As He Changqi looked at his friends holding their full bellies and leaning against their seats, burping with satisfaction, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
Luckily he had noticed that the situation was turning a little strange, so he had sent all the servants out of the room. Otherwise, if they had let their servants witness that battle just now, their servants would surely have thought that the whole group of gentlemen had been switched out for some imposters. They would likely have thought that the imposters must have been picked out from some beggars who hadn’t eaten for days too!
After he looked again at the empty plates and dishes on the table that had practically been licked clean, He Changqi couldn’t even be bothered to say anything.
Once the hungry ghosts before him had rested for a while, Heir Zheng slammed his palm on the table unhappily. “Brother He, you’re too selfish! We’ve always invited you to join us for meals and drinks! The food here is so delicious, how could you wait until today to invite us to your estate for a meal?”
Lord Ge shot a sideways glance at He Changqi, whose expression was turning dark. When he thought back to Madam Zou’s actions just now, he realised that the situation was a little delicate. He Changqi had also been wolfing down the food like he hadn’t eaten in days. This was probably his first time eating such amazing cuisine too.
Lord Ge didn’t blame He Changqi like Heir Zheng did. He simply leaned against his chair without any consideration for his image while sipping at some old duck soup to satisfy his remaining cravings. He spoke with a little sourness in his tone, “He Sanlang’s quite the lucky one. He deserves to go all the way to that terrible northern border! I pitied that brat at first, but now, I’ve lost all pity for him. If he were right here in front of me now, I’d tell him, ‘you deserve it’!”
Now that the sweet and sour pork ribs were all gone, Marquis Weiyuan and Lord Ge were the best of buds again. “Poor He Sanlang the Fair!”
After eating his fill, Xiao Bojian kept a low profile. His eyes were half-shut and his long lashes hid the pools of emotion in his eyes. He pinched his left index finger with his right thumb and index finger. His thin lips were flushed red thanks to the spiciness of the fish from earlier. No one could see the dissatisfaction and resentment in his eyes. He remained as still as a statue.
If Heir Zheng wasn’t familiar with his personality, he might have asked his senior brother about his mood.
Xiao Bojian’s eyes swept over He Changqi, a hidden glint in their depths.
All of this should have been his!
Lian’er personally cooking for him, praising Lian’er’s skills in front of his friends, Lian’er helping him to manage the household… Facing each day as a couple, exchanging sweet nothings, supporting each other through the trials of life…
Right after the group had just finished an unforgettable meal, a manservant entered the room with a wine gourd in hand.
The manservant looked at the now-empty dishes on the table with shock. He blinked a few times in disbelief before coming to his senses. He quickly walked over to He Changqi’s side and lowered his voice to ask, “Eldest Young Master, do… do you still want to serve this wine?”
The manservant had gone to fetch the ten year old Yudongchun wine which Marquis Weiyuan had specially brought over.
Who could have thought that the food would be completely decimated before the wine had even reached the table?
Heir Zheng looked around the group of gentlemen and said, “Just serve the wine!”
Marquis Weiyuan and Lord Ge nodded. They had already filled their bellies, so the wine wouldn’t hurt them. Since they had had such a great meal, they were starting to have the interest to drink some wine.
He Changqi nodded and ordered the manservant to call in two maidservants to clear out the empty dishes. He then had the main kitchen send out some food to have with the wine, so that they could all drink their fill.
After tasting those amazing delicacies, they didn’t have any appetite from looking at those normal dishes. They even felt a little depressed.
The men had the feeling that their days were going to be rough from now on… As the saying went, it’s easy for the frugal to become extravagant, but it’s hard to reverse the process. After having such delectable gourmet food, it was going to be hard to swallow down their usual fare.
With those thoughts in their head, all of them drank more than usual to drown out those depressing thoughts. The ten year Yudongchun was considered one of the strongest spirits in the capital and packed a punch. Furthemore, the men couldn’t bring themselves to eat the food that the main kitchen had sent over, so they ended up drinking even more.
After an hour, even He Changqi, who usually had a great tolerance for alcohol, was drunk and incoherent, let alone the rest.
When the manservant saw the state that the men were in, he could only order some servants to bring the gentlemen to rest in some rooms.
The seemingly woozy Xiao Bojian was brought to a private room by an average-looking manservant. Once they were alone, those originally misty eyes abruptly awakened. His gaze was sober and calm, completely lacking any sign of his earlier drunkenness.
The average-looking manservant, who was One in disguise, bowed to his master. “Master, you’re not drunk?”
Xiao Bojian made a vague sound in reply before rubbing his temples. “Follow me to the inner court of the Jing’an Estate. Leave Nineteen here to guard this place.”
