Chapter 400 - Chapter 400: Freeloading

Chapter 400: Freeloading

Translator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations

This way, Gu Chang’an and his daughter could cook these big crabs more freely.

In the blink of an eye, the crab shells in the kitchen were piled high. Xiaoxiao’s crab meat soup dumplings were also ready to be served in the steamers at any time, so she started to fiddle with the crab wine orange again.

Gu Chang’an had never heard of this dish before. At this moment, he was filled with curiosity as he watched his daughter deal with the big orange.

“I wanted to ask just now. Where did you buy these fruits and crabs? Why are they so big?”

Xiaoxiao knew that the things she took out were a little too eye-catching, but she didn’t care. She had to give her family the best!

“There’s a porter at the market who sold them. Coincidentally, I met him as soon as I arrived. I saw that his goods were not bad, so I bought them all.”

Considering the financial situation of the General’s Residence, Gu Chang’an and Xiao Ran rarely spent so much money. Crabs were precious things. Even if they ate them, they would not buy them in bulk. However, he did not care if Xiaoxiao liked them.

Instead, he was worried that his daughter did not have enough money to spend, so he simply took out the keys to the General’s Residence’s storeroom. “From now on, I’ll leave this key to you for safekeeping. Take whatever you need!”

Xiaoxiao looked at the key and then at Father, but she did not reject him.

Sometimes, rejecting the kindness of an elder might hurt them.

As expected, Gu Chang’an was even happier to see Xiaoxiao accept it. He didn’t care if Xiaoxiao would spend money and ruin the General’s Residence.

Besides, the two of them had not saved up much for their daughter in the first place. The recent huge income was obtained by Xiaoxiao selling the recipe for dehydrated vegetables. He had always felt that it was not appropriate to take the silver, but it would seem distant to return it to his daughter. It was better this way. It was the best of both worlds.

Xiaoxiao also knew a little about the situation in the General’s Residence. In fact, she had been thinking about something for a long time. The soldiers who had returned from the battlefield were all heroes who had fought alongside her mother. Of course, it was reasonable for her mother to take care of them, but this care could not always be based on the premise of giving money.

Even if they did not worry about whether their mother’s salary was enough to support so many people, the soldiers and uncles could not bring themselves to ask for help.

For example, when she asked her parents to sell the recipe for dehydrated vegetables to the Yan Family, there was a soldier whose old mother was seriously ill. However, he couldn’t find a job because of his disability and couldn’t earn money for medicine. Seeing that his mother was about to die of illness, that soldier had no choice but to go to the streets to perform breaking a huge rock in his chest. In the end, he encountered a hedonistic son who smashed him hard. Not only did he fail to resolve his family’s predicament, but he also almost lost his life.

If not for the fact that the people from the General’s Residence had gone out to buy supplies, saw this commotion and discussed the one-eyed and scar on his face when they went back, Xiao Ran would not have known about this

At that time, the lives of the soldier and his mother were on the line. Even if the doctor dared to take action, he would need many expensive medicinal herbs to keep them alive.

Later on, it was only when Xiaoxiao asked to borrow the herbs from Li Muyan and used the Yan Family’s recipe money to resolve the urgent situation that the mother and son’s lives were really saved.

This matter could not be repeated, but the world was unpredictable. Who could guarantee that they would be free from illness and disaster for the rest of their lives?

It was better to teach people how to fish than to give them fish. Hence, Xiaoxiao was wondering if there was any way to help those uncles and big brothers supplement their family’s expenses without the General’s Residence always losing money.

Initially, her thoughts were fruitless, but today, that strategist from Chernan spouted nonsense about the transportation of iron ore in front of the imperial court. It gave her a flash of inspiration and she immediately thought of something.

“Father, I want to make a deal.”

Gu Chang’an said without thinking, “Alright!”

Xiaoxiao was between laughter and tears. “Can you at least ask me what I want to do?”

Gu Chang’an wiped his hands clean and picked up some food for his daughter with his chopsticks. “You can do whatever you want. If you want to open a restaurant, Father can even cook for you.”

This was really…

Xiaoxiao felt Gu Chang’an’s doting and her heart warmed. “Actually, I…”

Before she could finish speaking, she heard a few thuds outside. Then, many people entered and went straight to the kitchen.

Between the wooden-faced Little Big Brother and her rolling-eyed mother stood a familiar-looking middle-aged man. This person’s temperament was very outstanding. Standing there, he had the special feeling of being surrounded by stars.

The man waved his hand behind him. “I’m just in civilian clothes. There’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

Xiaoxiao understood. So it was the Emperor.

Although the Emperor said that there was no need to stand on ceremony, she and Gu Chang’an could not be really rude. Just as they were about to put down the things in their hands and bend their knees, they saw the Emperor stride forward and pick up an orange that had just been cleaned out by Xiaoxiao on the table. “What are you doing?”

Xiaoxiao immediately straightened her knees. “Your Majesty, I’m preparing to make crab wine orange.”

She didn’t waste the orange pulp that she dug out. She squeezed out the juice and made desserts later.

The Emperor had never heard of it, but he found it very strange. The Emperor walked around and looked around, and then the Emperor was hungry.

His series of emotions were very explicit. It was difficult for Xiaoxiao not to understand his goal for this trip.

As expected, he said in the next moment, “I heard that Chef Gu has returned to the pugilistic world today and is preparing to show off his skills. It’s not polite for me to decline General Xiao’s kind invitation.”

To summarize, he was here to freeload.

Xiao Ran’s face was full of “he’s lying”, but considering this person’s identity, she held back her words and told him with a fake smile, “It’s rare for our General’s Residence to have a reunion today, so we’re having a family banquet.” Did you hear that? Its a “family banquet’! A “family banquet’, understand?!

The Emperor pretended not to understand the disdain in her words and nodded with a smile. “That’s good. Then let’s not talk about monarchs and ministers today. I’ll attend the banquet as your junior brother. Everyone, be more casual.” Xiao Ran chuckled. “Don’t regret what you said later.”

The Emperor said confidently, “You’re right.”

He was too much of a hindrance in the kitchen. He ran around as if he had never seen the world. He even touched and looked around. Eunuch De, who was serving him, could only cry out all the way. One moment, he was afraid that he would be burned by the pot, and the next moment, he was afraid that he would hurt himself with a knife. Seeing that Xiaoxiao and Gu Chang’an’s faces were about to turn black, Xiao Ran moved swiftly and got him away.

Eunuch De did not dare to breathe loudly the entire time. He suspected that if His Majesty did not leave, General Xiao might kick him.

Th-th-this… Even if His Majesty said that he did not treat them as subjects and rulers, he would not dare to turn a blind eye to this!

Eunuch De, who was worried sick, felt that this short hour was even more tiring than the entire day in the palace. When he left the kitchen, his head was covered in sweat.

After this group of masters left, Xiaoxiao heaved a sigh of relief. Rong Yan did not leave and was rolling up his sleeves with familiarity. “What can I do?” Xiaoxiao was not polite to him. “Help me dig out the orange pulps and squeeze orange juice. Don’t throw away the oranges’ skins. Use them as lids later. You don’t have to dig the orange pulp too cleanly. Leave a portion inside. It’ll taste better when it’s steamed.”

Rong Yan followed what Xiaoxiao had done previously and quickly settled one. After confirming with Xiaoxiao that there were no mistakes, he gradually started to become a skilled worker.

Gu Chang’an was very satisfied with Rong Yan’s self-awareness. As expected, the children he taught were different from those pedantic scholars. If the person Xiaoxiao liked was the kind of person who talked about “a gentleman stays away from the kitchen”, he would probably chase him out with Ran’er..