Sitting next to An Shuyi, Xiao Yubai saw all of this and couldn't help but find it amusing. He hadn't expected that the two of them, who were already so old, would still be so childish.
"More than twenty years have passed, how is Dean Cheng doing in Jinnan City?"
Hearing the voice, Cheng Yumo turned to look at him. "Oh, it's you. You're doing quite well here. You have a lot of free time every day, which is better than where you are. What brings you here?"
After he finished speaking, he glanced at the person next to him without leaving a trace. This old guy is still not married. Could it be that he came here for that person?
“I have come here on business. How is Master Cheng? I’ll visit him another day. It’s been over twenty years since I last saw him. I wonder if he still remembers me.” Xiao Yubai finished speaking and gave the other person a provocative look.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua, who were sitting next to him, naturally saw his gaze. Without asking, they knew that the two of them must have something on their minds. So, instead of feeling awkward, they watched with great interest.
“Of course I remember. After all, if I couldn’t remember someone like Young Master Xiao, it would be an insult to you,” Cheng Yumo retorted without any politeness.
Xiao Yubai was not afraid at all. "It's not an insult. After all, I'm just an ordinary person. How can I compare to Dean Cheng? By the way, where is Dean Cheng's wife? Why didn't you bring her? I remember that she was a famous talented woman in the capital."
Seeing the panic in Cheng Yumo's eyes, though it quickly disappeared, he still noticed it. Little brat, trying to fight me? He can get anything he wants, unless he doesn't want it.
"You're mistaken. I don't have a wife, let alone get married. As for the so-called talented woman, it was just a joke." After saying that, he glanced cautiously at the person next to him.
But he found that the people next to him were not looking at him at all, and their words to him were completely unresponsive, which made him somewhat disappointed.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua exchanged a glance. Oh wow, this is going to be fun. They never expected men's verbal battles to be so intense.
"How could I be wrong? After all, back then, everyone in the capital knew her. It's a pity I was hoping to see this renowned talented woman, but now I don't have the chance." He glanced at the curiosity in Madam An's eyes, which fueled his desire to speak.
He discovered that Mrs. Ann was very interested in other people's affairs, just like when she went to see a play, her eyes would light up.
“If you want to see it, you can go to the capital yourself. She and I were just joking. Don’t take it seriously,” Cheng Yumo said.
Seeing that he was at a disadvantage, An Shuyi didn't want to make things too awkward, so she said, "So you two know each other. What a coincidence. But let's eat now. After we finish eating, you can sit down and have a proper chat. There's plenty of time."
Just then, Wenlan and the others came in with bowls and chopsticks. After they were set out, Wenyu and the others came in with trays and placed the dishes on them one by one: braised pork with quail eggs, taro with pork belly, stewed venison, stewed lion meat, steamed bear meat, stewed pig's trotters with soybeans, braised lion's head meatballs, cold preserved eggs, and cold pig's ears.
Sweet and sour pork, spicy chicken, braised pork, eight-treasure rice, roast duck, braised goose, braised roe deer meat—a total of sixteen dishes. Luckily, the table was big enough, otherwise it wouldn't have been able to fit them all.
An Shuyi didn't say anything this time either, but just gave Wen Liu and the others a look, and they toasted the dean and the teacher and asked them to eat.
"Young Master Xiao, Prefect Xiao, please eat. Don't be shy, help yourself to whatever you want." After saying this, An Shuyi picked up a piece of bear meat with her chopsticks, but after eating it, she felt that it was not as delicious as bear paw.
However, this is just her opinion; judging from other people's perspectives, it's not bad.
Seeing how much she enjoyed her meal, Xiao Yubai unconsciously ate more as well. He had never tasted these dishes before, but what puzzled him was why there was venison and lion meat. Could it be that the men in the village had hunted them?
Although he had heard from his subordinates that Madam An and Madam Xia often went into the jungle and stayed for several days or even more than ten days, he did not think much of it, let alone that these prey were hunted by the two of them.
The meal lasted until evening. Xiao Yubai and Cheng Yumo were eating well at first, but later they started drinking heavily. Unexpectedly, the two of them had a good tolerance for alcohol and neither of them got drunk by the end of the meal.
Looking at the two people sitting there, An Shuyi asked, "Dean Cheng, do you need someone to send you back to Jinnan City? And what about you, Young Master Xiao?" Actually, the others had already gone back, and now only these two remained.
Xiao Yubai stood up. "Madam An, I just arrived in Jinnan City today and haven't found an inn to stay in yet. I wonder if I could stay in your village?"
He hadn't planned to stay in Jinnan City, so he rode directly to the village, never expecting to stumble upon such a lively event.
"Sure, I'll have someone arrange it." After all, she came from the capital, and she had even eaten her pastries before, so they were somewhat acquainted. I couldn't just turn her away.
"Wen Yu, go and call your father here."
"Okay, Auntie." Wen Yu ran out to call his father.
"Dean Cheng, what about you?"
"I drank a bit too much tonight, please forgive me for disturbing you all night." That old bastard Xiao Yubai hasn't left yet. What if he leaves and gets an opportunity to take advantage of him?
An Shuyi nodded, "We won't bother you. It would be an honor for our village if Dean Cheng could stay."
"Sister-in-law, what brings you here?" Village Chief Lin asked as he entered.
"Young Master Xiao and Dean Cheng are staying in the village tonight. Please make arrangements for the courtyard and do not neglect the guests."
"I understand, sister-in-law, I'll go arrange it right away." She then hurriedly left.
An Shuyi originally wanted to wait for everyone to leave so she could lie down for a while, but since it would take some time to arrange the room, she was too lazy to stay still. She walked over to a chair and sat down, looking like she didn't want to talk.
Seeing her like this, Xia Hua had no choice but to say, "Please sit down, both of you. It will take a while to arrange the courtyard, but let me make it clear first: there are no maids to serve us in our village, so we have to do everything ourselves."
"There is water in the washroom. When you eat, just go to the canteen when you hear the bell. If you need anything, ask Mu Tou. I'll have Wen Liu get you some clean clothes later."
"Don't worry, Madam Xia, I do my own work and don't use maids," Xiao Yubai said. Looking at Madam An sitting to the side, he knew she was very tired. He had originally wanted to talk to her, but now he didn't want to bother her.
Village Chief Lin quickly arranged the courtyard and then led the people there. "Dean Cheng, Young Master Xiao, please stay here. The bedding is all new, and Wen Liu will bring over some clean clothes later. I have to go now, so I'll take my leave."
Watching him leave, Cheng Yumo turned around and said, "How did you end up here? Why didn't you stay there? You haven't moved in over ten years. I never thought I'd have to come out again."
Xiao Yubai found a chair and sat down, saying slowly, "I already told you that I came here for a reason, but you just didn't believe me. Besides, staying in one place for too long can get boring, so it's good to come out and wander around."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
