"But I don't know how to cook."
She could cook, but she didn't want to cook for this demon.
"It doesn't matter, I'll eat whatever you make."
What madness was this now?
However, this was a good way to cultivate their relationship. Should she really cook a meal for him?
"Then Your Highness wait here."
She jumped out of his embrace and rushed to the small kitchen behind them.
Afraid she would burn down the kitchen, Qiu Yue quickly brought several palace maids to help.
"Qiu Yue, does Your Highness have any dietary restrictions?"
"This servant doesn't know."
Seeing that he usually ate rather lightly, Ye Luan thought for a moment, "Then I'll make a bowl of Yangchun noodles. I feel like eating it too."
The most important part of Yangchun noodles is the scallion oil. She asked Qiu Yue to get some freshly rendered lard from the imperial kitchen and then simmered a pot of high-quality broth in a clay pot.
After finishing these, she prepared to knead the dough.
In her past life, she rarely cooked. She always bought noodles ready-made. Now, to please Xiao Chi Zhan, she brought out all her skills.
She grumbled a few words inwardly.
Xiao Chi Zhan, bored while waiting outside, also came to the kitchen, startling the palace maids.
A gentleman stays away from the kitchen. How could His Highness come to the kitchen?
His arrival not only made the kitchen seem cramped, but the palace maids also looked timid and fearful.
"What are you making?"
Ye Luan replied, "Yangchun noodles."
Xiao Chi Zhan stood at the doorway, and his expression faltered. Childhood memories flooded back, and his face cracked slightly.
"Your Highness, please go outside and wait."
The already small kitchen was enveloped by his powerful aura, making it suffocating.
Xiao Chi Zhan actually obeyed and left.
Ye Luan was stunned for a moment, but then she saw him leaning against a tree outside the window, looking at her intently through the wide-open window.
Their gazes met in the air. Ye Luan immediately withdrew her eyes, suppressing the inexplicable emotions in her heart.
White hair and red eyes. Such a demonic beauty, yet subjected to bullying since childhood because of it.
Ancient people truly had no taste.
After kneading the dough, she let it rest aside.
A palace maid had already lit the fire. Ye Luan glanced at the three palace maids in the kitchen, fried six sunny-side-up eggs, and blanched some small bok choy.
Qiu Yue had already brought the lard. The scallion oil she fried with purple onions was extremely fragrant, with a very rich aroma that wafted out into the courtyard.
Xiao Chi Zhan had been watching Ye Luan busily working in the kitchen, his eyes deep, lost in thought.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Chi Zhan felt hungry just by the smell.
He called out directly, "Are they almost ready?"
"Yes, yes, they are."
Ye Luan scooped out the noodles and placed them in the prepared sauce bowls, sprinkled with chopped scallions, fried eggs, and small bok choy.
A bowl of steaming, delicious Yangchun noodles was ready.
"There's still some left in the pot. You can eat it yourselves."
Qiu Yue and the others were surprised to hear Ye Luan's words.
She had actually saved some for them.
Ye Luan didn't have the time to care what they were thinking. She placed two bowls of Yangchun noodles on a tray, carried them out, and placed them on the stone table under the tree.
"Why is it taking so long?"
"Your Highness, eat quickly if you're hungry."
Ye Luan was hungry anyway. She picked up a bowl, sat on a nearby stone stool, and began to eat.
The noodles were chewy, smooth, and slippery. The scallion oil was fragrant, and with each bite, her taste buds exploded. It was incredibly delicious.
She couldn't help but ask Xiao Chi Zhan opposite her, "Your Highness, is it delicious?"
Xiao Chi Zhan, for the first time, didn't have a stern face. His expression softened considerably.
He seemed lost in thought, staring at the Yangchun noodles in front of him, neither speaking nor eating.
Ye Luan frowned and waved her hand in front of him.
"It looks quite tasty."
The noodles were crisp and clean, the soup clear and flavorful, with oil slicks and emerald green chopped scallions floating on top, emitting bursts of fresh fragrance.
Xiao Chi Zhan ate heartily. The taste was very similar to his memory, light and refreshing.
Seeing him eat so enthusiastically, Ye Luan stopped asking and ate her own meal.
"Who taught you?"
Ye Luan replied perfunctorily, "Self-taught genius."
She hadn't expected Xiao Chi Zhan to like it so much that he even drank all the soup.
Ye Luan looked at him with surprise several times. Seeing his satisfied expression, she couldn't help but smack her lips.
So easy to feed.
"Change into riding clothes in a moment. I'll take you to the hunting grounds."
Seeing that it was getting dark, Ye Luan immediately nodded and went inside to change.
When she came out after changing, Xiao Chi Zhan was gone. She didn't know where he had gone. She walked outside and overheard two gossiping palace maids outside the archway.
"Is what you're saying true? Was the Bai family's young master really bitten?"
"Bitten? He was clearly retaliated against. There were so many people at the hunting grounds, why did the tiger only target him? I heard his bones were exposed. It was terrifying."
"I wonder who was so cruel to retaliate like that."
Ye Luan froze in place. Recalling Xiao Chi Zhan's fury yesterday, her whole body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.
His desire for revenge was so strong. She had spoken a few words to Bai Mu Xing, and he had ordered someone to harm him.
When Xiao Chi Zhan came out with a specially made bow and arrows, he saw her in a vibrant red riding outfit, standing motionlessly by the archway.
Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, her waist was slender, and under the moonlight, she looked heroic and spirited.
Xiao Chi Zhan couldn't help but walk over, embrace her from behind, and say, "Let's go."
Hearing the voices from inside, the gossiping outside immediately stopped.
Ye Luan couldn't help but ask, "Were Bai Mu Xing's injuries caused by you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she clearly felt the aura around her turn cold and terrifying. The iron arms around her waist tightened, causing pain.
"Are you questioning me?"
His voice was cold and icy, colder than the moon overhead, making Ye Luan tremble.
Seeing her remain silent, Xiao Chi Zhan exerted force, turning her around. Looking at her indifferent face, his anger surged. "What would you do if I killed him?"
"As long as I wish, the Duke's Mansion can disappear from the capital tomorrow, darling. Do you want to try?"
Madman, trampling on human lives!
Ye Luan suppressed the anger in her heart, her expression calm. "This commoner misspoke. I ask Your Highness for forgiveness."
Endure.
Ye Luan.
You must endure.
Xiao Chi Zhan knew very well that although she seemed obedient on the surface, she was defiant at heart.
He snorted coldly, took her hand, and walked outside.
Long Yi led over a chestnut horse. Xiao Chi Zhan put his arm around her waist and leaped onto the horse. With a flick of the reins, the horse galloped away at high speed.
Ye Luan remained silent all the way.
Xiao Chi Zhan was displeased with her silence. He snorted coldly, tightened his grip on the horse's belly, and with a sharp cry, the horse shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
The speed was so great that it almost threw them off.
Ye Luan immediately came back to her senses, her hands instinctively clinging to his arm. The cold wind howled, piercingly cold.
She had come out to hunt specifically to spend time alone with him and cultivate their relationship, but now she had no interest in pleasing him.
Especially after learning that Bai Mu Xing was injured because of her, her heart became even more unsettled.