Chapter 319: Wen Sen’s Injury
Soon, the banquet began.
Ye Ming and Lu Dinfeng were both excellent cooks. The guests all praised the variety and flavor of the dishes, and everyone had a wonderful time.
After the meal, Ye Ming also prepared a barbecue.
Yan Huoshui was also quite good at grilling, so the two of them busied themselves by the barbecue grill. Elsewhere, Shi Lan was making roasted rose milk for everyone. Mu Tangfeng and Jiang Xia helped her, keeping a constant eye on her, afraid she might get burned by the hot water.
Wen Sen walked over to the barbecue to help.
Wen Sen was the Monarch’s cousin, which meant Ye Ming had to address him as "uncle." Like Mr. Mu, he was one of the Palace Guard Captains. However, Wen Sen led the robot Guard Team, while Mr. Mu commanded the Beastman Guards.
However, Wen Sen and the Monarch didn’t interact much outside of work, so Ye Ming rarely saw him and seldom called him "uncle."
At that moment, seeing him come over to help, Ye Ming’s dark green eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Wen Sen smiled and explained, "I’m honored that Miss Shi Lan invited us to a family banquet like this. I wanted to do something to help, and as it happens, I’m very good at grilling."
Ye Ming gave a slight nod without saying much and made room for him. Seeing this, Yan Huoshui started skewering meat on the side. His gaze inadvertently swept over to the two men constantly hovering around Shi Lan, fawning over her. He silently gnashed his teeth and pulled them over to skewer meat as well.
With so many guests and so much meat, it would be too slow if he did it all by himself.
Under the watchful eyes of their respective fathers, Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng obediently started working.
Jiang Xia was surprised to see his uncle there. "Uncle, you’re grilling too?"
"Oh, but that makes sense. I remember your barbecue is amazing! Haha, we’re in for a treat."
Wen Sen’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "Alright, alright. Uncle will grill some extra for you today."
"Thanks, Uncle!"
Jiang Xia flashed his canine teeth in a grin, not holding back.
Wen Sen was indeed an expert at grilling. He could adjust the heat perfectly, cooking the meat until it sizzled with oil, turning golden and crisp without a hint of char.
Jiang Xia quickly took the first batch of grilled meat over for Shi Lan and the others to try.
Shi Lan’s roasted rose milk was ready, and everyone had a cup to savor slowly. Now, adding a skewer of fragrant, crispy meat made it even more of a delight.
Shi Lan preferred spicy food, so Jiang Xia had intentionally sprinkled a generous amount of chili powder on her meat. She ate with great relish, her lips becoming glossy and red, while many of the other females hissed in breaths from the heat.
With so many people, the meat vanished quickly. Jiang Xia hadn’t even managed a single bite himself when he saw Shi Lan looking at him with sparkling eyes. "Jiang Jiang, is there more? It’s so delicious!"
He nodded immediately and turned to get more meat.
Thankfully, there were two large grills, so they could cook a lot at once.
Perhaps it was a bit hot standing by the grill for so long. When Jiang Xia returned, he saw that his uncle had rolled up his sleeves, revealing two strong arms.
He even asked, "Uncle, are you hot? Do you want to take a break?"
Wen Sen waved his hand. "I’m fine. This is nothing."
"By the way, take these two skewers to your mother. This kind is her favorite."
"Oh, okay."
Jiang Xia nodded, then also grabbed some of the meat Ye Ming had grilled and took it to Shi Lan and the others.
Ye Ming glanced at Wen Sen, whose forehead was beaded with sweat from the heat. He felt a bit bad, as Wen Sen was a guest. "Uncle Wen, you should go rest. We can handle things here," he said.
Yan Huoshui nodded. "Leave it to me. I’m also great at grilling."
Wen Sen raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Alright then. You guys carry on. Thanks for the hard work."
Yan Huoshui smiled and said, "It’s our pleasure." But as he looked up, his gaze inadvertently fell on a scar on the inside of Wen Sen’s upper arm. His eyes faltered for a second in confusion. "Uncle Wen, your arm... have you been injured before?"
Wen Sen lowered his hand. "Yes."
As he spoke, he casually rolled his sleeve back down.
Hearing their exchange, Jiang Xia chimed in, "You bet he has! My uncle got a gunshot wound there a long time ago. I don’t know what kind of gun it was, but the bullet was stuck between his bones. Even a Treatment Pod couldn’t fully heal the scar."
Ye Ming’s gaze flickered. He silently exchanged a look with Yan Huoshui for a moment before lowering his eyes and continuing to grill.
Yan Huoshui remarked nonchalantly, "That sounds really serious."
The topic ended there. Wen Sen left, and Jiang Xia handed him a few skewers of meat to eat before going back to help Mu Tangfeng skewer more.
Yan Huoshui moved to the grill next to Ye Ming. They both focused on the skewers in their hands, neither saying another word.
As the banquet was about to wind down, a guard at the door brought in a gift from Bai Rao.
She hadn’t stayed, simply handing the gift to the guard before leaving.
Shi Lan didn’t say much when she saw it and just put it away for the time being.
’If the Bai Family wants to send gifts, let them. There’s no need for me to get entangled with them over it.’
After the banquet ended, Shi Lan and her four Beast Husbands saw their guests off. Jiang Yan even made plans with her, asking to be included in the next prenatal checkup so she could see the cubs.
Shi Lan naturally agreed with a bright smile.
Once everyone had left, the remaining cleanup was left to the housekeeping robots.
The busy day passed quickly.
That night, after lulling Shi Lan to sleep in their beast forms, the Black Panther leaped lightly from the bed. The Nine-tailed Fox carefully withdrew his tails, though the very tip couldn’t resist lingering for a moment, caressing his mate’s wrist.
The Pallas’s cat and the Bird of Paradise were still lounging on either side of Shi Lan, unwilling to move. Ye Ming’s green eyes swept over the two of them as he said in a low voice, "Come out. We need to talk."
Jiang Xia lazily swished his tail, his golden eyes blinking in confusion. He didn’t understand.
’What does the Eldest Prince want to talk to me about?’
But based on his trust in the Eldest Prince, he reluctantly nuzzled Shi Lan’s cheek with his fluffy one before wiggling his chubby body off the bed.
Mu Tangfeng also knew that for Ye Ming to summon them like this, it must be something important. Though reluctant to leave the warm blankets, he slowly retracted his wing from under Shi Lan’s arm.
He gently pressed his yellow beak against the back of her hand, then, not daring to flap his wings inside the room, landed lightly on the floor and quickly shifted back to his human form.
Ye Ming gathered the others in another room. He and Yan Huoshui exchanged a glance; they both knew what was about to be discussed.
Ye Ming spoke first. "Jiang Xia, can you tell us more about your uncle’s arm injury in detail?"
"My uncle? What’s wrong?"
Jiang Xia didn’t understand why the Eldest Prince was suddenly so interested in his uncle. Ye Ming pondered for a moment. "I’ll tell you in a bit. First, tell me what you know about your uncle."
"Alright."
Jiang Xia scratched his head and told them, "Actually, I don’t know that much about my uncle. I only know because my brother used to brag to me when we were kids that our uncle was a hero."
Jiang Xia explained that they were quite childish back then. The two brothers had a good relationship, but they couldn’t help but privately compete over whose father was better.
He would brag that his dad had beaten up his maternal grandfather, and in response, Wen Te would say that their uncle had taken a bullet for someone.
’Thinking about it now,’ he thought, ’what’s so great about my dad doing something like that?’
"Oh, right. My uncle got shot in the arm while shielding someone. And that person was apparently the Monarch."