Qi Mingzhu's face wore a perfectly calibrated smile, her almond eyes sparkling as she looked at Qin Xuan with a hint of playful affection.
"What Mingzhu makes is naturally good," Qin Xuan said, gazing at the radiant, captivating face before him, feeling his heart melt.
Not long ago, his cousin's face rarely showed a smile, and when it did, it was often forced. Today, his cousin was smiling with genuine, heartfelt joy.
"Then will you eat with me, cousin?" Qi Mingzhu asked.
"Of course." Even though he had just eaten his fill, Qin Xuan agreed without hesitation.
Qi Mingzhu placed a silver-rolled bun onto the plate in front of Qin Xuan. In that simple gesture, Qin Xuan's sharp eyes noticed several red, scalded marks on the back of Qi Mingzhu's hand.
"Cousin, what happened to your hand?" Qin Xuan gently took Qi Mingzhu's hand.
"It's nothing," Qi Mingzhu said, trying to pull her hand back.
Qin Xuan glanced at Fusu. Fusu bowed respectfully and said in a clear voice, "To my lord, the姨娘's hand was scalded while cooking just now. The姨娘 said that my lord studies hard and she couldn't help him in any way, so she thought of cooking a few refreshing small dishes for my lord's dinner herself. After they were done, the姨娘 personally went to deliver them to my lord, but then she met the夫人, and the姨娘 returned with this servant."
"Cousin, you brought me food?" Qin Xuan exclaimed, surprised. "I, I didn't know!"
After speaking, Qin Xuan's expression changed, and he said resentfully, "Lu Jingning didn't tell me anything about this, did she send you away? That woman is too much!"
"Cousin, why are you getting angry for no reason? The夫人 might have thought it was a trivial matter. Besides, the夫人 didn't send me away; I returned on my own. The夫人 is virtuous, and her cooking is certainly better than mine," Qi Mingzhu said softly. "Cousin studies hard; he should eat what the夫人 makes."
"This is the first time the姨娘 has cooked!" Fusu muttered softly.
Cooked by hand, a rare gesture of thoughtfulness.
Qin Xuan's thoughts now turned to Lu Jingning's hands, slender and fair. Then he looked at his cousin's hands, several places scalded red. His cousin had been pampered and raised without ever touching kitchen work. Lu Jingning, too, had been pampered and raised. She was naturally unfamiliar with kitchen matters.
If she could still produce exquisite dishes without being proficient, it was clear that her "homemade" meal was merely her giving a few instructions. Who truly cared for him was evident.
A wave of disgust washed over Qin Xuan. Lu Jingning didn't care about him as a person; she only cared about becoming a noble lady and appearing glorious in front of others.
"Cousin, I feel your thoughtfulness. I will eat all of this. But cousin, you must promise me that you won't cook these things yourself anymore. I don't want you to be tired, and I certainly don't want you to get hurt," Qin Xuan said with deep affection.
"It's not tiring to cook for cousin. I'm just not used to it yet; once I'm skilled, I won't get hurt," Qi Mingzhu smiled gently. "Before, my fingers never touched the mundane tasks of life. From now on, I want to wash my hands and make soup for cousin."
To wash her hands and make soup for him – what profound affection this was! He thought, his cousin truly had him in her heart, not like his mother said, that his cousin was merely using him. This realization made Qin Xuan very happy, so happy that the weariness from days of hard study vanished.
Qi Mingzhu attentively accompanied Qin Xuan as he ate some of the dishes she had personally prepared. Afterward, she urged him to leave, "I know cousin must have snuck over. If the夫人 finds out, not only will cousin be lectured, but Mingzhu will also be frightened."