Chapter 253

As soon as Xu Ran went to the kitchen, he started to work–making hotpot condiments, instructing the chefs to kill and clean fish, which lasted until nightfall.

……

Lu Qi’s group came back when it was almost dark. When they came back, they went straight to the kitchen to seek for food. Even Gao Quan, with such a reserved manner, came with them.

However, there was nothing eatable in the kitchen, because everyone was helping Xu Ran clean fish and prepare vegetables. There was only the leftover cold food from the lunch, with which the cook didn’t dare to feed these people.

Xu Ran handed his work to the cook, and then he went to make fried rice for these people.

With no eggs, Xu Ran made sour spicy fried rice, letting this group of starved people to fill the stomach first.

Xu Ran said while frying, “You can eat a little now just to fill your stomach. Later, there will be delicious food. If you are full now and cannot eat anymore later, don’t blame me for not reminding you.”

The moment Xu Ran’s voice fell, Du Xin screamed at the door, “Don’t say so much. Give me some food first. Otherwise, we’ll starve to death. If so, no matter what you will cook tonight, we won’t be able to eat.”

Xu Ran rolled his eyes at him, “Isn’t it that you have just skipped a meal? I don’t believe you can really starve to death. If you really starve to death, I will definitely send you a burial ceremony.”

Instead of making Xu Ran act faster, only getting mocked by him, Du Xin was pissed off and hung on Lu Qi’s shoulder coquettishly, “Lu Qi, Xu Ran is too annoying. Go beat him up.”

With so many people around, unlike Du Xin, who did not care about the others’ opinion at all, Lu Qi pulled him down from his shoulder and said, “If you don’t want to eat tonight, I’ll beat him up for you.”

After weighing up the pros and cons, Du Xin pulled Lu Qi at his clothes and whispered to him, “You can beat him up when I’m full.”

Lu Qi looked at him with a confused gaze, “Why don’t you go by yourself when you’re full? Doesn’t that give you more sense of accomplishment? He wouldn’t bully you in the future.”

Du Xin was also thinking about this question seriously, then he shook his head with a depressed face. “I can’t beat him. Even if I beat him, I am no match for his son.”

Lu Qi nodded, feeling that it made sense.

However, then he heard Du Xin say, “Why do we have no children? Lu Qi, can you bear me a baby?”

Everyone in the kitchen heard this and looked at Lu Qi unanimously. It all clicked. ‘So you’re the one below!’

Lu Qi just wanted to beat Du Xin up, then found a crack in the ground and got into it. He was so embarrassed that he would have no face to meet anyone! ! !

Du Xin did not realize his mistake at all. He continued, “Or I can bear one myself. I really want a child, Lu Qi, maybe I can marry a brother! Let him bear us one for each.”

This time, without hesitation, Lu Qi slapped Du Xin on his head first and pulled him away.

For some reason, Du Xin was still resisting. His voice could be heard from afar, “Hey! Let go of me, I haven’t eaten yet! Hey, hey! Quickly let go of me… ”

As they gradually went further and further away, the people in the kitchen didn’t hear what was said afterwards, but it wouldn’t be anything good anyway.

After Lu Qi and Du Xin went away, the work in the kitchen continued, however, the gossip got started too. It was estimated that soon, all the people in the Prince Residence would know that their Master liked men and was the one beneath. What’s more, the man Master liked wanted to marry a brother to bear them each a baby because Master couldn’t give birth to a child.

Such an explosive topic would probably be spreading throughout the entire Yanzhou! It was unknown whether Lu Qi needed to go out recently. It would be best if he didn’t have to go out. If he did, the consequences would be unimaginable. After all, the power of the people is truly infinite.

Xu Ran lighted countless candles for Lu Qi in his heart, wishing him good luck.

No matter how they gossiped as they liked, the work had to be continued. After frying the rice, Xu Ran sent Gao Quan to bring it to Lu Qi and Du Xin. Although Lu Qi might have been fed with anger now, there was still Du Xin, who apart from having no taboo in mouth, had no bottom in his stomach too, which could be compared with Baozi.

At night, Xu Ran prepared five hot pots. Two for themselves, and three for servants in the mansion. The food materials were all the same, since everyone had worked for a long time.

Yanzhou didn’t grow a lot of vegetables, and they were even fewer in winter. But meat was in sufficient supply, so the main dish tonight was fish meat.

In order to save the cost, Xu Ran was prepared the ready seasoning for everyone and did not let them help themselves.

With Tangtang and Guoguo around, there was no need for Xu Ran to explain what a hotpot was. Xu Ran mainly ran over to check the servants, afraid that they didn’t know how to eat.

However, he underestimated these people. With his few words of instruction, these people began to handle everything themselves, their movements looking quite skilled.

Several chefs who had worked with Xu Ran for a long time asked Xu Ran to leave them alone. They knew how to eat.

Xu Ran covered his chest and walked away, feeling a bit hurt.

In the end, something even worse happened. When he came back, people had already begun to eat. Everyone was very happy, but why did they not notice that he was gone?

The only person who remembered him was Liu Tong. As soon as Xu Ran came back, he saw fish meat in his originally empty bowl. Xu Ran sat down next to Liu Tong and smiled at him.

However, as soon as Xu Ran sat down and stuffed a piece of fish into his mouth, he heard King Yan say, “Lu Qi, when are you giving birth to a baby? It has been many years since our Prince’s Residence had a baby. You are also in your thirties, it is time for you to bear one.”

“Eh-hem… eh-hem…”

The moment Xu Ran heard it, a thrill choked the fish into his throat, giving everyone on the table a start.

Liu Tong quickly patted Xu Ran’s back and asked someone to bring him water. When Xu Ran finally recovered, tears had been out.

Xu Ran waved his hand to let Liu Tong stop. He touched his chest, coughed violently, and finally felt better.

Xu Ran said to King Yan, “Your Highness, even if you know the kitchen gag, don’t talk about it when eating hotpot, which will kill people, alright?”

King Yan did not take it seriously, “It is nothing. Believe me. Soon, as long as you are in Yanzhou, no matter where you go, you can hear people talking about it, and there can be countless versions of it, even including the one in which Master may have given birth to several kids.”

Xu Ran agreed with this point. After all, the power of the mass was infinite, whose imagination was amazingly rich.

As the two were talking, Gao Quan was the only one left on the table apart from the party involved. As to Gao Quan, one could never expect him to tell you these gossips.

So everyone turned their eyes to Lu Qi, as if they wanted to see through a hole in him, then they could went inside to see what was going on.

Lu Qi ate his meal with his head lowered, ignoring all the gazes on him.

As for Du Xin, after being lectured by Lu Qi, he also obediently shut up. Although he really wanted to say something, his butt still hurt. He chose to keep shutting up, otherwise, it would hurt at night.

Du Xin looked pitiful, and everyone could not bear to look at him. When they saw that no one wanted to explain what was going on, they stopped looking around and focused on eating fish meat. After all, they would soon figure it out. As long as they find a servant in the mansion to inquire about it, they would know, so there was no need to struggle now.

Everyone was satisfied with this hotpot meal. The hotpot was divided into light soup and spicy one, so they could eat whatever taste they wanted. Although there weren’t many vegetables, the fish and other meat also filled their stomachs.

After they finished eating, the servants came to clean up the table. The group of people went to see the wild vegetables that Lu Qi’s group had dug out up the mountain.

Having worked for a whole day, the group of people had quite a harvest.

Several baskets of wild vegetables, plus the fish they caught from the river, which should be enough for the beggars to eat for a while.

Xu Ran’s idea was still hotpot, just using fish meat, A stall could be set up around the city gate. Of course, it would be better if there were brown rice as staple. After all, hotpot couldn’t be eaten as the main food, which would not last long.

However, the most annoying thing about Yanzhou was that they couldn’t find grains.

Xu Ran couldn’t care about so much now, as long as these people didn’t starve to death, it would be fine.

Xu Ran told King Yan his plan and King Yan didn’t object. He sent someone to clean the fish and prepare wild vegetables for use next morning.

Xu Ran also took the opportunity to tell King Yan that they were going to move out. Xu Ran thought that after giving the beggars hot pot to eat, he had made the publicity, then he had to strike while the iron is hot.

Although King Yan was unwilling, he still let Yan Chun find house for Xu Ran.