Chapter 200 - 198: Vice Minister Xiao, Let’s Remarry (Update 1)

Chapter 200: Chapter 198: Vice Minister Xiao, Let’s Remarry (Update 1)

Because Xiao Yi had just attended a palace banquet, he was still wearing his formal court attire. Xu Jing glanced at him and laughed, "Vice Minister Xiao, do you want to change your clothes first?"

Xiao Yi nodded and said, "I ate some things in the palace. If you and Chang Xiao are hungry, you don’t have to wait for me; go ahead and start eating."

He noticed the long table next to him was filled with sliced meats and washed vegetables, but none of it had been touched yet.

"Don’t worry about this Little Point. Just after the mooncakes were made, he ate one and a half of them and quite a bit of fruit and snacks."

Xu Jing glanced at Xiao Huai’an beside her, his little belly sticking out, and said, "If it hadn’t been for me stopping him, he could have skipped dinner altogether."

Hearing that his mom might not let him eat the roast meat, Xiao Huai’an hurriedly said, "I—I’m not full at all, really! My stomach was just growling!"

As he spoke, he tried hard to puff out his little belly, but his actions only confirmed Xu Jing’s words even more.

Everyone was amused by his silly little demeanor, and Xu Jing deliberately kept a straight face, gently tapping his little belly, "Indeed, your tummy has become a little drum. If you eat any more, it’ll become a big drum!"

Xiao Huai’an became anxious immediately, "Mom!"

Everyone could not help but laugh even more heartily.

The spacious courtyard instantly filled with cheerful and pleasant laughter.

Xiao Yi’s eyes became increasingly gentle. With a smile, he glanced at the mother and son, then quickly returned to his room to change clothes.

When he came back, Xu Jing was holding a pair of chopsticks, placing thin slices of meat on a heated stone. The meat sizzled with oil, filling the whole courtyard with a rich, enticing aroma that made the inexperienced servants circle around Xu Jing with glowing eyes, as if they hadn’t eaten in ten lifetimes.

Off to the side, Xianyun arrogantly rubbed his nose.

Hmph, a bunch of ignorant folks. He and the young lord had smelled this aroma many times when they lived with Miss Xu, so they wouldn’t show such an embarrassing expression!

Seeing Xiao Yi approaching, Xu Jing quickly called him over to sit down, handed him a pair of chopsticks, and pointed at a small plate of roast meat in front of him, saying excitedly, "Try this. You might not have tried this way of eating roast meat before; it’s very delicious."

On the small table, besides that small plate of roast meat, there was also a plate of green leafy vegetables, a small plate of garlic, a plate of something similar to pickled radish, and a small dish of sauce.

The green leaves were lettuce leaves. Speaking of ancient life, it was indeed inconvenient. When Xu Jing first started researching gourmet food, she found that many ingredients that were readily available in modern times were not available here. There were no lettuces and no chili peppers, so Xu Jing could only use lettuce as a substitute and use pepper and Sichuan pepper to replace the spicy flavor in the sauce.

The final result, in her opinion, was passable, but seeing Little Point and Qiushui enjoying it, it seemed to be a success.

Xiao Yi held the chopsticks, looking hesitantly at the array of ingredients in front of him.

Sitting beside him, Xiao Huai’an couldn’t help but sympathize with his father, thinking that since Dad hasn’t eaten Mom’s roast meat before, he might not know how to eat it. With this in mind, he eagerly said, "Dad, Dad, look at me, this is how you eat it!"

As he spoke, he picked up a lettuce leaf, placed a few pieces of roast meat and a slice of pickled radish inside, wrapped it, dipped it in the sauce in front of him, and took a big bite, his face instantly showing a look of happiness.

Xu Jing amusedly glanced at him and said, "Just eat it like Chang Xiao does. His sauce doesn’t have pepper or Sichuan pepper in it. See if you can get used to it; if not, you can switch to Chang Xiao’s sauce."

Chang Xiao’s lettuce leaves were also different from theirs; he specially dipped them in water, fearing that this Little Point might upset his stomach.

So this was the roast meat that this Little Point was always talking about.

Xiao Yi followed Xiao Huai’an’s method and made a lettuce wrap. Surprisingly, even though it was made by hand, it looked particularly elegant and beautiful when he did it.

Finally, under the expectant eyes of Xu Jing and Xiao Huai’an, he took a bite, and surprise appeared on his face.

The lettuce leaves, along with the garlic and pickled radish inside, nicely balanced out the greasiness of the roasted meat, and with the savory and slightly numbing sauce, it was a taste he had never experienced before.

It seemed that he could eat as much of this roast meat as he wanted without getting sick of it.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, a faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "It’s delicious."

Xiao Huai’an immediately smiled, his eyes squinting with joy as if he had been praised, "I told you Dad would definitely like it! Besides roast meat, Mom can make many other delicious things too!"

Xu Jing couldn’t help but smile with her eyes.

Although she only provided the method for this dish, with the sauce preparation and ingredient selection done entirely by Qiushui, she couldn’t help but feel very satisfied.

She smiled happily and said, "If you like it, have some more. I’ve prepared plenty of ingredients for tonight. Qiushui, Chuju, help grill more so others can try as well."

The nearby servants, who were practically drooling, immediately expressed their gratitude with tears in their eyes.

Oh, Miss Xu is truly the Guanyin Bodhisattva in their hearts! No one is allowed to object!

Off to the side, Chunyang and Chunxiang couldn’t help but exchange a glance.

Thinking about the plan Miss had told them a few days ago, their hearts inexplicably tensed up.

They didn’t know where Miss and Vice Minister Xiao would go in the future.

Everyone spent a lively evening, ending with moon viewing and eating mooncakes.

After all, Xiao Huai’an was still a child; after being well-fed, he felt sleepy and moved over to Xu Jing’s side, his little head nodding off.

Xu Jing looked at him with amusement, called over Chuju, and said, "The young lord is sleepy; take him to rest."

Chuju responded, picking up Xiao Huai’an and walking inside.

After Xiao Huai’an left, Xu Jing wasn’t in a rush to leave. She continued to sit there, engaging in a casual conversation with Xiao Yi.

Although everything tonight was so perfect—so perfect that it made Xiao Yi feel a bit inebriated despite not being drunk—he was not a man easily swayed by emotions.

Usually, Xu Jing wouldn’t come to him without a reason, and she wouldn’t stay a moment longer than necessary once things were done. Her staying tonight was out of character, which made him wonder if she had something to discuss with him.

He picked up the teapot and poured Xu Jing a cup of tea to cleanse the palate, signaling with his eyes for the servants nearby to keep a respectful distance, and asked warmly, "Does Miss Xu have something to discuss with me?"

Xu Jing, who had been contemplating how to voice her thoughts, couldn’t help but cough lightly.

This man is truly too perceptive!

However, she couldn’t keep postponing this matter indefinitely. She straightened up, looked at the man in front of her, and said, "Indeed, I have something to discuss with Vice Minister Xiao. I didn’t intend to bother you today, given the rare holiday, but circumstances compel me."

Pausing for a moment and meeting the patient and deep black eyes of the man, she took a light breath and said, "Vice Minister Xiao, earlier you mentioned you wouldn’t mind pretending to remarry me. I wonder if your thoughts have changed? If not, let’s proceed with the fake remarriage."

With a soft clink, Xiao Yi’s cup lid slipped from his hand and fell onto the cup.