The journey back to the county town was very peaceful. There were no refugees or men in black, and we could sleep soundly even when camping in the open at night. Of course, we still needed to go out for some fresh air.
After a long and hurried journey, they finally returned to Lishan County. The group went straight to Meizhoulou Restaurant, which was very busy. It was lunchtime, and everyone was running around busily.
Zhou Laoda originally wanted to bring the people from Xianwu Island over for dinner, but seeing how crowded the restaurant was, he thought it would be better to come in the evening. He could then go back to his residence, have dinner, and take a nap.
However, they had to go in first to greet their sister and brother-in-law and let them know they were back. Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua got off the carriage and went into the restaurant together.
Chen Shunping had just finished settling a customer's bill when he looked up and saw them. He immediately came over, his eyes reddening and his voice hoarse, "Brother-in-law and sister, it really is you! You've finally come back."
"Brother-in-law, how have you been feeling these days?" Old Zhou's throat tightened.
"Okay, I'm fine. Thanks to you all, my health is getting better and better," Chen Shunping said excitedly.
The three of them stood in the middle of the lobby, right where the restaurant's main entrance and the entrance for customers were. They had only exchanged a few pleasantries when a customer came in from outside and wanted to pass by, so the three of them had to make way for him.
"Brother-in-law, you go ahead and get busy. We'll have a proper chat later," said Old Zhou, sniffing.
Chen Shunping was really busy at the moment and didn't have time to say much. He could only go and greet the guests first, and also tell Zhou Laoda and the other two that Zhao Guizhi was in the kitchen.
“Okay, we understand. We’ll go tell my sister right away,” Zhao Guihua replied.
Zhao Guizhi was making braised pork with bayberries in the kitchen, with Li Jier and Li Yuer helping her. Seeing that she was busy, Zhao Guihua and her husband didn't call her yet, waiting for her to finish.
But perhaps it was a telepathic connection, Zhao Guizhi suddenly looked up and glanced at it. What she saw stunned her. Without thinking, she handed the spatula to Li Jier next to her and said, "This stewed meat is ready. You take it off the heat. I'm going to talk to your uncle and his wife."
Li Ji'er and Li Yu'er were overjoyed to see Zhou Laoda and his wife, but the two sisters had to continue cooking and couldn't catch up together.
Zhao Guizhi and Zhou Laoda and his wife arrived at the entrance of the restaurant. Seeing several carriages, they exclaimed, "Why are they parked at the entrance? Are they going to the backyard? So many carriages, bringing back so many people. Weren't there only seven reclusive masters?"
Zhao Guizhi already knew about the senior brothers and sisters from Xianwu Island. Zhao Guihua had written to her in the prefectural city, and of course, the letter was written by Zhou Sanfu. Zhao Guizhi already knew that their safe return so quickly was thanks to the help of several masters, so she was very grateful to them.
“Why go back? Our distinguished guests have arrived, so we must invite them to the private room upstairs. We’ll have lunch here. What’s the point of going back? It’s too much trouble.” Zhao Guizhi refused to let them go and insisted on pulling the children off the carriage. She was going to invite the guests from Xianwu Island.
Zhu Qiuyu and the others had already jumped off the carriage. They couldn't refuse the warm hospitality, so they decided to take the initiative, otherwise this overly enthusiastic aunt would come over and pull them away.
When Zhao Guizhi saw several young men and women in flowing white robes jump down from the carriage, she was stunned. What divine looks they had! No wonder they were reclusive masters; they were truly extraordinary. She dared not actually go up and grab them.
After calming herself down, Zhao Guizhi stepped forward very respectfully and said, "Please come in, esteemed gentlemen. Please sit in the private room upstairs. I didn't know you could arrive today, otherwise we would have met you at the city gate."
"Are there private rooms upstairs?" Boss Zhou asked with a simple and honest expression.
"Yes, those are specially reserved for people of high status. We'd like to invite a few distinguished guests up," Zhao Guizhi greeted them warmly.
The group from Xianwu Island felt a little embarrassed as Zhao Guizhi kept calling him an expert. Their lips twitched. Zhu Qiuyu spoke up, "Auntie, there's no need to be so polite. I am Zhu Qiuyu, not some expert. Please address me as you like."
How could we be so casual about it? The girl said in her letter that these people were truly remarkable. They not only saved their lives but also protected their entire family all the way back to Nanyang Prefecture, and now they were escorting them back to the county town.
The people of Xianwu Island have done the Zhou family a great favor, and the Zhou family's benefactors are also Zhao Guizhi's benefactors. They cannot be neglected and must be treated well.
"Auntie, this is Brother Lin. He's very capable. Senior Brother Zhu and Senior Sister Zhu are also very capable. You must cook your best dishes to entertain them today!" Xingxing came over and hugged Zhao Guizhi's leg, saying with a grin.
"I know, Auntie will definitely cook the best dishes," Zhao Guizhi replied repeatedly, then patted Xingxing's head and said, "Xingxing has grown quite a bit taller. Ruru misses you a lot. She is studying at a private school in the county town and will not be back until evening. Lunch is delivered to her."
"I miss Ruru too, I miss her so much! Auntie, let's never be apart again, we'll be together forever," Xingxing said sweetly.
“Okay, we’ll stay together forever and never be apart again,” Zhao Guizhi replied to Xingxing, then looked at Zhu Lin. She knew that Zhu Lin was the young master of Xianwu Island. Now, she saw that the young man was about the same age as Fu Ge and his friends, but he had an ethereal air about him and looked elegant and noble, which was something that they, as rough people, could not compare to.
"Young Master, please come upstairs. You must be tired from your journey." Zhao Guizhi said, leading the man to a private room on the second floor. The room was indeed elegantly decorated and had excellent soundproofing; once the door was closed, all outside noise was shut out.
The waiter followed everyone in and poured tea. Soon after, he brought up some pastries and fruits.
"Please sit down first, I'll go cook right away, it'll be quick." Zhao Guizhi smiled and turned to leave.
"Why not hire a chef? It's too tiring to cook yourself." Zhu Qiuyu shook her head in disagreement.
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