110 Chef Meng in Action (1/2)
Meng Fuyao approached him, about to give him a good punishment, but Zhangsun Wuji had already seen through her plan and had forcefully slapped a jade tablet toward him.
The glistening characters, 'Zhangsun', had Sir Li stare in shock. General-governor Li rushed forward and went down on his knees, kowtowing, to which Zhangsun Wuji commented, ”Governor-general Li is a dutiful man but his son, unfortunately, is not.”
Governor-general Li, pale in the face, gave his son a tight slap. Still not understanding Zhangsun Wuji's identity, Sir Li, touching with one hand his face, attempted to seek justice when his father interrupted, ”How dare you lose manners before His Highness?”
Poor Sir Li almost peed his pants. He had simply wanted to be the hero for a beautiful lady and had thought that he had a reputable name but ended up offending the wrong person. Tears streamed down his face, causing Meng Fuyao to burst into laughter. Zhan Beiye hurriedly pulled her away.
Uneasy, Governor-general Li urged his son to apologize by kneeling at the door for an afternoon. However, rather than kneeling, it was more of sprawling, and he was even about to doze off.
Suddenly he felt a cold sensation overtaking his senses. It was pouring! He sprang and looked up at the sky, but it was bright and sunny. He then turned around, spotting Meng Fuyao resting on the wall and laughing evil. With half a toothpick in her mouth, she said, ”Too comfortable for you eh, Sir Li? Just gave you some man-made rain.”
Despite being treated in this manner, he dared not express a bit of anger. Kowtowing with his drenched body he uttered, ”Please spare me, please spare me…”
”Let me ask you,” Meng Fuyao started again, aiming her toothpick at his pants and pricking his skin. Sweat oozed out from his forehead, but he remained motionless. ”How did you know to find trouble with me? Did Hu Sang ask you to?”
”Ah… yes, no, it's me…”
”Eh?”
”I passed by Yaocheng and saw her selling thread and needles. Few ladies would put themselves out on the streets in Zhongzhou, so I approached her out of curiosity. She did not answer, only crying as she kept her stall and left. I asked around and was informed that she had offended you…”
”You were lusting after her beauty, isn't it? There are plenty of girls selling on the streets. Why do you care so much?” Meng Fuyao questioned with a cold smile.
'So it's not really her fault.' If it were, she would not be spared.
”Yes, yes, you are right, I was lusting, I was being meddlesome…” Sir Li nodded, carefully retrieving a pile from behind him. ”A small gift to express my apology. Please entertain me…”
Meng Fuyao lifted her eyelids to look at the pile of birds' nest, ginseng and so on, harshly waving her hand. Sir LI turned pale, but Meng Fuyao said after some thought, ”Eh, get me 1.5kg worth of quality pig bones, 50g of fresh Chinese foxglove, 100g of scarlet beans and almond grain plant, Angelica Sinensis, codonopsis root, goji berries, gastrodia elata, milk vetch root, Chinese yam, eucommia, boschniakia glabra, brisket, hawthorn… they better be top grade. Gather them, and I'll forgive you.”
”Yes, yes!” He complied readily, thankful that she did not ask for human bones.
Meng Fuyao waved her hand, but as he was about to leave with the items on the ground, she added, ”Wait up.”
With a face white as a sheet, he turned around.
”Since you have already offered these items, I should respect your gesture. How about this… sell them and hand me the money.”
”Yes…”
”Remember to sell it in the shop with the 'cloud in 9th heaven' symbol. I'll break your legs if you sell them anywhere else,” Meng Fuyao blinked, reminding herself to talk to Yao Xun. The shop was hers, and she was going to get the shopkeeper to push the price down when Sir Li showed up. She was certain he would compensate from his own pocket for the discounted amount.
”And,” she added while nodding at him.
'He is from a good background and has a flexible character,' she thought in satisfaction.
”I'll hand Heaven on Earth Entertainment Club to you. You'll be responsible for any losses, and any profits will be split 20-80, you 20 and I 80.”
”… yes…”
She made a final wave, and Sir Li scrambled away. Shortly after the things Meng Fuyao had ordered to be delivered to her arrived, she looked at them, pleased, before bringing them into the kitchen.
She conducted a massacre in the kitchen that night. No one was allowed to enter, and Zhan Beiye brought a stool to the kitchen entrance and sat through the session, afraid that she would burn the place down.
Lord Yuan Bao scuttled in and out of the kitchen window, reporting the latest progress to his owner, who then smiled.
He rested against his bed's headboard and looked toward the kitchen. The moonlight shone through the window, illuminating his hazy eyes. Some time later he said to Yuan Bao, ”Sometimes I feel it's good to let her make mistakes.”
Lord Yuan Bao was irked. How biased of him!
Dinner was served in the manor's Clear Wave Pavilion. Earlier, Meng Fuyao had sent invitations to everyone in the house. Her invitation was written, in bad handwriting: ”You're invited to a casual dinner in Clear Wave Pavilion. The food might be poisoned, could taste bad and contain a dubious substance. Dinner will start at 5. Please be punctual if you're coming, and it's fine if you're not.”