Chapter 69 Sitting in the elegant window seat on the second floor…
Sitting in the elegant window seat on the second floor, I could see the bustling half of Zhusha Street below. The sun was shining brightly today, its warm rays filtering through the carved window and casting a beautiful play of light and shadow on the table.
A famous artist's work hangs on the wall, and below, on a small table, a bright yellow winter plum blossom is diagonally inserted into a long-necked vase with a sweet white glaze.
As soon as Xiao Yan sat down, a maid came in with a menu: "Would you like to order, sir? Here are our winter specials: ginger honey tea and honey-preserved plum blossoms. Please enjoy them." The round-faced maid was friendly and charming, and her speech and manners clearly showed that she had received some training.
Along with the menu, a cup of ginger honey tea and a small dish of candied plum blossoms were also placed on the tray. Leaving aside the ginger honey tea, the candied plum blossoms certainly looked very tempting.
Although I haven't yet tasted the chef's cooking at this newly opened restaurant, judging by the elegant private rooms and the service, its recent rise to fame is understandable.
However, the entire service process had a somewhat modern style. If Qin Ji hadn't been too busy, she would have thought that Qin Ji owned the restaurant.
......
"Boss, what do you think of this cyclamen? It's all done according to your plan." Watching Qin Ji scoop a spoonful of jade porridge into his mouth and then put the spoon down, Shen Zhibai asked for his opinion with a hint of eagerness and anticipation.
Of course, Shen Zhibai wasn't asking about the taste of the dishes, but rather whether the restaurant's operation suited the boss's taste.
This is a room with a layout very similar to Xiao Yan Hui's private room. In addition to Qin Ji and Wei Sa, there are three other people in the room.
Approaching thirty, Shen Zhibai, dressed in flamboyant attire, possessed a handsome and approachable face. Born into a fallen noble family, he was a notorious playboy, fond of fun, skilled at it, and with style.
He loved to linger in places where delicious food, beautiful scenery, and beautiful women appeared, but he never expected that he would not be spending his romantic days in the capital as the year draws to a close, but instead appearing in this Jiangzuo City.
After glancing at Shen Zhibai, Qin Ji swallowed the jade porridge in his mouth. The taste was indeed delicious, but the texture was not to Qin Ji's liking. However, Qin Ji immediately ordered, "Have the kitchen put two jars of honey-preserved plum blossoms in glass jars, and make another batch of this jade porridge. Also, prepare a batch of raw floating dumplings with winter bamboo shoots and fresh meat. I'll take them with me when I go back."
"I was wondering why His Highness was in such high spirits today, tasting every dish on the table. Turns out, his real intention wasn't the food. He was tasting the dishes for the Princess." Only the arrogant Lin Ye would dare to say such teasing words.
He was someone Qin Ji rescued halfway through his journey to this Jiangzuo fiefdom. His family was originally involved in the underworld, but because of their principles and sense of loyalty, his father was quite well-known. Unfortunately, in the world of martial arts, people are born and die in the martial world, and a feud killed him, leaving him the only survivor. If it weren't for the good fortune of meeting Qin Ji, he wouldn't have survived.
The one sitting there with a serious and solemn expression, who hadn't spoken a word, was named Yan Lü. He secretly managed one of Qin Ji's manors, but it was a manor that could only be entered but not left, and very few people knew what was inside.
The three of them constituted Qin Ji's other trusted group besides Wei Sa and his other secret guards. In previous years, they rarely had the opportunity to gather together like this, but this year the situation was different.
Moreover, Qin Ji will soon be summoned back to the capital, and there are many things that need to be arranged in advance. The situations they will have to deal with in the future will become increasingly complicated, so it was only this year that Qin Ji summoned them all to Jiangzuo City.
At this gathering, Shen Zhibai inquired about the restaurant hoping to elicit some praise, but unexpectedly, he didn't meet Qin Ji's expectations: "The development in Jiangzuo City is a bit slow. How about the capital?"
"Jiangzuo is our stronghold, and I don't think any news can be kept from Brother Wei Sa. So the construction of Xiankelai here is just to give you another place to eat, Boss."
The situation at the Cyclamen flagship store in Beijing is completely different. Back there, it's incredibly difficult to get a table; countless powerful and wealthy people flock there, arriving with money in hand, practically crying and begging, just to reserve a spot.
Although Shen Zhibai's words were somewhat humorous and exaggerated, his abilities were beyond doubt. Since he said there were no problems in the capital, then there must be no problems.
Unfortunately, they were not in the capital city but in this new shop in Jiangzuo City. As soon as Shen Zhibai finished speaking, almost everyone present except him turned to the door and went into a state of alert.
"Bang!" The next second, a figure smashed through the door and tumbled in.
"You little bitch, don't be so stubborn! It's a blessing that I've taken a liking to you, and you still dare to refuse?" A harsh shout rang out from outside the broken door.
It turned out that the one who had fallen into this room was a maid from the cyclamen restaurant. Judging from her words, this was clearly an accident caused by a spoiled young master who had been harassed and then became enraged. And their room was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
This wasn't a big deal, but Shen Zhibai was quite upset. He had just told the boss that everything was fine, and then he was slapped in the face right there and then.
Even though Shen Zhibai was usually a very good-tempered person, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot at this moment. He looked outside with a dangerous glint in his eyes, wanting to see what kind of person was so reckless as to not know their own mortality.
"Guest, guest, please calm down. If there's anything we haven't done well in our hospitality, let's sit down and talk it over." The shopkeeper arrived quickly.
After exchanging a few polite words, he approached the troublemaking diner and whispered something to him, presumably explaining to this spoiled brat the backing that Cassia had.
The innkeeper's swift handling of the situation did manage to salvage some of Shen Zhibai's reputation. Those who were oblivious to their own mortality could be dealt with privately; the important thing now was to find a new private room and sit down again.
"Qin Ji?" Just then, a pleasant female voice rang out.
Upon hearing that extremely familiar voice, Qin Ji turned around reflexively, only to see Xiao Yan smiling at him from across a private room.
Xiao Yan Hui never expected such a coincidence. She opened the door to see what was going on when she heard the commotion outside, and saw Qin Ji, who had gone out to meet friends today. He had also arranged to meet his friends at Xiankelai.
They just looked rather unlucky, Xiao Yan's gaze fell on the half-broken door of Qin Ji's private room.
His gaze then swept over the four people behind Qin Ji. Each of them possessed a unique aura and seemed like a remarkable individual; however, all four were complete strangers.
How did Qin Ji suddenly gain so many friends she never knew about?
Facing Xiao Yan Hui's gaze, Qin Ji felt his nerves tightening more and more, and a bad premonition kept churning in his heart.
However, given this chance encounter, it would be utterly unreasonable for him not to introduce Yan Hui to his "friends."
Regardless of his true thoughts, Qin Ji showed no sign of it on his face. He smiled and walked to Xiao Yan Hui's private room, taking her hand in his: "What a coincidence today, Yan Hui, let me introduce you..."
......
“Wei Sa? Shen Zhibai? Lin Ye? Yan Lu?” In the private room Xiao Yan returned to, she and Qin Ji sat together at the head of the table. As he introduced them, one familiar name after another came into her ears.
Even if she only felt that the names sounded familiar at first, after all four people were introduced, she became very familiar with all four names. So familiar that Xiao Yan Hui could easily recall when she last saw these four names.
This situation was too bizarre; she could no longer suppress the suspicion in her heart. The chaotic mist dissipated, but a chill seeped into her heart in wisps.
She needs to make a final test and confirmation.
"So, Lin Langjun is a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), does that count as a江湖人 (jianghu person)?" Xiao Yan turned to Qin Ji with a smile: "Did my husband ever become a江湖侠少 (jianghu hero) when he was young? Qin Ji, do you have another impressive identity that you haven't told me? Tell me quickly."
Xiao Yan Hui thought she had hidden it very well, but seeing her smile, even though there was no evidence that Xiao Yan Hui had discovered it, Qin Ji immediately knew that she had found out.
“Ru Hui, I have a nickname called Ru Hui,” Qin Ji said, staring into Xiao Yan Hui’s eyes. His voice held an undisguised strain.
Although both of them were still smiling, the four people present felt as if the air in the private room had frozen at that moment.
Especially Lin Ye, whose intuition, honed through years of life-and-death experiences in the martial world, was constantly sending him danger signals.
The atmosphere had been harmonious just moments before, but now the four grown men were all silent as if they were terrified, wishing they could pretend they didn't exist.
"Ru Hui, Young Master Ru Hui?" Xiao Yan Hui laughed again, even tilting her head with a touch of cuteness: "Is your name Young Master Ru Hui?"
"Yes." The smile on Qin Ji's face had disappeared.
“Then…Young Master Jingru Hui.” Xiao Yan Hui suddenly reached out and poured himself a glass of wine, drinking it all in one gulp before anyone could react.
After downing her glass, she sighed regretfully, "It's a pity I ordered sweet wine; it wasn't strong enough."
"Since I have the pleasure of meeting several of my husband's friends today, I would like to offer you all a toast." She poured herself a full glass and then downed it without saying another word.
The four of them hurriedly poured themselves a glass and downed it in one gulp.
At this moment, they didn't really understand what had happened in the blink of an eye, but they still had the ability to read the air.
In that exchange of a single word and a glance, it seemed as if something very serious had happened between the Lord and the Mistress. But such matters between husband and wife were not for outsiders like them to meddle in.
At this moment, they only prayed that they could extricate themselves from this marital conflict as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yan Hui was the first to leave.
"Since today is a gathering of your friends, I won't join in. You can continue your conversation." Xiao Yan's smile was like a mask fixed in place, without the slightest flaw. She made a near-perfect exit.
But at that moment, her fingertips were icy cold, and the sounds of the whole world seemed to have suddenly faded away, leaving only the heavy pounding of her own heartbeat, like a drumbeat, striking her eardrums.
Moreover, Xiao Yan felt her stomach spasming in waves, and a feeling of nausea kept rising up. She had to use all her strength to suppress the urge to vomit.
"Young Master Ruhui." These four words echoed, collided, and exploded wildly in her surging mind!
It turns out that all those feelings of incongruity I had weren't fake.
The fake story involves someone else and something else entirely.
......
In the east of the city, this two-courtyard house, which was part of the dowry of the third daughter of the Xiao family, welcomed its new owner for the second time today.
Cat and Bamboo Moon exchanged a glance, then saw complete bewilderment on each other's faces. They had absolutely no idea what had just happened.
They were clearly by their master's side the whole time, so why couldn't they see anything clearly? Did their master and the son-in-law have a falling out?
But there's not a single sign!
But if there hadn't been a disagreement, why would the master suddenly leave? Everything seemed to have been handled politely, but the fact that the master simply turned around and left at that time was very strange.
What's even stranger is that the mistress didn't go home either; instead, she came to this residence that she had only visited once before, when she was inspecting the properties during her honeymoon.
"I need some peace and quiet. I won't see anyone who comes, and don't come in to disturb me until I come out."
The cold instruction fell upon their ears, and the next moment, the door to the master bedroom in the main courtyard slammed shut in front of Mao'er and Zhu Yue.
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The author says: He appears calm and composed, but in reality, Yan Hui's mentality has completely collapsed.
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