Chapter 497 - 499: There’s No Good End If You Offend Ruozhu
Sure enough, Fu Shengqing couldn’t help but let out a low cry. Everyone looked at him. He wanted to spit out the hot substance from his mouth, but that would be impolite and unsightly. So, he had to bear the pain and open his mouth slightly to inhale some cold air.
"You got burnt, didn’t you sir? Let me get some burn ointment from my sister," said Fang Guizhi cheerfully and then ran out, fearing his laughter would burst out if she stayed any longer.
Once she was in the kitchen, she couldn’t resist laughing but fearing that the guests would hear, she had to cover her mouth tightly. Her shoulders were trembling non-stop, showing how hard she was laughing.
"Oh boy, I’m laughing so hard that my stomach hurts!" It took Guizhi quite a while to recover.
Bai Ruozhu handed her a cup of tea, saying, "Didn’t you say you were going to get burn ointment for him? This tea will help him if he drinks it."
"What is this? You didn’t poison it, did you?" Guizhi was feeling generous and casually asked this question, which startled Bai Ruozhu, who thought Guizhi had found out about her poisoning abilities.
"How could I? If something happened to a person who came to our house for a meal, wouldn’t that bring trouble to us?" Bai Ruozhu glared at her and said.
"Hehe, I was just joking." Guizhi said and tried to take the tea, but burst into laughter again, then, holding her stomach said: "No way, no way, Ruozhu, you go, I’m afraid I can’t hold back my laughter."
Bai Ruozhu had no choice but to go herself. There was nothing wrong with this tea. Now that a guest was burned in her home, they had to at least show some hospitality, right?
She walked in with the tea and offered it to Fu Shengqing, saying, "Master Fu, this herbal tea is good for burns. It will make you feel better if you drink it."
At this point, Fu Shengqing’s face had already turned red all the way down to his neck. Today was a humiliation to him, losing his composure over mere scallops, losing face in front of his friends, as if he had never eaten scallops before.
However, he had to admit that the scallops were authentic. Even though his tongue was stinging with pain, he could still taste the authentic flavor of the scallops.
Zhu Kaifu, the thinnest of the group, apparently had no tact. Everyone saw that Fu Shengqing had been burned and dared not mention the scallops again. He blew on the scallop in his mouth and then hummed in approval, nodding and saying, "This scallop is really good. I have had it before, but it was not as big or as delicious as this one."
Fu Shengqing’s face turned even uglier –it went from red to white and then to a bluish-green. In a rage, he refused the tea offered by Bai Ruozhu, saying: "No, thank you. This medicine should not be taken recklessly. Miss Bai is still young and I don’t know how good your medical skills are. It’s better not to randomly prescribe medicine."
Bai Ruozhu sneered and took the tray away from him, saying, "Master Fu is indeed a cautious man. Even people like Lady Meng and the county magistrate’s wife have asked me to look at them. They aren’t as good at giving advice as Master Fu."
"By the way, did you hear about me saving the guard of the City Lord’s Residence a few days ago? I prescribed medicine for him too. If Master Fu thinks I’m being reckless, make sure to remind the City Lord. Maybe he’ll even consider it a major achievement for you!"
After her comment, she ignored Fu Shengqing and left with the tea. Whether he drank it or not was his business. People like him deserved to be scalded, and deserved to have blisters in their mouths.
Fu Shengqing was so angry that his hand began to tremble. He pointed at Bai Ruozhu and said to Bai Zepei, "Zepei, is this how your sister treats guests?"
Bai Zepei calmly replied, "My sister offered you medicine and you refused, even questioning her medical skills. You should know that renowned doctors don’t like being doubted. Don’t blame me for not speaking up for you. My sister is brilliant in every way, not only in literature and medical skills, but also in culinary arts. Today’s meal was prepared by her."
On hearing this, the others looked impressed. Regardless of anything else, the food was as good as that of the most famous restaurant in the city!
"Everyone knows that talented people tend to be a bit arrogant. You questioned her medical skills and she didn’t throw you out. That’s pretty good," Bai Zepei added with a chuckle.
Everyone thought he was just joking to lighten the mood and joined him in laughter.
"That’s right, Fu, don’t squabble with a girl. Don’t all women have a bit of a temper?" Wang Junzhi hurriedly tried to give Fu Shengqing an out.
"Brother Fu should not have questioned her medical skills. Even if he didn’t want to drink it, he could have simply accepted it and set it aside," Zhu Kaifu said seriously. He really was someone with no tact and very straightforward.
Liu Xiushang, sitting next to him, quietly kicked him and hurriedly said, "Let’s hurry up and eat and not delay our afternoon classes."
Qin Kaichang also quickly added, "Yes, let’s hurry. The food won’t taste as good once it cools down."
So the others picked up their chopsticks and started eating. Qin Kaichang, probably fearing that Bai Yihong would be upset, smiled at him and said, "Uncle Bai, we’re really benefiting from Zepei’s reputation today. Your daughter’s cooking is perfect in color, aroma, and taste, leaving a lingering aftertaste."
Bai Yihong had also put on a smile and said, "Being classmates with Zepei is a kind of fate. I hope you will take care of him in the future. Please feel free to visit us if you have time. Don’t be too polite."
Qin Kaichang smiled and nodded, "Uncle Bai is right. We’ll take advantage of that opportunity to visit next time."
Bai Ruozhu took the chilled tea back to the kitchen and poured it out. Wan Caiyue, standing by, said angrily, "He really doesn’t appreciate kindness. Serves him right for getting burned."
Lin Ping’er was also very upset and was about to serve the last soup, then looked for an opportunity to say something to Fu Shengqing. But Bai Ruozhu stopped her mother and said: "Mother, wait before serving the soup."
She then poured the soup back into the pot and added vinegar and a lot of pepper, turning the soup into hot and sour soup. Finally, Bai Ruozhu added a spoonful of dried chili powder to it.
After stirring the soup, she served it again and said, "Mother, when you serve it later, place a bowl of soup in front of each person. Even if he doesn’t want to drink it, he’ll have to try at least a mouthful, right?"
Seeing a pot of hot and sour soup, Lin Ping’er’s mouth also curled into a smile. Her previous frustration vanished immediately and she put on a face ready to watch a good show.
Wan Caiyue and Fang Guizhi were also laughing quietly, with Guizhi whispering, "Ruozhu is the worst, anyone who offends her is sure to get their just desserts."
Lin Ping’er served the soup, and as per Bai Ruozhu’s instructions, gave everyone a bowl, enthusiastically inviting them, "A hot soup in winter warms you up and you won’t feel the cold later."
Everyone thanked her, took their soup spoon and began to sip after blowing on it lightly. Soon enough, Qin Kaichang and Liu Xiushang looked very content, drinking several mouthfuls one after another. Being from families of modest means, they liked this rich, flavorful soup the most.
Zhu Kaifu, who was not good with spicy food, only drank half a bowl, but felt very intense. His body warmed up considerably.
However, Fu Shengqing only took a sip and dared not have any more. His expression was a sight to behold - a mix of wanting to throw up but couldn’t, and being in immense pain for not being able to.
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