"Miss, we have made progress on the matter you asked me to inquire about."
In the backyard of the Zhu residence, Zhu Jiayu sat under the eaves reading a book. Lüzheng rushed back from outside, not even bothering to drink water, and went straight to the backyard, calling out loudly.
Zhu Jiayu didn't even look up, but poured himself a cup of tea and pushed it forward, saying, "Drink some water first, and then we can talk slowly."
Green Kite then picked up her teacup, tilted her head back, and drank most of it in one gulp. “That Princess Yuanhui’s favorite place is not a study or teahouse, nor a cosmetics shop or a clothing store, but a small courtyard.”
"This courtyard is a private kitchen. The chef is best at making crab noodles. His cooking skills are superb, and the price is expensive. Only high-ranking officials and nobles can taste his cooking. Moreover, he only serves ten guests a day. I heard that the quota is already booked for half a month in advance."
“This private kitchen is in Luoying Lane. If Miss wants to see Princess Yuanhui, she might as well send someone to keep an eye on things there.”
Zhu Jiayu put down her book and lazily raised her eyes: "Who told you I wanted to see her? In comparison, she should want to see me more. Sending you to inquire was just to know your enemy and yourself."
As the master and servant were talking, Zhu Congjian also carried a large bucket of fish home.
He found that ever since he started fishing with Xiao Wei, he had been returning home with a full catch every day. This made him like Xiao Wei even more.
When he got home, he found that Ayu was also home today. He handed the bucket containing the fish to the housekeeper and then went to his daughter's yard.
"Ah Yu, are you free tomorrow?"
When Zhu Jiayu saw him arrive, she stood up and called out "Father" before replying, "What is it?"
Whether she was free or not depended on what her father wanted to see her about. She remembered that the last time her father asked her if she was free, it was to introduce her to some talented young men in Yujing City.
Of course, he wasn't looking for a match; he just said, "Having more friends means having more options," so he found her more than ten handsome and talented "friends."
"What kind of friends are you going to introduce to me this time?" Zhu Jiayu wondered, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
Zhu Congjian clicked his tongue. "What kind of person do you think I am? I just found a really delicious restaurant today and thought I'd take you there to enjoy it too. What, in your eyes, am I the kind of person with ulterior motives?"
"My daughter wouldn't dare say that; you said it yourself," she scoffed. "But, which restaurant is so delicious?"
Zhu Congjian waved his hand: "It's not a restaurant, just a private kitchen courtyard in an alley. A fishing friend took me there today."
"Oh? What did you have for lunch today?"
“You might not believe it, but it’s crab noodles. And the crab doesn’t taste like a regular river crab, but if it’s not a river crab, could it be a sea crab? Never mind,” Zhu Congjian shook his head, “River crab or sea crab, it doesn’t matter, as long as it tastes good.”
He continued talking to himself, unaware that when he mentioned crab noodles, his daughter and Lüzheng exchanged a knowing glance.
Zhu Jiayu wasn't particularly picky about food, especially things like shrimp and crab. She was too lazy to peel them, and over time, she stopped liking to eat them.
But this was too much of a coincidence. Just as her people discovered that Gu Jinshu frequented a private kitchen in Luoying Lane, someone took her father there as well.
Furthermore, that master's rule was to only entertain high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Just who exactly were my father's fishing buddies?
Thinking of this, Zhu Jiayu smiled and asked, "Is your fishing buddy coming along tomorrow?"
“Together.” Zhu Congjian nodded. “If you don’t want to go with him, we can go another day.”
The main reason is that he has made plans to go fishing with Xiao Wei tomorrow, and he can't just cancel Xiao Wei's plans for a meal, can he?
"It's alright, one dish is fine. Judging from what Father said, he seems to have taken good care of you. In that case, I should thank him properly."
The next day, Zhu Jiayu found out where his father usually fished and made an appointment with him to go to the riverbank at noon to have lunch together.
Zhu Congjian then went out happily.
Wei Qinglou arrived early as usual today. When he saw Zhu Congjian arrive with a coachman but no one else following behind, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Seeing him looking behind him, Zhu Congjian smiled and said, "I told my daughter she would come to find us later. Xiao Wei, let's go fishing first."
Wei Qinglou nodded obediently: "Uncle Zhu, please."
...
Zhu Jiayu had told her father they would meet at noon by the Chunyin River, so she left home a little after 11:30 am. When she arrived at the river, there were still two quarters of an hour before noon.
She chose a teahouse nearby and sat down, which faced the crowd of people fishing. She could spot her father in the crowd at a glance, as well as a somewhat familiar figure beside him.
She stroked the slightly rough texture of the teacup and instructed Lüzheng, "Keep an eye on that side and tell me immediately if anything happens."
Green Kite nervously agreed, staring motionlessly at her master's figure.
As it turns out, watching someone is a very tedious task, especially when the other person hardly makes any movement. Out of sheer boredom, Lüzheng began to recall the romance novels she had read. After who knows how many novels, she finally noticed that her husband had made a move.
She tugged at her young mistress's sleeve and whispered, "Miss, the master has left."
"They've left?" Zhu Jiayu stood up. "Let's go take a look."
As she walked over, Wei Qinglou waved to her just as he had yesterday, and a servant carrying a bucket walked towards him from a short distance away.
When Zhu Jiayu arrived, he saw the servant, under Wei Qinglou's instructions, dividing fish into the two men's buckets.
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