APSIL -Chapter 4 Good Food Eases All Worries

The consequence of an empty stomach was weakness, dizziness, and trembling legs.

Yet the moment Zhang Shou invited her, Zhu Ying forgot all about her hunger.

Without a second thought, she nodded vigorously.

“All right!”

Not only would she break out in a cold sweat if she continued pretending she wasn’t hungry, but if she wanted to uncover the truth about the engagement, she absolutely couldn’t return just yet.

Of course…

It definitely wasn’t because she could now spend some time alone with this refined and handsome young gentleman who looked like an immortal descended to the mortal world…

Although she had answered enthusiastically, after following Zhang Shou across countless narrow field ridges, they finally stopped beside a rice paddy that had already been harvested.

By then, Zhu Ying was utterly exhausted.

Hungry.

Tired.

She was on the verge of collapsing.

Glancing at the noble young lady, who had clearly grown up pampered, Zhang Shou gathered a pile of dry straw and spread it thickly over a clean patch of ground.

Zhu Ying watched him without blinking.

These were chores that servants would normally perform.

Yet every movement he made looked so graceful…

So pleasing to the eye…

That she almost forgot how hungry she was.

No wonder people say beauty is a feast in itself…

After laying out the straw, Zhang Shou turned around and saw the beautiful young lady staring fixedly at him as though she hoped flowers would bloom from his face.

He couldn’t help laughing.

“It’s the countryside, so don’t mind the rough conditions.”

“Come and have a seat.”

The next moment, the Duke’s daughter—dressed in magnificent robes elegant enough to wear before the Emperor himself—walked over without the slightest hesitation.

She sat directly on the thick layer of straw.

Then she took a comfortable breath and sighed contentedly.

Whether she simply lacked the strength to care because she was so hungry…

Or whether she trusted him purely because of his face…

Zhang Shou couldn’t say.

But one thing was certain.

This young lady wasn’t quite the spoiled aristocratic girl he had imagined.

Seeing that Zhu Ying’s face had grown pale, Zhang Shou looked away.

He reached into a hollow tree nearby and retrieved a paper package.

Smiling at her, he opened it.

“There’s still one mung bean cake and one crystal rice cake left.”

“Aunt Liu made them early this morning.”

“I rarely stay home all day, so I usually bring a few snacks whenever I go out.”

“If I don’t finish them, I leave them here.”

“There are a few clever village children who often sneak over to steal them.”

“If we’d come any later, they might already have disappeared.”

Normally, Zhu Ying would even criticize the delicacies specially prepared in her own family’s kitchen.

But now…

She didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

Opening the oiled paper package, she devoured both cakes in just a few bites.

Only after regaining some strength did she suddenly realize something.

Oh no…

Where was my graceful and elegant image as the perfect noble lady?

Before she could think of any way to recover her dignity, Zhang Shou had already walked over to another tree.

In moments, he produced a fire striker and flint.

Then, as though performing magic, he began pulling out one item after another.

An iron pot.

A clay jar filled with spring water.

Small packets of salt and pepper.

Ginger.

Scallions.

A specially made wooden rack.

A bundle of bamboo skewers.

Searching here and there, he quickly assembled an entire set of outdoor cooking equipment.

After gathering dry branches and kindling, he soon had a fire burning brightly.

Finally, he lifted a bamboo basket from a fairly large pond beside a nearby wheat field.

Looking inside, he let out a satisfied sigh.

“There are actually a few eels in here.”

“What good luck.”

Zhu Ying felt as though her mind had stopped working.

A young man who looked like an immortal from heaven…

Actually knew how to do such ordinary, down-to-earth things?

The very next moment, she realized…

Cooking wasn’t the only thing he knew.

He could also kill.

Squatting beside a tree stump, Zhang Shou deftly reached into the basket and caught one of the slippery eels.

With a flick of his wrist, a sharp iron spike appeared in his hand.

In one smooth movement…

He pinned the eel.

Cut off its head.

Split its tail.

Removed the entrails.

After cleaning all four eels in the basket the same way, he washed them first in pond water drawn with the iron pot, then rinsed them again with clean spring water.

He briefly blanched them in boiling water to remove the blood.

Finally, he rubbed them with salt and ginger juice to eliminate the fishy smell before threading them onto bamboo skewers and placing them over the wooden rack to roast.

Zhu Ying watched every one of his practiced movements as stiffly as a wooden doll.

Only after Zhang Shou washed his hands by the pond and returned carrying yet another mysterious package did she unconsciously lean backward.

Watching him calmly butcher those snake-like eels…

Had honestly frightened her a little.

Zhang Shou paid no attention to the noble young lady’s reaction.

He casually opened the package.

Inside were slices of steamed bread.

Clicking his tongue in satisfaction, he skewered them one by one and placed them over the fire to toast.

Only then did he smile.

“This is where a few village boys often come to catch eels.”

“I come here quite often myself.”

“They even left a bag of bread slices hidden here.”

“At least we won’t have to survive on spring water alone.”

“I’ll just send their families some rice afterward.”

Unable to stop herself, Zhu Ying quietly studied his profile as he concentrated on roasting the food.

Time slipped by unnoticed.

At last, both the grilled eel and toasted bread were ready.

Picking up one of the skewers, Zhang Shou casually turned and handed it to her.

He had assumed the noble young lady would hesitate before eating.

Instead…

She immediately took a bite.

The food was so hot that she gasped repeatedly, drawing in cool air.

Yet she stubbornly refused to spit it out.

After swallowing…

Her cherry-red lips, now even redder from the heat, softly uttered two words.

“Delicious!”

She had still been hungry to begin with.

Originally, she had intended to praise the food no matter what—even if it tasted like pig feed—simply to make Zhang Shou happy.

To her surprise…

It really was delicious.

Naturally, she wasted no time finishing everything.

Watching her eat with such wholehearted enjoyment made Zhang Shou smile as well.

Meals were always more enjoyable with someone who had a healthy appetite.

Far better than someone who picked at every bite while endlessly talking about dieting.

Of course…

He had no intention of doing all the cooking only to let someone else enjoy it.

He immediately joined in, making quick work of the remaining food himself.

Finally, after tossing aside several empty bamboo skewers, Zhu Ying sighed in satisfaction.

Without thinking, she reached toward Zhang Shou.

Instead of the food…

Her hand caught his wrist.

Seeing him raise his head in surprise, looking at her with puzzled eyes, she finally realized what she had done.

Not only had he heard her stomach growling…

Now he’d also seen her still wanting more after eating everything.

Having just finished feeding the young lady, Zhang Shou watched her awkwardly withdraw her hand and begin coughing loudly to hide her embarrassment.

Pretending nothing had happened, he quietly packed away the cooking utensils.

Without looking up, he asked, “If everything Zhu Gongquan said is true…”

“If your father has really supported my mother and me all these years…”

“I can’t simply pretend I never learned about it.”

“Can you tell me…”

“What exactly happened?”

Back in the capital, Zhu Ying had first been pressured by her second brother to marry.

Then her grandmother had produced the supposed marriage contract and scolded everyone over it.

Finally, Zhu Gongquan had escorted her here under her grandmother’s orders while secretly following her second brother’s wishes, constantly hinting that the engagement made no sense and should be broken.

From the very beginning…

What had truly angered Zhu Ying was the feeling that everyone was treating her like a puppet to be manipulated.

Now…

Faced with Zhang Shou’s clear eyes, as pure as spring water…

Her full stomach leaving her pleasantly relaxed…

And that trustworthy face…

The truth slipped out before she even thought about it.

“My second brother wants me to marry that pig-headed son of Minister Lu from the Ministry of War.”

“Grandmother became furious and produced the marriage contract, saying I’d already been engaged to you—the boy growing up here in the countryside.”

“Before all of this…”

“I’d never heard a single thing about you or your mother.”