Silent Lover (The Silent Concubine) - Chap 176

Chapter 176 – Ice Sorbet

Chapter 176: Ice Sorbet

After an entire night of restless thoughts, Chu Yi woke up early. He didn’t know why, but the vague image of that man lingered in his mind, making him toss and turn. He finally decided to get up rather than continue struggling.

“Huh? Since when has my Yi’er been so diligent?” Chu Ling teased when he saw Chu Yi sitting outside, dazed, early in the morning. “You don’t need Great-Grandfather to nag you about studying anymore?”

Chu Yi turned back abruptly, eager to ask Chu Ling about that man. However, he knew it was inappropriate, so he swallowed his words.

“What’s wrong? Is there something you can’t tell me? You look so preoccupied, like you’ve been enchanted by a ghost!” Chu Ling joked.

Chu Yi’s face flushed. Did he really look like he’d been bewitched?

“Brother Ling, where are you heading?” Embarrassed, Chu Yi changed the subject.

“I’m going to have the servants fetch some ice from the ice cellar.”

“Huh? But it’s not even the hottest part of the season yet…” Chu Yi quickly added with delight, “But that’s great! I’ve been wanting an ice basin in my room.”

“It’s not for you.” Chu Ling tapped his head lightly. “The ice cellar is being opened early specifically for Yu’er. His health is delicate, and he can’t handle extreme heat or cold, so I’m having ice prepared to cool his room. Also, I’m asking the kitchen to make some ice sorbet for him to try.”

For Shen Yu!

Chu Yi couldn’t suppress his excitement. “Then let me come with you!”

“Sure. You’re not familiar with him yet. He’s only a few months older than you, so maybe you’ll get along well.”

Chu Ling assumed Chu Yi just wanted to befriend Shen Yu and didn’t think much of it.

Chu Yi followed Chu Ling to the ice cellar and even carried a small block of ice to the kitchen himself. He had the cook shave it into fine pieces and mix it with milk to make sorbet, which he then packed into a food box. Impatient, he began urging Chu Ling.

“Brother Ling, hurry up!”

“What’s the rush?”

Chu Yi made an excuse. “It’s so hot! If we don’t move faster, the sorbet will melt by the time we get to Qionghu Pavilion!”

Chu Ling paused, remembering something. “Oh, I nearly forgot—I need to speak with Great-Grandfather about something. Why don’t you take it over instead? But don’t cause any trouble or be impolite. Get along well with Yu’er. He’s far from home, with no parents. Help him feel at home here.”

“Got it!”

After Chu Ling left, Chu Yi hesitated. Going alone to see that man? He wouldn’t dare. But with a legitimate reason, he mustered the courage.

When Chu Yi stepped into Qionghu Pavilion, Shen Yu was strolling in the courtyard. Hearing someone approach, Shen Yu turned and looked at him.

“Chu Yi?” Shen Yu smiled warmly. “Your name is Chu Yi, right?”

Having a photographic memory, Shen Yu remembered the boy from yesterday, though they hadn’t exchanged many words.

“Yes, I am… Yu, Yu…”

Chu Yi hadn’t met many outsiders, and Shen Yu’s ethereal beauty and refined demeanor made him feel inferior. Awkward and self-conscious, he marveled at how both Shen Yu and his attendant were so strikingly attractive.

“Uh… Brother Ling asked me to bring over some ice basins to cool your room.”

Shen Yu glanced at the two servants behind Chu Yi carrying copper basins, each containing a large block of ice emitting cold mist. Intrigued, he watched as the servants placed the basins in opposite corners of his room.

“Where did this ice come from?” Shen Yu asked curiously.

“It’s made using saltpeter and stored in an ice cellar for long-term preservation,” Chu Yi replied absentmindedly, his eyes darting around in search of that man from yesterday. But the area around the courtyard well was empty.

“Do you want to come inside?” Shen Yu asked, noticing Chu Yi’s wandering gaze and assuming he wanted to enter and play.

“Sure!”

Relieved to have an excuse, Chu Yi grinned and said, “Oh, and this—Brother Ling asked me to bring you some iced treats to try.”

Chu Yi followed Shen Yu inside and took out two bowls of sorbet from the food box. One was made with milk, and the other was flavored with candied hawthorn.

“Try it quickly before it melts!” Chu Yi said enthusiastically, like a child presenting a treasure.

Shen Yu scooped a spoonful. The sweet, milky flavor of the shaved ice was refreshing, a wonderful delight in the summer heat.

“It’s delicious!”

He then tried the hawthorn-flavored bowl. Its sweet and tangy taste was equally unique. Looking up, Shen Yu saw Chu Yi staring at the bowls, swallowing hard.

“Why don’t you eat some too?”

“No, no!” Chu Yi waved his hands. “I… I eat this every year. It’s all for you.”

“I can’t finish it all myself. Don’t let it go to waste.”

Chu Yi’s resolve quickly crumbled. Smiling gratefully at Shen Yu, he took a large spoonful. The two of them alternated spoonfuls, finishing the bowls in no time.

Jun Xuanxiao entered the room just in time to see Shen Yu taking another large spoonful of sorbet, thoroughly enjoying himself. Striding over, he grabbed the bowl from Shen Yu’s hands.

“Hey? Big Brother Guard, do you want some too?” Shen Yu offered the spoon generously.

Jun Xuanxiao didn’t move. He wasn’t fond of sweet, cloying foods like this, which were usually prepared for children and women to beat the summer heat in royal households.

He had only snatched the bowl because Shen Yu had nearly finished two entire servings. Did he not realize his body couldn’t handle so much?

When Chu Yi saw Jun Xuanxiao enter wearing a mask, he wasn’t entirely sure if this was the man from yesterday. But considering only Shen Yu and his attendant lived in Qionghu Pavilion, it couldn’t be anyone else. His gaze involuntarily fixed on Jun Xuanxiao.