Chapter 156: Chicken Soup

 Chapter 156: Chicken Soup 

The royal palace was built at the foot of Mount Wuhua, with the Grand Canal passing by, nestled between the mountains and water, offering a picturesque view.

Pavilions, waterside structures, rockeries, and towers were scattered throughout the area.

What amazed Daohua the most was the pool in the eastern part of the palace, which looked like a swimming pool.

Seeing Daohua staring at the pool, Xiao Yeyang explained, "This is a place for cooling off and taking baths in the summer. The water in the pool comes from a spring at the mountain's peak. The spring water is cool and refreshing, perfect for soaking and cooling off during the hot months."

"Spring water, huh?" Daohua remarked in surprise. The ancient aristocracy sure knew how to enjoy themselves.

She hadn’t even found a place to drink spring water, and here they were using it to bathe.

The palace was so large that Daohua started to lose interest in exploring after covering half of it.

The cold weather made it difficult to enjoy the tour. It had snowed the night before, and there was still a layer of snow hanging from the eaves.

Compared to being outside in the cold wind to enjoy the snowy scenery, she would rather stay inside and curl up.

Seeing Daohua’s cheeks flushed from the cold, Xiao Yeyang spoke up, "We’ve been walking for most of the day. Everyone must be tired. Let’s head back inside to rest and have some tea."

Yan Wenkai still seemed a bit reluctant, but he nodded, "Alright, we haven’t finished touring, but we can come back another time."

Yan Wenxiu and Li Xingnian had no objections.

Soon, the group returned to the main hall.

When Defu saw Xiao Yeyang, who had been in poor spirits and cooped up inside for days, come back looking much better with a smile on his face, he immediately felt relieved.

These past few days, the young prince had been holed up in his room looking dispirited, which had been worrying Defu. Now, with Daohua and the others accompanying him, he seemed much more lively.

"What are you standing there for? Where are the tea and snacks? Hurry up and bring them!" Xiao Yeyang called out when he noticed Defu standing idly.

Defu snapped back to attention, "The tea and snacks have already been prepared, I'll have someone bring them right away."

As soon as he finished speaking, a maid entered with a food box.

Upon seeing the maid, Defu immediately became serious and quickly walked over to respectfully take the food box from her.

The maid smiled, handed him the box, and then curtsied to Xiao Yeyang before silently leaving.

Daohua, sitting nearby, curiously observed. She noticed that after the maid entered, Xiao Yeyang’s face seemed to darken.

As Daohua pondered who the maid might be, she suddenly felt a pair of intense eyes focused on her. Looking up, she realized it was Defu.

Defu’s gaze kept shifting between the food box in his hands and Daohua, all while he kept winking at her.

Daohua was taken aback. What was going on?

Just then, Xiao Yeyang spoke again, his voice tinged with impatience, "Why are you still standing there? Where are the tea and snacks?"

Not understanding Defu’s meaning, Daohua looked at him, puzzled. Defu, noticing her confusion, became frustrated. He glanced at the food box and hesitated before slowly moving toward the door.

"Wait!"

In an instant, Daohua’s eyes lit up, and she suddenly understood what Defu meant. "What’s inside the food box? May I take a look?"

Defu quickly turned around, eagerly glancing at Xiao Yeyang. Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Defu hurriedly placed the food box on the table between Daohua and Xiao Yeyang’s seats.

Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang’s serious face, then at Defu’s eager expression. After a moment of thought, she reached for the food box and opened the lid.

"Wow, it smells so good!"

As soon as the lid was lifted, a rich aroma of chicken soup wafted out.

Daohua held the lid in her hands. Seeing Xiao Yeyang remain silent and Defu continuing to wink at her, she hesitantly asked, "Can I try it?"

Was this what Defu meant?

As soon as Daohua spoke, Defu couldn't contain himself and quickly said, "I'll go get bowls and spoons right now!" He dashed out of the room, disappearing in an instant.

Daohua blinked in surprise, and after a long moment, she commented, "I never realized how quick Defu is!"

Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, then at the food box on the table. He moved his lips but said nothing, not mentioning that the food box should be taken away, even when Defu returned with the bowls and spoons.

"We've been walking for most of the day, and we're just in time for some food. This black chicken soup really is perfect, so thoughtful of you," Daohua said as she took the bowl and served everyone, ending with herself.

"Hey, why aren't you guys drinking?" she asked when she saw Xiao Yeyang not moving.

Seeing Xiao Yeyang not moving, Daohua took a sip from her own bowl and immediately nodded in approval. "This is really good! The black chicken is so tender, it must have been stewed for hours," she said, quickly drinking another spoonful.

Yan Wenxiu and Li Xingnian didn't move their spoons either, not wanting to start before Xiao Yeyang.

Yan Wenkai, however, was not as hesitant. Seeing Daohua drink, he immediately grabbed his bowl and started drinking. After a sip, he too praised the soup, saying it was delicious.

"Hurry up and drink!" Daohua urged, pushing the bowl toward Xiao Yeyang and nodding toward Yan Wenkai. "My fourth brother eats fast, if you don't hurry, he’ll drink it all."

Just as Daohua finished speaking, Yan Wenkai's voice could be heard.

"Big sister, give me another bowl! This black chicken soup is so flavorful," he said, already coming over with his bowl in hand.

Xiao Yeyang glanced at the nearly empty food box and then at Yan Wenkai walking over confidently to claim more. Without hesitation, he replied, "There’s none left for you."

Yan Wenkai pointed at the food box. "There’s still some! You’re not drinking it, so why waste it?"

Xiao Yeyang immediately picked up the soup bowl, saying, "Who says I’m not drinking?" Then, he began drinking the soup, one spoonful at a time.

Yan Wenkai still wanted to say something, but Defu quickly intervened, saying with a smile, "Fourth Young Master Yan, the tea and snacks will be here soon."

"Stingy!" Yan Wenkai mumbled under his breath before returning to his seat.

Meanwhile, Daohua secretly observed Xiao Yeyang drinking the soup. She couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Both the maid who brought the food box earlier and Xiao Yeyang’s reaction were strange.

Never mind, it was better not to ask. She didn’t want to trigger any more sensitive nerves with Xiao Yeyang.

After finishing the soup in his bowl, Xiao Yeyang noticed Daohua hadn't touched hers. "Why aren't you drinking?" he asked.

Daohua smiled and replied, "I saved it for you. You’re the patient, you need to replenish your strength." Without waiting for a reply, she poured the remaining soup into his bowl.

"Drink up!" she urged.

Xiao Yeyang looked at her, then picked up the bowl and began drinking slowly.

At the same time, in the plum orchard villa at the mountain's peak.

The maid who had delivered the chicken soup entered the main room with a joyful expression and approached the beautiful woman painting plum blossoms by the window. "Mistress, the young master drank the chicken soup you made!"

Upon hearing this, the woman paused, her brush freezing mid-air, leaving a dark ink blot on the paper.

She seemed unfazed by the mistake, her face filled with eager anticipation as she asked, "Really?"

The maid nodded vigorously. "I saw it with my own eyes. The young master drank two bowls before leaving."

"Quickly, tell me what happened!" the woman urged eagerly.

(End of chapter)