Snow falls and the wind blows

Chapter 72

Zhou Yufei smiled and said, "Mr. Du, you're very kind."

The middle-aged man waved his hands repeatedly: "Not at all, it is my honor to have you all come and support us. This way please—" After turning the corner of the corridor and walking a short distance, he arrived at an octagonal pavilion that protruded from the entire building. Although he was still inside the pavilion, it felt like he was in an open-air courtyard.

The group took their seats. Soon, a line of girls around thirteen or fourteen years old walked in, wearing light apricot-colored blouses and trousers. Each girl carried a small, bright yellow basin and stood in line beside the group. The basins were filled with hot water, with flower petals and unidentified grass leaves floating on top. A snow-white cloth was draped over the rim of the basin, clearly for washing hands.

After washing their hands and rinsing their mouths with light tea, the young women carried away the toiletries. Meanwhile, the owner, surnamed Du, waited patiently with a smile. Soon, three or four more young women in light pink dresses entered, each carrying a plate of food. They deftly placed the plates down and then went back to serve the dishes. Owner Du took a jar of wine from a young man, filled everyone's glasses, and said with a smile, "Enjoy your meal," before leaving.

Since Zhao Ting and the other two were regular customers, the dishes served were the ones they usually ordered. In addition, there were the new dishes that Boss Du mentioned. The dishes, soups, rice dishes, desserts, cups, bowls, plates, jars, chopsticks, and other utensils filled the entire table.

The wine, known as "Suihan Wine," was slightly strong, but fortunately, everyone present was quite a drinker. Upon tasting it, they found it sweet and slightly spicy, with subtle aromas of bamboo leaves, plum blossoms, and chrysanthemum petals—all delicacies found only in the cold of winter. Not only was the flavor unique, but its meaning profound, and everyone exclaimed how enjoyable it was. Duan Chen downed three cups in succession, his phoenix eyes sparkling, and his pink lips flushed a rosy hue.

Zhou Yufei picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a piece of fried magnolia petal in Duan Chen's small dish: "Duan Chen, try this. It's sweet, crisp, and not greasy at all." He then placed a piece each on Xiao Changqing's and Zuo Xin's plates. While Duan Chen was tasting the food, Zhou Yufei winked at Zhao Ting and handed him the silver chopsticks—hurry up and serve him some food! Otherwise, if Xingzhi gets there first, he'll be furious and want to punch the wall in frustration when they get back!

Zhao Ting took the chopsticks, looked at the dishes on the table, glanced at the person next to him, hesitated for a moment, picked up a piece of white jade sweet cake and put it in Duan Chen's bowl, and said in a deep voice, "This is quite delicious."

Zhou Yufei sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It's no wonder you can't win her over, Your Highness! Say a few more words, introduce the dishes and their specialties, you have to coax women!"

Duan Chen swallowed the magnolia flower in his mouth, thanked her softly, but didn't touch the sweet cake with his chopsticks.

Zhan Yun, standing nearby, ladled out a bowl of crucian carp soup and placed it in front of Duan Chen: "Chen'er, try this. It has lotus seeds and bamboo shoots in it, and the taste is different from other places." After saying that, she smiled slightly and glanced at Zhao Ting, gently reminding him: "Chen'er doesn't like pastries."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting hurriedly placed the white jade sweet cake into his own bowl. Looking at the table full of dishes, he was truly bewildered. He only knew that Duan Chen liked to drink and wore blue, but knew nothing else about his likes and dislikes. Thinking about this, Zhao Ting felt rather stifled. He could only glance at the beauty and ask in a low voice, "What does Chen'er like to eat? I'll get it for you."

Duan Chen paused for a moment, his hand still holding the food, and softly declined, "No need. You eat quickly, I can do it myself."

Duan Chen spoke softly, unlike his previous coldness, which stirred Zhao Ting's heart and brought a smile to his deep eyes. He put down his chopsticks and began to eat, but kept a close eye on Duan Chen's movements as he picked up food.

Most of the dishes on the table were on the salty side, with only a few being lightly seasoned and made with seasonal fruits and vegetables. Zhao Ting quickly noticed something was off, scooped a small bowl of tender jade tofu and placed it in front of him, saying softly, "This won't be too salty, have a taste."

Duan Chen had originally planned to try that dish as well, so he thanked him softly and began to savor it. On the other side, Zhan Yun filled his wine cup, picked up the small bowl of condiments, and scooped some finely chopped coriander and ginger into Duan Chen's bowl of tofu. He remembered that when they ate breakfast in Kushui Town, Duan Chen seemed to like to sprinkle these two things into his porridge.

Sure enough, Duan Chen was slightly taken aback, then curled his lips into a smile and ate with great relish.

Across from him, Zhou Yufei looked at the three of them, tossed back a cup of wine, and shook his head and sighed inwardly. These two guys were really hooked! Next to him, Zuo Xin was diligently picking out fish bones under Xiao Changqing's direction. The latter was eating with great relish, sipping his wine while watching the interaction between the three of them with great interest.

Everyone ate with gusto, and soon more than half of the dishes on the table were gone. People from both sides kept bringing food and soup to him. Duan Chen finally finished all the food in his bowl and plate, and when he saw the two of them bringing him more food, he quickly shook his head and said, "I'm full, you guys eat."

Zhan Yun smiled faintly, put down her silver chopsticks, picked up a plate of freshly served strawberries, and then took a plate of honey: "I heard that these strawberries were picked this morning, so they may be a little sour. A little honey will do them justice. This honey is 'Fangdingzhai' rose honey, which was newly brewed last summer. It's very fragrant, but not too sweet."

Seeing that Xiao Changqing was also staring at her expectantly, she quickly smiled and handed him a plate: "Senior, there's more."

While munching on a fragrant stewed pig's trotter, Xiao Changqing gave Zhan Yun a thumbs-up and praised her somewhat indistinctly, "Little Yunyun, you really have good taste..."

Seeing that Duan Chen's expression remained unchanged, yet he savored each strawberry carefully, clearly enjoying them, Zhao Ting secretly made a mental note of it. He thought to himself that once back at the manor, he would quickly send the steward to find some more strawberries. These were quite rare, especially in early March, when the season was still early and they weren't available in many places.

The group was enjoying their meal and drinks in a harmonious atmosphere when several women dressed in peach-colored gauze dresses gracefully entered. Before the group could react, the woman at the head of the table moved between Duan Chen and Zhan Yun. Her slender fingers, like green onions, poured Duan Chen a cup of wine, her eyes alluring, and she said in a coquettish voice, "Young master, please have some."

Because Zhan Yun was seated in the seat closest to the porch, a woman quickly stood beside him, pouring and serving him wine as usual. Zhan Yun was taken aback, and immediately turned to look at Zhou Yufei, his handsome face slightly sullen, clearly somewhat angry.

Seeing Zhao Ting glare at him coldly, Zhou Yufei waved his hands repeatedly, clearly unaware of the situation—it really wasn't me!

Soon, a woman stood beside each of the six men, each alluring and charming, with sweet voices and an air of worldliness that was unmistakable in their every move. The woman who had spoken first, seeing Duan Chen's expressionless gaze and his lack of response to the wine, rolled her eyes, swayed her slender waist, and nestled against him, placing a delicate arm around his neck while bringing the wine cup to her lips with the other: "Young Master—"

Having spent years roaming the martial world and solving cases, Duan Chen had naturally seen his share of romantic escapades. But no one had ever dared to come up and embrace him so directly. He immediately widened his phoenix eyes and his voice turned cold: "Miss, please have some self-respect."

The woman giggled and rubbed against Duan Chen's lap, saying, "Young master, you're so naughty! I'm clearly not heavy at all..."

This time, not only Duan Chen, but the five people around him also gasped. Zuo Xin was stunned, Xiao Changqing thought to himself, "Oh no, oh no!" Zhou Yufei swallowed hard, knowing the seriousness of the situation. Zhan Yun's expression hardened, his lips devoid of any smile. Zhao Ting glared coldly at the woman, ready to make a move. The woman beside him, oblivious to the danger, offered him a cup of wine, which he flicked aside. The cup crashed against a pavilion pillar with a "crack," spilling wine all over the ground.

The woman trembled and said nothing more. The other four women also stood still, as if they all followed the lead of the woman on Duan Chen's body.

Duan Chen tilted his head, avoiding the wine cup being offered to him, and his voice became even colder: "Get down!"

The woman slammed her wine cup on the table, leaned forward, and pressed herself against Duan Chen. As she leaned in, Duan Chen simultaneously fell backward, hooking his foot around the stool leg and pulling her back, catching her squarely while he himself crashed into the wooden fence behind him. The woman screamed, and Duan Chen braced himself against the fence, nimbly spinning to a stand beside a pillar, his eyes coldly fixed on the woman slumped on the stool.

Zhou Yufei's brows furrowed, and he sneered, "I didn't know that Huayue Tower had such novel rules for entertaining guests! Tell me, which lord invited you here?"

The woman in the lead bit her lip and remained silent, while the other five also lowered their heads, saying nothing. Xiao Changqing's eyes carefully examined each of the six women, then he nudged Zuo Xin's arm with interest; "Hey! Which one do you think is the prettiest?"

Zuo Xin took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Don't interrupt, this matter won't be so easily over."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting's smile turned cold, one corner of his mouth twitching: "You're right, this matter won't be so easily swept under the rug. Nobody's talking? Nobody's talking, so—"

"Hey—it's been a few days, my dear nephew, you're in quite a temper!" A somewhat hoarse voice came from outside the door. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man strolling in leisurely. He raised one hand and gently moved his index finger, signaling the women to leave.

The man's eyes were slightly cloudy, and the flesh on his face was somewhat loose, but one could still vaguely see his handsome features from his youth: "It seems that I did not consider this carefully. The young prince is not like my unworthy son. He does not like charming women... Hmm, so he likes this type?" As he spoke, his eyes, like those of a venomous snake, stared at Duan Chen sinisterly, and a smile slowly appeared on his lips.

Author's Note: There will be an update this Saturday at 9 AM, and it will continue for several days in a row. Thank you for your understanding and support!

68

Chapter Two: Magnolia Flower • The Smiling Corpse...

Pushing open the back window, he saw a vast expanse of snow-white, jade-like flowers swaying gently, their delicate fragrance carried on the breeze exactly as it had when he dreamt of them the previous night. Duan Chen stood there, stunned, a slight smile playing on his lips, but his eyes gradually clouded over. So the magnolia garden his mother had spoken of was actually located in a corner of the Seventh Prince's mansion's backyard.

A few knocks came from outside the door: "Chen'er, are you up?"

As the door opened, Zhan Yun appeared, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe with dark cloud patterns, playing with a folding fan in one hand, a faint smile on her lips: "The Princess Consort sent someone over to invite us to have breakfast in the side hall."

Seeing that the beauty's phoenix eyes were slightly moist, Zhan Yun looked ahead and asked calmly, "Did you sleep well last night?"

“Very good.” Duan Chen paused, pondered for a moment, and then said softly, “The grove of magnolias behind the house is very beautiful.”

Catching a glimpse of a black garment at the corner of the corridor ahead, Zhan Yun chuckled to himself and raised his voice to exclaim, "Young Prince, someone is praising the magnolias in your yard. Why don't you, as the owner, respond?"