With full anticipation, the groups awaited themselves. ShiYan, specifically, felt her tongue drool.

Emerging out of the stairway was the senior waiter, and behind him, a band of servers lined in orderly fashion, armed with mouthwatering dishes. The strong and distinctive smells of various foods quickly wafted into their nostrils, further enhancing this serving experience.

After a short bow, the senior waiter signaled to the servants before pouring a new fill to each of their cups.

“Sorry for the wait, dear guests. Here’s the food you had ordered. Please, enjoy!”

He later dismissed himself with a flattering grin.

.

.

.

“Wah!”

“Whoa…”

“Excellent!”

Everyone sang their praises from the first impressions.

“ShiYan.”

“Yes, ReZhui?”

“Once again, what a wonderful course you chose. It looks delicious! Thank you!”

Averting her gaze, ShiYan pouted proudly.

“Hmph, you’re very welcome…”

“Well then, not if I dig in first! YHA!”

Suddenly, HuaYan launched his chopsticks with incredible speed, towards a large plate of steaming hot crispy pork belly. Sliced uniformly by hand into long thin strips, the individual layers of the shiny brown outer crust, the wrinkled meat, and the semi-solid blocks of pure white fat, were laid atop one another in multiple rows of domino toppling. Picking up three pieces at once, HuaYan then dipped them fully into the various sauce bowls. A combination of dark soy paste, crushed herbs and chilli bits covered a significant part, and finally, it entered his mouth. The hard crust crunched loudly with every munch. The accompanying condiments added depth and much needed moisture to the fried pork.

“Hmmm!”

A scope of rice after, and HuaYan’s eyes sparkled.

And that’s just one out of the many dishes present on the glass top.

ReZhui opted for red braised pork belly instead. Unlike its other counterpart, this was served in a deep bowl of thick brown stew. Although, the individual pieces of meat had a red tinge to it, across a dominantly brown colour. ReZhui grabbed the specialized soup spoon and carried a considerable amount into his bowl of rice. Soaking the thick soup with a portion of his rice, he then reached out for the abundance of stir fried vegetables all over the table. A couple of chopped lettuces and cabbage from over there and into his bowl. Raising it close to his mouth, the youthful teen chugged down everything into his mouth using his chopsticks as the sweeper. Fluffy white rice with tender meat and crunchy vegetables. The myriad of flavours and textures overwhelmed his senses, bringing out a similar reaction.

Meanwhile, ShiYan and WeiQi started off with lighter meals.

They both took small bundles of soaked water spinach out of a bowl of dark green soup, reminiscent of a swamp. They were dotted with chopped red chillies and flaky peppercorn from the South. Water continued to drip out of their soft stems as they placed them onto their rice bowls.

A side of roasted duck pieces was also taken. They glimmered brightly against the central lantern and were glazed mesmerizingly with a sweet coating. The outer skin was a shiny honey-brown while the meat themselves were dull gray with tinges of blood-red. ShiYan dipped her slice into a small plate of accompanying black sauce while WeiQi had hers without additional condiments.

“...!”

They took a spoonful of their own combination and were immediately greeted by an explosive palate. The duck meat was dry and chewy, contrary to the water spinach, whose stems were soft and fibrous. The little ends of the leaves were slurped vigorously like rice noodles. The dark black sauce, with a distinct nutty aftertaste and watery nature, and the associated spices and chillies, delivering more impact to the otherwise subdued flavours of the spinach, further enhanced the eating experience.

As for Eddisson, his chopsticks landed on a wide plate, laid atop with sections of steamed chicken. Akin to the roasted duck, the steamed chicken was shimmering appetizingly with its thick layer of golden skin that he truly fancied. Using a soup spoon to repeatedly spread the light brown soy sauces all over the dish, Eddisson then took a piece, perfectly soaked in its flavourings, and added the chilly paste of the crispy pork belly. Followed up next with a large mouthful of rice, Eddisson relished in the simple pleasures that danced on his tongue. The meat was succulent. Every chewy he made, the rich juices flowed out that were naturally retained. The golden skin was kept for last in the corner, and once it was, Eddisson enjoyed munching solo. It was rubbery to the touch and refreshingly cold compared to the rest of the meat.

He perked up in rejoice.

At the center of the dining table, there was a similarly wide plate placed. ReZhui, eyeing that specific dish, inquired ShiYan about it.

“ShiYan?”

“Yes?”

“Is that bean curd that I’m looking at?”

“Correct! While I do enjoy all their interpretations of the usual cuisine dishes, I always come here solely for their amazing bean curd. It’s their specialty!”

“I see.”

Reaching out his porcelain spoon, ReZhui cut into a significant portion of the bean curd. It broke so easily, and he also scooped more sauces along with it. What rested in his spoon was the recommended dish of this establishment.

“...”

Looking at it, he now figured why ShiYan said so. Unlike other known tofu makers here, they strangely kept the outer skin with the usual white, soft innards. Although the skin was already drenched by the juices, they, who were possibly deep fried in oil for a short while, retained their crisp shape in some parts. Several small bubbles could still be seen throughout. Complementing it was their signature sauce which appeared to be a unique concoction from a primary base of soy sauce, littered all over with large amounts of minced beef meat and small chopped cube carrots.

Taking it in whole, ReZhui felt the crunchiness of the skin like a cracker, which was a new experience, together with the crushed bits of pure white bean curd and minced meat and vegetables. Everything melted nicely with the soy based sauce, and in the end, ReZhui only swallowed a stew-like blend.

Incredibly so, he found it absolutely delicious, especially the final mixture.

“ShiYan, that’s another great find. Well done!”

He raised a cup for her.

“... . Thanks, ReZhui! You can count on me for our next!”

She returned his gesture.

“WHOA, WAIT A MOMENT! The two of you should have waited for us if a toast was in session! YAHH!”

HuaYan hurriedly grabbed his half-filled cup and clashed his against their own.

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“Haah…HuaYan, there’s no need to rush.”

WeiQi pinched his ear before connecting hers as well.

“M-me too!”

Eddisson, being the final piece of the puzzle, panicked and raised his cup with a full mouth.

Given ReZhui was the initiator, naturally the group awaited his final words.

Glancing at each and every one of his treasured friends, ReZhui smiled and shouted proudly, “EAT BIG, SLEEP DEEP!”

“...!”

“CHEERS!”

“CHEERS!”

The group screamed in unison.

A nice clack sound of porcelain soon sounded amidst their erupting voices of joyous laughter, and their hearty feast commenced once more, later into the night where the moon shone bright.

.

.

.

The dinner lasted for several hours where ReZhui and the group conversed just as much as they ate those large portions. Several more times, HuaYan tried to order for wine, but was precisely stopped by WeiQi’s efforts. In the end, he could only pretend to be drunk which proved risky in the face of his partner’s growing dismay.

Eventually, the five of them finished their plates clean, leaving only small puddles of sauces and chewed bone. ShiYan then alerted the senior waiter, who promptly signaled the servants for cleanup while he escorted the guests to the ground floor and led them up to the counter where the plump owner was manning the station for them specifically.

“HUHHH!!!?”

ShiYan slammed her palm hard on the front desk.

“...! Lady! L-lady Xu, p-please calm yourself! Please!”

The plump owner bowed his head down in fear. His face paled at her fury.

“How are you expecting me to not be angry, Owner?! The last time I came here it was a solid thirty six silver taels that you charged me for a similar portion, and now, it’s increased to sixty one!? What nonsense is this?! This is fraudery, for heaven’s sake!”

“Ahh…Lady Xu, please, hear me out about this one…”

“...Speak up then.”

She blurted.

“This inhumane increase in prices is not ours to make. We have no choice but to do so for the same return in profit as before. Our supplier also increased their prices exorbitantly so there’s very little control on my part other than following along…”

“...Ohh…”

Hearing this, ShiYan fell silent. After all, it was a total shock for her. Unlike the other nobles spending their money with no restraint, YaoMing and subsequently, his daughter, held a much tighter control on how blindly they spent. They were willing to spend when it’s worth the high prices, but for food that suddenly spiked twice as much in a matter of weeks, ShiYan judged that suspicious. As seen from before, the other customers barely batted an eye at that.

In her place, ReZhui spoke up.

“Owner, how is that possible?”

“...I unfortunately have no idea…however, what I do know is this observation I made myself just recently. For a separate trade with those same suppliers, they paid me back with some bronze coins as change. Tell you what, they were of a different metallurgy. A poorer quality, I would dare say so myself.”

“...I see…”

Several hypotheses emerged in his head. Although, like the case of GuLie village, there was very little information to go by and this could be worse as the impact of this potential issue has already sunk its claws within the communities of the Bai river basin.

Patting ReZhui on the shoulder, Eddisson leaned in close and whispered his thoughts.

“ReZhui, would this be a true case of exponentially high inflation rates? It’s impossible to rise so much in so little time.”

“I think so too, but what’s causing it? I have no clue.”

“...could you ask the owner this?”

“Do tell.”

.

.

.

“...?”

The owner and the rest watched as the two teens discussed further with unintelligible mutters. A short while later, ReZhui returned to the plump owner.

“Alright… . Owner?”

“Y-yes, dear guest?”

“What is legally permitted for you to disclose about those suppliers of yours to us?”

“...Well, I could say they are a very professional band of men, and they have connections throughout the Middle Kingdom.”

“...Anything else?”

“That’s all unfortunately, for my sake mainly. A fish delivered fresh makes the whole difference between my food from the top there is around here, dear guest. I can’t have extra competition that threatens the deals I painstakingly cultivated with my own providers. Rumours will eventually find their way out someday, but by then, it doesn’t really matter I hope. But for now, I greatly apologize for being so uncooperative even after you saved my restaurant.”

The owner bowed deeply.

“....ShiYan, would you like to split the bill? I will pay the other half.”

Seeing there is no more use for the other questions, ReZhui decided that instead. Eyeing back to him, ShiYan simply sneered.

“Hmph! Your money is still technically Father’s money, so there’s no difference otherwise.”

ShiYan then brought out the exact amount from her money bag and placed it on the table.

“Well, owner, I hope you can at least reduce the prices on my next visit. Or else, I will only be getting the bean curd and nothing more!”

“Y-yes, Lady Xu! We will do as much as we possibly can!”

.

.

.

With the payment done, the group made their way out of the establishment with stuffed stomachs and questionable expressions. All because of what happened earlier that the atmosphere was starting to become like before at the dining table about GuLie.

In spite of that, they tried to maintain a cheerful outlook.

“So ShiYan, what are you planning on doing about this?”

WeiQi asked, worried.

Glancing back at ReZhui, ShiYan plainly concluded, “I’ll see what we can do with Father’s opinion. I’m sure he must have noticed this way before I did.”

“...surely you must have seen a similar trend amongst the other stores, ShiYan?”

“Nope, not to such an extreme. Ultimately, a slight increase or decrease is commonplace nowadays. …or is that just me, Sister Tian?”

“N-”

“Not at all, junior! WeiQi and I are the price setters in our places too, you know?!”

HuaYan jumped into the conversation.

“R-right.”

She remarked awkwardly.

Despite her expression, HuaYan simply smiled back. ReZhui and Eddisson also joined in on the ruckus.

“It’s really great that the three of you are so well-versed with this at such a young age. For all of your senior’s expectations…”

“w-wait!”

HuaYan forebodingly approached the three of them and pounced, trapping all of them in a huge bear hug. Poor ShiYan was squashed at the center between two walls of males.

“You have succeeded way beyond that, so be proud of your progress and never stop!”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Remember well that your seniors are always there if you need any help, so don’t hesitate to reach out.”

His voice was calm and mature. His expression, while unseen by all of them, they all knew he held a face of pride. WeiQi subconsciously put one up as well at this wholesome sight. Altogether, there was an incredible feeling within all of them.

A finale before they head their separate ways for the foreseeable future.

A remembrance until another chance may come where they crossed paths again.

A promise for perseverance whenever chaos intrudes; they can count on one another.

HuaYan eventually let them all go, satisfied with his physical affection shown.

“Our coordinates are still the same as before, so don’t worry about your current messenger birds, got it?”

ReZhui, having recovered the fastest from that, obligately answered back.

“Yes, Big Brother Wei and Big Sister Tian.”

He saluted back.

“Thank you for stopping by.”

“Have a safe trip home!”

“Pleasant nights ahead, Seniors.”

ShiYan and Eddisson voiced their farewells respectively.

“...”

Lightly patting him on the back, WeiQi sincerely asked.

“...!”

“Getting tearful, are we?”

“...N-not at all!”

“Hmm…”

“What?”

HuaYan put up his face.

“Aha, nothing really. It’s just that…the hotel rooms won’t book themselves.”

“...I see. Go ahead.”

“Aren't the last words your gig?”

“...I’m drunk.”

He blushed a little.

“...! Ahahaha…Alright then.”

WeiQi waved both her hands, swaying them vigorously from side to side.

“ShiYan, Eddisson, ReZhui, thank you so much for the dinner! HuaYan and I will be taking our leave now. Sweet dreams!”

And after a few more unexpected minor back and forths, the trio, under the lumination of moonlight, finally lowered their waving hands at the sight of the distant dark outline of the burly scholar and his petite partner. In the backdrop of the empty street, they strolled hand in hand, and never looked back.