Adorable Food Goddess - Chapter 136

Chapter 136

As the boat slowly came closer, the sound of the qin stopped and the green yarn slowly opened . Liu Yiyi stepped out wearing a white silk coat that emphasized her small waist and a long silk skirt with a white soft smoke pattern . Both the cuffs and the skirt were embroidered with bright yellow silk thread that complemented the goose yellow muslin on her arm . She walked gently and delicately as if she was treading on a glass, her steps crossing like a cat .

Little Jing’s boat was positioned perfectly in front of the water stage so Ye Jiayao was able to see Liu Yiyi clearly .

She was really a beauty . Her dark hair framed her face her seductive eyes in a way that accentuated them even more . Ye Jiayao could totally see what Zhao Qixuan was saying about the courtesan’s high quality .

“She is beautiful but she still can’t compare with Susu,” Zhao Qixuan exclaimed .

“She is beautiful but she cannot compare with . . . someone,” Little Jing repeated .

Xia Chunfeng squinted at him . “What are you talking about?”

Little Jing raised his brows, giving nothing away .

Xia Chunfeng lips twitched . “Idiot . ”

Ye Jiayao was frustrated to find that Liu Yiyi really was gorgeous . She could not compare to her! The woman was elegant, could play the qin, has a face that could launch a thousand ships and a body that men would kill for . She could grudgingly say that Liu Yiyi really was worth thousands of silvers .

I am worth thousands of silvers, too! Well, I can make thousands of silvers, at least, so I should be much better than her! Right?

Ye Jiayao hated feeling this unsure of herself . She’s an imperial chef, for cripes’ sake! Why was she feeling so insecure compared to a woman whose job was to just to giggle and look pretty?

Her predicament was so shallow and so unlike her that she could not help but let out a bitter laugh .

The three nobles turned to her, looking at her as if she had lost the plot .

Ye Jiayao rolled her eyes . “What?”

They shook their heads .

“Chunfeng, go and ask Lady Liu over to the boat later,” Little Jing said .

Xia Chunfeng’s forehead wrinkled . “Why me? I have nothing to do with her . ”
“Just go there,” Zhao Qixuan urged .

“Fine . I’ll try . ”

Fortunately for them, Liu Yiyi was easy to invite today . After her appearance on the stage and a few rounds on other boats, Liu Yiyi came to them .

“I wish peace to Young Royal Highness, Heir-Son Lord Zhao, and Heir-Son Lord Xia,” she greeted softly, sounding and looking coquettish .

Ye Jiayao couldn’t believe that this woman’s income relied on this .

When Liu Yiyi looked at Ye Jiayao with her bright eyes, she smiled and asked, “May I dare to ask who this sir is?”

“He is the famous chef who makes ice cream mooncakes in Jin Ling . He is the head chef of Heavenly Residence and he’s also the Mobile Imperial Chef, Li Yao,” Little Jing responded proudly .

“Helian Jing, stop talking me up,” Ye Jiayao muttered .

Liu Yiyi hid her surprise . “So you were the one who invented the ice cream mooncakes?”

She has heard people talking about this chef before but she didn’t expect her to be a woman . Liu Yiyi wondered if the company of nobles she was keeping knew about it .

Ye Jiayao said with a smile, “If you like it, I will give you 20% off . ”

“Thank you for your generosity, but I already have piles of ice cream mooncakes on my table gifted to me . I am afraid I would not be able to finish all of them,” Liu Yiyi declined graciously, a slight flirty smile still on her lips .

Ye Jiayao gritted her teeth . There’s no need to rub the generosity of your customers on my face! She faked a laugh and flattered, “Of course! What else should I have expected from the head of the flowers? I’m sure that many people are already lined up to show their favors . ”

“Oh, I know that there are also many people who favor Master Chef Li . It’s not easy to get recognized in a city full of talented people such as Jin Ling,” Liu Yiyi complimented .

“I don’t have another choice . I rely on cooking to live, and you rely on good looks to live . The difference is that I can rely on cooking for a lifetime, but good looks . . . ” Ye Jiayao trailed off in a cough .

Liu Yiyi’s indifferent look changed a fraction . “Whatever you say, Master Chef Li . However, I’m not really living a miserable life, so . . . ”

The three men were a bit confused, knowing that something wasn’t quite right yet they were unable to put a finger on it .

“Liu’s qin technique is getting more and more refined as time passes by,” Zhao Qixuan commended . “I won’t be forgetting the way you sound for a long time . ”

“Heir-Son Lord, you flatter me too much . Don’t worry, I will play a song for you when you come to Drunk Spring Lane . ”

“I will definitely come to look for you another day . ”

Liu Yiyi turned to Xia Chunfeng and said, “May I ask if the Jing An Heir-Son Lord is coming?”

“I’m afraid my second brother is busy at the moment! He went with the Empress Dowager to Puji Temple and won’t be back for at least a couple of days,” Xia Chunfeng answered .

The vague disappointment in Liu Yiyi’s eyes did not escape Ye Jiayao’s notice . She actually still remembers the man who paid for her?

“I still have people to entertain so I will have to leave for now . I will prepare wine to drink with you guys another day . ” Liu Yiyi bowed to her knees and made a move to go .

Before leaving, however, Liu Yiyi stole one last undecipherable look at Ye Jiayao to which the latter responded with a quirk of her brow and a smile .

The three guys stared after Liu Yiyi’s silhouette, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets . Ye Jiayao wanted to deck them . All men are perverts .

“Are you really going to go to Drunk Spring Lane?” Ye Jiayao asked .

Zhao Qixuan said, “Of course! That invitation is hard to come by, you know . I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that seeing Liu Yiyi is hard . Even a 500 silver-note won’t necessarily guarantee you a meeting . ”

“Take me with you!” Xia Chunfeng jumped in, laughing excitedly .

“I won’t go . ” Helian Jing shook his head firmly and said, “There’s nothing to do there but drink and talk . ”

Ye Jiayao nodded . “You should listen to Little Jing . ”

“If you want to spend money, you might as well just go to Heavenly Residence for Yaoyao’s foods,” the smitten Helian Jing added .

Zhao Qixuan and Xia Chunfeng looked at them like they were disgusting . “You don’t understand the art of love and seduction . ”

Ye Jiayao looked at Zhao Qixuan and deadpanned, “Will you take Susu with you?”

Zhao Qixuan paled and hastily said, “Well, I think Little Jing is right actually . That kind of money should not be spent so haphazardly . It’s better if it goes to food and drinks . ”

Xia Chunfeng, not knowing the new progress in Zhao Qixuan and Susu’s relationship, teased, “When Susu returns to Jin Ling, you always dress up nicely . ”

“I have always been loyal to him . I never looked or touch anyone else,” Zhao Qixuan said rightfully .

Xia Chunfeng snorted . “Then, why did I hear that someone wanted to meet the little official in the spring opera class?”

“Don’t say things like that!” Zhao Qixuan yelled, sounding panicky . “That was for business!”

Ye Jiayao and Helian Jing exchanged secret smiles . Even if Zhao Qixuan was tempted, he would not dare to do anything that wasn’t with his beloved Susu .

Now that she had seen Liu Yiyi, Ye Jiayao has no interest in staying anymore and watching girls get auctioned off to perverts .

Helian Jing, of course, capitulated to Yaoyao’s wishes and they went back home .

Meanwhile, in the Puji Temple, Xia Chunyu sat in front of an old pine tree, looking at the direction of Jin Ling .

He hasn’t seen Yaoyao for seven days now and it was starting to take a toll on him . Song Qi told him that Yaoyao and Little Jing had visited the Qin Huai River to go to the courtesan’s competition . What was bugging Chunyu was she went there with Little Jing . He has repeatedly warned her that Little Jing was romantically interested in her but the stubborn woman wouldn’t believe him .

He also heard that Yaoyao was wet when she went back to the courtyard that night and because of that, she got sick the next day . He was still worried, not knowing the reason why she fell into the water .

Xia Chunyu was restless and all he wanted to do was ride back to the city and rush to Yaoyao . However, he has a responsibility he couldn’t just abandon so he’d just have to buckle down and be happy that he was going back tomorrow .

“Brother Chunyu . . . ”

Xia Chunyu frowned . He already hid in the backyard to avoid her and yet she still found him? The girl was a bloodhound!

Liu Li has been finding any excuse to approach him these past few days and it was fraying his last nerve .

“Brother Chunyu? What are you doing here? It took me so long to find you!” Liu Li said, walking over to him cheerfully .

“Nothing . I went here because it’s quiet . ”

“You are already in the quiet area of the Buddhist Temple . If you’re seeking a place that’s quieter, it means that you are not at peace . Tell me, what troubles you?”

Xia Chunyu resisted the urge to say, You . What troubles me is you because you just won’t leave me the f*ck alone!

“Nonsense . It is late, why aren’t you sleeping?”

Liu Li picked up the pinecone on the ground and fiddled with it . “I can’t fall asleep . ”

“Try because you have to get up early tomorrow . I’m going to rest . ” Xia Chunyu stood up to leave .

“Hey, stop,” Liu Li said . “Why don’t you ask me why I can’t sleep?”

Xia Chunyu sighed helplessly . Heavens, give me patience . “Princess, I’m going to patrol . ”

“Don’t interrupt me . Ask . ”

Xia Chunyu wasn’t going to play into her hands . He knew that she’d find a way to turn the topic to things he did not want to hear much less talk about .

“Hurry up and ask me!” Liu Li rushed .

“Princess, don’t mess with me, I really have things to do . ”

“Xia Chunyu, am I really that annoying? I know you don’t want me bullying people so I’ve stopped now . Isn’t that good enough? What else do you want me to do? I will improve on whatever you don’t like,” Liu Li said desperately, working up her sadness .

“Princess, you don’t have to change anything for me . You should change for your own good,” Xia Chunyu said placatingly .

“Brother Chunyu, stop being so cold to me, please? I don’t like the way you keep your distance from me . I just want you to talk to me because I don’t have any friends in the palace . It gets very . . . lonely,” Liu Li said pathetically .