Seeing that the tea stall owner tactfully walked away, Murong Jing thought it was time to get down to business. Just then, a carriage came over and stopped at the tea stall.
The man in his fifties following beside the carriage was someone Murong Jing recognized; he was the steward of Magistrate Liu's residence in this town.
Hong Xiaoduo recognized the girl that the maid had helped down from the carriage; she was the chubby older sister who had fought with Yao Guang for the cloth tiger doll the previous evening.
"This humble steward of the Liu family greets Young Master Murong and young lady."
"I am Liu Shimin, daughter of Liu Caiqing. I greet Young Master Murong and young lady." The two stepped forward and bowed.
Murong Jing frowned slightly as he looked at the two people.
Hong Xiaoduo saw that he didn't respond, so she didn't respond either. After all, he had misunderstood and was just paying his respects to her.
When dealing with this kind of thing, just leave it to the person in charge; it's fine to just watch the show from the sidelines.
She poured herself a cup of tea and was about to put down the pot when she saw Murong Jing looking at her. She couldn't figure out what he meant, so she thought for a moment and poured some tea into his cup as well.
Then, he picked up the teacup, looked at the not-so-clear tea, and said, "May I ask what brings you two here?"
"Reporting to Young Master Murong, it is like this: the town's hunters hunted a black bear last night, and my father sent someone to buy it. He then invited the chef from Sanxian Restaurant to come to our residence to cook it. Since it is rare for you to come here, and we have nothing else to offer you, we sent the steward to invite you and your wife to enjoy it together."
Shi Min came here because yesterday evening, my younger brother misbehaved and offended the young lady and several young gentlemen, so I came here to apologize to the young lady.
"I hope that you, young lady, can forgive my brother and me for my father's sake." Liu Shimin said, bowing again to Hong Xiaoduo.
Hong Xiaoduo, who had initially been watching with a "let's have some fun" attitude, was taken aback. Why was she involved in this?
The young lady from Magistrate Liu's family is dressed even more exquisitely today than yesterday. Did she come all this way to apologize? Does she think I'm a fool?
Seeing that Murong Jing was also looking at her, she knew that it would be inappropriate not to say something: "Young lady of the Liu family, there is no need for this. Yesterday's matter was already settled yesterday."
Then she continued drinking her tea, too lazy to waste her breath on such a pointless matter.
She didn't care about leaf tea or anything like that; as long as it quenched her thirst, that was enough.
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Miss." Liu Shimin was annoyed by such a perfunctory and impolite response, but with Young Master Murong right there, what could she do?
Suppressing her annoyance, she thanked Hong Xiaoduo insincerely, then looked at Murong Jing and asked, "Would you be free for lunch, young master? Or would dinner be more suitable?"
Liu Shimin's dignified demeanor and gentle voice made Hong Xiaoduo take a second look. She then curiously looked at Murong Jing, wanting to see how he would respond to such a beautiful woman's invitation.
After all, it was Magistrate Liu who invited him; he wouldn't refuse out of public interest!
To her surprise, she found herself facing him. She wondered if she was overthinking it, but his gaze held a questioning quality, as if he were asking for her opinion: to go or not to go?
Seriously? Even an idiot could see that they're inviting you to a banquet at their home. Whether you go or not, and what time is convenient for you, is entirely up to you. What does it have to do with me?
"Do you want to go?" Murong Jing asked, looking at her.
Hong Xiaoduo exclaimed in bewilderment, "Huh?"
She knew she wasn't the kind of person who was exceptionally clever or charming, but she wasn't exactly stupid either. So why did she not quite understand what the person in front of her meant?
"I'm asking you, Lord Liu's mansion is hosting a bear feast, with bear paws to eat, are you going or not?" Murong Jing suppressed a laugh and asked again in a serious tone.
Her bewildered yet adorable reaction is just so cute!
Murong Jing, who was well-versed in poetry and literature, never imagined that he would use the word "cute" to describe a girl other than a child.
So you're really asking me what I think? Hong Xiaoduo looked at Murong Jing blinking his big eyes and thought to herself, what kind of relationship do we have? It's fine if the people in the Liu family don't know, but don't we know perfectly well ourselves?
Why are you asking me? To ward off unwanted suitors? That's a bit much...
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