110 Castor Asks A Question (1/2)
The twins went downstairs to the kitchen and found Gu Sheng there making a mess with some eggs, an empty pan almost scorched to a crisp, and what looked to be bread totally blackened and beyond rescue.
”What are you doing?” Lux asked, completely startling poor Gu Sheng who blushed scarlet when he saw her, one cheek streaked with black soot from the pan.
”I...I'm...I..I was trying....I was trying to cook breakfast,” Gu Sheng finished in a rush, wishing he could sink to the floor and banish from her sight.
”Let me do it,” Lux said kindly.”You're doing a mess. Just sit down there and wait.Cas, toast and eggs for you?” she asked, throwing her brother a glance.
”Hmnn...,” answered Cas, again playing games in his phone.
There was silence as Lux took over the cooking and cleaning.She was very swift and in just a few minutes, the eggs were fluffed and cooked, the rice fried with onions and ham, the bread pan fried to golden crispness, and the tea warmed up and ready to pour.
Lux took out plates and mugs and served everything on the table.They ate quietly, Lux flipping through a book and Cas on his phone.Gu Sheng was left with nothing to do but go back to his favorite past time, that is, studying Lux surreptitiously under his eyelids. This time, however, he felt restless and did something he should have done the moment he set eyes on her, start a conversation.
”This is good,” he said, nervously indicating breakfast.”You're a much better cook than Indian.”
”Indian?” Lux asked, putting down her book.
”The guy who used to cook for us.He's into health food though.He doesn't like fat.”
Lux's smile almost blinded Gu Sheng who felt like he had been kicked in the gut.
”Who does?” Lux said.”Cas doesn't like them,” she said teasingly, looking at her brother.
”It's not good for the heart,” Cas said, his eyes barely lifting from his phone.
”But it does boring after months of eating it though,” Gu Sheng said, finally regaining his composure and spoke with assurance. ”But this,” he said, indicating the fluffy omelette, ”it's really good.”
”Know the secret to good egg meals?” Lux asked, sipping her tea.
”What?”
”Fresh eggs. We have our own egg farm back home so it was easy to buy really fresh ones.”
”You like to cook?” asked Gu Sheng with interest.
Lux shrugged.
”I guess. It's interesting, you know? I like to experiment now and then and somehow it always ends up good.I read recipes a lot and if I like any of them then I cook them.Mom and Cas seem to like eating the results.”
”You should meet Xiang Yun. You and she have lots in common.”
”Xiang Yun?”
”A girl I know back home.She's really good with magic, you know.And she likes to study and cook and other stuff. She said she likes to cook because she likes spending a lot of time in the kitchen.She's a little weird but she's okay,” Gu Sheng shrugged, spooning more eggs in his mouth.
”She sounds interesting,” Lux said, putting her book on the table.
”I guess.She recently married the school principal so I guess she'll stop that nonsense about magic and become a full-time scholar instead.She really likes to study and like you, she reads a lot,” Gu Sheng finished lamely.
”School principal?” Castor suddenly joined in the conversation.”You have a school in... what's the name of this place where you live again?”
”Yuqui.And the school is really famous, even outside Yuqui.Mu Xing, he's our principal by the way, is famous anywhere so there's a lot of young people who want to study under him. An Ning and I decided to promote him to principal just a week or so ago. An Ning said he'll be a great asset to the school. And he specializes in medicine and research so there's that going for him.”
”He's also a doctor?”
”A very good doctor,” Gu Sheng said.”A year or two ago he came out with a book.The results of his study about germs.I don't really know what it's about but An Ning tells me it's really important.”
”Germs?He did a study on germs?”
”That's what they said.”
”But how did he do it?,” Cas frowned.”I mean, I assume Yuqui is not like the modern times, right?What methods did he use? What instruments did he use to get his results?”
”You have to ask him.I'm not really sure what it is myself,” Gu Sheng said apologetically.
”I'll ask mom.Maybe we can go visit Yuqui and we can meet this principal,” Castor said, looking excited.He even forgot to look at his phone the whole time he was talking with Gu Sheng.
”Finish your tea,” Lux said, smiling.”And I'd like to see your house, if I may, your highness?Mom said you live in this really cute house with a pond and a willow tree?”
”Call me Gu Sheng, please,” Gu Sheng said, blushing a little.”Nian Zhen said I could stay there since it's very quiet and private.But I do live with two other people though.Ban Chao and Kang Jun?”
”Friends of yours?” Cas asked, giving his full attention to Gu Sheng.
”Kang Jun is my secretary,” Gu Sheng explained.”Then I found out later he's really a spy sent by Nian Zhen to spy on us. Then there's Ban Chao who we thought was a guy but is actually a girl.”
”Sounds fun,” Lux laughed, almost choking on her tea.
”Especially when the two of them really get into an argument,” Gu Sheng agreed, smiling.”Never a dull moment.”
”Nian Zhen sent a spy to spy on you?” Cas asked, intrigued.
”Not to spy on me but An Ning,” Gu Sheng said without thinking.
”Spy on mom?” Cas was surprised.”Why?”
But Gu Sheng had suddenly clammed up, going back to his breakfast which left a veryuncomfortable question hanging in the air.Cas and Lux stared at him obviously baffled but were too polite so they didn't say anything anymore.