Su Ruanruan led the two of them to sit in the waiting area, where some free melon seeds and several interesting picture books were provided, which even a complete novice could understand.
Gu Ji glanced at Zi Wu. "I recognize her. She's the owner of the tofu shop. So... does your boss own this shop?"
Su Ruanruan nodded very seriously.
Looking at the magnificent attire, Qin Bei touched the table and the stool beneath him, "This..."
“This looks like it was made at my furniture factory. And the shopkeeper you mentioned, I think I met him once before at the furniture factory.”
Su Ruanruan smiled at him, "You're right. Apart from the hot pot table which has undergone secondary processing, all the tables and chairs outside were made by you."
Qin Bei asked in surprise, "Then... is the owner of the furniture factory the same person as the owner of this place?"
Su Ruanruan gave an awkward smile, "It's just one person."
"Do you think that person could be me?"
Gu Ji and Qin Bei were stunned, then they laughed.
Gu Ji said, "What are you talking about, Ruan Ruan? We wouldn't even dare to dream of how much money these three shops will cost."
Qin Bei glanced at the family that had just walked out. They were dressed in fine silks and satins, while he himself was dressed in coarse cloth.
He also said, "Ruanruan, why don't we leave? This place must be expensive."
Su Ruanruan smiled and hooked her arms around theirs. "What are you afraid of? I have money, sisters. You can drink and eat as much as you want today. Don't worry about saving money for me."
Ziwu walked over, as if she hadn't seen her master smile so happily in a long time.
"The table has been cleaned up; you can go in now."
Su Ruanruan took their arms and went inside together.
Qin Bei and Gu Ji were reluctant to let Su Ruanruan spend money, so they only ordered a few vegetables.
Su Ruanruan was both amused and exasperated. How could she only eat vegetables when having hot pot? So she asked for all the dishes on the restaurant's signboard.
Before long, a steaming hot pot with two broths, sliced beef and mutton, vegetables, duck intestines and tripe were served on the table. The waiter then added more firewood before leaving.
Gu Ji and Qin Bei had never eaten hot pot before, and they found it a bit strange to see such a pot for the first time.
But they were quickly won over by the delicious aroma and their appetites were whetted.
Qin Bei likes spicy food, Gu Ji likes clear soup, and Su Ruanruan can eat either.
The three men started talking about how they were born when they were still wearing open-crotch pants, and laughter frequently filled the private room.
During the meal, Su Ruanruan ordered two more pots of Nu'er Hong wine, and the three of them clinked glasses one after another.
Su Ruanruan has a very low alcohol tolerance. After downing a glass of wine, she was already somewhat drunk, and her cheeks were flushed.
She poured herself another glass of wine, her voice choked with emotion, "I heard from my aunt that you two were the first to find Xiaoxi's body. I couldn't make it back when Xiaoxi was buried, and you helped a lot by running around doing everything you could."
"Here, I thank you."
Su Ruanruan drank the wine in her glass in one gulp, but tears also streamed down her face.
"Ruanruan, don't cry."
Qin Bei and Gu Ji flanked her, but seeing her like this, they were at a loss.
Su Ruanruan closed her eyes and said, "Can you tell me if Xiao Xi died a terrible death? He was so afraid of pain, how come he didn't even have a complete body..."
Thinking back to that scene, Gu Ji and Qin Bei's eyes also reddened, unsure how to comfort Su Ruanruan.
Seeing that none of them refuted her, Su Ruanruan could imagine how terrible it must have been. She buried her face in Gu Ji's shoulder and cried bitterly.
Qin Bei looked at the crying person and sadly lowered his head as well.
The waiter came in to add water, but sensed the awkward atmosphere and left again.
upstairs
Wei Zheng pushed open the door and sidled up to Huo Yan in a cheeky manner.
"Guess who I just saw?"
Huo Yan paused for a moment, his hand holding the wine glass. "Speak quickly if you have something to say, or shut up if you have something to say."
Wei Zheng curled his lip, "Rude."
Jin Yu sat upright, watching Huo Yan drinking alone. He felt that his elder brother hadn't been in a good mood lately.
I don't know what happened between him and Su Ruanruan.
My brother is back to how he was before, but that time it was for Wanrou, and this time it's for Su Ruanruan.
Niu Mang took a bite of the mutton roll, wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, and exclaimed how delicious it was.
He pointed to the hot pot, crispy pork, canned yellow peaches, and milk tea on the table.
"The owner of this shop is a real character; I wonder where he got all these delicious things."
"If my wife were here, I would definitely bring her to try it too."
Jin Yu asked, "What about Xiao Yuan? Aren't you going to bring her to try it?"
Niu Mang thought for a moment, "Hmm, Xiao Yuan loves to eat, so she'll definitely like something this delicious."
Wei Zheng laughed and said, "I think that little Yuan girl and you get along quite well. Why don't you just take her as your concubine?"
Niu Mang hurriedly waved his hand, "Hey, don't talk nonsense, don't tarnish the young girl's reputation, there's nothing between us."
Wei Zheng clicked his tongue and glanced at the three of them. "What's wrong with you two? You're both getting on in years. One of you has a wife but no children, and the other has neither. I'm worried for you. You should learn from Jin Yu. He already has a son and a daughter, and his kids can call you uncles."
As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Yan's brows furrowed even deeper.
Seeing this, Jin Yu quickly changed the subject, "Who did you just say you ran into?"
Mentioning this, Wei Zheng perked up again. He glanced at Huo Yan and said, "I saw Su Ruanruan downstairs."
Upon hearing Su Ruanruan's name, Huo Yan paused in his hand, which was toying with his wine glass. He glanced at Wei Zheng, then looked down at the wine glass in his hand again.
Seeing his expression, Wei Zheng glared at him with disdain, wondering what had happened between him and Su Ruanruan, and refused to answer when asked.
Anyone with eyes can see that he's worried about her, so why doesn't he take the initiative to go find her?
Back then, it was a done deal that Miss Wanrou was engaged to someone else, and there was no going back.
But the situation is different today. Su Ruanruan is not married, and they have already gone through so much together. He should give her a proper status.
He winked at Jin Yu, "The waiter lifted the curtain just now, and I saw it by chance. Su Ruanruan was lying on the man next to her, crying so sadly. I don't know what happened."
The two men scrutinized Huo Yan's expression, only to find him indifferent, continuing to pour wine into his glass as if it were none of his business.
They didn't continue the conversation on that topic, their attention returning to the pot of hot pot that was emitting a rich aroma.
Downstairs, Gu Ji and Qin Bei comforted Su Ruanruan for a while before she finally cried herself to sleep, quieted down, and obediently leaned against the stool.
It was completely dark by now, and they couldn't go back.
Gu Ji lifted the bamboo curtain, and Qin Bei carried Su Ruanruan out on his back.
The blush on her face grew even brighter, and her little mouth pouted as if she couldn't say anything.
Leaning on Qin Bei's shoulder, her eyelashes were still damp with a thin layer of tears, looking pitiful.
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