Chapter 179 - 177: Poor Daddy! (Double Update)

Chapter 179: Chapter 177: Poor Daddy! (Double Update)

Xu Jing rubbed his little head, and couldn’t help but raise the corners of her mouth high, "Mom knows, Chang Xiao is so good, how about we have roasted meat today?"

A while back, she had Chuju find a blacksmith to make a simple version of a grill. On the day the grill was ready, she brought the little guy to have a delicious roasted meat meal. The little guy’s eyes sparkled with delight, and he couldn’t express how much he liked it.

Now hearing Xu Jing mention roasted meat, the little guy’s eyebrows seemed about to fly off his face, and he quickly nodded vigorously before his saliva could flow out, "Wow! That’s great!"

Just as she was preparing ingredients for the roast, a guard suddenly came over, saluted Xu Jing and said, "Miss Xu, we’ve found out the background of the people who were following you yesterday and today."

Xu Jing stopped her actions and said, "Tell me in detail."

This small kitchen was part of the courtyard she was currently staying in, and everyone in the kitchen were her own people, so there was nothing to be wary of.

The guard’s answer, however, left Xu Jing somewhat surprised.

"There were two groups following Miss Xu yesterday. I sent people to follow them and saw them entering the Xu Family and the Marquis Wushun’s residence respectively. Today, only the Marquis Wushun’s people were following you."

Xu Jing’s eyes darkened slightly.

It wasn’t surprising that Xu Ya would send people to follow her. She had already anticipated that.

But she didn’t expect Wu Youbing to also send people to follow her. What was his intention? Although she had spoken on his behalf at the Wang Family Manor, she had merely been analyzing the case normally. He wouldn’t be narcissistic enough to think she was favoring him and thus look at her differently, right?

What kind of cliched idol drama plot is this? To be honest, for Xu Jing, such a clichéd idol drama plot might actually be preferable. If Wu Youbing had discovered her identity and was therefore tracking her, it would be more troublesome.

And then there’s the threat posed by Xu Ya. Since leaving the Wang Family Manor, Xu Ya hasn’t sought her out or exposed her identity. Xu Jing suspects she might be observing. Xu Ya isn’t the impulsive type, but what she’ll do after observing, Xu Jing can’t figure out at the moment.

She’s not afraid of problems; problems can be solved. But this calm before the storm is the most exasperating.

The guard beside her suddenly hesitated and said, "Miss Xu, should we inform the Lord of this matter?"

Although they were Xiao Yi’s people, unless individuals from the Prince Xing Faction threatened her or she was in danger, they wouldn’t casually report her matters to Xiao Yi.

Xu Jing realized this early on.

Xu Jing remained silent for a moment before saying, "I plan to visit your Lord tomorrow. Let’s discuss this matter then. Could you please send someone to your Lord’s residence and inquire if tomorrow is a convenient time for me to visit?"

She didn’t directly address the guard’s question mainly because this matter had nothing to do with Xiao Yi. If the Prince Xing Faction were causing trouble, she could naturally pass this issue onto Xiao Yi. However, Xu Ya and Wu Youbing were problems left to her by the original owner, and Xiao Yi wasn’t responsible for resolving them.

But there’s no need to block her own path. At home, you rely on your parents; outside, on friends. She couldn’t be a hundred percent sure she wouldn’t need Xiao Yi’s help in the future. When she decided to develop in the Western Capital, she initially thought that in these times, having money alone was not enough to protect oneself; one also needed power.

Though the relationship between her and Xiao Yi was delicate, he was ultimately of high rank and authority. While she would avoid seeking his help in times of trouble as much as possible, he was still a potential backup for emergencies.

The guard was momentarily stunned, then immediately excitedly said, "Yes, I’ll go right away. Miss Xu going to visit the sick will surely make the Lord very happy!"

After speaking, as if afraid Xu Jing would change her mind, he quickly turned to leave.

Xu Jing raised her eyebrows slightly. Would Xiao Yi be pleased? He’d probably be grateful she wasn’t troubling him during his recovery.

However, since she was going to visit the sick, wouldn’t it be inappropriate to go empty-handed? Xu Jing’s thoughts shifted, and she had an idea in mind.

The next day, after lunch, Xu Jing took Xiao Huai’an and headed to the Xiao Family.

Being able to go home with Mom made the little guy very happy. Sitting in his seat, his feet swung back and forth. Looking at the food box being carried by Qiushui, he said, "Mom, Chuju said you went to Shengmei Restaurant and bought many pastries for Dad, but I remember Dad doesn’t like sweet things."

Is that so?

Xu Jing blinked and coughed lightly, "Giving gifts is about sincerity, and sincerity is what counts."

These pastries cost her quite a bit of silver coin, so her sincerity was definitely there!

Beside her, Qiushui and Chuju: "..."

Poor Lord, Miss Xu clearly just picked a random gift and probably didn’t even consider whether the Lord would like it.

Xiao Huai’an suddenly understood and nodded, then stretched out his little tongue and licked his lips, "Why doesn’t Mom give Dad roasted meat? Roasted meat can express Mom’s sincerity and is even tastier than pastries!"

Just thinking about last night’s roasted meat feast, his mouth started to water.

Xu Jing laughed at this little glutton, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, "Your dad is hurt and can’t eat greasy food. Besides, roast meat needs the grill from home, and your dad doesn’t have one there."

Xiao Huai’an paused, suddenly thinking of a frightening possibility, "Mom, has Dad never eaten roasted meat?"

Xu Jing paused as well, "Maybe not."

Regular roasted meat he might have, but her special version, certainly not.

"What about grilled fish? Dad hasn’t eaten that either?"

"The grilled fish made by Mom, your dad indeed hasn’t tried it."

"What about fried chicken wings? What about hot pot? Dad hasn’t tasted any of it?"

Since discovering Qiushui’s culinary skills rivaling those of chefs in the Imperial Kitchen, she had made many delicacies unknown in Great Chu, which had made this little guy gain quite a bit of weight recently, his little face becoming rounder.

Thinking he wanted to share delicious food with Xiao Yi, Xu Jing pondered and said, "Dad hasn’t eaten any of these, but don’t worry. Qiushui can already make those tasty foods. In the future, when you and Qiushui return home, you can have Qiushui make them for Dad."

Xiao Huai’an immediately showed a look of sympathy similar to Qiushui and Chuju’s.

Dad hadn’t tasted any of these delicacies; how pitiful!

Moreover, Qingqing had once said that eating with someone you like makes everything tastier. Both he and Dad liked Mom the most, but Mom didn’t like Dad, so she wouldn’t eat with him.

Which means, what Dad eats definitely isn’t as good as what he eats.

Too pitiful!

In the study, Xiao Yi, who was handling official business, suddenly covered his mouth and sneezed. Beside him, Dongli immediately asked anxiously, "Lord, have you caught a cold? The weather has cooled significantly recently."

"No issue."

Xiao Yi took the handkerchief Dongli handed him, wiped his hands, and continued to focus on his work.

Thinking of Xu Jing coming over with Chang Xiao shortly, he couldn’t help but smile, eager to finish his work quickly.

A random and insignificant sneeze was something he didn’t pay attention to at all.

Thus, when Xu Jing arrived at Xiao Yi’s mansion, Xiao Yi, who had just finished wrapping up his work for the day, was already waiting at the back gate.

To avoid attracting attention, Xu Jing always entered Xiao Yi’s house from the back gate whenever she visited.

As soon as Xiao Huai’an got off the carriage, he saw his dad and immediately shouted in surprise, lunging forward.

Xu Jing paused slightly, then immediately showed a bit of disapproval, "Vice Minister Xiao, since you’re injured, you shouldn’t move around recklessly. It’s not like we don’t know the way."

Xiao Yi patted Xiao Huai’an’s head and looked at her with a slight smile, "My injury isn’t a big deal. The doctor said walking around appropriately is better than sitting still."

Xu Jing examined his complexion carefully and saw it was evidently better than two days ago. Her gaze shifted to his left arm, and she coughed lightly, "Your arm is all right, right? That day you saved me, so..."

"No problem, it was just bumped a bit, now it doesn’t affect movement at all."

Xiao Yi deliberately raised his left arm and swung it to show Xu Jing, "This matter has nothing to do with Miss Xu. If there’s blame, it should be on those who set the fire initially."

Hearing him mention it, Xu Jing couldn’t help but ask, "Has it been found out why the Wang Family manor caught fire back then?"

The fire at the Wang Family manor started mysteriously. Afterwards, she asked Zhao Shao Hua, who said the government was still investigating the cause but confirmed that the fire wasn’t started by Mrs. Yu’s people and couldn’t have been started by those outside the house.

Xu Jing herself couldn’t figure out who would have started such a large fire at that time.