CHAPTER 70: CHAPTER 69: HOOKED BY WILLINGNESS

In response to Lin Wanwan’s inquiry, Xiao Chong laughed and explained, "My father is the Minister of Public Works, responsible for the streets and alleys, gardens, mountains, and forests of Beijing, as well as the supply of vegetables, firewood, and hunting for officials and foreign guests. Your new vegetable seeds are a good thing for him; in the past, we only got them as tributes from foreign countries."

Having someone like Lin Wanwan under his governance is definitely a blessing for Xiao Chong.

Of course, it is also a blessing for Lin Wanwan to have traveled to Xiao Chong’s jurisdiction. Otherwise, if she had encountered someone less kind, she might not have lasted long in the Great Tang and would have had to return to the modern era.

"Oh, I see. Thank you, thank you."

Lin Wanwan and her companions were eating, while Shuqi was in the corner of the main hall, sweating profusely as he ate, "Delicious, delicious, so tasty, how is this made? Did you add pepper in it?"

Kunlun, not far from him, just squatted there, eating his own meal without paying attention. It was Hua Nong who quietly said, "Yes, not only pepper, but also star anise, scallions, garlic, cooking wine, and sugar."

"Wow! Your lady is too generous!" Shuqi looked at her and asked, "Did you make this?"

Hua Nong nodded with a bit of pride, "The lady loves my cooking."

Shuqi sighed, "People always say the New Luo Maid is excellent, indeed."

After that, they didn’t speak anymore, quietly enjoying the delicacy, and Shuqi even drank the broth clean.

Such deliciousness, it was the first time he had tasted something like this in his life. Compared to this, what he ate before was like dog food.

Seeing the three at the main table had finished their meal, Yun Shang, with sharp eyes and nimble hands, came up to clear it, and soon after, brought a few slices of chilled melon to the table.

Xiao Chong didn’t react much, but Shuqi’s eyes almost popped out, "Chilled melon! Such fine chilled melon!"

Lin Wanwan smiled, "Try some, cousin, having a slice after a meal is refreshing. These melon seeds were improved by my master."

She then said to Yun Shang, "You all should go eat as well, you don’t need to stand guard here. Take some to the two little ones next door too."

"Yes."

Shuqi followed Hua Nong, Yun Shang, and Kunlun to the kitchen. Yun Shang picked up four slices of chilled melon, placed them on a plate, and headed out the door, "You all eat first, save one slice for me."

"Okay, Sister Yun Shang, don’t worry. I definitely won’t eat yours. I’ll keep an eye on Kunlun, and I’ll save a slice for Lord Zhentian too," Hua Nong quickly assured.

After Yun Shang left, watching Hua Nong and Kunlun each take a slice of chilled melon and put it in their mouths without hesitation, Shuqi was genuinely stunned, "You... you really dare to eat it?"

Hua Nong looked at him, "Chilled melon is delicious, aren’t you going to eat it?"

Shuqi: "No..."

The moment he said no, Kunlun reached out to grab his slice. This "no" was something Kunlun happened to understand, thinking if you’re not eating, I’ll help you with it.

Shuqi quickly used a move like a monkey picking peaches to snatch it back, angrily saying, "You Kunlun slave, so clueless, this is my share!"

Once he had it in his hand, he relaxed and continued asking, "Do you know how valuable this chilled melon is?"

Hua Nong nodded, "I know, in Chang’an City, only the aristocrats can eat it."

Shuqi: "You look naive, but you have some insight. Since you know the value of chilled melon, why do you dare to eat it?"

Hua Nong was puzzled, not understanding his words, "It’s delicious, why wouldn’t I eat it? The master gave it."

If Yun Shang were here, she might understand Shuqi’s thinking, but the two in front of him were both naive. Whatever the master gives, they just take, nothing much to think about.

Shuqi rubbed his forehead. He realized that in this house, three servants, two were quite foolish. He also raised his estimation of Lin Wanwan; to generously reward servants with such precious chilled melon showed great courage.

The Imperial Uncle’s House of the Xiao Family is gradually declining, and Lin Wanwan’s maternal family, having been split off, is even less mentioned.

It seems that Lin Wanwan’s confidence comes from her paternal family. This indirectly proves that the direct lineage of the Lin Family was extremely noble back in the day, no wonder they encountered catastrophic destruction.

Of course, there’s also a possibility that the mysterious hermit who adopted Lin Wanwan has a significant background.

As Shuqi slowly savored the chilled melon, he looked around the kitchen and was increasingly shocked. Glassware was everywhere, not to mention pepper and other spices boldly displayed on the shelves, even more lavish than his own Xiao Family.

In the main hall, having finished the chilled melon, Lin Wanwan took Xiao Chong to visit her glass greenhouse, to show him what the tomatoes they just ate looked like.

It was Xiao Chong’s first time entering Lin Wanwan’s glass greenhouse; he was stunned by the variety of plants inside, "Cousin, you truly have a keen interest in flowers."

Lin Wanwan certainly wouldn’t say that most of these were directly bought as potted plants from the modern era, transplanted here, and whenever one died, she’d buy a finished product from a modern flower shop to replace it.

The Great Tang also had greenhouses, mainly for nobles to have fresh vegetables in winter, but the yield was very low, and the price was expensive, beyond the reach of common folks, primarily serving the aristocracy.

Lin Wanwan’s glass greenhouse obviously served a similar purpose as a greenhouse, but its appearance was much more splendid, and its effectiveness was much better.

After witnessing the strawberries and various sizes of tomatoes with Lin Wanwan, Xiao Chong remarked, "What kind of land is America, to have so many blessings? The people there must not suffer from famine."

Lin Wanwan responded, "Not necessarily, the natives of America aren’t as smart as we Chinese; they’re still primitive. Oh, by the way, according to my senior brother, some of their natives even look quite similar to us; who knows if they sailed across the sea from our land in ancient times."

Curious, Xiao Chong asked, "Where is your senior brother now? Such a well-traveled Ranger, I admire him. I wonder if you could introduce me?"

Lin Wanwan casually replied, "Ah, that’s not possible. He comes and goes like a shadow, with one boat and one sword, a Ranger who loves roaming the world freely. I can only meet him when he comes to find me; I can’t find him."

Xiao Chong showed a thoughtful look and sighed, "Such a legendary Ranger, it’s a pity we have no chance to meet."

As he was lamenting, something caught Xiao Chong’s eye—a patch of white in the corner of the glass greenhouse. He paused for a moment, then looked again, finding several long wooden boards in the corner, covered with a layer of white stuff.

"What is this?"

Bringing Xiao Chong to the glass greenhouse was precisely for this, and seeing him finally notice it, Lin Wanwan smiled and said, "Oh, that? Sea salt!"

"Salt?!" Xiao Chong exclaimed, his voice slightly raised in surprise. He quickly walked to the boards, bent down, pinched a bit, and brought it to his nose for a sniff, "It’s really salt, and such pure and fine salt at that."

Not delicate and fine? Of course it was! Lin Wanwan bought refined salt from the modern era, unpacked it, and spread it on the wooden boards just to shock people, to lure the fish onto the hook!