Chapter 41 The Old Brand Qian Wulang Distillery in the South of the City…
In front of Qian Wulang's old-established sesame seed cake stall in the south of the city, the autumn sun lazily shone on the bluestone slabs with a light warmth, and the charcoal fire crackled in the oven of the sesame seed cake shop.
The aroma, a blend of grains and oils, is both assertive and comforting. The nutty, roasted scent of sesame seeds is fully released under high temperatures, directly tantalizing the senses of passersby.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, feeling the aroma of the food instantly fill her nostrils: "Qian Wulang's cooking is still the best to my taste. Just this aroma alone makes it worth the detour we took."
“Our family’s kitchen is quite good at cooking, but the girl only cares about this one thing.” Green Moth said this, but her eyes were also fixed on the oven that was about to be baked.
"Sister Green Moth clearly likes it too." Cat covered her mouth and laughed, her round eyes darting around before she saw through Green Moth's hypocrisy.
"If you don't like Green Moth, I'll have to give your share to the cat," Xiao Yan joked.
While the three of them chatted for a few moments, Qian Wulang had already opened the oven. The batch of sesame cakes they had been waiting for was ready.
"Please take your sesame seed cake, sir. If you enjoy it, please come again!"
The pancake vendor looked to be only ten years old, but he was already incredibly quick and efficient. As soon as the pancakes came out of the oven, he would wrap them up for the waiting customers with a big smile, quickly take the coins, and then enthusiastically invite them to come again next time. He was very endearing.
"Let's go to the teahouse. The flatbread won't be as fragrant and crispy if it gets too hot." Xiao Yan glanced at the flatbread in Lü'e's hand and was about to walk towards the teahouse across the street.
"Miss Xiao, what a coincidence! It's true what they say, life is full of unexpected encounters."
Suddenly, a clear voice with a hint of languor rang out from behind her. The voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for Xiao Yan to hear clearly.
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Xiao Yan paused, her guard instantly on high alert.
She turned her head and saw Su Mingyue leaning against a small bamboo weaving stall next to the pancake shop.
Today he was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe with cloud patterns, a jade belt around his waist, and a thin gauze cloak of the same color over it. His black hair was half-tied up with a simple jade hairpin, with a few strands falling casually to his temples.
He was tall and upright, with a relaxed demeanor, exuding the noble air of a young master from a prominent family. Standing here, he seemed out of place in this noisy marketplace.
But this seemingly nice person, who doesn't fit in with the common people, has run into me three times recently.
Oh, this is the fourth time.
"Good day, Mr. Su." Xiao Yan suppressed her doubts and greeted him with a polite yet distant smile, as if she had measured the distance between them.
Recalling the first time she saw him in her shop, she thought it was just a coincidence.
But I never expected to run into him again and again—in a bookstore, a silk shop, a wonton stall on a street corner, and now in this sesame seed cake shop.
Judging by the frequency of these "chance encounters" and the fact that they take place in places that seem completely out of place with him, he's practically making it obvious that he did it on purpose.
How could this not set off alarm bells in Xiao Yan's mind?
Xiao Yan Hui couldn't understand what he possessed that made this powerful young master so persistent.
Is it because he ran away from the flower viewing party so decisively last time?
That's right, very unfortunately, although she managed to slip away quickly last time, she was still exposed by Su Mingyue and Liang Zhao.
During their first chance encounter, Su Mingyue remarked that the girl's voice sounded very familiar, as if she had heard it before, perhaps around a corner in a corridor.
Then, in a familiar tone and in a low voice, she said in an ambiguous tone, "That day was indeed a flower-viewing banquet hosted by Madam Liang... I heard that it led to many romantic encounters. Even Liang Erlang and your sister were quite delighted by their chance meeting that day. I wonder what Miss Xiao thinks?"
At first, Xiao Yan was a little taken aback, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that the guy named Su Mingyue seemed to be implying flirting in his words.
But his attitude became quite normal on subsequent occasions, as if he thought that since they had met by chance several times, they should become friends.
If she hadn't remained wary, Xiao Yan would have thought that she and he were probably already good friends by now.
If Xiao Yan Hui's first impression of Su Ming Yue was one of being amazed by her demeanor and beauty, and her second impression was one of being wary of her scheming nature, then by this point, Xiao Yan Hui's feelings towards Su Ming Yue were only one of fear and disgust.
He is undoubtedly good at getting along with people.
The reason why he noticed her attempt to seduce her in the shop was probably because of his status and good looks. He was always successful with women whenever he wanted, so he used his usual methods on Xiao Yan.
Unfortunately, this time he encountered Xiao Yanhui.
As a modern woman, I am somewhat immune to men's good looks and cunning. Xiao Yan Hui even boasted to her friends that she was a theoretical expert who hadn't developed a romantic mindset; she might not be able to detect true feelings, but she couldn't hide a single bit of pretense.
Su Mingyue's subtle and ulterior motives in seducing her naturally did not escape her notice.
He sensed something was wrong from the beginning, and no matter how he changed his attitude afterward, he could no longer gain Xiao Yan's trust. Instead, his vigilance level kept rising.
The problem is that their status is what it is, and it's not easy to offend them.
"Why hasn't he returned to the capital yet? Didn't that young master Wang go back long ago?"
Xiao Yanhui would complain every time she "bumped into" this person, but unfortunately, he didn't know what was wrong with him. He seemed to have nothing to do in Jiangzuo, but he just couldn't leave.
The reason Xiao Yan Hui addressed him as Mr. Su was because Su Ming Yue had been attending gatherings of talented men from Jiangzuo for some time now out of sheer boredom, which earned him the title of "Mr."
Xiao Yan Hui didn't address him that way out of respect, but because it was the most distant form of address.
“Miss Xiao, there’s no need to be so polite. As I mentioned before, I’m the third son in my family. If you don’t mind, you can call me Su Sanlang.”
Su Mingyue smiled with an air of tranquility, but inwardly she was sighing.
"I made a mistake. I didn't expect this person to be so perceptive and difficult to deal with."
He lost control at the beginning, and his attitude became apparent; afterwards, he had no chance to salvage his image.
Thinking of this, Su Mingyue also felt wronged.
That day, it really was just an unintentional, subconscious act. He knew that Prince Cheng cared about this woman. Was he out of his mind? Was he deliberately seducing her?
Although it wasn't intentional, Xiao Yan's reaction still made him feel quite frustrated.
Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Su Mingyue had already made a move, yet she failed to achieve her goal. How strange! Could there be a woman in this world who could ignore him?
His subsequent chance encounters weren't due to any malicious intent on his part. He simply felt that since he was going to cooperate with Prince Cheng, it was always necessary to clear up any misunderstandings and build a good relationship with his future spouse. Also, he was genuinely a bit skeptical of superstition.
But when she saw the third young lady again today, her attitude was noticeably more wary than before, and the deep disgust in her eyes was almost overflowing.
Su Mingyue had to admit that her charm had completely failed her, and he was truly and utterly hated.
"This is so heartbreaking!"
But considering Prince Cheng's attitude towards Miss Xiao, it makes sense that this person is somewhat special.
Seeing that her plan to salvage her image through a chance encounter had completely failed, Su Mingyue, despite her frustration, had no choice but to leave.
But just then, a gentle voice rang out.
"Su Lang, what a coincidence!" Yet another person who shouldn't be here has appeared.
Looking at Liang Jiaojiao gracefully approaching from not far away, Xiao Yanhui felt an urge to sigh and rub his forehead.
These noble young masters and ladies are playing their love hunting games; can they please not involve small fry like me?
Looking at the gentle gaze Liang gave Su Mingyue, and the slightly sharp look that swept over her, she really wanted to rush over and shake Liang hard to clear her head.
Xiao Yan Hui was already engaged and had absolutely no interest in her Su Lang Jun.
"Miss Xiao, what a coincidence, we meet again." Smiling at Su Mingyue, Miss Liang also smiled gently and returned the greeting to Xiao Yan.
When Xiao Yan Hui saw Miss Liang acting like this at the silk shop, he was quite startled.
After all, her image then was completely different from the willful image she had when she chased after Wang Heng.
Besides, wasn't she clearly interested in Wang Heng back then? Why is she looking at Su Mingyue with such tender eyes now?
Xiao Yanhui even suspected that Miss Liang's behavior at the flower-viewing banquet was intentional.
She deliberately ruined her image so that Wang Heng wouldn't be interested in her.
However, the intricacies between those powerful families were just things Xiao Yan Hui would occasionally think about in his spare time; he was just someone to gossip about.
As for the specifics, she couldn't possibly know the truth. But given the situation, she still knew exactly what to do.
"Hello, Miss Liang." After greeting her, Xiao Yan replied directly, "Please continue your conversation, I have other matters to attend to and will be taking my leave now."
Ugh, it's so annoying. It's taken up so much time, and her pancakes aren't even crispy and fragrant anymore.
Xiao Yan glanced at the sesame seed cake in Green Moth's hand, and her lips curled down almost imperceptibly.
"What a coincidence, is it the Third Miss here?" Just as I took another step, another "What a coincidence!" was heard.
Hearing "What a coincidence!" again, Xiao Yan felt like she was going to be allergic to the word "what a coincidence" all day.
However, when she turned around and saw Qin Xi approaching from afar, her mood improved slightly.
"It really is the Third Miss!" Qin Xi came over with a smile, her jogging steps almost skipping.
"I was just about to deliver a letter to your residence on behalf of my husband when I ran into you on the way. I'll take a break from that."
Qin Xi took out a card from her bosom and respectfully bowed, presenting it with both hands.
Green Moth was about to take the post when her daughter raised her hand, blocking her, and took the post herself.
Leading Qin Xi a few steps forward, and after distancing herself from the two young masters and ladies, Xiao Yan opened the invitation in her hand.
After quickly scanning the contents of the post, Xiao Yan's lingering tension and dejection completely disappeared.
A big smile spread across his face, and his eyes became extremely bright.
"Go back and tell your husband that I will definitely keep my appointment on time."
This is an appointment to see pandas; hesitating for even a second is disrespectful to the national treasure.
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