Chapter 108: The Young Master Can Cook Too
When they arrived at Yunhe Garden, Xu Yunzhou rather rudely sent everyone to gather the ingredients. Although Li Yuecheng and the others insisted that Yun Zijin needn't help, she felt awkward just standing around, so she went to see if she could do anything in the kitchen.
There were twenty-one people in total—counting Yun Zijin and Meilin. Among them, four were women, two of whom were female designers from Sheng Group and Li Group. Xu Yunzhou strolled leisurely over to Li Yuecheng and asked quietly, "Who's this 'Sister Zijin' you mentioned just now?"
Li Yuecheng grinned. "Guess." He had no plans to reveal anything easily.
Xu Yunzhou saw that Li Yuecheng was uncooperative, so he countered by threatening not to serve Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which was Li Yuecheng's favorite. For such an important meal, missing that dish would be a big loss. Li Yuecheng didn't relent, only saying, "It'd be boring if I told you right away. Observe carefully."
Meanwhile, Yun Zijin wandered around the kitchen, but the place was crowded with many people busy preparing. She ended up with no immediate job. As she looked around, she noticed Lu Yunque passing by with a basket of fresh beans. She quickly asked, "Mr. Lu, are you prepping these beans?"
He stopped. "Yes. Want to help?"
"Sure!" Finally, she found something useful to do. Since the kitchen was busy, they carried the basket into Yunhe Garden's courtyard. Fortunately, the place wasn't open for business yet, so there were no other customers. Xu Yunzhou had turned away anyone who called after they decided to dine here, not wanting to cook for too large a crowd.
They each pulled up a chair outside. With the basket set on a low table between them, Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque began picking the beans. She was impressed by his skillful technique. "I'm surprised you're so good at this," she said. "I figured someone in your position wouldn't even know how to do such things."
He gave a faint smile. "I spent a year studying abroad. Their food didn't suit me, and I have a Chinese stomach, so I learned to handle kitchen tasks myself."
"That means you can cook, too?" Zijin asked, even more surprised.
"I picked up some basics, not much," he answered calmly. "It's not like I studied cooking formally."
"You're still amazing. I assumed you…" She trailed off, hesitant to say outright that she had expected him never to enter a kitchen.
"You assumed a man of my background would be ignorant about everyday chores, right?" he remarked, reading her thoughts. Zijin gave a small laugh without denying it. "Well, next time, you can cook for me so I can see how well you really do," she teased lightly.
He placed the last batch of beans into the basket. "All done. You can wait here if you like; I'll take these in to wash them. That's all the bean prep we need."
Zijin nodded, letting him go. After a moment, Meilin emerged from the kitchen. "Miss, the rest of the dishes will take about forty minutes. If you're hungry, would you like some fruit to tide you over?" Meilin was a mechanical being who didn't require food, but she knew Zijin did.
Right then, Lu Yunque returned carrying a fruit platter, complete with sliced cantaloupe, mango, white dragon fruit, and rinsed grapes. He set it on a side table. "It'll be a bit before dinner, so have some fruit," he said, handing Zijin a small fork.
Meilin commented, "I was just about to cut some fruit, but you beat me to it."
Zijin took the fork and speared a piece of cantaloupe. "You both had the same idea. Thanks." She couldn't help but notice how gently he looked at her. It felt a bit intimate, so she averted her gaze. Not wanting to disturb her, he headed back into the kitchen.
Left alone, Zijin eyed the nicely arranged fruit plate. She took a breath, calming the odd flutter in her chest. Soon, two female designers from Sheng and Li's groups came out. Spotting Zijin, they approached.
"Miss Yun, why're you sitting here alone?"
"Miss Yun, the kitchen is busy—shouldn't you help?"
Zijin frowned at their tone. "I did. We finished prepping beans earlier. If you didn't see, that's your problem."
They looked ready to retort when Lu Yunque reappeared, sharp-eyed. "Didn't Chef Xu kick you two out for messing around? Don't question others about working if you can't manage your own tasks."
"Mr. Lu…" They were speechless. They hadn't expected to be caught. He could've asked them to leave entirely, but his patience let them remain, albeit under a glare.
Before the moment could get more awkward, Li Yuecheng popped up, noticing the half-eaten fruit plate. "Hey, fruit!" he exclaimed. "Let me fetch a fork."
He dashed into the kitchen, coming back with one minutes later. "Sister Zijin, when did you cut fruit without telling me? I'm a pro at that." He grabbed some fruit for himself. "I guess you did this, Mr. Lu?"
"Yes, I did," said Lu, feeling a twinge of irritation as Li Yuecheng chomped the fruit he'd carefully sliced. But he couldn't snatch it back now.
"This is amazing. I had no idea you could cut fruit like this, Brother Lu," Li Yuecheng said, delighted. He stuffed more pieces into his mouth.
Meanwhile, the two female designers stood awkwardly. "What're you doing here, anyway?" Li Yuecheng asked them, clueless about their earlier trouble. "They said they prefer standing," Lu Yunque replied tersely. The two women nodded mutely, fearful of him. Li Yuecheng found it odd but shrugged. "That's… a unique preference."
Then came a booming voice from inside: "All of you outside, come help serve these dishes!" It was Xu Yunzhou summoning them. Zijin, who'd done little more than pick beans, now smelled the aromatic dishes and felt her appetite rise.
Inside, she eyed a pot of simmering meat. "What's this?"
"Dongpo Pork. Cover it with a lid to keep it warm," Xu Yunzhou said briskly. With so many people sharing the workload, he didn't want his dishes to get cold. "Use that pot cover on the counter."
"Got it," Zijin answered, quickly covering the dish and carrying it outside. Xu Yunzhou glanced over, relieved to see she hadn't dropped anything.
One by one, more dishes emerged from the kitchen. The two female designers who had been "punished" simply watched as others placed the plates on the table, realizing there was no seat for them. Their eyes flickered with regret, but they kept quiet.
Finally, Xu Yunzhou came out, frowning as he noticed the women standing idly. "What's with you two?" he demanded. They lowered their eyes, mumbling. He guessed they must've upset either Zijin or Lu's group. "Fine. If you wanna eat, grab a seat. If you're not going to eat, get out. Don't stand there with pity in your eyes like I bullied you."
Seeing that neither side welcomed them, the two girls were too embarrassed to remain but also hesitant to leave. Yet as they lingered, they saw Meilin exchange a cold glance with Lingyi and the other bodyguards. The men approached: "Would you rather walk out yourselves, or do we help you?" one bodyguard asked quietly. Realizing they'd definitely be thrown out, they decided to leave on their own.
Meanwhile, Lu Yunque looked over at Meilin's aloof gaze, somewhat curious but not asking. He and Zijin weren't close enough yet to pry.
Watching the unwanted pair exit, Li Yuecheng raised his glass. "Finally, those downers are gone. I'd like to toast Sister Zijin's bodyguards. They helped rid us of trouble." He drained his whiskey in one gulp. The bodyguards politely toasted back with tea. They couldn't drink on duty.
Xu Yunzhou smiled, shifting his eyes to Yun Zijin. "Xiao Yunyun, those bodyguards of yours are amazing. Where'd you get them? Do you have any more? Can you introduce them to me?" The muscular men exuded competence in every move.
Zijin shook her head. "They were trained for me by an elder. Sorry—there aren't any extras."
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