"Father, Mother, why are you here?" Hu Lihua forced a stiff smile toward Song Xiuyan and Hu Zhangwei as they walked in, while her body instinctively moved quickly to the front of the dining table. In a panic, she stood upright, trying to block the dishes on the table from their view.
Xixi also didn't dare to sit and eat anymore. She quickly stood up, lowered her head, and looked guilty.
Song Xiuyan raised both eyebrows, her suspicion growing as she observed the reactions of the two girls in front of her. With a teasing expression, she put on a face of mock disappointment, the corners of her lips curling into a thin, forced smile. "Oh? So, your father and I aren't allowed to come and eat with you?" she asked, her voice deliberately dramatic as if she were truly heartbroken.
"No! It's not like that!" Hu Lihua quickly denied, waving her hands frantically.
"Then?" Song Xiuyan pressed further.
Hu Zhangwei simply stood in place silently, as if he were just an observer. When he arrived at Ruyi Pavilion for dinner, Song Xiuyan suddenly invited him to come here instead. His wife also mentioned that Hu Lihua had bought pork intestines for dinner, so she wanted to come and take a look.
"In that case, there's no problem, right?" Song Xiuyan said as she began walking around the table.
Hu Lihua tried to stop Song Xiuyan, but Hu Zhangwei 'accidentally' stood in her way, making her a step too late.
"Oh? What's this?" Song Xiuyan asked, looking curious.
"Mother, that… I cooked pork intestines," Hu Lihua replied. Her voice was so small that it sounded like the buzz of a mosquito.
"Pork intestines? Why would you cook pork intestines? Have the servants been mistreating you and giving you scraps to eat?" Hu Zhangwei asked, looking as if he were furious, even making Xixi shrink her neck.
Hu Lihua was stunned, then thought to herself : [Why does my father look angry? Is he showing concern for me? No, that's wrong! He must be angry because he suspects the servants of corruption, giving me lower-quality ingredients!]
Feeling her thoughts made sense, Hu Lihua immediately reacted. Worried that Hu Zhangwei might punish the servants, she quickly explained, "No, Father, don't blame the servants. I was the one who wanted to eat pork intestines."
However, on the other hand, Hu Zhangwei's face immediately darkened upon hearing Hu Lihua's thoughts. He had genuinely been trying to show his concern for his daughter. Yet, his concern had been completely misinterpreted by his daughter's strange way of thinking!
Hu Zhangwei then asked in a flat tone, "Why do you want to eat something so strange?"
"Because it's delicious, of course," Hu Lihua replied, looking at her father as if he were the strange one.
[Why do I want to eat it? Of course, because it's delicious! Does my father think I have some weird hobby of eating things that taste bad?]
Song Xiuyan lifted her silk handkerchief to her lips, pretending to cover a weak cough. In reality, she was just trying to hide the smile on her face.
"Alright then," Hu Zhangwei responded stiffly. Without hesitation, he sat down at the table and shamelessly asked Xixi to bring two extra bowls of rice.
Xixi followed the order and went to the small kitchen to get the rice. Unfortunately, since they hadn't expected Song Xiuyan and Hu Zhangwei's arrival, the leftover rice Hu Lihua had cooked had already been eaten by the servants. Realizing this, Xixi hurried to the main kitchen to get more rice.
At General Hu's Residence, only Yufeng Pavilion and Ruyi Pavilion had small kitchens. Usually, meals for the masters were prepared in the main kitchen and delivered to each courtyard at mealtime.
The small kitchen in Ruyi Pavilion was built because Song Xiuyan was always weak and sickly, so a private kitchen was needed to easily prepare her medicines.
Similarly, the small kitchen in Yufeng Pavilion was established when Hu Lihua first arrived at the Hu Residence. She was malnourished and weak, requiring many tonics and a special diet to recover her health quickly.
When Hu Rui'an discovered that Hu Lihua had been granted a private kitchen in Yufeng Pavilion and was using expensive ingredients for every meal, she became jealous and started spreading malicious rumors about Hu Lihua among noble ladies, causing her to be ostracized.
At this moment, Hu Zhangwei and Song Xiuyan sat around the table, scrutinizing the food before them. Although hesitant, they were eager to taste Hu Lihua's cooking. Not long after, Xixi returned with two bowls of rice and placed them on the table.
Hu Lihua picked up a piece of braised intestine for each of her parents and said, "Mother, Father, please try my cooking."
Song Xiuyan was still gathering her courage to taste the pork intestines, but Hu Zhangwei had already popped one into his mouth without hesitation. As a soldier who frequently went to war, he was used to food shortages. Many times, when the food supply from the Imperial Capital was delayed, they had to forage for wild vegetables and hunt just to survive. So, merely eating pork intestines was nothing to him.
Hu Zhangwei's eyes widened as he tasted the food. He was so excited that he stammered slightly while looking at Hu Lihua and Song Xiuyan. "This... this is really delicious!" After that, he began eating quickly.
Hu Lihua, afraid that Hu Zhangwei would finish all the dishes she had cooked, instinctively started racing him to eat.
Song Xiuyan was stunned by Hu Zhangwei's reaction and immediately decided to try the dish Hu Lihua had given her earlier. The moment she tasted it, her eyes lit up. "It's really delicious!"
Xixi, who was standing nearby, felt like crying. It seemed she wouldn't have the chance to taste Hu Lihua's cooking this time. But suddenly, a bowl of rice filled with food appeared in front of her. She turned and saw Hu Lihua looking back at her.
"Hurry up! You don't need to serve me while I eat. Go eat in the kitchen! Quickly! Quickly!" Hu Lihua urged.
Xixi accepted the bowl with a beaming face, bowed respectfully to her three masters, and then hurried off to the kitchen.
Normally, servants weren't allowed to leave their masters while they dined. However, this time, Song Xiuyan didn't care at all. After all, Xixi was Hu Lihua's personal maid, so it was up to her daughter how she wanted to manage her subordinates.
The food on the table disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Hu Lihua shot a sharp glare at the main culprit who had eaten the most.
[How can this old man be so shameless, competing for food with a young girl like me?!]
Hu Zhangwei, the shameless old man, deliberately avoided Hu Lihua's piercing gaze and patted his stomach with satisfaction. Who told his daughter to cook such delicious food? Don't blame him for being greedy!
Song Xiuyan was amused by the interaction between her husband and daughter. She smiled and praised Hu Lihua to lighten the mood. "Hua'er, I had no idea your cooking was this good!"
Hu Lihua shifted her gaze from Hu Zhangwei to Song Xiuyan, looking at her mother gently. "As long as you and Father like it, I'm happy!"
[Hmph! Next time I cook something, I'll secretly bring it to Mother and eat with her. I won't let this Zhu Bajie find out and devour it again!]
Hu Zhangwei glanced at Hu Lihua. Tsk! His daughter really said one thing while thinking another! But… who was Zhu Bajie? Why had he never heard of him before?
[Ha! Ha! Ha! If my father were fat, he would be a perfect match for Zhu Bajie, the gluttonous pig-headed man! Unfortunately, he's still quite muscular, so he only qualifies as half of Zhu Bajie!]
Hu Zhangwei's face darkened when he realized who Zhu Bajie was. His daughter had actually cursed him as a pig-headed glutton!
Hu Zhangwei looked at Hu Lihua, who was sitting quietly with her head lowered, then turned his gaze to his wife. Song Xiuyan was biting her lower lip, her shoulders trembling slightly—clearly trying hard to suppress her laughter.
Song Xiuyan turned and met her husband's gaze. She immediately sat up straight and cleared her throat lightly, feeling a bit guilty. She then reached for Hu Lihua's hand, patting it gently. "You worked so hard to prepare this meal. I'll have someone send you a gift later."
"Mother, there's no need to trouble yourself. I was just free and felt like cooking," Hu Lihua replied sincerely.
[How can this be considered hard work? This is clearly a leisurely life. I remember my adoptive mother making me cook from the age of five. Every day, even before the rooster crowed, I had to go to the foot of the mountain to gather wild vegetables. By the time everyone woke up, the food had to be ready on the table. If not, they would beat me and lock me in the firewood shed, without food or water for an entire day!
They ate three meals a day, while I was only allowed to eat once. And even then, it was just watery porridge—you could see the rice grains floating in it!]
Hu Lihua let out a soft sigh as she recalled what the original owner of this body had gone through. No wonder she tried so hard to please her family. She must have been terrified they wouldn't be satisfied and would abandon her again. This girl… was truly pitiful!
Song Xiuyan's heart shattered upon hearing Hu Lihua's thoughts. Her eyes welled up with tears, and with a trembling voice, she said, "Mother… Mother will send the gift later." Then, without looking back, she hurried out. She didn't want her daughter to see her cry.
[Eh? Why did my mother's mood suddenly change?]
Hu Zhangwei clenched his fists, his eyes flashing coldly. He needed to assign more people to hunt down Yang Zhi and his family. He would make them pay for what they had done to his daughter!
Hu Zhangwei sighed as he looked at Hu Lihua, who was still dazed and staring after Song Xiuyan's departure. He then spoke to comfort his daughter, "Hua'er, Father will make sure justice is served for you!" After saying that, he smiled and followed after Song Xiuyan, leaving Hu Lihua looking even more confused.
"What's wrong with Father and Mother? Why are they acting so strange?"