Soon, a table was filled with various breakfasts.
Xie Jiang would set a large table even when eating alone, but each dish was in a very small portion. Today, she simply increased the portion of each item to the maximum.
Xu Hengyi and Xia Zeshi were so busy stuffing their mouths that they had no time to speak. They didn't want to eat so ravenously, but Aunt He looked at them as if they were two hungry monsters.
But everything on this table was so delicious they couldn't stop!
Ruan Zijie's mind was not on breakfast. When he took the first bite of porridge, he was stunned. It was all porridge, so why was this bowl so outstanding?
Seeing the voracious eating of Xu Hengyi and Xia Zeshi, Ruan Zijie suddenly realized something. He picked up a piece of dim sum from the plate in front of him and tasted it. His eyes lit up instantly.
The skin was crystal clear, wrapped with a faint pink and a delicate green, like shells holding treasures, both exquisite and beautiful.
He tasted it purely for its appearance, but the flavor was surprisingly amazing!
What kind of divine chef could make such a small dim sum look so good and taste so delicious!
When Ruan Zijie wanted to have a second one, the steamer basket was already empty. He stared in disbelief at the two gluttons!
They paid him no attention.
With that glaring time, why not eat something? Dawdling meant they deserved to miss out on everything.
Ruan Zijie pointed at the empty steamer basket that left him with a lingering taste and said to Aunt He, who was standing behind Xie Jiang, "Can I have another serving of this dim sum?"
Aunt He calmly suggested, "Young Marquis, why don't you try something else?"
Ruan Zijie immediately realized he might have missed something. He stopped dwelling on the little shells that left him with a lingering taste and joined the whirlwind of eating without another word.
No wonder the Fifth Prince and Xu San skipped breakfast and came to Xie Gongzi's place to freeload. It turned out that Xie Gongzi's food was so delicious!
After the meal, Xu Hengyi held his stomach and said with a burp, "Xie Gongzi enjoys life so much. Even His Majesty doesn't have such blessings."
Xia Zeshi could attest to that. Before his father started cultivating immortality, he didn't have such blessings, and even less so after. After cultivating immortality, he ate only incense offerings for all three meals.
Xie Jiang said casually, "With money, anything is possible."
Hearing this, Xia Zeshi silently shed two lines of tears. He was so poor that all he had left was the title of prince.
Ruan Zijie initially thought he was doing fine. When had the foremost dandy of the capital ever lacked money? But judging by the quality of the breakfast he had just eaten, if it were measured by money, then he certainly couldn't afford such a skilled chef.
Xu Hengyi said with grief and indignation, "Before I met you, I never thought I was poor."
Xie Jiang was not interested in flaunting wealth. She said to Aunt He beside her, "Send someone to see if Duke Xu is at the county office."
Aunt He went outside and gave instructions. Upon returning, she informed Xu Hengyi and Ruan Zijie that their servants had brought their clothes.
Xu Hengyi decided to change his clothes first, as the wet clothes sticking to his legs were uncomfortable.
After Xu Hengyi left, Ruan Zijie immediately lifted his robe, revealing the mud stains on his trousers.
"Xie Gongzi, look how miserable I am. I've been in Ninghe for over ten days and don't even have a place to stay. My clothes are dirty and I have nothing to change into, and I have to have someone go all the way to the inn to fetch them."
Aunt He glanced at him from under her eyelids. Was Young Marquis Ruan trying to gain sympathy and a place to stay?
Xie Jiang said expressionlessly, "Then you've been out for quite a while. You should hurry back to the capital."
"Xie Gongzi just returned to Ninghe, how can I leave? I'm not like Duke Yi who is busy with state affairs every day, nor am I like the Fifth Prince and Xu San who still have to attend school. I can stay in Ninghe for a few more days."
Xia Zeshi, having eaten his fill and not needing to change clothes, watched Ruan Zijie's performance silently.
Ruan Zijie was practically spelling it out.
But Xie Jiang was not interested in his hints and suggestions, so why should she try to understand what he meant?
Xie Jiang simply said "oh" to indicate she had heard him.
Ruan Zijie stared into her eyes, not wanting to miss any subtle shift in her emotions, holding his breath, waiting for her to invite him to stay.
Who knew Xie Gongzi could be so obtuse!
After saying "oh," there was no further remark!
Ruan Zijie had no choice but to get straight to the point, "I heard Duke Yi stayed at Xie Gongzi's place last night? Since Duke Yi has returned to the capital, the room Duke Yi stayed in must be vacant now, right? Can I move into Xie Gongzi's place for a while? Staying at an inn is really inconvenient."
Xia Zeshi also wanted to know if Xie Gongzi would agree.
If Xie Gongzi agreed to let Ruan Zijie move in, Xu Hengyi would definitely shamelessly insist on moving in too. Since Ruan Zijie and Xu Hengyi were both moving in, adding him wouldn't be too much, would it?
This time, he hoped Ruan Zijie would succeed.
He could also benefit from it.
Ruan Zijie gazed at Xie Gongzi expectantly, trying his best to look cuter, preferably to the point where Xie Gongzi would pat his head.
A vague image of a pet being patted on the head flashed in his mind.
Whatever.
He just wanted Xie Gongzi to pat his head.
Xie Jiang finally looked at him properly, "You want to stay in the room Yi Yange stayed in?"
Ruan Zijie smiled, "Isn't it just vacant? No need to tidy up, I can move in directly."
"I want to too! I want to move in too!"
Xu Hengyi's head suddenly poked in from the doorway.
Ruan Zijie looked at the doorway and narrowed his eyes. Didn't this guy go to change clothes!
Xu Hengyi snorted triumphantly. Ruan Zijie had been dawdling for a long time without coming out, clearly intending to do something behind his back. How could he let Ruan Zijie get all the benefits alone!
Xie Jiang looked at the well-behaved Xia Zeshi, "You want to move in together too?"
Xia Zeshi hesitated for a moment, unsure of her meaning. Did she want them to move in, or did she not want them to?
But he didn't dare to keep Xie Jiang waiting too long, fearing that if he hesitated too long, Xie Jiang would simply exclude him.
Xia Zeshi nodded.
Xie Jiang's expression was a bit strange, "Is the room Yi Yange stayed in that fragrant, that you all want to move in?"
"No! Who cares if Duke Yi is fragrant or not! If there are other rooms, I can stay in other rooms too." Xu Hengyi immediately turned back and ordered Yishan to go to the inn and fetch all their luggage.
Aunt He said, "Our young master hasn't agreed yet."
Xu Hengyi looked at Xie Jiang with disbelief, "You won't agree, will you?"
Xie Jiang looked at the three of them with a half-smile, "Your cultivation is far inferior to Yi Yange's. You still need to cultivate properly."
Hearing her say that, Ruan Zijie's heart was filled with a bad premonition, "What do you mean?"
Xie Jiang said, "Yi Yange had already anticipated that you would come today and make such a request, and he has already blocked all your paths."
Xu Hengyi exclaimed loudly, "You didn't agree to anything he asked, did you?"
Xie Jiang nodded, "I did."
Why wouldn't she agree? "All the guest rooms in my house are not allowed to be occupied, and the room he stayed in must also be kept for him."