Chapter 84
Inertia forced Lin Xing to take two steps back before she could steady herself. The tight force made her breathless. She gently pulled some distance away so that she had time to see the face of the person in front of her.
In just a short moment, Lin Huan's eyes were filled with tears, just waiting for an opportunity for them to fall. Liu Lian saw that the atmosphere was not right, and quickly interrupted, "I was so confused that I forgot to invite the young shopkeeper into the house. Huan'er, take the young shopkeeper back quickly and don't stay outside in the wind."
After pushing and shoving the two men into the restaurant, Lin Xing remembered her forgotten companion and turned back to look for him, but she could not find him. Thinking that he had been invited into the restaurant, she felt relieved and went inside.
The two of them turned into the backyard of the restaurant. Lin Huan had already adjusted his mood and couldn't hide his excitement, saying, "Why did Sister Xiao Xing come back so suddenly? Why didn't you send a message in advance? How many days will you be back this time? Is she not leaving?"
Lin Xing smiled lightly, and said in a light tone, "I just passed by Nanru and rested for one night in the restaurant."
"Oh." Lin Huan was obviously unhappy, and even loosened his grip on Lin Xing's hand.
Lin Xing noticed her emotions and comforted her: "But if things go well, you may be able to stay for two more days when you come back."
"That's just two days." Lin Huan muttered with his head down.
"What did you say?" Her voice was too soft for Lin Xing to hear clearly, so she turned to her and asked.
"Nothing." Lin Huan paused, "I was just asking if you had any food?"
It was obviously a lie, but Lin Xing did not expose it and continued, "Really not, but there is no rush. I think the two people who came with me have already sat down. It won't be too late to go back to the house and have some tea."
As she spoke, she raised her chin and motioned the people who had been looking at her to look forward. They were already standing outside Lin Xing's house.
The door was closed, but the windows were wide open, and she could see the layout of the house, which was the same as when she left, without any change. Lin Xing pushed the door open, sat down at the table, and began to pour tea.
Just as she put down the teapot, before she asked Lin Huan to sit next to her, Lin Huan spoke first: "I suddenly remembered that I have something to do. Excuse me, Sister Xiao Xing."
Then he waved his sleeves and left. Lin Xing smiled helplessly, picked up the teacup and blew it gently, and then took a sip after a long time.
She wanted to chat with Huan'er, but since she had left, there was no reason for Lin Xing to stay any longer, so she went out to the lobby to look for Yu Hang and Su Jingfeng.
Familiar things always bring back memories. With every step she takes, scenes flash before her eyes. Although she has only been in Nanru for a few short days, this place has already become Lin Xing's hometown, and "Waiting for the Returning One" is even more her home. After many days of absence, the flowers in the backyard have not yet withered, and they sway in the breeze, making people feel happy.
Her steps became lighter and her skirt was covered with flower petals. After entering the lobby, Lin Xing spotted the two people at a glance. They were both taciturn people and now they looked a little awkward sitting together, as if they were sharing a table.
She walked quickly forward and sat down between the two of them. A cup of tea had already been placed on that seat, and white smoke was coming out of it. A servant was already waiting on the side, and when he saw Lin Xing coming, he hurriedly asked someone to serve the food.
As the exquisite dishes were served, Lin Xing looked embarrassed. She glanced at Su Jingfeng beside her several times without making any expression. Yu Hang guessed what she meant and said to someone unknown, "Today's delicacies were all ordered by Lord Su himself. Lord, please finish them. After all, this is the most famous restaurant in Nanru."
Lin Xing thought to herself: What a stereotype, all this red food on the table was actually ordered by Su Jingfeng himself. I thought Yu Hang was deliberately making fun of him!
Su Jingfeng said nothing, just nodded. She was about to ask everyone to start eating and change the topic, but she noticed that a space on the table was left empty. She didn't know what to put on it. The next moment, a plate of food passed by Lin Xing and was placed heavily on the table, answering her doubts.
Looking over, it was Lin Huan's face that was about to smile. She said coldly: "This dish was sent by our steward. Although it is not expensive, it was cooked by her personally. I hope you will accept it."
Lin Huan was right. This was just a plate of spicy and sour potato shreds, a very common dish that she had eaten many times at Lin Xing Restaurant. Her gaze briefly paused on the potato shreds, then returned to Lin Huan. In a trance, she seemed to be back to the day when they first met.
However, it was Liu Lian who served this dish.
"The hot and sour potato shreds are here! Little shopkeeper and Huan'er, please eat quickly. This is a special meal I prepared for you." After putting down the last dish, Liu Lian pinched her earlobes with both hands and sat down next to them.
Lin Xing declined, "Sister Lian is the elder, you should start eating first."
Liu Lian stared at Lin Xing and blinked, then looked at Lin Huan who was smiling shyly at the side, picked up the chopsticks resignedly, and slammed them heavily on the table under the expectant gazes of the two, pretending to blame: "Young shopkeeper, you are secretly saying that I am old."
Lin Xing's eyes widened, not understanding why things turned out this way. She waved her hands hastily, and was so anxious that she even accidentally hit the corner of the table with her hands, and explained: "No, Sister Lian, that's not what I meant."
"What do you mean?" Liu Lian didn't buy it. "You are the shopkeeper, and I am just your employee. Logically, you should pick up your chopsticks first. How can I pick up my chopsticks first?"
Lin Xing was speechless for a moment, but Lin Huan came to her aid. She said in a young voice, "Sister Lian worked so hard today and cooked for us personally. The shopkeeper let you eat first out of consideration for you."
"Hmph!" Liu Lian crossed her arms, refusing to communicate.
She thought the two would continue to argue, but who knew they would lower their heads. Seeing this, Liu Lian quickly gave them a way out, "Since we don't agree, why don't we start eating at the same time?"
The two of them hurriedly followed suit and nodded, fearing that Liu Lian would go back on her word. The three of them picked up their chopsticks at the same time and picked up the shredded potatoes at the same time.
After a brief pause, they had a tasteless meal. After the meal, Liu Lian kept them company and talked a lot. To sum it up, it was nothing more than "Don't be angry", "I didn't mean it", "I want you to treat me as a friend", etc. Lin Xing and Lin Huan both agreed with her.
Liu Lian cooked personally in order to quickly build closer relationships among the three people. Although the process was a bit tortuous, the goal was achieved. From then on, the three of them quickly became familiar with each other, and spicy and sour potato shreds became a must-have home-cooked dish when they missed mealtime.
But she never mentioned it today.
"Sister Xiao Xing? Sister Xiao Xing?" Lin Huan's call brought her out of her memories. Looking at the puzzled expression of the person in front of her, she realized that she had been staring at Huan'er and that she had been daydreaming for a long time. Lin Xing smiled apologetically at them and explained, "I was reminded of some old things and wasted time. Please forgive me, Lord Su."
Su Jingfeng frowned unconsciously at the overly unfamiliar tone, and responded politely: "Nothing, Lord Lin, there is no need to be like this."
He wanted to say something else, but in the end he didn't open his mouth.
Lin Huan had been standing quietly by the side the whole time. Now that no one was talking, it was a good opportunity for her to say goodbye. She bowed to the three people and said, "Please enjoy your meal."
Just as she turned to leave, she found Lin Xing holding her clothes. She turned back puzzled, only to hear the man say, "Why don't you sit down and have dinner with us?"
Lin Huan shook his head gently, pulled out the corner of his clothes, and said softly: "I have already eaten with everyone."
Lin Xing didn't stay any longer, watching her back disappear around the corner, then turned around and motioned the two people opposite to hurry up and eat. To her surprise, they actually understood what she meant, they had such a tacit understanding.
But after the three of them picked up their chopsticks, they looked at each other. Lin Xing was afraid that she would be the first to pick up her chopsticks and make Su Jingfeng unhappy. Yu Hang had a similar idea. Su Jingfeng felt a little embarrassed when he saw the two people opposite him who were slow to pick up their chopsticks.
In a flash, they seemed to understand each other's intentions and picked up the dishes together - spicy and sour potato shreds.
The familiar scene touched Lin Xing deeply, but what was different from that time was that this meal was particularly delicious, and she would probably still be able to remember it in a few years.
She didn't feel much at first, but as she ate more and more, she felt the spiciness so much that she drank up the tea in the cup. Still feeling it was not enough, she went to get the teapot, but it was empty. She shook it twice but no water could be poured out. Lin Xing had no choice but to put down her chopsticks, pretend to be full, and hurriedly left the table. Yu Hang was not much better than her. On the other hand, Su Jingfeng felt nothing at all and was looking back and forth between the two of them with a puzzled look on his face.
The cup of tea was still a little hot, causing Lin Xing to feel tortured every time she opened her mouth. She quickly walked to the backyard and gradually calmed down in the cool breeze.
The autumn wind took away the pain and left her with a cool feeling. Before she knew it, Lin Xing was sweating all over. The sweat also drove away the only trace of sleepiness in her body.
Lin Xing, who didn't want to go back home so early, chose to stroll in the backyard. She walked slowly along the gravel path among the flowers, lowered her head and counted how many flowers she passed by. The sound of flowers and leaves rubbing against each other filled the air all around her, and suddenly she stopped.
Instinct pulled her up and Yu Hang's figure appeared at the end of the path. Their eyes met in the air. This time no one dodged and they walked towards each other with firm steps.
There were no stools on the path. Lin Xing sat on the curb first, then took a seat next to her. Yu Hang hesitated for a moment and then sat down two fists away from her.
The starry sky fell into the eyes of the two people. Although they spent the day in the carriage today, the weather must be very good, and it is believed that the sun will be shining tomorrow.
"Where is Xiaobai?" Lin Xing asked suddenly, and the question was sent to Yu Hang's ears along with Qingfeng.
"She's being kept somewhere else." Yu Hang chuckled twice. "Who knows, maybe she's out there getting some fresh air right now."
The same scene appeared in Lin Xing's mind. She also chuckled and asked, "Why do you want to raise a white snake?"
"I don't know." Yu Hang answered quickly without any hesitation, "I met her that day and took her back for no apparent reason. It's been less than a year."
"Take her back to the mansion after you go back this time."
Yu Hang looked at Lin Xing in disbelief, only to see her profile bathed in the moonlight, "You're not...?"
The words were not finished, but both of them understood what was being said. Lin Xing turned her head and looked at Yu Hang, "It doesn't matter."
"How can this not be a big deal?" Yu Hang raised his voice, but suddenly lowered it, with a hint of fear in his eyes, "You're not going to move out of the Yu Mansion, are you?"
Lin Xing was a little confused by the sudden change of topic. After a brief silence, she said, "How could that be? I just think Xiaobai is also a friend to you, and I think she is kind, so there is no reason to leave her out."
"What about me? Do I only think she's friendly?" Yu Hang pouted and muttered secretly. Seeing Lin Xing's expression as if she didn't hear clearly, he quickly changed the subject and said, "I'll take her back when I get back."
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