Chapter 364 - 364 I Agree
364 I Agree
The prawns today were very fresh. She took out half of them to make a sweet and sour cold salad.
The remaining portion was then shelled. Using eggs and flour, Xiaoguo added some salt and mixed a batter. After the prawns were wrapped in batter and fried in oil, they were stir-fried with tomato sauce to be made into tomato prawn balls.
Another dish not to be missed is the most classic candied sweet potatoes.
In addition, there were three refreshing vegetarian dishes—sweet corn pancakes, tender tofu stew, and canned fruits.
There was also bean sprout soup. The sweet lunch feast was now ready.
All the dishes would go very well with plain rice. Based on her previous experience, Xiaoguo had steamed a huge pot of rice this time. It was definitely enough to fill the emperor’s stomach.
While the two of them were kept busy in the kitchen. Shao Zhan was not having an easy time either.
Since the couple was working up a storm in the kitchen, Li Shouji was deployed to another location. And that meant freedom for Xiaoyi and Zhuang Zhuang.
The two mischievous brats were now left unattended. When the cat’s away, the mice will play. In the end, the principled Zhuang Zhuang succumbed to Xiaoyi, and was dragged along to Shao Zhan’s place.
Xiaoyi did this for only one reason—he had heard that they were having lunch over at the emperor’s place. It would be good for them to go early and wait.
If Shao Zhan knew what the boy was thinking, he probably wouldn’t be feeling so touched and relieved. He had thought that his eldest son had become sensible. Little did he know that the boy was completely an unfilial son.
Xiaoyi had lived with Shao Zhan during the initial period when they first arrived on the island. Later on, he stayed with Xiaoguo together with Zhuang Zhuang.
After many days of not seeing each other, the heartless boy didn’t even know to come back and visit his father, leaving the man all by himself and feeling lonely.
However, he was a man and the ruler of a country. It was not appropriate for him to keep showing up at Xiaoguo’s residence.
It was also during this period of time that Shao Zhan finally realized how good a boy Zhuang Zhuang was. In addition to his admiration for Jiang Danhe and Xiaoguo, he was starting to feel envious of them.
He wished he could run to the two of them and say loudly, “Your son now belongs to me. You can take this unfilial son of mine!”
Shao Zhan was not exaggerating. For example, as long as there was something good that came out of the kitchen, Zhuang Zhuang would always make sure to bring him some. Although his silly son was also following beside Zhuang Zhuang, he never fails to disappoint him.
Such incidents kept recurring. For instance, when Zhuang Zhuang was conversing with Shao Zhan like an adult, Xiaoyi would be on the side, urging Zhuang Zhuang to go back quickly. He always said that if they went back late, Li Shouji would finish all the delicious food.
Shao Zhan’s heart ached when he heard this. He is a living person, but he pales in comparison to a pile of food. It’s really pathetic to even think about it.
But then again, Xiaoguo’s snacks were indeed delicious.
When the dishes were done, Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe were unable to bring everything out themselves. They had to get someone from the kitchen to send the food over to Shao Zhan.
As soon as Xiaoguo requested help, there was an uproar in the kitchen. Everyone was fighting for the job of delivering the dishes. Everyone was hoping to admire the cooked dishes up close.
While making their way there, Jiang Danhe could tell that Xiaoguo was feeling uneasy. He could roughly guess what was bothering her.
“Did you ask Shao Zhan to help Zhao Yuyan?”
“What?!” Xiaoguo looked surprised. Then she asked, “How did you know?”
Jiang Danhe gave her a knowing look. He only had three words to answer Xiaoguo’s question. “It’s a secret.”
“What!” Xiaoguo was unhappy. What a petty man. To think that he was trying to keep her in suspense. Her curiosity was really killing her. “Tell me, how did you guess?”
At this moment, Jiang Danhe was imitating Xiaoguo’s behavior from last night. He quickly took two steps forward and waved his hands behind him, looking like he was harboring some top secret.
When they returned to Shao Zhan’s residence and sat down, the food was served.
Unsurprisingly, Shao Zhan was eating heartily. His appetite was much bigger than usual. Seeing that he could eat so much, Xiaoyi and Zhuang Zhuang became anxious when they saw that he was not any slower than Li Shouji. The three pairs of chopsticks started attacking the food at the same time. Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe could only see flashes of movements dancing in the air. They looked at each other and were glad that Li Shouji was not around. Otherwise, the scene would have been even more lively.
Just when Xiaoguo was reaching out for a piece of meat, a pair of chopsticks intercepted her and snatched it from below her nose. Being too slow, she only managed to catch a whiff of air. Retracting her hand helplessly, she continued eating the plain rice in her bowl.
At this moment, Jiang Danhe, who had been observing her, picked up a piece of meat for her and gestured for her to continue eating while he helped to add food to her bowl.
He had long foreseen such a situation. If Li Shouji was also here, it would be even more difficult for him to pick up anything with his chopsticks. At this table, there were a bunch of people eating fervently. The only solution is to fight for the food. If he didn’t help her with the food, Xiaoguo would probably have to eat only plain rice for this meal.
The dining table was not a good place to hold a discussion, so Xiaoguo waited for the empty plates to be removed before bringing up the matter.
Ever since she saw Zhao Yuyan digging her own grave that day, the scene remained fresh and vivid in her mind. Every time she thought of it, she would feel extremely depressed.
She knew that she was not a saint and did not have the ability to save people from their suffering. There were many people who were sad on this island—there was no way she could help them all.
But it was hard for her to ignore it. It was fine if she didn’t know. But if she knew and did not help Zhao Yuyan out, she would find it hard to forgive herself.
Xiaoguo found it difficult to express her request. Shao Zhan had already shown his mercy by letting her leave with Yu Ling. If she wanted to bring Zhao Yuyan along as well, she would be pushing her luck.
“… After all, Zhao Yuyan is about to die. I really can’t bear to let her die here alone.”
Jiang Danhe had brought Zhuang Zhuang and Xiaoyi back first. Only Xiaoguo and Shao Zhan were left in the house. After she finished speaking, the other party remained expressionless.
Shao Zhan looked at Xiaoguo in a daze, as if he was thinking of someone.
After a while, just as Xiaoguo was about to give up, Shao Zhan spoke.
“I agree to it.”
Xiaoguo looked at him in surprise. She wanted to ask again to confirm, but she quickly reacted and said, “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Shao Zhan was the ruler of a country. Whatever he said was the final word. It would be too silly of her to ask if it was true.
Shao Zhan shook his head and said with a smile, “You’re welcome.”
“Alright then, I’ll go back first.”
Shao Zhan nodded. Xiaoguo took a few steps outside and suddenly stopped. She turned around and said, “In a few months, I’ll make you a special milk dessert.”
With that, Xiaoguo, who had resolved the worry in her heart, was so excited that she skipped out of the room.
Shao Zhan was stunned for a moment before he laughed heartily. It seemed that he could no longer hide his love for sweets.
When his laughter finally stopped, he suddenly thought of something and took out a jade pendant from his bosom. Holding it in his hand like a treasure, he stroked it gently.
The quality of the jade pendant looked quite mediocre. It did not seem compatible with his status at all. There were some cracks and uneven pits on the entire jade pendant.
There were no other decorations on the plain-looking jade. There was only one word “Mu” carved on it.
A crisp female voice kept appearing in his head.
“You want to know my name? Fine! ‘Without the endearing qualities of a flower, I have let down the wind and nature.’ If you want to know my name, guess carefully. If you get it right, I’ll be your friend!'”
Thinking of that kind and young face that was still preserved in her youth, Shao Zhan could not help but fall back into his memories. His bitter laughter was filled with longing, love, and endless regrets…
So what if he had become the emperor? The dead would never come back to life.
Just now, he seemed to have seen a reflection of her on Xiaoguo’s face. The two women were so kind. Even the kindness in their eyes looked identical.
He thought that if she were still alive, she would have made the same request as Xiaoguo. This was also why he had agreed without thinking.