Xu Feng was only a college student in Dongmen, and he was still in his first year. He hadn't faced the cruelty of life yet and didn't have too much experience with shady people.
He had been well protected by his family, but that didn't mean he was stupid.
As an avid reader of online novels and player of many interactive games, he wasn't clueless about what was happening. Even just sitting in on a few of his mom's prime-time N-dramas was enough to prepare him for backyard politics and cat-fights.
For the first time in his 19, no, 16 years of life, Xu Feng was glad he watched so many N-dramas with his mom against his will. It was the only activity his mom approved of and even encouraged outside of focusing on his studies.
The drama's Playful Peck and Tea Prince, would finally be of use!
"The young mistress has returned?" Steward Wu had questioned with a harmless-looking smile on his face.
He hadn't even risen to welcome Xu Feng, nor had either of the two aunties. They were clearly waiting for him to excuse himself and make a fool of himself. Here they were eating at least two different meat dishes with rice—not white rice, but it was still better than what was sent to Xu Feng to eat regularly.
There were a few meat dishes when the villagers came to renovate the estate, and even then, those dishes never made it to Xu Feng's table.
Enough was enough.
Replaying Steward Wu's question in his head once again, Xu Feng schooled his face and got himself ready for the play. No man, woman, cat, or dog, ancient or modern, was going to walk all over Xu Feng's face without him putting up some sort of fight.
Xu Feng's face chilled, almost matching the silver of his hair. Even the color of his eyes somehow seemed colder. The usually quiet and somewhat amiable looking beauty appeared to be otherworldly in this moment.
Like an ice immortal or an ethereal entity looking down on a mortal man without a care in the world.
Steward Wu felt the change in the room, the change in the lucky ger without any backing or supporters who was randomly chosen to marry his young master. The ger didn't have anything except for his lineage and astonishing bloodline, shown through his hair color.
*Clack
The chopsticks in Steward Wu's hand clattered against the table as he stared open-mouthed at the tall ger in front of him. The very intimidating ger.
"Has this young mistress returned?" Xu Feng asked as a small smile graced the side of his face, "No one came out to greet this young mistress, so how can this mistress have returned?"
Xu Feng's eyes seemed as though they would pierce the three Xuan servants in front of him at any moment. Steward Wu couldn't keep himself from choking on his own saliva, and coughing profusely.
The two women, Lifen and Lan, on the other hand, began to shake, trying to make themselves smaller. It was like, if they tried hard enough, they would wish themselves away from their disgusted young mistress.
Just like that, a leisurely meal where two servants flattered the steward of their estate, turned into a battleground. A battle between the steward and the new owner of the home.
Xu Feng glanced at the table full of decadent-looking dishes as his aura became colder, causing the two women's spines to straighten. His smile grew a bit more as the three servants in front of him were each thinking unknown thoughts.
"I see you're eating now, the great Steward Wu of the Xuan family. But when you're done, you may come to my reception room, I have important news that needs to be handled before MY wedding." Xu Feng stressed as he took turns making eye contact with the three servants.
Without waiting for a response, Xu Feng turned on his heels, and slowly strode out of the dining room. Once again taking in the assortment of dishes on the table before he left as swiftly as he entered.
When Xu Feng had requested for half of the goods from the kitchen to be sent over to his personal kitchen, only things like millet and other lesser grains and kimchee were sent, yet on the table, sweet potatoes, and meat were abundant, even some brown rice dishes were there.
Xu Feng wasn't angry, only calm and shrewd.
Maybe the steward was simply upset at a new master managing this property in the next week, or even wanted to challenge him for power. As for the women, they clearly didn't respect the ger they saw enter the estate with tattered clothes.
It was probably below them to serve a master from more humble beginnings than their own. The guards didn't seem to think much of him either.
.
.
.
After getting back to the Blooming Courtyard, Si and San had already unpacked their morning haul and started a fire in the kitchen. They apparently had no hope of Xu Feng returning with any of the meat they smelt on their way in.
They were even more realistic than the optimistic Xu Feng.
Not knowing when Steward Wu would pull himself together and come to Blooming Courtyard, Xu Feng dove into his kitchen with a vengeance.
The menu for their lunch would be quick, easy, and with as little fragrance as possible, with no meat. He wouldn't use any of the fresh meat they bought in Yilin for the foreseeable future, it would instead be made into preserved meat.
The meat from the betrothal gifts was already eaten up.
Xu Feng set out to make simple kimchee pancakes with the millet and kimchee he got from the main kitchen. He would also add some of the soybean oil they bought in town that morning.
It would be a fragrant meal solely because of the oil, but Xu Feng wasn't willing to go without oil just to get less hate from Steward Xu. It was already too late for that.