CH 14

C14 – Extremely Cute

After consuming two bowls of rice, Tang Yue stopped eating and a maid approached him with a towel and mouthwash. Following the others’ lead, Tang Yue rinsed his mouth without feeling embarrassed.

Tang Yue observed the dining area and noticed that the only person still eating was the youngest sister. Despite struggling to fit the food in her mouth with her short and stout hands and her chubby face twitching, she ate with great determination.

Tang Yue noticed that the youngest sister had eaten something unpleasant as she scrunched her face and pouted. When it appeared she was going to cry, she unexpectedly spat out a vegetable stem and concealed it within her large sleeves. She continued eating as if nothing had happened.

“……” Tang Yue was embarrassed and wished he could gouge out his own eyes. Were all the girls in this era so adorable and innocent? He now understood the meaning of having a face full of blood.

Tang Yue scanned the room and realized that nobody was paying attention to the youngest sister. Even if he had, he would have pretended not to notice.

Tang Yue found himself wanting to laugh for no apparent reason. He found this family to be quite interesting, perhaps because they were military generals and the rules were not as rigid as he initially thought.

The meal was a pleasant affair, and Tang Yue was content with his current situation. Aside from the improved cuisine and the watchful stepmother, everything was good.

As the sky darkened after the meal, Tang Yue’s biological clock, still attuned to the previous owner, signaled his sleepiness.

Everyone was aware of his recent harrowing experiences, and his safe return was cause for celebration. Hence, they allowed him to retire for the night.

Madam Huo was particularly thoughtful and sent someone to inform Tang Yue’s four maids to maintain their decorum and prevent any untoward behavior from Tang Yue. Neglecting their safety could have serious consequences.

Fortunately, Tang Yue was unaware of this arrangement. Otherwise, he might have pleaded with her, “Madam, please refrain from staring at my lower half in the future, if you please?”

Tang Yue slept soundly on a carved wooden bed that, though a little hard, was covered with thick cotton. Despite the cold night wind, he was wrapped just right in a thin blanket, and even the sound of crickets outside the window had become a soothing lullaby.

The morning sun had filled the room and illuminated half of the bed when Tang Yue woke up, slowly opening his eyes. At first, he couldn’t remember where he was.

As a knock came on the door, a familiar female voice called in, “Has young master woken up? Servant, may I come in and attend to him?” That’s when Tang Yue realized his surroundings.

Though he had no interest in women, he couldn’t refuse the offer. Tang Yue wrapped his head in a blanket and shook his head. Even his physical reaction in the morning had disappeared at the sound of the woman’s voice.

“Come in,” Tang Yue called out as he got up and dressed. It was convenient to have someone else take care of washing and combing his hair, and bringing him breakfast.

Despite not having to do everything himself, Tang Yue wasn’t thrilled about eating oily barbecue so early in the morning.

“Do you have porridge?” Tang Yue couldn’t help but ask.

“Does the young master enjoy porridge? The Marquis’s Mansion has an abundance of food, though we usually eat dried rice. You need not worry,” the maid said, assuming Tang Yue was still adjusting to his new life.

Since he had enough to eat, Tang Yue saw no need for formality. He pushed his bowl aside and said with a smile, “I am accustomed to having porridge in the morning. There’s no need to prepare such a grand breakfast for me in the future. A bowl of porridge and a plate of vegetables will suffice.”

The maid was taken aback and asked for confirmation before replying, “I’ll inquire about it.”

As the treasure of the Marquis’s Mansion, Tang Yue’s subordinates naturally obliged to his request, which was a simple one at that – just a bowl of porridge and a plate of vegetables.

The kitchen quickly prepared the requested food. As Tang Yue ate the thick porridge and boiled vegetables, he thought to himself, “This taste still doesn’t meet my standards. The vegetables lacked oil and were only seasoned with salt. It was like eating weeds.”

It appeared that one of his first tasks was to improve the quality of the food.

Before he finished his breakfast, the servants whispered to each other that this young master was unaccustomed to such luxury and delicacies, and did not appreciate it.

In modern language, the statement would be: “This country bumpkin doesn’t know how to enjoy the finer things in life, but insists on eating plain porridge and bland vegetables! What a fool! Courting Death!”