The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 93: Finding a Way to Make Rongjing Retreat into Monastic Life (7)

"Mm, then eat as much as you want!" Rongjing's lips curled into a faint smile.

Xian Ge turned to leave, thinking that Miss Qianyue really had no shame! She was on par with the young Lord Ran in his younger days. Back then, when Lord Ran learned that the heir had slaughtered his prized blood-sweat horse, he was ready to fight the heir tooth and nail. But when he finally tasted the horse meat, he immediately grinned and joked he should've killed it himself. Xian Ge had thoroughly disapproved of Lord Ran back then, and now here was another one just like him.

"This is way better than the lotus leaf-grilled fish from earlier!" Yun Qianyue felt that, despite all her anger earlier, it had been worth it. She could forgive Rongjing for this. After all, even if she tried for ten years, she might never be able to make fish like this. Without him, she wouldn't have known such a cooking method even existed, nor would she have tasted it.

"Then in the future, if you want fish, don't go to Ye Qingran. He really doesn't know what he's doing," Rongjing said.

"Mm!" Yun Qianyue nodded.

Outside, Xian Ge nearly stumbled upon hearing this, his admiration for his master soaring like an endless river. First, he'd sent Miss Qianyue crashing to rock bottom, crushing all her victories. Then he'd raised her back up, making her feel reborn. Xian Ge shivered as he hastily left.

"Wow, with all those complicated steps, how much does a fish like this cost?" Yun Qianyue mumbled while eating, genuinely curious.

"About a hundred taels of silver," Rongjing replied, giving her a precise figure. "One fish is one hundred taels."

Yun Qianyue nearly choked on a fish bone, coughing a few times before managing to spit it out. She pointed her chopsticks at him. "You're really wasteful!"

Silver and copper coins were the most commonly used currency in this world, with gold and silver being rare. A single copper coin, a "wen," could buy a meat bun, and an average family could live on a few taels of silver a year. And here was Rongjing, spending one hundred taels on a single fish. If that wasn't wasteful, she didn't know what was!

"Yes, very wasteful. So today is on the house. Eat as much as you want," Rongjing said, adding seriously, "But next time, if you want another fish like this, you'll have to pay. After all, we don't have any real connection, so why should you get to eat for free?"

Yun Qianyue was momentarily speechless, realizing that Xian Ge had probably relayed everything she'd said right to Rongjing. She gritted her teeth. "Don't worry, I'll get my fill today. I won't touch it again even if you offer!"

"Mm," Rongjing nodded.

Yun Qianyue said no more, eating in large bites. The more she ate, the more delicious it became, filling her with satisfaction. She thought about the hundred taels and realized this was practically like eating money! No wonder Ye Qingran had said this guy was wasteful. Killing a blood-sweat horse, using a carriage made of agarwood, and now a hundred-tael fish—no one could squander money like this man. Then again, it also seemed he knew how to enjoy himself.

"This fish is delicious, but it's a bit salty," Yun Qianyue commented after eating half of it. She felt thirsty and took a sip of the porridge in front of her, finding it incredibly tasty. She changed her tone. "With this porridge, it's perfect—not salty at all."

"That's lotus leaf porridge, made with half-lotus leaves," Rongjing nodded, taking a sip as well.

Yun Qianyue drank two more mouthfuls, savoring the warmth, then finished the bowl, setting it aside and calling out, "Xian Ge, I'd like more porridge!"

"Yes!" Xian Ge replied as if he'd anticipated her request, quickly returning with two more bowls of porridge.

"Give them both to her. I don't need any more," Rongjing shook his head.

Xian Ge placed both bowls in front of Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue nodded with satisfaction. The fresh porridge was still warm, seemingly even more aromatic than the previous bowl. She immediately began drinking again.

Xian Ge cast a strange look at her porridge-drinking manner and quickly withdrew.

"Why am I still so thirsty? Pour me a glass of water!" Yun Qianyue exclaimed, suddenly feeling that the two bowls of porridge had only made her thirstier. She set down the bowl, motioning to Rongjing.

Rongjing handed her a prepared glass of water, cautioning, "It's a bit hot—drink slowly!"

Yun Qianyue took it, downing it in one go without a second thought. Finally, her thirst was somewhat relieved. Setting down the glass, she picked up her chopsticks, but as she looked at the fish in front of her, she suddenly felt full. Frowning, she forced down one more bite, but it didn't taste as good. She sighed, "They say, 'when you're hungry, even bran tastes sweet; when you're full, honey loses its sweetness.' I guess it's true."

"Then don't eat any more. No need to force yourself," Rongjing advised.

"No way! Why not eat it? It cost a hundred taels! I had a two-pound fish at lunch, plus part of another fish with Ye Qingran. If that annoying Ye Tianqing hadn't interrupted, I could've eaten even more. But here I am, barely getting through half of this fish—just over a pound. How is that possible? I've never been one to shy away from food!" Yun Qianyue grumbled, reaching down and patting her full stomach. It was round and tight. "Maybe I just haven't digested lunch yet? I was really hungry earlier!"

Rongjing looked at her helplessly and sighed. "You've already eaten over a pound and a half of fish, plus three bowls of porridge and a glass of water. Your stomach isn't that big; where would you put it all?"

Yun Qianyue blinked, glancing down at the three empty bowls and the empty glass in front of her. She regretted it immensely. "Why did I drink all that porridge? It was tasty but nothing special! And the water! It's all taken up space!"

"Next time, if you want to eat more fish, just skip the porridge," Rongjing advised.

She pursed her lips in reluctant agreement. Trying to eat more at this point would only make her uncomfortable, so she finally set down her chopsticks. Watching Rongjing eat slowly and savoring every bite, she felt a surge of jealousy. Just as she was about to step away, it hit her. She stood up abruptly, slamming her hand on the table in anger. "You did this on purpose! The first bowl of porridge was light, but the last two were salty. I kept drinking and drinking because it made me thirsty. You... you...!"