Chapter 81: Culinary Competition

The Plum Garden busied for the entire half a day. During this time, Baili Yu stood completely motionless outside the door, allowing the falling snow to land on his hair and face. His emotions were in extreme chaos, numerous and entangled like madly growing weeds.

“Master, it’s snowing too hard.” Qing Yin was standing right behind him. Her facial color wasn’t too good as she stared in a daze towards the door. Her eyes showed signs of struggling emotions before finally returning to calmness. It’s best if she didn’t tell Master about that matter and followed her original decision. She was just glad that she didn’t fall too deep. In the future, she’ll just serve her with all her heart to repay her life-saving grace.T/N

Qing Yin took a while to organize her thoughts, but Baili Yu didn’t give off any reaction during this time. Qing Yin had served this master for many years, yet she had never seen Master like this…

Creak!

The door finally opened and Bai Feiyun came out, completely exhausted.

“She, is she alright?” Baili Yu asked in his usual languid and magnetic tone. However, his voice was slightly hoarse.

Bai Feiyun wiped the sweat off his forehead and exhaled. “It’s thanks to Baili gongzi making it just in time. If it was a moment later, then…”

He paused and didn’t continue, however, everyone here was well aware.

“Her external injuries are basically fine. Lady Qing Yin had cleaned it well and I’ve also applied top-quality injury ointment to the wound. After the injuries heal, there probably won’t even be any scars left. However, she had suffered severe internal damage which will require slow nursing. From the looks of it, she probably won’t wake up for a while. I’ll have to trouble Lady Qing Yin to look after her.”

Qing Yin nodded slightly. “What is Bai gongzi saying? These are all things Qing Yin is supposed to do.”

Baili Yu’s expression finally relaxed a little. “Bai gongzi has worked hard. Qing Yin, bring Bai gongzi to a guest room to rest.”

Bai Feiyun waved his hand and said, “There’s no need to go to such trouble. I’m fine and there’s still a pile of things that must be dealt with in the Alliance Head Residence. I’ll return first. As for the Alliance Head, I’ll have to trouble you guys.”

“Qing Yin, see Bai gongzi off,” Baili Yu said.

This time, Bai Feiyun didn’t try to decline. He walked down the stairs. When he passed by Baili Yu, he stopped.

Before Bai Feiyun even opened his mouth, Baili Yu shot him a look. “I already know. There’s no need for Bai gongzi to worry. There will never be a repeat of today’s incident!”

Hearing him speak as though making an oath, Bai Feiyun could only smile in reply. “Hope that Baili Yu will be able to keep his word. This one will be taking his leave!”

After the two left, Baili Yu finally reached out to brush off the snow on his garment before entering the room.

Another three days passed.

Tang Doudou who had been unconscious for three whole days slowly opened her eyes. As she looked at the familiar bed curtains above her and inhaled the fresh and clean fragrance of plums, she sighed. Living is so great!

In the following days, Tang Doudou recovered very quickly under the careful tending of everyone in Plum Garden. Qing Yin followed her closely to guard her at all times. Meng Yu would come occasionally to chat with her to pass the time. Bai Feiyun would come to talk about trifling matters regarding the Alliance Head Residence and even Hou Zi and the others came to check up on her.

However, she never saw Baili Yu’s figure.

Recalling the pair of eyes amid the large flames that were imprinted in her mind, Tang Doudou gazed at the snow outside the window in a daze. Her thoughts were filled with images of Baili Yu. From the first time they had met until now, it seems like something was already quietly germinating in her heart.

Actually, he treats her pretty well ah. After thinking for a long time and foolishly smiling for a while, Tang Doudou pulled Qing Yin who was completely confused to visit the evil spirit known as Baili Yu.

However, the moment she headed out the door, she was caught by Meng Yu.

“Alliance Head Li, this servant has a presumptuous request. Wonder if I can ask you to help out?” When Meng Yu said this, she seemed as if she wanted to say something more but hesitated. From the looks of it, she had encountered something difficult to deal with.

It was thanks to Qing Yin and Meng Yu’s careful nursing that Tang Doudou had been able to recover this quickly. When she heard that Meng Yu needed her help, she agreed without hesitation.

After inquiring a little, she found out that Meng Yu was about to participate in Huai City’s culinary competition.

However, right before the competition, something had happened to one of the kitchen helpers’ family so she couldn’t participate. That was why Meng Yu came to Tang Doudou for help.

The main problem was that this culinary competition was unusual to the point that even Baili Yu was going to be watching it. The opponent was also rumored to be very strong and it was very likely that she might lose. However, even Meng Yu was impressed by the abilities Tang Doudou revealed last time in Plum Garden. That was why the moment that kitchen helper was unable to make it, the first person she thought of was Tang Doudou.

However, Meng Yu was hesitant because Tang Doudou hasn’t fully recovered from her severe injuries and also had the high status of an Alliance Head.

Bai Feiyun’s medical expertise was extremely impressive, and in combination with Baili Yu’s ultra-generosity in giving her good medicine, Tang Doudou’s injuries had already pretty much healed. Not to mention, cooking was her favorite hobby and was more fun to her than dealing with the Alliance Head Residence’s matters. Thus, she was extremely eager to help!

The two were together from the very first beat. Ignoring Qing Yin’s opposition, Tang Doudou got everything ready and went with Meng Yu to the location of the culinary competition: Bai Residence.

She only found out after asking Meng Yu that this was an estate which belonged to Bai Lianhua’s family. The host of this culinary competition was also Bai Lianhua.

The two rode in a carriage to Bai Residence. However, before they even stepped inside, they hear an exasperated voice boom in a split second from inside the courtyard——

“You bunch of good-for-nothings! You can’t even carry a dish properly!?”

Tang Doudou shared a gaze with Meng Yu and they peered towards the inside of the courtyard.

All they saw was an aunt with an ashen face standing inside the courtyard. She was enraged to the point that her body was shaking. As she glanced at the broken dish on the ground, her almond eyes were filled with wrath as well as heartache from seeing the delicious delicacies turned into a pile of mush in an instant. It was completely unforgivable to her who had a frugal personality.

Her furious gaze suddenly locked onto a manager that was standing at the side. She strode up, grabbed his collar with both hands and started pelting him with questions.

“How do you do your job as a manager? Don’t you know how precious these dishes are? This old lady had been rushing in and out frantically to make this, but in the end, before the guests even got to eat it, you guys have smashed it! Manager Zhao, you sure are competent! Don’t blame me, Aunt Hua, for not warning you. This banquet is just about to start. I’d like to see how you guys plan to end the presentation! Humph!”

Every time Aunt Hua got angry, the entire kitchen trembled.

The manager that had gotten used to being a pushover didn’t dare to talk back after being shouted at by Aunt Hua. He listened with a bitter face as she berated with every single one of her words stabbing his sore spots.

“I say, Aunt Hua…”

“Pei! Who are you calling aunt, is aunt something you can call?”

Aunt Hua was used to exhibiting a pungent personality so at this moment, she directly shoved him, scaring that manager so much he immediately changed his way of speaking.

“I’m sorry, sorry, my mouth is just too stupid! Hua jie, in reality, you can’t blame me for this! These are all…”

That manager said loudly in a tearful voice.

“Stop wasting words. You’re the manager here so if something happens, you’re definitely the one that people will look for! In any case, this old lady doesn’t have the time to waste chit-chatting with you. I’ll make as many dishes as there are ingredients for. For the rest, you can deal with it yourself! Seriously preposterous! Don’t you know to use things sparingly!?”

“Haa… Please listen to me, Hua jie…”

That manager kept trying to speak as he moved up to pull Aunt Hua. In the end, this vigorous lady didn’t even give him the chance to explain. After she finished saying her spiteful words, she flung back her sleeves and stormed off.

“What are you still dazing out for? Hurry up! Mess up everything as much as possible! If Matron arrives and this idiot is fine, we’ll be in trouble!”

That manager glared fiercely at the servant to the side, his sleeves hiding his clenched fists as a cold smile emerged on his lips.

What was going on?

Having seen this scene right after she entered, Tang Doudou immediately formed a bad impression of this Bai Residence.

She looked towards Meng Yu. Meng Yu shook her head, indicating for her not to bother about this matter, then got off the carriage.

“Manager Zhao…”

Meng Yu went off to discuss the culinary competition arrangements with that Manager Zhao while Tang Doudou looked around in boredom. She discovered someone peeking in a certain corner.

Meow a heh? After Tang Doudou thought for a little bit, she walked towards that direction only to find that a foolish-looking kid was standing behind the door.

She didn’t know if it was a trick of her senses, but she seemed to have seen that child waving at her. However, when she stared closely at him, the child was biting his finger and sitting by the side, smiling foolishly again.

Disinterest flashed through Tang Doudou’s bright eyes. So it’s a fool ah.

It looked like he had been beaten, but he didn’t seem to mind and just smiled dumbly at Tang Doudou as if he was very curious about her.

Although he looked pitiful, she didn’t like to meddle in others’ businesses. Not to mention the incident with Lou Qingyun last time made Tang Doudou even more reluctant in letting her kindness flare up too much.

After she dazed out for a little while, she withdrew from this place and returned to where Meng Yu was. After Meng Yu finished discussing matters regarding the competition, they followed Manager Zhao to the front hall.

Tang Doudou didn’t know that after she left, a charming young girl silently appeared in front of that dumb child.

“Beautiful…”

When the child sitting on the floor saw that young girl, he smiled foolishly and raised his hand, about to call out.

The young girl hurriedly lifted her finger and put it in front of her lips, quietly signaling to him.

The child immediately covered his mouth with both hands and nodded repeatedly.

“Beautiful Big Sister, you’re here. Yuner really missed you. They, they hit Yuner again. Wuuwuu, Beautiful Big Sister, you said you were going to bring me away. When will you bring me away? I don’t want to stay here anymore.”

That child was extremely dependent on the young girl. The moment he saw her, the rims of his eyes reddened and tears started falling after just a few words. As if to prove he had really suffered, Yuner lifted his sleeves and exposed the patch of swollen red around his elbow.

What caused the young girl to be even more shocked was that there were some marks on Yuner’s arm that seemed to have been left by whips. On the porcelain skin, old and new wounds intersected. It was easy to imagine what kind of mistreatment he had suffered.

The young girl felt a stab of pain in her heart and anger gradually gathered in her heart.

“Yuner, be good, don’t cry anymore! This hurts a lot, doesn’t it?” She softly coaxed him, then suddenly recalled something. She pulled out a boiled egg from her chest and started peeling the shell without another word.

Yuner seems to like it when the young girl coaxed him. He hugged her arm and rubbed his head against her.

“Yuner’s not afraid of the pain, but Yuner wants to eat the eggy.”

He stared at the boiled egg in the young girl’s hand hopefully and swallowed.

“Yuner, this eggy isn’t for eating.”

The young girl pulled out a violet-red handkerchief from her sash and wrapped it around the peeled egg. She grabbed Yuner’s arm and lightly pressed the handkerchief against it.

“Beautiful Big Sister, what are you doing? Why can’t I eat the eggy?”

Yuner looked towards the young girl, completely confused.

“Big sister is scattering the clumped up blood for Yuner. This way, you’ll get better really soon.

Good boy! Endure it a little, it’ll be done soon.”

The young girl gently rolled the egg on his injury as her eyes speedily checked the surroundings.

“Yuner, don’t worry, once Big Sister wins this time’s culinary competition, Big Sister will be able to bring you away from this place.”

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