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墨書 Inktalez
Ziyan, deep in sleep, once again entered that dream from before, where she found herself riding on the back of a giant python, holding tightly onto its neck.
Thus, he took her through the jungle, over the mountains, and across the sea—
They arrived at the edge of the ocean, at a place surrounded by misty abysses known as Half-Sky Cliff, where the peak seemed to float in the clouds without any support.
Then he brought her to this fantastical mountaintop, where everywhere around them were Blossoms in full bloom, and colorful butterflies flitted and danced among the flowers.
At the same time, he transformed into a human figure, a remarkable man wearing a Golden Mask.
He held Ziyan's hand as they slowly admired the blooming Blossoms and beautiful butterflies while gently and thoughtfully asking her, "Do you like it here?"
"Yes, I do," Ziyan replied truthfully, her eyes fixed on the beautiful scenery before her.
"Then how about I bring you here often to play?" the man asked Ziyan tenderly.
Looking into his enchanting and captivating eyes, Ziyan found it impossible to refuse and nodded in agreement, saying, "Okay."
"Come, sit here." As he spoke, he led her small hand to a long stone bench.
Ziyan followed his gaze and sat down. The man sat beside her and took out a jade-green Jade Flute from his hand.
In an instant, Ziyan stared at the Jade Flute in a daze; why did it look so familiar?
Just as she was lost in thought, the man began to play a melodious tune on the flute. Unable to resist, Ziyan stood up and danced gracefully to the beautiful music.
Thus, they complemented each other—one played while the other danced. After playing for what felt like ten songs or so, they finally slowed down.
As the man put away the Jade Flute, he spoke up: "Yan'er, haven't you always wanted to know who I am? Today I will tell you."
As he spoke, he reached out to remove his Golden Mask.
Ziyan opened her eyes wide, eagerly waiting—
But just then, there was a sudden "bang bang bang" sound of knocking at the door.
Ziyan abruptly woke up from her dream, and outside was her sister Ziying's voice: "Sister, it's time to get up."
Huh?
It turned out to be another dream. Just as Ziyan was about to turn over and get out of bed, she realized she was in the embrace of a man.
At the same time, he also woke up. He glanced around warily and then raised a finger to signal for silence.
She quietly got up and hid behind the curtain.
Ziyan understood that if her sister discovered she had slept in the same room and bed with Ling Yuxuan so early in the morning, it would surely shock this ancient sister.
Once she could no longer see Ling Yuxuan, Ziyan hurriedly opened the door. Ziying looked inside with suspicion.
Ziyan quickly stepped aside, pretending to be generous as she leaned against the door and waved her hand.
"See? Take a good look."
Seeing that her little scheme had been uncovered by her sister, Ziying blushed and hesitated as she said, "N-no, it's just that I'm curious about what your room looks like. You—don't misunderstand! By the way, you should get up too; there’s already a long line outside waiting to come in for tastings."
"Oh—so that's it! Alright then, you go ahead and be busy; I'll be there shortly."
"Okay!" Ziying turned and left.
Listening to the sound of footsteps fading away, Ziyan closed the door and went to where someone was hiding.
Pulling back the curtain, she said, "Come out! Sneaking around like that makes people think there's something going on."
Ling Yuxuan did not respond but smiled instead, looking at Beloved Child with an incredibly gentle gaze. "You just stay here obediently; I have to go down to work."
Ziyan looked into those eyes and felt an inexplicable reluctance. But thinking of her own important matters, she resolutely prepared to leave.
Just as she finished putting on her outer garment, someone from behind wrapped their arms around her slender waist, and then leaned in closer. The faint scent of sandalwood mixed with slightly hurried breaths reached her ears.
"Alright, there are many people waiting outside."
After a moment of intimacy, Ziyan had to urge Ling Yuxuan.
"Okay—fine. The sooner you finish your work, the sooner you can come up."
After saying this, Ling Yuxuan kissed Beloved Child on the forehead with a bit of force and finally reluctantly released her grip.
Hearing such murmurs, Ziyan blushed and walked out of the room. Looking downstairs, she found her parents and the four newcomers from the Yang Family along with Wu Xiang and Wu San all busying themselves back and forth.
So she quickened her pace to the front hall and joined the bustling crowd.
Everything seemed just like yesterday; the staff in the store had already taken their positions and were ready.
As soon as the door opened, customers outside lined up in an orderly fashion under the supervision of yesterday's guards, entering the store one after another.
In no time at all, both upstairs and downstairs were filled with people eager to taste the food.
Of course, due to Ziyan's instructions, the guards did not allow old customers who had already tasted the food yesterday to enter. Since it was a free tasting event, everyone only had one chance.
This was meant to whet people's appetites so that more people would know what Fragrant Braised Dishes truly were in the shortest time possible.
Time never stops, and soon, everyone had spent another busy day.
However, with the addition of the Yang family of four today, things felt much easier.
To be honest, Ziyan had secretly observed that this family of four was indeed hardworking and clever. The Yang sisters were constantly busy serving tea and dishes, their movements quick and nimble.
As for Mr. and Mrs. Yang, they were equally diligent in washing dishes and mopping the floor, keeping everything spotless and tidy.
Thus, while Ziyan and Ling Yuxuan were chatting in the room, they couldn't help but praise Old Man Mo, who truly was a lucky star.
Hearing this made Ling Yuxuan smile uncontrollably.
And so, on the morning of the third day, Ziyan initially thought that since it was no longer free, the number of customers would surely decrease. However, when she arrived at the entrance and looked outside, she was surprised to see that the line of people had not diminished at all; in fact, it seemed to have increased significantly.
Instantly, Ziyan felt as if she had found a treasure, excited and overjoyed.
Even Zhou couldn't help but comment, "Wow! I thought there would be fewer people once we started charging. There are really so many food lovers out there!"
"Ha! Mom, that's hilarious," Ziying laughed at her mother and sister's delighted expressions.
"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and get to work!" Zhou shot a glare at her eldest daughter and pulled her apron tighter before returning to the Marinated Dishes counter to prepare.
Ziyan then moved over to Zi Lao Er's side. Given the current situation, it seemed that Zi Lao Er would struggle to handle the cash register alone.
So she discussed with her sister that she would help their mother while Ziyan would assist their father with collecting payments.
As the crowd began to enter, just as Ziyan had guessed, Zi Lao Er was overwhelmed and unable to manage everything by himself.
So the father and daughter worked together, one responsible for keeping accounts and the other for collecting money and giving change.
Just like that joke: when business is good, you can collect money until your hands are sore.
While everyone was busy, three particularly flashy and eye-catching outsiders entered through the door. The leader, a man wearing a Golden Mask, swaggered in confidently.
Upon closer inspection, Ziyan realized that this was none other than Ling Yuxuan's cousin, Ling Feng.
Seeing how conspicuous he and his companions were, Ziyan had no choice but to call Wu Xiang to quickly lead the three of them to a private room on the second floor.
However, it wasn't long before Wu Xiang returned to inform Ziyan that the man with the Golden Mask requested her presence upstairs for a chat.
"What?" Ziyan asked incredulously, raising her voice.
Her mind raced as she thought it over. In the end, she decided to go meet Ling Feng and see what he was up to.
She instructed Yang Xiaodie and the others to prepare various delicious dishes and fine wines for them while she followed Wu Xiang to the private room on the second floor.
As soon as she entered the room, her gaze met that of Ling Feng, who was imposing and staring intently at the door.
Ziyan's lips twitched. What did he want? Did he want to see Ling Yuxuan?
Trying to appear calm, Ziyan spoke first: "May I ask why this young master called me up here?"
"Can you tell This King your name?" Ling Feng replied without answering her question.
Huh?
He even referred to himself as This King! Hmph, I won’t be like those backward girls who belittle themselves by calling themselves 'your servant' in public.
"My surname is Zi and my given name is Yan," Ziyan said with a hint of provocation and amusement.
"Ziyan! Hmm, not a bad name." After saying this, Ling Feng lowered his head and took a sip of tea. Then he held the teacup and seemed to seriously examine it.
Until the delicious dishes were served, Ziyan actively took the plate from someone else's hands and placed it in front of Ling Feng.
"Dear guests, please enjoy slowly. These are all the classic signature dishes of our establishment. If you need any staple food, just let me know. I have other matters to attend to, so if there’s nothing else, I will take my leave." Ziyan said with a composed demeanor and intended to turn away.
"Who said there’s nothing else? Sit down, This King has important matters to discuss with you." With that, Ling Feng waved his hand toward a man and a woman sitting on either side of him.
The two immediately understood and got up to leave the private room.
"Please—" Ling Feng extended his right hand in a gesture of invitation.
Once they were alone, Ziyan asked, "Did you come to find him?"
"Him? Who is he?"
"What do you think?" Ziyan thought to herself, feeling a bit annoyed.
"Oh, then can you tell me what kind of relationship you have with him?"
"Friends."
"Is it that simple?"
"It is that simple!"
"Hehe, well then, I specifically came to find you today because I wanted to discuss some matters with you."
"Oh, may I ask what matters you wish to discuss with me?"
"Do you want your Braised Meat shop to become stronger and bigger?"
"Of course!"
"Well! How about we collaborate together?"
"Oh, you are quite generous, aren't you?"
"Are you willing to give each other a chance to cooperate?"
"I don't have that plan for now."
"You—then when do you plan to?" Ling Feng was taken aback by her straightforward rejection.
"Let's talk about it later; I need to discuss it with my family first."
"Is it with your Future Husband?"
"Uh?" Why does he know that she and Ling Yuxuan have already reached this stage? Ziyan felt a bit puzzled.
"Weren't you supposed to greet your younger brother before coming?" A familiar voice sounded from behind.
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