NOVPUBA group of people passed through a serene corridor and arrived inside a magnificent hall, where a beautifully set table was already filled with various delicious dishes.
In Daxia, the practice of separate dining was actually popular.
Usually, at banquets, each person would have a small table and a portion of food for themselves.
Only during family gatherings would they eat together at the same table.
Li Nuo only had to smell these dishes to feel familiar.
The fragrance of the meals in King Chun Mansion was identical to that of Li Mansion.
Soon, Li Nuo realized that the chefs from Li Mansion were very likely gifts from King Chun.
To be precise, there was hardly anything in Li Mansion that wasn’t a gift from King Chun.
Li Anning took a deep inhale of the aroma and said to King Chun, "Elder brother, with so many good chefs at your place, give me one, will you..."
King Chun was actually reluctant to part with any. Although there were many chefs in the King Mansion, none were spare, each chef had their own specialty.
They were proficient in different areas: some in desserts, some in hot dishes, others in cold plates, some specialized in southern cuisine, some in northern cuisine—missing one, and it wouldn’t be perfect...
But today, Anning had spoken up for Nuo in the grand hall, so King Chun found it difficult to refuse. After heavy mental deliberation, he finally said, "Alright, alright, but let’s agree beforehand, I can only give you one, okay?"
Having one was already very satisfying for Li Anning, who quickly nodded and agreed, "Good!"
Li Nuo glanced at King Chun but didn’t say a word.
If he remembered correctly, the chefs from Li Mansion, who came from Foodie backgrounds, seemed to number three or four; some specialized in hot dishes, some in cold dishes, and others in desserts...
In the midst of their conversation, a young nobleman entered the hall from outside.
Upon seeing the scene inside, he was slightly startled.
The young man turned to run but it was already too late.
King Chun kicked him and said annoyedly, "What are you staring at? Call the others!"
With a bitter face, the young man bowed to Li Anning and said softly, "Li Yun pays respects to Aunt Anning."
Li Nuo, watching Li Anning, suddenly realized a problem.
King Chun and his father were of the same generation, Li Anning being King Chun’s sister means she was also of that generation; he called King Chun uncle, so should he also call Li Anning aunt?
No, no, no, he wasn’t of the Royal family, better to keep to each their own.
After the young man had given his respects to Li Anning, King Chun pointed to Li Nuo and Song Jiaren, introducing them, "This is your Uncle Li’s son, and this is his wife. You’ve met when you were young, but now you might not recognize them..."
The young man was taken aback, but after coming to his senses, he immediately said to Li Nuo and Song Jiaren, "Brother, sister-in-law, nice to meet you."
Li Nuo also greeted him with clasped fists, "Brother, good day."
The person before him was clearly King Chun’s son; out of propriety, he should have called him Princely Heir.
But since he had already addressed him that way, he had to switch to a corresponding term.
King Chun looked at the table full of food and said, "Let’s all sit down, talk while we eat, or the hot dishes will get cold and won’t taste good."
This was a long table, with King Chun seated at the head, Li Anning familiarly taking the first seat to his right, while the young man was about to sit at King Chun’s left when he received a stern glance.
"You little brat, what’s with that clueless look? Go sit next to your Aunt Anning."
The young man also realized something, with his half-seated self rising again and obediently taking a spot in the corner on the other side of the long table.
King Chun pulled Li Nuo to sit beside him while Song Jiaren naturally sat next to Li Nuo.
Li Nuo gave the young man across a look of apology, to which the latter responded with a smile, obviously taking no offense.
King Chun picked up his chopsticks with a smile, saying, "We’re all family here, so no need to hold back, let’s eat, let’s eat..."
He led by picking up some food, and Li Nuo and the rest followed suit.
Something occurred to Li Anning, who asked out of curiosity, "By the way, elder brother, what exactly did you say to Marquis Yunyang in the grand hall, why did he suddenly drop the complaint?"
King Chun smiled and said, "Nothing much, I just told him, if anything happened to my nephew Li Nuo, I would wipe out his entire family..."
Li Nuo, who hadn’t yet swallowed a mouthful of fruit wine, nearly sprayed it out.
He had never expected King Chun to say something as dreadful as wiping out someone’s family with such a kind face.
Truly worthy of being his father’s friend...
Li Anning glanced at King Chun and coughed lightly.
King Chun sheepishly smiled and said, "I forgot you practice Legalism, Anning. I was just scaring him, at most I’d kill him alone, I won’t really wipe out his family..."
Mealtime at King Chun Mansion was very lively.
It was a stark contrast to the Li Family.
When Li Nuo and his father ate, both of them would be silent.
If his wife was also there, then it would be three people not speaking.
But at King Chun Mansion, one needn’t worry about the atmosphere turning cold.
King Chun offered Li Nuo a piece of fish with the public chopsticks, saying, "Try this, this is a new dish developed by the chefs of the King Mansion, it tastes very good. I had wanted your father to try it as well, but he’s busy with official duties, so I had to have someone prepare it and send it over..."
A dish that King Chun specially mentioned was indeed extraordinary.
The taste of this fish was extremely delicious, making it the best fish Li Nuo had ever eaten in his two lifetimes. Li Nuo also picked a piece for his wife beside him.
Seeing the harmonious appearance of the couple, King Chun’s smile grew even wider.
The meal at King Chun Mansion was eaten in great joy.
Li Anning talked a lot, and King Chun was also not short on words.
Li Nuo was the type to respond in kind; with those who preferred silence, he could be even more silent than them.
