The inn was very warm, and Hua Zhi took a moment to adjust herself at the door before walking in.
The waiter had already come over. When he saw Gu Yanxi, he immediately remembered her and led her upstairs. "Everything has been tidied up according to your instructions. The bed sheets and quilt covers have been replaced with new ones. Please take a look and see if they suit your taste. The food is also ready. Do you want it delivered now or later?"
Hua Pingyang couldn't help but look at Gu Yanxi a little more. As an experienced person, he always felt that this boy had bad intentions.
"Send some hot water first, and then the food in about a quarter of an hour."
"Okay, I'll bring you the boiling water in a moment."
The waiter has a smiling face and is born to be a businessman. Hua Zhi looks at him and wants to poach him to work in her own shop.
"Oh, waiter, get another room next door. Fourth Master, please don't go back to avoid trouble."
Hua Pingyang agreed without hesitation. Not only today, but his niece planned to stay here for the next few days!
"Okay, I'll go down and get you the key right away."
The hot water was indeed very hot, and there was half a bucket of cold water next to it, but Hua Zhi didn't want to add more. She picked up the handkerchief with her fingertips and slowly wrung it dry, then spread it out to cover her face, and exhaled deeply and comfortably. Since no one could see her face under the handkerchief, she relaxed for a moment, revealing a look of fatigue.
"Hua Hua, the food in this inn is delicious!" Shaoyao came bounding in. Her boundless energy made Hua Zhi wish she could learn the Star-Absorbing Technique so she could absorb some energy from her.
"Has the food been delivered?"
"Yes, in the fourth master's room."
She twisted the handkerchief again and put it directly over Shaoyao's face. Hua Zhi laughed at her, "Do you know what it means to eat without wiping your mouth? You are a typical example."
"Hehe." Shaoyao rubbed the handkerchief randomly and was about to throw it on the shelf. She saw Huahua looking at her out of the corner of her eye, so she had to go over and wash the handkerchief before hanging it up.
"Let's go."
The doors on both sides opened at the same time. Hua Zhi was a little slow to react. She was stunned for a moment before nodding to Gu Yanxi.
Gu Yanxi came over and pointed to the room on her right and said, "The fourth master lives in this room."
The door was not closed. Hua Pingyang was sitting at the table waiting for them. There were several large basins on the table, all with lids on them.
"Come in quickly." Hua Pingyang stood up and opened the lids one by one. A rich aroma filled the air. There were large chunks of meat and bones, and even the vegetables that came with the meat were cut into large chunks.
"Although the dishes here are crude and cannot be compared with the fine food in Beijing, the taste is not bad. The chef of this restaurant is the owner himself. It is said that the craftsmanship is inherited from his ancestors and is very good."
There was no need for Fourth Uncle to say more. Hua Zhi, who had eaten it for two lifetimes, knew the taste was right just by smelling the aroma. But perhaps she was too tired. She didn't feel hungry even though it was past mealtime. Instead, she could hardly hide her tiredness.
After barely finishing a bowl of rice, Hua Zhi looked up and found that several people were looking at her. She subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth, but there were no rice grains or vegetable residues.
Shaoyao put down the bowl, yawned loudly, and stretched, "I'm so sleepy, Huahua, let's go back to the room and sleep."
"… "
She was not pretending at all. Hua Zhi accepted her kindness and made Fourth Uncle think that it was better for her to be sleepy than to let him know that she was tired. She didn't want her family to feel owed. After all, she did everything willingly, and no one could force her to do something she didn't want to do.
Hua Pingyang and Gu Yanxi sat opposite each other, eating in silence. Not long after, Shaoyao came over and said, "He fell asleep as soon as he touched the bed. I felt his pulse and found that he was just tired. He finally got here and saw the person he wanted to see, but he couldn't hold it anymore."
Hua Pingyang felt that the food tasted like wax and he couldn't swallow it. He forced a smile and said, "Hurry up and sit down to eat. It's getting cold."
The peony tasted delicious, even better than the two men’s.
After dinner, the two went to Gu Yanxi's room, and Shaoyao went back to look after Huahua.
"Thanks to Mr. Lu for taking care of me along the way, I am very grateful."
Gu Yanxi knew Hua Pingyang before she met Hua Zhi.
Having two Hanlin scholars in one family is indeed an honor for the Hua family, but it is an obstacle for Hua Pingyang personally. Old Master Hua may not be unaware that his youngest son is the most outstanding of that generation, but because there is already a Hanlin scholar before him, he has to stop Hua Pingyang's path to success.
If this happened to other people, they might feel resentment and hatred, but Hua Pingyang did not. He did his best for the Hua family in his own way, even though most people in the Hua family did not know about what he did and could not understand it.
When he first knew about this person, he felt that he was a truly smart man with a very open mind. It was a pity that he was born a little late. If he was the eldest son of the Hua family, he would have done better than Hua Pingyu.
So he wasn't surprised at all what he saw.
"As I am receiving a salary from the Hua family, I should do my duty conscientiously."
"That's all?"
Gu Yanxi raised her eyes with a smile, "Lu cannot afford to hire ordinary people, so I have my own intentions in recommending myself to the Hua Mansion, but the time is not right yet, so it is redundant to say these things."
Hua Pingyang didn't expect him to be so frank, and he thought highly of him in his heart. However, he still felt that no one was worthy of his Zhi'er. He decided to marry her to Shen Qi before because he thought that boy grew up under his nose, and he knew him well, so he couldn't do anything wrong. He didn't expect that he would be pecked in the eye by a goose while hunting geese all day.
Thinking of Shen Qi, Hua Pingyang gritted his teeth secretly, waiting for him to come back! Break his legs! The third rule!
"The Hua family is probably being avoided by all the evildoers, and you dare to get involved?" Hua Pingyang sneered, "Given Zhier's personality, if she really wants to get married, she will definitely bring the burden of the Hua family with her. Can you afford the consequences?"
"She didn't touch the things you left for Hua Zhi. After I helped her, she gave me a recipe for making ice, which is worth a fortune. Fourth Master Hua, earning money has never been a problem for Hua Zhi. She has plenty of ways to do it. What she thinks about is never how to earn some money to support a family, but how to get you back."
Their eyes met, and neither of them avoided or retreated.
Hua Pingyang felt nervous because of those words, and finally couldn't help but ask in a hoarse voice, "What do you want to say?"
Gu Yanxi no longer held back her pride. "I don't care about appearance, family background, talent, etc. What I like is Hua Zhi's protectiveness towards her family. I like her determination to die before everyone else even if she has to. I hope that one day she can protect me like a family member. Compared to people with great skills, she is fragile and can be easily defeated, but her strength cannot be easily destroyed. Many things that others consider noble or extraordinary, she simply doesn't care about."
Gu Yanxi took out the pointed hairpin she carried with her and showed it to Hua Pingyang. "She relied on this little thing to fight with a man who escaped from my hands. They almost died together. But even though she lost half her life, she didn't retreat even a step. Who can compare to such a woman?"
Hua Pingyang looked at the hairpin with trembling lips. He wondered what Zhier had experienced when they were away!
PS: It's very enjoyable to write. Thank you for the correction. Kong Kong got it wrong. Mao time is 12:00 in the morning and 5:00 in the afternoon is You time. I will ask the editor to correct it tomorrow! Well, thank you for the monthly tickets. Girls should still leave comments actively. That is Kong Kong's spiritual food. You can't cut off Kong Kong's food!