Chapter 152: One Night of Indulgence
PS: Thanks to Xianxian Patching and hh Dodder for the tips:)
……………………………………
Xiao Mingzheng's arrival truly surprised everyone. Xi'er and Ziyan, knowing what to do, quickly and calmly left their seats, leaving them for Wang Ye and Zhong Min. Just like last time, they asked the restaurant to clear another table.
"I heard from Jiaxing that the osmanthus wine here is the most authentic. I'm going to try it today." Xiao Mingzheng said as he sat down in the seat opposite Zhong Min.
Seeing this, Zhong Min also sat down. Seeing that he only talked about drinking and didn't answer his previous question, he didn't ask any more questions. He just took over and said, "It's really good. We drank here with Brother Luo last time. Even Zi Yan kept thinking about the osmanthus wine here."
"I've been too busy these days and just got back. I thought you must be out playing and not staying in the mansion, so I came here directly to try my luck. I didn't expect to find you so quickly." Xiao Mingzheng looked at Zhong Min, as if explaining why he suddenly appeared here.
Zhong Min naturally didn't believe it. If finding someone was that easy, then everything in the world was far too simple. It was just a trivial matter, so she just listened to him, but there was no need to take it too seriously.
As they were talking, the shopkeeper brought up the food and wine. Seeing the unfamiliar Xiao Mingzheng, he didn't think much and asked Zhong Min directly, "Miss Min'er, you have friends. This young man is a stranger. I guess this is his first time in my shop, right?"
Zhong Min quickly smiled and said, "This is Master Xiao. He's Master Luo's best friend. He heard Master Luo mention your osmanthus wine earlier, so he came here specially today."
When the shopkeeper heard this, he was even more delighted and said repeatedly, "Since you are Mr. Luo's friend, you are our honored guest. I will still serve you the same osmanthus wine as last time. I guarantee that this young master will like it too."
As he spoke, he poured wine for Xiao Mingzheng and Zhong Min, and said that he would add two more dishes, and that it was his treat, so that Xiao Mingzheng and Zhong Min could eat and drink well, and then he went down to work.
"It's really a good wine!" Xiao Mingzheng took a sip, but did not drink too much. He has always been a person who knows how to control his desires. No matter what happens, he always seems to be so rational.
Putting down his wine glass, he looked at the dishes and nodded approvingly, "I didn't expect such a humble place to have such skilled cooks. I didn't eat much at noon, so just looking at them makes me even hungrier."
Hearing this, Zhong Min suddenly remembered that Xiao Mingzheng must have been incredibly busy these days. His stubble alone was proof of that. He always liked to be neat and tidy, so if he hadn't been completely busy, he wouldn't have come out in such a disrespectful manner.
For a moment, she felt a little distressed and subconsciously picked up her chopsticks to pick up some food for him and put it in his bowl: "Eat quickly if you're hungry. This beef is cooked very well."
Looking at the beef in the bowl, Xiao Mingzheng paused slightly, then picked up the piece of beef with a smile and put it into his mouth, chewing it carefully, as if he was tasting the most delicious delicacy, with a look of contentment on his face.
A moment later, the piece of beef was put into his stomach. Xiao Mingzheng muttered to himself, "I never knew that beef tasted like this."
Hearing this, Zhong Min was immediately confused. She blinked and asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Have you never eaten beef before?"
To be honest, she really didn't know his preferences. He always served her the dishes during meals, and she had never paid attention to what Xiao Mingzheng liked to eat.
"I never eat beef." He smiled slightly. "This is the first time you've served me food, so I'll eat it no matter what it is."
For a moment, Zhong Min felt as if something was holding her back, making her feel extremely suffocated. She unnaturally withdrew her gaze from Xiao Mingzheng, and then randomly glanced at the dishes on the table one by one: "So, what do you like to eat? Otherwise, let the restaurant make a few more that you like."
"No need, these are already very good." Xiao Mingzheng smiled again, and as he spoke, he placed some dishes on Zhong Min's plate. "You should eat quickly too. There will be a lot of fun places soon, so you have to hurry up."
Seeing her bowl filled with her favorite dishes, Zhong Min's heart was once again filled with emotion. She had never considered such trivial matters anything special, but today, they moved her deeply. She didn't know if her heart had become increasingly sensitive, or if the man before her had made her more prone to emotional fluctuations. She only knew that this seemingly aloof man always and silently touched the simplest and softest part of her heart.
For a moment, no one spoke. The two of them ate face to face, and Xiao Mingzheng continued to serve Zhong Min the food as usual. The sweet-scented osmanthus wine and the food tasted the same, but Zhong Min suddenly lost her appetite. As she ate, she kept secretly glancing at Xiao Mingzheng.
As expected, he didn't eat another piece of beef, and he didn't eat much of anything else either. He tried a little of everything, preferring light food and very little meat.
Is his stomach not feeling well? Zhong Min secretly speculated. He mostly ate easily digestible foods. With his busy schedule and his frequent late meals, stomach issues were normal. But why didn't he eat beef? She knew of people who didn't eat pork, but she had never heard of anyone who didn't eat beef. Zhong Min suddenly felt that Xiao Mingzheng was an unfathomable mystery. Even though they were so close, she knew so little about him.
"I'm full." Before putting down her chopsticks, she habitually reminded him not to add more food to her. She picked up the wine glass in front of her and took another sip, but her mind was still a little strange.
"You've already had eight cups. This is enough. You'll feel uncomfortable if you drink more." Xiao Mingzheng stopped adding more dishes to her dishes and stopped letting her drink the osmanthus wine. He knew her alcohol tolerance and eight cups was enough.
"Did I drink eight cups?" Zhong Min muttered, looking a little unconvinced. "That's almost enough. If I drink any more, I'll be drunk. But why do I feel like I only had three or four?"
Did he really pay so much attention to her affairs? Did he remember them clearly? What did this meticulous attention to her signify? Care? Concern? Love? Or...
She didn't think about it any further, but she felt a sudden warmth in her heart. The feeling of being valued and cared for was really good. In fact, she knew that she shouldn't be greedy for these things that didn't belong to her, but she couldn't deceive her heart. Never mind, today was Mid-Autumn Festival anyway, so she would just treat it as a holiday to give herself some benefits. She wasn't greedy, so she would just not think about anything tonight and just accept the feeling of being cared for and pampered by him.
Maybe she was a little drunk at the moment, so her mind wasn't as clear as usual, but this feeling was really good, and she really felt a little attached. Just one night, occasionally indulging herself, after tonight, she would definitely not do this again.
Hearing Zhong Min's words, Xiao Mingzheng just smiled without saying anything. He then put down his bowl and chopsticks and stopped eating. As usual, he took out a clean handkerchief and handed it to Zhong Min: "Let's go. First, I'll take you to the market to watch the acrobatics, and then we can go see the lanterns later."
"Okay!" She nodded happily. Looking at the clean handkerchief in her hand, she suddenly felt that her dislike of carrying handkerchiefs was not such a bad habit. "Tonight, I want to have a good time. Let's go!"
She stood up and walked out, feeling a bit light-footed, but it was probably because she was in a good mood, not because of the alcohol. Seeing this, Xiao Mingzheng took a bunch of silver from his pocket and placed it on the table, then quickly caught up with Zhong Min. Xier and the others naturally didn't dare get too close, and followed Xiao Mingzheng and Zhong Min at a distance, heading out the door and into the bustling street market.
The moon on Mid-Autumn Night should be extremely beautiful, but the weather today is not very good. Even at this time, we can't see the shadow of the moon. But despite this, it still can't cover up the joy and passion from the bottom of people's hearts.
The further you get toward the center, the more crowded the area becomes. Various vendors happily peddle their wares, capitalizing on business opportunities. Unlike modern times, there are no dazzling neon lights, but the massive fires and ubiquitous lanterns illuminate the entire city like daylight, and the people's joyful smiles shine brightly against the firelight.
Children running and playing were moving quickly through the already crowded streets, bumping into one and another from time to time. But on such a happy night, people seemed particularly tolerant, and apart from asking the children to be careful, no one was overly harsh.
"Be careful!" Another child, who knew not which family was running too fast, nearly bumped into Zhong Min. Xiao Mingzheng was quick to pull her towards him and avoid her.
Zhong Min fell into Xiao Mingzheng's arms without warning, and the familiar scent instantly enveloped her. For a moment, she felt a bit dazed, as if she had returned to those two days in the mountains a few months ago.
"Are you okay?" Xiao Mingzheng's voice sounded in her ears, low and soft, with inquiry and worry, making her feel an indescribable warmth.
She suddenly came to her senses, quickly broke free from his arms, her face flushed as she kept saying, "It's okay, it's okay."
Damn, what a loser! It wasn't the first time he'd hugged me, so why was I so embarrassed? Zhong Min cursed herself inwardly and quickly calmed down. It made sense. She and Xiao Mingzheng had already had plenty of physical contact, and this time, she'd just accidentally bumped into someone's arms, and yet she ended up blushing. How embarrassing!
Fortunately, Xiao Mingzheng just smiled and didn't say anything. Then he naturally took her hand and walked forward. Zhong Min wanted to pull her hand away from him, but just as she moved, she heard Xiao Mingzheng say again: "There are too many people here, be careful not to get separated."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
