Si Lisi had no idea what happened next door. Shopkeeper Ma kept his promise and delivered the milk, solving the problem faced by Shopkeeper Tang and Wanglaiju. A day later, after preparing the morning business and food, Si Li met Mr. Zhong and his construction team who came to demolish the wall. She left Wang Ting and Xiao Que to look after the house, and took Meng Taotao and the food to the South City Gate to wait for Xiao Qi.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I went out, I met an uninvited guest.

The middle-aged man in front of the door had his hands tucked into his sleeves. He had a gentle and elegant appearance, which made people feel close to him. When he smiled, he looked even more harmless. He bowed slightly and said, "This must be the shopkeeper Si, right? You are really a young man to be feared. I am Wu You, the shopkeeper of Wuweilou in Beijing. My colleagues in Beijing have heard of your great name for a long time. There will be a garden party on the eighth day of the eighth month in two months. I wonder if Miss Si is willing to meet with other colleagues? It would be a good thing to learn from each other."

There was no need to invite so early for a garden party in two months. Moreover, the word "learn from each other" was thought-provoking. In the ancient times, people were so frivolous that they could still say such a thing. Don't take advantage of her age to trick her.

Originally, Si Li had a good impression of Wuweilou compared to other old shops, given the previous incident with the milk seller. But he came not earlier or later, but just after Tangji had its milk supply cut off and found a new one, which made the timing very delicate.

Si Li smiled and bowed casually, "The newly made silver candy from Wuweilou tastes great, and the shopkeeper is very hardworking. However, I have only been in Beijing for a short time, and I am not very knowledgeable. The food I made is just some snacks, and it does not require any superb skills. It is really not presentable. You are all seniors, so why do you need me to embarrass myself?"

I have seen people who are modest before, but I have never seen anyone who is so modest. Manager Wu was stunned by her. Si Li continued, "Today, Manager Wu, please come and tell me. If Teng makes a move, I will definitely keep the appointment."

Shopkeeper Wu froze for a moment, then burst into laughter and forced a change of subject. "In fact, Wanglaiju has come up with a variety of clever and novel ideas one after another, and every family in Beijing is very curious about Miss Si. It's better to do it today than to wait for a day. Why don't you come with me to Wuweilou today and let us old folks open our eyes?"

"What have I done to deserve the attention of all of you seniors?" Si Li smiled in response, "It's just that today's time is unfortunate. First, the shop needs to be decorated, and second, I have an appointment with someone to go out, so I can't break it. Shopkeeper Wu is so polite. If we have a small gathering next time, I will send someone to bring the invitation to your house. But today you made a wasted trip."

Wu You had never seen a young man who could be so respectful after being praised. He wanted to persuade him again, but a donkey cart drove slowly over. The people on it came to greet Si Li. Si Li recognized that they were one of the "construction teams" that entered Qiyun Building in the morning, and asked loudly, "Do you need help?"

After the people in the car refused, they drove around the building and entered the back door of Qiyun Building, joining the clanging and ding-donging sounds in the backyard.

The guards of the Yue Palace were so close to Wanglaiju, and Wu You's previous speculation about the relationship between Wanglaiju and the Yue Palace came back to his mind. If the Yue Palace was really backing them up, their little tricks would probably be useless. When he looked at Si Li again, his eyes had changed a little.

"In that case, I won't bother you any more. Let's just have a meal together, relax and work hard. I'll ask the storekeeper to show me his favor later if there's a chance."

If Wu You's previous words were intimate and a little arrogant, his gesture of greeting was very formal. Si Li returned the greeting and left. The clerk who came with Wu You looked at the direction the young lady left and asked curiously, "Boss, are we going to call it quits?"

"We were wrong. There are no simple people who can gain a foothold in the capital." Wu You sighed, "The old guys are used to bullying the young. If you run into a tough guy, you have to rely on your own abilities. Go and see who Madam Si is going to meet."

When the staff reported back the news that Si Li and Xiao Qi were traveling together, proving that the owner of Wanglaiju had a wide circle of friends, Wu You smiled instead, "I invited her to the garden party, but who knows if she will be the one hosting the garden party two months later?"

The waiter took a deep breath and said, "No way? Our family has been running the business for several years. You, the shopkeeper, are recognized as an all-rounder. The chefs of other shops are not as good as you. This young lady only does some unconventional things. How can she be better than you?"

Wu You smiled but said nothing.

On the way to the outskirts of Beijing, Si Li heard Meng Taotao, who had been in Beijing for a year, talk about the garden party. The garden party was a custom left over from when Qiyunlou was still open. It was an event similar to a food festival held on the winter solstice by Qiyunlou. On that day, all the restaurants would show their strengths, but none of them could surpass Qiyunlou.

The host, Qiyunlou, would be responsible for the theme of the garden party that year, and each restaurant would prepare dishes based on the theme to serve diners. At that time, there were many restaurants in the East Market, and it was an honor for all restaurants in Beijing to be famous at the garden party and be sought after by diners. As the person who asked questions, they would also cook the dishes, and naturally they would be the most outstanding one since they had the advantage of asking questions. At that time, Qiyunlou was recognized as the best chef, so they were always the one who asked questions and were always the most popular one. After Qiyunlou closed its doors, the host fell into the hands of Wuweilou.

"But isn't Wuweilou a teahouse?"

After listening to all the stories along the way, Xiao Qi didn't even want to ride a horse anymore. She raised questions while being squeezed in the carriage with Si Li.

Meng Taotao spread his hands and said, "That's their business. In addition, the garden parties have become bigger and bigger in the past two years. Some chef apprentices who come here because of their reputation will choose to learn from their favorite restaurants, which has helped the restaurants in Beijing to become bigger and bigger."

Judging from the previous stalls set up by the Dharma Club, Wuweilou is obviously the one that has developed the best. The garden party is a major channel to attract new blood and gain diners.

Could it really be a good thing? Si Li thought carefully about the sparring that Wu You had repeatedly emphasized in his description, gave up the idea of ​​continuing to figure out the reason behind it, and poked Xiao Qi's face, "It's about riding a horse, Miss Xiao, why can't you walk after hearing the story?"

"I came here to accompany you because I was afraid you would be nervous." Xiao Qi rolled her eyes and looked outside the carriage. "There's just some open space. Let me get off and let you walk for a while."

The horses Xiao Qi brought, one red and one yellow, followed the carriage along the way, all under the control of the coachman. Si Li had never dealt with such creatures in her past and present lives. Xiao Qi pushed her towards the red horse and she stood in front of the horse, dazed, not knowing what to do for a long time.

The red horse looked at her with its wet eyes for a while, then lowered its head and rubbed her. The huge horse face was in front of her, with a crack in its mouth. Si Li's hair almost stood up. The handsomeness she had felt when she saw the horse before disappeared, and only one thought remained in her mind:

Horses only eat grass, right?

"Ah, she likes you very much!" Xiao Qi saw this and laughed, "Don't move, wait for me to come over."

Meng Taotao climbed onto the horse somewhat awkwardly under Xiao Qi's care. Xiao Qi was surprised and asked, "You can ride a horse?"

"A little bit." Meng Taotao sat upright on the horse, looking down from above, his face a little gloomy.

Xiao Qi asked the attendants who came with her to protect Meng Taotao, and walked around Si Li twice with her hands behind her back, "Tsk tsk, no way, what are you afraid of?"

Si Li, who was being chased and rubbed by the horse's nose, had already circled the horse. She and the red horse switched positions, but the red horse still didn't give up and lowered its head to rub her.

"Who's scared? I just don't want to play anymore. You two can ride." Si Li was a little overwhelmed by this unreasonable closeness. She once again put her hands in front of her face to block the red horse from getting closer. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she even saw a little hurt in the red horse's eyes.

Xiao Qi came forward and stroked the red horse's mane. The horse's long neck lifted up and snorted happily as she stroked it. She grabbed Si Li's wrist with her backhand and said, "Come, I'll teach you."

"Come on, step here and go up in one breath! Don't move!"

"Don't hold the horse's neck, hold the reins tightly, and once you learn to hold the horse's belly tightly, she will run faster."

There was an overly responsible teacher, and she couldn't avoid doing things she didn't want to do. Xiao Qi's teaching method was called "You'll learn it in one try." Si Li froze on the horse's back like a duck on a shelf. The view after leaving the ground made her a little dizzy, and the warm animal body under her rose and fell with her breathing, which made her scalp tingle.

"I, I, I'll go down now."

Si Li never knew that she was afraid of low altitudes. She tried not to think that she had left the ground. She held the reins and looked forward. "I've ridden past. I should go prepare some food for you. I'm hungry!"

"What are you hungry for?" Xiao Qi looked at Si Li who didn't even dare to straighten her back and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She patted the horse's body and said, "Hold on tight, sit up straight, I'll take you for a walk."

This is fundamentally different from learning to ride a bicycle when parents push the bike for you. After the horse started moving, Si Li felt like she was sitting on a wave, up and down, swaying, her mind was blank, and she was lucky enough to still remember what Xiao Qi said about holding on to the reins.

What else did Xiao Qi say? Yes, hold the horse's belly tight.

In order to save her life on horseback, Si Li strictly followed every word of the unreliable teacher.

Xiao Qi led Si Li through the sparse woods beside the official road. The red horse shook its head and Xiao Qi patted its neck, "What's wrong? Don't you like people sitting on it?"

She didn't notice that the red horse was becoming increasingly agitated, changing from a leisurely stroll to small steps, and its speed increased in just a moment.

The moment the red horse rushed out, Si Li's face turned pale. The rapidly shaking and changing perspective made her bend down and hug the horse's body uncontrollably, and she screamed, "Xiao Qi!"

The red horse's reins were half in Si Li's hand and half in Xiao Qi's hand. The red horse rushed out, and Xiao Qi was caught off guard and fell to the ground. It was too late for her to get up and ask someone to unload the horse and chase. Meng Taotao, who was riding a horse for a walk, reacted faster than Xiao Qi. He whipped the horse with his backhand and said, "Go! Don't be afraid, shopkeeper!"

Si Li heard Meng Taotao's voice, but it was mixed with the sound of the wind in her ears and she couldn't hear it clearly. The red horse's wheezing breathing was deafening. She hugged the horse tightly, enduring the feeling of vomiting, and quickly called the system in her mind.

Tong! If you don't find a solution, I'm going to die!!!

[System: After testing, the host is not in danger of life, please remain calm. ]

There was no danger to her life! Si Li was almost pissed off by it. Aren’t there enough people falling off horses in TV dramas? She didn’t want to have such a hard time getting out to play only to not be able to do it again.

"Ah Hong, slow down, stop running, and stop." Si Li pulled the reins to try to communicate with the red horse, but the red horse ran away at full speed, completely ignoring her. When she pulled the reins tightly, the horse shook its head, and it looked like it wanted to throw her off.

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The author has something to say:

Lili: Riding a horse is nice, but why is riding it by yourself a different matter?!