Fang Yu jumped down from the carriage and saw that both Qiao Hezhi and his maid were holding bolts of cloth. It was a universal truth, he thought. Modern women loved to shop for clothes, the young ger of this era was no different. He took the fabric from Qiao Hezhi's arms and asked, "Find something you liked?"
"I took two bolts of the fashionable ones."
The cloth was well-wrapped, so Fang Yu couldn't see what style or material was inside, only feeling it was somewhat heavy. "Let's go. Don't stand outside in the wind."
The two got into the carriage. Winter days darkened early, and now it was already dusky. The taverns and shops in the city were gradually lighting their lanterns, creating a unique charm.
Fang Yu warmed himself by the stove, his mind preoccupied with going home to review the account books tonight. He had to go to the academy tomorrow and couldn't leave tasks unfinished.
It was very noisy outside the carriage, the streets were even more bustling than when they had set out. It wasn't his imagination—it was now mealtime. In this era, the main feast was generally eaten in the evening, so the streets became particularly lively at night. With more people out, the carriages and horses also moved slower.
"Do you smell a fragrant aroma?"
Fang Yu paused his hand warming by the stove, raised his eyes to look at Qiao Hezhi sitting opposite him, who was completely still, sniffing the scent carried by the wind.
"The smell of food?"
Fang Yu laughed, lifted the carriage curtain, and leaned out. The carriage was currently stuck in traffic—a few meters away was precisely a restaurant, bustling with people coming and going—business was booming. The kitchen's aromas could no longer be contained.
"Meng Li Yi Huang Liang (Dream of a Yellow Millet)." Fang Yu read the sign. "The name is quite distinctive."
"It's a restaurant that opened not long ago. I heard the proprietor came from the coastal areas. Their dishes are novel, not inferior to Qionghua Tower."
Fang Yu knew the status of Qionghua Tower in Yuncheng's dining industry and had tasted their dishes. The flavor was truly good, but his previous experience there was marred by poor company. Hearing Qiao Hezhi say this, he became even more interested in this restaurant. "Is it really that good?"
"I've only heard about it. Qionghua Tower has been open for many years, I once went thanks to my maternal uncle who has artisan status. But 'Meng Li Yi Huang Liang' hung a license as soon as it opened, and it's only been open a short while. I haven't had the chance to go in yet, nor have I actually compared the dishes of the two establishments."
"In that case, isn't this perfect." Fang Yu stopped the carriage. "Turn around, go to the restaurant ahead."
Qiao Hezhi, hearing this, was momentarily stunned. He also leaned to the window, giving Fang Yu a surprised look. "Master, you want to go now?"
"You don't want to?"
Before Qiao Hezhi could answer, Fang Yu continued, pleading, "Business is so good, the taste probably isn't bad. Since we haven't been anyway, let's just go try it for the novelty."
A smile blossomed in Qiao Hezhi's eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, he just hadn't had the opportunity.
Having the chance to go now was certainly good, especially going to a restaurant for a meal with his own husband. One must know that in current times, aside from attending formal banquets, men rarely took their fulangs or wives out to restaurants for meals and drinks. After all, places like these for drinking and enjoyment often had beautiful young women and exceptionally attractive gers for company—how could they bring along the familiar face from home?
"Let's go. It just so happens I want to go too."
The two were in immediate agreement and headed straight for the restaurant. The restaurant was bustling with business, with a queue forming from the comings and goings. Inside were many borderlanders and foreigners, tall and burly, drunk and arm-in-arm with several flamboyantly dressed gers, looking rather improper. Fang Yu grasped the wrist of Qiao Hezhi beside him and gently pulled him behind himself, guarding against him being bumped.
Qiao Hezhi's palm tightened. Subconsciously, he looked down at his wrist. His heart seemed to miss a beat, and his whole body froze, unsure how to move.
"Be careful. These borderlanders are inherently unrestrained. Don't let them offend you."
With a gentle gesture, Qiao Hezhi let his other hand come to rest on the back of Fang Yu's hand, standing slightly behind him. "Mm."
Xuezhu, seeing the crowd was truly packed with people settling bills and others entering, couldn't tell if his master wanted to join the bustle and experience the atmosphere or seize this chance to get closer to his fulang. After some internal struggle, he tentatively suggested, "Master, perhaps show your scholar status seal to arrange a seat? Who knows how long this queue will take."
Fang Yu glanced at Xuezhu, slowly forming a question mark in his mind: If we have such a thing, why not bring it out earlier?
"Then go get it quickly."
Xuezhu said sheepishly, "It's right on your belt."
Fang Yu: "…"
After all this time, he only now learned that the jade-like object hanging from his belt was actually his status seal. He had originally thought it was just an ornament.
He hadn't examined it closely before. Today, he saw the large characters "Scholar Status" engraved on it, with his name and style name in the lower left corner, and the issuing government office and date engraved on the back.
It rather felt like a modern ID card.
The status seal was indeed effective. After presenting it, the manager at the counter became more polite, the waiter more respectful, queueing was no longer necessary, and someone immediately came to arrange a seat.
"Master Fang, the private rooms are currently full. Could this humble one arrange a quiet spot in the main hall for you two?"
Fang Yu looked back at Qiao Hezhi, who seemed somewhat distracted. "Young Master, is it alright if we just find any spot to sit?"
"Hmm?" Qiao Hezhi looked at Fang Yu, confused.
"Starved silly?"
Qiao Hezhi's face grew warm. "Any seat is fine."
"Our restaurant's signature dishes include the Five Raw Delicacies Platter, Sliced Raw Fish, and the Crab series. Would you like this humble one to introduce them one by one, Sir?"
Fang Yu pulled out a chair for Qiao Hezhi to sit first. He glanced briefly at the menu—the variety of dishes was dazzling. Fortunately, they were categorized into meat, vegetables, fish, crab, etc. Although some names made it unclear what the dish was—like something called 'Crab Meat Slivers'—without some culture, one truly wouldn't know what it was. But once categorized, one could guess roughly.
"Introducing them would spoil the fun of ordering blindly. There's no need for introductions." Seeing the delicacies, Fang Yu was in a very cheerful mood. He handed the menu to Qiao Hezhi. "Take a look, what would you like to order?"
He leaned close to Qiao Hezhi's ear and whispered, "Anyway, I previously lived in the countryside and haven't tried any of them. You decide."
Qiao Hezhi turned his head to look at Fang Yu's smiling face, then quickly lowered his head, his face flushed. "I... we two alone can't eat much. How about we order the signature Five Raw Delicacies Platter, and... two servings of Sliced Raw Fish, and four crabs? Would... would that be alright?"
"That would be perfect."
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