Chapter 77: Braised Beef Brisket in Honey Sauce, Stewed with Italian Manor’s Little Red Fruits atop Grain Beds

“All right, let’s go downstairs.” She withdrew her hand and turned to head downstairs.

As her hand left him, the light in Ci Mo’s eyes dimmed noticeably. If he had ears, they would likely be drooping in disappointment right now.

But suddenly, as if he remembered something, his eyes sparkled again. He tugged at Chao Xu’s sleeve excitedly. “I want to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“This afternoon, I can go to school with you!”

Chao Xu paused, feeling that this child must have gone stir-crazy being alone at home, to the point of conjuring up fantasies.

“Oh, is that so? That’s wonderful.”

She didn’t burst Ci Mo’s little bubble, but played along, taking his hand to go downstairs.

Downstairs, the butler was pacing anxiously, worried because she had retreated to her room without a word. Only when he saw Chao Xu leading Ci Mo down did he finally relax.

He noticed how attentive the young lady was to Ci Mo, and according to his investigations, this boy named Ci Mo seemed to be an orphan, with neither father nor mother.

It just so happened the young lady had been clamoring for a change of identity lately, and with the master and madam absent, finding someone who could wholly accept her wasn’t easy.

Ci Mo was inseparable from the young lady—perhaps he could be raised to become an ideal companion.

Unaware that the butler’s thoughts were focusing on Ci Mo, Chao Xu took her seat, heels clicking, and looked at the butler expectantly.

“Where’s the food?”

She’d been hungry for ages, but because of the sudden appearance of that mark, she’d held back from eating, nearly dying of frustration.

Hearing the young lady’s voice, the butler snapped out of his reverie and hurried to the kitchen, soon bringing out a dish: honey-glazed beef stew with Italian estate red berries over grains.

Honey-glazed beef stew with Italian estate red berries over grains?

What country’s cuisine was this?

The string of exotic names left Chao Xu a little bewildered. Then Aunt Wang from the kitchen brought out a steaming bowl of tomato stir-fried beef over rice, smiling as she said, “Miss, please eat.”

Looking down at the steaming rice bowl, Chao Xu silently scooped up a spoonful and tasted it.

Delicious.

And truly, the way wealthy families eat is ahead of its time.

Following the principle of not speaking while eating, Chao Xu quietly polished off the bowl—not tomato stir-fried beef over rice, but honey-glazed beef stew with Italian estate red berries over grains—leaving it spotless.

She finally looked up at the butler, obediently asking, “Is there any more?”

Though shocked at the young lady’s voracious appetite, the butler, like parents everywhere hoping their children would eat well, didn’t think much of it and went to fetch another bowl.

Chao Xu took it, thanked him, and continued mechanically eating.

One bowl.

Two bowls.

Three bowls.

…

When the plates had stacked into a mound before her, Chao Xu finally put down her dish, satisfied. “I’m full.”

The butler, who had been standing by, stared at the pile and began to wonder if there was something wrong with his methods of raising her.

He distinctly remembered never mistreating the young lady, never depriving her of food; so why was she eating today as if she’d been starved for days?

He paused, then decided to ignore Chao Xu’s appetite, going to the kitchen to bring out a plate of fruit to cleanse her palate.

After watching her finish the fruit, the butler finally spoke. “Young master, from today on, Master Ci will be going to school with you.”

Chao Xu, still munching on dragon fruit, paused, her eyes filled with confusion. “Isn’t he supposed to need qualifications? It’s only been a morning—has he finished all his classes already?”