Resplendent – Chapter 444

Chapter 444 — Nourishment

When dinner was served, Gu Ye felt her teeth ache, her head ache, even her brain ache. If she had known, she would have gone to the front courtyard to eat with Sixth Brother earlier. Could someone tell her how she was supposed to survive a whole table full of tonics?

Under her mother’s loving gaze, Gu Ye who had absolutely no appetite forced herself to eat a bowl of almond-rose goat’s milk, then picked out a few of the lighter soups to sip before claiming she was already full.

Such a tiny appetite; no wonder she’s as thin as a bundle of bones. Lady Jun couldn’t help worrying for her daughter. She pushed a bowl of blood-red bird’s nest that was prepared especially for her toward her and urged, “Have another bowl of bird’s nest. This is the finest blood-nest; it nourishes the body best.”

Gu Ye shook her head with a hint of resistance. “Mother, you should eat it! It’ll help you recover faster. And didn’t you say that once your health improves, you’ll take me to the flower viewings to meet the young ladies of the capital?”

“I eat this every day; one more bowl won’t make a difference. From now on, I’ll instruct the kitchen to stew an extra bowl each day and send it to Mingzhu Pavilion,” Lady Jun said, mistaking her daughter’s reluctance for filial thoughtfulness. She thought Gu Ye didn’t want to take her share and was letting her mother have it instead. Her heart warmed at the thought.

Gu Ye practically wailed as she tried to stop her: “Mother—my dear mother! No, please don’t! I used to be sick for a while, and I ate so much of this stuff that I almost threw up. Please have mercy on me!”

Lady Jun didn’t believe a word. How could her daughter have lived so well before, to the point of eating bird’s nests every day? Blood-nest was extremely precious. 

Her daughter must simply be unwilling to burden the household. Such a considerate, sensible child! This only strengthened her resolve to nourish her daughter with tonics.

Seeing she couldn’t escape, Gu Ye struggled and said, “Mother, I heard that blood-nest comes from swallows whose mouths bleed, and the blood mixes with their saliva when they build their nests, Mother, please have pity on me. Don’t force me to eat this anymore. If you must give me something, can you switch to snow mushroom soup instead? That’s also very nourishing!”

“How can snow mushrooms compare to a bird’s nest in terms of nourishment?” Lady Jun’s mind was entirely focused on how to plump her daughter up; she could list dozens—hundreds—of tonics on the spot.

Yue Yuan couldn’t bear seeing her young lady look so pitiful and finally spoke up, “Madam, our Miss truly doesn’t like eating bird’s nest. She dislikes the sticky, gluey texture… Back when we were with Aunt Yan, she even mastered the art of stewing tonics just to help nourish Miss.”

“Then how did she end up being nourished into a scrawny little chick?” Lady Jun looked disapprovingly at her daughter’s thin frame. Little girls were supposed to be soft, plump, fair, and adorable!

Gu Ye quickly acted spoiled: “It’s just that I lose my appetite during summer! Wait until mid-autumn has passed—just watch me, I’ll gain weight in no time. Earlier this year when I first came back to you, Mother, I had even eaten myself into having a double chin. Mother, I really don’t like tonics. Please don’t force me anymore, alright?”

“…Fine. But you must eat your meals properly, and not be picky!” Lady Jun reluctantly gave up on her plan, feeling a bit disappointed. Even when the Duke returned from the outer study, she still looked deflated.

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you say you wanted to spend some time alone with our daughter and enjoy the bliss between mother and child? Why do you look like a frost-struck eggplant now? Did our daughter upset you?” Chu Bufan was full of concern. When he left earlier, his wife had been in high spirits and full of energy. What on earth happened?

After learning the truth, the duke didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. “You already know how picky our daughter’s mouth is. If she doesn’t like something, don’t force her. Take yourself as an example. You don’t like cilantro or radish. If someone insisted you eat them ‘for your own good,’ how would you feel? Our daughter has her own mind. Stop worrying for nothing.”

Lady Jun spoke with a sense of loss, “In the blink of an eye, my tiny little daughter no longer needs her mother. These ten-plus years of absence can never be made up. Brother Fan, tell me, do you think Bao’er being so thin and frail is because she was born prematurely back then?”

“You’re letting your imagination run wild again, aren’t you? Didn’t you hear what our daughter said? She became weak because she was mistreated as a child and hurt her stomach and intestines. It has nothing to do with her being born prematurely!”

Chu Bufan quickly tried to change the topic to divert his wife’s attention. “What you should be worrying about now is whether our daughter was scared by that whole table of tonics you prepared today. Will she even dare come to Rong’an Garden for meals again?”

“You’re right! Hurry and send someone to tell her that I will never force her to eat tonics again. Poor Bao’er must not have eaten enough tonight. Tell the kitchen to send over a few of her favorite snacks, all right?” Lady Jun sat up from her husband’s embrace, already worrying that her daughter might go hungry. 

Chu Bufan pulled his wife back into his arms. “The small kitchen in Mingzhu Pavilion may be under renovation, but it’s still operating. That maid she brought with her is a skilled cook. Your daughter won’t go hungry. It’s late—rest now.”

Just as the Duke predicted, the first thing Gu Ye did after returning to Mingzhu Pavilion was ask Aunt Yan to cook her a bowl of shredded-chicken mini wontons. Still traumatized, she sat in the waterside pavilion just outside the emerald gauze screen, frowning miserably, terrified that her mother would make her eat tonics again the next day.

She loved this little pavilion beside her bedroom, surrounded by water on three sides. If not for the heavy humidity at night, she would’ve put a soft couch there and slept in it. A gentle breeze drifted by, lake water lapped softly against the bank, and the scent of sweet osmanthus came and went. She hung mosquito-repelling sachets on all sides; spending summer evenings here was pure bliss.

After eating a bowl of fragrant mini wontons and gnawing on an apple, she read some dull storybook by candlelight for a while. Then she dismissed the maids and went back to her room to rest.

Once she was sure the maid on night duty outside had fallen asleep, she slipped into her space and started making penicillin. Penicillin required cultivating Penicillium first, so she busied herself in the laboratory for quite a while before coming out. After a good night’s sleep, she woke up early the next morning. She entered the space again and extracted the penicillin.

When she came out of the space again, the maid on night duty heard movement and came in to help her wash up. Just after she finished washing, Chu Xiaoliu and Gu Ming arrived together after their morning training—clearly timing their entrance to mooch breakfast.

After tasting Aunt Yan’s cooking once, Chu Xiaoliu had become her devoted little fan, looking for every opportunity to come to Mingzhu Pavilion for a free meal. This morning, Aunt Yan had prepared crystal shrimp soup dumplings, century egg and lean pork congee, red-bean buns, and custard buns. There was even a serving of red-bean pudding for dessert.

Originally everything was prepared for the young lady alone, but seeing the two growing boys, Aunt Yan used the chicken broth that had simmered all night to cook two bowls of mushroom-and-shredded-chicken noodles. The noodles looked simple, but the aroma was irresistible and the taste exceptional.

Gu Ye only ate two shrimp dumplings, one red-bean bun, and a bowl of congee; the rest were swept clean by the two half-grown boys like a storm passing through. Even those two bowls of chicken noodles were finished without a drop of broth left. Chefs loved customers like them the most—true appreciation!

Plus, Chu Xiaoliu had a sweet tongue and never held back praise, successfully earning Aunt Yan’s ‘come often’ remark. Even without that, he would’ve come anyway. Eating alone was lonely. If he was there to keep his sister company, she’d be in a better mood and eat a few more bites. He was doing it all for his sister’s sake…