He Sanlang couldn’t be bothered to deal with the fresh ingredients. He waved at Laiyue impatiently. Laiyue had already been serving He Changdi for years, so he understood what He Changdi wanted. He turned and instructed the maidservants to send the ingredients to their courtyard’s kitchen.

Although the kitchen here wasn’t used often, it was quite clean as the servants would still clean it every day. For a period of time, each courtyard would have to settle their own meals. As for the cookware, Madam Zou sent some senior servants over with a set overnight. She even sent some firewood and charcoal with them.

There were no large surfaces for dining in the study room. There was only a writing desk and a few side tables. The two maidservants who brought the food in were at a loss of what to do; they didn’t know where to place the dishes.

The moment He Changdi entered the study, he saw the two maidservants standing there carrying the boxes with troubled expressions on their faces.

One of the servants drummed up the courage to say, “Third Young Master, we really can’t hold dinner here. Why don’t we place the dishes in the parlour?”

He Sanlang’s expression turned dark right after she finished speaking. He tossed a gloomy glance at her, and following that, he ordered her to scram.

The two low-ranking maidservants were so frightened that they trembled, put down the food, and didn’t dare to stay a second longer. They hurriedly ran out as if a deadly tiger was after them.

Third Young Master usually looked handsome and heroic; who knew that he would be so frightening once he got angry?

The poor servants’ ideal image of him was instantly crushed.

Laiyue came in from outside and saw that the maidservants had run off with pale faces. He scratched his head with a bemused look on his face. He shivered a little when he spotted He Sanlang’s cold expression.

Laiyue cleared his throat and carefully asked, “Young Master, when do you want to call Young Madam over to have dinner? It’s getting late.”

He Changdi harrumphed after hearing that. That wicked woman had already plotted and schemed against the entire estate today; did she really think she would be getting dinner?

Hmph! Let her dream on!

“Go out and keep a watch! No one is allowed in without my permission, even Third Young Madam!” He Changdi instructed without an ounce of compassion.

Laiyue hadn’t expected Third Young Master to say something like that. He instantly froze on the spot and didn’t know how to react. His line of sight landed on the boxes sitting on the writing desk. He was about to say something, but shivered when he met with He Changdi’s dispassionate gaze. His young master had never gone back on his words before and would never let him defy his orders. But was he really not going to let Third Young Madam eat?

This wasn’t good!

However, Laiyue went out and kept watch at the door. He didn’t dare to say a single word to He Sanlang.

He Changdi stood before the writing desk with a profound look in his eyes. He then retrieved a thick envelope from a hidden compartment inside the desk. He carefully read through the letter inside, and after making sure there weren’t any problems, he sealed the envelope and wrote the words: “To Grandmother”.

Then, He Sanlang placed the envelope inside the hidden compartment once again.

The wick of the study’s candle crackled. He Changdi turned back to the red lacquered boxes, the scent of food catching his attention as it drifted up to his nose.

He stood up and opened both of them. Each had four to five layers, and there were different dishes in each one. There was steamed perch in ginger and scallion, roast mutton chops, spring chicken, and vegetables in one of the boxes. Soup and rice were packed in the second box, and there was even a warm wine flask1. Every dish looked exquisite and much better than what the main kitchen usually served. They must have come from the little kitchen in Matriarch He’s courtyard.

Although they had been left out for awhile, and the dishes were cold by now, they still looked appetizing and looked more delicious than what they had eaten last night.

He Sanlang felt smug after looking at these dishes. Didn’t that wicked woman love to eat? Well, she wasn’t getting any!

As he was savoring his revenge in his mind, He Changdi picked up some chopsticks and chose a few dishes to taste. However, the dishes might have gotten too cold, or perhaps he wasn’t in a good mood. Although the two boxes were filled to the brim with delicious food, he barely tasted any of it. He ate a few bites before setting down his chopsticks.

He sat down again and casually took out a book to read.

1. The wine here isn’t made of grapes, but is a Chinese white wine made from sorghum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baijiu