Chapter 252 Free Order

Xiao Jin suddenly snapped back to reality. He looked away as if he hadn't recognized Qi Yuxuan, then glanced at his companion who was still arguing, and said tactfully:

"Chen Yi, why don't we eat in the main hall? After all, they've already ordered, and there are women there..."

The young man called Chen Yi sneered, "So what if she's a woman? Don't you know the rule of first come, first served? This private room was reserved by us, and I'm going in today!"

He then yelled at the shopkeeper and waiter, "Hurry up and bring out all the dishes, get ready, we need to go inside!"

Shen Yi showed no respect to Xiao Jin, and didn't even look at him when he spoke. Helpless, Xiao Jin lowered his eyes and stood behind, saying nothing more.

His status among his former friends has plummeted, and his words no longer carry the weight they once did. His own family is embroiled in scandals, and his maternal grandfather's Lin family in Lancheng has been almost completely wiped out. If it weren't for the fact that the Xiao family still has two fathers and brothers serving as officials in the court, they might not even be able to come along today.

Pei Xing'er's birthday is today, but she encountered such a thing, which is quite a disappointment.

Even if she craved the food at this restaurant, she knew that it would be inappropriate for a princess to eat in the bustling main hall.

Seeing the shopkeeper and waiter apologizing profusely, offering to bring them more food and insisting on sitting in a quiet corner, Pei Xing'er could only pull Doctor Pei back and cautiously say to Qi Yuxuan:

"Miss... I'm so sorry, I didn't know it would turn out like this. How about we find another restaurant to eat at? Okay?"

Qi Yuxuan pinched her cheek. "It's okay. The main hall is nice too. Let's eat here."

Her veil was only a thin layer, and the outline of her facial features was vaguely visible. Pei Xing'er saw that her face was relaxed and her eyes were smiling, and she understood that the other party did not care about these so-called noble and dignified things at all, and just wanted to have a happy meal with her.

Pei Xing'er nodded gratefully: "Mm!"

The innkeeper also noticed that although the first two people to enter were an old man and a young woman, they were clearly focused on the veiled girl in the middle. They figured she must be an important person who couldn't show her face in public, which was why they wanted a private room.

He and the waiter exchanged a glance, both seeing the predicament in each other's eyes.

Their restaurant is doing well, and many tourists from other places come here to eat. During mealtimes, there are long queues not only for private rooms but also for tables in the main hall. The main responsibility for today's incident lies with them, and now it seems that one of them is someone you can't afford to offend.

After Xiao Jin and his entourage had successfully reached their reserved private room, the innkeeper approached them and whispered:

"Ladies, how about this? There's a quiet open space in the backyard of our shop, which we don't usually welcome guests. We apologize for our poor hospitality today. If you don't mind, why don't you move to the backyard? This meal will be on my treat. I hope you won't spoil your mood."

Upon hearing about the backyard, Pei Xing'er hesitated:

"Can outsiders be seen from the courtyard? And eating outdoors, wouldn't it be too hot in the sun?"

The shopkeeper quickly dispelled her concerns:

"No, no, the fence outside the yard is five feet high, and there's also a decades-old banyan tree. It's absolutely quiet and cool!"

Hearing what the shopkeeper said, Pei Xing'er was somewhat tempted.

"Miss? How about we go to the backyard?"

Qi Yuxuan smiled and said, "Okay."

So, half an hour later, Xiao Jin, who had finally persuaded her companion to let her sister have dinner in a private room, was only told by the innkeeper that they were already eating in the backyard.

The shopkeeper was somewhat bewildered, but since it was his mistake that had led to this situation, he adopted a very humble attitude:

"Young master, I'm really sorry, but those guests instructed that no one should disturb them. Why don't you go inside? The dishes are almost served, so let's not bother changing them."

Xiao Jin stood silently in front of the simple wooden door to the backyard, which was already closed. Even through the thin door, he could almost hear the cheerful laughter coming from inside.

The girls' clear, lively voices, faintly audible, were full of life and energy—the kind of voices that would never be heard in the Xiao family again.

Even though there's only a small door separating us, it feels like there's so much between us.

"Young Master?"

The shopkeeper reminded him, and Xiao Jin finally came to his senses.

"Then please put their bill on my tab, I'll pay it..."

As he was speaking, and bent down to get his money pouch, the shopkeeper immediately interrupted him:

"Young master! In the end, what happened today was my fault. Our shop has already given them a free meal, there's really no need for this!"

Xiao Jin slowly lowered her hand, her voice tinged with bitterness: "Okay."

After finishing their meal, while the driver was getting the carriage ready, Bi Sui, with her sharp eyes, spotted Xiao Jin, who had been watching them from a distance.

She gently tugged at Qi Yuxuan's sleeve.

"Miss, is Young Master Xiao over there looking for you?"

Qi Yuxuan looked in the direction of her voice and saw a young man in a light blue robe standing alone at the base of the wall, like a small animal that had been abandoned and was unwilling to give up, stubbornly and reluctantly gazing at an old friend he had encountered by chance.

He noticed her gaze and, instead of looking away, walked towards her.

Just then, the coachman arrived with the carriage.

"You guys go up first, I'll be there in a bit."

Bi Sui glanced at Qi Yuxuan with some concern before getting into the car with Pei Xing'er.

It wasn't that she thought the Third Young Master Xiao would dare to do anything in broad daylight, but rather that she feared the Xiao family's unreasonable nature; what if they said something unpleasant that would upset the young lady...

The coachman was also perceptive; he stopped the carriage about ten steps away, so as not to interfere with the princess and the third young master Xiao's conversation, nor to be too far away so that he wouldn't be able to react in time if something unexpected happened.

Xiao Jin walked up to Qi Yuxuan and stopped, looking down at her younger sister who was so different from before. Her throat tightened, and she felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

“The princess… has changed a lot.”

Qi Yuxuan kept staring at him. Even though she wasn't tall enough to look down on him, her gaze was calm and collected, which made him lose the upper hand in terms of presence.

"Young Master Xiao has also changed a lot."

She didn't really want to reminisce; it seemed she was just trying to appease him, extinguish any illusions he might have, and then quickly left.

"It seems I misunderstood. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Xiao Jin's fingers, hanging by her side, twitched. "Princess..."

"How has the princess been lately?"

He struggled for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out this nonsensical sentence.

Qi Yuxuan smiled and said, "Young Master Xiao is a discerning person, how could he not see it?"

Before she could turn around, Xiao Jin quickly pulled a square brocade box from his sleeve:

"Princess, please wait! This is the coming-of-age gift I prepared for you. I hope you won't find it offensive."

"Although I know you don't lack these things, and your coming-of-age ceremony is long past... but this was made by my own hands. Could you, could you please accept it for the sake of me being your brother?"