Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Xu's mother gave him a sharp rap on the head: "Eating or telling jokes? You're always so loud and boisterous. You're not learning to be more composed from Xiao An. Carrot shreds are delicious and nutritious, eat more..."

Xu Ma picked up a large amount of shredded carrots with her chopsticks, but Nan Fei quickly snatched Luo An's bowl, took it, and put it back in front of Luo An: "Young master, carrots are very nutritious, good for the liver and eyes, good for the diaphragm, good for the intestines, good for the spleen, and good for malnutrition. They are known as 'little ginseng,' so eat more of them."

This chopstick strike was quite skillful; the shredded carrot completely covered a bowl of white rice, obscuring its surface.

Xu Ma glared at Nan Fei and handed him an empty bowl: "Young master, if you don't like it, just leave it here."

Nanfei reached out to stop Xu Ma: "It's alright, young master doesn't pick and choose his food, he eats everything. People who study medicine pay attention to a balanced diet, and don't pick and choose or eat strange foods. Look, he's eating just fine."

Luo An is serious about everything he does, even when he eats. He seems oblivious to the rice bowl coming and going.

Xu Ma angrily said, "Why aren't you eating? Are you picky or eating strange things? Steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail... why don't you just steam yourself?"

Nanfei said with a forced smile, "Aunt Xu, I'm just a medical apprentice, not a doctor. I don't care about these things... Besides, human flesh doesn't taste good; it's fishy, ​​sour, and astringent..."

Everyone except Luo An looked at Nan Fei. Tao Yao blurted out, "Nan Fei, have you ever eaten human flesh?"

Nanfei continued with a forced smile, "No, no, I was just guessing. Let's eat..."

Aunt Xu said to Luo An, "Xiao An, tell me what you like to eat. I dare not boast about anything else, but there aren't many people in the entire Wudong County who cook better than me. The food on your island definitely won't suit your taste, and you haven't gained any weight in the past few years. Girls look good when they're slender, but boys should be more robust."

Nanfei said, "Aunt Xu, you're absolutely right. The chefs on our island cook with shovels, just like feeding pigs. If it weren't for coming here with the young master every month to improve our meals, I would have died long ago."

Tao Yao rolled her eyes at him without any politeness: "Fragrant life gone by? You can only call it dust to dust, ashes to ashes."

Nanfei said, "What kind of taste do you have? I'm just as good-looking as you, young master. When we walk down the street, girls greet me but ignore you. Didn't you hear what the girls in Wudong County say about us? 'You are unparalleled in the world, and Nanfei is as beautiful as jade.'"

Tao Yao scoffed dismissively.

Nanfei said, "A good man doesn't argue with a woman. I understand you're jealous of my beauty. Aunt Xu, next time, no need for next time, I'll give you the menu later. My favorite is sunflower-shaped minced meat..."

Aunt Xu said, "Alright, I asked Xiao An, did I ask you?"

Nanfei said aggrievedly, "Aunt Xu, you're biased. You're kind and gentle to the young master, but fierce and menacing to me. I'm also thin and need to eat more to grow stronger."

Aunt Xu said, "I'm biased. When you learn to be as earnest and honest as him, then give me the menu. Look at Xiao An, he doesn't talk while eating or sleeping. Learn from him."

Nanfei said, "It would be strange if you were eloquent, young master."

Nanfei spoke without restraint, which Xu Ma found abrupt. She noticed that Luo An seemed unconcerned or perhaps hadn't heard her.

Luo An finished his bowl of rice, and Xu Ma reached out to take his bowl: "Young master, let me give you another bowl."

Luo An placed his hand on the bowl to cover it.

Nanfei said, "Xu Ma, don't force him. Dressing warmly enough and eating until you're seven-tenths full is the way to maintain good health. Young master, this pigeon soup is quite good, have a bowl and a piece of hibiscus cake."

Nanfei served Luo An a bowl of soup and placed a piece of hibiscus cake in front of him on a small plate. Luo An picked up the spoon and drank slowly.

It was only at times like this that Xu Ma realized Nanfei was both rough and thoughtful, and quite endearing. Her tone softened as she said, "Nanfei, you're with Xiao An every day, so you must know his preferences. Write down Xiao An's favorite soup recipes for me, and I'll make them for him and a few of your favorite dishes as well."

Nanfei said, "Young Master has no preferences. Whether it tastes good or not, it's all the same bowl, there's no difference. Xu Ma, you don't need to worry, we're both easy to take care of. Besides, Xu Ma's cooking skills are so good, she can even make tree bark taste like meat. What's there to be picky about between us?"

Xu Ma beamed with joy upon hearing this.

Nanfei poured himself a bowl of soup and chatted casually as he drank it: "Aren't Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang coming over for dinner today?"

Zhang Mingyue said, "My brother is getting married at the end of the month. There are so many things to do, like the traditional wedding ceremony and the formal marriage ceremony. Parents have been extremely busy lately. According to the custom of Nanyue, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) has to stay in the Hanlin Academy for one or two years before he can be transferred to a local post for training. Father plans to buy a house in Qinzhou and open a branch pharmacy, and bring my sister-in-law there to manage the pharmacy, so that the newlyweds won't have to live apart. They can also have a grandchild sooner. Parents are now just waiting to enjoy their grandchild and live out their old age in peace."

Nanfei said, "Uncle Zhang is truly farsighted; he's already thinking about grandchildren before even getting married. But just last month, I heard that the eldest young master's marriage was still undecided, and your parents were quite anxious. And now he's getting married all of a sudden? Whose daughter is so lucky?"

Zhang Mingyue said, "It's Jiang Qingfeng, the county magistrate's daughter. The matchmaker came to our door as soon as the news of my brother's success in the imperial examination arrived. Wudong County is a small border county, and it's rare for one person to become an official in the capital every few years. My father said it must be because Brother Luo has been doing free medical consultations these past few years, which has helped our family accumulate good karma. We must thank Brother Luo properly."

Luo An looked up at Nan Fei. Nan Fei quickly said, "Young Master, you dare not take credit. It's all thanks to the Zhang family's kind hearts and the good deeds they've accumulated over the years. If Zhongjing Hall hadn't been so well-known, Young Master wouldn't have come to Wudong County to cooperate with you in opening a free clinic. At the time, we also inquired and investigated around before choosing Zhongjing Hall and then Wudong County."

Xu Ma listened with a smile, then interjected, "Master is anxious about the eldest young master's marriage because the tradition in Wudong County is that the elder brother does not marry and the younger sister does not marry. The eldest young master's marriage is already settled, and if the second young lady also gets married, then the Zhang family will have double happiness this year."

Nanfei suddenly realized. With the Zhang family's reputation in Wudong County and Zhang Mingzhi's character and talent, he could basically choose any girl in Wudong County he wanted. Why would Master Zhang be in such a hurry for his marriage? Nanfei had initially thought Zhang Mingzhi had some hidden illness.

It turned out that Master Zhang was anxious because his elder brother's marriage was still undecided, and he couldn't openly bring up the matter with Luo An. Previously, Master Zhang was in charge of the pharmacy, with Zhang Mingyue assisting him. After spending several years with Luo An, Zhang Mingyue had grown quite fond of him.

Master Zhang has been in business for many years and has a keen eye for people. Luo Qing is always aloof, and it's hard to tell if he's interested in Zhang Mingyue. This matter is probably going to be difficult. The reason the two of them didn't come today is that they wanted Xu Ma to sound them out first.

The word "What a pity" was about to come out of his mouth but he swallowed it back, and Nanfei's face was twitching from holding it in.

Tao Yao asked, "Nan Fei, what are you doing?"

Everyone at the table looked at Nanfei, as if Nanfei were Luo An's parents.

A quiet wait ensued, but Nanfei ignored it, putting down his spoon: "I'm going out for a stroll with the young master later. Second Miss, you should get some rest; don't leave the door open for us."

"Was that just strolling around?" Tao Yao snorted, but Nan Fei pretended not to hear.

It was customary for Nanfei and Luo An to go out for a stroll in the evenings. Nanfei had become quite the womanizer in Wudong County over the past few years. They were both young men, and Chongming Island wasn't as lively as the county town. Zhang Mingyue understood perfectly.

They could return by climbing over walls and through windows without leaving the door open. Wudong County had excellent public security, and Zhang Mingyue felt that if they were bandits, the Zhang family would probably be completely robbed.

Normally Zhang Mingyue would nod and say yes, but today she seemed to be bewitched and blurted out, "I'll go with you, and Taoyao will go too."