Chapter 183: Chapter 183 Tofu Soup (Extra Monthly Update, Three More Updates Seek Monthly Tickets)

Translator: 549690339

After being active all night, it was already late. Chu Jinzhou, who was still a child, quickly fell asleep on the bed from exhaustion.

Once Chu Jinzhou fell asleep, Ning Feng hurried to Chu Jinnian’s study room.

Chu Jinnian had not yet decided to rest, and after sipping tea from the cup next to him, he looked up at the arriving Ning Feng: “Has he fallen asleep?”

“He has fallen asleep,” Ning Feng answered honestly. “Before falling asleep, he reminded me to urge you not to get angry about this.”

“Is it that he doesn’t want me to be angry with him or with Mr. Fan?” Chu Jinnian said without even lifting his eyelids, slamming the teacup on the table.

With a “thud.”

This action clearly indicated the anger growing in Chu Jinnian’s heart, especially towards Fan Wenxuan.

Obviously, Chu Jinnian was extremely upset at Fan Wenxuan for involving Chu Jinzhou in such a dangerous action.

“Master Chu,” Ning Feng broke out in a cold sweat, lowering his head and saying, “This is my oversight. I failed to keep a close eye on everything, and therefore…”

“Mr. Fan seems reckless in his actions, but he is meticulous in many ways. He must have been quietly staying in the garden during this period, making you think he had adapted to your nagging restrictions, causing you to lower your guard,” said Chu Jinnian, raising his hand. “I’m well aware of Mr. Fan’s nature, so this matter cannot be entirely blamed on you.”

“Yes.” Upon hearing Chu Jinnian not entirely blaming him, Ning Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

“You may leave now,” Chu Jinnian raised his hand.

“Yes, Master Chu.” Ning Feng answered, but he was still quite uncertain.

“Master Chu, have you eaten dinner? Would you like me to arrange a late-night snack from the kitchen?”

He had traveled all night without any pause, originally planning to have dinner at Qingzhuyuan. But after facing such circumstances, he had completely forgotten about it.

Only upon mentioning this late-night snack did Chu Jinnian suddenly realize how empty his stomach felt.

“I am somewhat hungry, so…”

Chu Jinnian paused before speaking, “The last time I came back, the tofu soup made by the kitchen tasted good. Let’s have a bowl of tofu soup.”

“Yes.” Ning Feng agreed and hurriedly went to the kitchen to make arrangements.

Apart from the tofu soup requested by Chu Jinnian, the kitchen also prepared four other carefully cooked dishes, including scallion pancakes, which were brought to Chu Jinnian’s room.

The round tofu balls, fried to a reddish-brown, served with fresh tofu slices and vegetables in a spicy soup, were mouthwatering just at a glance or a smell.

Chu Jinnian didn’t immediately eat the pancakes nor look at the other delicious dishes. He first picked up the soup bowl in front of him and had a spoonful of the tofu ball soup.

After swallowing the soup, Chu Jinnian put his spoon back into the bowl and slightly shook his head, “When did the kitchen replace the cook?”

“The cook has not been replaced,” Ning Feng replied.

“But this soup tastes different than before,” said Chu Jinnian with a frown. “It doesn’t taste the same as the soup Jinzhou and I had last time.”

Though today’s soup wasn’t bad, compared to the one he had last time, it could only be described as bad.

“Though the cook was not replaced and the method was still the same, if you, Master Chu, find it different, it must be because the tofu bought by the kitchen this time is from a different shop than before,” explained Ning Feng, rubbing his hands a bit nervously.

“Recently, for some reason, there were rumors everywhere that the shop where we usually buy tofu is haunted and not auspicious. It is said that buying tofu from there could bring bad luck, and affect our fortune,” Ning Feng said, apprehensively.

“I know you, Master Chu, don’t believe in ghost stories. I don’t either. Nonetheless, others seem to be taking it very seriously, saying that many people have seen the ghost, and even that those who bought things from there encountered bad luck, making me feel uneasy.”

“I wouldn’t be as concerned if it only affected me, but I fear it may affect Third Young Master as well. Therefore, I no longer allow people to buy tofu from that shop,” Ning Feng explained.

“I see.”

Chu Jinnian lowered his gaze slightly, “I remember the tofu seller being a young girl?”

The smart girl who almost got kidnapped by a kidnapper but managed to escape.

After meeting her by chance in the town’s alley before, Chu Jinnian was quite impressed by her adaptability and was even full of admiration.

“Indeed,” Ning Feng nodded. “It’s the girl who found Chunlan’s purse. You, Master Chu, even instructed me to investigate her background, and we found nothing unusual.”

“Although you, Master Chu, told me not to keep an eye on her, I still had her watched for quite some time. Only after making sure that there were indeed no issues did I recall my men,” Ning Feng confessed.

“Yes,” Chu Jinnian responded, “How long has this rumor about the tofu shop been circulating?”

“I’m not sure about the exact time of the rumor, but it has been about four or five days since I heard about it. And this rumor is spreading rapidly. It seems like someone is targeting the shop,” Ning Feng said.

“This shop has always done good business in the town. I guess others are jealous of its prosperity and arc trying to sabotage it. This is not unusual in business,” Ning Feng added.

Chu Jinnian took a slice of scallion pancake and tucked a tender shrimp into it.

The dish, cucumber and shrimp, had a refreshing taste and was quite delicious.

However, compared to the rich taste of the spicy tofu soup, it seemed a bit lacking.

Chu Jinnian pursed his lips, his eyebrows still furrowed slightly.

With the rumor already in circulation for four or five days, or maybe even longer, a discerning person would know it’s a deliberate scare tactic. Could the smart girl not see this?

If she saw it, why would she allow others to act so recklessly with her capability?

Or could it be….

Chu Jinnian smoothed his brow, took a piece of fish fillet from the plate, and ate it with relish.

The slight curve of his lips made Ning Feng feel relieved.

Being hungry can easily make someone irritable. Now that he could eat a hot meal, Chu Jinnian’s frustrations must be somewhat lessened.

And judging from his behavior, it seems he is quite satisfied with these dishes?

Ning Feng noted this down in his heart, and thought that he might prepare more of these dishes in the future.

With this in mind, Ning Feng had someone remove the tofu soup that Chu Jinnian was not satisfied with and ordered the kitchen to prepare another pot of mushroom soup.

“Master Chu really is Master Chu, eating alone at night, not caring about others.”

Like a gust of wind, Fan Wenxuan breezed into the room, sat down beside Chu Jinnian, and started eating the scallion pancake..