Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots-Chapter 1428 - 247, Overheated (44)

"Miss Yao is really too polite. Aren’t we all good friends? Why bother with such formalities? Please, get up!" Lin Yuan said with a happy smile, casually asking her to stand.

Looking at her charming and joyful expression, Yao Hanai felt stifled inside, but her face remained flawlessly impassive.

"As a County Master, Miss Lin commands respect, and naturally, I must observe proper etiquette. Moreover, we are in the palace; if others saw, wouldn’t they gossip about me being ignorant of the rules?"

Lin Yuan laughed lightly, looking at Yao Zhilan’s face, which was almost bursting with indignation. She felt amused and gestured, saying, "Miss Yao, please come over and have a seat. We’re enjoying some pastries and admiring the flowers. It’s very hot outside; don’t get burnt by the sun."

The palace garden had many pavilions for resting, some furnished with a stone table and four stone stools, others with five stools arranged in a plum blossom pattern.

Lin Yuan’s group was large, so they naturally chose a pavilion with five stools. Now, with Xiao Linshuang off playing, there were precisely five people left, each seated on a stool. Lin Yuan then invited Yao Hanai and her sister to join them. But where to sit?

It would have been proper for Tian Xuan, Lin Wei, and Xiao He—the three younger ladies—to stand and yield their seats. Yet, one was sipping tea with her head down, while the other two chattered away, none showing any intention of offering their places.

Even someone as composed as Yao Hanai had trouble keeping face at this point.

She chuckled awkwardly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, County Master, but unfortunately, I have already promised to sit with a few other ladies, who are waiting for me up ahead. I’ll have to excuse myself."

With that, she proceeded forward after bowing with Yao Zhilan.

Yao Zhilan couldn’t help but turn back and glare at Lin Yuan. However, this scowl had no deterrent effect at all. The others, having seen it, pretended as though they hadn’t and continued with their activities, leaving Yao Zhilan with a face turning crimson with anger.

After they left, Lin Yuan curved her lips in a smirk, finding it odd. Usually, upon meeting, wouldn’t Miss Yao the Second frequently defend her sister and scold them? Yet now, after such disrespectful treatment, Yao Zhilan remained uncharacteristically silent, not even speaking out for Yao Hanai—a real curiosity.

"Wow! Sister Hui! Yuanyuan!"

An exuberant and clear voice interrupted Lin Yuan’s thoughts; she couldn’t help but smile when she heard it.

Sure enough, looking up, she saw Xu Muqing waddling over, her chubby body shaking. She was so overweight that, let alone running, even walking briskly was a challenge.

Thus, all anyone could see was a round ball of flesh with two tiny feet, flailing her arms as she rolled their way.

Tian Hui, too, was amused by Xu Muqing’s honest and adorable appearance. She stood and waved, cautioning, "Don’t run, be careful you don’t fall!"

Despite her bulky frame, her little feet moved quite rapidly. No sooner had Tian Hui finished speaking than Xu Muqing had already reached the pavilion.

But just that short dash left her head slick with sweat, and she was gasping as if she had run a great distance.

Lin Wei covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, stood up, and offered her seat, "Sister Xu, come and rest. Look at all that sweat on your forehead."

Xu Muqing, truly exhausted, did not stand on ceremony; she plopped down where Lin Wei had been seated, grabbed a cup to drink but found the tea wasn’t cold and couldn’t drink it. Her plump little hand immediately switched directions and started eating a bunch of grapes that she grabbed.

After stuffing five or six grapes into her mouth, she finally began to chew with mumbling lips. Halfway through chewing, she widened her eyes at Lin Yuan: "Oh my, I was so preoccupied with eating, I completely forgot to pay my respects to you!"

Lin Yuan thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be just paying respects.

She casually patted Xu Muqing who was trying to get up and laughed, "What respects do you need to pay? Just enjoy your food!"

Having said that, she instructed a palace maid nearby to bring over a pot of iced tea.

The little palace maid immediately set off, but as she was leaving the pavilion, she suddenly saw Yan Ruchun.

Yan Ruchun’s father was not an official in the court, so strictly speaking, she should not have been there. However, her aunt was Consort Liu, and it was not a big deal for Consort Liu to invite her own niece to the banquet. Consort Liu used to let Yan Ruchun enter the palace frequently, but Yan Ruchun herself never really clicked with the young ladies of the Capital city and always felt that such palace banquets were incredibly dull, so she often excused herself.

Yet unexpectedly, she showed up today.

"Miss Yan," the palace maid bowed and then quickly walked away.

However, when the several people in the pavilion saw Yan Ruchun, they were all somewhat surprised. Actually, Yan Ruchun had been right behind Xu Muqing all along, but that guy was just too fat and completely blocked her from view.

When Lin Wei had given up her seat for Xu Muqing just now, Xiao He also stood up with her, and upon her arrival, Yan Ruchun had unapologetically taken Xiao He’s seat.

Most people considered Yan Ruchun to be a very aloof person, but only those who knew her well understood that she was actually a case of "sharp tongue but a soft heart." Take Xu Muqing, for example; despite constantly teasing her as Fatty Xu and provoking her with words like "Second Fool doesn’t want you anymore," she didn’t really mean any harm. Perhaps, in this Capital city, Yan Ruchun, who always called out Fatty Xu, could be considered Xu Muqing’s true friend.

Everyone present knew about the slander against Dong Tian, knew not only that but also that those people eventually directed their accusations towards the owner of Drunken Immortal Tower, Yan Xiangkai, who was Yan Ruchun’s father.

It could be said that Yan Ruchun and Lin Yuan were now enemies. Could enemies ever have a good encounter?

Tian Hui and Tian Xuan both watched the two warily, for fear they might start fighting at the slightest disagreement.

However, contrary to expectations, Lin Yuan simply smiled and nodded, while Yan Ruchun returned a smile too.

Tian Hui and Tian Xuan exchanged puzzled glances. Were they overthinking things?

"Congrats, County Master Pingxi," Yan Ruchun was the first to speak up. If she hadn’t talked, they might not have noticed—Yan Ruchun’s voice was a bit hoarse. Looking closer, there seemed to be a few small blisters around the corner of her mouth. Was she having some internal heat issues?

Lin Yuan acknowledged with a smile, "Thanks."

She thought about it but didn’t inquire further. The two of them didn’t seem to be as familiar with each other as with Xu Muqing. Whether Yan Ruchun was dealing with internal heat was none of her concern.

However, Tian Hui did ask about it.

Before Yan Ruchun could respond, Xu Muqing jumped in first to speak, "Oh, Sister Hui, you don’t know, was there not a group that caused trouble at Dong Tian a few days ago? Somehow, those people ended up blaming my uncle Yan. My goodness, she was so upset, and now, she’s been looking for someone to investigate! Who could be so hateful to falsely accuse a good person!"