Chapter 210: Chapter 202: Dishes Bought from First-class Residence

’When did he become so close with Gu Xi? How come he himself didn’t know?’

’And according to his mother’s letter, that Capital Official named Gu seems to be intentionally spreading these false rumors in the Capital City, making people mistakenly believe that he, Meng Nan, already has a sweetheart in Qing Town...’

Seeing Meng Nan’s persistently stony expression, Gu Xi felt a bit awkward. Still, she didn’t want to leave empty-handed, so she pretended not to notice his coldness and prattled on, "Brother Meng, Xi’er heard from the kitchen staff that you haven’t been eating well lately. Just look at you, you’ve gotten thinner. You may have hurt your hand, but it’s just your left one, so it’s nothing serious. Your right hand is perfectly fine, isn’t it? You mustn’t be so hard on yourself."

Meng Nan held his folding fan, fanning it intermittently. His eyes were fixed on the empty space at the doorway, and it was impossible to tell if he had heard her speak.

Gu Xi shot a look at the maid beside her. The maid began to take food from the food box: a plate of exquisitely shaped pastries and two dishes that looked and smelled delicious.

"Brother Meng, these are some side dishes and pastries I made myself. Please have a taste."

Meng Nan glanced sideways at the food on the table, the corner of his lip curling into a hint of a sneer. "You made this?"

Gu Xi nodded hurriedly. "Yes, I made them. It took me a lot of effort to learn these few dishes. I even woke up before dawn today."

Meng Nan reached out and picked up a piece of White Jade Cake.

Seeing that he was finally willing to eat the food she brought, Gu Xi’s mood immediately brightened, and her face bloomed into a radiant smile.

Meng Nan didn’t bring the pastry in his hand to his mouth. Instead, he tossed it aside, pointed at the insignia on the plate, and said, "Next time you buy pastries and dishes from the First-class Residence, remember to transfer them to a different plate. Otherwise, the mark from the First-class Residence will really cause a misunderstanding."

’Although he wasn’t well-acquainted with Gu Xi, her demeanor every time she appeared before him made it difficult to associate her with the smoke and grease of a kitchen. Besides, he was a regular at the First-class Residence. Was there any dish there he hadn’t tried? He could tell which chef made it just by the smell.’

Gu Xi was so embarrassed she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. What in the world was more mortifying than being caught in a lie to your face?

Her face flushed red as she turned and shot a fierce glare at her maid, blaming her for not handling things properly and causing her to lose face in front of the man she admired.

The maid lowered her head, silent. She felt helpless. ’Anyone with eyes could see she was lying, so why did she have to tell such a lie in the first place?’

The Jin guard came in from outside, carrying a plate of food and still chewing on something. Seeing Gu Xi was also there, he immediately frowned. "Miss Gu? What are you doing here?"

Gu Xi was already burning with frustration, and she couldn’t direct her anger at Meng Nan. Now that the Jin guard had blundered right into her path, how could she possibly hold back?

"That’s a funny thing to say, Jin guard. This is the government office, and my father is the County Magistrate. You call me Miss Gu, don’t you? So tell me, is there anywhere in this government office that I can’t go?"

The Jin guard came over with his plate, saw the dishes on the table, and said with a laugh, "My master got tired of the food from the First-class Residence long ago. You should just take it back."

’Even the Jin guard could tell this was food from the First-class Residence with a single glance?’

Gu Xi shot a vicious glare at the maid beside her. "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and clear this away!"

The maid hurriedly cleared the pastries and dishes from the table. Seeing that space had been cleared, the Jin guard placed the plate he’d been holding onto the table.

The aroma made Meng Nan feel even hungrier. He quickly asked, "What is this?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.