. Making it so delicious that people will want to savor it is the most difficult thing to do.
Wushuang was preoccupied with other matters and kept looking back at the Grand Prince Consort. The preserved egg was cut into pieces and the shredded meat was broken into uneven pieces. Lu Zhenniang gave her several slaps on the hand.
However, she had years of experience, so even when she was distracted, the food she made was still quite delicious. After Lu Zhenniang tasted it and expressed her approval, Wushuang smugly summoned Qiqiao and instructed her, "Find a servant to send it to the Prince of Ying's mansion. Tell him that I cooked it myself and that he must eat it all, or I will ignore him in the future."
That "he" refers, of course, to Chu Yao.
Wushuang looked coquettish, which made Lu Zhenniang both amused and genuinely happy for her.
However, when she turned to look at He Yao, the smile on her face was immediately replaced by a blank expression.
For some reason, He Yao was fuming. As if to vent her anger, she haphazardly poured various seasonings into the iron pot, completely ignoring Lu Zhenniang's instructions. When Lu Zhenniang looked over, she was holding the vinegar bottle upside down, and in the blink of an eye, the entire bottle of vinegar was empty.
Lu Zhenniang peeked out and saw that the whole pot of porridge was so dark that it was impossible to tell which was preserved egg and which was meat; one can only imagine how it tasted.
Given He Yao's status and the fact that the Grand Prince Consort was personally "inspecting" her, she couldn't really blame him. She took a deep breath to suppress her anger and turned to look at Yu Xiangxiang and Wu Hui's achievements.
Fortunately, both girls were quite skillful and did a good job.
As class was about to end, Lu Zhenniang glanced at the Grand Prince Consort sitting calmly outside the door and said indifferently, "There is a task after class today. You must give this pot of porridge to the man you are closest to. If you have a fiancé, like Wushuang, you can give it to your fiancé. If you are not yet engaged, you can give it to your father or brother."
He Yao's fiancé was thousands of miles away, so the horrible porridge obviously couldn't reach him. Since she had no brothers, the whole pot of porridge was naturally delivered intact to He Wenyan.
He took only one bite, then pushed it far away and refused to touch it again.
"I told you not to learn from her. That gentleman was completely incompetent. I followed her instructions exactly, but the result was inedible." He Yao lied through her teeth.
Their family isn't short of money to hire a tutor, so why would they go to the Marquis of Runan's residence to take lessons? It would only make them a laughingstock.
If it were any other man, He Wenyan might have been fooled. However, he was convinced that Lu Zhenniang was his first wife, Tan Xiaoping. He knew her skills better than anyone and did not believe He Yao's nonsense. Instead, he scolded his daughter and ordered her to humbly seek help from now on. If she caused trouble again, she would be punished according to family rules.
There are many things that noble ladies need to learn, and cooking classes are not held every day.
On days when there were no classes, Lu Zhenniang would go to the market to buy ingredients for the next class.
Actually, these tasks could be left to the servants in charge of purchasing for the Jun family, so there was no need to do them personally. However, Lu Zhenniang believed that the quality of ingredients was also very important in cooking. She personally selected the best quality ingredients so that they could be compared with the second-best ingredients during class, allowing the students to learn how to identify ingredients.
That day, she went to the street as usual, strolled around the mountain produce shop, bought some fresh white fungus, and planned to teach the girls how to cook white fungus soup as autumn approached.
Lu Zhenniang was a regular customer. The shopkeeper knew that she was the cook who taught the young ladies of the Marquis's mansion how to cook, so he was always exceptionally hospitable. Every time, he would bow and serve tea and water, and he would also personally carry the goods out of the shop.
"Thank you, shopkeeper. I'm going to look around some more. You should go back first, so as not to delay your business." Lu Zhenniang thanked him politely as usual, took the red paper packet from the shopkeeper, and turned to walk into the alley next to her.
Footsteps sounded rapidly behind her, getting closer and closer as if chasing after her.
It was nearly noon, and people were coming and going in the alley, but Lu Zhenniang didn't pay any attention and just quickened her pace to walk her own way.
"Xiaoping, wait for me!" came a panting voice from behind.
Lu Zhenniang did not react at all, and continued to stride forward at her original pace.
Chapter Index 112 | 6.110.111
Chapter 111:
He Wenyan paused in his tracks when he saw that she was ignoring him.
Could there be a mistake?
However, he quickly realized that, according to He Caiqiong, Lu Zhenniang had come to the Marquis of Runan's mansion eight years ago. If she wanted to recognize him, she would have taken the initiative to find an opportunity long ago and would not have waited for him to come to her.
This also reasonably explains Lu Zhenniang's attitude of not recognizing him when they met face to face.
He Wenyan quickened his pace, jogging, and finally caught up with Lu Zhenniang, stretching out his arm to block her way: "Xiaoping, it's me."