Piao Xu paused briefly before answering. “This servant had bumped into an ugly girl when we were at the restaurant. She also had a box of rouge at the time. She must not have been able to tell them apart and picked up the wrong one. The philtre fragrance rouge must be with that ugly girl.”
The ugly girl Piao Xu was referring to was precisely Su Xi-er.
Ning Anlian sat up, her tone slightly cold. “Picked up the wrong one?” How can something like this be picked up wrongly? Why would she just conveniently have a box of rouge as well?!
While the two were discussing Su Xi-er, the latter was already standing at the entrance of Fortune Apricot House.
The Wei Miss’ were murdered in Fortune Apricot House. The county office had investigated the incident and concluded that both the manager and waiter were the culprits.
This piece of information had reached the streets, dealing a great blow to the business at Fortune Apricot House.
“Do you know that because of the Wei Miss’ incident, Fortune Apricot House is going out of business?”
“I have heard of this too. Fortune Apricot House is being put up for sale, but no one is willing to buy it, claiming that the feng shui[1] here isn’t good since someone died here.”
This was quickly passed along those standing in front of the Fortune Apricot House. Although the news was already common knowledge, everyone was still discussing in hushed voices.
As the saying goes, ‘A gaunt camel is still bigger than a horse’! Moreover, Fortune Apricot House was the number one teahouse in the capital!
Suddenly, a man donning a blue robe and veil entered Su Xi-er’s vision.
There was a subtle yet indescribable aura around this man.
The man in blue noticed Su Xi-er as well. They looked at each other, but didn’t speak a single word.
The man then turned and headed into Fortune Apricot House. I didn’t come here to look at women!
Su Xi-er smiled and also went in. It’s him, the person I suspect.
“Miss, what can I do for you?” Su Xi-er had just entered Fortune Apricot House when a waiter approached her, all smiles and full of enthusiasm.
“Just some simple refreshments will do.” Su Xi-er chose a table and sat down, closing her eyes.
The man in blue went up to the second floor, somewhere that is open only to some special customers.
“Alright. Please wait a moment, miss. Your dishes will be right up.”
The waiter responded loudly before retreating. After that, Su Xi-er didn’t have to wait long for the dishes to be served.
The few refreshments were unique to Fortune Apricot House.
Su Xi-er took a small bite, finding the pastry to be light, as well as sweet and delicious. She then picked up another pastry, ordering a pot of tea along the way.
Although Fortune Apricot House was to be bought out, the standard of their pastries and tea remained. The cook didn’t take the quality of his food lightly. The tea leaves were distinguished and floating on the surface, with the overall colour of the tea being great as well.
Su Xi-er took a sniff of the tea’s refreshing fragrance, slowly sipping it as she observed what happened on the second floor. Why did the man in blue appear at Fortune Apricot House again?
When her tea was half finished, Su Xi-er saw the man in blue coming down from the second floor.
She rose slowly and took out a tael of silver, placing it on the table.
Strangely enough, the waiter who had been attending to the man had been treating the latter extremely well. It was beyond what they would have done for another guest. It seems that he has bought out the teahouse.
“Ah, the man who just walked by has bought Fortune Apricot House!” The few burly men who had entered the teahouse before Su Xi-er were seated closeby, allowing Su Xi-er to hear their conversation clearly.
1. Chinese geomancy
A Wikipedia article if you are interested in reading more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui
