Chapter 189: Not Going Back, Hanging Around A Bit Longer

The boys were having a great time, and if Wen Jun, the older brother, hadn't finally lost patience and ushered them back to their rooms one by one, they probably would have kept playing until the middle of the night.

Once everyone had been dispersed, Wen Jun cupped his hands in a salute to Xun Feng: "Young Master Xun Feng, you've really been put to trouble."

Whether master or servant, Xun Feng was the one who had saved Datou, and Wen Jun felt deeply grateful.

Xun Feng chuckled and said, "You are too polite, Eldest Young Master Wen. It's no trouble at all."

Wen Jun didn't say much more; he simply told Lu He to quickly show Xun Feng to the guest room to rest, though Xun Feng repeatedly declined.

He explained that he would just rest in the outer room of his young master's quarters.

Wen Jun didn't force the issue. He led the master and servant to the guest room specially prepared for them and even thoughtfully set up a simple cot in the outer room for Xun Feng so he wouldn't be uncomfortable.

After the master and servant expressed their thanks, Wen Jun withdrew, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

When the sound of footsteps had faded into the distance, Xun Feng sat down on his little cot, patted it, and looked over at Li Yi.

"Your Highness, how long are we going to stay here?"

Li Yi was busy inspecting the room. The layout seemed quite different from their residence in the capital; although it was a guest room, it didn't feel cold or sterile. On the contrary, it had a cozy warmth to it, making these two connected small rooms feel much more comfortable than the cavernous chambers of the Prince's Estate.

Hearing Xun Feng's question, Li Yi replied directly, "My father is already helping me find an academy to attend. What do you think, when are we going back?"

"Ah? Your Highness, we aren't returning to the Imperial Academy?" Xun Feng asked, his eyes wide with astonishment. One had to know that the Royal Academy was the absolute best in the entire Kingdom of Annan. Granted, the finest instructor had currently packed up and fled, holing up in this small town to work as a shopkeeper, but the academy still boasted plenty of scholars; surely that was better than a local academy here.

"Judging by my father's intentions, we won't be returning anytime soon. Besides, the teacher is right here, so staying a bit longer won't hurt. Or perhaps you don't want to stay?" Li Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at Xun Feng. Don't think he hadn't noticed how fast Xun Feng's chopsticks had been moving during dinner.

Xun Feng gave a sheepish grin. "Well, if Your Highness puts it that way, this subordinate will naturally obey Your Highness and the Prince. But if we don't go back, won't the Princess Consort...?"

Li Yi pushed open the small door and stepped into the inner chamber. "That is something for my father to worry about, not me."

He walked halfway, then turned his head to look at Xun Feng. "You should change how you address me from now on, just in case."

Xun Feng immediately straightened up and nodded solemnly. "Understood, Your Highness—no, Young Master."

Li Yi then closed the door and went inside to sleep.

The bed wasn't large, but it was very soft, and the quilt was clearly brand new. Although the Wen family came from a commoner background, they were exceedingly well-mannered.

The next morning, when Wen Jun came to wake them up, Xun Feng heard the footsteps and woke instantly, heading straight for the door.

"Good morning, Eldest Young Master Wen," Xun Feng said, opening the door.

Wen Jun paused his step at the threshold and stopped. "You're awake so early, Young Master Xun Feng? Then I must trouble you to call Young Master Li so we can head to the front courtyard for breakfast. Elder Qiu mentioned yesterday that Young Master Li is to start school with Datou and the others today, and he will be waiting for Young Master Li at Qingfeng Academy."

"Alright, alright. Sorry to trouble you, Eldest Young Master Wen," Xun Feng said quickly, expressing his gratitude.

Wen Jun nodded and walked away.

Li Yi had slept well the previous night and was in high spirits. After Xun Feng helped him wash up, the master and servant headed to the front courtyard.

Wen Yao had already prepared breakfast for the entire family. In the courtyard, people were sitting, standing, or squatting everywhere.

Even Old Lu's family were eating right there in the courtyard, each holding their own bowls and eating with great relish, completely lacking the rigid boundaries usually found between masters and servants.

"Ah, Young Master Li is up. Come and try this; today's breakfast is knife-shaved noodles, this is our Yaoyao's specialty," Madam Li warmly greeted Li Yi as she invited him over to eat.

In the kitchen, Wen Yao wielded her knife with swift dexterity, pieces of dough flying off directly into the pot without sticking together at all.

"Miss Wen has remarkable knife skills," Xun Feng praised enthusiastically.

Wen Yao felt a bit awkward; how could the technique of making knife-shaved noodles possibly be considered proper knife skills?

Having cut enough for the two of them, Wen Yao put down the dough and the cleaver, brushed the flour off her hands, and said, "You're awake? It'll be ready in a moment. Second Aunt, I'll leave the rest to you; I'm going to eat."

Madam Li let out an acknowledging sound and took over Wen Yao's spot. Wen Yao picked up a bowl already prepared on the stove, walked past Li Yi toward Wen Ying and Wen Di, and found a comfortable spot to sit down and dig in.

As expected, knife-shaved noodles only tasted truly delicious when made with aged chicken broth. Fortunately, she had coaxed Grandma into slaughtering an extra old hen yesterday, otherwise how could they have such a delicious breakfast?

The condiments had all been prepared by Wen Yao; Madam Li simply waited for the noodles to cook, added the broth, and served them to Li Yi and Xun Feng.

The two of them had caught the aroma from afar, and Xun Feng rubbed his hands together, digging in impatiently. After all, the Wen family didn't seem to care much about strict master-servant distinctions, and Li Yi had instructed him yesterday that once they were here, there was no need to observe so many rules—drawing too much attention to themselves would only cause trouble.

"Delicious! Delicious! Miss Wen, your culinary skills are truly peerless—better even than the imperial chefs," Xun Feng praised after just a few bites.

Li Yi's hand holding the chopsticks paused. Sure enough, he heard Wen Yao laughing from a distance, "So Big Brother Xun Feng has even tasted food cooked by imperial chefs."

Even a mere servant had eaten food prepared by imperial chefs? Wen Yao cast a measuring glance at the master and servant; their backgrounds were truly extraordinary.

It was a pity she had searched her memory of the plot extensively and couldn't find anyone named Li Yi or Li Fu, let alone a Xun Feng.

Where had things gone wrong, and where on earth had these three popped up from?

Wen Yao's question pulled Xun Feng out of his culinary bliss. Stealing a glance at his master's expression, he hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. "I just happened to try some once, riding on the coattails of my superiors. Some imperial chefs stay to work in large capital restaurants after retiring from the palace, so I've occasionally had a taste or two."

Wen Yao smiled faintly. "Is that so? As long as Big Brother Xun Feng enjoys it."

"Hehe, I love it, I love it." Xun Feng gave an awkward laugh and silently closed his mouth to focus on his noodles. If his hands hadn't been occupied, he would have loved to slap himself across the face; he had almost ruined a major plan for the Prince and the Young Master.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lu Jiang had the carriage ready to take everyone into town.

"Big Brother, I'm going too." Wen Yao handed the kitchen over to Madam Li and Madam Cai, and hurried over. Having been hastily summoned back yesterday, she hadn't yet had a chance to inspect the shop by the dock.

Wen Nong also had to go along with Wen Yao today, which meant the carriage probably wouldn't have enough room.

"Yaoyao, I'll drive the ox cart and take you. Let Big Brother and the others take Young Master Li in the carriage," Li Yi was a guest of the Wen family; it was out of the question to let a guest ride in an ox cart.

Li Yi frowned slightly, glancing between the carriage and the ox cart. Allowing a young lady to endure the elements in an ox cart ran completely contrary to the upbringing Li Yi had received for all these years.

"It's fine, Miss Wen can take the carriage. We'll just take the ox cart."