There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 284 Cold Front

"Lunch is ready, you can eat now."

Uncle Yuan stood at the kitchen door with a large ladle and shouted.

Upon hearing the words "dinner is served," Li Shuchen dashed off to the kitchen with astonishing speed, glancing at the table as soon as he entered.

"Where are the vegetables? Where are the vegetables?"

Uncle Yuan replied while serving the food, "You little rascal, you came fast! I hadn't even finished serving myself."

Li Shuchen walked to the side and reached out to take the bowl: "I'll carry it."

He took the food and went straight to his room, running back and forth several times before he finished carrying all the dishes.

Because there were so many people, we ate nothing but big pot dishes today, steaming hot and incredibly fragrant and delicious.

Li Shuchen swallowed hard, then eagerly stood in front of the door and shouted, "Come to my room for lunch!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Bingli went inside first, followed closely by Gu Ziying.

Li Shuchen sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks, and then froze. Grandma's legs... and there was another dish she didn't know how to make.

What should I do...?

Room door

Liang Yuying leaned lazily against the door, arms crossed, and said indifferently to the person at the door, "It's not appropriate for a man like you to come while the ladies are having their meal."

Cheng Zhian said frankly, "Aren't we friends? What's wrong with friends dining together?"

Liang Yuying straightened up and smiled, "Who does Chief Judge Cheng want to be with, with whom are the rumors circulating that he has secretly pledged his life to her before they are even engaged?"

Cheng Zhi'an understood the implied meaning, and thinking about his upcoming autumn examination next month, he forced a smile and said, "It is indeed inappropriate for a man like me to be present at your ladies' meal. In that case, I wish you a good meal and drinks."

He then turned and left.

Li Shuchen, who was lost in thought inside the room, was completely unaware of the two people clashing.

Liang Yuying returned victorious, a smile still gracing her lips. She looked up and saw Li Shuchen staring blankly; her smile vanished. "Shuchen, what's wrong? Why aren't you eating?"

What dish should I make?

Li Shuchen replied subconsciously, continuing to stare blankly in thought.

Hearing this, Liang Yuying felt relieved and sat down, saying, "Shu Chen's magic tricks for us last time were amazing."

Ye Bingli: "What kind of magic trick?"

Gu Ziying: "When Shu Chen transformed, there was a misty haze emanating from the fruit platter, like ascending to a celestial terrace; it was truly dreamlike."

"Yes, I can do magic tricks."

Li Shuchen immediately put down his chopsticks. The white mist would surely leave a deep impression on everyone. The heat paired with the cold, the dry mouth with the fruit, and then topped with a layer of colorful flower petals—it would definitely be both beautiful and delicious.

"Thank you, Yuying. I've decided what to do. Let's eat, let's eat."

He then began to eat meat and drink soup in large gulps.

Liang Yuying watched Li Shuchen's hearty appetite with satisfaction and leisurely enjoyed her lunch.

Gu Ziying finished eating first: "I'll go set up the banquet venue. You all enjoy yourselves."

"Good"*3

Li Shuchen finished eating second: "I'll go cook some more dishes, you guys eat."

After saying that, he got up and went to the kitchen, walking so fast he almost bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out.

The people in front remained unmoved after hearing this.

Li Shuchen looked up and asked, "Cheng Zhian? What are you doing in the kitchen?"

Cheng Zhi'an said somewhat aggrievedly, "Dining alone is lonely and cold."

"Nonsense, am I not having dinner with you?"

Uncle Yuan ate from a large bowl while saying...

Cheng Zhian paused upon hearing this, wondering why the old man was undermining him, and then quickly tried to smooth things over.

"I'm going to extract essential oils, do you want to come with me?"

Li Shuchen thought for a moment. Since his dish was simple and could be made anytime, he said, "Let's try it with roses first."

Cheng Zhian smiled and said, "Okay."

The two took their homemade extractor and went to the rose garden.

Li Shuchen was in charge of picking fresh flowers, and Cheng Zhian was in charge of tinkering with the extraction equipment.

After lunch, Liang Yuying came out of her room and saw a scene that gave her a headache. She had just won a game, but now Cheng Zhian had won it back. She was unhappy, extremely unhappy.

He then clenched his fist, strode over, placed one foot between Li Shuchen and Cheng Zhian, and smiled gently at Li Shuchen.

"Shu Chen, I'm here to help you."

Li Shuchen: "Okay, we need to pick these fully open roses, without any damaged petals or mold spots."

Liang Yuying smiled and pushed Cheng Zhian aside: "Okay."

Li Shuchen noticed nothing and continued picking roses.

Cheng Zhian forced out the words through his teeth: "General Liang seems to have a lot of free time."

Liang Yuying said smugly, "Helping Shu Chen is my biggest priority."

"Humph"

Cheng Zhian turned his head away and remained silent, intently fiddling with the tools in his hands.

Li Shuchen picked a basket full of flowers and happily carried it on her back, but before she could even get it on properly, someone took it from her.

"It's too heavy, I'll carry it."

After Liang Yuying finished speaking, she carried it on her back.

Li Shuchen: "Yuying, this weight isn't heavy for me."

Liang Yuying ignored her and pulled Li Shuchen aside, saying, "Shouldn't we go wash the flower petals? Let's go."

Li Shuchen was forced to be dragged away.

At the well, Liang Yuying put down the roses on her back.

Li Shuchen squatted down and carefully plucked the petals off one by one, washing them with well water, her movements meticulous and thorough.

Liang Yuying stood there, scanned her surroundings, spotted her target, and headed straight for it.

a moment later

A low stool appeared next to the girl washing flowers.

"sit"

Concise and to the point, leaving no room for refusal

Li Shuchen sat down on a small stool and said happily, "Thank you, Yuying."

"You're welcome"

In a good mood, Liang Yuying sat on a low stool and began washing the flowers.

Seeing a large basket full of roses waiting to be washed, Ye Bingli grabbed a small stool and went to help.

The three of them washed quickly together, and the rose petals, still dripping with water, were placed intact in the basket.

Because the basket was too wet, Liang Yuying and Li Shuchen chose to carry it with wooden sticks to Cheng Zhian.

Ye Bingli went to teach a few girls how to make flower cloud rolls.

Li Shuchen: "We're done washing, is that alright?"

"Can"

After Cheng Zhian finished speaking, he began putting roses into the extractor. The waiting process was tedious.

Li Shuchen: "Yuying, you keep an eye on things for me, I'm going to go cook."

"it is good"

Liang Yuying stared intently at Cheng Zhian, as if she were looking at a prisoner.

Cheng Zhi'an was completely focused on the equipment and didn't care about the stares behind him.

Li Shuchen picked various colorful flowers, carried them to the storeroom, and began pretending to rummage through drawers and cabinets, searching for a dry ice container that didn't even exist.

Seeing that no one was around, he secretly bought forty basins and put them in the mahogany cabinet, and also bought a pound of dry ice and a thick glove.

Then, wearing gloves, I put all the dry ice into the newly bought container, carrying the container in one hand and the flower basket in the other, and went to the kitchen.

Put things down

Washing flower petals, washing fruit, cutting fruit, arranging fruit on a plate—the whole process is done in one go.

"Uncle Yuan, do you have hot water?"

Yes, I'll get it for you.

Uncle Yuan brought over a pot of hot water and placed it on the table. Li Shuchen, remembering something, said to Ye Bingli, "Bingli, come here for a moment."

Upon hearing this, Ye Bingli stepped out from the group of girls and walked up to Li Shuchen.

"What's the matter?"

Li Shuchen laughed and said, "I'll show you a magic trick."

"OK"

Ye Bingli smiled and looked expectantly at the fruit platter in front of her.

Li Shuchen picked up the kettle, aimed it at the small hole in the middle, and poured hot water straight down.

In an instant, smoke swirled and filled the surroundings.

Ye Bingli couldn't help but raise her hand to touch the white mist.

soft

cool

"I've never seen Shu Chen's magic tricks before; they're even more amazing than the fire-breathing performance at the lantern festival."