The Double-Chapter 442 - 144 Inside Story_2

"Little Miss Jiang, what’s special about that ’beggar bird’?" Old General Jih, probably a foodie, didn’t show any particular emotion toward Jiang Li’s tragic experiences; he merely pursued, "I’ve only heard of beggar chicken, not beggar bird."

"Actually, it’s similar to beggar chicken," Jiang Li said with a smile, "A bird brought down by a slingshot, cleaned up and not de-feathered, with some seasonings stuffed inside its belly, wrapped in clay, and buried in the hot ashes of a fire. After about half an hour, you take it out and knock off the clay, and the feathers come off naturally, revealing a beautifully golden color; then brushed with honey, it can be eaten."

Old General Jih slapped his thigh, "This is great! I’ll go and shoot a string of birds tomorrow!"

"Old man, it’s freezing cold. Where are you going to find birds..." Lu Jiu said helplessly.

"You lead a rich life," Jih Heng said, propping his chin with one hand, smiling as he looked at her.

He was no longer the terrifying figure he had been moments before.

"Yes, Miss Jiang the Second, your cooking is not quite what I had imagined," Wen Renyao said, "I thought your cooking involved you standing in your own little kitchen, with others preparing all the ingredients and the maids standing by, so you’d only need to move your mouth. I didn’t expect you’d have to find the ingredients yourself, and that you eat differently from others. But it sounds fun and different from the typical young lady in the boudoir!"

Jiang Li laughed, "Necessity dictated it."

Back when she was Xue Fangfei, after marrying into the Shen family, she also cooked for her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and husband. Because of her exceptional skills and the Shen family’s lack of wealth, they even dispensed with a cook. Her specialty was roasted venison, sought after in winter, but Mother Shen wouldn’t allow her to prepare it in the residence. She said it smelled too strong and that it was the kind of food only peasants and hunters would eat, unfit for elegant settings.

Hence, the joy of grilling and festive drinking in winter was gone. Thinking back, she realized she had given up too many things since she married into the Shen family—the freedom to be herself.

She was lost in her thoughts until Jih Heng’s voice brought her back to reality. Jih Heng said, "One day we could also roast venison at the Duke Residence," his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he looked at her, "You come."

"Me?" Jiang Li was surprised.

"I can’t do it," Jih Heng narrowed his good-looking eyes, "Of course you come."

"But..." She and Jih Heng weren’t on terms to just go to each other’s residences to roast venison, were they? This was the Duke Residence, not the Jiang Residence. Why should she go to the Duke Residence to roast venison? Was the Duke Residence some tavern or eatery?

"Excellent, excellent!" Old General Jih was the first to laugh and agree, changing his address from "Little Miss Jiang" to "Little Miss Li," he said, "Little Miss Li, just come over! We’ll have all the ingredients ready at the residence; you just need to do the roasting! Anything you need, tell me, and I’ll make sure you’re not overworked!"

Rosting was tiring enough, surely.

"Not bad, not bad, I think this proposal is good," Wen Renyao loved the excitement, always eager to join in, "I’ve never had roasted venison before! Since that’s the case, let’s set a date, and when Miss the Second starts roasting the venison, we’ll all come. Why not cook that beggar bird too? Let everyone try something new!"

Kong Liu: "Agreed."

Lu Jiu: "...Agreed."

Situ Jiuyue: "...," he didn’t speak but his expression did not show outright rejection, which clearly meant he tacitly consented.

Jiang Li: "I disagree."

Her "I disagree" didn’t even make a splash before being submerged in everyone’s clamorous discussion. Feeling stifled, Jiang Li couldn’t help but look toward Jih Heng and saw him resting his cheek in his hand, clearly smug with the success of his mischief in his eyes.

He clearly didn’t want to cook himself, so he dragged her down with him. The so-called misery loves company, right?

Devious.

The meal ended with Jiang Li unexpectedly being the odd one out, somewhat displeased. After the meal, everyone dispersed. Wen Renyao even wanted to take Jiang Li to appreciate the flowers in the garden of the Duke Residence, saying, "We don’t have to get close, just looking from a distance is fine. It’s the middle of winter in Yanjing City, and only here can you still see flowers."

He really treated the Duke Residence as his own home, not the least bit reserved. But taking a lady to admire flowers in the middle of winter was something only Wen Renyao could do.

Standing at the door, Jiang Li asked, "There’s something I’m very curious about and hope you don’t mind my asking, Young Master Wen Ren, what’s your relationship with the Duke?"

At least Situ Jiuyue and Jih Heng had the kind of relationship where they had known each other since they were young and had grown up together, but Wen Renyao’s actions were clearly very familiar with Jih Heng and the Duke Residence. Situ Jiuyue was a master in the use of poison, so what was Wen Renyao’s identity? He appeared to be nothing more than a good-looking dandy, the kind who lacks brains.