Chapter 9

Chapter 9

“Fine by me. I’ll be waiting, but this flatbread won’t wait for me.”

As I spoke, I took a large bite of the flatbread.

It was stuffed to the brim with cured meat, and a single bite sent savory juices blooming across my tongue. It had been a long time since I’d eaten a flatbread this hearty.

At first, Cui Zishu tried to maintain her lofty integrity. She didn’t want to associate with a commoner like me, much less lower her head to eat the food I prepared.

Yet, not even two hours passed before I spotted her sneaking into the kitchen.

There were leftovers from the dinner Qingshan had made the night before, along with a few remaining flatbreads.

At noon, Qingshan stepped into the kitchen and let out a startled cry. “How are all the flatbreads gone? And the porridge in the pot too!”

Cui Zishu’s room remained deathly quiet.

My younger brother helped me pluck the vegetables, speaking with great earnestness. “Sister said it was a greedy stray cat. I don’t know where it came from, but it was all yellow. Orange cats are always gluttons!”

Just then, Cui Zishu emerged from her room dressed in yellow silk, heading toward Cui Shao’s quarters. Her footsteps, however, were a bit stiff.

Qingshan froze for a moment before the realization hit him.

“Three meat-stuffed flatbreads, two bowls of rice porridge…”

She had eaten more than my little brother. Qingshan’s jaw practically hit the floor.

He scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish. “It’s a good thing you’re here, Madam. Otherwise, I really might have let the young mistress starve to death.”

From that day on, I cooked a variety of dishes, rotating the menu constantly. The quality of life here was far better than what I’d experienced with the Chen Family; my brother and I ate until we were thoroughly satisfied.

After seven days, everyone had put on a bit of weight-everyone except Cui Shao.

I asked Qingshan what Cui Shao liked to eat. Qingshan thought about it blankly for a moment before shaking his head. “Master has never shown a preference for anything. Or rather, he likes everything and nothing at the same time.”

He liked everything and nothing?

That was a nightmare for a cook.

A few days later, the kitchen ran out of ingredients. In the past, Qingshan had handled the shopping. Although he was a servant, he had always been Cui Shao’s personal attendant; he had never done anything so grounded as grocery shopping. He wasn’t picky when buying vegetables, and most of what he brought back wasn’t very practical.

Besides, I had been here for many days and hadn’t had a chance to explore the Capital yet.

Cui Shao gave me the money for groceries, then thought for a moment before pulling out an extra five taels of silver. “Buy whatever you like.”

I wasn’t about to turn down free money, so I was naturally delighted.

As I tucked the silver away, I said, “And whatever you like, Husband, I shall buy that as well.”