Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia led Yuan Feng and his servant along the riverbank, chatting as they went. Xiang Wan was overjoyed after Yuan Feng agreed to be her shop's advertising agent, talking incessantly about everything under the sun. Yuan Feng occasionally chimed in. It wasn't until Xiang Xia reminded her that it was time to return home that Xiang Wan realized she had missed the best time. Now that they weren't at the Qin residence, even if the Queen Mother didn't know, she already knew.
"I'm sorry, young master, my mother is probably worried, we have to go back."
Xiang Wan stuck out her tongue and said to Yuan Feng, a little embarrassed.
"Since it's already noon, let's have lunch together before you go. It's on me to thank you for showing me the way."
"How can that be? I'll treat you. I already owe you one."
As Xiang Wan and Yuan Feng gradually became more familiar with each other, they spoke less formally. After talking with Yuan Feng for a while, Xiang Wan felt more relaxed talking to the prince and gradually began to consider him a friend.
"After talking for so long, we can be considered friends. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Wang Xiangwan, this is my older sister Wang Xiangxia, and my mother is the lady of the Qin family."
"So you are the two young ladies from the Qin family. It's a pleasure to meet you." Yuan Feng didn't ask them why they had the surname Wang but were staying at the Qin residence, which relieved Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia. Although they didn't mind telling others about their situation, they didn't like being questioned. Yuan Feng's actions won the unanimous favor of Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Yuan Feng, and I live in... I live in the royal palace. This is my guard, Yuan Yi, behind me."
"Greetings, ladies."
Yuan Yi stepped forward, bowed, and then retreated behind Yuan Feng.
Xiang Wan knew that Yuan Feng was hiding something, but weren't they the same? The fact that they were revealing their real names at this moment already showed great sincerity. After all, even if they told others about the prince's trip, not many people would believe them, and it would only bring them trouble.
After introducing herself to Yuan Feng, Xiang Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Xiang Wan was being deceived because she saw Xiang Wan chatting so enthusiastically with Yuan Feng, but now that she saw that Yuan Feng spoke directly, was sincere, and had a high status, she felt a little more at ease.
"Well, I was originally thinking of finding you a place to go fishing, but we got so caught up in our conversation that I forgot about the important thing," Xiang Wan said, scratching her head a little embarrassed.
"There's a restaurant not far ahead that has pretty good food. Since we're already here, why don't we go in and give it a try?"
Yuan Feng raised an eyebrow, signaling Xiang Wan to follow, and took the lead.
Xiang Wan paused, widened her eyes, looked at Xiang Xia, pursed her lips, and followed.
Seeing this, Xiang Xia sighed slightly, shook her head, and quickly caught up with Xiang Wan.
Yuan Yi followed silently behind, not daring to look up, tiny water droplets appearing on his slightly dark face.
Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia couldn't refuse Yuan Feng's suggestion, and their hesitation was evident on their faces. When Xiang Wan saw Yuan Feng looking over, she immediately greeted him with a smile, thinking that since things were already like this, she might as well be happy, and forgot all about the Qin family.
Xiao Zhu and Xiao Mei, who had been following behind the two since morning, wore miserable expressions and lagged far behind.
Xiang Wan had long forgotten that she had brought her maids with her. It was Xiang Xia who turned around and gestured to the two maids, beckoning them to come forward and follow behind her.
Yuan Fengjin's restaurant wasn't far from the river; it was just a couple of turns away. The location was rather secluded, some distance from the bustling city center, but thankfully the ambiance was quite pleasant. As soon as I entered, a waiter warmly greeted me.
"Young master, you've arrived? Please come in!"
The waiter glanced behind Yuan Feng and saw that Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia had each brought their maids. His smile became much warmer. After greeting the two of them, he led the group into a side room inside.
"Young master, is it the same menu as last time?"
Yuan Feng didn't reply, but looked at Xiang Wan and Xiang Xia.
"You can order. You know this place better. Just bring us a pot of hot tea."
Seeing that the waiter seemed somewhat familiar with Yuan Feng, Xiang Wan knew he must be a frequent customer, so she didn't make any demands. After walking for so long, she finally sat down and felt her back and legs ache, and she was also a little hungry, wishing she could eat as soon as possible.
"One serving of the same as before, plus a few hot dishes, a plate of rice, and a pot of tea first."
"Alright, please wait a moment, tea will be served shortly."
The waiter left the room and closed the door behind him.
"I'm so tired. I didn't expect you to know about a place like this. The environment is nice."
Xiang Wan, completely disregarding her image, pinched her legs and slumped onto the table. Seeing her young mistress so limp, Xiao Zhu didn't bother reminding Xiang Wan to be mindful of her appearance and squatted down to massage her legs.
"Hey, Xiaozhu, aren't you tired of squatting? Get a stool and sit down next to me."
Xiang Wan pulled Xiao Zhu aside to sit down, and then pushed Xiao Mei to sit with her as well.
“Yuanfeng, these are our two maids, Xiaozhu and Xiaomei. Plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, it’s a pity about the name Xiaolan. But Xiaoju isn’t a good name either, calling her Xiaoju, Xiaoju, hahaha, it’s just funny no matter how you call her.”
The two maids, unsure of what their young mistress was about to do, rose somewhat awkwardly and curtsied to Yuan Feng.
"Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums are the Four Gentlemen of Flowers, so why is the name 'Little Chrysanthemum' funny?"
Yuan Feng had long witnessed Xiang Wan's occasional witty remarks, and not understanding what made her so funny, he couldn't help but ask.
"You know, chrysanthemums have a special meaning in our modern society. If you say 'chrysanthemum this' or 'chrysanthemum that' to a man, you'll get beaten up, believe it or not? Hahaha, little chrysanthemum, little chrysanthemum, it's actually not that bad."
Xiang Wan started off speaking happily, but her voice grew softer and softer as she went on. Finally, her tone abruptly changed, and she fell silent, which puzzled everyone. Just then, the waiter brought in the tea, and everyone's attention was drawn to the aroma, so they stopped talking about it.
Don't be fooled by Xiang Wan's constant laughter and seemingly carefree nature. Aside from keeping an eye on Qin Rong and being a bit of a money-grubber, it's because she doesn't know if she'll ever be able to return to the modern world. Since arriving here, she's deliberately avoided mentioning anything about the modern world, afraid that she might miss it and waver in her determination to complete her mission.
Having finally found a friend she could talk to, Xiang Wan couldn't help but want to say something to him. But seeing that he didn't understand, she sighed inwardly and gave up.
"It's nothing, I just thought of a lame joke. Let's have some tea."
The group drank tea and rested for a while, and soon the table was filled with various dishes. Xiang Wan and the others were all hungry, so they didn't bother to talk and focused on enjoying the restaurant's specialties.
"I never expected that there would be such delicious food in Anyang City."
"That's not all. If you'd like to try something better, there are even better restaurants. I'll take you there next time."
"Okay, okay."
Xiang Wan readily accepted Yuan Feng's invitation. She was a foodie even in modern times, but unfortunately, she had no one to accompany her now. Yuan Feng's words were exactly what she wanted; she was already looking forward to the next meal before even finishing the current one.
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