Chapter 65: Picking Anything
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
It had been long since Shen Tianci had been so concerned about eating. If not for his family’s persuasion, he would have gone to the Ning residence for breakfast. He endured it until noon and went home with Ning Erlang, who had closed his stall early again.
Ning Erlang received a notice from his sister in advance and said that if Young Master Shen came again, he might as well go home early. She always had a good reason. “Do we earn more from Young Master Shen, or do you earn more from setting up a stall in the afternoon?”
Ning Erlang knew the answer, so he closed the stall very quickly.
Today, the county magistrate was probably afraid that his son would not eat well and even asked Shen Tianci to bring ingredients. However, Xiaoxiao looked at the expensive and useless things. She only chose a chicken and nothing else.
Shen Tianci was even happier when he saw this. “I told my mom I didn’t want to eat those things, but mom didn’t listen!”
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He was only in his early 13s and was about the same age as Ning Erlang. He was a young man and was the most playful. Seeing Xiaoxiao tossing and turning the chicken around and even taking out a needle and thread, his curiosity was about to explode.
“Why do you need a needle before cooking? What delicious food are you going to make? Chicken soup or chicken stew?”
Xiaoxiao despised him for being a hindrance and asked her brothers to bring him to their vegetable field to play. She even decided generously, “Pick whatever you want to eat!”
Madam Song had no objections, even for the sake of the one tael of silver. This was the first time Ning Fengnian had seen such an imposing guest. He was a little at a loss. The butler was attentive and only gradually relaxed when he talked to him about the fields.
As the eldest son, Ning Dalang was responsible for treating guests. The butler looked at his actions and words and felt generous. “Young Master, have you studied before?”
Ning Dalang was neither servile nor overbearing. “I’ve only been my uncle’s page boy in school for a few years, but I’ve memorized the Thousand Character Classic, Mencius, and Analects.”
The butler could not help but test him. The more he listened, the more satisfied he became.
Xiaoxiao watched from the side for a while before she went to cut the potato strips. Madam Song’s heart ached when she saw the oil full in the pot, but Xiaoxiao spread her hands. “I promised to fry fries, but it’s not gentlemanly to go back on my word.”
Madam Song strode out of the kitchen. Fine, fine, fine. Ning Xiaoxiao was the most reasonable person in the family. She couldn’t win against her. Anyway, the oil that had been fried could still be used. She would pretend not to see it.
After stewing the chicken and fries, Xiaoxiao started to cook the fish slices. As one of her signature dishes, the pickled boiled Fish had to be served on the table. This time, she used the pickled vegetables she made to increase the fragrance.
At this moment, Shen Tianci and Ning Erlang had been squatting in the vegetable field for a long time. The vegetables and meat that Young Master Shen ate at home were all prepared and brought to him. He had never seen vegetables grow in the field, so he jumped left and right excitedly, wishing to grab and eat all the vegetables.
If it weren’t for Ning Erlang watching, the entire row of vegetables in the field would have been picked by him.
However, even though he was on guard, the cucumber that had grown tender and sharp was still harmed. When Rong Yan walked out of the courtyard for a walk, he heard Ning Erlang complain to his sister loudly, “Sister! He picked all our cucumber!”
The butler was a little embarrassed. Before he could speak, Xiaoxiao also shouted back, “It’s fine. It’s not a waste because we can eat later. I’ll make up for it and pluck enough for a plate.”
Shen Tianci raised his head proudly at Ning Erlang. He would have slapped him if Ning Erlang had not repeated “one tael of silver” a few times..