Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 250 Late Night Snack
After Lu Jie came out, he went straight to the study.

The room was dimly lit, and the evening breeze squeezed in through the open window, making the lamplight flicker erratically.

When the servant on night duty saw Lu Jie return, he quickly added two more lamps, turned around and picked up the kettle that was warming on the stove in the corner, and brewed two cups of hot tea.

Lu Jie sat down behind his desk, watching the lamplight and the sparse steam rising from the tea in front of him intertwine. After a long while, he let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.

Yang Bonong tiptoed in, opened his mouth as if to speak, but seeing the exhaustion on his face, he finally kept quiet and stood straight to the side with his hands clasped together.

Lu Jie propped his head up: "How did you manage to persuade her when you went to Yixia Courtyard?"

Yang Bonong chuckled and spread his hands: "You overestimate me. I couldn't persuade the young lady! I almost got a beating from her."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jie sat up straight and looked at him probingly: "You didn't convince her, so why didn't she pounce on you later? That's not like her at all."

After Jiang blurted out those words, how could he not guess what the whole show tonight was all about?

Last time, when he intercepted Granny Du, she was so angry that she came knocking on his door. This time, his plans were ruined by his own actions. Will she still be able to keep her temper in check?

"I don't know. Anyway, I chased after her but couldn't find her anymore."

Yang Bonong poured him a cup of tea, then picked up his own cup, ignoring the scalding heat, and sipped some steam to moisten his dry throat. Then he asked, "What are your plans next, sir?"

Lu Jie frowned as he stared ahead, his expression far from his usual relaxed demeanor: "When exactly—did she find out?"

Yang Bonong's eyes also showed doubt: "Logically speaking, even if she could discover some clues, she shouldn't be able to grasp it so quickly."

Lu Jie's brows furrowed.

Yang Bonong put down his cup: "The adults haven't given any instructions on how to deal with Jiang Shi yet. If we keep her here for too long, the Yan family probably won't feel at ease either."

Lu Jie inhaled, his gaze unfathomable: "Ying'er will be getting married in just two days, so let's not cause any unnecessary trouble. Once the bridal sedan chair leaves, we can announce the funeral to the public."

Under the lamplight, the two exchanged a silent glance, and then tacitly stopped talking.

"What about the Yan family?" Yang Bonong asked.

Lu Jie pondered, "We cannot compromise on Jiang's injuries. The Yan family is not foolish either; if we keep giving in, they will become suspicious."

"We should still take advantage of any benefits we can."

He stood up, lit a glass lamp under the curtain, and watched the room gradually brighten before continuing:
"We also need to be careful not to go too far. The Ministry of Revenue's audits cannot stop; if we go too far, they will interfere with the accounts."

"By the way, I heard that Ouyang Su has been transferred back to the capital?"

“Exactly.” Yang Bonong nodded. “They were among those transferred back before the New Year. They were assigned to the Sixth Ministry as censors.”

Lu Jie gazed at the lamp flame: "Ouyang Su is a close relative of the Yan family, and the Yan family has always wanted to elevate him. Unfortunately, the Emperor doesn't like him. A few years ago, they had no choice but to send him to an outside post so that he could accumulate some political achievements."

"He was probably brought back this time because he's achieved some results. Go and investigate what he's actually done during his tenure these past few years."

Yang Bonong nodded: "I will go back and sort out these matters."

Lu Jie nodded. He walked back to his desk, picked up the tea, and drank several mouthfuls.

When Yang Bonong left, he closed the doors and windows, and the room immediately became unusually quiet again.

Lu Jie took a deep breath, put down the tea, listened intently to the rustling sounds of the trees swaying outside, then slowly straightened up, walked around the screen, and carried the lamp into the inner room.

He lived in the study year-round, and for convenience, he had already knocked down the two adjacent rooms at the back. Behind the lattice doors was the bedroom.

The light seeped in inch by inch until it reached the outer room where the soft couch was placed. He put down the lamp and reached out to take the crown.

His hand was still on his head, but a moment later it was as if he had been scalded by boiling water, and he immediately put it down.

There was someone sitting on the edge of the tatami mat in sight.

A person who could make his heart pound with fear at this moment!
"Father has suffered."

Lu Jia rested her hands on the kang table, propping up her chin, and even had a smile on her face.

She pushed the covered bowls and plates in front of her forward slightly: "You must be hungry after all this. Your daughter has prepared a midnight snack for you, come and eat."

Lu Jie, who had been petrified, snapped out of his daze, his muscles twitching: "How did you get here?!"

He quickly turned his head to look around at the doors and windows: "How did you get in?"

The study is a very important place, where all matters of state are handled. Although Jiang is domineering, she has not been allowed to come and go freely here for many years. This girl actually came in!
The key point is that the courtyard is guarded day and night by highly skilled guards he secretly selected. How did she manage to bypass their surveillance?
Not only did she come in, but she also brought a midnight snack?! ...

“You are my own father, and I am your own daughter. If you want to come in, there will always be a way.”

Lu Jia knocked off the clay seal of the wine jar on the table, poured a cup of wine, pushed it over, and gestured for him to sit down. "The weather is still chilly at times, if you don't eat soon, the food will get cold."

Lu Jie stared at her every move, then walked over to the kang table and glared at her again: "How long have you been here?"

"Earlier than you."

Lu Jia handed him the chopsticks and casually lifted the lid off the plate.

The aroma of food wafted over immediately: stir-fried dried bamboo shoots with cured pork, steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers, and three steamed buns on the side. It was quite tempting, and Lu Jie couldn't help but swallow.

He sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and slowly took a bite of food.

The spicy and sharp sensation of the food in his mouth immediately prevented him from spitting it out on the spot!
Is this a late-night snack for him?
It's not that he can't eat spicy food, but these two dishes must have had chili peppers from over ten generations ago, right?
……and many more!
Compared to this spicy food, what did she just say?

—Even earlier than him?
Does that mean she heard everything he and Yang Bonong said?

"The food isn't good? Then have a steamed bun!"

Without saying a word, Lu Jia shoved the steamed bun into his hand.

Lu Jie suppressed the turmoil in his heart and took a bite of the steamed bun.

He spat it out immediately after taking that bite...

"What kind of filling is this?!"

Under the light, the exposed filling of the bun was a bright red patch—what was that? It was full of red chili peppers!

"The filling is made by chopping up bird's eye chilies and mixing them into a sauce."

Lu Jia smiled and snatched the remaining half of the bun from his hand: "Doesn't it look like your belly, Father? It looks white and soft, but it's actually full of dregs!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she shoved the bright red bun forward and stuffed it into his mouth without saying a word!

Lu Jie, who was stabbed squarely by the chili pepper assassin: ...