Just then, the maid outside the bed curtains asked again, "Miss, are you awake?"
Hua Wuduo snapped out of his daze and asked, "What is it?"
The maid said, "Miss, Young Master Li has been waiting outside the door for a long time. He asked you when you can get up?"
Young Master Li? Li She? He asked her when she would get up. Hua Wuduo frowned, remembering their appointment the night before, and asked, "What time is it?"
The maid said, "It's almost 1-3 PM."
What? She slept until noon; no wonder he came. She said, "Please ask him to wait a moment."
"Yes, Miss," the maid replied.
The maid went out and closed the door. Outside the door, the maid said, "Young Master Li, Miss asks you to wait a little longer."
"Hmm," someone outside the door replied.
Hua Wuduo frowned upon hearing the sound. He was actually waiting for her to get up outside the door. What a nuisance! Just as she thought of this, she couldn't help but think of Song Zixing again—a nightmare…
Without thinking too much, Hua Wu got up and tidied everything before opening the door.
Outside the door, a person stood with their back to her, facing the wind.
The wind was quite strong today, and his hair and robes were whipped about wildly. He was looking up at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard that had just begun to bloom when he heard a sound behind him. He turned around and squinted his eyes.
Hua Wuduo smiled and bowed to him, saying, "I'm sorry, Young Master Li, I overslept and missed our noon appointment. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."
Li She turned around, walked closer, and said, "Did you do this on purpose?"
Hua Wuduo smiled and said, "There's no need for that."
Li She looked at Hua Wuduo, and Hua Wuduo looked at Li She. After a while, Li She narrowed his phoenix eyes and said, "I believe you."
Hua Wuduo raised an eyebrow and said dismissively, "It doesn't matter."
Li She suddenly laughed.
Hua Wuduo also laughed.
Li She said, "You're very interesting."
Hua Wuduo said very modestly, "Thank you for the compliment."
Li She raised an eyebrow and said, "Today, I have booked the entire Fenglou restaurant and hired the twelve best chefs in Jiangling to cook their signature dishes for us."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo's eyes flashed with light for a moment, but then seemed to be controlled by her. After struggling and suppressing it, she said with utmost seriousness, "You are truly extravagant."
Li She raised an eyebrow, but then heard her say, "But I like it!"
Li She's lips involuntarily curled up; she really did love food the most.
At this time, Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi had not yet gotten up, presumably because they had drunk too much last night. Hua Wuduo left with Li She, his mind filled with the thought of delicious food, and had long forgotten about his two lazy, fake older brothers.
The two men exited through the west gate of the Prince's Mansion. Unfortunately, they encountered Song Zixing and his sister Song Ziyin as soon as they reached the gate.
Upon seeing Song Zixing, Hua Wuduo recalled the events of the previous night and felt disgusted. Without even a greeting, he buried his head and left.
Li She stopped to talk to Song Zixing and Song Ziyin. Hua Wuduo didn't wait for Li She and walked forward on her own. Li She called to her, but she pretended not to hear and continued walking with her head down. As she was walking, she heard Song Zixing say, "Brother Li, do you know who changed the signpost to the outhouse the night before last?"
Hua Wuduo's pace slowed down.
Li She asked, "General Song has already found out who did this?"
Hua Wuduo's pace slowed even more.
Song Zixing nodded and said, "I have found out who caused us to accidentally enter the women's restroom."
Hua Wuduo's steps were extremely slow.
Two people? How come Li She is also... Wait a minute... She clearly changed the signpost back.
"Who is this person?" Li She asked.
Song Zixing hesitated for a long time, and Hua Wuduo was forced to stop. He turned his head slowly, feeling guilty, to take a look, but he had only turned his head halfway when he heard Song Zixing say, "That's it."
Hua Wuduo froze, about to take off running, but forcibly restrained himself and slowly turned his head to look again. Upon seeing what he saw, he secretly sighed, "Thank goodness I didn't run..."
Song Zixing was pointing at a female monkey picking lice off a large tree nearby.
Hua Wuduo had just wiped the cold sweat from her forehead when she saw Song Zixing pointing at the monkey while smiling at her. That look... suddenly made Hua Wuduo realize that he was implying that she was the female monkey!
Turtle Star...
Hua Wuduo's gaze was sinister...
Li She looked at the monkey diligently picking lice off the tree and laughed, "So it was this beast who did it."
brute……
This is a trick...
Song Zixing glanced at Hua Wuduo, coughed, and replied with great restraint, "Yes."
If Song Zixing had burst out laughing at that moment, Hua Wuduo might not have been able to handle the shock and would have revealed his secrets. But Song Zixing didn't, thankfully he didn't.
Li She withdrew his gaze from the monkey and first glanced at Hua Wuduo, who remained unwilling to approach. From his direction, he could only see Hua Wuduo's side and back. Li She saw that Hua Wuduo stood ramrod straight, staring at the ground, seemingly lost in thought. Fearing that Hua Wuduo might be getting impatient, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Song Zixing and Song Ziyin and said, "General Song, Miss Song, I have some matters to attend to today, so I will take my leave."
Song Zixing said, "Brother Li, you're too kind. Please."
Song Ziyin also bowed gracefully and said, "Young Master Li, please take your time." Her voice was gentle, and her posture was also gentle.
Li She bid farewell to Song Zixing and his sister, and walked towards Hua Wuduo. Hua Wuduo did not say much, and when Li She came up, he left with him.
Song Zixing and his sister entered the Prince of Jin's residence. They hadn't gone far when Song Ziyin stopped and turned to look at them. A faint smile played on Song Zixing's lips. Seeing his sister turn around, he asked, "Little sister, do you like Young Master Li?"
Song Ziyin laughed and said, "Brother, what are you saying? Young Master Li seems to like Miss Wu."
Song Zixing said, "If my younger sister doesn't like Young Master Li, why does she keep turning back to look at him?"
Song Ziyin smiled shyly and said, "Big brother is teasing little sister again."
Song Zixing smiled and said, "Li She is a man of great vision and insight, and should not be underestimated."
Song Ziyin said, "Big Brother rarely praises people."
Song Zixing said, "I'm just telling the truth."
Song Ziyin asked, "What does elder brother think of Sister Wu?"
Upon hearing this, Song Zixing raised an eyebrow and said unhurriedly, "A very troublesome woman."
Song Ziyin shook her head and chuckled, "Although she is not as beautiful as Sister Liu, she seems to attract a lot of attention. She... is very special."
Song Zixing smiled but remained silent.
The two gradually drifted apart.
××××××××
Hua Wuduo and Li She walked together to Fenglou. Li She was tall but not burly. Although he was dressed in brocade and holding a folding fan, he did not have the frivolous manner of a young master. Instead, he had a calm and elegant demeanor. Although his phoenix eyes were captivating, he gave people a gloomy feeling.
Li She was somewhat different from the young masters of Nanshu Academy. He was unassuming and did not seem like a businessman, let alone a wealthy one.
Hua Wuduo was lost in thought the whole way and didn't make a sound, nor did he.
On the road, they encountered a poor girl selling herself to bury her mother, a pitiful sight. Several men nearby were making lewd comments, but Hua Wuduo only glanced at her and walked away. Li She smirked and followed. On the way, they saw several soldiers kicking and beating an old vegetable seller who was powerless to fight back. Hua Wuduo glanced at him, frowned slightly, but still ignored him and continued walking unhurriedly. Seeing this, Li She's eyes lit up with even more laughter.
The manager and staff of Fenglou were already waiting outside. As soon as they saw the two men approaching, they hurried forward to greet them with smiles. The manager was a short, stout man with a small mustache. He was all smiles and very enthusiastic, but just the right amount, which made people feel very comfortable.
Hua Wuduo went up to the second floor with him, leaned back in a chair, and looked down through the open bamboo window. He could see a small bamboo grove below. The sky was slightly overcast, and a breeze was blowing in through the bamboo window. Hua Wuduo felt very comfortable.
They didn't wait. Almost as soon as they sat down, after the hot tea, exquisite dishes were served one after another, along with the famous Fenglou wine, Zhuyeqing, whose refreshing aroma made Hua Wuduo's mouth water from afar.
Li She was about to pour wine for Hua Wuduo when she withdrew her gaze from the wine jar. The smell told her that this was not the Zhuyeqing wine she had drunk last night; something seemed different. She said, "I don't drink wine, I only drink tea."
Li She raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and said, "You drank a whole jar of wine last night and didn't get drunk."
He was surprised that he even knew this, but Hua Wuduo calmly said, "I never drink with strangers, especially dangerous strangers."
Li She smiled and said, "You speak very frankly."
Hua Wuduo said, "Thank you for the compliment."
Li She raised an eyebrow again, no longer insisting. He poured himself a glass of wine, raised the glass, twirled it in his hand, looking at it but not drinking, and said, "This jar of wine was brewed and stored here by me ten years ago. I only drink wine that I brew myself with two kinds of people."
He only said half of what he wanted to say before stopping, clearly indicating that he had little appetite for the flowers.
Hua Wuduo dreamt of Turtle Star last night, which was like a nightmare. This morning, he was woken up early by Li She, not by his own waking up, so he was already in a bad mood. Just now, he ran into Turtle Star again, which was incredibly unlucky. Turtle Star's few words inadvertently dragged the unsuspecting Li She into the mess, and Hua Wuduo will probably remember that "beast's doing" for a while.
She listened to Li She's words without saying a word, her expression clearly telling him, "Say it if you want to, don't say it if you don't."
Li She was a strange man. He didn't ask Hua Wuduo anything, but he remained calm and didn't say much, only smiling.
Hua Wuduo didn't care about anything else; her purpose in coming here was to eat delicious food. When she heard Li She say that the wine was homemade, Hua Wuduo secretly rejoiced that she hadn't drunk it. She didn't believe that a rich young master could brew any good wine. Looking at the most eye-catching dish in the center of the table, Hua Wuduo got up, picked up a spoon, and prepared to serve herself.
The dish in the middle is called "Spring Dawn at Emerald Lake," a name that sounds elegant, but it is actually a hollowed-out watermelon surrounded by a ring of oranges.
In the center of the plate was a large, upright, green watermelon, its body carved with exquisite patterns. The rind was green with patterns, and the flesh was white against the green. The core had been removed, and a rich aroma wafted from it, smelling like soup. The top of the watermelon, like a hat, was placed on its body, with fresh vines still attached, resembling the handle of a pot lid. Hua Wuduo got up, pulled on the vines, and opened the watermelon lid to look inside. It contained a slightly silky, golden-yellow soup, the ingredients of which were unclear. Seeing this, a servant quickly came to help, deftly picking up a large orange placed next to the watermelon. He opened it, revealing that the orange had also been hollowed out. He took a soup ladle, scooped a spoonful of soup from the watermelon's core, placed it inside the orange, put a small spoon on it, and handed it to Hua Wuduo, saying, "Please enjoy, Miss."
Hua Wuduo took it, quickly tasted it, and then stared in disbelief.
Hua Wuduo asked in a daze, "How much silver did you spend to hire these twelve chefs to cook this meal?"
Li She calmly accepted the oranges handed to him by the servant, and upon hearing this, smiled and said, "It didn't cost any money."
Hua Wuduo asked, "Why?"
Li She said, "They are all chefs hired by my own restaurant. They will come as soon as I pass on the message."
Hua Wuduo trembled slightly and asked, "How many restaurants does the Li family own in Jiangling?"
Li She smiled and said, "Not many." But he did not specify how many there were.
Hua Wuduo then asked, "Does this brothel belong to your family?"
Li She nodded.
Hua Wuduo asked, "Where is Wuziju?" Li She had invited her to Wuziju before, but she hadn't gone. Now that she thought about it, it seemed rather strange.
Li She said, "That's true."
Hua Wuduo murmured, "No wonder..." No wonder he suddenly appeared at Fenglou last night.
Li She took a sip of the soup and then put down the spoon and the orange peel that held the soup.
Hua Wuduo added, "From now on, I'll come out to dinner whenever you ask me to." After saying that, he took another sip of soup, then squinted his eyes, revealing a very satisfied look.
Li She chuckled and said, "You're not only straightforward, you're also very simple."