PFC Chapter 374
Chapter 374
When she saw two figures, one tall and one short, coming into the yard, she walked out with a smile.
Luo Shuiyao naturally saw the Right Prime Minister's wife as well, and hurriedly tugged on Du Lingfeng's sleeve, quickly pulling him forward, and greeted her, saying, "Mother, I'm late, and I've kept you and father waiting for so long."
"It's not too late, your mother and father are old and can't sleep. You young people need to grow up and should get more rest."
The Right Prime Minister's wife affectionately took Luo Shuiyao's hand and walked inside, saying as she walked, "Hurry in and have dinner, the food should be getting cold."
She seemed not to notice her son, and didn't care whether he followed or not, as she led Luo Shuiyao straight into the dining hall. Du Lingfeng looked at his empty sleeves, raised his eyes to glance at the mother and daughter who had already entered the dining hall, pursed his lips, and followed them in silently.
After exchanging greetings with the Right Prime Minister, Luo Shuiyao was led by the Right Prime Minister's wife to sit on the seat to his right. Du Lingfeng came in and sat next to her.
The Right Prime Minister's wife asked a few questions like "Did you have a good rest last night?", but was interrupted by the Right Prime Minister's cough: "Well, the children are hungry. It's not too late to chat after dinner."
After a few words of concern as usual, the Right Prime Minister's wife was about to invite them to dinner. Hearing her husband interrupt, she was not annoyed. She smiled and pointed to the two dishes on the table closest to Luo Shuiyao and said, "Yaoyao, try some. These are made by mother this morning. Try them and see if they taste good."
Luo Shuiyao was stunned for a moment, then turned her gaze to the two exquisite dishes before her, her eyes aching. Although these two dishes were simply home-cooked dishes, the presentation was exquisite, the colors were alluring, and it was obvious that they had been carefully prepared. She was touched by the kindness of the Right Prime Minister's wife, pursed her lips to suppress the bitterness in her eyes, and smiled, "Then I must try it carefully. Mother's cooking must be very delicious."
She was so lost in emotion that she didn't notice. Upon hearing this, the Right Prime Minister, seated at the head of the table, had an expression that was indescribable. Even Du Lingfeng, usually expressionless in the face of a sudden collapse, frowned, his face filled with resistance.
The Right Prime Minister's wife smiled and nodded, picked up the serving chopsticks and picked up two pieces of food and placed them on her plate: "Eat quickly, your father and brother want to eat, but mother hasn't cooked for them yet."
Luo Shuiyao naturally and respectfully picked up her chopsticks and placed the dish in her mouth. After chewing twice, her expression became somewhat dazed. This braised bamboo shoots dish should have been crisp and refreshing, but now it was tough and woody, tasteless, with only a sweetness that rushed straight to her head. She instinctively wanted to spit it out, but seeing the Right Prime Minister's wife's eager gaze, she forced herself to swallow with difficulty.
"How is it? Is it delicious?" When the Right Prime Minister's wife saw her swallow it, her eyes were full of anticipation.
What could Luo Shuiyao say? She could only nod and blurt out against her will: "It's delicious."
"If it tastes good, eat more." The next second, another chopstick of food was placed on her plate.
Luo Shuiyao stared at the plate of braised tofu, almost wanting to cry. Since the tofu was braised, perhaps it wouldn't be too bad? As the Right Prime Minister's wife waited, she picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. She was stunned: it was once again cloyingly sweet! The sweetness of the braised bamboo shoots hadn't yet dissipated when the sweetness of the braised tofu surged up her throat. Clearly, she had mistaken sugar for salt.
She forced herself to swallow the "sugar-boiled tofu" in her mouth, her mouth twitching as she looked at the two exquisitely presented dishes. Then, looking at the Right Prime Minister's wife's sparkling, expectant eyes, she could only bite the bullet and nod, "Mom, it's delicious. Please eat it too."
The Right Prime Minister's wife shook her head: "Mother doesn't want to eat it. Doctor Chu said that mother can't eat sweets. If you like it, you can eat more."
Luo Shuiyao's expression froze again. She had originally thought that the Right Prime Minister's wife had mistaken sugar for salt, but now she realized that she knew the dish was sweet. If she knew that, why did she put so much sugar in it?
Now wasn't the time to press the issue. Her lips twitched slightly, and she forced a smile. Her eyes casually glanced at the Right Prime Minister, whose expression was stern but schadenfreude was tinged with gloating. Then she turned to see Du Lingfeng staring at the dishes with a look of resistance. Luo Shuiyao curled her lips and coquettishly addressed the Right Prime Minister's wife, "Mom, I know you love me, so you give me the best, but you can't be partial! Dad is the head of the family, and my brother has been practicing swordsmanship hard today. Why don't they also have a taste of Mom's cooking?"
The gloating in the right prime minister's eyes disappeared instantly, and he looked at Luo Shuiyao with wide eyes in disbelief: What a "head of the family"! This girl is clearly trying to drag him down!
Du Lingfeng, who was standing aside, was stunned for a moment, pursing his lips again and again, and looked at Luo Shuiyao with eyes full of disillusionment with her image as a well-behaved sister.
The Right Prime Minister's wife turned around and saw the Right Prime Minister glaring at Luo Shuiyao. Thinking he was jealous, she glanced at him unhappily: "How old are you? Are you still competing for favors with a child?"
He glanced at his son, who was staring at Luo Shuiyao, and thought he wasn't partial. Since these two minded, the three of them would share the food. Then he smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, alright, I'll serve you some food."
The nanny beside them tactfully handed over the bowls and chopsticks for the Right Prime Minister and Du Lingfeng. The Right Prime Minister's wife took one chopstick each and filled the bowls evenly, letting the nanny divide the food between the two before saying, "Eat quickly, and don't accuse me of partiality anymore."
The Right Prime Minister and Du Lingfeng looked down at the food in the bowl. Both father and son had the same look of despair in their eyes, but they had no choice but to stretch out their chopsticks and put the food into their mouths.
Luo Shuiyao's lips curled slightly at this—as father and brother, it was only right for them to share both good and bad times. But before she could even bask in elation, her portion of food was shoved in front of her. She lowered her gaze to the dish on her plate, then stiffly turned to look at the Right Prime Minister's wife. Under her expectant gaze, she slowly swallowed the food.
After finishing this unpleasant breakfast, the servants helped them rinse their mouths and then they sat down in the living room.
The Right Prime Minister's wife was quite pleased to see the dishes all gone. She had a unique palate, favoring sweets, but her health prevented her from eating much. She usually loved cooking, but the Right Prime Minister often dissuaded her, saying he couldn't bear her hard work. Now that she had someone to show her support and a legitimate reason to cook for her daughter, she enthusiastically followed the nanny to prepare lunch, leaving the Right Prime Minister, Du Lingfeng, and Luo Shuiyao alone in the living room, staring at each other in bewilderment.
The sweet feeling in her mouth seemed to still be there. Luo Shuiyao swallowed her saliva and looked at the back of the Right Prime Minister's wife as she left. She said with difficulty: "Mother cooks... always like this?"
"Mom's cooking is always sweet, and Dad won't let me say it's bad." Du Lingfeng explained.
Luo Shuiyao turned to look at him, seeing him pursing his lips and looking defiant. She couldn't help but stare at him a few more times - it seemed he really didn't like this dish, otherwise he wouldn't be so resistant. At this moment, his expression was much more lively than his usual dull and indifferent appearance.
With a creaking sound, a stool was pulled away. The Right Prime Minister stood up and shook his sleeves. Seeing Luo Shuiyao looking over, he glared at her unhappily, his beard curling slightly in anger. "Girl, you don't usually show it, but now it seems you're full of evil!"
Luo Shuiyao pursed her lips, thinking that she felt guilty about dragging her father and brother into the water just to share the beets. But then she thought again, if it happened again, she would do the same thing - if her friend died, she would live, so they should share the hardship!