Chapter 53: Dowry (1) (2/2)

Chu Lian’s interest had been piqued at first, but upon looking at a hasma dish like this, she just couldn’t gather up the desire to eat it at all.

Chu Lian shrunk back into her seat. Someone else could have that ‘delicacy’ instead…

After Senior Servant Liu reminded her of the highlight of the meal, Matriarch He immediately recovered from her sadness and smiled at her two granddaughters-in-law. “The Empress Dowager was the one who sent over this hasma; it’s a very rare delicacy. It’s good for women, so why don’t the two of you share it later on?”

Madam Zou had eaten hasma before it and knew of its benefits. Some of her anticipation shone through in her eyes, but Chu Lian really didn’t have the courage to eat that black dish.

She courteously said, “Since there’s so little hasma, why don’t you have it, Grandmother? My body is perfectly healthy; there’s no need for me to eat it!”

Since Chu Lian had said so, it wouldn’t be seemly for Madam Zou to take all of the hasma for herself, so she said something along the same lines.

They weren’t able to change Matriarch He’s mind, so Senior Servant Liu split the bowl of black hasma into three portions. It wasn’t suitable for children to eat, so they didn’t give any to the two young children present.

Senior Servant Liu was smiling as she passed a white bowl containing the hasma to Chu Lian. “Third Young Madam, you’re quite lucky, aren’t you? Even the Empress Dowager might only get to eat hasma once or twice a year. You’ve managed to come at just the right time to have some.”

Chu Lian felt awkward and wanted to cry. She didn’t want to be here right now, okay? Not if it meant she had to eat that!

Finally, she had no other choice. Chu Lian forced that small bowl of black hasma into her mouth and down her throat. Honestly speaking, it tasted terrible. The hasma had been fried and boiled so much, that it was now too salty to even taste. The only thing her tongue could discern when she put it in her mouth was salt; all of the original flavour had been completely lost.

After she finished eating it, she quickly washed it down with a bowl of tasteless soup.

This meal she had at Qingxi Hall was one of the most painful she had ever had.