Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Sour Water Welling Up Uncontrollably

Jiang Yuchuan was unaware of Ming Lingyi’s inner turmoil. When she fell silent, he assumed she was agreeing to his arrangements.

"You said earlier you had something to discuss with me privately. What was it?"

As Jiang Yuchuan spoke, his voice was clearly not as relaxed as before.

Ming Lingyi snapped back to reality. ’What could I possibly need to discuss with Jiang Yuchuan in private?’

"Ah, yes. I brewed some apricot blossom wine a while ago. Would you like to try some? The flavor might not be anything special; it was just an experiment." An idea sparked in Ming Lingyi’s mind as her gaze swept over the stone table, which had not yet been cleared.

Of course, Jiang Yuchuan wouldn’t refuse, even though he rarely drank. But how could he pass up the chance to taste wine brewed by Ming Lingyi’s own hands?

"Then I must thank you, Miss Ming."

Ming Lingyi took a while finding a container in the backyard, and by now, Li Yun, waiting in the restaurant’s front hall, had grown extremely impatient.

’Jiang Yuchuan has been in there with Ming Lingyi for a long time. What could they possibly have to talk about for this long? An unmarried man and woman, alone... what could they need to say in private?’

Li Yun’s expression was grim.

’He just hoped Li Yan wouldn’t be completely useless right now.’

The Little Bun, finally being thought of by his own father, was at that very moment about to disappoint the high hopes of said father who had only just deigned to remember him.

The full saying that begins "A gentleman stays away from the kitchen" continues with, "for upon seeing an animal live, he cannot bear to see it die; upon hearing its cries, he cannot bear to eat its flesh." But there were no live animals in the back kitchen of Ming’s Restaurant, and Li Yan was already friendly with everyone there. So, he was eagerly guarding the kitchen, waiting to get the first bite of the freshest dishes.

As for whether he saw his own mother with another man, Li Yan didn’t spare them a single glance.

When Jiang Yuchuan emerged from the backyard holding the apricot blossom wine, Li Yun’s gaze landed on him with physical weight.

When Li Yun saw clearly what Jiang Yuchuan was carrying, the bitter taste of jealousy rose in his throat.

’He hadn’t even had a single sip, yet Ming Lingyi had already given the apricot blossom wine away.’

Li Yun couldn’t stop himself from gulping down an entire pot of tea.

He hoped the tea would douse the flames of his anger and wash away the bitter taste of jealousy.

Li Yun couldn’t taste a thing during the meal. When Li Yan came out, he was in no hurry to return to the palace. He decided to wait in the carriage, intending to speak with Ming Lingyi after she finished her work.

But upon coming out and seeing his father sitting in the carriage, refusing to let it depart, Li Yan seemed to recall something. He said slowly, "Imperial Father, Mother said that she is very busy today and will be resting early. Even if you wait, she probably won’t see you."

Li Yan recited this in a deadpan voice, not yet realizing he had inadvertently become Ming Lingyi’s messenger.

Clearly, this was what Ming Lingyi wanted to say to Li Yun. She had guessed he wouldn’t give up so easily, but she no longer had the patience to cater to his emotions.

Li Yun was speechless.

The three-day grand opening event finally came to an end. According to Ming Lingyi’s original plan, she should have had a fairly quiet period afterward. But with the incident at Wangxian Building, she found herself busier than ever.

「The next day」

A child appeared at the entrance of Ming’s Restaurant.

When Shi Mingyue opened the door to accept a vegetable delivery, she was startled to see a child crouching outside.

When Shi Mingyue got a clear look at who it was, she was a little surprised.

It was the little beggar who had spoken up for her mistress on the street yesterday.

The boy had been taken away by the people from Jingzhao Mansion for questioning. Before he left, her mistress had promised that if he was willing, he could come work at Ming’s Restaurant.

In truth, Shi Mingyue felt their restaurant didn’t have any spare work to give someone else. Especially after hiring the three Wu Family siblings, both she and Xiao Chun felt their workload had lightened considerably.

Her mistress’s offer had just been a way to help the little beggar, to give him shelter.

But they hadn’t seen the boy at their door at all yesterday, so they had assumed he wasn’t coming.

"It’s you," Shi Mingyue said.

When Little Stone heard the restaurant door open, his face lit up with joy. But upon meeting Shi Mingyue’s eyes, he took a fearful, nervous step back.

"Yesterday... Yesterday, Boss Ming said..."

He still remembered Ming Lingyi’s promise. He had wanted to come yesterday, but he was too filthy.

Everyone at Ming’s Restaurant looked so clean, and even the air was filled with the fresh aroma of food. A grimy little beggar like him seemed so out of place in a restaurant like this. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

So, yesterday he had found a river and washed himself thoroughly. He’d even taken off the clothes he hadn’t changed in days, washed them clean, and let them air dry all night. Only after making sure they weren’t still sopping wet did he throw them on and hurry over to the entrance of Ming’s Restaurant.

He had already delayed by a day; he was afraid that if he waited any longer, the kind and beautiful boss of the Ming Family wouldn’t take him in anymore.

But before Little Stone could finish his hesitant, nervous sentence, Shi Mingyue cut him off.

"Oh, I know. My mistress said that after you were released from Jingzhao Mansion, you should come to our restaurant if you were willing. Come on, follow me inside."

Though she had cut him off, her words were like a blessing from heaven to Little Stone. A warmth spread through him, and he felt utterly at ease.

Even though his stomach was rumbling from hunger, nothing could dampen his excitement.

Just as Shi Mingyue led Little Stone through the door, they ran right into Xiao Chun.

Xiao Chun saw the person behind her. "It’s the boy from yesterday."

"Mhm."

"The clothes he’s wearing seem..." Xiao Chun leaned in.

At that moment, Little Stone couldn’t help but hold his breath.

He was terrified the kindly, plump girl in front of him would say he smelled or that his clothes weren’t clean. After all, he had washed them over and over in the river yesterday, but without any soap beans, many of the stains just wouldn’t scrub out, no matter how hard he tried.

"They’re not dry yet, are they?" Xiao Chun said, reaching out to touch Little Stone’s sleeve.

Shi Mingyue hadn’t noticed. "Should we go find him a clean set of clothes?"

Xiao Chun hummed in agreement. "I’ll go ask Brother Wu."

As she spoke, Xiao Chun opened a nearby side door.

Neither she nor Shi Mingyue noticed Little Stone quietly letting out a long sigh of relief.

A sharp SIZZLE suddenly erupted from the kitchen, and a fragrant aroma quickly wafted out.

Wu Zhao Yu was up and busy in the back kitchen, preparing breakfast for the whole household. This morning, at everyone’s request, he was making lamb-stuffed flatbreads.

It was simply roasted meat stuffed into flatbread, served with a bowl of sweet, fragrant milk—a delicious and very filling meal.

Little Stone had rarely smelled anything so fragrant. His stomach, which had been protesting its emptiness for a long time, now started to rumble cheerfully.

RUMBLE RUMBLE.