Hibiscus Sorbet
"Boss, give me two baskets of baked buns!"
"Oh, okay!"
Suxi sat down and realized that Shen Yunqiu was staring at him. Even through the mask, he looked very confused.
"How did you know I wanted to eat this?"
"Well, as a servant, reading people's expressions is a compulsory course!"
Suxi pulled two pairs of chopsticks from the chopstick holder and turned to see the chubby stall owner approaching with two baskets of steamed buns. He looked them over and suddenly smiled, "You're such a filial daughter, little girl. You're so good to your father!"
Su Xi was stunned. When his eyes fell on the mottled white hair on Shen Yunqiu's head, he immediately understood. Although he subconsciously felt that it was not very moral, he still couldn't help but chuckled: "Boss, he is not my father--"
Facing Shen Yunqiu's embarrassed, angry, and helpless eyes, Su Xi spoke again: "He is my grandfather!"
"Then you two have a really good relationship!"
The boss flattered her a few times and then turned back to serve the guests. When Su Xi came back to her senses, she met Shen Yunqiu's resentful gaze, which seemed to want to eat her alive.
Su Xi was embarrassed, only to hear the boy opposite her gritting his teeth, seething with anger: "You little girl are really tired of living!!"
"I don't know if you're tired of living or not. I only know that eating is the most important thing in life. You look so sick, don't starve to death before you're poisoned."
Suxi no longer cared about Shen Yunqiu's innocuous threats. He forked a baked bun into his mouth, dragged the bench closer, and handed over a large, plump bun: "Open your mouth--"
Shen Yunqiu was stunned, and looked through the two fox-like upturned eye holes on the mask in great confusion, wondering what this little girl was up to.
"It's not like I don't have hands, can't I eat by myself?"
"Eat by yourself? If you eat by yourself, I'm afraid you'll be full in two bites like a cat. How can you expect to get better? Besides, you're my grandfather, and you don't allow your granddaughter to serve you?"
Su Xi moved closer, and this time, Shen Yunqiu no longer avoided him. She didn't know if it was her illusion, or because of the two fox eyes on the mask, but she seemed to feel a hint of a smile on the man's face, but it disappeared in a flash and could not be captured.
After breakfast, Suxi didn't want to go home immediately. Regardless of Shen Yunqiu's strong dissatisfaction, he pushed the wheelchair to the busiest market in Qingzhou East City.
This market has a history of one hundred years since it was first built. There are not many small vendors in it, but there are many shops with all kinds of food, drink and entertainment. Even the Su family trading company built a shop here when it first came to Qingzhou. It then grew bigger and bigger and became the largest and most prosperous shop in the entire East Market. It also has many branch shops in other streets and alleys.
They were silent all the way. Shen Yunqiu noticed that the girl was not interested. Just as he was about to say something, the wheelchair suddenly stopped.
Looking up, Chen Yunqiu found himself sitting in front of Fu Yu Lou, the most popular restaurant in Qingzhou. Opposite Fu Yu Lou was the Su's Trading Company, with its doors and windows wide open and empty. No one had left the company, and two glaring white seals were stuck on the door.
"Do you want to go to Fuyulou for tea?"
Suddenly coming back to his senses, Su Xi quickly looked away and responded,
"Yes, let's go in."
“Things here aren’t cheap.”
"It's okay, it's enough to pay for it. I can just get you an extra vase when the time comes."
Shen Yunqiu: “…”
After entering Fu Yu Building, Su Xi asked for a wing room on the west side. When he opened the window, he could just see the empty attic on the second floor of Su's Trading Company and the gauze curtains in the building that were torn to pieces after being raided by soldiers.
In her previous life, she had sat in this Fu Yu Tower countless times and looked at that familiar place openly. There was no need to hide or be sneaky. Just looking at it was like going back to the time when her parents were still alive. She could indulge in dreams for a short time so that she would have the energy to continue living.
Su Xi withdrew his gaze, worried that Shen Yunqiu would notice something was wrong, so he quickly closed the wide-open windows and sat back on the soft stool in front of the elegant wooden table.
This wing was familiar to her. Besides being here a few times herself, she had also begged her father to come over for hibiscus ice cream when she was a child and had reserved this room. Back then, as a child, she had simply thought this wing was the most spacious and cozy, elegantly decorated, and filled with pleasant incense. Now, it had become the only place she could ever visit again, the only place connected to her parents.
After a while, the waiter served tea and brought a menu made of bamboo strips.
"What would you like to eat?"
Suxi asked Chen Yunqiu.
"No, you can order it yourself."
"Well, two hibiscus ice creams, please."
Su Xi ignored Shen Yunqiu and returned the menu to the waiter. In just a moment, the waiter returned with two porcelain bowls in his hands.
Putting it on the table, the white, tender and smooth rice jelly in the white porcelain bowl swayed twice, sprinkled with finely chopped hibiscus flowers, and a circle of crispy peanuts, white sesame seeds, and some dried fruits that could not be named were spread on the edge of the bowl.
"Enjoy your meal, both of you."
The waiter left in a hurry and closed the door. Only then did Shen Yunqiu dare to take off the mask of suffocation and look at the jelly paste in front of him with some disgust.
"What is this?"
"Hibiscus ice cream, haven't you ever had it?"
Shen Yunqiu shook his head.
To be precise, he hardly ever visited Qingzhou properly, let alone the Fuyulou.
"Then try it, it's delicious!"
"I don't want to eat it." Shen Yunqiu stretched out two fingers and pinched the edge of the bowl to push it over. "It's all for you."
"Try it!"
Su Xi scooped a spoonful from his own bowl and handed it to him. Before Shen Yunqiu could utter the next word "no", something sticky blocked his throat and he couldn't speak.
His eyes widened instantly. The girl's expression, filled with anticipation, filled him with a momentary daze. Suddenly, a refreshing sweetness burst forth in his mouth without warning, followed by a lingering aftertaste. It was a unique and indescribable taste, yet one that made him yearn for it.
Then, Su Xi watched as Shen Yunqiu took the bowl of hibiscus ice cream back and wolfed it down, and for a moment he felt a great sense of accomplishment.
"I'm not kidding! This is the signature dish of Fu Yu Lou. I used to eat here often."
Su Xi realized something was wrong as soon as he said it, and immediately shut up, but he saw that the boy opposite him was looking at him with full of suspicion.
"Often? Your family was so wealthy before? Also, didn't you say you weren't from Qingzhou?"
"Yes, I am not from Qingzhou, but..." Su Xi cursed himself for not being able to control his words, and could only bite the bullet and continue the conversation.
"But my father has some business dealings with the Su family, and I often go to Qingzhou with him."
"Could it be that your family's decline is also due to the Su family?"
Su Xi was suddenly stunned. He didn't expect him to ask this. He looked up and had an idea in his mind.
"Yes, my family went from being wealthy to being unable to make ends meet. We even had to hide from our creditors. My family wanted to sell me to the old man as a concubine, but I refused, so I went to great lengths to escape." Su Xi paused, then looked at Shen Yunqiu with a slightly sad look on his face. "But Master, your father is the governor of Qingzhou. You should know something about the Su family's affairs..."
"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
Shen Yunqiu's tone was heavy, and his brows were furrowed so tightly that they could almost pinch a fly to death.
"Sorry? Why?"
"Although I don't usually leave the courtyard, I have heard a few things from the servants." Chen Yunqiu said, "The Su family's affairs are probably my father's doing."
"Master? Why did you do this?"
Su Xi pretended to be surprised, but saw Shen Yunqiu's frown suddenly relax and he looked at her as if she were a fool.
"Why else? It's just a name, it's just profit. My father is a completely inhumane person. Su Bingwen is his best friend, yet he can ruthlessly raid the house and kill people. He must have some profit to gain from this, and it's not small, enough to make him give up the generous gifts the Su family sends him every year and climb up a higher branch."
"A higher branch?"
Suxi murmured, thinking carefully in his heart.
In her previous life, she was completely overwhelmed by hatred, but she never thought about Shen Pingchang’s motives for framing the Su family.
Indeed, the Su family's business paid a considerable amount of taxes each year. A prosperous Su family would be a boon to Shen Pingchang. So, why would he go to such great lengths to frame the Su family? Was someone behind this? Who could it be? And who pocketed this immense fortune?
Su Xi couldn't figure it out, and judging from Chen Yunqiu's expression, he wouldn't know anything more.
Never mind, she thought, she would investigate slowly and eventually find out. Then she would settle all the accounts together and would not let any of those who harmed the Su family go unpunished.
After finishing the last bite of hibiscus ice cream, Su Xi came back to his senses, only to see Shen Yunqiu staring blankly at the empty bowl in front of him, his rolling throat particularly obvious on his skinny neck.
She couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Why, do you still want to eat?"
"No...I don't want to."
His thoughts were exposed in an instant. Shen Yunqiu avoided his gaze and an unnatural red flush suddenly appeared on his face.
"Just think about it, what's there to be embarrassed about? Eating more will help you get better, right?" Su Xi looked at the deep embarrassment on Shen Yunqiu's face with interest, suppressed a smile and said, "Waiter, bring four more servings of lotus ice cream, we'll take it away!"
"Oh, okay!"
Listening to the waiter's vague voice through the door, Shen Yunqiu lowered his head and couldn't help but smile.
In the past, he was always scolded by his father and grandmother at the dinner table, and he didn't dare to eat too much. This was the first time he felt that his appetite was not a shameful thing. It turned out that he could boldly say what he wanted. It turned out that what she said yesterday was not just empty words of comfort.
"Thanks."
Shen Yunqiu murmured, but his voice was too soft and could not be heard at all amidst the noise of the restaurant.
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