A crown princess who doesn't do infrastructure construction isn't a good doctor.

Lu Xi slowly lifted the lid of the food box, and then slowly lifted out the long-awaited dishes, while playing music to accompany her actions.

"Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da~"

"Ta-da, ta-da, ta-da~"

Du Ruo, who followed behind Qin Suiyou, couldn't help but say, "This is for the wedding."

"Tsk."

When Lu Xi's minor mistake was exposed, she clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction and said to Du Ruo, "If you don't tell me, I won't tell you either."

He then gestured to Qin Suiyou.

"He didn't say anything, and no one present could spot the problem."

The five girls present: We all heard it.

Once the dish is fully revealed, well... actually, it looks quite ordinary.

It was just a simple stir-fried cured pork dish, and the group wasn't disappointed. After all, Qin Suiyou had condescended to cook for them, and they were grateful even if it was just boiled cabbage.

Lu Xi's previous mysterious demeanor made them feel that things were not so simple.

Lan Ya, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot something fishy.

"Zhengjun, what's this with the cured meat?"

"The root of houttuynia cordata".

Lu Xi added, "It's houttuynia cordata, a really good thing. It clears heat and reduces inflammation. Few people in Beiqian know about it, but it's an indispensable part of the Nanchi people's meals. I found some on the mountain behind the Prince's Mansion yesterday. I'm bringing it to you to try today. How about it? Am I good?"

Upon hearing that it was beneficial, the group assumed it was some rare and healthy wild vegetable and showered Lu Xi with compliments.

Lan Ya, however, kept thinking about the name "fish mint" in her mind. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember it for a moment, so she had to give up.

Several maids were busy today, so the servants didn't get to "enjoy" this extra meal. Liu Yao was even assigned to help get food for the girls, but he did it without the slightest complaint.

After exchanging a few words in the small dining room, he brought out the food and placed it not far from Luo Xian.

Today, the servants and maids each had their own tasks, so they ate separately. Seeing Liu Yao helping them get their food, Luo Xian asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Upon seeing Luo Xian, Liu Yao couldn't help but smile, but remembering Du Heng's teachings and the need to appear more mature and reliable, he managed to restrain himself somewhat.

"Yes, I've already eaten."

Lan Ya was sitting next to Luo Xian. She immediately noticed that Liu Yao's ears were still bright red no matter how hard he tried to control them, so she teased, "We've worked together for so long, how come you still stutter whenever you're around Sister Luo Xian?"

Upon hearing this, the redness on Liu Yao's ears gradually spread to his cheeks, but because of his dark skin, it wasn't very noticeable in a short time.

"I just……"

"Just what?"

Luo Xian turned to Lan Ya helplessly and said, "Why do you keep teasing him?"

Lan Ya smiled and glanced elsewhere, not answering Luo Xian's question.

"I really can't do anything with you."

After speaking with Lan Ya, Luo Xian asked Liu Yao, "You've worked hard getting our food. Sit down and have some with us."

At this moment, Lan Ya chimed in, "Yes, let's eat some more. Zheng Jun personally gave us extra food. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Although Qin Suiyou did not object, Liu Yao was still a little embarrassed. She blushed and politely declined before leaving.

Then the others helped take the dishes out of the two food boxes. Apart from the stir-fried cured pork with houttuynia cordata, the dishes were all fairly standard, but they all looked very appealing.

After Qin Suiyou, Lu Xi, and Du Ruo were all seated, Qin Suiyou said, "Let's start eating."

Lu Xi, who is usually the most enthusiastic eater, didn't rush to eat. She rested her chin on one hand on the table and pointed to today's main dish with the other hand, saying, "Quick, quick, everyone try this first."

None of the girls refused; they were also curious about the taste of the dish.

As everyone picked up a piece of food and put it in their bowls, the expectation in Lu Xi's eyes became more and more obvious. The girls noticed it, but trusting Qin Suiyou, they didn't think too much about it.

As the food entered her mouth, Lu Xi slowly covered her mouth.

"Well!"

"hiss……"

"This……"

The unanimous rejection made Lu Xi burst into laughter, and she even covered her mouth with her hand to preserve a little bit of her image.

After all, it is the root of houttuynia cordata. As its name suggests, it has a special fishy smell. Those who can accept it can eat it raw in a cold salad without any guilt. Those who cannot accept it may vomit on the spot. It is even more polarizing than cilantro at this time.

Seeing that some of them were reacting quite strongly, Qin Suiyou said, "If you can't eat it, just throw it up. Everyone has different tastes, so I won't force you. Actually, I've already prepared other food. You can just go to the kitchen to get it after you finish your meal."

At first, they didn't feel anything, but once they chewed, the fishy smell burst out and hit them right in the head. But none of them actually spat it out. They thought that Qin Suiyou had worked hard to make it and didn't want to waste it, so they swallowed it whole with rice.

However, among them, one person's reaction was unusually calm. At first glance, it was Jinzhu, who was usually the quietest of the maids.

Zhu Yi was the one who reacted the most. She was quite surprised to see Jin Zhu calmly and slowly putting houttuynia cordata into her mouth.

"Sister Jinzhu, you're amazing!"

Jinzhu calmly put down her chopsticks and said, "My mother is from Nanchi."

Everyone still remembered what Lu Xi had said earlier about how houttuynia cordata was an indispensable part of the Nan Chi people's meals. Although they couldn't quite understand it now, they understood why Jin Zhu could eat it so calmly.

"It turns out it's a genetic inheritance."

Of course, this wasn't something Zhu Yi and the others said; it was something Lu Xi blurted out without thinking. Zhu Yi then asked, "What is a hereditary gene?"

"Um...well..."

"eat first."

Qin Suiyou temporarily changed the subject, saying, "There's still so much food left. If you can't finish the houttuynia cordata, you can eat something else. I didn't make a large portion, so take as much as you can eat and finish it off."

"Yes, yes, eat quickly. It's my fault for being playful. I asked them to make this dish, so I'm sorry for sacrificing your taste buds."

Seeing Lu Xi apologize to them, the girls waved their hands to indicate that it was no need.

"Actually, it's not so hard to accept after you eat it a few times. After eating a lot, it even gives you a strange feeling. What about you guys?"

Lan Ya was the one who accepted houttuynia cordata the most, besides Jin Zhu. When she tasted it, she remembered the name of houttuynia cordata that she had heard when she was a child helping her father sort medicinal herbs. However, there was not much houttuynia cordata in her hometown village, and it was only used for medicinal purposes, so her impression of it was very faint.

Then, unexpectedly, the gentle Luo Xian said, "That's true. It's not suitable for savoring too much, but when mixed with rice grains, it tastes very appetizing."

Liu Jia, whose tastes are usually stronger than the other girls, said that after getting through the initial difficulty of eating it, she accepted it well. In the end, only Zhu Yi couldn't get used to the fishy smell and didn't touch the cured meat with her chopsticks again.

Unexpectedly, only one person couldn't finish the houttuynia cordata. Lu Xi, who had just apologized to the girls, began to secretly express her regret.

After finishing their meal, Qin Suiyou returned to his room, and the others followed Du Ruo to fetch the real extra meal.

"Wow! Sister Du Ruo, what's this? It's so cute!"

Du Ruo lifted the lid of the ice box, revealing something crystal clear and brightly colored inside. Its stunning appearance melted the hearts of several beauty-loving girls.

"These are milk puddings. The young master cleverly made them into these shapes. Please choose whichever you like."

Lan Ya was eager to try but hesitated to reach out, asking, "Is this really for us?"

Du Ruo nodded and said, "Of course, why would I lie to you? Take it quickly, this pudding is chilled, eat it early, it's not good to sleep if you eat it too late."

Then, each of them orderly chose a pudding.

"Oh my god, it's so soft and fluffy, and it's even swaying with me!"

Lan Ya picked up a white, three-dimensional cat-shaped pudding. The pudding was quite tall, and it bounced around with her movements, which really touched the hearts of girls.

"This flower is so exquisitely made; it's even semi-transparent. There must be peach petals inside. How did you manage to do that, Masashi?"

Luo Xian picked up a peach blossom-shaped one, half of which was milky white and the other half was a translucent pink mixed with peach blossoms. Its appearance was also top-notch.

Then Liu Jia, Zhu Yi, and Jin Zhu each took a light red rose, a pale yellow fish, and a black three-dimensional dog.

"What does this black stuff smell like?"

Lan Ya had already taken her own but couldn't bear to eat it; it was just too good for her to take. However, she was a little envious of the black but adorable puppy in Jin Zhu's hand.

Lan Ya was asking Du Ruo, since Jin Zhu hadn't eaten yet, but she felt that Du Ruo, who was with Zheng Jun, should know.

Du Ruo laughed and said, "It smells like medicine. Let's see who can get it."

"what!"

Lan Ya was terrified, but Jin Zhu didn't react much.

"Just kidding, it's chocolate flavored."

What does chocolate taste like?

"Why don't you ask Jinzhu if she'd like to give you some to try?"