Actually, there's nothing special about the third floor; it's just a few private rooms.
The innkeeper personally led the way and escorted them into "Tingxuexuan".
His mouth was practically stretched to his ears as he patted his chest and promised that he would cover all the expenses for the day.
As a restaurant owner whose business was based on literary flair, he was all too aware of the value of the poem he had just inscribed on the wall.
What does it matter what the women of the frontier left behind? It's better to have something more sensational!
From today onwards, Songtao Pavilion will become famous not only in Songyanfang, but throughout the entire Fengjing.
"Make the arrangements, make sure all my brothers are taken care of."
"Alright, alright, don't worry, esteemed guest."
The shopkeeper bowed and scraped as he left, his usual composure completely gone.
After closing the door, Lieutenant Li's expression... was indescribable.
The girl who had been so arrogant downstairs was now quiet and still.
Sitting by the window, resting his chin on his hand, he looked listless and lacked energy.
That strange feeling grew stronger, and Lieutenant Li instinctively felt something was wrong.
"Stop looking, it's pointless."
Lieutenant Li: ?
Suddenly snapping back to reality, he realized that he had been staring intently at the girl's face while he was in a daze.
"No, it's not..."
Before she could explain, Helian Chaolu casually interrupted her:
"Furthermore, the belts used to capture girls on our grasslands are extremely thin."
I don't know the customs of Fengjing, but even if she has taken a liking to me, she shouldn't be so rude.
Lieutenant Li: !!!
Who? Who's got their eye on whom?!
He was worried that Helian Chaolu might suddenly attack and hurt someone again, so he temporarily confiscated her belt.
Didn't you already return it when you went up to the third floor?
How did this get into the topic of "having taken a liking to"?
"I don't!"
"oh."
With a crisp reply, Helian Chaolu turned her gaze back to the window, as if the previous topic had nothing to do with her.
Lieutenant Li felt a lump in his throat, an unbearable discomfort that he couldn't exhale or exhale.
What angered him even more was that when he turned around, he saw his group of brothers huddled together, whispering to each other, and looking at him strangely.
"Boss, has this iron tree blossomed?"
"That shouldn't be the case. Doesn't he like gentle people?"
"Perhaps he enjoys being tamed... um..."
A cold gaze swept over them, and they quickly looked away, sitting up straight.
Lieutenant Li's temple throbbed with bulging veins. The private room was only so big, and Helian Chaolu was a cultivator.
She must have heard all those whispered murmurs!
But she acted as if she hadn't heard, and didn't use that as an excuse to embarrass anyone further.
It's bizarre, absolutely bizarre.
It's not surprising that people from Fengjing look down on those from the northwestern border regions.
However, most people would consider themselves citizens of the capital and would not use the term "lowly commoner" on their lips, let alone scholars who hold themselves in high regard.
Look at that old man, even in his drunken state, he still manages to compose a poem to curse people, while that young scholar shows no signs of intoxication.
And there's that frontier poem inscribed on the wall, "Alas, my hair has turned white." How could a young girl express such a state of mind?
The bright smile from when they first met flashed through his mind, and his gaze unconsciously fell on the little girl's face by the window.
The Imperial Guard brothers behind him exchanged glances, their teasing expressions fading, replaced by shock and confusion.
No way, their boss couldn't have really gotten involved... could he?
The northwest frontier is so far away, and it's questionable whether people can even stay.
However, seeing him gazing at the girl's profile with such a dazed expression, it was hard to deny this guess for a moment.
Unexpectedly, Li Tieshu actually likes this one.
He always says he likes gentle and considerate women, pshaw! He clearly likes domineering and arrogant ones.
Before long, the dishes were served.
The first dish was "crab eye soup" served in a celadon cup, which looked quite exquisite.
Helian Chaolu composed herself and decided to savor the delicacies of Fengjing.
After taking two spoonfuls, he looked up blankly, "Where's the crab meat? I can't taste it!"
“Um…” Lieutenant Li explained to her, “This is not crab meat soup, it’s just in the shape of crab meat.”
It's not crab season yet, so this is actually just water shield and tofu soup.
The topping is sprinkled with golden osmanthus, and the foam on top resembles the crab season in early autumn. This is a food custom of Fengjing on the day of the Autumn Equinox.
Then Helian Chaolu muttered something under her breath.
They were speaking in their native dialect from the northwestern frontier, which Lieutenant Li couldn't understand.
But he guessed that the insults must have been quite vulgar.
Fortunately, the second dish wasn't too fancy; it was venison skewers smoked with pine cones, but each skewer was engraved with the name of a lunar month or solar term.
A small earthen stove simmers Xinfeng wine, with two peeled fresh water chestnuts floating on the surface.
Roasted camel hump cut into calligraphic shapes is best enjoyed with wine.
There is also a dish called "One Leaf Tells of Autumn" served in a lotus petal bowl. It is a chicken and lotus root soup with roasted hazelnut crumbs floating on top, just like a frost-bitten leaf.
...
A meal is eaten slowly and deliberately, each dish has its own story, and it must be imbued with a touch of literary elegance.
Helian Chaolu's initial anticipation turned into indifference; she felt it wasn't as interesting as the street food stalls.
The shopkeeper was really generous; she served all the restaurant's signature dishes, but her assessment was: "It's just so-so."
The Imperial Guards got a free meal, but they knew that if they had to pay for it, it would probably cost more than a hundred taels of silver.
This was despite having official duties to attend to and not being able to drink freely.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group went downstairs.
As I passed the second floor, I immediately saw the huge wall of poems, which was still surrounded by quite a few people.
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