Chapter 158 - 150: The Tugua is Poisonous

Chapter 158: Chapter 150: The Tugua is Poisonous

But those figures were like ethereal, wispy souls. He couldn’t catch them, couldn’t chase them down. He couldn’t even tell if they were men or women, let alone get any of them to answer him.

Each time, he would wake up drenched in sweat from exhaustion, and once awake, he could never fall back asleep.

He walked out of his room and saw that breakfast was already on the table: freshly made white congee, boiled eggs, stir-fried sour and spicy potato shreds, and a cold-dressed black fungus salad.

He had never had the two side dishes before, and he knew at a glance they were made by Bai Zhi.

"Where’s Zhi?" he asked Hu Changlin.

Hu Changlin pointed outside and said with a smile, "Lord Meng is here. She just went out to greet him."

He walked to the doorway and looked out. Sure enough, he saw Meng Nan and the Jin guard standing outside the wicker fence. Behind them were two parked horse carriages.

’Two horse carriages?’

He curled his lip. ’This girl, looks like she pulled it off!’ He turned and walked towards the backyard, calling instructions to Hu Changlin as he went, "I’m going to wash my face. If Meng Nan comes in, remember to come get me."

"Lord Meng, it looks like your face is healing well. Congratulations." Bai Zhi saw that the wounds on his face had all scabbed over. Although he still looked a bit unsightly, she knew the scabs would fall off soon and he would look much better.

Meng Nan pointed to his face. "Although it doesn’t hurt or itch anymore, and it’s stopped festering, will my face be left with scars?"

Bai Zhi shook her head. "After the scabs fall off, you’ll have some faint red marks, but don’t worry. They’ll fade on their own soon enough. You won’t have any scars."

It was fortunate that he had met her before the wounds could worsen; otherwise, it was hard to say if he would have been scarred.

Hearing Bai Zhi say he wouldn’t be scarred, Meng Nan was finally relieved. He peeked inside the house and asked, "Have you all eaten breakfast yet?"

Bai Zhi shook her head. "Not yet."

Meng Nan’s face lit up. "Perfect! I haven’t eaten either. Why don’t we eat together?"

Although it was a question, he didn’t wait for Bai Zhi’s answer and walked into the courtyard himself. The Jin guard hurried to follow, afraid that if he were a step too slow, the delicious food inside wouldn’t wait for him.

Bai Zhi followed behind them, a look of resignation on her face. "We didn’t make anything special for breakfast. It’s just congee and a few side dishes."

Ever since he had eaten Bai Zhi’s cooking last time, Meng Nan hadn’t had an appetite for anything at the government office these past two days. He had been hoping to come back and freeload another meal; otherwise, there would have been no need for him to personally deliver the horse carriages today.

Meng Nan entered the house just as Hu Feng was coming in from the backyard. The two locked eyes and, without a word, dashed towards the table at lightning speed.

There were two bowls of congee on the table. Each of them snatched one. The poor Jin guard was a step too slow and could only stare, waiting for Uncle Hu to fetch another bowl.

Hu Feng looked displeased. "Doesn’t the government office provide meals?"

Meng Nan chuckled. "Now that I’m here, it wouldn’t be right to leave on an empty stomach."

Hu Feng picked up some of the sour and spicy potato shreds with his chopsticks and put them in his bowl. The tangy, refreshing flavor was incredibly appetizing. The congee was cooked perfectly as well—fragrant and glutinous, with a faint, clean sweetness. It was leagues better than any congee he had ever had before.

After tasting a bite of the potato shreds, Meng Nan quickly asked Bai Zhi, "What is this dish? I don’t think I’ve ever had it before."

Bai Zhi smiled and pointed to a basket of potatoes in the corner of the room. "There. It’s made from those."

"Potatoes? But... aren’t these potatoes?" Meng Nan looked astonished.

The moment the Jin guard heard the word "potatoes," he hurriedly grabbed Meng Nan’s hand. "My lord, I’ve heard that potatoes are poisonous. You can’t eat this."