IHOEAYSTTTIW Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Times Change, Worlds Shift

Chapter 98: Times Change, Worlds Shift

Toona sinensis scrambled eggs, the Toona sinensis are crisp and tender, the eggs rich and mellow, with a layered flavor that awakens the taste buds.

Stir-fried cured meat with bamboo shoots, the bamboo shoots are as white as jade, and the cured meat is fragrant and overflowing. A bite down, the crispness and chewiness are intertwined in the mouth, leaving an endless aftertaste.

Lin Yan, hugging White, contentedly burped, glanced at the mess on the table, and returned to his room to sleep with peace of mind.

With Yun Qi around, he didn’t have to worry about these things.

One person cooks, the other washes dishes, very reasonable.

Yun Qi shrugged and happily took the things to the Kitchen, humming an unknown tune while washing the dishes.

Yun Qi had been in a good mood these days, but today he seemed particularly happy.

Probably because the food was more to his liking.

Lin Yan whistled and continued to pet the cat.

That night, White was driven out of the room, and Yun Qi turned into a wolf, letting Lin Yan scratch and claw at his back, scolding him for being a little beast, without reacting.

It wasn’t until there was a faint light on the horizon that Yun Qi placed a kiss on Lin Yan’s forehead, contentedly wiped Lin Yan’s body, and held Lin Yan to sleep.

Spring, ice and snow melt, all things recover, full of vitality…

When Yun Qi reined in his horse, the weeping willows on the banks of the moat were brushing against his turban. Lin Yan opened the car window curtain, and fine willow catkins drifted in with the wind, landing on his eyelashes, blurring the towering Zhuque Gate into an ink painting.

They had been traveling along the official road for more than a month, and the remaining snow pressing on the branches seemed like yesterday, but now the locust trees on both sides of the moat had sprouted new buds.

The gatekeeper took the official document Yun Qi handed over, glanced at it casually, and waved them through.

This car was not conspicuous in the crowd, and the gatekeeper’s attitude towards the two was no different from others. But Lin Yan and Yun Qi both knew that someone had been watching them all the way, seemingly without disturbing anyone, but news of their arrival in the Capital City would reach the new Emperor’s ears within an hour.

Yun Qi casually found an inn, and took the opportunity of unloading the car to lean close to Lin Yan’s ear and whispered: “Brother, don’t worry, let’s go eat first. Knowing his personality, someone will come looking for us at the latest tomorrow.”

Lin Yan understood but loathed the new Emperor’s behavior. His movements became rough, and he grumbled softly, “Being wary of this and guarding against that, it sounds troublesome.”

Yun Qi rubbed his stomach and changed the subject, “I’m so hungry, I miss the Xiang-style Overlord Pig Knuckle.”

Mentioning the pig knuckle, Lin Yan’s saliva also quickly filled his mouth.

This was not a rare thing, but Changning had a locust plague, everything was simplified on the road, and various messy reasons added together, Lin Yan hadn’t eaten anything good for half a year.

The two looked at each other, instantly reached a consensus, put down the things in their hands and rushed to Xiang Wei.

Xiang Wei’s store had been renovated, and although it retained its original characteristics, it looked much more high-end.

Yun Qi didn’t keep an eye on him, and Lin Yan rushed into the store.

The waiter, who was slacking off behind the counter, hurried to greet him, his attitude was not enthusiastic, but it was passable: “Are you two here for a meal? Do you have a reservation?”

Reservation? Do I need a reservation to eat at my own store?

Lin Yan secretly rolled his eyes, his tone a little unkind: “Two people, do we need a reservation for a casual lunch?”

The waiter took a step to the side, blocking the door tightly: “Recently there are too many guests, our manager came up with an idea, the entire store is full of private rooms, mainly for a quiet and elegant atmosphere, but there are fewer seats, so you need to make a reservation in advance.”

Lin Yan had mentioned this method to Cheng Que before. Some modern high-end restaurants do this, as long as you pay you can get better service. He didn’t expect that he had only been away for half a year, and something he casually mentioned had actually come to fruition.

Using a membership card to divide customers into high and low classes, such a practice might cause ridicule in modern times, but it is only natural in a feudal dynasty with a clear hierarchy.

Such privileges make countless dignitaries flock to it, and the carriages coming and going at the entrance of Xiang Wei are all magnificent.

However, without the status of a prince, Lin Yan and Yun Qi naturally became the lower class, the kind of people Xiang Wei would not receive.

Lin Yan imagined himself like in a novel, using his status as the manager to suppress people, but when he saw Yun Qi, he gave up the idea.

Their identities were special, and they couldn’t be publicized.

Forget it, forget it, when they got back, what good food couldn’t they eat? Why suffer this humiliation here?

Lin Yan clicked his tongue and pulled Yun Qi out.

“Don’t worry, let me finish,” the waiter chased after them, smiling apologetically at the somewhat displeased couple, “Our manager does this because he’s afraid that with these dignitaries around, you won’t be able to eat comfortably. If you go in this direction, you’ll see the second store in twenty meters. The second store is specially for individual customers, the dishes are the same, and…”

The waiter looked around, lowered his voice and said, “The dishes there are even more affordable.”

Lin Yan nodded, still lacking interest.

The waiter laughed awkwardly and sent them out a few steps, then exaggeratedly shouted: “Take your time, welcome to visit again~”

Although it lacked the original flavor, Lin Yan and Yun Qi still entered the second store. The modern-style decoration, with Xiang Wei’s big cat on the wall, made Lin Yan feel like this was the small store he ran when he first came to the Capital City.

The waiter brought the menu, Lin Yan ordered a few dishes according to Yun Qi’s preferences, and added a few signature dishes from memory. His attention was then drawn away by gossip.

Tea houses and taverns are the most mixed places, and all kinds of news flow in like water, and then are rehashed into more versions and fly out.

As long as you order a cup of tea and sit for an afternoon, you can know the latest trends and hottest topics in the Capital City.

Recently, the hottest topic in the Capital City was Prince An and the Gu family. As the person involved, Lin Yan calmly fed a snack to the “former Prince An” Yun Qi, and listened to his own gossip with great interest.

Under the window of Xiang Wei’s lobby, a middle-aged merchant was sitting opposite a young scholar, with a scarred man leaning against the table with his arms folded.

“In the past, this Xiang Wei relied on Prince An and was very arrogant, but now that Prince An is dead, this Xiang Wei is becoming more and more popular.” The merchant twisted his jade thumb ring, his knuckles tapping on the rosewood table. He glanced at the cashier behind the counter, the fine lines at the end of his eyes piling up with a sneer, “You have to say that the Gu family is good at calculating. This root has already climbed over the wall of Prince An’s mansion and into the palace.”

“The Gu family?” The scholar straightened his Confucian scarf, which had been fogged up by the hot steam. The celadon tea bowl trembled slightly in his fingers. “I visited Master Gu a few days ago. That master is favored by the Emperor and is very upright. How could he do such things as forming cliques for private gain and betraying his friends?”

The scarred man suddenly sneered, flicked a peanut shell with his finger, and the debris landed on the corner of the scholar’s robe: “I think you’ve become stupid from reading. This Master Gu used to be on good terms with Prince An, and is also the family of Prince An’s consort, so he is naturally on Prince An’s side.”

The scholar’s hand that was dusting his clothes paused, and he muttered how could it be, but the light in his eyes had dimmed a bit.

The merchant pushed the teapot in front of the scholar, and the jade thumb ring knocked on the blue and white porcelain plate with a “ding”: “The gravel on the grain transport road knocked Prince An’s carriage down, but the Gu family’s future has risen.”

“But that young mistress Gu…”

The scholar’s words were interrupted by the scarred man’s scoff. The man’s fan-like palm slapped the vinegar pot, causing it to jump: “The entire Capital City is hiding the pregnant young mistress!” He raised his chin at the back Kitchen, deliberately lowered his voice in a deep tone, “This morning, the Gu family’s manager came to get sour bamboo shoots, and specially told the manager to watch his mouth when reporting the accounts, and not to say a word that shouldn’t be said.”

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