Chapter 77 [V] Star Moon Restaurant
In truth, Xue Yi felt there was no need to explain this to him further. After all, Li was someone his mother had married when he had already joined the army, and the two had never met before. Later, when news of his "death on the battlefield" reached her, she was entitled to remarry.
But now, seeing his nephew explaining the matter so earnestly, Xue Yi understood that after a year of getting along, Li Shi had already gained a very high status in his nephew's heart.
To say he felt no resentment wouldn't be entirely true; after all, witnessing the scene at the bookstore earlier that day hadn't left him completely unmoved. But rationally, Xue Yi felt his nephew's explanation was unnecessary.
However, since the topic had already been brought up, Xue Yi said, "Since he has been kind to you and we are both in Jiangning Prefecture now, if he has time another day, you should invite him to your home to entertain him properly."
Xu Ge'er quickly said, "That's excellent."
Xue Yi raised his eyes and glanced over gently. No matter how composed Xu Ge'er was, he was still a child. Faced with his uncle's gaze, he scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.
She knew in her heart that her uncle had seen through her little scheme.
Now that he had been seen through, Xu Ge'er simply said, "Auntie is a very good person. Anyway, I will only recognize her as my aunt in this lifetime."
Xue Yi withdrew his gaze and placed another piece. He held the white pieces, several in his hand, which he rubbed repeatedly between his palm and fingertips.
His eyes were fixed on the chessboard. After seeing his opponent's nephew place another piece, he had already spotted the right spot. He leaned over slightly and placed his white piece there.
In this way, Xu Ge'er's path was blocked, and he finally stopped talking, focusing all his attention on the chessboard.
Xue Yi sat in a relaxed and leisurely posture. Seeing that his nephew was only focused on the chess game in front of him and did not say anything more, Xue Yi said, "Your aunt is indeed an excellent woman, so as long as she is willing, I will never marry someone else in this lifetime." But if she is not willing, he can't force her, can he?
Xu Ge'er was focused on the game of chess and stopped responding to his uncle's words.
Seeing this, Xue Yi stopped talking and didn't disturb him.
.
After playing chess with his nephew, Xue Yi returned to Qiuxiang Courtyard in the evening breeze.
In Qiuxiang Courtyard, Li Yan was holding a book and leaning against the couch by the window, reading attentively.
The window was open, letting in a dim, yellowish light. Xue Yi, walking in the courtyard, glanced in that direction before looking away, but then, as if unable to resist, looked up again.
Li Yan was engrossed in her book, and Xue Yi deliberately walked quietly. So, when Xue Yi's tall figure appeared in front of Li Yan, blocking half of the light, Li Yan realized that he had returned.
Li Yan now treats him as just a roommate she shares a bed with, so there's no awkwardness. Seeing him return, Li Yan puts down her book and initiates conversation: "Did you finish playing chess with Xu Ge'er?" She knows that Xu Ge'er invited her to play chess after dinner.
"Hmm." Xue Yi responded, then lifted his robe and bent down to sit next to Li Yan.
On the couch by the window, there was a low table in the middle, with seats on both sides. Li Yan sat at one end, and Xue Yi sat next to her. Although they weren't sitting right next to each other, the space on that side was actually quite small.
Li Yan didn't know why he suddenly sat on her side; it would have been more appropriate for him to sit on the other side.
The man's tall figure was right in front of her, and his unique scent wafted into her nose, making Li Yan's heart pound like a deer.
She wasn't naive about love; she wasn't so simple-minded as to think the man's actions were unintentional.
If a man is truly not interested in a woman, he would never take the initiative to approach her like this.
Li Yan held her breath instantly, unable to understand what he was thinking.
But if he didn't bring it up, Li Yan certainly wouldn't either. So at this moment, she simply pretended not to care and casually asked, "How's your chess game, Brother Xu?"
"Not bad," Xue Yi replied calmly. "Better than mine." He was being modest.
Li Yan knew he was just being modest, not telling the truth, so she smiled and said, "General, isn't this self-deprecation an exaggeration? Although Xu-ge'er is intelligent, he's still just a child, and he's only been in formal school for a year. General, you are a seasoned general who has seen many battles and have also received some education. Chess is nothing more than a game of strategy between two sides. Xu-ge'er has no practical experience, only theoretical knowledge; how can he compare to your years of military experience?" With a formidable enemy at hand, it would be a real game of chess, a true test of strategic vision and adaptability.
How could a nine-year-old boy compare to a seasoned soldier who has fought countless battles?
Li Yan simply smiled as she shared her insights, unaware that her words had earned her Xue Yi's newfound respect.
"You know the art of chess?" Xue Yi's dark eyes were fixed on the woman's face, not moving an inch, as if he was afraid that if he blinked even once, he would miss the subtle expression on the woman's face.
Clearly, her eloquent speech just now was beyond his expectations.
Li's appearance and temperament had changed; in fact, her business acumen and ability to make money weren't entirely unexpected. But her insights just now were something she couldn't have articulated without some education and experience.
In that lifetime, he had also interacted with the Li family. Even though it was only a brief encounter, he could tell that she was not a woman of great learning or unique insights.
She was just an ordinary peasant woman, nothing special.
"Who are you?" he suddenly asked.
Startled by this sudden question, Li Yan was terrified.
But she forced herself to remain calm: "What?"
He looked at her, and she opened her eyes wide in surprise to meet his gaze. They were so close that she almost crossed her eyes from looking at him like that. However, to show that she wasn't guilty, she didn't back down.
From Xue Yi's perspective, the woman's appearance at this moment was somewhat foolish.
For some reason, he suddenly found it funny and then laughed.
Seeing him smile, Li Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
But unwilling to give up, she asked, half annoyed and half not, "What are you laughing at?"
"It's nothing," Xue Yi shook his head.
Suddenly realizing this was inappropriate, I suppressed my amusement and immediately became serious and earnest.
Seeing his reaction, Li Yan took the initiative: "General, are you looking down on me? When you're angry, you question me; when you're not, you laugh at me." She said seriously, "I've been devoted to you and your family, and yet I receive such coldness and contempt from you." Then, for some reason, even though she knew he wouldn't, she still said, "If you think I'm a vulgar woman, a merchant, and unworthy of you, you can simply say so openly, and we can have a proper divorce. Why be angry one minute and laughing the next, leaving me bewildered and confused?"
In this way, Xue Yi was now in a passive position.
Regardless, what he did just now was indeed wrong.
So he apologized to her: "I was wrong just now, I apologize to you."
Li Yan knew that given their current relationship, she was far from being in a position to act coquettishly or pretentiously towards him. Therefore, she wisely stopped there, simply asking, "What if something like this happens again in the future?"
"From now on?" Xue Yi seemed to suddenly realize that the person in front of him had suddenly become angry, as if he intended to use this to control him.
Although he was still curious about her changes, Xue Yi had no choice but to accept defeat since he had been manipulated.
"This will never happen again," he promised her.
Li Yan calmed down and said, "Your sudden outbursts are quite frightening."
Xue Yi got up and sat down on the other side of the low table.
“Just now, Brother Xu told me that when you were buying books at the bookstore during the day, you met a fellow villager…Young Master Xu? He said he was here to take the imperial examination.” He mentioned Xu Qingshu.
Because Li Yan and Xu Qingshu really had nothing going on, she was completely open about it.
“We ran into each other,” Li Yan said. “We even exchanged a few words.”
Xue Yi didn't notice anything unusual on her face. It was completely different from her nervous demeanor when he asked her who she was earlier. It seemed that she really didn't care about this matter. So he said seriously, "Xu-ge'er mentioned that the old scholar Xu had helped him before, saying that since we are both in Jiangning Prefecture, he should invite him over for a meal. I thought to myself, it is only right."
Li Yan looked up at the man opposite her and replied, "When do you plan to invite me? Just let me know, General, and I'll make the arrangements."
Xue Yi thought for a moment and said, "We don't have many servants at home, and cooking at home is quite troublesome. Once the time is confirmed, I'll book a table at a restaurant." He knew that Li was skilled in cooking and made delicious food, but there was only one old woman working in the kitchen. If they held a banquet at home, Li would have to cook herself. It was hot these days, and he didn't want her to go through too much trouble for that meal.
Li Yan thought about it for a moment and then agreed. The couple then went to rest.
.
Since his nephew had shown him kindness, Xue Yi, as the uncle, naturally felt obligated to repay that favor.
So the next day, he personally went to his study to buy a set of writing implements and sent his servant to deliver them to Xu Qingshu's residence. He also took the opportunity to invite Xu Qingshu and his son to dinner.
Xue Yi set the date as the sixth day of the seventh lunar month, and his servant Wang'er relayed this to Xu Qingshu. Only after Xu Qingshu confirmed that he could attend the banquet on that day did Wang'er mention that it would be held at the Xingyue Restaurant.
Xu Qingshu had assumed that the Xue family would be hosting a banquet at home. He had just been thinking that, if he was lucky, he might be able to taste Li Meizi's cooking again.
However, when he was told that they would be eating at a restaurant, Xu Qingshu's slightly excited mood immediately subsided.
But he still nodded and replied, "Very well, I will certainly bring my son to the general's appointment at that time." Afterwards, he personally escorted Wang'er to the door.
After seeing Wang'er off, Mao'er immediately started dancing with joy: "Great! I can go play with Brother Xu now!" He then licked his lips greedily, "I can also eat Auntie's cooking. Auntie's braised meat is so delicious." Children don't understand anything else; they only think about eating.
Xu Qingshu squatted down, trying his best to keep his eyes level with his son's, and earnestly told him in advance, "On that day, we will go to Aunt's house first. We won't eat there. General Xue has booked a restaurant, so you won't be able to eat Aunt's cooking."
Hearing his father say this, Maoge felt a little regretful. But he quickly cheered up again.
"It's okay if I can't eat, at least I can play with Brother Xu that day." That's how simple it is for a child to be happy.
Seeing that his son wasn't making a fuss, Xu Qingshu breathed a slight sigh of relief and then straightened up.
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