Chapter 21
No matter how reluctant he was, it was already dawn. Lin Huan got up early and started packing. Lin Xing saw him and went to help.
Lin Huan stopped Lin Xing's outstretched hand and said, "Sister Xiao Xing, I'm enough for you here. Go and say goodbye to everyone."
The fact of escaping was pointed out by Lin Huan, and Lin Xing walked out dejectedly, and saw the same Shen Ling next to her. Maybe he was also reluctant to leave, because everyone here treated him sincerely.
"well."
"well."
The two looked at each other and sighed at the same time, and Lin Xing noticed that there seemed to be someone missing. After looking around but not finding Yu Hang, Lin Xing asked Chen Ling, "Are you the only one here? Where's Yu Hang?"
"He left early in the morning, saying he had something important to deal with." Shen Ling patted his head, trying to recall what Yu Hang said before he left, "He also told us to leave on our own and meet at the Shen Mansion later."
Shen Ling continued to pat his head, and Lin Xing looked at him with disbelief, waiting for him to remember anything else.
"Did he tell me anything else?"
"No more." Shen Ling stopped what he was doing and spoke confidently. After seeing Lin Xing's eyes, he made excuses with a guilty conscience: "It's not my fault. Sometimes I was still not sober, and I was just holding on with a breath of air."
"I understand. We all are the same."
When Lin Xing learned that Yu Hang was fine, she started to feel sad again. She really hated separation, but there was nothing she could do. Before leaving, she wanted to meet someone.
"I'll go see how Auntie is doing and come back to see you later." Lin Xing left without looking back.
Lin Xing came to the old lady's side and found Xun Huan asleep beside her, probably because he had not slept all night. She raised her hand and touched the old lady's forehead. The temperature was normal, so she could leave with peace of mind.
Unable to bear waking up Xunhuan, Lin Xing wanted to leave a letter to inform her, but she couldn't find paper or pen. She searched her body thoroughly but found nothing. She really laughed at herself for being so poor.
Fortunately, Lin Xing remembered that she had already told Xun Huan about this yesterday, so if she didn't see them when she woke up, she could still contact them.
Lin Xing walked out very lightly, fearing to disturb the two people. Just as she was about to step out, there seemed to be movement behind her. I looked back in confusion and saw that the two were still in the same posture. Maybe they were talking in their sleep.
But Lin Xing didn't hear it clearly, and before she could investigate further, she saw Shen Ling outside waving at her. Lin Xing didn't stay any longer and hurried to find Shen Ling.
Lin Xing left in such a hurry that she didn't hear the "goodbye" behind her, but there is still a long way to go, and they will see each other again.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xing came to Shen Ling, running too fast and a little out of breath.
"Everything is ready, and the replacement has arrived. Let's set off now while there are fewer people." Shen Ling's voice was muffled.
"Okay, let's go."
Everyone was quick and agile, and in just a short while, when Lin Xing arrived in front of the prepared carriage, all the people who wanted to go back had arrived.
Lin Huan was already standing in front of a carriage waiting. Lin Xing walked forward and wanted to get on, but was stopped by someone.
"Please forgive me, Shopkeeper Lin. The Prime Minister is hosting a banquet for you and invites you to the Chen Mansion. So please bear with me and take the carriage we prepared for you."
Lin Xing was shocked and turned to look at Shen Ling, and found that he was also shocked. It seemed that the Prime Minister did not inform him in advance, and Yu Hang's early departure might have something to do with this.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Xing gave an answer: "No, it's my honor to be invited by the Prime Minister. Lead the way."
Lin Xing patted Lin Huan's hand, signaling her not to worry, and then left. Even after getting on the carriage, Lin Xing was still uneasy. She felt the carriage start to move and also noticed that it suddenly became noisy outside.
Lin Xing opened the curtain and looked out the window, only to see everyone spontaneously saying goodbye to them. They stood on both sides of the road, shouting farewell words desperately. Everyone shouted with all their might, believing that only in this way would those who had left be able to hear more clearly.
The carriage left the designated area, leaving these voices behind. Lin Xing suddenly regretted not saying goodbye to everyone properly. Now she can only say goodbye over and over again in her heart, responding to everyone's farewells one by one.
Fearing that the Prime Minister would have to wait for a long time, the coachman drove very fast. Before Lin Xing could recover from her shock, she was already outside the Shen residence. What follows is a fixed routine: bathing, changing clothes, and dressing, and the last step is to meet the prime minister.
On the way to the banquet hall, Lin Xing and Shen Ling met again by chance. I don’t know if it was intentional. Anyway, in the end, the two of them entered the banquet hall together and saw the Prime Minister, Mr. Shen and Yu Hang who were already seated.
"Meet Prime Minister Song, meet Mr. Shen."
"Meet Prime Minister Song, meet father."
The two men bowed separately and waited for the prime minister's arrangements.
"No need to be so polite, you two. It's really hard for you all to come here. Please take a seat and have your meal."
Since the Prime Minister said so, the two of them stopped pretending to be polite and sat down to eat. They were really starving. They had not eaten since they got up.
When everyone was present, Prime Minister Song signaled to the people around him, and then singing began, and dancers in the center started dancing. In order to entertain the meritorious officials, the prime minister specially invited the best musicians and dancers in the city to entertain.
But it’s a pity that all three of them are reincarnations of starving ghosts. Yu Hang and Lin Xing didn't look up the whole time. He just buried his head in eating; it was unclear whether Shen Ling looked up to give any response, but if one looked closely, one could see that his eyes never left the food in front of him.
Prime Minister Song didn't care about being insulted and just watched the three people eat kindly. When I thought they had almost finished eating, I started to ask about things.
"The incident happened suddenly, and Song could only ask the three of you to go and provide disaster relief. Song also has good intentions, and I hope you won't bear a grudge." The Prime Minister's words were too sincere, and he even stood up to salute, which really confused Yu Hang.
The most powerful people present all stood up, so Lin Xing could only stand up and salute, "Prime Minister, that's not true. The Prime Minister let the three of us go because he trusted us. We have also gained a lot of experience. I can't even thank you enough, so how can I bear a grudge against you?"
Seeing this, the other two also stood up and agreed, but Prime Minister Song still insisted on his statement. For a moment, the banquet turned into a review meeting, and in the end it was Mr. Shen who came out to smooth things over.
"The fact that you three have returned safely shows that this matter is not dangerous. In this case, why don't you all raise your glasses together, and this matter will be over, and there is no need to mention it again in the future."
"That's a good idea. I'll toast to you all." Prime Minister Song actively picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp, and the others followed suit.
Next, Prime Minister Song toasted several times with various reasons. He was worthy of being the Prime Minister, as his reasons were never repeated. By this time he had sent out countless blessings, and no one dared to refuse.
As the party came to an end, Lin Xing felt a little drunk. I didn't feel anything at first, but when I stood up, the world was spinning. The maid beside her quickly supported her and avoided a tragedy. Not only Lin Xing, but even Yu Hang and Shen Ling felt a little dizzy, even though the alcohol was not very strong.
Prime Minister Song noticed the situation of the three people and said considerately, "I see that the three of you are a little drunk. Why don't you, Manager Lin, rest for a while in the Shen Mansion and then return to the restaurant when you are sober?"
Lin Xing forced himself to cheer up and saluted, "Thank you very much for your kindness, Prime Minister. I will respectfully obey your command."
Lin Xing was drowsy all the way. She didn't know where the maid took her. No, she didn't even see clearly whether the person supporting her was a maid or a servant. When she regained some consciousness, she was already lying on the bed, closing her eyes and falling asleep again.
When Lin Xing woke up completely and opened her eyes on the bed, she found that it had darkened outside the window. Lin Xing's head didn't hurt at all. She slept like she was in a coma and didn't feel anything.
Her throat was dry. This was Lin Xing's only thought after she woke up. She got out of bed and went to the table to pour herself some water. She heard a sound outside the room.
"Is Manager Lin awake? Do you want to go back to the restaurant now? The carriage is ready."
After finishing the water in her hand, Lin Xing spoke, but her voice was still a little hoarse, "Okay, let's go back to the restaurant now."
The servants in the Shen Mansion were doing their own jobs, and no one paid attention to Lin Xing and the others. Arriving in front of the Shen residence, Lin Xing said goodbye and got on the carriage.
"Please say goodbye to your Master Shen on my behalf."
"Don't worry, Manager Lin. I will make sure the message is delivered."
Without further ado, the carriage drove away. Even though Lin Xing was in the carriage, she could feel that the city was particularly lively today. Maybe everyone knew it was over.
"Little shopkeeper, little shopkeeper."
It was Sister Lian's voice. Lin Xing lifted the curtain and found that she was already outside the restaurant. Liu Lian and Lin Huanhou were outside the door. They saw the carriage from a distance and started shouting.
Lin Xing jumped out before the carriage came to a complete stop, and frightened Liu Lian so much that she rushed to help him, fearing that her boss had sprained his ankle.
"Hey, my little shopkeeper, slow down."
"It's okay, that's just how high it is."
Liu Lian turned Lin Xing around, touched her all over, and murmured, "You've lost weight, you've lost weight."
"Okay, make sure I'm okay." Lin Xing stopped Sister Lian's hand and said, "Take me to see Yuanyuan."
"I forgot. I'll take you there right now." Liu Lian freed up one hand and pulled Lin Huan over, wanting to take her to the backyard.
Lin Huan gently broke free, "Sister Lian, I won't go. I have some things to deal with. You can take Sister Xiao Xing with you."
The two no longer insisted and went to the backyard together. During the conversation, Liu Lian told many interesting stories about the restaurant, making Lin Xing laugh non-stop. Perhaps because everyone was reunited after a long separation, the backyard was much more lively than usual. There were people chatting in groups of three or four along the way.
"Did you hear that there was a big fire outside the city?"
"When did it happen?"
"It's just been a short time since you came back. It's a good thing you came back. Otherwise, you might have been affected too."
Lin Xing heard the entire conversation, and Liu Lian next to her was no exception. Lin Xing stepped forward and interrupted: "Is this true?"
Lin Xing herself didn't even notice that there was a tremor in her voice.
"It's genuine, but I don't know the specific details."
This news was like a bolt from the blue. Lin Xing stood there for a long time, unable to recover from her shock. Liu Lian, standing beside her, was so worried that she didn't know what to do.
"It's okay, maybe no one is injured. It's a sunny day and everyone may be outside." Liu Lian hugged Lin Xing, hoping that she would not be too sad.
Hearing this, Lin Xing seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, "Yes, yes, Sister Lian, you are right."
"The Shen family sent someone to tell you that they have something to discuss with Manager Lin. Please go to the private room." Someone came to Lin Xing and Liu Lian to report.
"Quick, lead the way."
The two of them left one after the other. Sister Lian was really worried about Lin Xing, so she followed them.
Lin Xing kept comforting herself that everyone would be fine. But the Shen family sent someone to explain that the matter was not that simple. She came to the outside of the private room nervously, but she did not have the courage to push the door and enter.
Time cannot be wasted, so Lin Xing gritted her teeth and knocked on the door. It was Yu Hang who opened the door. She looked inside and saw Shen Ling coming too. It was over.
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