Chapter 13 (Grilled Lamb Chops)

Jiang Mansion

It was almost the You hour ^[1]which is chinese time period between 5 to 7 PM. when students of the Imperial College would come home, and Mrs. Jiang eagerly waited for Dongdong. But right now, no one was home.

She became anxious and urged the nanny to check if Dongdong had returned.

The nanny returned quickly, saying the carriage had arrived. Mrs. Jiang was thrilled, thinking her grandson had come back, and rushed to greet him. But only Nanny Ji came, which made her face change: “Where is my grandson!”

Nanny Ji wanted to cry but had no tears: “Madam, I really had the chef make it look like the original, but the young master didn’t want to eat it.”

Not only did he refuse to eat it, he gave the lunch box to the deposed prince’s child!

She couldn’t say this, or the madam would definitely punish her.

But Mrs. Jiang’s face turned dark: “Useless! Find a solution. Who made that food? Can’t we ask her for the recipe?”

Nanny Ji stayed silent.

Who would dare mess with someone under the Xiao family’s protection?

Seeing her silence, Mrs. Jiang got even more frustrated. Her fair face turned red, and she angrily said, “Shameless! Such childish behavior!”

“Isn’t it?” Nanny Ji quickly agreed and tactfully suggested, “Madam, should we change the cook? I heard that Tianxianglou…”

“No change! Forget it. I just can’t believe he won’t get tired of it!” Mrs. Jiang shook her head. They had hired an imperial chef at a high cost, and changing chefs might anger him.

Dongdong was greedy. The Xiao family just found a girl who knew a few tricks. She was so young; how skilled could she be?

Days passed, one after another.

When the Imperial College went on break, Mrs. Jiang couldn’t wait anymore and personally went to pick up Dongdong. But when she saw her grandson, she noticed he had gained weight and looked healthier.

Mrs. Jiang was at a loss for words.

“Dongdong, Grandma hasn’t seen you for a while. Will you come back with me?” Mrs. Jiang asked with a forced smile.

“Grandma!” Dongdong replied.

Mrs. Jiang’s face stiffened. She had corrected him before; she was his grandmother, not just “grandma”! But in just a few days, he had gone back to calling her this!

The Xiao family took her son’s life, and now they wouldn’t return her grandson?! 

But Mrs. Jiang held back her anger and smiled, which gave Dongdong the courage to say hesitantly, “Can I not go back? Dongdong has stayed with grandma for a long time! Now I want to live with Grandma Xiao…”

Mrs. Jiang: “…”

How long? Just a few months…

Mrs. Jiang felt guilty. At first, she planned to keep him for a short stay, but as she convinced him to stay longer, she even dismissed the nanny sent by the Xiao family and won over the child.

Back then, Dongdong wanted to return, but she told him it was fine to stay. At that time, there wasn’t much Dongdong cared about at the Xiao family except Xiao Huaiting. Plus, the imperial chef prepared his favorite dishes, and there were kids to play with, so he stayed content.

Now, when Dongdong said he wanted to stay, Mrs. Jiang couldn’t answer and said, “Grandma misses you, your grandpa misses you too, and your cousins miss you.”

Dongdong awkwardly twisted his fingers and thought for a while before saying, “Why don’t I bring my cousins back? Grandma, don’t worry! Sister Shu will make a lot of delicious food, and they’ll love it!”

Mrs. Jiang was speechless but said, “Then next time you’re on break, will you come back?”

“Okay~” Dongdong said reluctantly.

Mrs. Jiang forced herself to smile and turned away.

As soon as she got in the carriage, Mrs. Jiang’s face turned furious. What was so great about the Xiao family’s chef? How could he make Dongdong, who was used to dishes by the imperial chef, so happy?

Mrs. Jiang wasn’t the only one wondering.

Even the Third Princess was puzzled. Why had her son become so picky?

On the first day, when her son demanded better food than what Xiao Pingzhou from the Xiao family had, she let him go to the kitchen to make a fuss.

But on the second day, he came back and said it wasn’t good.

On the third day, he was even more irritated.

With no other options, the Third Princess sent the cook to find out what the Xiao family’s child was eating.

Every ten days, the Imperial College had two days off. During those two days, her son tasted dishes from other chefs but would punish them if he was not satisfied, leaving the chefs on edge.

For example, now, the emperor’s grandson Zhou Zhaoqin looked at a dish that smelled sweet and greasy but tasted sweet and salty. He angrily threw the bowl and said, “Are you all here to eat for free? You can’t even do a small thing right!”

Seeing her son copying her husband’s angry behavior at such a young age, the Third Princess felt nervous. She told him, “Don’t worry. If you really like what the Xiao family cooks make, I can ask someone to go there and learn it.”

Zhou Zhaoqin was young, but because his father had high hopes for him, he understood a lot. He knew that the Xiao family and his own family didn’t get along. So, hearing his mother, he hesitated and asked, “Is it okay?”

The Third Princess rubbed her son’s head and said confidently, “Of course. We are the royal family, and the Xiao family are just ministers. Even if the relationship isn’t good, they still have to do it if we ask.”

Zhou Zhaoqin’s eyes lit up, “Okay then.”

The Third Princess sighed in relief, “Mother will arrange it right away. I’ll make sure you get it by tomorrow.”