叭哒漫画

Xie Jue was beaming with delight as he looked at the packet of tea Wei Ruo placed on the table. He hadn’t tasted it yet, but he was certain it must be incredibly sweet and delicious.

After the tea had cooled down slightly, Xie Ying took a sip, then praised, “Ruoruo, you are really a treasure trove!”

Xie Jue also chuckled while sipping his tea.

The three of them sat in the tea room, enjoying their tea and some snacks.

Soon, another pleasure boat approached their vessel.

Alert, Xie Jue ordered the servant to let down the gauze curtains, and he moved to the bow of the boat.

He recognized the two familiar faces standing on the approaching boat – Chu Lan and Lu Yuhong.

“Brother Chu, Brother Lu.” Xie Jue greeted, bowing his fist towards the two men.

“Xie Jue, you’re not playing fair, sneaking out to have fun without us! If Brother Chu and I hadn’t decided to go boating, we wouldn’t have known that you’ve gone off to East Lake by yourself!” Lu Yuhong crossed his arms, clearly discontented.

This was a lingering grudge from the incident on the mushroom sauce!

“Forgive me, Brother Lu, I was accompanying my sister today, which is why I didn’t notify you two.” Xie Jue quickly explained.

“From what I can see, you’re not out with your sister, but entertaining a damsel.” Chu Lan’s sharp eyes spotted the two female figures the moment Xie Jue had the curtains lowered.

Xie Jue has only one sister, so if one of them is his sister, the other must be another young lady.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jue’s face stiffened, and he pleaded with a slight degree of embarrassment, “Brother Chu, spare me, this cannot be disclosed, lest we ruin the reputation of the young lady.”

Lu Yuhong instantly became interested, “Xie Jue, you can seal our mouths, but it comes at a price.”

Hurriedly, Xie Jue replied, “I will invite Brother Lu to a feast at the Zuixian Residence on another day…”

Lu Yuhong interrupted Xie Jue, “The Zuixian Residence is nothing special. We can go there anytime we want if we crave something. It’s not like I can’t afford it.”

In a leisurely manner, Chu Lan unveiled his guess, “Unless I’m mistaken, I think the young lady on your boat is from the Wei Family.”

This was not a difficult guess to make. Xie Jue’s sister has only a handful of friends, and just the day before, they saw the Wei family’s carriage entering the Government City. It was safe to assume that the person accompanying the Xie siblings was Miss Wei.

Xie Jue paused : “Brother Chu, I beg you not to guess any further so as not to tarnish her reputation.”

Laughing, Lu Yuhong asked: “Is it the Miss Wei who knows how to farm and make mushroom sauce?”

Xie Jue neither confirms nor denies it, afraid to lie to Chu Lan, nor can he even think about revealing the truth.

Seeing his reaction, it was clear the answer was affirmative.

Lu Yuhong continued, “You underestimate us, Xie Jue. We are not gossipers. No one would dare to bring this up, not to mention, aren’t there a bunch of servants around? With broad daylight, what have you got to hide if you are innocent?”

Chu Lan added, “Indeed, there is no need for such vigilance. I am acquainted with Miss Wei. I admire her deeds in the south of the city and I assure you my men won’t say a thing. You can rest assured as can Miss Wei and your sister in your cabin.”

Wei Ruo, in the cabin, had heard their conversation and was reluctant to meet Chu Lan. However, knowing that they had recognized her, there was no point in hiding.

She muttered to herself: “What’s going on with Chu Lan? Isn’t he supposed to be busy? How does he keep showing up wherever I am? How can he be a good Crown Prince if he isn’t attending to his duties?”

Xie Ying came out of the cabin first. Realizing that the seventh Prince was on the other boat, she dared not be flippant. Respectfully, she greeted, “Greetings to Princes Lu and Chu.”

Seeing this, Wei Ruo had no choice but to follow suit, coming out of the cabin and greeting the princes.

Throughout, Wei Ruo kept her head down, avoiding direct eye contact with Chu Lan.

“It seems like Miss Wei is not particularly pleased to see me.” Chu Lan perceptively sensed something.

Wei Ruo quickly denied, “Prince Chu is compassionate toward the people. I admire the good deeds you’ve done for the people in Xingshan County, and I have absolute respect and gratitude for you. It’s absolutely not that I am unwilling to see you.”

Thinking to herself, “Indeed, I don’t want to see you. In your previous life, you ordered my execution. Am I supposed to be grateful to you?”

The scene fell into an awkward silence.

Xie Ying, acknowledging the awkwardness, tried to change the topic for respite, “Brother, I want to go fishing. I’ve heard that East Lake is full of delicious fish. I want to see if I can catch some.”

As soon as he heard about the delicious fish, Lu Yuhong was eager: “Really? I also want to give it a try. Maybe I can catch a hilsa!”

“Lu Yuhong, hilsa usually lives in large rivers, not in just any lake. I doubt East Lake has any,” Xie Jue explained.

“So what kind of fish DOES this lake have?” Lu Yuhong asked quickly.

“Silver carp, bighead carp, crucian carp, grass carp, and commonly seen fish like this are no doubt here. There should also be black fish and bass. I’m unsure about Mandarin fish with excellent meat quality. But I believe yellow perch wouldn’t be a bad catch also,” Xie Jue explained.

“Alright, then I’ll focus on catching a Mandarin fish,” Lu Yuhong proclaimed as he immediately went to prepare the fishing rods and other fishing gear.

Hearing Xie Jue talk about the variety of fishes in the lake, Wei Ruo, who hadn’t eaten grilled fish for quite a while, was feeling peckish.

Just as well, she had brought a few bottles of seasoning. Initially thinking she might get a chance to market her seasoning to the people from Zuixian Residence, she was hoping to sell it at a good price.

“You guys fish then, I’ll grill whatever fish you catch,” Wei Ruo suggested.

“I’ll catch the fish, Ruoruo, wait for me. I’ll catch a fat one for you to grill!” Xie Ying enthusiastically declared.

Having heard about the grilled fish, Lu Yuhong’s gluttony got the best of him. “That sounds nice. I’d love to try Miss Wei’s grilled fish if possible.”

The person who could make delicious mushroom sauce definitely couldn’t go wrong with grilling a fish right?

Seeing the circumstances, all Xie Jue could do was look at Chu Lan for his approval. If Chu Lan disagreed, everyone else’s enthusiasm would be for naught.

“I’d like to give it a try, too.” Chu Lan expressed interest as well.

Since the seventh Prince had spoken, there was nothing much left to say.

Xie Jue immediately ordered his men to start preparations and then turned to Wei Ruo, “Miss Wei, if you need anything else for the preparation, let me know, and I’ll have them arrange it.”

“Okay.” Wei Ruo quickly wrote a detailed list and went back to her cabin.

The grill and charcoal for grilling fish were already on the boat, so there was no need for extra arrangements. What they needed to procure were some side ingredients and a pot.

In no time, a servant brought over the fishing equipment.

Xie Jue waited until the two boats were close to each other before boarding Chu Lan and Lu Yuhong’s boat.

With men on one boat and women on another, and a safe distance between them, it did not provide fodder for any gossip even if they were spotted by others..