novelraw Chapter 299: Are all these medicinal dishes made for Delphine Carter?
Chapter 299: Are all these medicinal dishes made for Delphine Carter?
When the patriarch returned home, he wielded both authority and kindness. Each servant at the Leclair residence received an expensive gift, their joy evident. As for Stone Leclair, he wasn’t even given a chance to explain himself before being berated by the patriarch, then made to kneel for two hours in front of the late Mrs. Leclair’s memorial altar.
By the time the servants timidly came to summon Stone Leclair and Mrs. Carter for dinner, Stone was unable to stand.
A man over fifty, holding a high position—when had he ever endured such hardship?
As for Mrs. Carter, she was so terrified her complexion turned pale. In this household, it was still the patriarch who had the final say.
For the patriarch’s welcome-home banquet, Ignatius Leclair had the butler reopen the long-sealed main hall and served a table full of mild medicinal dishes and Cantonese cuisine, bringing the family together for a simple dinner.
The patriarch was pleased with these arrangements. Advanced in years, he disliked noise and shunned superficial flattery; he preferred a harmonious family gathering, savoring the joys of kinship.
"Why is everything so mild? I recall Bessie likes sweet and spicy dishes. Your tastes aren’t this mild either, and now there’s medicinal cuisine?" The little old man frowned, displeased. "I like spicy food too."
The man’s handsome and stern expression softened with a hint of a smile as he spoke in a deep voice, "At your age, eating spicy food is out of the question. From now on, all our dinners will be medicinal dishes. No exceptions."
The patriarch instantly grew unhappy, feeling as though this grandson controlled him more strictly than his attending physician.
Bessie Leclair burst down the stairs excitedly, entering the main hall. She was about to approach the patriarch with a playful, coquettish grin when she caught sight of Delphine Carter standing to the side. Her expression changed instantly. Last night, Beatrice Carter had severed ties with her family; Delphine had looked utterly desolate, as if abandoned and lifeless. But here she was, less than a day later, looking perfectly fine—and, to Bessie, something about her seemed different, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
"Bessie, come here." The patriarch broke into a smile, waving at his young granddaughter as soon as he saw her.
Bessie cheerfully sat beside the patriarch. But upon seeing the table full of medicinal dishes, her mood soured in an instant. Damn it, these must have been prepared for Delphine. Since when did their family eat this kind of food?
With a sharp sound, Bessie shot to her feet, declaring, "Grandpa, I don’t want to eat this bland food. Change the menu."
Her voice was decisive and brimming with confidence.
Ignatius Leclair gave a faint, cold smile, his deep almond-shaped eyes narrowing.
The patriarch, seeing his eldest grandson wearing such a stern expression, sighed deeply and said, "Then let the kitchen prepare something else for you. I’ll stick to lighter fare."
The patriarch, being advanced in age, had organs in a weakened state. Having spent years recuperating in Switzerland, his diet had always been carefully curated by nutritionists, forbidding spicy and stimulating foods.
"The chefs have already left. If you won’t eat, you can go hungry," Ignatius sneered coldly.
Bessie, enraged, flopped back into her seat with a thump and pointed at Delphine, shouting, "Then what about her? She isn’t even part of our family—why is she here at our table?"
The patriarch hadn’t seen Delphine in many years and only vaguely remembered her as a shy, self-effacing little girl who kept her head down. Now, she had grown into a poised and graciously calm woman, entirely devoid of her childhood timidity. Thinking of her life story, the patriarch said, "You should sit too. After all, you were raised in this family since young. Though there’s no blood relation, you’re still different from outsiders."
Bessie choked in fury, nearly suffocating.
"Thank you, Grandpa Leclair," Delphine said, her gaze steady, her tone composed yet unyielding.
"Grandpa, you don’t know—she was kicked out of the family back then!" Bessie burst out angrily.
When the incident occurred years ago, the patriarch was not in Southeast Asia. Later, upon learning that the young girl had left the Leclair family, he had sighed deeply about it.