C24 To Please One's Big Brother

Bai Ruotong pouted. "Cui Er is not as good as me, I learned it from my mother. Big brother, don't underestimate me."

Bai Chusheng's face was extremely tense. He rarely interacted with Bai Ruotong, so his understanding of her could be counted on one hand. This little sister of his actually had cooking skills?

"Big brother, come in quickly and have a meal. When the lotus porridge turns cold, you won't be able to taste the sweetness anymore." Bai Ruotong entered the hall by herself. Bai Chusheng pursed his lips and followed her after some thought.

Bai Ruotong placed the bowl of porridge on the table and handed a spoon to him. She then hurriedly said, "Brother, hurry and try it."

Bai Chusheng insisted on eating the soup, and under Bai Ruotong's expectant gaze, he took a bite. He stared blankly at the lotus congee in his mouth. It had a sweet yet not greasy flavor. The lotus seed was soft and tender, so there was no need to bite on it. He used his tongue to taste the porridge and crushed it.

"Is it delicious?" Bai Ruotong asked.

Bai Chusheng nodded, "Yes." He scooped another spoonful into his mouth. The lotus seed was sweet and delicious. The fragrance of porridge spread throughout his mouth.

"Mom once told me that brother loves to eat lotus seed congee the most. He always eats two big bowls." Seeing him eat comfortably, Bai Ruotong also started to eat as well.

Bai Chusheng said, "Did mother tell you about this?"

"Right." Bai Ruotong opened her eyes wide and lied. How could she have heard the words of "mother"? She had never even seen her mother die before. Only in the novel, Bai Chusheng reminisced about the past, and once wrote that he loved to eat the lotus seed porridge his mother cooked for him.

Bai Chusheng's throat tightened as a strange emotion surged in his chest. The lotus seed congee in his mouth warmed his stomach and his heart. It had been many years since he had eaten lotus seed congee. He thought that no one else would know what he liked to eat, except from his mother. He didn't expect that Bai Ruotong would remember.

"Do you smell like mother?"

"It tastes better than what mother cooks." Bai Chu came back with a warm smile on his face like the spring breeze.

He finished the lotus seed porridge in his bowl. Bai Ruotong smiled as she ate the porridge. She asked, "Big brother, can I have a meal with you for the rest of your days in the manor?"

"Why?" Bai Chusheng asked.

"I …" Bai Ruotong lowered her eyes, stirring the lotus seed congee with the spoon in her hand. "It's so lonely for me to eat alone."

Bai Chusheng sighed as a sense of guilt welled up in his heart. Perhaps due to the near-death experience, Bai Ruotong was afraid of him, which was why she was so attached to him. It was also his fault that he paid so little attention to his sister.

"Sure." Bai Chusheng replied.

Bai Ruotong was laughing happily. The guide was easier for his brother than she had thought. If one wanted to capture a man's heart, the first thing they had to do was grab a man's stomach. It was the same for their family and relatives.

After chatting with Bai Chusheng for a while, Bai Ruotong returned to the Qingtong Courtyard. She removed the tasseled golden hairpin from her head, yawned, and went back to sleep on the bed. Cui'er helped her to remove the copper curtain from the hook. After she fell asleep, she quietly left the room.

She did not return to her room to rest. Instead, she went to the Zhang Clan's residence — Jade Courtyard.

Mrs Zhang and Bai Lingyao were currently eating tea and chatting. When they saw Cui'er, their expressions became solemn as they put down the teacups.

"What are you doing here?" Zhang Shi wiped her mouth and asked.

"Madam, please save me. The Fourth Miss has always bullied the servant, and the servant can no longer serve the Fourth Miss. Please take the servant back." Cui'er's eyes were filled with tears as she cried sorrowfully. She knelt in the hall and kowtowed to the Zhang clan to plead for mercy.