PFC Chapter 175 As long as you're willing to come with me
Chapter 175 As long as you're willing to come with me
As soon as the thought popped into her head, Jiang Yuyue couldn't help but curse herself inwardly.
If he can put himself through this much trouble, what difficulty could climbing a mere small mountain like Cangshan be?
When Jiang Yuyue woke up the next day, the soreness in her body reminded her of the absurdity of the previous night. She glanced out the window and realized it was already afternoon.
Xie Jinglan pushed open the door and entered as if he had timed her wake-up perfectly. "The food is ready."
Jiang Yuyue responded lazily, yawned, and got out of bed to wash up. After the two finished eating, Jixiang came in and said, "Young Master, everything is ready."
Jiang Yuyue didn't pay attention to what he was talking about when Xie Jinglan took her hand and walked outside. Only then did she remember that the two of them had agreed yesterday to go to Xiaocang Mountain to admire the moon.
Although she got up a little late today, Xiaocang Mountain is located on the outskirts of Jinling and not far from their residence. Setting off now would be just in time to catch the best moment for moon viewing.
Jixiang drove the carriage to take the two of them to the foot of the mountain. After all, although Xiaocang Mountain had a good view of the moon, there was no main road for carriages to pass through, so not many people came here to visit.
Although the mountain path was quite treacherous for ordinary people, Jiang Yuyue was quite skilled, so this kind of narrow path was no problem for her. She was originally a little worried about whether Xie Jinglan could successfully reach the summit with her, but she was obviously overthinking it.
Xie Jinglan walked steadily, clearly showing that he was in complete control. He walked on this dangerous road as if it were flat ground. Occasionally, when he encountered a particularly difficult section, he would lend a helping hand, and his expression was exceptionally calm.
This surprised Jiang Yuyue even more. What kind of miraculous medicine did Baili Zixuan give Xie Jinglan that could make him so healthy? If the prescription was really that miraculous, she couldn't help but want to ask for a copy.
Both of them were agile and quick. By the time they reached the top, night had fallen and a full moon was hanging in the sky.
The view of the moon from Xiaocang Mountain is indeed superb, with no obstructions in any direction. Tonight, the sky is cloudless, and the bright moonlight shines down, illuminating the entire mountaintop.
A gentle night breeze rustled the leaves in the forest. Jiang Yuyue took a deep breath, about to sigh, when an untimely "gurgle" suddenly came from her stomach.
She had only eaten half a meal while dozing off, and now, after expending more energy climbing the mountain, she was actually quite hungry.
Jiang Yuyue paused slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed by her somewhat jarring behavior. She wanted to pretend nothing was wrong, but Xie Jinglan, as if he had expected it, took out a small bag from his sleeve and handed it to her.
Jiang Yuyue was a little confused. She subconsciously reached out and took it, but immediately smelled a unique aroma of food, which made her perk up. She hurriedly opened the layers of wrapping in her hand, and inside were several... mooncakes?
"You've really thought this through."
Xie Jinglan wasn't an outsider, but Jiang Yuyue didn't care about etiquette. She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. Although it didn't look very appealing, she was hungry and naturally wouldn't be picky.
But the moment the mooncake entered her mouth, her expression became subtle.
Although she was so hungry that she wasn't picky about food anymore, the mooncakes were definitely not delicious. Even though she chewed them a couple of times and swallowed them, she still couldn't help but frown.
"These mooncakes weren't bought from Fuyuanzhai, were they?"
Jiang Yuyue commented to herself, "The flavor is a bit too bland, and the outer layer isn't crispy at all. Which shop did you buy it from? I'll have to remind Jixiang not to buy from this shop again in the future..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Yuyue noticed that Xie Jinglan's expression was a little off.
He frowned slightly as if he didn't believe her, reached out and took a piece from her hand, tasted it, and gave a completely opposite opinion.
"Is the flavor still bland?"
"That's natural."
Seeing that he didn't believe her, Jiang Yuyue commented in detail, "Pastry is supposed to be sweet and delicious, but this mooncake doesn't even meet the most basic requirement. If it tastes like chewing wax, what kind of pastry is it?"
Such harsh criticism made Xie Jinglan's face darken completely. He snatched the remaining pieces from her hand and said in an unfriendly tone, "Since it tastes like chewing wax, then there's no need to eat it."
Xie Jinglan rarely reacted so strongly to anything, which made Jiang Yuyue pause for a moment before a bold guess came to mind.
Could this mooncake... have been made by Xie Jinglan himself?
"Could it be... that you made this yourself?"
Having this guess, Jiang Yuyue immediately asked the question. Seeing Xie Jinglan's tense expression and lack of response, she knew that she must have guessed correctly.
This touched her deeply. Throughout her life, she had always had many suitors, whether because of her wealthy family background or her outstanding appearance, but there were very few men who were willing to cook for her personally.
Even someone as persistent as Pei Jingchuan believed in the old-fashioned principle of "a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen," which was something Jiang Yuyue had always despised.
It is said that food is the most important thing for people. The work in the kitchen is not a lowly job, so why should a "gentleman" keep his distance?
Now that Xie Jinglan was actually willing to cook for her personally, Jiang Yuyue was both surprised and delighted. She really didn't expect Xie Jinglan to go to such lengths, which made her have the absurd idea of keeping him as a kept man.
However, since that's the case, she can't discourage them.
"Actually, those pastries can get boring if you eat too much of them."
Jiang Yuyue immediately took the remaining mooncakes back from his hand, and as if to prove it, she picked up another one and put it in her mouth, "It's good to eat something light once in a while to change things up!"
This somewhat far-fetched explanation did improve Xie Jinglan's expression a little, but Jiang Yuyue, seeing that he didn't speak, assumed he was still sulking with her and continued to ramble on.
"Although I couldn't believe at first that your health was actually getting better little by little, it's a good thing that you're healthy now. That way, you can handle it even if you travel around with me."
Jiang Yuyue was very frank, "To be honest, you probably guessed that I had planned to leave you alone before."
She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "But I no longer have that thought now. As long as you're willing to come with me, I'll take you with me wherever we go."
Jiang Yuyue rarely confided in him earnestly, and Xie Jinglan turned to meet her gaze, his feelings becoming somewhat complicated.