"Sis?"
Lu Jingyao looked surprised as he walked downstairs. "You're back?"
Lu Jingming also came down and asked his sister, "Why didn't you have someone pick you up?"
Lu Jingxi's face was flushed with an unhealthy redness, and she looked rather listless. "I wasn't feeling well and suddenly wanted to come home to rest. Are Mom and Dad asleep?"
Lu Jingyao said, "Mom and Dad went to Europe yesterday. Didn't they tell you?"
"Oh..."
Lu Jingxi's tone was dejected. "I forgot."
Lu Jingming felt his sister's forehead and asked, "What's wrong? Are you sick?"
Lu Jingxi nodded, but before she could speak, she started coughing.
Hearing the commotion, Housekeeper Zhang also came out of her quarters. Seeing Lu Jingxi, she immediately said, "Jingxi, you're back? Why is your face so red? Are you ill?"
"Aunt Zhang!"
The poor child whose parents weren't home, Lu Jingxi, could only bury herself in Aunt Zhang's arms, complaining pitifully, "I have a cold and I keep coughing, I'm so miserable!"
As she spoke, she coughed again.
Housekeeper Zhang felt her forehead and sighed, "Thankfully you don't have a fever. Did you see a doctor? Have you taken any medicine? You must not have eaten yet, coming back so late. Should I have Xiao Xia make you something to eat?"
"I saw a doctor and took medicine," Lu Jingxi said, "It's just this cough that won't go away. But who is Xiao Xia?"
"Hello, Miss Jingxi."
As the words fell, a girl appeared in her line of sight. She was tall and slim, wore no makeup, but her features were delicate and clear. She looked about the same age as Lu Jingxi.
"This is Xiao Xia, the new chef," Housekeeper Zhang introduced her to Lu Jingxi, then said to Xu Yanxia, "Xiao Xia, please make something for the young lady to eat."
"Alright."
Xu Yanxia nodded and was about to head into the kitchen.
Unexpectedly, Lu Jingxi behind her immediately stopped her. "Don't bother, I won't eat. I've gained two pounds recently, I can't eat anything more. I'll just have some fruit..."
As she spoke, she actually started crying. "I eat so little every day and still gain weight, it's like even heaven is bullying me! So miserable..."
"..."
This left the Lu brothers at a complete loss, and Housekeeper Zhang could only quickly wipe her tears.
Xu Yanxia, however, paused and said, "If you're worried about gaining weight, fruit isn't the best choice. Fruit has high sugar content. Also, since you're still sick, raw and cold foods like fruit can burden your stomach. It would be better to have a proper meal."
"Huh?"
Lu Jingxi was taken aback, then looked at her. "How do you know so much?"
Her younger brother Lu Jingyao immediately answered for Xu Yanxia, "My Sister Xia is a top student in Food Science! She's way more professional about eating than we are!"
Lu Jingxi exclaimed, "A Food Science top student has to work as a family chef now? Is the job market that bad?"
"Well..."
Xu Yanxia could only say, "It's my honor to be able to work here. But I think you likely have a heat-type cold. How many days has it been? Do you have any other symptoms besides the cough?"
Lu Jingxi was even more bewildered. "You can also diagnose illnesses???"
Everyone else also looked surprised.
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "I know a little about Traditional Chinese Medicine. If it's convenient, I could check your pulse."
What???
Upon hearing this, everyone was even more astonished.
The youngest, Lu Jingyao, widened his eyes. "Sister Xia, you can even diagnose illnesses??? Is there anything you can't do?"
Lu Jingming also asked her, quite surprised, "Did you specifically study TCM?"
Xu Yanxia replied, "My grandmother was a TCM practitioner. I learned a little from her before."
Hearing this, Housekeeper Zhang urged Lu Jingxi, "Then let Xiao Xia take a look for you."
Really?
Lu Jingxi was still somewhat skeptical, but she nonetheless extended her hand for Xu Yanxia to check her pulse.
"Have you been feeling dry-mouthed and thirsty these past few days, and often irritable?" Xu Yanxia asked her.
"Yes."
Lu Jingxi nodded immediately. "I drink a lot of water but still feel thirsty."
"Do you sweat a lot?"
Xu Yanxia asked again, "Is there phlegm when you cough? What color is it?"
Lu Jingxi answered promptly, "My hands and feet sweat easily. Sometimes there's phlegm, mostly yellowish."
Xu Yanxia nodded. "Please open your mouth, let me see your tongue coating."
Lu Jingxi obediently opened her mouth right away.
Xu Yanxia nodded with an air of experience. "Indeed, there's lung heat, and also a bit of qi deficiency."
"Please rest for a moment. I'll go make you something."
With that, she entered the kitchen.
Behind her, Lu Jingxi's mouth was agape in amazement. "Where did such an amazing young lady come from? Is she really just a chef?"
"No!"
Lu Jingyao shook his head, full of admiration. "My Sister Xia is a Culinary Goddess!"
...
About twenty minutes later, Lu Jingxi received her specially prepared patient's meal.
A bowl of shredded radish and fresh shrimp soup, a plate of steamed chicken mousse with tofu, and a small serving of oatmeal and lily congee.
The portions of each were not large, but they were all presented exquisitely. The radish and shrimp soup had a pleasing contrast of red and green, the chicken mousse tofu was stacked in a triangular shape, and the oatmeal lily congee was garnished with two red goji berries.
It all looked very appealing.
"So pretty!"
Only then did Lu Jingxi begin to believe that Xu Yanxia was indeed a chef.
And when she tasted the food, she was so surprised she nearly jumped up—
"This is so delicious, can it really help with weight loss? Xiao Xia, you're not fooling me, are you???"
Xu Yanxia smiled. "If you gain weight after eating this, you can come find me anytime."
She then gave a simple explanation—
"The shrimp soup uses the shrimp's own oil. The chicken mousse tofu only uses egg whites and a little starch. There's no oil in the congee either. These are all genuinely low-fat meals."
"Even if you're dieting, you must ensure your daily intake of protein and carbohydrates, especially since you're still sick. However, I didn't make too much. It's best if you're not hungry after finishing, as it's quite late and you need to sleep, to avoid burdening your stomach."
"Alright then."
Hearing her speak so professionally, Lu Jingxi finally started eating with peace of mind.
"It's really delicious!"
Having not been able to eat a proper meal for a long time, she couldn't help but exclaim, "The soup is so flavorful, the tofu is so tender, and this lily congee is so delicately sweet. Ah! Being able to eat is truly wonderful!!!"
The youngest, Lu Jingyao, was a bit envious. "If I hadn't eaten roast lamb tonight, I'd definitely have a taste. It smells amazing too."
"What?"
Lu Jingxi frowned at him. "You actually ate roast lamb? You guys have been having such a great time while I was away?"
Lu Jingyao shook his head smugly. "That's because we have my Sister Xia at home now!"
Lu Jingxi hmphed, "Well, now that I'm back, Xiao Xia is my personal chef!"
"How did you catch such a bad cold?"
Lu Jingming asked her instead, "Wasn't your assistant with you?"
"Don't even mention it!"
Lu Jingxi complained to the family between bites of food, "We've been recording the show in Hainan recently. Everyone else was fine, but that Bai Qingqing kept insisting on extra takes because she thought she didn't look good on camera. She made everyone wait for her under the blazing sun. Do you have any idea how hot it is in Hainan right now? We were out there baking for as long as we were filming. It wasn't just me; a lot of people ended up catching a cold because of it."
"If it hadn't started raining this afternoon, making the outdoor shoot impossible, she would still be at it. I was feeling so miserable I just came back early to rest."
Xu Yanxia nodded. "People are indeed prone to catching colds in high temperature and high humidity environments."
Lu Jingyao looked surprised. "Bai Qingqing? Didn't she just debut not long ago? She already has the clout to make everyone wait for her?"
His sister, Lu Jingxi, snorted. "I heard she recently hooked up with a sugar daddy. He bought off the producer, so she gets special treatment."
"No way!"
Lu Jingyao, who had just taken a sip of water, almost choked. "Isn't she supposed to be that pure and innocent sweetheart type? She has a sugar daddy?"
"Pure and innocent my..."
If Housekeeper Zhang hadn't been standing nearby, the second young miss of the Lu family would have let that "ass" slip out.
