Chapter 667: Chapter 669: Ordering a Few Dishes

Gu Benluo, however, pointed at a plate of squirming white worms and asked, "Are these a dish too?"

Jin Qianqian mustered her courage to look, felt she couldn’t stand it anymore, and grabbed Lichun’s hand. "It’s just too crowded in here. Let’s step outside."

She wasn’t about to admit she’d chickened out in front of her son, so she did her best to look composed.

The Shopkeeper, however, looked at her with a knowing expression. His shop primarily did business with locals; outsiders like these were just curious.

They’d get a scare and then, inevitably, leave without buying anything.

Curious, Gu Benluo reached out and picked up a plump white worm. The live worm wiggled between his fingertips. "What is this?"

The faces of the nearby serving maids and matrons turned pale. They were about to tell the young master to put the thing down when the Shopkeeper spoke up, "Now that’s a real delicacy.

These are kudzu worms. Just give them a simple rinse, fry them in oil, and they become nice and crunchy. A lot of kids love them.

Of course, they’re also great for pairing with wine.

Young Master, how about a whole plate?"

With a customer at his door, the Shopkeeper naturally wanted to make the sale.

’A young master from a great house like this... if he’s satisfied with the food, the reward silver is sure to be generous. If I can really make this sale, it would definitely be worth my while.’

At this thought, the smile on the Shopkeeper’s face grew even more sincere.

Gu Benluo turned to ask his mother for her opinion, only to find that Jin Qianqian, who had been right behind him, had already vanished.

"Where’s my mother?"

"Madam just stepped out, Young Master. Let’s go out too," Ming Wen, the guard by his side, reminded him softly.

"But Mother hasn’t said what she wants to eat. All these worms... can you really eat them? I still want to ask her."

Ming Wen glanced cautiously at the worm in his hand. ’Where does the Eldest Young Master get such nerve? To actually grab a worm and play with it...’ "How about we go out and ask for Madam’s opinion first?"

They had been poor in their childhood and had even begged for a time, but they had never tried the taste of these worms. Just thinking about it was a bit unsettling.

But with the Eldest Young Master here, and seeing how interested he was in the worms, the guards didn’t dare show the slightest hint of disgust.

Gu Benluo put the worm back. "Alright, let’s go outside.

My mother has definitely never eaten these things before. And the Shopkeeper just said they taste good, so I think she’ll probably like them."

Standing outside waiting for her dear son, Jin Qianqian suddenly gripped Lichun’s hand. "This Madam has just remembered, it seems there are still some things at the residence that haven’t been put away.

All of you servants will stay here and accompany the Eldest Young Master. This Madam will be returning first."

The servants about to be left behind: ’...No, we have things to do back at the residence too!’

When Gu Benluo came out from the back kitchen, he only saw a few guards standing there.

"How is it just you guys? Where’s my mother?"

"Madam suddenly remembered she had matters to attend to at the residence. Eldest Young Master, should we continue looking around, or head straight back to the residence?"

Gu Benluo was a little disappointed. "...But we’ve finally found some novelties, and Mother hasn’t even tried them yet."

But then his eyes suddenly lit up. ’Father and Mother have been working so hard lately. It’s not every day we see such novel things.’

"Shopkeeper, give me one of each of your specialty dishes. I’ll take them to go."

The shopkeeper hadn’t expected such a sudden, pleasant surprise. "Rest assured, I will personally go to the kitchen to supervise the chefs and guarantee they prepare the finest dishes.

May I ask where the Young Master’s residence is? Our shop can also deliver."

After receiving a nod from Gu Benluo, Ming Wen said, "Just deliver it to the Inspection Office later. Say that the Eldest Young Master ordered it."

"So it’s the young master of Mr. Gu’s household." As soon as the shopkeeper heard this, he knew who they were. This was the hot topic of conversation in town recently.

Many people were now watching and waiting, even secretly praying for the arrival of a good official who would champion the common folk.

They had all heard some rumors these past few days that the previous Liu Ancha Shi hadn’t actually left to take up a new post, but had been detained by this very Mr. Gu.

Although they didn’t know the inside story, that fact alone was enough to shock them.

His attitude became even more respectful. "Eldest Young Master, please rest assured. This humble one will definitely select the best ingredients and personally deliver them as soon as they’re ready."

Gu Benluo had someone settle the bill, then led his men away from the shop.

"Young Master, are we heading straight back to the residence?"

Gu Benluo shook his head. "Find a passerby and ask where the bookshops are."

After all, there was a limit to what he could carry on a journey. He had already finished all the books he’d brought with him on the way here, so he had to find a nearby bookshop to restock.

...

Only after returning to the residence did Jin Qianqian feel like she had escaped a disaster.

"Madam," Xu Dawang said, surprised that they had returned so soon. "As it happens, people from several local brokerages have arrived. Would you like to take a look, Madam?"

Most of the people they had brought with them were personal attendants; they still needed to hire more matrons and housemen.

Jin Qianqian looked at Lichun. "You go with Housekeeper Xu to make the selections."

Lichun had become quite experienced over the years and had her own methods for selecting people. Jin Qianqian, naturally, knew to make good use of her talents.

Lichun performed a Fuli. "Madam, should I call the younger sisters to come along as well?"

The "younger sisters" Lichun mentioned were the second-rank maids who would soon be taking over their positions. The senior maids had been personally training them throughout the journey, and they wished they could impart a lifetime of skills to the newcomers so they could feel more at ease when they moved on to other duties in the future.

Jin Qianqian naturally had no objection. "Bring Ming Yue and the others along. But this time, don’t let them handle the selection. Just have them watch from the side."

Although those young maids had undergone a long period of training, they still had a somewhat childish nature.

Ming Yue, Ming He, Ming Shi, and Ming Yuan were the maids about to be promoted to first-rank, and they were currently serving by her side.

After Lichun led the others away, the image of those buckets of pupae still flashed in Jin Qianqian’s mind. She shook her head. "Let’s go take a look at the back garden!"

She felt she needed to cleanse her eyes and forget what she had just seen.

She took a few laps around the garden, and just as she returned to her courtyard, someone came with a report.

"Madam, someone just delivered some food. They said the Eldest Young Master ordered it.

Should the dishes be brought to this rear courtyard?"

An ominous premonition surfaced in Jin Qianqian’s heart. "Where is the Eldest Young Master?"

The reporting matron said, "The Eldest Young Master has not yet returned to the residence. Should we send someone out to look for him?"

Jin Qianqian knew Gu Benluo was protected by many people, both seen and unseen, so she shook her head and said, "It’s rare that he has free time to go out. Don’t disturb him."

’After he adjusts over the next few days, he’ll have to go back to his intense studies.’

"Have someone bring the food over. The Master should be leaving the government office soon. Tell him to come eat with us when he gets back."

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