Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 162: The county magistrate’s son is so pitiful that he can’t even have breakfast!

After a while, another little servant boy came over with two cups of tea.

Shen Yu and Yu Cheng were sitting there. Yu Cheng looked at the two large bookshelves against the wall on the south side of the door and said enviously, "Sister, there are so many books here. Master Lu is really amazing."

Shen Yu nodded and said, "I heard that Mr. Lu will take the exam next year and is studying hard every day now."

At this moment, the door creaked, and Lu Lang pushed the door open excitedly and walked in quickly.

Shen Yu and Yu Cheng hurriedly stood up and saluted him.

Lu Lang waved his hand and said, "Miss Shen, you don't have to be polite. I heard Qixi said that you brought a food box over. Is the chestnut cake ready?"

Shen Yu couldn't help but twitch his mouth. Lu Lang, you are really a foodie. You only think about delicious food.

Shen Yu maintained a proper smile on his face, opened the food box and said, "The top layer is the chestnut cake you requested, and the bottom layer is the sugar-roasted chestnuts I made this morning. They are made at home, and the taste is a little different from those made at the roasted food store, so please don't dislike them."

Lu Lang reached out and took out a box of chestnut cakes. He opened the box, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, saying incoherently, "Miss Shen's cooking skills are so good, the ones she makes must be better than those in the snack shop."

Lu Lang swallowed the chestnut cake in just a few bites: "Mm, this chestnut cake is really delicious, sweet and soft, not greasy at all, and it also has a milk fragrance. They must have added fresh milk to it."

Without waiting for Shen Yu to answer, he glanced at the bamboo basket and food box beside him, and said in a hypocritically polite manner: "What's in it? Is the other food box also for me? This is so embarrassing."

Shen Yu laughed dumbly and answered truthfully: "The food box also contains chestnut cakes and sugar-roasted chestnuts. It's for Qiqi from Captain Xing's family. I have to go visit my third sister later."

Lu Lang said "Oh" with a little disappointment, and reached out to pick up a piece of chestnut cake.

Shen Yu muttered to himself, "There's nothing special about this chestnut cake. Is it really that delicious? I don't think I saw him washing his hands just now."

Although he was complaining in his heart, he still took away the cloth covering the bamboo basket with a smile and took out the earthen jar.

Because the clay pot was wrapped in a thick cloth, the pot was still hot when it was taken out.

Shen Yu said, "There is a dish of chicken stewed with chestnuts in this earthenware pot. It is the most suitable dish to eat in autumn and it is nutritious and delicious. You sent so many chestnuts that we can't use them all by just making chestnut cakes. So I made a dish of chicken stewed with chestnuts and brought it to you."

When Lu Lang heard that there was chicken to eat, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't help but blurt out: "Since I came to the county, I haven't eaten chestnut stewed chicken."

Then he called Qixi over and said, "Go quietly to the kitchen and get a set of bowls and chopsticks. No, get two sets. It's hard for you to follow me. This chestnut stewed chicken is such a big pot. I can't finish it by myself. Let's eat it together."

Qi Xi's face lit up, he answered yes happily, then turned around and ran away.

Yu Cheng was stunned watching from the side. How could this be different from the official son he had imagined?

Isn’t it said that when you become an official, you can eat meat every meal until you are full?

Why was Mr. Lu so happy to see a can of chestnut stewed chicken? Could it be that the chestnut stewed chicken made by the eldest sister was particularly delicious?

Yes, that’s right. Whatever food my elder sister cooks is always the most delicious. Who can resist not eating it?

Little Yu Cheng reasoned about this in his mind and came to this conclusion.

He proudly introduced it to Lu Lang: "Mr. Lu, my elder sister's chestnut stewed chicken is delicious. You must eat more later."

"My eldest sister cooked a whole casserole last night. The chicken was tender and smooth, and the chestnuts were sticky and sweet. I ate a lot."

"There is also the steamed fish made by my elder sister. It tastes very fresh and has few bones. It is as delicious as this chicken."

Lu Lang, who had only eaten two chestnut cakes since he got up at three in the morning to study, couldn't help but swallow his saliva as he listened to Yu Cheng's enthusiastic sharing, and felt even hungrier.

Shen Yu suppressed his laughter and said, "Mr. Lu, have you had breakfast? The clay pot has been simmering in the stove all night, and it's still hot. If you have already eaten, you can heat it up on the stove at noon, and it will taste just as good. You don't have to finish it now, it won't go bad."

Lu Lang turned his head awkwardly and muttered, "I got up at three in the morning to study and haven't had breakfast yet. It's a good time to eat now."

Yu Cheng asked innocently: "Why do we have to study before eating breakfast? How uncomfortable it is to study on an empty stomach?"

Without waiting for Lu Lang to answer, Yu Cheng turned around and asked Shen Yu with some concern: "Sister, when I start studying, do I have to study on an empty stomach until this time in the morning?"

Shen Yu smiled and shook his head: "Don't worry, I will make sure you eat well before studying."

Yu Cheng finally put his mind at ease and looked at Lu Lang in confusion.

Lu Lang couldn't pretend not to see it, so he had to explain: "Father said that eating too much makes you sleepy. You are most energetic after getting up. You can't waste time on eating. You must study for an hour before you can eat breakfast."

Yu Cheng said with sympathy: "Mr. Lu, you are so pitiful. You can't even have food to eat."

Shen Yu quickly covered Yu Cheng's mouth and said with a smile: "Mr. Lu, Yu Cheng is young, he is not pitying you, ah, he didn't mean to say that to you, you are a son of an official, how could you not have food to eat, right, right."

Shen Yu was so anxious that he couldn't speak clearly. He felt that the more he explained, the worse the situation would be.

Lu Lang waved his hands indifferently, and said aggrievedly: "Yu Cheng is not wrong, my father just won't give me food to eat."

Lu Lang's face was filled with deep sorrow and pain. If someone who didn't know him saw him, they would think that this second-generation official had suffered some inhuman abuse.

Lu Lang sighed and said, "You don't know, every morning when I'm studying, my stomach is growling with hunger."

Shen Yu wanted to laugh but didn't dare to, for fear that if he continued listening, Mr. Lu would burst into tears on the spot.

I had no choice but to say goodbye quickly: "Mr. Lu, we still have to go to Captain Xing's house, so we won't bother you. The chestnut stewed chicken tastes pretty good, you can eat it while it's hot."

Lu Lang stared at the earthenware jar and said absentmindedly, "Okay, okay, let's do this for now. I won't keep you here. After we finish eating, I'll ask Qi Xi to send all these utensils back to you."

After saying that, he muttered quietly, "Why did Qixi take so long to get the bowls and chopsticks?"

Shen Yu pulled Yu Cheng to bow, then picked up the food box and hurried out of the study, leaving Lu Lang alone there drooling over the earthen jar.

After leaving the study, a messenger who was waiting outside the door saw them and hurried over to help Shen Yu carry the food box. He sent the siblings to the gate of the county government office, bowed, and went back.

He's home was not far from here. Shen Yu carried the food box and they arrived quickly.

Shen Yu handed the food box to Aunt Xu who was waiting on the side, and said to He with a smile: "I made some new chestnut cakes and sugar-roasted chestnuts. Mother said that children love to eat these. I brought some for Qiqi when I came here today."

He thanked her with a smile and told Xu Ma to take Qiqi and Yucheng to play in the yard.

She took Shen Yu to sit outside the east room. After the maid served tea and left, the two sisters sat at the table on the kang and talked privately.