Chapter 679: Princess Consort Jings Wild Imagination (1/2)
“Good!” The emperor emeritus took the teacup and lowered his head to drink a sip. He took the wooden box that the elderly head steward handed him and placed it into Xiaocao’s hands. He said with a smile, “This is a meeting present from Grandfather. We will be a family in the future. Grandfather knows that you’re filial, so when you make delicious food in the future, remember to send a portion to me…”
Imperial Prince Jing: …
He seriously didn’t want to admit that this gluttonous, old urchin was his biological father! Was there anyone who would immediately ask for tasty food upon seeing his new granddaughter-in-law?
The heir’s wife, who originally felt somewhat uncomfortable inwardly because of the fact that the emperor emeritus gave face to Xiaocao, wasn’t envious anymore now. It turned out that the emperor emeritus had come for the delicious food ah!
Yu Xiaocao was used to the foodie nature of the members of the imperial family. She took the wooden box that looked ordinary but was made of Phoebe zhennan wood[1]. When she opened it, she saw two jade-colored balls that were the size of baby fists.
Seeing this, Zhu Junyang asked with slight surprise, ”Imperial Grandfather, where did you get this pair of luminous pearls?”
“Uh…this lord doesn’t remember when I got it. Maybe it was from the time when I was fighting for the empire. I probably found it at the house of one of those corrupted officials of the previous dynasty. I found them in the corner when I searched through the storage this morning. This lord doesn’t need these things, so I brought them here as a gift for you two!”
When Zhu Huaiyong was fighting battles throughout the country, he had collected many goods and kept them in his private storehouse. Some of these rare treasures were covered with a thick layer of dust, and this Phoebe zhennan wood box was one of those items buried in dust.
It was the legendary luminous pearls ah! They were priceless treasures!! It was said that the luminous pearl buried with Empress Dowager Cixi was worth 800 million RMB!! Oh my, she hadn’t expected to be able to see the luminous pearl with her own eyes. Xiaocao still needed to serve tea to her father-in-law and mother-in-law, so she couldn’t take a closer look. She handed the wooden box to Wutong. Anyways, he had given it to her now, so she could look at it as much as she wanted when she got home!
Next, she offered tea to Imperial Prince Jing. Xiaocao received a box of thumb-sized East pearls. When she served tea to her mother-in-law, Princess Consort Jing, she was given a pair of top-quality mutton fat jade bangles. It appeared to be an old item, so it should be one of the items in Princess Consort Jing’s dowry. In ancient times, many jewelries were handed down from mothers-in-law to daughters-in-law, as family heirlooms to be passed down from generation to generation. Although Xiaocao didn’t lack bangles, she accepted it respectfully.
After that, as the eldest brother and sister-in-law, the heir and his wife also gifted jewelry to their younger sister-in-law as a meeting present. Zhu Junya, who was the elder sister, knew that Xiaocao could concoct medicine and didn’t lack accessories, so she gave her a hundred-year-old ginseng. The second brother, Zhu Junxi, hadn’t gotten married yet, so he wasn’t required to give a present. However, he had also prepared a complete set of Miao silver accessories, which had characteristics of the southwest. Although they weren’t as valuable as the previous gifts, Xiaocao liked them for their uniqueness.
Xiaocao had also prepared gifts for the heir’s and Zhu Junya’s children, all of which were precious items such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Lu Jiapei, who was the youngest, felt somewhat unhappy as he held the valuable inkstone. For the young fellow who had yet begun studying, an inkstone that cost several thousand taels wasn’t as good as a pastry or candy made by his third aunt!
Of course, Xiaocao had also taken time before the wedding to make some candies that were easy to keep. She brought them with her today and gave a box to each child. Seeing the fragrant and sweet candies, Lu Jiapei’s wrinkled-up face finally eased. With a fawning expression, he kept calling her ‘Third Aunt’.
Lu Nianhua, who claimed to come from a family of literati, couldn’t bear to look at his youngest son——to be such a foodie, who exactly did Lu Jiapei resemble? He shifted his gaze and saw the emperor emeritus sitting at the main seat. He was currently taking advantage of the heir’s youngest son’s filial piety to con candy from his great-grandson ah! Could it be that his youngest son had inherited his love for food from his great-grandfather?
They had lunch at Prince Jing’s Estate. The whole family sat together and ate merrily. The emperor emeritus had also stayed for the meal. As he ate, he complained about the culinary skills of the Prince Jing’s Estate’s cooks, saying that they were inferior to the cooking of his granddaughter-in-law, Xiaocao.
Zhu Junyang also didn’t give any face and said as he helped his wife pick out the fish bones, “The cooking skills of the cooks in the kitchen are quite ordinary. It seems like our estate’s kitchen maids, who we hired with a high salary, are quite good in comparison! They can’t compare with you, but they are at least not inferior to that of the chefs of Zhenxiu Restaurant!”
Yu Xiaocao didn’t eat a lot in the morning. She ate the delicious fish with relish. Seeing the glare that Imperial Prince Jing shot at her man, she held back her laughter and said, “How’s the taste ordinary? No matter if it’s the taste or control of the heat, they have managed them quite well.”
“What’s good about it? There’s barely any taste——so plain! Just eat a little bit, and when we get home, I’ll have the kitchen maids make crab roe steamed buns for you. We saved the crab roes from last autumn, so they’re very plump. I know that you like to eat them, so this prince stored a lot in the icehouse at home, which will be enough for you to eat until this autumn!” Zhu Junyang tasted all the dishes on the table. He picked a few that were just passable and considerately put them into the bowl in front of his wife.