Chapter 861: Chapter 860: The Ruined Sanctuary
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and the first day of the new year quietly slipped into night within the rhythm of Xia Yu’s habitual homeliness.
The moon hung high in the sky.
In the pitch-black alley, there was the sound of a sneeze.
Pa!
A pebble was thrown to the ground, and Lei Aoxue rubbed her sore knee while standing up, not forgetting to shoot a resentful gaze at the entrance of the Xia Mansion, “This family, from morning to night, no one came out!”
It seems she likes to lurk around, but doing so for a whole day, especially on the first day of the year — if Xia Yu inside the walls knew about this, he’d undoubtedly think she was a fool.
Lei Aoxue left, her silhouette limping.
She hadn’t walked far when, with a click, the old mansion door opened, and Zhu Qing poked her head out in confusion, “Strange, I just heard some voices, where did they go?”
The next day.
As dawn was just breaking, Lei Aoxue came again, squatting by the stone lion at the entrance, not moving for a long time.
Who knows how long had passed when Lei Aoxue, who was doodling idly with her head down, suddenly heard voices approaching from the other side of the door. One voice was deeply etched in her memory; how could she not recognize it?
But strangely, Lei Aoxue’s first subconscious reaction was akin to getting caught doing something bad and she turned to flee.
Swish.
She slipped into a junction seven or eight meters away and observed secretly.
“…Aunt Qing, are you sure Juxia Building is open for business as usual on the second day?”
“Dare they not open? I called and booked a spot yesterday afternoon. Let me put it this way, in this Jin City, humph, I call the shots!”
“Alright, alright, Zhu Liangchen sends his regards to you.”
The two shadows walked off side by side, laughing and joking.
Juxia Building?
The eyes in the dark revealed surprise.
If one intended to taste gourmet food and enjoy the highest standards of Shu cuisine, the now outdated Juxia Building really isn’t a good choice. Compared to it, Jian Ge, Feihong Building, and Tianfu Well are better options. One is run by renowned chef Wang Gong, another is backed by the Lan Family, and the third’s owner is the richest man in Shu, financially powerful, with numerous famous chefs under his wing, making Tianfu Well prominent.
Perhaps there exist more authentic and budget-friendly Sichuan food on the streets or corners, but enjoying it requires luck, running around to seek out folk culinary masters can be exhausting. What diner wouldn’t want the simpler option of merely sitting down and ordering?
“Juxia Building…”
Lei Aoxue bit her lip and chose to follow.
From one corner of the city to another.
In the car, Xia Yu was just appreciating the sights of Jin City.
Curiously, the Xia Mansion is located in an old district, while the area around Juxia Building is even more so. In a sweeping glance, one could see low and quaint houses, resembling the pedestrian streets of a scenic area. As one strolls along, there are simply too many shops — soy milk and bun stores, preserved fruit and plum shops, and wine merchants moving wine jugs, with a strong aroma permeating half the street.
Stopping on the street where Juxia Building is located, Xia Yu looked around, the shop signs fluttering incompletely filled his vision, giving him the surreal sensation of stepping through time back to Jin City a century ago.
Juxia Building is the most luxuriously regulated building in this neighborhood, towering a few stories, occupying dozens of acres. The main structure is a tall building with a courtyard and wall behind it.
On the second day of the new year, the street was bustling with people, yet this prosperity seemed unrelated to Juxia Building. Xia Yu stood at the main entrance for three or four minutes but did not see anyone else going upstairs or sitting down. It was eerily quiet.
“How did it come to this point in business?”
Xia Yu was shocked.
Recalling a century ago, when Shell Fairy and her daughter Liu Jinling, son Liu Maoxing were consecutive owners and head chefs, making the restaurant famous in the Chinese Cuisine World.
But a hundred years later, this historically significant restaurant has fallen into decay just like that?
Suddenly, Xia Yu felt compelled to get to the bottom of it.
Something he believed in, a kind of sanctified place in his mind has crumbled to this extent, unbearable!
“Ding!”
This was a task reminder.
“Yu, let’s go in—” Zhu Qing also withdrew her complex gaze from the “Juxia Building” plaque at the front of the restaurant.
“Oh, oh!”
While checking the task, Xia Yu absentmindedly responded.
But suddenly someone bumped into him from behind, making the system text in his vision temporarily disappear due to outside influence.
“Little Ying!”
A call came from afar. A teenager around seventeen or eighteen ran up panting, “Mother is calling you home; don’t come here!”
The small body that had bumped into Xia Yu was soft to the touch and spoke in a crisp voice:
“Save your breath!”
“Liu Feng, since you’re here already, witness how our family defeats that Liu Lan and takes back Juxia Building! I won’t lose this time!”
The somewhat juvenile voice was nonetheless filled with determination.
Such words, coming from a little girl, were astonishing enough.
Xia Yu turned around, astonished along with Zhu Qing as they examined the rash little girl who bumped into them.
Noticing their gaze, the little girl, wearing pigtails, a white top, and a dark green pleated skirt, with a delicate face, spoke crisply, “Oh, sorry for that!”
She stuck out her tongue in apology, her attitude fairly decent.
The teenager who pursued her, presumably her brother Liu Feng, stood frozen two or three meters away for unknown reasons.
“Liu Feng!”
The little girl called her brother by name impatiently, “Don’t just stand there foolishly. Come in with me, today you’re my main cheerleader, dare not cheer for me?”
This sibling dynamic, tsk, Xia Yu found amusing; a classic problematic sister and a foolishly adorable brother. Wait, isn’t this kind of character setting usually found in certain animations?
Liu Feng foolishly stared at him, his eyes glazed over.
Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, touching his face, “Didn’t put on a disguise, recognized me?”
Zhu Qing seized the moment to tease, “See, didn’t I say you should put a proper disguise before leaving? Don’t you have any clue? Don’t you know that your Demon King Xia title can stop children from crying?”
“What do you mean by stopping children from crying!”
Xia Yu opened his mouth to retort but was unexpectedly confronted by the little girl standing before him, hands on hips, openly facing the open door of Juxia Building, and loudly shouting, “Liu Lan, Liu Lan, I’m here—”
This shout made the street passersby glance over, her brother Liu Feng also snapped out of it due to the loud call, letting out a helpless sigh, covering his face in very embarrassed manner.
“Liu Lan, come out quickly!”
“I’ve developed a new dish, a super ultimate absolute lethal weapon, this time you will surely lose!”
The little girl’s noisy offensive was effective; soon, a middle-aged man and a young man came out of the restaurant.
The middle-aged man was this era’s owner and head chef of Juxia Building, Liu Lan.
Liu Lan had a simple and honest middle-aged appearance, an honest person, feeling helpless in the face of the little girl’s shouting and challenges. However, it was evident that this wasn’t his first time dealing with such matters, so he was experienced, calmly smiling as he said, “Little Ying, as per our agreement, if you lose this time, don’t issue another challenge for a month.”
“Hmph, haven’t I always fulfilled the agreement?” Liu Ying aloofly turned her head.
“Liu Lan!”
Then, another voice came, a female voice.
Liu Lan saw Zhu Qing, his body trembled, and he lowered his head, greeting nervously, “Aqing…or rather, Chef Zhu, you’re here.”
Well, now Liu Feng’s goofy aura seemed to have shifted onto Liu Lan.
Hearing the nervous and subtly fearful greeting, Xia Yu couldn’t help but focus on Zhu Qing beside him.
Couldn’t help a mental whistle.
My Aunt Qing, quite remarkable indeed.
Apparently, she was like the childhood ruler of the courtyard; back then, the young Liu Lan clearly suffered at the hands of this “problematic little girl”.
“What are you staring at!”
Zhu Qing got displeased due to Xia Yu’s weird grin, tugging his arm, “Liu Lan, let’s find a seat first, you go handle your personal affairs quickly and serve the dishes!”
“Remember, it needs to be quick!”