Chapter 89: An Eyesore
This was like a person who never killed suddenly killing someone right in front of you.
The shock and impact brought by that sight and sound couldn’t be replaced by ordinary things.
“Eldest Young Master, are we going?”
Liu Guang asked Zhong He seriously.
He thought Zhong He would agree, but unexpectedly, he refused.
“Mother just arrived at Wutong Hall not long ago. There will be invitations like this in the future; we won’t join in the fun this time.”
Compared to Li Xuanyue, Zhong He preferred to spend more time with his mother. He didn’t want to miss precious time with her just for this invitation.
However, it wasn’t just Zhong He who refused this invitation; even Lang Hua, Yao Guang, and Yu Mian refused.
The reasons given by the three were surprisingly consistent: they were all physically unwell.
In the end, the only one to accept the invitation was Jun He.
When Li Xuanyue saw that only Jun He was sitting in the Peach Garden, she was stunned for a moment.
But when she learned from Yinxin that the other consorts had refused the opportunity to taste the delicacy due to business or feeling unwell, she didn’t get angry.
She could understand why Lang Hua and Yao Guang refused; one wanted to catch up on sleep after not resting well for days, and the other was physically unwell and didn’t want to move.
As for Yu Mian, that was indeed a bit outside her expectations.
But Li Xuanyue wouldn’t be unhappy if they didn’t come.
After all, this was an experiment for her. As for whether the final product was edible or not, that was another story.
She didn’t want to hear sycophantic words, but hearing the honest truth might be hard to accept too.
Not coming actually gave her a graceful way out.
“Princess, should this servant go announce it again?”
Yinxin couldn’t tell if Li Xuanyue was happy or unhappy right now. Her silent demeanor made Yinxin feel unsure.
She could only ask tentatively.
Li Xuanyue shook her head. “Since they offered their own reasons and matters to refuse, don’t force it.”
“Take the things and place them aside for This Princess.”
“You’ve come, girl?”
Liu Wuya smelled the aroma of roasting chicken from a long distance away.
At this moment, seeing Li Xuanyue walking toward them with Yinxin and three or five maids, the smile on his face was brilliant.
“Has the Divine Physician waited long?”
Li Xuanyue greeted Liu Wuya with a faint smile, then had the maids place the Beggar’s Chicken she was preparing to make, along with some pre-made pastries, onto the stone table.
“This Beggar’s Chicken needs to be wrapped in lotus leaves and mud to roast out the fragrance.”
She explained softly, “In a moment, I’ll have the maids light the fire and throw it in to roast. Then we just have to wait about two hours before we can eat.”
Hearing this, Liu Wuya knew she had done her homework.
“Not bad, you’ve put some heart into it.”
He praised, “Even for making food, you knew to understand the specific steps beforehand. This old man indeed did not judge wrongly.”
Liu Wuya’s praise felt very good to Li Xuanyue.
She had indeed put in some effort after going down.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been delayed for so long.
“Princess, do you need this subject’s help?”
Seeing that she had already prepared the chicken with marinade and was only waiting to wrap it with lotus leaves and fine yellow mud, Jun He suddenly stood up, walked to her side, and asked in a low voice.
Li Xuanyue glanced at him sideways. “Then help me mix the yellow mud.”
She didn’t refuse and even began directing him to work.
This yellow mud was specially dug up from good soil by the maids at Li Xuanyue’s request.
It had even been sifted through a fine sieve.
Now, it just needed to be mixed with water into a paste and wrapped around the outside of the lotus leaves.
As the Third Prince of the Snake Clan, reasonably speaking, Jun He shouldn’t have done such things before.
But his movements flowed like moving clouds and flowing water; he didn’t look like a novice at all.
He did it even better than Li Xuanyue, a first-timer.
This actually made Li Xuanyue involuntarily look at him a few times more.
Jun He naturally sensed Li Xuanyue’s gaze.
His eyes held a hint of gentleness. “Why is the Princess staring at this subject?”
His tone carried a bit of teasing.
“Do you find this subject good-looking?”
Li Xuanyue blushed slightly. Being suddenly caught like this was truly awkward.
She braced herself and pretended to be calm.
“If Consort Jun wasn’t looking at This Princess, how would you know This Princess was looking at you, and not at someone else?”
Jun He paused, not expecting Li Xuanyue to counterattack in front of so many people. He hooked the corners of his lips slightly, seeing through Li Xuanyue’s embarrassment.
“The Princess is right; this subject will be mindful next time.”
He gave an ambiguous answer, yet his gaze never left her.
Sitting opposite them, the elderly Liu Wuya couldn’t stand the scene of young people flirting in front of him.
The corner of his mouth twitched violently.
He felt that he hadn’t come to eat Beggar’s Chicken; he had come to have his eyes assaulted.
Indeed, as people get old, their hearts can’t withstand seeing just anything.
(TN: The chapter title “Spicy Eyes” [La Yan Jing] is slang for something that is hard to look at, cringe-worthy, or an eyesore.)
“Um, well, girl, your Beggar’s Chicken probably needs to wait a while longer.”
To avoid his heart suffering further stimulation here, Liu Wuya chose to leave first.
“How about this? This old man will go wander around elsewhere first. When the time is about right, I’ll come back.”
With that, without giving Li Xuanyue a chance to reply, Liu Wuya’s figure vanished in a flash under everyone’s gaze.
For a moment, only Li Xuanyue and Jun He were left in the Peach Garden.
In the silence, Li Xuanyue could almost hear the sound of their own heartbeats.
The atmosphere was full of ambiguity and awkwardness.
“Is the Princess afraid?”
Jun He looked up at Li Xuanyue.
Seeing that she hadn’t raised her head since Liu Wuya left.
Did she not want to see him? “Should this subject leave first?”
Li Xuanyue’s hand, holding the lotus leaf-wrapped chicken, paused. “Who said This Princess is afraid?”
He wasn’t a fierce ghost or wild beast.
Why would she be afraid of him?
“Just stay here and help This Princess.”
Jun He’s eyes brimmed with a smile. His large palm, holding the yellow mud, suddenly brushed over that lustrous white hand.
Li Xuanyue’s body stiffened. She almost shrank back her hand holding the lotus leaf chicken.
But in the end, she endured it.
Those who knew would see he was applying the final layer of mud to the lotus leaf chicken in Li Xuanyue’s hand; those who didn’t would think he was taking the opportunity to flirt.
As they moved, friction between their hands was inevitable. To Li Xuanyue, they were just normally making a Beggar’s Chicken, so friction between the backs of their hands and fingers was unavoidable.
But in the man’s eyes, doing this added a layer of ambiguity.
