Chapter 126 - 118: Corn Soup

Chapter 126: Chapter 118: Corn Soup

Just as he filled the bowl in his hands with soup and pork ribs, Meng Nan’s voice sounded by his ear. "Perfect timing, I’m hungry too. Bring it over."

A dark cloud formed over the Jin guard’s head. ’What an uncanny sense of smell. He could have come earlier, he could have come later, but no—he just had to appear the very second I finished filling the bowl.’

’What could he say?’

The Jin guard reluctantly carried the soup to the front hall and respectfully placed it on the table. "Please, enjoy your meal, sir."

Meng Nan smiled. "Alright, you may go."

The Jin guard sprinted back to the rear kitchen, only to find Hu Feng standing by the small clay stove. Bowl and spoon in hand, Hu Feng was ladling the soup for himself. Golden corn, tender pork ribs—in the blink of an eye, more than half the soup in the small pot had vanished. The sight made the guard’s heart ache; he desperately wanted to curse someone out. ’That bastard hid in his room the moment he returned, leaving me to light the fire and cook, doing a woman’s work. Now that the soup is ready, he’s sure quick to show up.’

But this was the Hu Family residence, after all, not the government office and certainly not the Meng Mansion. He was burning with rage, but he couldn’t just vent it here. All he could do was watch helplessly as Hu Feng walked off with a swagger, holding a bowl filled to the brim with corn and pork ribs.

Hu Feng brought his soup to the table in the hall and sat down to Meng Nan’s right, on the adjacent side of the square table.

Meng Nan shot him a glance, then reached up and untied the cloth masking his features, revealing a face ravaged by large, festering sores.

The spoon, laden with soup, froze halfway to Hu Feng’s lips. He raised an eyebrow, shot Meng Nan a look, then promptly stood up. Taking his bowl, he left the table, found another chair, and sat down by the hall doorway.

Meng Nan glared at him. "Hu Feng, what is the meaning of this? Why won’t you eat at the same table as me?"

Hu Feng didn’t look at him, simply uttering a single, indifferent word: "Stinks!"

Meng Nan was speechless. He knew he smelled, but he never thought Hu Feng would be so blunt about it. To say it so directly, with no regard for his dignity, acting as if he couldn’t get away fast enough... ’It’s just... it’s utterly humiliating.’

However, he soon forgot all about the awkward little episode.

The reason was that the pork rib and corn soup was simply too delicious. The broth was light, and a single sip flooded his senses with the sweet fragrance of corn and the savory aroma of the meat and bones. It contained none of the expensive tonics he usually consumed, yet its flavor was exquisitely fresh. It was the best soup he had ever had—simple, wholesome, and bursting with the food’s original, authentic flavor. ’Now *this* is real food,’ he thought.

’Which made it sound like the things I used to eat weren’t fit for human consumption, didn’t it?’

Before long, his bowl was empty, but his mouth and stomach remained unsatisfied. He called out for the Jin guard, but no one answered. With a sigh, he picked up his bowl and stood. The moment he rounded the corner from the main hall into the rear courtyard, he spotted the Jin guard pouring soup from the small pot, emptying the very last drops into his own bowl.

He was about to order the Jin guard to bring him the soup, but before he could get a word out, the guard hastily lifted the bowl and took a large gulp...

Only then did the Jin guard pretend to notice Meng Nan. He gave a sheepish grin. "Ah, sir. My apologies, it’s all gone."

Meng Nan pointed at the bowl in the guard’s hands. "Isn’t that a bowl right there? Give it to me."

The Jin guard shook his head vigorously. "No, no, that won’t do. This subordinate has already drunk from it, sir. It’s soiled now; I can’t possibly give it to you."

Meng Nan waved his hand dismissively. "It’s fine. I don’t mind. Now, give it to me."

The Jin guard was cursing inwardly but didn’t dare disobey his master’s command. Staring at the soup in his hands, he didn’t know where the audacity came from, but he suddenly lifted the bowl and—GULP, GULP—downed the entire thing in one go...