Chapter 268: My Lord, Lie With Me a While
Though he spoke that way, Gong Moran still changed into a clean white robe and personally went to the small kitchen.
Dawn had just begun to break. The maids and old women in charge of the kitchen were always up earliest; two of them were already by the stove, tending the fire.
The two were yawning and chatting when a cool male voice suddenly came from behind them.
“Where is the flour?”
They spun around at once. When they saw the white-robed, immortal-like man standing behind them, they dropped to their knees with a thud, crying out in alarm, “My lord!”
Gong Moran didn’t even glance at them. He walked straight to the chopping board and repeated calmly, “Where is the flour? Bring it to me.”
Still shaken, the two old women scrambled about and finally carried over an entire sack of flour.
“Which one is the wooden basin for kneading dough?”
They hurriedly handed it over. Without needing further instructions, they also set out all the cooking tools beside him.
Gong Moran rolled up his sleeves and began kneading the dough himself.
The two old women exchanged a look, each seeing utter disbelief on the other’s face.
Wait… they weren’t dreaming, were they?
Was this really the National Preceptor?
They blinked hard to make sure their eyes weren’t failing them. It really was him!
Not only had the National Preceptor—who never set foot in such a place—come to the kitchen, he was even making food with his own hands?
Heaven above!
“M-My lord, this kind of rough work should be left to this old servant,” one of them said in terror.
Gong Moran merely instructed, “Go boil a pot of water for noodles.”
“Y-Yes! Right away!” The two women, still dazed, shoved at each other and hurried back to the stove.
After kneading the dough, Gong Moran began rolling it out. Once it formed a sheet, he rolled it up and used a knife to cut it into strips.
His movements were a little stiff at first, but they gradually grew more practiced.
When the knife-cut noodles were nearly done cooking, he cracked two eggs into the pot, making poached eggs.
“Are there any vegetables? Bring some over.”
At this, the women immediately presented all the vegetables in the kitchen—carrots, cabbage, greens, potatoes, everything.
Gong Moran’s gaze skipped over the carrots. He reached out and took a handful of leafy greens.
He quickly picked and washed them, tossed them into the pot, and let them simmer briefly.
Just as he was about to ladle the noodles out, one of the women timidly reminded him, “My lord, you haven’t added… salt.”
As she spoke, she held up the salt jar.
Gong Moran paused, lips pressed together, then said lightly, “You add it. Duoduo prefers stronger flavors—make it a bit salty.”
After thinking it over, he immediately corrected himself.
“Forget it. Keep it lighter. Morning meals should be mild; don’t indulge her.”
The woman, trembling, scooped up some salt, her hand shaking badly.
Strong, then light—she was terrified of messing it up.
This time, Gong Moran tasted the broth first. After he said it was still a bit bland, the woman added another small half-spoon, not daring to put more.
Once the seasoning was right, Gong Moran filled a large bowl with noodles and sprinkled some chopped scallions on top.
At last, the white-robed man carried the bowl away. Behind him, the two women’s legs went weak and they slumped to the floor, nearly frightened out of their wits.
Sleeping like a pig, Nan Xun caught the rich aroma of noodles. Her nose twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes.
The scent was coming from the outer hall. Without hesitation, she slipped on her shoes, wrapped in her blanket, and shuffled over.
Gong Moran had just set the big bowl of noodles on the table when he saw a little head peek out. Guessing she’d been lured by the smell, he beckoned to her.
“Duoduo, come eat.”
Nan Xun stared at him wide-eyed.
Damn. She’d only mumbled it half-asleep—he really went and cooked noodles for her?
Her steps were unsteady as she walked over. She stared at the big bowl of knife-cut noodles, then looked up at Gong Moran beside her, her eyes shining.
“Why aren’t you eating? Didn’t you say you were hungry?” He rubbed her head and smoothed her slightly messy hair.
Nan Xun stuck her bare arms out from under the blanket.
“Thank you, my lord!” she said happily, holding the bowl and slurping away. “So good! This is the best noodles I’ve ever eaten in my life!”
“My lord, aren’t you hungry? Eat with me.” She lifted a strand of noodles to his lips, smiling brightly.
Gong Moran hesitated, then opened his mouth and ate it.
“Eat, Duoduo. I’m not hungry.”
“But there’s too much—I can’t finish it alone. Just eat with me,” Nan Xun insisted.
Gong Moran raised an eyebrow, clearly doubtful.
For a little glutton like her, how could this possibly be too much?
Still, she was so persistent that the bowl ended up being eaten with Nan Xun taking five bites for every one she fed to the big boss.
Only Nan Xun could make eating noodles this cloyingly sweet without worrying about sour teeth.
“Still sleepy? Want to lie down for a bit?” Gong Moran asked.
Nan Xun nodded quickly, looped her arm through his, and said with a grin, “My lord, can you lie with me for a while?”
Without waiting for an answer, she tugged him toward the big bed in the inner hall.
Wrapped in her “blanket coat” and dragging the big boss along, Nan Xun tripped over the trailing bedding halfway.
Gong Moran caught her by the waist and lifted her up like a child, then carried her onto the bed.
He placed her on the inner side and lay down on the outer side, still fully clothed.
The moment he lay down, a smooth jade arm slid around his neck, and a bare leg draped over his waist.
He turned his head—her eyes were closed, her expression utterly innocent, as if she hadn’t just wrapped herself around him.
“Duoduo, pull your arm and leg back. You’ll catch a chill,” Gong Moran said, patting the arm around his neck.
Nan Xun opened her eyes, answered obediently with an “oh,” and withdrew her limbs back under the “blanket coat.”
Her compliance actually surprised him.
But obedience was a lie.
The next moment, she secretly loosened the blanket around herself, then suddenly flipped over. The arm gripping the outer edge swept through a wide arc, sending the bedding flying before it settled back down.
By then, Nan Xun was already on top of Gong Moran, and the falling blanket wrapped both of them together—
Tightly sealed, without a single gap.
