Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 19 Eating

Inside the Honggu Restaurant, a series of footsteps echoed down the bright red staircase.

The guests downstairs looked in the direction of the sound, and when they saw that the person in white at the head of the group was none other than Young Master Qing, who was known to everyone in Ningzhou Prefecture, they immediately looked away, afraid of offending this plague god. Heaven knows what kind of crazy ideas this Young Master Qing might come up with on a whim.

"If that's the case, why would the emperor entrust all 200,000 soldiers to General Yun Que? Isn't he afraid that he might develop ulterior motives and rebel?"

Ye Zi's voice came out again, sounding very immature; she didn't seem like a talkative person.

The other three people probably thought that Ye Zi lowered her guard and talked to them more because they were all genuinely good people.

"That's naturally because there's no one else available. After General Flying Phoenix Shan Ziru retired due to old age, his descendants have no capable men left. They have suffered repeated defeats, to the point that the emperor no longer dares to place all his hopes on the Shan family. Nowadays, the dynasty's border guards are scattered in various places, but General Yun Que has the largest number of soldiers under his command."

Yun Luobai murmured to herself, then suddenly noticed Ning Qi's gaze and smiled.

"I heard it from my master. He treated my illness, and when he had nothing to do, we would sit together, drink tea, and chat. He would tell me about things happening in the outside world."

"I see. He's a good man. We should introduce him to you brothers sometime. He saved your life, and as the eldest brother, I should thank him properly."

Ning Qi always mentioned that he was the eldest brother, but his expression and words always revealed a burning sincerity that did not make people feel disgusted or repulsed.

Even Qingchuan, the eldest son of the general's mansion, never denied that this yamen constable with a bushy beard and a square face, who looked more mature than his peers, was his elder brother.

Yun Luobai watched Ning Qi's changing expressions as he spoke, and his mood wavered slightly at one point, a feeling that felt very unfamiliar to him.

The four of them took their seats one by one in the upstairs private room. A screen painted with majestic pine and cypress trees separated their table from the others, and the noise from the guests downstairs gradually faded away.

Manager Liu hadn't left yet; he stood to the side with a slight bow, waiting for Qingchuan to order.

Before Qingchuan could speak, Ning Qi spoke first.

"Give me a big plate of spicy beef tripe, it has to be a big plate, that's my second son's favorite, you know that."

Manager Liu straightened his blue-brimmed square hat, turned to look at Yun Luobai, and his smile remained as honest as ever.

"I am aware of such matters. Young Master Yun is a lucky man, blessed by the heavens. Having survived such a calamity, he is sure to have great fortune in the future. His future is undoubtedly limitless..."

"You can handle the rest, but you have to prepare a full table of food and drinks for me. If I'm not satisfied, starting tomorrow, I'll move a chair and sit at the entrance of your Honggu Restaurant every day, and I'll grab anyone and tell them that your food is no good."

"Young Master is too kind. I will have the kitchen prepare wine and dishes right away, I guarantee you will be satisfied."

With a forced smile, Manager Liu beckoned to the waiter not far away and gave him detailed instructions before going downstairs.

"Young Master Qing, you are quite an interesting person. Normally, when you scare someone, you would say something like you'll overturn their shop. The way you scared that shopkeeper is no different from a child playing house."

Ye Zi smiled, her lips pursed. She was now a maid in the Yunluo Bai family, but she did not show any fear as she sat at the same table with the other three.

"Don't let his age fool you, he's capable of doing all sorts of shameful things that are unbecoming of his status."

Ning Qi reached out and patted Qing Chuan on the shoulder. The latter looked reluctant but did not stop him.

A table full of food and drinks was brought up one after another by the waiters of the restaurant. The dishes were plentiful and laid out to the brim, all of which were the signature dishes of Honggu Restaurant.

The braised beef tripe that Ning Qi had mentioned many times was placed in the very center of the plate, a large, bright red dish that looked almost like a small mountain.

Yun Luo swallowed hard and stood up to pour wine for everyone. Ye Zi belatedly stood up, took the wine pot, and poured everyone's wine cups in his place.

"This first toast is to celebrate our second son's miraculous survival and wish him a bright future!"

Ning Qi raised his glass, and the other three followed suit. The crisp clinking of glasses, mixed with Ning Qi's hearty laughter, reached their ears. Yun Luobai smiled, but his gaze lingered on the eye-catching plate of red-oil beef tripe on the table.

"Second brother, eat up, it's all yours. If you can't finish it, take it home and eat it slowly. Come and eat whenever you want, and put it on third brother's tab."

"Hey brother, you're doing me a great favor... Besides, I never run up debts when I'm traveling..."

Qingchuan muttered to himself, glancing at the plate of braised beef tripe in red oil, a fleeting, almost imperceptible tenderness passing through his clear eyes.

"Eat up. You used to love this, but your tuberculosis got worse and worse, and the doctors said that eating this kind of thing would worsen your condition, so you almost never ate it anymore. Now that you've been given a second chance at life, eat as much as you want."

"Um……"

Yun Luobai smiled, picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised beef tripe from the plate, put it in his mouth, and nodded in satisfaction after chewing it a few times.

"The taste is as good as ever..."

The spiciness spread between her lips and teeth. Yun Luobai put down her chopsticks and poured herself a glass of wine, which made her feel a little better.

"You used to be able to eat a whole plate by yourself. This stuff is so spicy, only you could eat so much in one sitting without even breaking a sweat. If you like it, eat more. We're all brothers, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

As Ning Qi spoke, he used his chopsticks to pick up a few pieces of braised beef tripe and put them into Yun Luobai's bowl. The latter remained expressionless, but a burning sensation repeatedly rose in his throat.

"Thank you so much, brother..."

"Is it good? Let me try it."

Ye Zi also picked up a piece of braised beef tripe and put it in her mouth, and her eyes seemed to brighten up a lot.

Before she could even make a comment, she caught a glimpse of the fine sweat beading on Yun Luobai's forehead out of the corner of her eye.

"It's delicious, but it's too spicy. Young Master Yun, you can really eat a whole plate by yourself, that's amazing..."

Yun Luobai smiled and nodded, then picked up her chopsticks and put the red oil beef tripe in the bowl into her mouth one by one.

"Ah, that's right, eat more after recovering from a serious illness."

Ning Qi was about to serve Yun Luobai the plate of braised beef tripe in chili oil when the latter immediately noticed and stopped him.

"Brother, let's not just focus on eating, we need to get down to business..."

"Huh? Important business? What important business? The most important business is that you returned to Ningzhou Prefecture safely! Eat!"

Looking at Yun Luobai's smile and the fine sweat on his forehead, Qingchuan felt something was off.

"Yun Luobai, you've probably recovered from tuberculosis, but your kidneys are weak now..."