Chapter 146: Old flavor, new chapter leads to the city of gods
Yang Xiao dragged Cen Xun all the way to the city center. She led Cen Xun along the wet streets, her eyes constantly looking around.
Small restaurants along the street gradually opened their doors, reflecting the vibrant life of Anping County.
Suddenly, a small flag appeared in her eyes. She smiled and pointed, "Look, we're here."
Cen Xun stopped and looked up in the direction she was pointing. He saw the words "Mu's Restaurant" written on a small white flag with a red border. He smiled knowingly and said, "It seems that we have come back to Jizhou to catch up with old friends."
"Mu Fei left with regrets, so as his master, I should naturally do something, right?" Yang Xiao sighed with emotion, then pulled Cen Xun along and stepped into the shop.
A burst of enticing aroma suddenly wafted in, and steam rose into the room, hovering above the heads of all the guests.
"Ladies, what would you like to eat?" The waiter slung a towel over his shoulder and came over with a plate.
"Come this way... wait a minute," as the steam gradually dissipated, he finally saw who was coming and froze on the spot. "General Yang, Miss Cen? Weren't you... in Chang'an? Why are you back in Jizhou?" The waiter was excited and happy and quickly waved to the kitchen next to him. "Master, Madam, come quickly!"
A moment later, a middle-aged man emerged from the steamy kitchen, wielding a spatula. "What's wrong? Can't even handle two young girls? Step aside, I'll take care of it."
Yang Xiao stared at the burly man covered in flour, wielding a shovel, her mind filled with the image of Mu Fei's face covered in white flour. She smiled wistfully, thinking to herself that this man was practically a giant version of a white-faced immortal.
"My name is Yang Xiao," Yang Xiao said, bowing to the burly man. "Greetings, shopkeeper."
The burly man, who had just been defiant, suddenly froze on the spot, shovel in hand. He stood there stunned for a full three seconds before bending down to look at Yang Xiao in disbelief. "You... are General Yang?"
After saying this, he quickly put away the shovel and bent down to bow, but Yang Xiao helped him up. "Hey, no need for formalities. Just treat us as ordinary guests."
“An ordinary customer…” The burly man shook his head, looking at Yang Xiao with gratitude in his eyes, “You have taken good care of that kid Mu Fei, you can be considered our benefactor, how can you treat him like an ordinary customer?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao clenched her fist, then lowered her head with a look of shame, "Mu Fei... it's my fault for not protecting him."
"Mu Fei made great contributions in Lujiang County and is now the pride of our whole family," the big man said with pride. "Although he passed away at a young age, he certainly did not regret his charge into battle. He is our hero, General." He looked down at Yang Xiao. "He had no regrets, so why should we be sad?"
Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, looked up at the burly man who had already seen through everything, and said, "Mu Fei is the best soldier I have ever led. Thank you for letting him join the army with peace of mind."
“I should be thanking you, General.” The burly man led Yang Xiaocenxun to a private room. “He was just a cook when he left, but the joy and satisfaction on his face when he ran home that day was something we had never seen before. He told us that you treated your soldiers like your own sons, and that you had transformed him, a cook in the army, into an elite member of the Eagle Squad. We will never forget the pride he felt then.”
Yang Xiao sighed with emotion, then looked up at the big man and said, "For Mu Fei's sake, and for the unforgettable meals we had back then, I have something I'd like to discuss with the restaurant owner."
The burly man bowed and nodded. "General, please speak freely."
Do you have any apprentices?
The burly man was taken aback, then nodded, puzzled. "Over the past few years, I've taken on quite a few apprentices thanks to my skills."
"Then, would you be willing to put your signboard up in Chang'an?"
"Chang'an?" The burly man looked at Yang Xiao with a mixture of surprise and delight. "You mean..."
Yang Xiao also stood up solemnly, "I have discussed this matter with His Majesty. If you are willing, we will prepare manpower to go to Chang'an, as a way to make up for the regrets of our brothers in the Eagle Squad."
"Of course I'm willing!" The burly man put down his shovel, wiped the flour off his hands on his apron, and bowed to Yang Xiao. "Thank you, General, for being willing to spread the word about my humble shop."
"It's been around for so many years, why be modest?" Yang Xiao chuckled as she helped him up. "Please, Chef Mu, show us your skills."
The burly man, beaming with gratitude, clasped his hands in a fist and nodded, saying, "Of course, of course. What would you two like to eat?" He turned and called out loudly towards the door, "Waiter! Bring the menu!"
"No need, no need," Yang Xiao waved her hand with a smile. "Two bowls of locust flower porridge, a locust flower pancake, and two of your restaurant's signature dishes will be fine."
Chef Mu nodded repeatedly, "Is this all you two are ordering?"
“That’s enough,” Yang Xiao nodded, cupped her hands in a fist salute to the head chef, “Then I’ll trouble you.”
The chef nodded and headed towards the door. "Please wait a moment, I'll personally prepare it for you!"
Watching Chef Mu leave with a pleased expression, Cen Xun couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
Seeing this, Yang Xiao sat down beside her, turned to look at her, and asked, "Why is Lord Cen sighing?"
"If you say you're not loyal, you really did a good job for Mu Fei's family. But if you say you're loyal," Cen Xun said with a smile, looking at Yang Xiao, "you still ended up paying Chef Mu for a meal on credit."
"Tongxi, you," Yang Xiao chuckled and nudged Cen Xun, "being too clear-cut will only make people feel uncomfortable. After this meal, when shall we set off?"
Cen Xun rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a while, "Chang'an can't be left without people for the time being, so how about we set off tomorrow?"
“Okay,” Yang Xiao nodded while sipping her tea. “I’ll go see Yude this afternoon too. Yesterday was too rushed, and I didn’t even fill three cups of wine.”
Cen Xun smiled and nodded, "Okay, then I'll wait for you to come back and pack your things. We'll set off tomorrow."
-
The sun had passed its zenith and was now hidden in a cloud of mist. Yang Xiao bid farewell to Chef Mu and walked alone towards the cemetery.
A light rain fell over the cemetery, and the locust blossoms, adorned with raindrops, swayed on the trees, their fragrance spreading far and wide.
She held a plain umbrella and strolled slowly, following the fragrance. Stepping into the garden, she saw a figure kneeling before the tomb, motionless for a long time.
She stared at the figure for a moment, then lowered her eyes, sighed softly, and walked towards the person with her umbrella.
The raindrops that were falling in front of him suddenly stopped. The man turned around and saw Yang Xiao holding an umbrella for him, looking at him with a knowing look in her eyes.
"Lingyu? What happened to you..."
“Looks like I’m destined to be someone’s umbrella holder,” Yang Xiao sighed with a smile, squatting down next to the person with the umbrella in hand, and reaching out to touch Zhong Lishuo’s tombstone. “Look, even Chen Mo has come to see you.”
Chen Mo also sighed, looking up at Zhong Lishuo's grave. "At first, I didn't understand, and even inexplicably resented him. But later..." He nodded with shame and chuckled softly, "I was just being narrow-minded. I could never have matched what General Yude did in my entire life."
Yang Xiao smiled and handed the umbrella to Chen Mo, then picked up the wine pot next to her and poured wine into a cup. "Why are you belittling yourself again? Lingyue Pavilion has helped so much, you deserve a lot of credit."
"I just toasted General Zhongli. If you toast him again, he might get drunk."
“He’s not me,” Yang Xiao said with a smile and shook her head. “Among us, Yu De has the best alcohol tolerance.”
Chen Mo nodded slightly, gazing at Zhong Lishuo's damp grave, and said nothing more.
Ignoring the raindrops, Yang Xiao stood up and patted Zhong Lishuo's tombstone heavily, her eyes full of smiles and affection, as if she were patting an old friend on the shoulder. "You've been gone for so many years, and there are still people who wish you well, Prince of Jibei?"
She pressed her hand against the tombstone and let out a long sigh, then turned to look at Chen Mo, who was squatting beside her. "Lingyue Pavilion, will you come back?"
Chen Mo raised his dark, bright eyes to look at Yang Xiao and nodded, "Go back, of course we'll go back. Our roots are in Bingzhou, so naturally we'll continue singing in Bingzhou. As for Jiangnan, my master will be there."
“Alright,” Yang Xiao nodded. “And what about you? Will you continue to serve as General Chen?”
Chen Mo was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then chuckled and shook his head, "Now that the world is at peace, I should go back and pick up my old profession."
"Look at you all, none of you are leading troops anymore." Yang Xiao sighed with a knowing smile. "She has already made her decision, so why are you condescending to do the same?"
Chen Mo pondered for a long time, then gently stroked Zhong Lishuo's tombstone. "For him, she carried his last wishes and traveled thousands of miles. Now, she is performing the unfinished rituals with a ten-mile-long red bridal procession. For so many years, she has kept her heart and soul bound. In the future, I also want to try to re-enter her life and lead her step by step forward, even if... without a name or status."
“The Music Bureau Master and the top courtesan of the Lingyue Pavilion will indeed have quite a bit of overlap,” Yang Xiao nodded with a light laugh, “However…” She turned to look at Chen Mo, “you’ve got one thing wrong.”
"What?"
"She never restrains her own nature, Chen Mo, you must have known this a long time ago."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mo stood up, puzzled, and looked down at Yang Xiao while holding an umbrella.
"It's not that she doesn't like you, but she's always been unwilling to take things further." Yang Xiao looked up at him, her intense gaze seemingly able to see right through him. "Do you know why?"
Chen Mo lowered his eyes and clenched his fist. "My status is lowly; I am an actress from the Lingyue Pavilion..."
"Your biggest problem is that you underestimate yourself. If you think like that, who can respect you?" Yang Xiao interrupted Chen Mo sharply, then seemed to remember something and patted Zhong Lishuo's tombstone with a light laugh. "Excuse me, I disturbed you."
"Then why did she..." Chen Mo glanced at Zhong Lishuo's tombstone and fell silent.
“Because she follows her heart.” Yang Xiao crossed her arms and laughed heartily. “Although she has a good relationship with you, she has no feelings for you whatsoever. If she lets you have your way, she will not only ruin herself, but she will also ruin you in the future.”
“She knew the crux of the matter all too well.” Yang Xiao sighed as she gazed at the distant mountains. “What she longed for was the purest and most passionate love in the world, love at first sight, and mutual affection. When Yu De was alive, the two of them walked hand in hand, each holding their own ground; after Yu De passed away, she carried Yu De’s aspirations with her and traveled all over the world.”
Yang Xiao pondered for a long time, then turned to look at Chen Mo seriously. "These are by no means her way of suppressing her true feelings. Over the years, everything she has seen through Yu De's eyes has become the most precious feeling in her heart. These feelings are much more precious than what she has lost."
Chen Mo gazed at Zhong Lishuo's monument, his eyes veiled by a light drizzle, and remained silent.
“Yu De is naturally our most outstanding general,” Yang Xiao nodded proudly, then looked up at Chen Mo, “but you are no worse than him. Tong Xi has already decided to embark on her own journey. If you continue to wallow in self-pity, you are truly closing your own path.”
Chen Mo gave a wry smile, then nodded in agreement, "I followed Mr. Xue in the uprising earlier, all for the sake of the world's future. Now that the world is at peace, I really don't know where to go from here."
Amidst the drizzle, the sound of light footsteps suddenly broke the silence. Yang Xiao and Chen Mo turned around simultaneously, only to see Cen Xun under an umbrella, watching them with a leisurely air.
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