Chapter 207: Sourness

Jiang Xuening returned to her room feeling drowsy. She managed to wash her face and, taking advantage of the cold weather, nestled into bed to sleep.  

By the time she woke up the next morning, the sky was already bright.  

The entire general’s residence was quiet, and the sounds of clinking cups and laughter from the previous night were nowhere to be heard. Presumably, the welcoming banquet had already ended. Yawning, she got up, having missed the time for breakfast. She called for someone to draw her a bath and took her time getting ready, planning to eat later at noon.  

However, she didn’t expect that just as she finished drying her hair, Jian Shu arrived outside.  

For some reason, Jiang Xuening perked up.  

Before Jian Shu could even speak, her eyes lit up: “Is the master looking for me?”  

Jian Shu was momentarily taken aback by her reaction. After a pause, he replied, “Yes.”  

Jiang Xuening lowered her voice and continued, “Did your master make something to eat?”  

Jian Shu gave her a long, inscrutable look, unsure whether he should disclose the truth. But recalling the chilling gaze his master had fixed on the dishes earlier, he didn’t dare say much and simply nodded, “He did.”  

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuening immediately jumped up, clapping her hands. “I knew it! The master is like a celestial being descended to earth, a saint among mortals. Even Guanyin Bodhisattva isn’t as kind-hearted as he is. There hasn’t been anything good to eat on this journey, and I’ve grown tired of even peach slice cakes. Last night at the banquet, I thought the chef in Yan Lin’s residence wasn’t all that great. Who would have thought the master would cook today? Wait for me, I’ll be right there!”  

Jian Shu: “…”  

Your heart is truly something else.  

Jian Shu acknowledged her with a “Yes” and stood outside, waiting for her to finish getting ready. Then he led her through the courtyard and main hall to Xie Wei’s room.  

A few gray-black bricks lined the eaves, with an evergreen plant growing beneath them.  

The room itself was unremarkable in appearance.  

But this place was rarely visited, making it exceptionally quiet. It was likely that Yan Lin had specifically chosen this room for Xie Wei.  

By now, several dishes had already been laid out on the kang table by the window.  

Xie Wei sat on the left side, a cup of wine by his hand.  

Just as footsteps were heard outside, before anyone even entered, Jiang Xuening’s cheerful voice rang out: “Master, your student has come to pay her respects!”  

Jiang Xuening peeked through the door, glancing inside.  

Sure enough, Xie Wei was sitting there.  

It was just like their secret meetings in the kitchen back in Jinan. Not to mention, the delicious dishes were already on the table, sparing her from having to do any chores or light the stove. Her eyes sparkled with delight.  

Xie Wei’s gaze was calm and distant. He looked up at her and smiled faintly. “Come in.”  

Jiang Xuening obediently stepped inside.  

Not only did she enter, but she also very naturally took a seat opposite Xie Wei, picking up the ivory chopsticks placed on the right side of the table. She looked down at the spread of dishes, her joy evident.  

There were at least five or six dishes.  

The smoked pigeon was a deep red, the white jade tofu tender and juicy, the chicken and silver mushroom soup bright and appetizing, the duck slices delicate and exquisite. But the most impressive was the plate of lamb in the center. It was unclear what kind of sauce had been used, but each slice glistened with a rich, oily sheen, accompanied by a few scallion segments.  

Just the aroma alone was enough to make one’s mouth water.  

Jiang Xuening was about to reach for the chopsticks when she noticed Xie Wei sitting across from her, sipping wine. She paused, glancing at his side of the table and then at her own chopsticks, puzzled. “Master, why don’t you have any chopsticks?”  

Xie Wei looked at her and said, “I’ve had my fill from yesterday.”

Jiang Xuening pondered his words, interpreting them as “not hungry.” She twirled her chopsticks around, hesitantly asking, “So… all of this is for me?”  

Xie Wei took a small sip of wine and smiled. “You are my student, after all.”  

For some reason, Jiang Xuening felt a slight chill run down her spine.  

But with such delicious food right in front of her, and Xie Wei’s demeanor no different from usual—coupled with the fact that he had been so kind to her recently—her usual wariness toward him had completely vanished. She didn’t think too deeply about it.  

Delighted, she picked up a slice of lamb with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth.  

The meat was indeed tender and flavorful.  

However…  

There seemed to be a slight sourness to the taste?  

Jiang Xuening savored it, assuming it was due to some unique sauce, perhaps a new flavor she hadn’t tried before. She decided she needed to try more to figure it out.  

So she quickly picked up another slice.  

But as she bit into it and began to chew, several bursts of sour liquid mixed with the fatty juices of the meat flooded her mouth all at once.  

“Ugh!”  

The pungent sourness of what tasted like aged vinegar made her face scrunch up in disgust. She immediately covered her mouth and spat the meat out into a nearby dish!  

Yet the sourness lingered in her mouth.  

Too flustered to speak, she hastily reached for some water to rinse her mouth.  

Xie Wei casually handed her the wine cup he had been drinking from.  

Without even looking, Jiang Xuening took it and gulped it down.  

And then…  

Her already scrunched-up face turned ashen. She choked, dropping the cup, and clutched her throat as she began coughing violently. “Cough, cough! Xie—cough, cough! Xie Ju’an, you—cough, cough!”  

It was as if she had contracted tuberculosis.  

Her face turned bright red, the extreme sourness and spiciness colliding in her mouth like a firestorm raging up to her head. She wanted to spit it out but couldn’t!  

She wished she could just drop dead on the spot!  

Xie Wei watched her without a hint of surprise. “What’s wrong? Too sour?”  

Are you trying to kill me or what?!

In both her lifetimes, Jiang Xuening had never eaten anything so sour!  

Hearing Xie Wei’s words, how could she not understand?  

This was clearly a deliberate trap!  

She cursed herself for letting her guard down—Xie Ju’an, with his ruthless and cunning nature, was nothing short of a devil from hell. What kind of delusion had she been under to think he was some kind-hearted saint or celestial being?  

The taste was indescribable.  

Jiang Xuening almost passed out.  

She had no time to respond to Xie Wei. Frantically, she searched the room for tea, but couldn’t even find a teapot. Clutching her throat, she coughed violently, steadied herself against the doorframe, and stumbled outside.  

Xie Wei glanced at her but didn’t stop her.  

Dao Qin and Jian Shu were both in the courtyard.  

They had heard the commotion inside.  

But seeing Jiang Xuening emerge looking as though she had been poisoned, they couldn’t help but feel a chill.  

Jiang Xuening was more familiar with Jian Shu. The coughing had already made her voice hoarse, and now, fearing that the petty Xie Ju’an inside might hear her, she grabbed Jian Shu and whispered urgently, “Quick, get me some water!”  

As she spoke, she felt another wave of nausea.  

Jian Shu’s eyelids twitched. Not daring to be held by her for too long, he hurried to fetch water.  

It was a large teacup.  

Jiang Xuening took it and gulped down half of it in one go, finally feeling a bit better. But the sour, pungent, and spicy taste still lingered in her throat, stubbornly refusing to go away!  

That Xie Ju’an was trying to kill her!  

Jian Shu, observing her expression, felt his eyelids twitch again. He whispered cautiously, “When the master is in a bad mood, his cooking… can be a bit off.”  

Jiang Xuening was almost beside herself with anger.  

A bit off? Was that how he described it?  

It was like mixing the strongest liquor with a cup of vinegar! Drinking that could take half your life!  

She tilted her head back and finished the remaining half of the tea, then handed the cup back to Jian Shu and waved her hand, signaling that she was leaving.  

Jian Shu asked, “What about the master?”

Jiang Xuening glanced back at Xie Wei’s room, feeling as if the entire place was emanating a dark, ominous aura. How could she dare take even half a step closer? Shivering, she said, “No, please don’t call me back! Your master is, cough, not right in the head…”  

As she spoke, her voice trailed off, weak and faint.  

She felt as though she were walking on clouds, her body limp, her steps unsteady, swaying as if she were hanging on by her last breath. She staggered around the corridor and disappeared from sight.  

Dao Qin and Jian Shu exchanged bewildered glances.  

Not long after, they heard a calm call from inside the room: “Jian Shu.”  

Jian Shu shuddered and went in.  

The table was still full of dishes, barely touched.  

Xie Wei stood elegantly to the side, casually wiping a few drops of vinegar and wine from his fingers with a pristine white handkerchief, as if nothing had happened. His voice was light as he said, “Take it all and feed it to the dogs.”  

Jian Shu’s scalp tingled. “Understood.”  

He cleared the table and carried the dishes out.  

Dao Qin glanced at them and shook his head.  

Jian Shu, still shaken, whispered, “Is this because of Miss Ning and the young master?”  

Dao Qin replied, “Most likely.”  

Jian Shu frowned. “But he didn’t say anything earlier…”  

Dao Qin sighed. “If it were going to happen, it would have happened long ago. Why wait until now? The master doesn’t need to bother with this.”  

Jian Shu gestured to the dishes in his hands. “Then what about this?”  

Dao Qin looked at them and fell silent.  

The two exchanged another glance.  

In the end, Jian Shu resigned himself to his fate and walked off to dispose of the dishes that had taken so much effort to prepare that morning. But after a few steps, he paused, hesitated, and turned back to ask, “Dao Qin, what if the dogs won’t eat it?”  

“…”  

It was a very real possibility.  

Dao Qin thought seriously for a moment, then replied, “Either the dogs die, or you die.”  

Jian Shu: “…”

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