Adorable Food Goddess

“I’m sorry, I am only here to deliver the dishes. Since the dishes are here, would the young lady please settle the bill so I can go back and celebrate mid-autumn festival?” Ye Jiayao said emotionlessly.

“Li Yao, don’t you also drink with the customers when you are at Heavenly Residence?” Xia Chunyu said with a smile, filling a cup with wine. “Finish this cup and we will settle the bill.”

“How is a cup enough? Head Chef Li is a famous chef in Jin Ling, it has to be at least three cups. Ying-er, get two more cups, Yan-er retrieve a gold ingot,” Liu Yiyi said gracefully.

Both servants obeyed.

“Head Chef Li, after you drink three cups of wine, this gold ingot is yours,” Liu Yiyi said with false generosity.

Ye Jiayao was fuming. What did she ever do to this pair to deserve this humiliation?

Xia Chunyu slightly raised a brow as if he was waiting for a show.

Ye Jiayao picked up the gold ingot and weighed it in her hand, laughing coldly. “It is my first time to see a gold ingot. I should thank Jin Ling’s top courtesan, or should I thank the many men sending you money? However, I don’t care for this kind of treasure. Too dirty.”

Liu Yiyi’s face changed, the hand hidden in her sleeve started trembling.

She forced out a smile and said, “Is that so? Then what should I do? The money I have here are all sent by men. Why don’t Head Chef Li treat us to this meal?”

Ye Jiayao’s smile did not change. “The word ‘treat’ should not be used so casually. I only treat my friends. Both of you are neither kin nor kith to me.”

Ye Jiayao raised her wine cup and stared straight at Xia Chunyu. “I will treat this meal as if I was feeding the dogs.”

She threw the drink at Xia Chunyu’s face and walked out of that horrible place, refusing to look back.

Behind her, Liu Yiyi cried out in shock, “Heir-Son Lord! Quick, Yin-er, get a handkerchief! The nerve of that man!”

Ye Jiayao kept walking, trying to put as much distance between them as she could.

How could he do this? He’d humiliate her like that just because she went on a river cruise with Little Jing and refused to break off all relations with him?

Why does it always end like this? Just when she finally wanted to pour her heart out, a painful blow would disable her. It happened in the mountains and it was happening now.

She didn’t want to cry, didn’t want to show how much he hurt her, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

The round, silver moon in the sky and the lights from thousands of homes served as a reminder to her of just how alone she was in this world.

No, stop, Ye Jiayao. He’s just a man. A bastard at that. Shake it off, rub some dirt on it, and get up. Just because he left, doesn’t mean you won’t make it.

The words were easy to conjure, but her heart wasn’t convinced.

She ran to the river bay, crying out in pain.

She cried and cried, letting out all the anguish and hurt she was feeling because this was her only chance to do so. She would only allow herself to be weak this once.

Xia Chunyu, having already wiped his face dry, sat there drinking wine. Liu Yiyi was dancing to alleviate the tension brought about by Yaoyao’s impudence.

The dance was graceful, the music was moving, the food and wine were fragrant, but he couldn’t care less about them. Everything had lost its appeal the moment Yaoyao left – from the moment he saw the tears that she was trying to hide.

He was in pain. It felt like someone stabbed his heart with a sharp blade and further twisted it in. He wanted to chase after her, to tell her that he only did those things so she would know how it felt to be betrayed by someone you love.

But he did not move. He was unable to let go of his pride.

Yes, he admits that what he did was cruel. He should’ve just spoken to her, told her that he was letting go, but he couldn’t do it. Just like the many things he couldn’t do since he met her.

He used to mock those people who were troubled by love, but he now has become one of them.

Perhaps by doing this, he could allow himself to harden his heart and leave her alone, to wish her and Little Jing all the best.

Xia Chunyu lifted his head as he downed a cup of wine, allowing that spicy liquid to burn in his body, hoping that it could also decimate his sorrow.

When Ye Jiayao’s tears dried up, she looked up and gazed at the colored lanterns on the opposite side. She actually forgot that there was a lantern festival tonight.

She wiped her tears away and headed to the festival, determined to push her pain away and have some fun.

She entered a contest of guessing riddles and won a bunch of prizes when she consecutively correctly guessed a handful.

“Li Yao!”

Ye Jiayao turned around and saw Zhao Qixuan and Susu waving at her. It was gratifying to see them finally out in public.

“Hi, guys!” Ye Jiayao greeted, forcing a smile.

“I just heard that someone correctly guessed 28 riddles at one go and I thought it was some scholar that has come for the imperial examinations! I didn’t know it would be you!” Zhao Qixuan looked at all the prizes Ye Jiayao was holding laughingly. He also has 10 prizes in his hands.

Ye Jiayao smiled shyly. “That was just some freak luck.”

Zhao Qixuan frowned slightly as he looked around. “Why are you alone? Where is Little Jing? He said that he was going to ask you to come here.”

“He should be at home. We didn’t go together because I had to work at night!”

“Why don’t we go to the White Tower Temple to admire the full moon? That is the best place to admire the moon,” Zhao Qixuan invited enthusiastically.

Ye Jiayao looked between him and Susu. She couldn’t come with them, she’d be the third wheel!

“No, thank you. I still have to go home to eat mooncakes! You guys go ahead! I should be going, too.”

On the way back, Ye Jiayao passes by the harbor. Someone was writing their wishes on the colored lanterns and letting them float away with the current, praying to the river god and the moon god that their wishes would be fulfilled.

Ye Jiayao saw a little girl selling colored lanterns not far away so she walked over to her.

“Can I exchange a colored lantern with these prizes?”

The little girl looked at the things she was holding and her mouth opened in an impressed ‘o’. “What is there?”

“I am not sure. Some combs, calligraphy pens…” Ye Jiayao replied, searching through her pile.

The little girl said eagerly, “Sure, sure! I wanted to get a pen for my brother so that’s perfect. Young Master, take your pick!”

Ye Jiayao gave all the prizes to her and picked a lotus lantern. On the lantern, she wrote, “I want to earn a lot of money”. After that, she ran to the harbor and released it in the water.

From now on, her only goal would be to earn a lot of money. She had let trivial matters distract her before and look where that got her.  Never again.  She would earn a lot of money and then she’d leave Jin Ling to tour the world.

When she returned to the courtyard, Auntie Jiang and her family were still waiting for her to have dinner. She couldn’t help but feel warmth in her shattered heart. Although Chunyu arranged this home, this family have been really nice to her.

Before she went to bed, Ye Jiayao asked Auntie Jiang for an almanac*. There have been too many unlucky things happening lately and she suspected that she was going through some misfortune. Indeed, in the eighth month, those who were born in the year of the rabbit offended Tai Sui.

There were just a few more days before the eighth month is over and she’d just have to bear with it for a while.

Placing the almanac down, Ye Jiayao hugged Little Ji and Little Rui against her and lied down.

The human heart is too fickle. She shouldn’t have trusted it.

Little Ji, Little Rui, also Da Bao and Er Bao, I still have you guys, right? You won’t leave me, right?

As though they can sense their owner’s sorrow, the two puppies used their noses to nudge her, making soft whimpering sounds to comfort her.

Xia Chunyu stood at the entrance of the courtyard. He has tried to knock for countless of times already, but every time he would raise his hand, it would just fall back down helplessly. After hesitating for a long while, he quietly walked away.

The next day, Ye Jiayao received a scolding from Manager Zhao the moment she reached the restaurant.

“Li Yao, what is wrong with you? I just asked you to deliver the food and you still messed it up? I am going to deduct five taels from this month’s wages. You’ll also have to be held accountable for yesterday’s bill that was not settled, a total of 120 taels.”

Ye Jiayao left without a word, went back to the kitchen, put her apron on and started carving flowers from a radish.

Deng Haichuan asked in a soft voice, “What is the matter with Manager Zhao? Which restaurant doesn’t treat their head chef like a Bodhisattva, especially if that someone is Brother Yao?”

“Yeah! Why not just send someone to settle the bill? Why must he deduct Brother Yao’s pay?” Cui Dongpeng added.

Zhong Xiang frowned. “I don’t think it is as simple as it looks. Everyone, just buck up and let’s work!”

Deng Haichuan wasn’t at ease with this situation. He made up some reason to take a leave from the manager before rushing off to find Young Royal Highness Jing.

“What? They dare do that to Yaoyao?” Little Jing demanded furiously.

“Even the other brothers feel that something is wrong. Yesterday, everyone is let out on holiday but Brother Yao was asked to work. After he is done, he still has to go to Zui Chun Lou to deliver the dishes. Today, the manager said that Brother Yao messed things up and that he’s going to deduct his salary and even pay for the dishes. A total of 120 taels. Brother Yao’s monthly salary is only 50 taels! No restaurant in Jin Ling will do this to their head chef!” Deng Haichuan complained.

Little Jing’s chest was tight with anger. Yaoyao refused to celebrate mid-autumn with him yesterday because she has to stay to work! Who the f*ck was bullying her? Which shameless slut from Zui Chun Lou dared to do this to his Yaoyao?

“Go back and reassure Li Yao. Tell him not to be upset, I will think of a plan,” Little Jing ordered.

Young Royal Highness Jing’s promise settled Deng Haichuan. He believed that as long as Young Royal Highness was involved, everything would be okay.