Chapter 110: Are You Saying My Pruning Is Bad?
Lang Qiu also said, "You can never be too careful."
Bai Zhi knew they were looking out for her, afraid she would be bullied, so she nodded. "Okay, I understand."
Seeing her nod, a hint of a smile touched Zelda’s face. "By the way, I just had the chef prepare some food. It should be ready soon. Hu Yan wanted you to try his cooking. If he’s not good enough, I’ll send a replacement over."
Bai Zhi said, "You don’t have to go to all this trouble. I can cook myself."
Zelda frowned. "You’re Hu Yan’s wife. How can you be the one cooking? If Hu Yan didn’t dislike having so many people around, I would have gotten him a full staff."
At his words, Bai Zhi fell silent for a moment. ’He has a point. After all, Hu Yan is the Third Prince. We’re not the same.’
It suddenly made her think of how she’d worked Hu Yan like a slave, making him cook, having him help out, and treating him that way...
’She was lucky to still be standing here in one piece, and it was all thanks to her status.’
Lang Qiu had long suspected Hu Yan’s identity, so he didn’t have much of a reaction to this. It wasn’t strange for the Third Prince to have such amenities.
Even though he knew Hu Yan’s identity, he didn’t treat him any differently. He figured Hu Yan wouldn’t want that anyway.
Otherwise, Hu Yan would have left long ago. He wouldn’t have waited until now.
Sang Mo wasn’t very interested in any of this, but Yue Junxiao was rather bewildered by Zelda’s words. "Why can’t Hu Yan do it? He’s always done it before. Besides, didn’t Bai Zhi buy this place? What’s it got to do with Hu Yan?"
Yan Yichen was also a little confused. At first, he’d also thought Bai Zhi bought the place, but from Zelda’s tone, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
Yue Junxiao’s question made Zelda’s eyes widen in shock, as if he’d heard something horrifying. "Hu Yan used to do the cooking??!!"
Yan Yichen replied without thinking, "Yeah, Hu Yan has been doing it recently. Sometimes Bai Zhi cooks."
Zelda’s shock gave way to numbness. It seemed that from the moment Hu Yan married an ordinary female to the present discovery that he cooked, he had moved past shock into a state of pure numbness.
Seeing that Zelda’s expression wasn’t good, Yan Yichen asked in a confused whisper, "Is there a problem?"
Zelda shook his head, his face wooden. "It’s nothing. Does Hu Yan do the household chores as well?"
Yan Yichen said matter-of-factly, "No, we have robots at home now. They take care of it."
The expression on Zelda’s face had just started to relax when he heard Yan Yichen add, "But before, we used to take turns. Whoever had the time did them."
Hearing this, the expression on Zelda’s face became even more wooden. "..."
’Doing chores... cooking...’
’A few years ago, he wouldn’t have even dared to imagine such a thing, but now...’
’He felt like if they told him Hu Yan could give birth, he would be able to accept it calmly at this point.’
Even Bai Zhi felt her cheeks flush as she listened. ’Was I too out of line before?’
’Working Hu Yan like that...’
’But on second thought, so what if Hu Yan is the Third Prince? I didn’t know before!!’
’And what’s wrong with being the Third Prince? In this house, he’s my Beast Husband!!’
’He’s my Beast Husband, what’s wrong with having him cook a meal?’
Even as Bai Zhi thought this, she didn’t feel particularly righteous or confident.
After she finished this line of reasoning, Bai Zhi found it a little strange. ’Why is the system so quiet today?’
’It hasn’t issued any new missions, not even now when I’m thinking like this. It’s really strange.’
Just then, the chef entered, followed by several robots carrying their dinner, and Bai Zhi put all thoughts of the system out of her mind.
Zelda had spoken to the chef in advance, so although the chef was very confident in his culinary skills, he was still a little apprehensive.
Seeing the robots place the dishes on the table, Zelda’s expression failed to soften. He said, his face still stiff, "Hu Yan has some business to attend to and might be back late. You can go ahead and eat; no need to wait for him."
Hu Yan had mentioned to her that he would be a little busy lately. ’He must be meeting with his subordinates,’ she thought.
Bai Zhi glanced at the dishes on the table, which looked and smelled appetizing. Since she didn’t see any black mist, she figured they must taste decent.
So she said, "Let’s leave some for Hu Yan. Everyone sit down and eat."
Yue Junxiao was the first to sit down. "Looks pretty good."
They had only browsed for a short while in the afternoon before Zelda had them wait in a shop with some drinks. Now, they were hungry.
Zelda said, "No need. The chef has already put a portion aside for him in the food warmer."
Hearing this, Lang Qiu and the others no longer stood on ceremony and sat down to eat.
Bai Zhi tried a bite. "This is pretty good."
It was leagues better than what she had eaten at the Blue Star Restaurant. The flavors were a little on the light side, but because the Purification Master had done a thorough job, the dishes didn’t have that bitter aftertaste. Coupled with the chef’s considerable skill, the food was quite good.
The chef, who had been listening, instantly breathed a sigh of relief. This meant his high-paying job was secure.
But his relief was cut short the very next second by Yue Junxiao’s words.
Yue Junxiao also nodded and said, "It’s not as good as your cooking, but it’s acceptable."
The chef instinctively looked toward the only female at the table. He had initially thought she was just picky, but he hadn’t expected it was because her own cooking was so good that her standards were high.
"It’s a little worse than Hu Yan’s cooking, too," Yan Yichen added.
The chef was struck by two arrows in a row. "..."
He was quite crushed for a moment.
He could only console himself in silence. ’It’s not that my cooking is bad, it’s just that there’s always someone better out there.’
Zelda also tried a bite and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. These dishes would be considered among the best on the Main Star, even a bit better than what his own chef made.
But he never would have thought that both Bai Zhi and Hu Yan were better cooks than this chef. He’d assumed Hu Yan was just decent, not that his culinary skills were this amazing. He wondered if he’d ever get the chance to try it.
Zelda asked, "So, he can stay?"
Bai Zhi nodded.
Once his employment was confirmed, the chef left the dining room.
It was nearly dark by the time Hu Yan returned. Bai Zhi was in the courtyard, pruning the flowers.
Zelda had left after they finished dinner. Hearing a sound, Bai Zhi looked up to see Hu Yan coming in through the back gate.
When Bai Zhi saw Hu Yan, a smile immediately broke out on her face. She waved to him and called out, "Hu Yan."
Hu Yan acknowledged her and walked over. Seeing that she was by herself, he asked softly, "Why are you out here alone?"
Bai Zhi gestured to the branches she had just pruned. "I was bored. Your flowers are blooming so beautifully, but some of the branches were overgrown, so I trimmed them a little. And I was waiting for you to come back. The others are inside watching TV."
Hu Yan glanced over her work, pondered for a few seconds, then lowered his gaze and said, "Next time, you can call the steward for this sort of thing, or let the gardening robot handle it."
Bai Zhi vaguely sensed a hidden meaning in his words. Realizing what he meant, she looked down at what she had just trimmed. "Are you saying I did a bad job?"