Chapter Seventy-Seven: Braised Beef Brisket in Honey Sauce with Italian Manor Petite Red Berries Over Grains

“All right, let’s go downstairs.”

Chao Xu withdrew her hand and turned to head down the stairs.

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

But as if recalling something, the spark in his eyes reignited. He grabbed the corner of Chao Xu’s clothes, his voice brimming with excitement, “I want to tell you something!”

“What is it?”

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

There was a pause. Chao Xu considered that this child must have been cooped up at home for too long, so much so that even his daydreams were running wild.

“Oh, really? That’s great,” she replied, not exposing Ci Mo’s little fantasy. She went along with it, taking his hand and leading him downstairs.

Downstairs, the butler was anxiously pacing, worried because she had returned to her room without a word.

Seeing Chao Xu escorting Ci Mo down the stairs, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He noticed how attentive the young lady was toward Ci Mo. According to his research, this boy named Ci Mo seemed to have no parents—an orphan.

Coincidentally, the young lady had been talking about changing her identity, and with the master and madam absent, finding someone who could wholeheartedly accept her wasn’t easy.

Ci Mo was already so attached to her; perhaps, in time, he might even become part of the family.

Unaware that the butler had already set his sights on Ci Mo, Chao Xu sat down with a lively tap of her feet, looking expectantly at the butler.

“Where’s the food?”

She had been hungry for a while, but because of that sudden mark that appeared, she’d suppressed her appetite. She was nearly at her limit.

Hearing her call, the butler snapped out of his daze and hurried the kitchen staff. Soon, a dish with an elaborate name—Braised Beef with Honey Sauce over Italian Manor Berries and Grain—was brought out.

Braised Beef with Honey Sauce over Italian Manor Berries and Grain?

What kind of cuisine was that?

Faced with a string of fancy dish names, Chao Xu found herself a bit confused.

Then Aunt Wang from the kitchen brought out a bowl of tomato and beef stir-fry over rice, smiling as she set it down. “Miss, please eat.”

Looking down at the steaming bowl, Chao Xu silently scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

Delicious.

And, as expected, the dining habits of the wealthy were truly ahead of their time.

Sticking to the rule of not speaking during meals, Chao Xu quietly finished her bowl of rice—or rather, the so-called Braised Beef with Honey Sauce over Italian Manor Berries and Grain—down to the last grain.

Finally, she looked up at the butler and asked sweetly, “Is there more?”

Though a bit alarmed by her sudden surge in appetite, the butler, like parents everywhere who hope children will eat more, didn’t overthink it. He simply brought out another serving from the kitchen.

Chao Xu accepted it, thanked him, and resumed her mechanical eating.

One bowl.

Two bowls.

Three bowls.

…

Only when the plates in front of her formed a little pile did Chao Xu finally set down her chopsticks, satisfied. “I’m full.”

The butler, who had been standing beside her the whole time, looked at the stack of dishes and began to doubt his methods. He was sure he’d never mistreated the young lady or withheld food from her—so why did she eat as if she’d been starving?

After a moment’s hesitation, the butler decided to ignore Chao Xu’s ravenous appetite and brought out a plate of fruit to cleanse her palate.

When he saw she’d finished the fruit as well, the butler finally spoke. “Miss, from today on, Young Master Ci will be attending school with you.”

Chao Xu, in the midst of biting into a piece of dragon fruit, froze, confusion in her eyes. “Isn’t academic qualification required? It’s only been one morning—has he finished all his courses already?”