Chapter 2 A Sigh! Forced to Elope, Heartbreaking! A Sigh! Forced to Elope...
Xie Jiaoyue sat leisurely at the table, then asked with a pained expression, "Why hasn't anyone served the food?"
She hasn't eaten much since this morning. I just sent Dao Yi to the kitchen to get her some food, but I don't know where she is.
The waiters were all silent, terrified of this sudden and unpredictable Miss Xie.
At this critical moment, Li Jiang once again took the lead with the mindset of sacrificing himself, bringing out a signature dish from the kitchen and taking those crucial steps.
He walked very solemnly, imitating unfamiliar etiquette, and carefully placed the plate in front of Xie Jiaoyue.
"Miss Xie, this is our Fulai Restaurant's signature dish, stir-fried seasonal vegetables." Li Jiang introduced it while his heart was pounding. He wondered if Miss Xie would even like these simple vegetables.
Xie Jiaoyue looked at the dish in front of her.
It was a small vegetable leaf she didn't recognize, but the bright green leaves hadn't wilted at all, and there wasn't a trace of excess liquid in the plate. It was clearly a stir-fried vegetable dish cooked to perfection.
The chef at this restaurant is quite good; he's a good fit to work under her.
She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. The taste was sweet and fresh, with a sizzling hot wok aroma. It was incredibly fragrant, and one bite made her feel completely comfortable.
Xie Jiaoyue took out two loose silver coins from her bosom, silently thinking: [This is to win people's hearts, so that this restaurant will be of one mind with me, which means one mind with the male lead.]
Giving a small tip has to be so complicated, it's exhausting.
She smiled at Li Jiang in a friendly manner, and placed two spirit stones on the table: "This dish is good. This is your tip for the chef... a reward."
With a delighted expression, Li Jiang put the small piece of spirit stone into his pocket and carried the large piece of spirit stone into the kitchen.
He muttered to himself, "Although Miss Xie likes Chu Xingjin, the two of them are nothing alike. Miss Xie is really generous."
This immediately eliminated the distance between Xie Jiaoyue and the waiters, and the other waiters eagerly began to serve Xie Jiaoyue.
Xie Jiaoyue was in a good mood, and she liked to treat people when she was in a good mood.
Since all the money in her hands belongs to the male lead, she doesn't feel any pain in spending it.
She stood up, her sweet voice echoing throughout the restaurant: "I'm new to Fucheng today, and I've already caused you much trouble. I'll punish myself with a cup of tea first." She picked up the teacup on the table and drank it all in one gulp. "I, Xie Jiaoyue, will treat all the food and drinks to everyone today!"
"Miss Xie is so generous!"
"Miss Xie has quite a contrast, haha."
"Then we won't stand on ceremony. Here, bring us one of all the signature dishes that Miss Xie just ate."
The previously tense atmosphere was completely replaced by cheers.
Chu Xingjin was left standing there like a wooden stick. Even though no one was looking at him anymore, he felt even more uncomfortable than before.
He also disliked feeling ignored.
Xie Jiaoyue tilted her head, looking at Chu Xingjin with a puzzled expression: "Aren't you going to the kitchen to wash the dishes?"
Her expression was so sincere that it seemed she was genuinely puzzled, rather than being sarcastic.
It makes you want to get angry but you can't find a reason, and instead you feel a bit frustrated.
Chu Xingjin didn't know what to say. Should he say that he didn't like washing dishes at all?
He is the chosen one, and should be more concerned about his reputation; he wouldn't do such a thing.
Finally, he had no choice but to go to the kitchen to help, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Watching Chu Xingjin leave, the drunken diners who had caused trouble seized the opportunity to approach Xie Jiaoyue.
"Miss Xie, my name is Hou Feiyang." He wanted to ease the tension between him and Xie Jiaoyue.
After he calmed down, he realized that regardless of Ms. Xie's intentions, she had helped him in the end.
Without Miss Xie, a fight would have been inevitable, and he would have been no match for the strong and robust Chu Xingjin.
Xie Jiaoyue didn't care much; she was more focused on the dishes in front of her.
Hou Feiyang pushed a plate of food in front of Xie Jiaoyue: "Try this, this fish is quite delicious."
Xie Jiaoyue tried the fish recommended by Amway and found it to be very delicious, with no fishy smell at all. The seasoning was simple yet precise, with a touch of Sichuan peppercorn oil that perfectly brought out the flavor of the fish.
She squinted her eyes contentedly, then pushed the stir-fried vegetables toward Hou Feiyang.
Hou Feiyang picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes lit up. Such simple ingredients were so delicious. Miss Xie had such a good palate.
People who love good food are all good people, and Miss Xie, who is generous and beautiful, must be an exceptionally good person.
And she even helped him.
He actually dared to raise his voice at Miss Xie; that's outrageous.
Hou Feiyang offered two glasses of wine, and after drinking the hot wine, he started to talk: "I have a bad stutter. When I first came here, I saw that this fish looked delicious but I didn't recognize it, so I wanted to ask a waiter what it was. You know, if he couldn't answer, that's fine, but he actually said that I was looking down on people and deliberately belittling me."
"Tell me, what is he really thinking?"
What else can I think? It's part of the plot.
Xie Jiaoyue had already made up her mind. All of today's events were probably because Chu Xingjin had the aura of a male protagonist.
It can also be called the plot halo.
For example, the plot that should happen today is that the male protagonist is harassed by diners, and then Xie Jiaoyue comes to the rescue.
Hou Feiyang probably became the unlucky customer responsible for making things difficult for the male lead, which is why they started arguing after just a few words.
That was terrible; he almost got beaten up.
Xie Jiaoyue rested her chin on her hand and analyzed Chu Xingjin's psychology in a calm tone: "He thinks that as a waiter, he can't possibly recognize the food that only rich people like you can afford, so what you did was to look down on him as a lowly waiter."
Hou Feiyang was stunned: "So that's how it is!"
How should I put it? At first glance, this idea seems absurd, but upon closer inspection, it fits very well with Chu Xingjin's behavior just now.
Good heavens, that guy surnamed Chu is so petty.
Hou Feiyang beat his chest and stamped his feet: "I don't know what happened. Maybe it was because I drank alcohol today. I got drunk and started arguing with that waiter after exchanging a few words. If you hadn't come, there would definitely have been a fight here today."
He might not even be able to defeat the strong and powerful Chu Xingjin.
Hou Feiyang pounded his chest and stamped his feet: "Such a delicious restaurant, are you sure you won't let me eat here again because of this?"
As he spoke, he kept winking at Xie Jiaoyue, looking quite comical.
Xie Jiaoyue was amused and laughed so hard she was shaking.
Both being driven by the plot, Xie Jiaoyue wrote with a flourish: "From now on, whenever you come, you'll get a 20% discount."
Hou Feiyang beamed with joy: "I knew we were kindred spirits. We must have a good drink today. I, Hou Feiyang, hereby acknowledge you as my brother whom I've known since we first met."
Xie Jiaoyue corrected: "Sisters."
"Brother and sister." Miss Xie looks like a soft little rabbit, so she must be the younger sister.
"No, siblings."
Hou Feiyang, stubborn as ever, insisted on being the elder brother today: "Whoever can drink more today will be the eldest."
How could he possibly lose a drink to a little rabbit?
Xie Jiaoyue shook her wine jug filled with water and smiled innocently, "Okay."
After a few rounds of drinks, Hou Feiyang was already slumped on the table: "Sister Yue, you're amazing! I never expected that Jinling City would have such a heroine like you. To be honest, I'm an expert in feng shui and fortune. I could tell at a glance that you definitely have the blood of the God of Wine!"
Xie Jiaoyue didn't believe it at all. Just a quarter of an hour ago, they were still arguing. If she really had the bloodline of the God of Wine, how could a drunkard dare to argue with the God of Wine?
She replied dismissively, "Then tell me, what do you think of the feng shui of this restaurant?"
Hou Feiyang leaned closer mysteriously: "Do you know why Fulai Restaurant is so popular? Besides the food, the feng shui of this restaurant is actually excellent!"
Then, Hou Feiyang rattled off a long, rambling tale of feng shui theories, as if he were a true expert.
Xie Jiaoyue narrowed her eyes slightly, secretly memorizing this passage, thinking that she might be able to use it to fool others in the future.
After taking notes, she continued digging: "Or you could calculate the Xie family's fortune for me? If you're accurate, I'll give you a 50% discount in the future!"
"How could a feng shui master like me be inaccurate? Drink this one more cup, and I'll immediately do a feng shui reading for the Xie family!" After saying that, Hou Feiyang collapsed and wouldn't wake up no matter how much he was shaken.
Xie Jiaoyue pushed Hou Feiyang away with a hint of disdain, saying, "What are you pretending to be if you can't drink?"
According to the plot, she is currently running away from home to find the male protagonist. The next scene is that her family comes to find her, and then she takes the male protagonist back to the Xie family, a family of cultivators. From then on, the male protagonist officially begins his journey of cultivation.
Many family members came, but she didn't know any of them very well. Among them, her new mother, the only family member she knew a little about from the book, would give her a severe scolding.
If it's just insults, then so be it.
This incident was actually the beginning of the original owner's decline in status within the Xie family. In aristocratic families, eloping is an extremely serious matter, meaning that a person can abandon everything in the family for an outsider, naturally making it difficult to gain the family's trust.
She was labeled as someone who disregarded the Xie family's interests and insisted on eloping, so much so that no one in the Xie family paid attention to her afterward, and she was even disliked by others.
Because she was disliked, she was unable to participate in the Spirit-Fixing Day, which tested the talents of the younger generation of her family, and she was unable to enter the clan school jointly run by several major families in Jinling City. She was also excluded from various cultivation resources and opportunities in the future, which caused her to linger in the Qi Refining stage for her entire life.
As for the things that should have been given to her, they naturally ended up in Chu Xingjin's hands.
How could this be! She had always been the most dazzling one in the crowd since she was a child, and she couldn't bear to become just a supporting character to Chu Xingjin in the future.
Xie Jiaoyue paced around the table in distress, and finally decided to go outside for some fresh air.
"Miss? Miss!" A young maid, about eleven or twelve years old, carrying a small bundle, rushed towards Xie Jiaoyue.
Xie Jiaoyue was caught off guard and bumped into.
The little maid chattered: "Miss, why didn't you say goodbye to Hua Yi before leaving? And you didn't take Hua Yi with you! Hua Yi is sad! Does Miss not like Hua Yi anymore?"
Judging from her attire and speech, this should be Xie Jiaoyue's maid.
Xie Jiaoyue probed, "How could that be? You're my only personal maid, how could I not like you?"
Hua Yi exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, you used to dislike having someone serve you personally, and you never wanted a personal maid. Are you going to become Miss's first personal maid?"
Xie Jiaoyue nodded ambiguously. It turned out that as a young lady of the Xie family, she didn't even have a personal maid.
In that case, having a lively personal maid would be fine, but...
Why did you come here?
Hua Yi stuck out her tongue sheepishly: "I was on duty last night and overheard Miss and Young Master talking, then I went to the door and watched for a while."
She wasn't the kind of maid who would deliberately spy; it was just that her mistress's voice sounded different from usual, and she was worried about her mistress, so she went closer.
Xie Jiaoyue had just transmigrated last night and saw Xie Yuehua, the eldest son of the Xie family, sitting in her room. However, due to the system's restrictions, she could do nothing but chat with him.
All she could do was raise her voice to try and get other people's attention.
Not bad, at least one little girl heard it.
"What did you hear?"
Hua Yi began to imitate it very vividly.
"The eldest young master confided in the young lady and took out a marriage contract that the former clan leader had arranged for the Xie family's daughter and the Chu family's son."
Hua Yi coughed twice, mimicking Xie Yuehua's tone.
The eldest son said, "Cousin, the Chu family suffered a misfortune a few years ago and has now fallen into ruin. They didn't want the Xie family's daughter to suffer along with them, so they came to cancel the marriage. But our Xie family did something unethical; it was like kicking someone when they're down. This marriage agreement shouldn't be canceled; it should remain in effect."
I've already found out that the Chu family only has one son in this generation. He's about your age, and he's quite handsome. He must be exceptionally talented.
Cousin, you are most likely born with a Yin constitution, so your talent for cultivating immortality is probably average. Sooner or later you will get married and have children, and stay at home to be a wife and mother. Why don't you find a good man yourself?
I know that on the surface you have long been unable to bear the strict demands of the First Madam and are suffering terribly because of them. If you marry and follow your husband, you will no longer have to suffer with the First Madam. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
However, cousin, to avoid the Madam finding out, I will quietly send you away first thing tomorrow morning. Don't worry, I've arranged everything."
Hua Yi started mimicking Xie Jiaoyue's tone again.
"Then you, Miss, will say: 'To avoid the Madam finding out, you're telling me to elope? Do you think I'm stupid?'"
Hua Yi looked at her young mistress with a puzzled expression: "Miss, if you didn't want to elope, why did you come out at all?"
Xie Jiaoyue closed her eyes sadly. Of course she didn't want to elope. The Xie family's main branch was the richest family in the entire Jinling City. Why would she give up her comfortable life to go dig for wild vegetables?
She just time-traveled, she didn't go crazy!
However, she was warned by the system that this was a forced plot and could not be changed. If she did not leave this house today, she would have to live a life of poverty for the rest of her life.
She also questioned the system: "Can't I just alert the First Madam and then openly go to Fucheng to find Chu Xingjin?"
The system stated: [Based on data analysis, if the First Madam is alerted, the host's chances of successfully reaching Fu City are less than 1%.]
Indeed, based on the character of the First Madam in the book, she was absolutely capable of imprisoning her in the inner quarters for a month and then having someone cripple Chu Xingjin.
Xie Jiaoyue opened her eyes and asked, "Before you left, did you go to my room to check? Did you see a note?"
Hua Yi quickly waved her hand, as she was a maid with proper conduct and would never do such a thing.
"But miss, what did you write?"
Xie Jiaoyue thought for a moment. Under the system's supervision, there wasn't much she could do. Apart from deliberately plotting loudly with Xie Yuehua in the room and loudly lamenting her impending departure after Xie Yuehua left, she only left a vague note, hoping to comfort her mother whom she had never met.
Goodbye, Mother. Tonight I embark on a long voyage.
Don't worry about me, I have the oars of joy and wisdom~
After reminiscing, Xie Jiaoyue sighed. The most urgent thing was to figure out how to avoid being seen as someone who had betrayed her family and eloped.
Who would want to betray their family (spirit stones) for Long Aotian!
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