“Please, upstairs,” the waiter said with a smile.
Just after the group followed the waiter upstairs, the old woman who had pointed Fu Xianyan in the right direction suddenly appeared downstairs.
She craned her neck to watch the four people’s backs and slapped the shopkeeper, who was busy settling the accounts, on the shoulder.
“Pay up. Those four customers were brought here by yours truly.”
The shopkeeper’s mouth twitched. “I know, I know.”
He hurriedly handed her the money.
The old woman took it and left happily.
The midday sun was blazing, making the ground scorchingly hot beneath their feet. There were hardly any people on the road, and the surroundings were extremely quiet.
Suddenly, a rapid clatter of hooves rang out in front of the county yamen.
“Whoa—!”
Several swift horses came to a stop outside the yamen. The riders dismounted, still dressed in official robes.
The guards at the entrance lost all composure the moment they saw them.
“People from the prefectural yamen!”
“Quick, go inform the county magistrate!”
The constables led the horses away and shouted sternly, “Open the gates!”
Several yamen runners hurried forward to greet them, their faces filled with panic.
Inside the county yamen, chaos had broken out as well. Clerks carried account books back and forth while the runners whispered among themselves.
The county magistrate’s teacup froze in midair.
“The prefectural yamen?”
“Yes.”
The junior clerk lowered his voice, which trembled slightly.
“They say they were sent by the prefect.”
The clerk wore a worried expression. If the county magistrate fell, would he still be able to keep his iron rice bowl?
The county magistrate was silent for a moment.
“They certainly came quickly.”
He rose and straightened his official robes before speaking in a low voice.
“Come with me to receive these officials.”
Since they had already arrived, he still had to show himself in public, at the very least.
The county magistrate personally led several clerks to the main hall.
The clerks followed behind him, all looking troubled.
“Your subordinate greets Your Excellency.” The county magistrate bowed respectfully.
At the head of the group was Lord Shen from the prefectural yamen. He wore a blue official robe, his face devoid of any smile, his gaze sharp and piercing.
Lord Shen did not bother with pleasantries. He simply produced an official document.
“By order of the prefect, all account books and documents in the county yamen, as well as everyone involved in the case, are to be handed over to me for inspection.”
The county magistrate smiled. “Naturally.”
He stepped aside, then stood beside Lord Shen and said hesitantly, “My lord, this case took place quite some time ago, and many old case files have piled up in the storeroom. If you intend to inspect everything, I’m afraid it will take a considerable amount of time.”
Lord Shen glanced at him and spoke blandly. “We have been ordered to conduct the inspection today.”
The county magistrate’s face stiffened. He smiled and nodded. “Of course, of course.”
“It’s just that the account books concern the county yamen’s finances. Without a hand-seal order from the prefect—”
Lord Shen immediately held out the official document for him to see.
“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”
The county magistrate stared at the words on the document, the smile on his face growing increasingly rigid.
“Your subordinate understands.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, the group was eating to their hearts’ content at the restaurant.
They had been hungry for a long time, and after walking such a great distance, none of the four had the energy to speak. They simply shoveled food into their mouths with noisy enthusiasm.
Dish after dish was brought to the table, still steaming from the kitchen.
Xu Ancheng still had food stuffed in his mouth. His voice was muffled as he pointed with his chopsticks at the last piece of braised pork in his bowl.
“Mm-mm… Mm, mm?”
Ji Zhaoxi raised her head in the middle of eating and shook it.
“Mm!”
Xu Ancheng immediately picked up another pair of chopsticks and placed the meat in Qin Qiwu’s bowl.
Miss Qin ate far too slowly. At this rate, the other three would finish all the dishes before she got any.
When Xu Ancheng saw Qin Qiwu looking at him, he hurriedly swallowed his food and said, “Miss Qin, you should eat more. You’re too thin.”
Ji Zhaoxi nodded in agreement. “Mm-hmm!”
Qin Qiwu looked at the braised pork in her bowl and nodded lightly. She lowered her head, her face faintly flushed.
Young Master Xu had changed so much. Before, he would absolutely never have put food in her bowl…
Xu Ancheng continued eating while secretly watching Qin Qiwu. When he saw her finally eat the piece of meat he had given her, he was so delighted that he accidentally let out a silly chuckle.
The atmosphere instantly fell silent.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him strangely.
What was wrong with Young Master Xu? Why had he suddenly started giggling?
Xu Ancheng lowered his head awkwardly, even slowing down his eating.
Fu Xianyan ladled a bowl of soup for Ji Zhaoxi, and she took several sips.
“It’s delicious!”
The dishes at Golden Jade House really were excellent. Even Fu Xianyan, who was not particularly fond of eating, had eaten quite a lot.
“Is the fish good?” Fu Xianyan asked with a smile.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at him eagerly. “It’s delicious.”
But there were too many bones.
Fu Xianyan’s expression did not change. He simply diligently picked out the fish bones. Before long, a piece of fish landed in Ji Zhaoxi’s bowl.
Xu Ancheng looked on enviously. If only Young Master Fu would pick the bones out for him and Miss Qin too.
Fu Xianyan pretended not to notice Xu Ancheng’s gaze.
Ji Zhaoxi grew a little tired from eating and leaned back against her chair, drowsy with a food coma.
Xu Ancheng was still busy eating. He looked up when he had a moment.
“Are you two going to finish these?”
Ji Zhaoxi shook her head. The next moment, Xu Ancheng dumped all the remaining dishes into his own bowl.
The Xu family rule was that food must never be wasted, no matter where they were!
Fu Xianyan glanced at Ji Zhaoxi beside him. Ji Zhaoxi keenly noticed his gaze, her face reddening as she hurriedly covered her forehead.
“Your forehead is a little dark too. You’re not allowed to look at me!”
She had become rather sensitive to other people’s gazes.
Fu Xianyan froze for a moment. He had almost forgotten about it—he saw it every day and had grown used to it.
Unable to hold back, he laughed and said helplessly, “Miss Ji, I was only asking whether you wanted some tea.”
Ji Zhaoxi nodded, but she still did not lower the hand covering her forehead.
Xu Ancheng said bluntly, “Miss Ji, your hands are sunburned too.”
Her hands were streaked with patches of dark and pale skin, with the marks of the reins still visible. They looked rather amusing.
Ji Zhaoxi lowered her hand and stared silently at him.
Xu Ancheng lowered his head guiltily. It had taken him so much effort to make a joke.
He really should not try joking again…
Qin Qiwu watched the scene and quietly giggled.
Xu Ancheng immediately caught her laughing and looked at her pitifully.
Qin Qiwu coughed lightly. “Just keep eating. There’s still plenty of food.”
Fu Xianyan handed the tea to Ji Zhaoxi, a trace of amusement flashing through his eyes.
“After getting sunburned, you look even more imposing, Miss Ji.”
Ji Zhaoxi brightened at once. “I think you look even better after getting sunburned.”
She took a sip of tea and managed to cheer herself up.
“Actually, I think we look pretty good like this. We kind of look like bandits—like we’re about to go bully someone any second.”
Very impressive. Very intimidating.
Fu Xianyan nodded in agreement.
Qin Qiwu looked at the two people across from her. The burns on their faces looked a little better than they had yesterday. The skin at their temples had peeled, revealing a hint of pink flesh underneath, making them look rather pitiful.
The two of them huddled together, using the water in their teacup as a mirror while repeatedly praising the wounds on their foreheads.
“Only the strong can get sunburned this badly,” Ji Zhaoxi said, still admiring her reflection.
Fu Xianyan also looked at the sunburned patch on his own face.
For him, the sun that day had truly been a challenge. He had felt as if he were about to be dried into jerky.
Although he had indeed been sunburned, he was actually rather happy about it.
He looked very much like her now. Anyone who saw them could tell they were related—after all, they were the only two people on the street who had gotten this tanned, making them especially conspicuous.
Fu Xianyan pondered. If he told people he was her cousin, would they believe him?
