Chapter 26 Divine Vessel (2/2)
”Come on, Senior Brother Xiao. I guess the deep-fried loquats are ready by now,” said Prince Zhao who came to him.
Xiao Chen's head sank. ”From where did they find so many loquats in this time of the season?”
Just then, a bright and soft voice came from outside the window, ”Heh heh! Here I am, Young Master!”
Xiao Chen turned his head. It was Lil Ruo. She had come, wearing a bright emerald-green dress and holding a purple food carrier.
”Wow! What a pretty little girl!” A few of the other disciples who had not left could not help exclaiming.
Unlike most other servant girls in the Xiao Family, Lil Ruo had never been charged to menial housekeeping duties. Her smooth little hands, her clean and gorgeous clothing with jewelry, and her beautiful appearance made her no different to a doted daughter of a wealthy and prosperous family.
”How kind of you, Sister Lil Ruo, to have come with food for us.” Seeing that she came with a food carrier, the three princes rushed forward.
Lil Ruo quickly put herself in front of the food carrier and said, ”This is for my Young Master...”
”Ah... So be it then, let us go. I guess the deep-fried loquats are ready now...” Prince Zhao waved a hand and left for the mess hall with his two companions.
Xiao Chen walked out and smiled at her, ”Why are you here?”
”I know that you must be busy with your studies, seeing as you have not returned. Heh heh heh.”
As they spoke, they slowly moved toward a tree and sat under the cooling shade of its thick boughs. Lil Ruo opened the food carrier and the aroma of delicious food wafted into the air. There were fish, chicken, and duck. Not far away, a few other disciples looked on enviously as they nibbled at their baked buns which have already shriveled and dried, saying, ”I too should have brought my servant girl here...”
Xiao Chen asked incredulously, ”Where did you find so many ingredients for all this?”
”Heh heh... I asked Elder Wu's disciple to help me get them from the town nearby.”
”I see. But are you not eating?” Xiao Chen asked as he lifted his chopsticks.
”I have already eaten, Young Master. Please eat on. You have been so tired lately. You'll need all the nourishment.”
As he ate, Xiao Chen asked, ”How much money do we still have, Lil Ruo?”
”Ah... We still have a hundred taels of silver left, I guess...” Lil Ruo replied meekly.
”I see...” Xiao Chen replaced the drumstick in his hand back into the food carrier.
”Why, Young Master? Why are you not eating? Have I cooked the food poorly?”
Xiao Chen laughed lightly, ”Nothing. I'm full.” With only a hundred taels of silver left and the expensive cost of items from Lingtai Town, they would run out of money in a month...
Lil Ruo smiled, ”Money is hardly a problem, Young Master. I will write a letter next month. Uncle Yifan will send someone here with the money.”
”I see...” Xiao Chen nodded and smiled. But he was already 16, hardly the age where dependence on his family for money seemed appropriate. He would need ways to make money on his own...
”Young one, your name is Xiao Chen, is it not?” Elder Liu came suddenly to him.
Xiao Chen quickly wiped his hands clean and rushed to his feet with a smile, ”Indeed I am, Elder. How can I help you?”
Elder Liu smiled in return and spoke cheerfully, ”Nothing. I am merely curious. Have you studied elixir refining before?”
”Ah... Actually...” But he had barely managed to answer, when Lil Ruo rose to her feet, giggling, ”Of course! There is nothing that my Young Master does not know...”
Xiao Chen nodded sheepishly, still smiling, saying, ”A little. There were a few books in the library of my family that I have read before.”
”I see,” said Elder Liu who nodded. He smiled again and said, ”I will not disturb you then.”
”With your leave, Elder.” Xiao Chen smiled back to him respectfully.
All around him, the other disciples began to talk and blab about what happened, ”Did you see that? The Elder went over to speak to him? Do they know each other? Surely they are not relatives, are they?”
The three princes then came back for the evening classes. Each of them was full, slowly chanting, ”Deep-fried loquats with noodles; an insanely delicious caboodle...”