Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 333 Just Eat
The drizzle kept falling, but it was not annoying. Instead, it brought a touch of coolness to these hottest days of summer.

"Memories are like a storyteller, speaking in a local accent, leaping over puddles and circling the village..."

Walking in the rain with an umbrella, Chen Xuan was in a very good mood and hummed a little tune from his memory, but he didn't know that a certain old man wanted to run over and kill him with a knife right now.

The bustling and noisy capital city seems to have a sense of tranquility and leisure in this misty evening.

Instead of getting off the shore behind Zuixianlou, he walked along the lakeside and unexpectedly came to the entrance of Zuixianlou. Here, people were toasting each other with cups and it was the busiest time of the day.

After a busy day, dignitaries and scholars gathered here to drink and have fun, and after eating and drinking their fill, they were just in time for the next event.

Coming back to the gate of Zuixianlou, Chen Xuan pondered for a second, patted his forehead, turned a corner and headed towards the gate of Zuixianlou again.

I am enjoying myself outside with fine food and wine, but Xiao Gao is still at home burying his head in his books. I can't forget him.

Although Chen Xuan said that he was enjoying himself and suffering for him, he was just joking. The two of them had been like a pair of pants since they were young. How could he really leave him aside? He had to be rewarded.

The food at Zuixianlou is really delicious. I’ll pack some for him to take back.

The receptionist at the door was still there. Although she didn't know Chen Xuan and didn't know that the real owner behind Zuixianlou was the little princess, she had a keen eye working here and remembered him after just one meeting. This was the person the shopkeeper had personally instructed to receive well.

Many of the customers who come here to consume will take a boat tour on the lake, then go down from other places and come back. This situation is very common, and people who work here are no longer surprised.

The receptionist quickly stepped forward and saluted, saying, "How are you, sir? How may I be of assistance to you, or perhaps you left something behind?"

Chen Xuan moved aside to avoid blocking others and said, "Excuse me, young lady. I just wanted to ask if I could buy some food from your Zuixianlou to take away?"

"Of course you can. Please follow me, sir. There are no vacancies now. Please follow me to the lounge and wait for a while." The woman did not dare to be negligent and made a gesture of invitation.

I followed her into Zuixianlou again and came to a spacious lounge. There were also many people waiting here, but they were not consuming customers. After all, reservations were required here. Those people were obviously servants from various families who came to buy delicacies.

There are individual seats and small tables, and even fragrant tea is served.

After Chen Xuan was brought here, the receptionist left and gave some instructions. A waiter quickly brought the menu.

Looking through the menu, Chen Xuan thought that this place was not one that ordinary people could come to. A bowl of rice and a pot of tea were no less than one or two taels of silver. The dishes were even more outrageous, with dozens or even hundreds of taels common. Thinking of the always-filled Zuixianlou, it was obvious that they were making a fortune every day. With this property alone, the little princess was undoubtedly a wealthy woman.

Thinking of the word "rich woman", Chen Xuan suddenly felt uncomfortable in his stomach and quickly "practiced internal energy to heal the wound", and the stomach discomfort disappeared immediately.

However, after flipping through the menu, he looked at the waiter waiting to take notes and asked in confusion, "Why aren't there dishes like Ice Lake Snow Fish Sashimi, Haozhou Red Lamb Tongue, Wenjing Soup, and Blue Corn Rice?"

These were the dishes that the little princess had treated him to before. They were delicious, Chen Xuan remembered, but they were not on the menu at all.

When he said this, the waiter was stunned for a moment, and the people waiting around looked over subconsciously. Some were surprised, some were confused, and those who were confused seemed to have no idea that Zuixianlou had these dishes at all.

Then the waiter quickly explained: "Excuse me, sir, the dishes you mentioned need to be ordered in advance. The ingredients are limited and the preparation is difficult, so they are not on this menu."

"Is that so..." Chen Xuan felt relieved and thought to himself, Xiao Gao, it's not that I don't remember you, it's that you don't have the good appetite.

Seeing Chen Xuan's regret, the waiter continued, "Sir, wait a moment. I'll go ask the shopkeeper for instructions."

After saying that, he retreated respectfully and left in a hurry. Chen Xuan originally wanted to put up with it.

It seems there is hope, it must be because of the little princess.

Soon the waiter came back, hesitated for a moment, said something rude, and leaned close to Chen Xuan and whispered in his ear, "Sir, what a coincidence! Most of the dishes you ordered are available. Would you like one?"

"Really?" Chen Xuan was surprised. Didn't they say that reservations needed to be made in advance? And the little princess also said that the ingredients for those dishes were freshly delivered and cooked on the same day.

The waiter himself was puzzled and nodded, "It's true."

After getting a definite answer, Chen Xuan Xiaomin subconsciously asked, "How much?"

"Sir, the amount of money you just ordered is three thousand eight hundred and eighty-six taels," the waiter said immediately. He probably remembered this price better than he had lived for many days.

With a sudden thought, Chen Xuan said without hesitation: "Give me a takeaway."

After all, he is a grandmaster and has spent hundreds of thousands of taels on the way to the capital. Why should he hesitate about the food costing a few thousand taels of silver? He doesn't feel bad at all, really.

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment," the waiter responded and left quickly.

Money is meant to be spent. Xiao Gao, you're being very considerate, bro. I'll have to make things difficult for you later... Actually, the dishes Chen Xuan ordered that weren't on the menu usually require advance reservations, and even then, they're not guaranteed to be available. But who told me the little princess was entertaining guests today? She couldn't get what she wanted just a quick request. And because they were worried about not treating her well enough, they prepared two extra portions of each dish. Chen Xuan and his friends only had one table to eat; the others hadn't been served yet. He'd just turned around and come back, and now they were available.

Normally, even if there is a vacancy, it would not be the turn of normal guests. But who made Chen Xuan the one who was personally entertained by the little princess? Others don’t know who the owner is, but the shopkeeper knows it too, and the shopkeeper himself is the little princess’s man.

While waiting, Chen Xuan pretended to go to the bathroom and quickly returned to his residence to get money. He didn't have that much money on him.

The little princess treated him, but Chen Xuan spent his money normally. He was not going to be like some idiot who thought he could take advantage by signing the bill just because he knew someone.

Not long after, the waiter brought an exquisite food box and said that the food box and tableware were free. After all, he spent so much money, so Chen Xuan didn't care. He paid with one hand and took the food with the other, then left in a leisurely manner with the food box and an umbrella.

Money doesn’t matter. What matters is that he is having a good time outside while Xiao Gao is suffering at home, and he can’t bear it.

It was already dark when Chen Xuan returned to Xiaomingju on Guixiang Street. Even though he didn't pay close attention to his surroundings, his keen senses enabled him to notice that the Wu Hou who was patrolling the street on a daily basis had been replaced by a new person!
Although he had only been in the capital for a short time and was not familiar with the martial arts here at all, how could a person with a little skill be the same as a person with excellent skill? In his perception, it was like the difference between Ye Zhaoqing and Haoyue.

"This street is inhabited by the rich and powerful. Could this be the imperial court's attempt to rig this situation? Even the Marquis of Wu has quietly become a more powerful figure. It's normal for him to scrutinize those who pass by. A few more glances at me won't hurt."

Chen Xuan didn't care even though he was muttering to himself. As long as he didn't provoke him, he would just pretend not to notice such a change.

He pushed the door open and went straight to where Gao Jingming was.

Xiao Gao was still busy studying for the exam, and Chen Xuan immediately shouted, "Master, stop reading. I brought you some delicious food. Don't say I'm disloyal. It doesn't matter if you take a little time. You know the principle of combining work and rest better than me. Hurry up and wash your hands and come over to taste it. It's still warm. It won't taste good if it's cold."

While he was talking, he had already started to get busy, setting the table and putting the dishes on it.

Gao Jingming wasn't tired after reading all day, but it was already dark, so it was time to eat and rest. He simply put down his books, washed up, and walked towards Chen Xuan's room, saying with a smile, "It seems that Ah Xuan is in a good mood today?"

He felt that something was wrong with Chen Xuan in the morning, and now his mood was written all over his face. It seemed that good things had happened to him.

After arranging the food, Chen Xuan said anxiously, "Oh, I was so busy with the food that I forgot to buy some wine. Oh, I remember there are a few jars of wine in your room, Master. Open one. The wine we drank at noon was good, but it was too soft and not manly enough."

"No, Xuan, you want to drink my wine just because you are happy? I use it to relieve fatigue occasionally, and it is not a good wine," Gao Jingming said with a smile.

Chen Xuan knew where the wine was kept, so he took a jar from the air and opened it, saying, "What's yours? It's ours. Come on, try what I brought back first."

As he greeted me warmly, I was thinking to myself, this jar of wine of yours is nothing. The delicacies on the table worth nearly four thousand taels of silver were all bought with the money I borrowed from you.

"It looks good. Since you, Xuan, said it's a good thing, I have to try it." Gao Jingming didn't bother to be polite with him. He sat down and picked up the chopsticks to start eating.

Chen Xuan took a bowl and poured wine. After taking a bite of what he brought back, his eyes lit up and he smiled: "How is it? Not bad, right?"

Just eat it, I won’t say anything anyway. Eat more, every bite is your money, Chen Xuan said with evil taste in his heart.

"It's more than good. I've never eaten anything so delicious. I won't be pretentious. Where did you get it, Xuan?" Gao Jingming asked curiously.

Having already eaten, and only a small portion of it was brought back, Chen Xuan was not that greedy. He picked up the wine bowl and said with a smile: "Don't just eat the food, drink the wine. Don't worry about where it comes from, as long as it tastes good."

He was worried that if he told Gao Jingming that this was brought back from Zuixianlou, he would strangle himself to death when he found out the price later.

"Okay, I won't ask anymore. Tell me, Xuan, what good things happened to you today? Your mood is very different from before." Gao Jingming didn't hesitate and asked curiously while eating.

Chen Xuan drank a bowl of wine. Although this wine could not even compare to the emperor's collection, it was strong enough. This was what a real man should drink. He exhaled comfortably and said with a smile: "It's not a good thing, but I just met a new friend today. We got along well. I will introduce him to you when the time is right."

There was nothing to hide from Gao Jingming, but the little princess had a special identity, so Chen Xuan couldn't make a fuss in advance. Firstly, even if he introduced them to each other, he had to ask her opinion in advance, and secondly, he had to give Xiao Gao some buffer time.

Just think about it, it is really "scary" for an ordinary citizen to suddenly get to know a person like the little princess.

"Isn't this a good thing? It's rare to have a few friends in life, we should celebrate it well," Gao Jingming took the initiative to raise the wine bowl to congratulate, without asking any further questions.

Picking up the wine bowl again, Chen Xuan drank one with him and said with a smile: "Young Master, eat quickly and eat more. Except for the sashimi, the others will not taste good when they are cold."

"Don't just persuade me, eat it yourself too."

"It's okay, I've already eaten it. This is specially brought for you."

"Okay, I won't be shy about that."

As Gao Jingming ate the delicious food, he subconsciously felt that something was amiss. Ah Xuan seemed a little too enthusiastic, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Perhaps he was just happy to meet a new friend, and after a few drinks, he stopped worrying too much...

(End of this chapter)