Adorable Food Goddess

“You knew that I was coming? Were you waiting for me?” Xia Chunyu was a little surprised.

It took him much difficulty to coax Princess Liu Li back to the palace so it was a long time before he was able to come to Yaoyao. He also had been forced to say things in front of her that he knew she wouldn’t like. This woman was very petty so he knew that if he didn’t explain himself to her, they’d be in an even worse relationship than they already were. Luckily, he had instructed his guard to follow her, otherwise, he would’ve never found out where she currently was.

“I was waiting for you to settle some scores. Why else would I sit here and stuff myself?” Ye Jiayao leaned on the chair painfully, gingerly touching her stomach.

Xia Chunyu flushed red. Was she really that unconcerned with her image? He felt like walking away and pretending he didn’t know her.  She’s too embarrassing!

He said in a low voice, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Hey,” she protested. “You made me wait for so long, you have to pay for this meal.”

Ye Jiayao said it so loudly that the customers around her all turned to look at them.

He snarled at Yaoyao, hoping that his glare was conveying his annoyance. Ye Jiayao simply raised her chin challengingly.

“How much?” Xia Chunyu asked the waiter.

“Seven taels, sir.”

Xia Chunyu paid and left.

With that crisis averted, Ye Jiayao was finally able to walk out of the place dignified. Well, as dignified as she could with her stomach too full.

She stood by Fu Ji’s door with her hand on her stomach and looked around. She could not see Chunyu anywhere.  Where is he? Did he run away?

“Come on up.”

Ye Jiayao turned to see the curtain of a horse carriage lift up. Dumb Donkey was looking impatiently at her, motioning for her to climb up.

She huffed and puffed as she spent a great deal of effort to hoist herself up the carriage. She pushed Chunyu to a side and took more than half of the space in the carriage as she lied down. She was literally stuffed to the brim with food and her stomach was revolting with every move she makes.

“Why did you get a carriage?” Ye Jiayao asked.

Xia Chunyu snorted, “I couldn’t very well walk with someone who can’t even take half a step without doubling in pain, could I?”

Ye Jiayao rolled her eyes angrily.

“Would it have killed you to take one less mouthful? Are the dishes in Fu Ji so delicious? Better than the ones you make?” Xia Chunyu really could not stand how sloppy she looked. Up in the mountains, he used to tell her that she does not behave like a rich man’s daughter, but this was on a whole new level. She was behaving  and  looking like a total greasy ruffian.

“What do you care?” Ye Jiayao retorted.  Do you really think I chose to do this? This is all because your precious princess is so spoiled that she can’t take it when someone’s right! I lost my money!

“Do you think I want to care? You’re the one who  begged  me to, remember? Or have you forgotten biting my nose just to make me swear not to abandon you? Aren’t you angry with me now just because I didn’t fulfill that promise?” Xia Chunyu mocked before instructing the coachman to move.

Ye Jiayao barely heard him as she curled up in pain. Her stomach was aching so much, she has no energy left to bicker with him.

“Is it really very terrible?” His big hand reached over and rested on her stomach.

“Go away! If you don’t want to care, then don’t!” Ye Jiayao slapped his hand away.

Xia Chunyu placed his hand on her stomach again and started rubbing it tenderly. “Just shut up and accept help for once.”

Even through the thick layer of clothing she had on, she could still feel the warmth of his palm. This scene reminded her of the night in Black Wind Ridge when she was struck by horrible period cramps. He patiently rubbed her stomach like this, too, back then.  For the whole night.

When did she start growing dependent on him? She wrinkled her nose in displeasure. Ye Jiayao turned her face away, not wanting him to see the weakness in her eyes.

“In the future, if you come across people or things you disapprove of again, just ignore it. Let the manager and the shopkeeper handle the disputes in the restaurant. This is Jin Ling, Yaoyao, anyone on the streets could easily be a nobleman or a prince. You might offend someone powerful unknowingly,” Xia Chunyu said in a gentle but firm voice.

Princess Liu Li spent the ride back to the palace complaining to him about how Yaoyao has scolded her in Heavenly Residence, and how she was humiliated and teased on the streets. Of course, he knew that Princess Liu Li was not telling the whole truth, but he also knew how ruthless Yaoyao could be when she was scolding someone – he had experienced it first-hand.

Being spoiled rotten, today was the first time Liu Li has met someone who did not bow and scrape the ground before her. This hit her too hard, and Xia Chunyu knew with certainty that she was not going to let this go. The princess’ favorite past time was holding grudges.

He has to make Yaoyao see reason. She has already provoked Helian Xuan, a formidable enough enemy on his own, but now that Princess Liu Li has joined the mix… Yaoyao could not afford to offend another powerful noble.

Ye Jiayao knew he was right. She really didn’t want to interfere at first, but that brat mentioned her and she could not help jumping in.

“Some people are not so reasonable, unlike me who talks things over…” Xia Chunyu continued.

Ye Jiayao snorted, rolling her eyes.  You? Talk things over? Since when?

Xia Chunyu ignored her and said, “Princess Liu Li is the seventh prince’s daughter. The seventh prince and his wife passed away in an accident, leaving the two-year-old Liu Li behind. The empress dowager pitied her so she raised her by her side, doting on her extremely. Even the emperor spoils her! Ever since she was a child, she has gotten whatever she wanted, it’s unavoidable that she’d grow up willful and arrogant.”

Ye Jiayao was surprised to hear that Princess Liu Li lost her parents. That was quite pitiful. No matter how much care and material things she was given, it could never compare to parental love.

“The year before, West Mongolia wanted to arrange a marriage with Song. His majesty merely mentioned that Liu Li was already of age, and the empress dowager erupted. In the end, His Majesty could only send his 13-year-old princess, Jing He, over to West Mongolia,” Xia Chunyu said.

Ye Jiayao clicked her tongue. It was apparent that Liu Li has a higher position in the empress dowager’s heart than the actual princess! She was suddenly worried that she has kicked an iron plate.

“Now you know what kind of person you have provoked!” Xia Chunyu saw her distress and could not bear to scare her further. It was sufficient that she was wary. Jin Ling was right under the nose of the emperor, the center of power. She has to be cautious, especially since she worked in a restaurant where all kinds of people congregated.

Ye Jiayao pouted. “But she is in the wrong.”

“There are many things that cannot be judged by simple right and wrong.”

“Alright, alright! Stop lecturing. I understand. There is no absolute fairness in this world, money will make the devils turn millstones, power will make the millstones turn devil, yadda, yadda.  However,  I’m still gonna throw this out there – if no one dares to stand up against injustice, there would be no more justice in this world. If you are in the wrong and no one corrects you or punishes you, you’d only carry on thinking that what you were doing was just fine. The empress dowager was doing Liu Li harm, pampering her so much.”

Xia Chunyu nodded. “You have a point, but , if you run into Liu Li again and she provokes you, what would you do?”

Ye Jiayao’s eyes glinted mischievously. “It will depend on the situation and my mood. If I am in a good mood, then I will kiss the ground she walks on. If I am in a bad mood, I will sing her praises – sarcastically.”

Xia Chunyu could only shake his head in exasperation.

“Sir, we have arrived.” The coachman stopped the horse carriage.

Xia Chunyu was not in a rush to get off the horse carriage, instead, he asked, “Are you feeling better?”

She was actually feeling much better, but Ye Jiayao refused to admit that to him. “I’m still feeling terrible!”

Xia Chunyu lifted the veil and said, “You get off first.”

Ye Jiayao wriggled out and frowned. Why were they in Ruyi Motel?

She looked at Xia Chunyu questioningly. “What are we doing here?”

“You know Zhao Qixuan, right? He has also offended Liu Li before, and in the very night he spoke against her, he was dragged out of his bed and thrown into the pond in the backyard of the Marquis Mansion. Mm… I remember it was the twelfth lunar month, it was snowing heavily.”

Xia Chunyu omitted someone’s habit of sleeping naked – it was quite a disastrous situation.

Ye Jiayao shuddered. Liu Li was too insolent! If she knew that she was staying in Laifu Motel, would she send someone to set a fire in the middle of the night?

Xia Chunyu walked into Ruyi and Ye Jiayao follow behind him compliantly. She’d put aside all her adversity to Dumb Donkey for the moment, saving her life was more important.

Xia Chunyu laughed on the inside. He knew that she had to be terrified to have followed him so meekly.

“I have to tell Manager Du that I won’t be staying there tonight, otherwise, Little Yang would be waiting at the door,” Ye Jiayao told him after receiving the key to the first-grade room.

“I will send someone to inform Manager Du. Just stay here for a few days, lie low, and when Liu Li’s anger subsides, everything will be fine.”

“What if her anger never subsides? What if she goes to Heavenly Residence to make trouble?” Ye Jiayao was really starting to worry.

Xia Chunyu pretended to have a headache. “What was I thinking promising you that I will shoulder anything no matter how troublesome.”

Ye Jiayao wanted to get angry at him but she couldn’t. Instead, she pressed her lips together and stared at him gloomily.

Xia Chunyu found it funny that she would only be decorous in these kinds of situations.

“Go up. Don’t worry, no one will come here.” Xia Chunyu pointed towards the direction of the room.

In her room, Ye Jiayao settled on a chair depressingly.

Of all the people she could provoke, it just had to be the devil incarnate, didn’t it? Should she leave Jin Ling while she still can? She was waiting for Jingrong, but she could always look for her in a few years. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.

Ye Jiayao contemplated for a long time before finally getting up to wash her face dispiritedly.

Knock, knock, knock! 

Ye Jiayao thought that it was the waiter who was serving water so she called out, “Come in.”

Xia Chunyu came in.

“What are you doing here?” Ye Jiayao was cautious. Don’t tell me he is thinking of staying here?

Xia Chunyu placed a bag of things on the table. “Fresh hawthorn fruit, it aids in digestion, and also clothes for you to change into.”

He walked off before Ye Jiayao could say anything.

Ye Jiayao stared at that bag of hawthorn fruit and spare clothes, an indescribable feeling unfurling in her heart. Other than  that  incident, Dumb Donkey had been pretty good to her. However, that  incident cut her deeply. She was afraid that if she let her guard down with him again, this time, the pain and hurt would be much harder to overcome.

Song Qi was waiting for Xia Chunyu outside the inn.

“I will hand it over to you from here. Ensure her safety and you must follow her closely these next few days. If you find anything out of the ordinary, report back to me immediately.”

“Yes, Heir-son Lord, don’t worry,” Song Qi replied solemnly. Although he was unsure of what happened, the grave expression on the Heir-son Lord’s face was enough to get him to take this seriously. Even when Duke Helian Jing was unfavorable towards Miss Ye, the Heir-Son Lord was never this worried.