Chapter 111: Mr. Cheng’s Visit
The downpour kept falling.
With the dark clouds gathering in the sky, there was almost no difference between day and night, so the candle became necessary again.
The censer took out yesterday was also put into use. The coldness brought by the heavy rain made all the maids feel winter was coming again.
Lounging on the soft couch, An Rushuang held a story book in her hand, but her mind had already wandered to somewhere else. Just when she felt bored, a maid came in with an umbrella and reported, “There is a cook outside who claimed to deliver meal for Miss An.”
Staring at the rain outside, An Rushuang was slightly stunned.
As surprised as she was, Zhao Xiaotao said incredibly, “That crazy man came again?”
The crazy man she mentioned was trembling in the rain with a five-layer red paint hamper in his hand and craned his neck to look at the courtyard. Though he held an umbrella, his clothes were badly soaked due to rain brought by the strong wind.
Before long, the maid who greeted him just then came up carefully across the puddles and looked at him up and down with curiosity. Seeing him as lean as a monkey, the maid couldn’t help twitching her mouth. “You can go in,” holding her head high, she pointed to the inner room and said.
“Where’s Zhao Xiaotao? Why didn’t she come to meet me...”
He asked without a hesitation.
The maid glanced at him before cutting in with her lips curled, “Xiaotao was serving Miss An inside, you...”
Glancing sideways at this lean man, the maid drawled, “Never imagine Xiaotao will greet you personally. She was greatly favored by Miss An...”
With his eyebrows knitted tightly, Mr. Cheng knew she just intended to remind him of his humble status. He didn’t speak until the maid finished chattering. “You just misunderstood me. I am just a cook who is here to deliver food to Miss An. Shall I go inside now?”
Though seemingly polite, he still didn’t show his respect to Miss An. Just as the maid wanted to say something, there suddenly came a voice behind her. “Miss Anis about to take the meal. How come you are still standing outside?”
Though the words aimed at the cook, the maid couldn’t help feeling panic. She moved aside with her head lowered, daring not to stop the cook from entering the yard.
Walking before Mr. Cheng, Zhao Xiaotao heard his dull footsteps behind. Given his silence, she asked with curiosity, “Is there something you want to ask me?”
Gazing at her rigid figure, Mr. Cheng curled his lips. “It’s I who should ask you this question.”
He really wanted to know why Miss An intended to meet him today. However, even if he asked Zhao Xiaotao, she might not know it, either.
Therefore, he would rather keep silent.
When they were on the small bridge, Zhao Xitaotao turned her head sidelong and warned him, “Watch out your steps! It’s so slippery.” She glanced at the pond beneath discreetly. The water indeed rose another inches. Zhao Xiaotao couldn’t help frowning. Fortunately, the pond was linked to the moat outside, or Liuxi Pavilion would surely be ruined by the lasting heavy rain.
Though there wasn’t a flood, everybody was in a bad mood due to the cloudy and rainy day.
“Don’t come here again these days, in case you would be blamed. Miss An can’t stop the gossip.”
Mr. Cheng raised his eyebrows. She did hear it just then.
“There was no need for a righteous person to fear the gossip,” he continued after a second thought, “Only narrow-minded person will care about the gossip.”
He originally intended to comfort Zhao Xiaotao. However, with such words, it seemed that he was blaming her for being narrow-minded.
After shooting him a furious stare, she pursed her lips tightly in silence.
Mr. Cheng rubbed his head in confusion, not knowing how he had offended her. He had no choice but to follow him to the inner room helplessly.
An Rushuang almost lost patience when Xiaotao entered the room with anger. Mr. Cheng was following behind her with a big hamper in his hand. There was suddenly a gleam of expectation flickering in An Rushuang’s eyes.
Remembering the delicacy cooked by him last time, An Rushuang, though not a gourmet, couldn’t help looking forward to his new dishes. She wondered what food he had brought here this time.
While she was lost in thought, Mr. Cheng had already come up. An Rushuang straightened herself up at once, the laziness just then disappearing without a trace already.
Mr. Cheng bowed respectfully to An Rushuang and said, “My respect to you, Miss An.”
He was staring at the floor, with his own neat braid dangling downside. His clothes were almost soaked, but it was evidently clean and tidy without any oil taint.
His toes almost stuck out from his wornout cloth shoes. With the sole full of yellow mud, the well-paved ground was dirtied at once when he entered the room.
Catching a glimpse of his old cloth shoes, Mr. Cheng took several steps back in shyness. Though feeling ashamed enough, he had no other choice but to keep wearing them.
With her eyes sparkling with joy, An Rushuang curled her lips slightly and smiled sincerely. “Please sit down.” She pointed to a delicately carved small chair made of Nanmu wood with a cony hair soft blanket spread above it. Since An Rushuang felt cold yesterday, her maids took it out in a hurry.
Considering the elegance and luxury of the decoration, it was surely not a room for him to stay in.
Therefore, Mr. Cheng didn’t move at all and said, “I’m here to deliver some dishes to Miss An. I...I am leaving at once.”
Without changing her expression, An Rushuang still said with a smile, “Baiwei Restaurant is far from here. You must be very tired to visit me on foot after cooking all these dishes.”
An Rushuang’s words were like warm current which had driven away the coldness inside Cheng Gong. He shook his head. “Of course not. As a chef, this is my duty.”
Zhao Xiaotao also turned to him, surprised She had never thought how long it would take Boss Cheng to finish cooking all these dishes.
He indeed worked very hard.
An Rushuang shook her head before asking, “Since you came here in a hurry, you must have not taken meal yet.”
Mr. Cheng shook his head subconsciously. If the weather had been good, he could still eat something casually. Given such a heavy rain, it was impossible for him to waste time on eating.
“Then sit down and take some with me,” An Rushuang smiled.
Upon hearing her words, Hong Yu took the red paint hamper from Mr. Cheng at once, while Zhao Xiaotao had set two chairs at the round table and turned to him with a chuckle. freeweb(n)ovel
Though knowing that he shouldn’t stay here for such a long time, Cheng Gong did feel the warmth of the family with them together.
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