The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Chapter 580: Chapter 583: Crying from the Spice

Li Xun’s followers saw him staring in that direction and immediately helped introduce the people involved.

"The one doing the cursing is Bao Hong. His grandfather is Duke En, and the current Empress Dowager is his great-aunt.

The one being cursed at is Ke Lang. I heard his father used to be a butcher.

During the civil unrest that broke out over twenty years ago, his father answered the call to enlist. He claimed many enemy heads and was unconventionally granted the title of General Taining."

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, "General" was just an honorary title. Real power depended on their specific official post.

But regardless of Ke Lang’s father’s official post, he couldn’t surpass Duke En.

It was no wonder Ke Lang could only take the scolding without daring to talk back.

Li Xun wasn’t concerned with their family situations.

The reason he was watching the two of them was that he recognized Ke Lang—

Ke Lang was the classmate who sat to his left and helped him with his homework every day.

The mealtime was approaching, and the teachers would be arriving soon. Bao Hong finally stopped his tirade, but not before throwing a parting threat at Ke Lang.

"Meet me in the bamboo forest after class. If you dare not to show up, just you watch how I’ll deal with you!"

Seeing Ke Lang in a pathetic state, trembling and pale with fear, Bao Hong turned and left smugly.

And just like that, the farce came to an end.

During the afternoon class, Li Xun glanced over at Ke Lang, who was sitting to his left, a couple more times.

Normally, Ke Lang would have quickly noticed Li Xun’s gaze. But right now, his mind was completely consumed with what would happen after class. He was restless and on edge, not even hearing what the teacher was saying, let alone noticing anyone looking at him.

Ke Lang was the most diligent and hardworking student in the class. With his excellent grades, he was usually well-liked by the teachers.

The teachers loved to call on him to answer questions, whether there was a reason or not.

Today was no exception.

However, after Ke Lang stood up, he couldn’t answer with a single word.

Although the teacher didn’t reprimand him, his eyes revealed a deep disappointment.

"You may sit down."

Then he continued with the lesson.

Ke Lang buried his head deeply, so ashamed he wished he could disappear.

When class was over, Li Xun’s followers trotted over to him.

"Boss, let’s go!"

Li Xun stood up. As he reached the classroom door, he glanced back at Ke Lang and saw him still dawdling while packing his things. It looked like he was trying to delay the inevitable confrontation with Bao Hong.

"Boss, where are we going to have fun today?"

Li Xun’s mind was on the dinner his mother had personally prepared. He didn’t want to go anywhere; he just wanted to get home quickly.

But recalling what happened in the dining hall at noon, he replied.

"Let’s go to the bamboo forest first."

Scholars and poets have always loved bamboo. As the highest institution of learning in the Great Zhou, the Imperial College was no exception. There was a dense, lush bamboo forest near the college.

As underachievers, his followers naturally couldn’t appreciate the profound meaning of bamboo.

But since their boss had spoken, they naturally had to follow.

The group swaggered into the bamboo forest.

In the bamboo forest, they saw Bao Hong standing with his arms crossed.

A few others were standing behind Bao Hong, likely his classmates.

They had been discussing how to bully Ke Lang when he arrived, only to see Li Xun show up with his own group.

The two groups rarely interacted. Suddenly running into each other here, Bao Hong and his friends were all quite surprised.

"What are you guys doing here?"

The other boy was a head taller than him, but Li Xun wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. He pointed at the ground beneath his feet.

"This bamboo forest belongs to us today. You bunch of loiterers, do us a favor and get lost!"

Bao Hong said indignantly, "On what grounds?!"

Li Xun grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"On the grounds that my fists are harder than yours."

Although Bao Hong knew the other boy had a powerful father, he couldn’t swallow this insult and refused to back down.

Li Xun was in a hurry to get home for dinner and had no time to waste words with this guy. He immediately took a fighting stance.

"Come on. Let’s have a fight. Whoever wins gets to stay. The loser gets lost."

Seeing this, Bao Hong actually calmed down.

He was five or six years older than his opponent. In both height and strength, he far surpassed him.

’If it’s a one-on-one duel, I’m guaranteed to win!’

Bao Hong said, "If you lose, don’t go crying to your dad."

Li Xun smiled. "Alright."

His followers behind him started cheering.

"Go, Boss! Boss will definitely win!"

The few classmates who came with Bao Hong tried to dissuade him in low voices.

"Maybe you should just let it go. If you really hurt him, can you bear the responsibility when the Regent King comes looking into it?"

Bao Hong refused to listen, saying smugly.

"So many people are watching. He’s the one who insisted on provoking me. What’s it got to do with me?

Don’t be so nervous. I’ll be careful when I make my move. I won’t injure him seriously."

He took off his outer robe, shoved it into the hands of his Attendant Student, and strode forward.

"Bring it on!"

...

「In the Regent Prince Mansion.」

Hua Manman was in the kitchen, slicing meat.

With swift movements of her knife, she cut the pork into thin slices.

Her actions were extremely deft.

Feihua Zhenren squatted at the kitchen entrance, his hands tucked in his sleeves, staring at Hua Manman without blinking.

He watched her place the sliced meat into a large bowl, mix in seasonings to marinate, and then heat oil over a high flame to flash-fry ginger and garlic.

She poured in broad bean paste, stir-frying it until a brilliant red oil emerged.

The spicy fragrance diffused through the air.

Feihua Zhenren couldn’t help but twitch his nose.

’This aroma... it’s so nostalgic!’

Once the pork slices were cooked, she layered blanched bean sprouts and cabbage at the bottom of a bowl, poured the pork and broth over them, sprinkled on chopped scallions and chili powder, and then drizzled piping hot oil on top.

SIZZLE!

The aroma of the scallions and chili was instantly and completely released, becoming even richer and more enticing.

Feihua Zhenren swallowed hard.

Hua Manman handed him a pair of clean chopsticks.

"Zhenren, would you like to taste this for me? See if it’s seasoned right?"

With such a delicacy before him, how could he possibly refuse?

Feihua Zhenren quickly took the chopsticks, leaned in, and tasted a slice of pork.

The thin slice of pork, coated in a thickened sauce, was incredibly tender. The yellow wine had removed any gamey taste, leaving a texture that was smooth yet had a satisfying bite. The fragrance of the chili was the perfect finishing touch, wildly stimulating his taste buds.

But what shocked Feihua Zhenren the most was the sense of familiarity that came with the first bite.

He had only ever tasted this flavor in the dishes cooked by the Princess Consort.

He had thought he would never be able to taste this flavor again in his lifetime.

But he never expected to taste it again today.

His eyes couldn’t help but turn red, as if he wanted to both cry and laugh.

Hua Manman was taken aback and quickly said, "Is it too spicy? Quick, drink some water."

She had someone pour a cup of cool water for Feihua Zhenren.

She’d seen how happily he ate the pickled chicken feet with peppers this morning and thought he had a high tolerance for spice.

She never imagined that a single slice of the spicy boiled pork could make him cry from the heat.

Feihua Zhenren took the cup and drank the water in one gulp.

He took a deep breath and asked Hua Manman in a hoarse voice.

"Pardon my forwardness, but from whom did you learn to cook like this?"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!