"Young Master, the two troublemakers in front didn't have the money to pay the bill, so they started to make a fuss and insisted on seeing the steward. This lowly one asked and found out that one of them was the daughter of the Celestial Commissioner Ji You." "The daughter of the Ji You family?" "That's right." Yu Shu and Xue Rui looked at each other. She propped herself up and asked Lin Fu outside, "What does Miss Ji look like?"
"This … Her face was covered by a veil, so I couldn't see clearly. ,,
After confirming that it was Ji Xingxuan, Yu Shu's expression became strange. She had long suspected something.
That Ji Xingxuan always covered her face outside. How did she eat?
Xue Rui turned around and asked, "Who else came with them?" "There was another young lady. I don't know her name, but this lowly one hasn't seen her in the capital. She shouldn't be from the palace or any prince's mansion." Lin Fu carefully asked, "Young Master, do you want to bring them over to see her?" Xue Rui didn't have the leisure to pay attention to this and said, "There's no need. Let them buy tea and put it on their tab. I'll send someone to their mansion to collect it tomorrow."
"Yes." Lin Fu was about to leave when Yu Shu called out, "Wait.
"Miss, do you have any other instructions?"
"How much did they owe for the meal?" Lin Fu replied, "A total of one hundred and fifty taels. ,,
Yu Shu raised her eyebrows and smiled. If there was anything special about the Forgotten Machine Building, it was that every word was expensive.
Her monthly salary wasn't even enough to fill a table here. She had seen the restaurant's menu, and the most expensive dish was called "Heavenly Fragrance of the Nation". It was made with twenty-eight kinds of delicacies and thirty-six supplementary ingredients. Each dish cost an astronomical price of one hundred taels. It seemed that the two unlucky fellows had ordered this dish but hadn't been able to answer the riddle.
"Big Brother, I want to see Ji Xingxuan. You should leave for now." It was rare for her to encounter Ji Xingban's bad luck. How could she let go of this opportunity to add insult to injury?
"Lin Fu, bring them here. Remember not to mention my name."
Xue Rui looked at Yu Shu, who was listless just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, she became spirited. Her eyes were sparkling, and it was clear that she was up to no good. He didn't know what to say to her.
"Young Master?" Lin Fu stood at the door and asked Xue Rui for instructions. He didn't know if he should listen to Yu Shu.
"Bring them here."
"Yes."
Xue Rui stood up and said to Yu Shu, "I'm going to sit in the inner room. Don't talk to them for too long. I have something to tell you later."
Of course, Yu Shu was happy that he was willing to make room for her. She nodded and said, "Okay." After watching him enter the bedroom, she changed her position on the soft couch and leaned against the cushion. She had no intention of getting up to meet the guest.
Fortunately, the hangover soup worked. Other than a headache and drowsiness, her stomach was no longer uncomfortable and she still had some strength to bully others.
Looking at the table full of cold dishes and the angry Xia Jiangmin sitting at the table, Ji Xingban suddenly regretted going out today.
Ji Xingban didn't know Xia Jiangmin for a long time. In the few times they met, she was well-behaved and sensible. Although she was a little lively and willful, it was not a big deal. Who knew that she would be so unruly when she made a fuss?
It was very inappropriate for them to order so many dishes in this restaurant in the afternoon. They just answered three riddles wrong, so it was reasonable for the owner to pay the bill. However, the dishes were expensive and she didn't bring enough money. Xia Jiangmin even lost her purse on the way, so she couldn't pay for the meal and lost face.
Ji Xingban knew that the owner of such a large restaurant in the south of the city must be rich and powerful. She did not want to report her family name for fear of offending the owner, so she planned to send a maid home to get the money. Unexpectedly, Xia Jiangmin quarreled with the owner of the restaurant and demanded to see the steward. She even revealed her identity in a moment of carelessness.
Ji Xingban couldn't leave even if she wanted to. She could only wait patiently for the shopkeeper to report to the steward and apologize verbally. It was better than being a sinner.
After waiting for a long time, the shopkeeper appeared again. "Misses, our steward invites you to come with me." Xia Jiangmin immediately stood up and said to Ji Xingxuan, "Let's go, sister. Let's go see the steward and see if he dares to detain us!"
Ji Xingban pulled her back with a headache. Glancing at the shopkeeper who was pretending to be deaf and dumb outside the door, he whispered in her ear, "Minmin, don't make a sound later. Let me do the talking. Otherwise, if they deliberately make things difficult for us, we will be the ones to suffer."
Xia Jiangmin nodded reluctantly. Leaving the two maids behind, the two followed Lin Fu downstairs, walked through the hall, and arrived at the backyard.
"Ah, there is such a place behind this restaurant." Xia Jiangmin looked at the small clear pond in the courtyard, then raised her head to look around. Upstairs, full of lanterns lit up as if they didn't cost money. The lights flickered, and the vibrant colors were mesmerizing. She was momentarily amazed.
Ji Xingban was also dazzled by the colorful scenery behind the building. When he came back to his senses, he saw Lin Fu standing under the smooth marble corridor and looking at them from outside a room. Realizing that he had lost his composure, he quickly pulled Xia Jiangmin forward to the door.
Looking inside, they saw a small hall opposite the door. On the left and right were glass screens, and on the right were tortoise and crane lanterns. Looking inside, there was a soft red sandalwood couch with a pair of boots neatly placed on the feet. A person was lying on the couch with his back facing them. His head was in a high bun without a pink hairpin, and his lower body was covered by a yellow brocade quilt. It was hard to tell whether it was a man or a woman.
"Miss, he's here."
"Come in."
Ji Xingban heard Lin Fu's report and heard a hoarse voice from behind the door. Knowing that it was a woman, he pulled Xia Jiangmin in and greeted, "Greetings, Miss. My stomach is stuffed today. My younger sister and I were guests at your restaurant, and because it was fun, we answered a few lantern riddles. I didn't want to leave with enough money, and I've made things difficult for you. Please allow me to leave behind a token, and I'll send someone to settle the bill tomorrow morning."
Yu Shu was lying on the bed when she heard the voice behind her. It really was that lass Ji Xingxuan. Yu Shu snorted coldly and deliberately lowered her voice as she said, "You still have the nerve to say that? Our restaurant opened today to welcome guests. Solving the lantern riddles without a banquet is just for the sake of liveliness. We're already making a loss here, but you've asked for several tables of food and wine without eating, all for the sake of entertainment. You've wasted our time, and in the end, you don't even have the money to settle the bill, and yet you still have the nerve to ask me for a favor? Is there such a thing as a free lunch?"
Hearing this, Ji Xingxuan frowned. She could tell that this young lady in charge of the restaurant was not going to let them off easily.
This was not good. They were now in someone else's territory, and it seemed that this young lady in charge was not afraid of the Ji family. It was obvious that she had a powerful background. If she were to be angered and forcefully detain them, they would be at a disadvantage.
Ji Xingxuan was thinking about how to get out of this situation when Xia Jiangmin, who was beside her, suddenly walked away in a huff. "It's not like we're not paying. It's just a hundred taels of silver. Do you think we can't afford it? You're the one who used the guise of solving the lantern riddles as a free lunch, and now you're blaming us for answering too many questions, causing you to lose money. If you're afraid of losing money, then don't open your business. The food is so disgusting, how can you blame me for not being able to eat after tasting a few mouthfuls? Is this how you do business?
"…" Ji Xingxuan considered herself to be a good-tempered person, but when she heard Xia Jiangmin's brainless words, she wanted nothing more than to stuff her mouth with something.
How could she add fuel to the fire like this?!
What was the most taboo in business? The most taboo was to meet someone with a bad mouth on the first day of opening the business. If they heard someone say that they were unlucky, it would be worse than losing a thousand taels of silver. This time, they were already in the wrong, and now they were even more unreasonable.
Yu Shu, who was lying on the bed, was amused. When she was thinking about what to do next, someone handed a gun to her. Ji Xingban got a firecracker from somewhere, and it could go off without lighting it.
"Okay, okay." Yu Shu pretended to be extremely angry and sneered, "It seems that we've met people who want to eat and dash today. I don't think you're going to pay for the meal, and I don't want it either. Let's deal with it according to the usual rules. Old Lin, tie these two freeloaders up and throw them into the chicken coop at the back!"
"Yes." Lin Fu hesitated for a moment and looked at the door of the bedroom. When he didn't hear anything, he turned his head to call for help. Since the young master was in the building, it was not worth it if he made a big fuss.
This time, Ji Xingban and Xia Jiangmin's expressions both changed. They were the daughters of prestigious families. If word got out that they had been locked in a chicken coop for a night, how could they show their faces to the world?
"Miss, don't you know that it's better to forgive people when it's possible?" Ji Xingban asked stiffly. He felt that this woman was vicious.
Yu Shu said lazily, "You're freeloaders, and you're making trouble in my restaurant. If I let you go, I'd be a fool."
As she spoke, Lin Fu had already brought Ah Xiang and Ah Ping over. Without saying anything, he stepped forward and grabbed Ji Xingban and Xia Jiangmin's arms, trying to tie them up. The two women struggled endlessly, and panic and fear appeared on their faces.
Seeing this, Xia Jiangmin's eyes flashed with annoyance. She said anxiously, "Let go, let go of me. Don't you know who we are?"
Yu Shu used her arm as a pillow and picked her nose with one hand. She flicked her fingers and slowly turned around. As she spoke, she looked at the two women at the door. "How come I don't know who you are? Isn't this the fourth daughter of the Ji family? And this one, their eyes met. The room fell silent. After seeing clearly who it was, Yu Shu narrowed her eyes. The two people at the door also suddenly stopped struggling. Ji Xingban was stunned, while Xia Jiangmin's eyes widened.
"Ah, Ah, Ashu!"
Xia Jiangmin suddenly became excited. She looked at the girl who turned over on the couch and revealed her face. She was as delicate and dignified as a young man. When she saw this unforgettable face, her eyes instantly turned red. Many words were hidden in her eyes, but they were stuck in her throat.
Ji Xingban suddenly realized and said in a low voice, "So it's you."
Yu Shu glanced at Ji Xingban and then moved her eyes to the girl beside her. She swept her eyes back and forth between the two of them. Her eyes flashed, but her expression did not change. She said, "Oh, I was wondering who it was. Isn't this Xia Jiangxiao?
Sister? "
Xia Jiangmin felt a stab in her heart when she heard Yu Shu call her in such a distant manner. She had no time to think about it. She pursed her lips and felt extremely wronged. Tears fell from her eyes as she cried, "Zai, Ashu."
Yu Shu's eyebrows twitched imperceptibly. Her mouth opened and closed. Looking at the girl who cried at the drop of a hat, she could not bring herself to frighten her as well. She could only curse her bad luck. Her head ached again, and she waved her hand in annoyance. "Alright, let them go."
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