Red apricots make spring

Chapter 242
At noon, Lu Chenzhou picked up the dishes in front of him, put down his chopsticks with no appetite, and said, "This cook is really getting worse and worse! What is this called? It's tasteless, how can people eat it?"

Wen Rou was taken aback, and tasted the dishes carefully with chopsticks. He felt that the taste was good, and those who could make such dishes could be considered famous chefs here, and they wouldn't be as unbearable as Lu Chenzhou said.

"Father, you should have two bites at least." Lu Fenglin persuaded: "In the past three months, there have been four cooks in the mansion. Only this Master Feng was picked by you yourself. He was also an imperial cook at least in the past."

"What's the use of the imperial chef? The imperial chef is the least innovative, just know how to cook these few dishes, after a month of eating, I'm already tired of it!" Lu Chenzhou blew on his beard angrily.

"Grandpa, there's nothing I can do about it." Lu Ce persuaded, "There are many cooks in the palace, and it's customary for each person to cook only two special dishes per day. After a long time, they will only be able to cook these two dishes. Or, I will also find a hundred cooks later, and let them take turns cooking for Grandpa every day?"

Before Lu Chenzhou could speak, Lu Fenglin glared at Lu Ce and scolded, "What nonsense? Even if the family has a little money, they can't be so extravagant! Besides, even if they can afford to support these cooks, it doesn't make sense. It’s a violation of laws and regulations! If you raise ten cooks in a prince’s or minister’s house, you’ll attract attention. You raise a hundred? Then there will be people who dare to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Holy One. This is a rebellious heart!”

Lu Ce said indifferently: "I know this truth, but as long as grandpa can eat, what's the point of raising a hundred? I just said that the cook I hired is not satisfactory. I change one every day. Who cares?"

"Nonsense!" Lu Fenglin slapped the table, and the cups and bowls jumped up. He was still waiting to reprimand Lu Ce, but Lu Chenzhou glared unwillingly and said, "Talk as soon as you talk, what table to slap on? You don't want to let him Is the old man safe to eat?"

Lu Fenglin suddenly froze, "Father, am I afraid that Ce'er will cause trouble for the family..."

Lu Chenzhou said unreasonably: "Don't look at him as your son, but he is more sensible than you!"

"I..." Lu Fenglin didn't know whether to laugh or cry, who is this old man?

Rourou saw that they were arguing, and quickly mediated: "How about I cook."

"You're living outside right now, so it's too inconvenient to rush over to cook every day." Lu Chenzhou shook his head. Although he wanted Wen Rou to be with him day and night, she hadn't officially married yet after all, and after the holy decree, How many pairs of eyes are watching every move of the Lu family?People's words are terrible after all, don't let others gossip to ruin the reputation of gentleness.

"Then it's alright for me to make some food occasionally to honor grandpa, right?" Rou Rou pursed her lips and said with a smile, "What would grandpa want to eat? I'll go to the market to pick up the ingredients myself in the morning."

"The old man wants to eat..." Before Lu Chenzhou finished speaking, Lu Fenglin quickly interrupted: "Fish!"

Lu Chenzhou stared, Lu Fenglin pretended not to see, and only said to Ruan Rou: "It's been a long time since I ate fish sticks, can you make this? If so, make some and try it!"

"Okay." Gentle nod.

"Do you want to eat it or the old man wants to eat it?" Lu Chenzhou said angrily: "The old man doesn't eat fish sticks!"

Lu Fenglin is a dutiful son, and he can tolerate his father in everything, but he pays more attention to diet, never backs down, just smiled and said: "Father, Doctor He told you to eat less meat and more fish, vegetables and fruits , just listen! My son knows that you find it troublesome to eat fish and want to spit out the spines, but you don’t need to spit out the spines of this fish, and Rou’er cooks it with your own hands, so why don’t you just do it and eat it once?"

"En." Lu Ce nodded and said, "Her knife skills are excellent, and she can cut fish meat as thin as crystal. Grandpa should try it."

"Really?" Lu Chenzhou was a little moved, and looked at Wen Rou.

She smiled softly and said, "He's talking nonsense! Not all fish should be cut as thin as possible. Some fish need to be cut thicker to be chewy."

"The old man wants to try it." Lu Chenzhou's mood suddenly improved, he grabbed the chopsticks, and took two mouthfuls of rice.

Seeing that the old man was finally made to laugh, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.Lu Fenglin smiled and said: "Rou'er doesn't have to go out to pick up the ingredients by herself, the ones sold in this market may not be the freshest, I will send someone to get some fresh fish for tribute to the imperial food later, and you can cook it tomorrow gone."

Gentle nodded in agreement, and Lu Ce whispered to her, "That's my father's fault, he feels wrong with anything I say, and he won't be afraid of making taboos when he goes to get those tribute fish by himself."

In a word, she said it so softly that she wanted to laugh, but she was afraid that Lu Fenglin would ask her what she was laughing at, so she had to hold back her head and eat.

In the afternoon, Lu Chenzhou and Lu Fenglin were going to take a lunch break as usual. Rou Rou had been learning to play chess for the past two days, so someone lifted a small table and two chairs and placed them under the tree in Wutong Pavilion to play against Lu Ce.

Recently, the weather has been getting hotter day by day. Although it is cool under the shade of the tree, Gentle gradually became a little mentally tired.After placing a piece, Lu Ce stretched out his hand to get some tea. After drinking, he raised his head and found that she was holding a chess piece in her hand and nodding her head. It was evident that she was suppressing her drowsiness. , just go to the house and rest for a while."

"Huh?" Rourou heard him speak, opened his eyes wearily, and said confusedly: "It's time for me?"

"I mean let you go to the house to rest for a while." Lu Ce shook his head and smiled.

"I'm not sleepy..." Rourou was still holding on, holding up the chess in his hand and trying to play, but staring blankly at the chessboard, obviously remembering which move Lu Ce just played.

Lu Cefang wanted to persuade her to go to sleep again, but Yun Dan appeared outside the door and said softly, "Master, I'm back."

"The matter is settled?" Lu Ce said while talking, and handed a cup of tea to Rou Rou: "Drink some mint tea to wake up."

Genuine took the tea and took a sip, the coolness with a little sweetness spread on the tip of the tongue, and finally felt a little clear-eyed.She originally wanted to avoid it and let Yun Dan and Lu Ce talk freely, but just as she put down the teacup, she heard Yun Dan say: "It's done, all thirteen shops of the Zhao family have been squeezed out. Zhao Yuanshan His official position was taken away long ago, and when he returned to Yuanchang, he found out that his son was having an affair with his concubine, and he was so angry that he was half dead, and now he is sick in bed."

"The Zhao family in Yuanchang?" Wen Wen was surprised.Lu Ce never told her about this matter.

With a faint smile on Yun Dan's lips, he said: "Exactly."

"Since he has returned home, how could the concubine be so careless and teach him to discover adultery?" Lu Ce said lightly, "You did this, right?"

"Master, I can't hide it from you." Yun Dan said with a smile: "Zhao Yuanshan's wife fell ill and passed away. When he went back, he was resting in the concubine Li's room. Li is naturally cautious in everything. I secretly gave it to Li and Zhao Yuanshan. The sons each voted for a private meeting in the back garden in the middle of the night, and secretly led Zhao Yuanshan to break the matter."

"What happened next?" Ruan Ruan was anxious to know what was going on, and hurriedly urged him to say.

"Later? Zhao Yuanshan was so angry that he was paralyzed all over. He didn't want to beat his son, so he taught his servants to beat Li Shi twenty times, and then found a trafficker to sell her away."

"Sold?" Rourou opened her eyes wide, and all sleepiness disappeared.

"Yeah." Yun Dan nodded and said, "The trafficker who sold her is the one who sold Zhao An and Xiaoyan last time."

Does this count as retribution?Li shi suffered from it on her own, Wen Rou had no sympathy for Li shi at all, but she didn't feel happy either, she just let out a long breath and felt that God was fair at last, otherwise Li shi would harm many maids and servants in the future!
"Then—" Rourou asked again, "Did Xiaoyan find it?"

"I found it. According to the master's instructions, I rewarded the two of them for their deed of selling their lives and gave them some money. They let the couple open a small shop to make a living."

Ruan nodded silently, thinking that it was settled.

"You did a good job in this matter." Lu Ce said lightly, "What is the current situation of the Zhao family?"

"I was not in a hurry to crush the Zhao family's shop. I just waited for Zhao Yuanshan to invest money in it to barely support it. Now his savings for many years have been almost exhausted, and the two sons he raised only know how to eat, drink and play. They don't care at all. No. I think the Zhao family is almost unable to survive. But..." Yun Dan pondered: "Zhao Yuanshan seems to have left a silk and satin shop in the capital. Before I returned to Beijing, I sneaked into the Zhao family one night and heard him The two sons got together to discuss the future division of the family, and said that Zhao Yuanshan was paralyzed in bed, seeing that he was useless, and had to eat ginseng every day, if this continues, the family will be poor before he dies, how about The family was divided earlier, and Zhao Yuanshan's medicine was cut off, so we can still share some of the family property."

"Where's the third girl from their family?" When she was in the Zhao residence, Rourou only thought that the third girl Zhao Yan and his wife Su Shi were somewhat humane, so she couldn't help but also cared about her.

Yun Dan frowned and said: "Her two elder brothers have planned the separation of the family in private, just waiting for Zhao Yuanshan to die, and they didn't keep her at all. Her two brothers sold it."

Wen Rou remembered that she was able to redeem her body and leave the Zhao family, thanks to the success of the Su family, she did not expect that she gave birth to two unscrupulous sons, and only this daughter, her character is considered good, but her fate is not good, she can't help but be contemptuous sighed.

Lu Ce took a look at Wenrou, and said with a faint smile, "How about this. Yundan, go and get the silk and satin shop that the Zhao family left in Beijing, and then think of a way to bring the third girl of the Zhao family to the capital, and bring this The silk and satin village of the family has recorded her name, and whether she wants to marry or live alone in the future, she still has someone to rely on. As for the rest of the Zhao family, let them fend for themselves!"

Yun Dan agreed with a smile, and seeing that Lu Ce had nothing to ask, he retreated first.
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(End of this chapter)