Chapter 37: Your Highness, let's make a deal. The taste of saury, cats are better than you...

Ye Wan pushed Lassen aside and greeted her warmly: "Hello, Miss Jenny, this is the Old Oak Tavern. Would you like something to eat?"

She handed over the menu, and Jenny took it hesitantly: "Actually, I just escaped from the bridal salon for some reason..." She took off a diamond earring from her ear and handed it to Ye Wan, saying sincerely:

"I don't have any money, so I'll mortgage this to you."

The earrings sparkled under the pub lights, looking very expensive. Ye Wan held them awkwardly in her hands. Emma whispered in her ear, "Oh, I think I know who she is. I saw her in the newspaper today, the 'Cinderella'."

Jenny seemed a little cautious: "Maybe I can change out of this dress first?"

"Of course." Ye Wan bought a lot of sweatshirts at the second-hand store. She took out a set of sweatshirts that she had never worn and gave it to Jenny. She pointed to the second floor and said, "There's no one on the second floor. You can go there to change clothes."

Jenny nodded politely and went upstairs holding the gray sweatshirt.

There was immediate noise downstairs.

Lathan: "Oh my god, she's so beautiful!"

Emma: "Is this the legendary Cinderella? I heard she's about to marry into the Ice Kingdom in the north. Why is she wearing a wedding dress? Is she running away?"

Ye Wan wiped his sweat: "I don't know about this either. Please discuss it in a low voice, don't let anyone hear..."

Soon Jenny came down wearing a sweatshirt with a giant pumpkin monster spewing blue fire embroidered on the front, but even that couldn't hide her beauty.

The guards praised loudly, saying that the gray sweatshirt was really beautiful. Ye Wan looked down at her loose blue sweatshirt, which had an abstract little crocodile painted on it. She muttered, "Why doesn't anyone ever compliment me when I wear it?"

You An had already finished a large bowl of noodles and two plates of twice-cooked pork. He hadn't even raised his eyelids the entire time. "Yours looks better."

Muffin jumped onto her shoulder, patted her shoulder and said comfortingly: "Squeak."

"Oh, thank you for your comfort." Ye Wan was deeply moved. It would have been better if Pancake's expression was not so sympathetic.

In the end, Jenny insisted on taking off her diamond earrings: "I want to exchange some money and find a small hotel to stay for two days."

Before Ye Wan could speak, Lassen on the side said first: "Of course, beautiful lady, it's just that it's not safe to live alone in the small hotel nearby. Why don't you stay at the Old Oak Tavern? Ye Wan is a warm-hearted person, she will agree."

Ye Wan: “? No…” Emma covered her mouth.

Emma smiled and nodded: "Yes, you can stay here peacefully."

She whispered to Ye Wan, "Look how pitiful he is, with an indifferent father and a vicious stepmother and stepsister."

Ye Wan: "...Why don't I stay at your place?"

Emma scratched her head embarrassedly: "A lot of guests came to my house today, and there is really no place to squeeze them in."

So when the diners had eaten and drunk their fill, only Jenny, Ye Wan and Youan were left in the tavern, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Ye Wan's mind was spinning rapidly. It was known that the tavern only had two rooms, one on the second floor and one in the attic. Where should the extra people live?

Youan leaned against the fireplace with his arms folded, his indifferent smoky crystal eyes fixed only on the candlelight: "Give her the attic."

Ye Wansong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly responded, "I'll go change into a four-piece suit now. I found a lot of cheap ones in the old warehouse. Wait a minute."

She ran away in a hurry. Pancake stood there, looked up at Jane, then looked up at Youan, and seemed to feel that the atmosphere was too depressing. It turned around and ran upstairs with Ye Wan.

Hearing the "dong dong" sound coming from the wooden stairs, Ye Wan shouted happily from above: "Muffin, you are going to be as heavy as a small lead ball."

Muffin was loudly condemning her.

The dim light in the tavern dyed the walls blurred, the raindrops quietly spread on the glass, and the world became a quiet moon.

Youan leaned against the fireplace, his pocket watch chain hanging from his coat, gleaming coldly. His long legs were crossed, and his smoky crystal eyes looked at Jane without emotion: "The daughter of the Oslov family?"

"It's me. Please forgive me for not being able to greet you in this attire." Jane restrained her timid expression, and her blue eyes looked even deeper in the candlelight, like the abyss of the Love Canyon.

"Perhaps you don't remember me. We met at a banquet at the Holy Rose Palace five years ago. Interestingly, I saw in the newspaper that many readers were eager for you to suddenly appear and save me from this dire situation."

She smiled gracefully and looked like a lady from an aristocratic family.

Youan looked at her for a moment: "What do you want?"

"I'm not here to seek salvation from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I'm here to make a deal with you."

Ye Wan finally finished changing into the four-piece suit in the attic. She came down and asked You An, "Where do you want to sleep tonight? The warehouse at the back or the first floor will do. I remember there's a folding bed in the warehouse."

"I sleep on the second floor," said Youan.

Ye Wan looked at him warily and straightened his collar.

Youan: “…”

In the end, Ye Wan couldn't resist the pitiful look in his eyes, so he let him into the room: "If you take one more step towards this side, you're dead."

She placed the big stuffed bear next to the bed, Euan's folding bed was by the window, and Muffin's bed was a small cradle hanging next to the bed.

Ye Wan patted her pillow to make it softer. "Poor Jane, she's being forced to marry in the North. Do you think she's really been treated unfairly at home? Oh, if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really did show up again, looking for her everywhere with crystal high heels, and made her the Crown Princess, would the situation be any better?"

Youan leaned on the folding bed and read some parchment. "I think you should worry about your own tavern, idiot."

"Why are you scolding me?" Ye Wan glared at him.

"Because after talking to smart people, the difference in IQ is immediately apparent." He turned away, leaving only his glittering golden head to her.

"You called me an idiot, and yet you got angry yourself." Ye Wan muttered.

Muffin was already sleeping in the cradle, soft and limp like a custard bun. Ye Wan tucked the quilt in for it and soon fell asleep too.

The rain fell continuously tonight, and the "pattering" sound of water droplets dripping from the eaves was like a soothing lullaby. Ye Wan slept soundly and even had dreams.

In the dream, there was a tall beech tree. Youan, who was about 10 years old, was sitting under the tree holding a fairy tale book. He looked at her angrily and asked her why she didn't recognize him.

Ye Wan was confused in her dream. She was about to speak when she woke up.

She went downstairs and into the kitchen, which was already filled with the aroma of hot butter and coffee. It was obvious that Euan had already prepared breakfast and was reading the newspaper.

"I'm going to the market soon. I heard some vendors have started selling saury."

Ye Wan sat down and picked up a croissant, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "This is a perfect dish to go with wine."

Jane lifted the curtain and came in: "Can I go with you, Ye Wan? I haven't been to the market yet." She smiled gently.

"sure."

Pancake quickly sat there and finished the whole butter croissant, then leaned on Ye Wan's shoulder.

"Then I'll trouble you to look after the house, Youan." Ye Wan waved to him and left with Jane and Pancake.

Jane smiled and followed her out, turning back to look at Youan meaningfully.

He continued reading the newspaper for a long time. Then Youan put down the newspaper and opened the kitchen door. A snowy owl flew in, stepped politely on the edge of the window, and stretched out a leg towards him. Youan undid the letter on the snowy owl's leg.

Today is a sunny day. The autumn market is immersed in honey-colored sunshine. The air is full of the fragrance of fruits and melons. The purple grapes covered with dew are like sparkling gems. The apples are big and red, and they make a "crunch" sound when you bite them. In the distance, there is a stall cooking mulled wine, and the aroma of the wine wafts from far away.

Ye Wan bent over, carefully selecting the freshest saury. The stall owner, a ginger cat taller than her, wore a leather apron and two sleeves, helping her choose. "Trust me, a cat knows the freshness of saury better than you do."

The fish were shaped like silver shuttles, with tight skin that emitted a cold light in the sun. Ye Wan stretched out a finger to poke the belly of the saury, which was very elastic.

Ye Wan felt that what the orange cat owner said made a lot of sense: "Then I'll take this box. Remember to put some ice in it for me, I'm afraid it won't be fresh anymore."

The orange cat uncle skillfully held the fish and handed it to Ye Wan: "Remember not to leave it overnight, otherwise it will lose its freshness."

Jane was strolling around the market with great interest. She was even reluctant to leave: "It's been a long time since I've basked in such warm sunshine and breathed such fresh and sweet air."

Ye Wan felt a little sympathetic, but didn't know what to say.

Jane stared at the tofu on the roadside stall: "What is that?"

"It's a soy product." Ye Wan said.

"Oh, I've eaten it before." Jane showed a nostalgic look: "Tofu cooked in plain water is very delicious, with a strong bean flavor. I like it very much."

"Then buy some." Tofu was not expensive, so Ye Wan generously asked the stall owner and bought a bucket of tofu.

When the tavern opened, Lassen and his guards arrived on time. He stared at Jane with a red face. Ye Wan was a little dissatisfied: "Don't scare the girl. Today we have grilled saury and tofu soup. Which one do you want?"

Lassen: "Then I'll grill some charcoal, thank you."

Ye Wan decided not to talk to him anymore. He could see that Lassen’s soul had been stolen by the god of love.

Saury is easy to handle. You only need to cut the belly of the fish accurately and take out the internal organs. However, you must retain the slightly bitter green fish gallbladder, which is the key to the flavor of saury.

The charcoal fire was burning brightly, and the core of the carbon was scorching red. Ye Wan rubbed a layer of salt on the inside and outside of the fish, and then grilled it over the fire. With a "sizzling" sound, the fish skin shrank visibly in the charcoal fire, and fine yellow fat continued to drip from the plump belly.

Ye Wan squatted there and fanned herself with a fan. Jane also squatted down and asked her for a fan. She imitated her way of fanning herself, but Jane did not fan correctly. The wind blew towards her, making her cry and cough continuously.

Ye Wan couldn't stop laughing.

The saury is almost done roasting. The shiny silver skin has been covered with a beautiful caramel-colored coating. Gently poke the skin with chopsticks, and the garlic-like white fish meat inside will emerge.

At this time, you need to add some refreshing lemon juice. The back of the saury is crispy and firm, and the belly is plump and fat. The thick liver retained inside is slightly melted by the charcoal fire, and seeps into the fish meat with a slight bitterness, but after chewing it a few more times, it has a sweet aftertaste.

After taking another sip of ice-cold beer, I felt like I was immersed in the drunkenness.

The diners enjoyed their meal and had tipsy smiles on their faces.

Jane looked at the diners in the tavern: "They look so happy."

"Because eating is a very happy thing." Ye Wan said.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" Jane held her hand and pleaded.