41 Snow Skin Grass Gift to Bai Fangzhu
◎A smaller bed is better◎
Does this mean he's going to sleep with her tonight?
The excuse was clumsy, but she couldn't bear to call it out: it's fine this way.
Just as Lou Su had predicted, a torrential downpour began in the middle of the night. The rain pattered against the windowpanes, sometimes soft, sometimes heavy, and never-ending, disturbing Yan Yunzhao's sleep.
Perhaps Lou Su was right; he was afraid of thunder and hadn't slept a wink all night. Seeing Yan Yunzhao tossing and turning, seemingly troubled, he spoke softly:
"What's wrong?"
With his back to him, Yan Yunzhao called out to him softly, "Lou Su."
"Yes, I'm here. Can't sleep?"
"Perhaps I should address you as Lord Wuxiang now?"
Lou Su opened his dark eyes slightly, but did not respond, his fingertips gripping the corner of the blanket tightly.
He didn't mean to hide it; he was just suffering from blood poisoning and didn't have many years to live. He didn't dare to reveal his feelings easily, for fear of ruining her life.
Yan Yunzhao rolled over and lay flat on his back, staring at the dark ceiling, and calmly said, "You knew all along that I was a demon?"
There was a few moments of silence on the other end, then a very soft "hmm" came from the other end.
Thinking back to how Lou Su had been pretending to be stupid all along, and how she had been kept in the dark and amused by him, Yan Yunzhao felt a surge of anger for no reason.
She covered herself with the blanket and turned to her side, not wanting to pay attention to him for the time being, but then she heard rustling sounds coming from the other side.
"you……"
Before she could finish speaking, in the darkness, Yan Yunzhao felt her lips soften, and an overwhelming, pleasant scent enveloped her cheeks. Her sense of smell was amplified, and the small space was filled with his scent.
Two warm lips enveloped her slightly parted lips.
His movements were restrained and gentle, his lips gently caressing hers between his teeth, sucking on her tender lips. Lou Su's increasingly heavy and hot breath fell on her face, and she greedily inhaled his breath, but after hesitating several times, she still pushed him away.
But no sooner had she turned away than he leaned in again, this time kissing her more passionately, seemingly domineering yet unwilling to give up.
"Ugh... let go..."
"Zhaozhao, I'm just afraid you'll dislike me..."
His voice was hoarse, with a hint of grievance, and his heavy breathing lingered in her ear, sending a soft shiver down her spine.
She actually understood everything, but she was just being stubborn.
His long, tender kiss had answered everything. Yan Yunzhao stopped thinking about those things and unconsciously put her arms around his shoulders.
Tonight is exceptionally long. The sound of rain is getting louder, blocking out the beauty inside the house. Only a single flower stands upright on a branch outside the window, its petals bearing some striking marks from the raging raindrops.
...
Winter is the perfect time to enjoy hot pot and flatbread, and stone pot rice is also a good choice.
In the dynasty in which Yan Yunzhao lived, hot pot and similar dishes were not yet widespread, and were a novelty for most diners. Naturally, the newer the dish, the more attention it would attract; who wouldn't enjoy a hearty hot pot on a cold winter's day?
As Yan Yunzhao pondered these plans, a flicker of unease crossed his mind as he glanced out the window. A blanket of snow covered the mountains, blocking the roads. In the depths of winter, Cui Liang's little shop would likely have to close for the entire season.
Jingming and Shuyu had just learned Yan Yunzhao's technique to make some red bean dumplings and were inviting a few people to have breakfast when they saw Yan Yunzhao staring out the window in silence, so they went over to her.
"The snow is certainly fun, but I doubt any diners will come up the mountain," Jingming said, shaking his head as he looked out the window.
"Hey boss, why are your lips so red today?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the three grass demons all crowded around to look. Yan Yunzhao was embarrassed for a moment, but then calmed down and said, "Perhaps he has a fever."
The three grass demons nodded as if they understood, then turned their gaze to Lou Su: Why is Young Master Lou also getting angry?
Today, both of them had strikingly red lips, but didn't the five people at the small shop always eat the same things? Qingxi was deeply puzzled.
Shuyu had already figured it out. She quickly glanced at the two of them while suppressing her smile, and changed the subject at the right time: "Boss, with the heavy snow blocking the mountains right now, it's hard to find ingredients in Cuiliang Mountain. Why don't we take advantage of this and use the hundred taels of gold we got the other day to buy some in the town?"
Since Shuyu asked, Yan Yunzhao took the opportunity to continue the conversation, thus easily glossing over the matter of getting a sore throat.
Shuyu's suggestion to open a branch store was something she had considered, but after making inquiries a few days ago, she learned that opening a shop in Lixi Town required the approval of the restaurant owners; otherwise, not only would she have to pay extra money, but the location would likely be poor. Therefore, she needed to enter the industry as soon as possible before considering opening a branch store.
Since winning first place at the princess's birthday banquet, Yan Yunzhao continued to sell the fresh vegetables from his garden at the Cui family manor, while entrusting the land to Lou Su, who possessed more powerful magic.
Even if you take out half of a hundred taels of gold, it would only be enough to pay the initial deposit for a fairly large shop in town, and then buy tables, chairs, kitchen utensils, and hire some maids and servants.
With this in mind, the five people in the small shop did not go on a big spending spree. Instead, they did not have the feeling of getting rich overnight. They continued to work hard and earn money, and spent a period of fulfilling but not busy leisure time.
The heavy snow covered the vegetable garden in the courtyard, but fortunately, Xiao Fu was there to protect it, so the vegetables were not damaged by the cold and instead grew very well.
After Yan Yunzhao finished covering the ground with the talisman, he sat down to watch Lou Su inject his spiritual power. The thin blue threads of spiritual power drifted into the ground, and the snow melted considerably.
Since last night, those memories kept replaying in Yan Yunzhao's mind, especially when he saw Lou Su's lips, which were much redder than usual, making him feel even more embarrassed and annoyed.
Lou Su, however, seemed to be admiring a masterpiece, his gaze always lingering on her lips, completely oblivious to any shame.
Yan Yunzhao felt uncomfortable being stared at, so she went back into her room and covered herself with a veil, leaving only her eyes exposed so he could look at her.
Lou Su lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, no longer teasing her, and calmly said, "If you can join the guild today, you should open another shop in the future?"
That's exactly what I think.
"Then...can we continue using the wooden bed in the room?"
Yan Yunzhao was puzzled: "This bed is narrow and small, and the quality is not good. Why are you so fond of this bed?"
Lou Su smiled but did not answer.
...
After a morning of work, watering and fertilizing the vegetable garden, it was almost time to meet Miss Luo. Not long after, a carriage slowly approached from afar and stopped in front of the small shop. Miss Luo, dressed in a simple white dress, lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage.
"Miss Yan, there's no time to lose, let's hurry to Guiyue Tower."
Despite the heavy snow today, Miss Luo was on time, likely having left very early. Yan Yunzhao smiled and responded, then followed Miss Luo into the carriage.
This discussion is of great importance. Yan Yunzhao is currently financially well-off, but he needs the approval of the restaurant guild to find a good location to rent a shop. If he can join the guild, he can get insider prices when buying vegetables, salt, and seasonings, saving a lot of costs.
As I pondered my words, I arrived at the entrance of Guiyue Tower without realizing it. It was probably winter, and the restaurants were short of fresh fruits and vegetables, so the variety of dishes they could make was reduced by more than half. Even Guiyue Tower had fewer customers than before.
Yan Yunzhao tightened his fur collar, glanced at the ostentatious plaque above, and stepped over the threshold into the workshop.
Unlike last time, the servants were no longer idle, yawning while holding brooms, and even the tea server at the door was leaning lazily against the door frame, squinting at Yan Yunzhao and Miss Luo.
Upon seeing this, Miss Luo scolded, "Have you forgotten all the old rules? Why don't you even greet the guests?"
Although the servants were lazy, they still had to give Miss Luo, who was in charge, some face, and said with a forced smile, "Honorable guest, please come inside. Master Bai is waiting for you upstairs."
Miss Luo frowned and glanced at them, then apologized to Yan Yunzhao: "These servants are becoming more and more unruly."
Yan Yunzhao smiled, having already guessed most of the situation inside within the few breaths he had entered. Guiyuelou, once the largest restaurant in Lixi Town, had fallen to such a state; there must be some hidden story behind it.
Ascending to the second floor along the pear wood corridor, one is greeted by carved lintels and colorful window eaves, as if a strong scent of perfume wafts towards one.
Miss Luo smiled and introduced, "The second floor is where the dancers and musicians live. The reception hall is not far from here."
The two walked through the corridor, and a bright and spacious room opened up before them. The reception hall was filled with the curling smoke of incense. In the center sat a painted eight-immortal table with floral and bird designs, flanked by two gilded armchairs, their cushions upholstered in dark blue satin. On the east and west sides were elegant flower stands, their refined taste suggesting considerable wealth.
White Monk reclined in a deck chair for a short rest, and when he saw the visitor, he merely lifted his eyelids listlessly.
Master Bai was not particular about hospitality, so Yan Yunzhao didn't bother with formalities either. He sat down in the armchair and explained his purpose: "Last month, I discussed joining the Seventeen Guilds of Restaurants with Master Bai. Now that my shop's profits have met Master Bai's requirements, I wonder what Master Bai thinks about joining the guild?"
Master Bai glanced at her and said slowly, "Of course. However, joining the guild depends on my approval. Master Yan came empty-handed, without any offer?"
Seeing that he was openly asking for a gift for the first time, Yan Yunzhao was not annoyed. He lowered his eyes and smiled lightly: "A gift is only right. I have already sent someone to deliver it to Guiyue Tower. However, Master Bai is dressed in fine clothes and eats fine food. I suppose he would not be interested in such ordinary things. I have something that Master Bai might be interested in."
Yan Yunzhao beckoned, and a servant brought over a wooden box containing a snow-skin grass.
"This is Snow Skin Grass, which grows in the snowy mountains and is very rare. It has the effect of beautifying and nourishing the skin. This thing is rare. I obtained one by chance and now I am giving it to Master Bai."
Yan Yunzhao spoke more tactfully, but Snow Skin Grass was not only rare, it was something seldom found in the entire Great Qi Kingdom. If it weren't for Master Bai enjoying the good life with his high-ranking sister, he probably wouldn't even have heard of it.
As for where Yan Yunzhao obtained this item, we'll have to ask the Qingshan Sect elders from two hundred years ago.
Upon hearing this, Master Bai sat up and glanced at Yan Yunzhao, his expression softening slightly as he looked at him: "Since Master Yan is so sincere, let's speak frankly."
“Master Yan’s shop is doing very well, and it has actually taken away a lot of our business. I am in the wrong about Fang Yi’s matter, and I should apologize to Master Yan. If it were before, I would definitely not want you to join the guild. But you are really lucky. Right now, I am about to return to the capital and I am too busy to continue running this restaurant business.”
Bai Fangzhu casually placed her hand on the chair, and with the help of her maid, she rose from the recliner and said leisurely, "In that case, how about Master Yan take charge of the role?"
[Author's Note]
Guess why Lou Su doesn't want to change that bed?
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