The Crazy Adventures of Wu Gate Chapter 20 Part2

t.i.tle: The Crazy Adventures of Wu Gate

Chapter: 20.2 of 87

The servant boy looked further down on the yellow paper. He nodded and said, “To respond to Miss, there is. Chef Guo has prepared a bowl of swallow’s nest congee with little royal ginseng, fresh ginger buds with sweet sauce, and Chinese artichoke marinated in soy sauce as side dishes.

"What little royal ginseng?" Qing Qiao didn’t understand.

Immensely proud of himself, Eunuch Qu explained with an aura of superiority, “Little royal ginseng is first-rate daikons (T/N: large white radish) that were meticulously nurtured and personally selected by Chef Guo. These daikon plants have been grown in the core of the imperial palace since their childhood, have absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and were raised with the essence of the sun and moon. Only eight daikon plants are raised each year and pickled by Chef Guo’s skillful hands. In the end, they become the very best pickled dish."

Yeah, right. This group of fools. Making such a big deal over the trifling matter of eating pickled daikon. Qing Qiao rolled her eyes. Fine, do your best to torture yourselves. After all, life is a struggle, not just during youth.

——-

Breakfast was conducted in the same grand hall as yesterday’s dinner.

Forty-eight refined vegetable and meat dishes filled two enormous mahogany tables. Shao Yi’s hand held a pair of delicate silver chopsticks as he walked around the tables. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was gently biting his lower lip. His chopsticks were hovering around the tables without stopping. Every time his chopsticks were near a dish, a hopeful light would be lit in everyone’s eyes. But, his chopsticks would leave the dish without any reluctance and the small flames of hope would be extinguished.

In a few words, everyone’s eyes were like light bulbs and Shao Yi’s hand was a power switch. It was even a wireless remote control type.

After he had walked around all of the dishes, Sir Shao Yi threw away his chopsticks and lazily said, “I don’t like any of them. Take them away.”

One third of the people in the room immediately put on the appearance of fainting.

The twin teenage girls started kneeling and said the old words of, “Please sir, just eat a little bit.”

On the side, Qing Qiao was watching their small tear-filled faces with fascination. In heart, she thought, ah the words “as dainty as flowers” were born just for the two of you.

Suddenly, she felt someone jabbing her ribs. When she turned around to look, she saw Mister Qi.

She calmly and composedly said, “Don’t touch me. I’m not itchy.”

Mister Qi blanked for a moment, and then gave her a meaningful glance with all of his strength.

“Why are you glowering at me?” She twitched her mouth and disapprovingly said, “Look at how nice the weather is outside the window. A person should be broadminded.”

“Gu Qing Qiao” Mister Qi was furious. He gritted his teeth and quietly threatened, “Do you still want me to investigate something for you?”

You’re so heartless! Specifically poking at a person's vital point!

Qing Qiao plaintively looked at him for a moment, took a deep breath, straighten up, raised her foot, and step out from the line.

“Sir, the chefs had meticulously cooked the dishes today. It’s fine if you don’t feel like eating. Anyhow, at least try tasting them.”

Qing Qiao showed a charming and beautiful smile, then covered half of her face with her sleeve. The gesture was lovely and moving.

"… Who are you?" Shao Yi couldn't remember her at the moment.

“Chun Jiao. This servant is Sir’s new nanny, Du Chun Jiao. Did you forget?” As she said this, she walked closer to Shao Yi.

“Humph, the one that uncle invited? I don’t need a nanny!” Shao Yi flung his wide sleeve. His face was publicized sulkiness, “How is it any of your business whether or not I eat?”

“Sir, your words are wrong.” Qing Qiao said with a smile, “Although this isn’t related to this servant, it is related to Prince Duan.”

"How is this related to ninth uncle Yu?"

“Don’t you hope that Prince Duan will like you? If you want Prince Duan to like you, then the first thing you have to do is raise yourself into becoming plump."

“Why?"

“Right now, isn’t the person that Prince Duan likes a big meatball? Thus, it can clearly be seen that the prince is partial towards fat people. So if you want him to like you, you’ll have to make yourself fat!” She clenched her teeth. In return for the Emperor’s Spirit, she didn’t need her reputation. She would throw caution to the wind and go all out.

Shao Yi was slightly startled. He lowered his head to contemplate and didn’t say anything.

There’s hope! A small bird was fluttering in Qing Qiao’s heart as if she had seen a previously failed daughter waving at her with success in sight.

However, in the next second, Shao Yi looked up and slightly smiled.

“You went through this much trouble to persuade me to eat. How much will uncle reward you?”

Looking at this young, cute boy in front of her, from the tips of his hair to the bottom of his feet, he deserved a good spanking. Qing Qiao quietly sighted, “… Not much.”

“How much is not much?” Shao Yi rested his chin on his hand and smiled as he looked at her.

“More than some other people, less than some other people. Wouldn’t be considered too much, wouldn’t be considered too little. You think it's too little, he thinks it's too much. He thinks it's too much, I think it's too litte. Too much, too little, too little, too much. How could words clearly describe the meaning of the two words “how much”?”

After her brain finished saying these words, Qing Qiao’s heart silently thanked Great Master Kong Kong and other quack priests. Thank you for your guidance in fooling other people.

Shao Yu took measure of her for a moment and then suddenly burst out in laughter.

“… You’re more interesting than them. No wonder uncle invited you here. Come, I’ll give you some face. What dish do you think is the best on these tables?”

This translation belongs to FuyuNeko. Please read from the original source, mew.

Qing Qiao had already forgotten most of the names for the dishes. She only remembered that outrageous “little royal ginseng”. She shyly mumbled, “… I heard that Chef Guo had put a lot of energy into making his little royal ginseng dish. It’s truly one of a kind…”

“This servant is here!” An excited middle-aged man suddenly came out from the group of servants. He rushed over and fell down on the ground, “Little royal ginseng is the sole dish that this servant has used up his entire life energy to create. I beg for Sir to taste it!

“You’re Chef Guo?” Shao Yi lightly smiled. It made great waves. “Come forward and tell me what’s special about these pickled daikon.”

She saw Chef Guo wipe away his tears or perhaps it was sweat from his face and move to the table while trembling.

First, he brought a porcelain plate in front of Shao Yi. Then, with both of his hands, he offered Shao Yi a delicate crystalline lens, “Sir, please use this to examine.”

Wow, a chef that carries a magnifying gla.s.s around. Uncle, could you be Li Si Guang? Qing Qiao silently heckled while also looking at Shao Yi.

(T/N: Li Si Guang was a famous geologist.)

She saw Shao Yi pick up the magnifying gla.s.s to look at the dish. On every slender strip of daikon, there was a line of neatly carved words.

“Good fortunes to Sir Shao Yi”

“Hope that all of Sir Shao Yi’s wishes will come true”

“May Sir Shao Yi live forever”

She had seen flattering behavior before, but she had never seen this level of devoted care put into flattering another person. The admiration in Qing Qiao’s heart was immediately as unmanageable as when the Huang River flooded.

“Carved words aren't special.” But, this didn't move Shao Yi.

Chef Guo seemed to have expected this in advance. He immediately took out a slender toothpick to cut open the daikon. There was clearly a piece of reddish orange, a piece of green, and a piece of black unknown item embedded within the center of the daikon.

“… After this daikon was successfully pickled, this servant cut the daikon into the thinness of a finger, hollowed the center of each piece, put carrot, fresh bamboo shoot as well as s.h.i.take mushroom into the center of each daikon piece. This way Sir will eat four types of vegetables with each bite. These balanced nutrients will nurture and maintain your youth and health." Chef Guo dropped his hand and explained.

OMG! Uncle, I was wrong. You’re not a geologist. You’re clearly a nutritionist and flattery expert! On the side, Qing Qiao almost wanted to prostrate herself in admiration. Who said that people from ancient times were easy to fool? Transmigrated women step forward to look. The people here are clearly more awesome!

Shao Yi raised his head and saw that Qing Qiao had a thoughtful expression. He slightly smiled, “Do you think he did very well?”

Qing Qiao hurriedly nodded.

"Then eat everything on these two tables." Shao Yi raised a finger to point at a distant place, "If there's even one unfinished dish, I'll have you dragged out and beaten until you can't talk."