My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

In the late afternoon, Xuan Ge got hungry, but he was too young to talk, so he just put whatever food he saw into his mouth.

Unfortunately, Lianxiao Courtyard hadn't prepared any snacks today; there were only two pears on the table. Xuan-ge saw them and started clamoring to eat them.

Having no other choice, Su's mother cut it into small pieces and soaked it in hot water before giving it to Xuan Ge. Even so, he ate more than half of it before he was done.

Lu Ningshuang watched from the side without saying a word. This unusual behavior made Yunzhu glance at her several times.

Seeing the time, Lü Ningshuang urged Yunzhu to invite Song Chen'an, saying that Xuan-ge missed his father.

Yunzhu glanced at Xuan-ge, who had finished eating and drinking and started playing around again, and found it hard to believe that he would have such thoughts.

Something feels off, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

She stood outside Hengxi Courtyard for almost half an hour, until she was shivering from the cold, before she saw Song Chen'an striding towards her.

Yunzhu hurriedly stepped forward and carefully told him what Aunt Lü had instructed. After she finished speaking, she looked up at him with expectant eyes.

Besides expectation and pleading, there was also an undeniable emotion in his eyes.

Those were a pair of round, almond-shaped eyes, and when they stared straight at people, they exuded an innocent and romantic charm.

Following the eyes downwards, the lips, which are of suitable thickness, are slightly pale due to the cold, yet they are as fresh and tender as peach blossoms in spring.

A gust of wind came, and the strands of hair at her temples danced in the wind, making her look even more frail.

Song Chen'an saw himself reflected in her eyes, and a ripple of emotion stirred within him. He coughed lightly, shifting his gaze, "Let's go!"

Yunzhu then came to her senses, hurriedly took half a step back, and lowered her head in a panic, her long eyelashes trembling as if she had been frightened.

Song Chen'an wanted to say a few words to comfort her, but someone happened to be passing by nearby, so he had to give up.

The two arrived at Lianxiao Courtyard one after the other. Before even entering the house, they heard Xuan Ge crying and Lü Ning Shuang comforting him.

"What happened? Why is Xuan-ge crying?" Song Chen'an asked.

Aunt Lü looked up and said with a worried expression, "I don't know. She's been unhappy all day and keeps crying and making a fuss."

Her gaze swept over Yunzhu and she immediately noticed that the pink embroidered cloud-patterned jacket Yunzhu was wearing was newly made and made of a material she had never seen before.

Song Chen'an put his arm around Xuan Ge and asked in a low voice.

But Xuan Ge and Song Chen'an have never been close. Now that he was being questioned by Song Chen'an, Xuan Ge became even more timid and refused to speak.

"Where is the wet nurse? Why isn't she taking care of the child?" Song Chen'an asked.

Lu Ningshuang explained softly, "I'm cooking pears for Xuan-ge in the tea room."

"Didn't you say Brother Xuan was hungry?"

Boiled pears aren't a meal!

He glanced at the sky; there was still a little while before dinner was served, and he figured the food was almost ready. "Let's send someone to fetch dinner first."

Lu Ningshuang gave Yunzhu a wink, and in a flash, Yunzhu understood her meaning.

A short while later, Su's mother came into the house with a pear that had been cooked until it was soft and tender. After greeting him, she began to feed Xuan-ge.

Xuan Ge was clearly hungry; he clung to the bowl and finished the pear in just a few bites.

"How could you let the child starve like this?"

Lu Ningshuang gave a bitter smile, opened her mouth but didn't say anything.

Sometimes Xuan Ge would play in Rongxi Courtyard. Song Chen'an thought that his mother hadn't taken good care of him, so Lü Ning Shuang couldn't tell the truth and didn't press the matter. He secretly decided to talk to his mother about it.

He looked around and saw not a single crumb of pastry. He couldn't help but ask, "Aren't there any pastries in the house?"

Lu Ningshuang's smile became even more bitter, and she mumbled, "We've finished today's snacks."

Finished eating? There are three or four plates of snacks in his room every day, he can't possibly finish them all.

"Does your child eat so many snacks every day?"

He had never eaten at the same table as Xuan Ge, so he didn't know about the children's situation, but for some reason he felt that it was wrong to only eat snacks.

Lu Ningshuang looked at him with a puzzled expression, as if she didn't understand why he would ask this question. "There aren't many, only four pieces of mung bean cake, and they're not very big. Even if Xuan-ge finishes them, it won't be much."

Only four pieces of mung bean cake?

There aren't many, but why is there only mung bean cake? Doesn't the kitchen prepare three or four kinds of snacks every day?

He was thinking to himself, and was about to ask a question when he remembered that his third sister was in charge of the kitchen. It wouldn't be good to ask her in front of Lü Ningshuang. If his third sister was in charge of the kitchen, wouldn't that embarrass her?

I'll talk to my mother about it tomorrow!

After a while, it got dark, but Yunzhu still hadn't returned.

"Why did it take so long?" Song Chen'an was getting a little hungry from waiting.

Lu Ningshuang poured him another cup of hot tea and said softly, "He should be back soon. He usually comes back around this time."

Song Chen'an frowned slightly and looked at her suspiciously. She was much more obedient today, even her eyebrows and eyes had become gentle.

Under Song Chen'an's gaze, the docile Aunt Lü became even more composed, showing no sign of anxiety whatsoever. She simply kept refilling his teacup with water, eventually filling it halfway with tea. Song Chen'an felt that with the slightest movement, he could hear the gurgling of water coming from his stomach.

When it was completely dark, footsteps could be heard in the courtyard.

Yunzhu led two maids carrying food boxes into the house. From the shadows, she nodded to Aunt Lü and explained in a serious tone, "There's no other way. Rongxi Courtyard got theirs first, then Qingfeng Courtyard, and then we waited for Miss Biao's to be picked up before it came to us. It's been a bit long."

The two people in the room didn't say anything. This order wasn't wrong, after all, Aunt Lü's status was what it was.

Song Chen'an only asked about Xuan Ge's meals, and didn't say anything after hearing the reply, mainly because he didn't really know what such a young child should eat.

But when he saw the food on the table, he instantly lost his appetite.

None of the dishes were hot; even the grease on the meat dishes had solidified, lying white and sticky on the edge of the plates.

Song Chen'an frowned, his eyes scrutinizing each dish as if trying to find one he could eat.

Unfortunately, there are not many vegetables available in winter, and Lü Ningshuang always loves to eat meat, so the meals at Lianxiao Courtyard are mostly meat dishes.

Finally, he sighed and put down his chopsticks. "The food's all cold. How can anyone eat it?"

"Let's reheat the bamboo shoots before serving them," Lü Ningshuang said matter-of-factly.

Yunzhu responded, but didn't pick up the plate; she walked out empty-handed.

"Didn't I tell you to go heat up?" Song Chen'an asked.

Having come indoors from the cold wind, a flush gradually rose on Yunzhu's cheeks, making her look even more vibrant. She smiled before speaking, and upon closer inspection, she appeared to be much more beautiful than before.

"Second Master doesn't know, because the food is always lukewarm when it's served, Su Mama always heats it up before feeding the eldest young master. So the small stove in the tea room is the busiest right now, as they have to wait for the eldest young master's food to be heated up before they can heat up the concubine's."

After hearing what she said, Song Chen'an's brows, which had relaxed, furrowed again, and he stared at Yun Zhu's departing figure in deep thought.

Is the food at Lianxiao Academy always like this?

He knew that food would cool down quickly in winter, but he never expected it to get this cold; it was practically inedible.

If he eats like this here, what would happen if he didn't eat at Lianxiao Courtyard? The order of getting food would be delayed, and the food would be even colder by the time it arrived.

Song Chen'an touched the edge of the plate with his fingers and found it to be icy cold, without any warmth at all.

Is this kind of food suitable for children?

No wonder Xuan Ge cried from hunger; he must not be eating well either.