When Miss Jun walked over, Zhu Zan was joking and laughing with Zhang Baotang, Sifeng, and the others who had come upon hearing the news.
"Second Brother, Sister-in-law is here!" Zhang Baotang was the first to spot her and quickly exclaimed excitedly.
Zhu Zan laughed heartily, wrapping his arm around Sifeng's shoulder.
"So you're admitting the young lady didn't take an interest in you?" he said, continuing the previous conversation.
Sifeng smiled faintly.
"Well, I wasn't interested in her either," he replied.
Zhang Baotang reached out to slap Zhu Zan.
"Second Brother, Second Brother." He called out.
Zhu Zan glared.
"What is it?" he replied irritably. Then he turned his head, as if only noticing Miss Jun standing behind him. "Why are you here?"
As if he didn't know why he was there, Miss Jun pursed her lips and smiled.
"What a coincidence," she said, "I came to Jiuling Hall."
Zhu Zan let out a sound of acknowledgment.
"Sister-in-law, we're planning to go have lamb soup," Zhang Baotang said eagerly. "This time you can go with us, right?"
This time.
Miss Jun thought of last year when she had just arrived in the capital and met Zhu Zan and his group. At that time, Zhang Baotang had also extended an invitation to join them for a meal, but it was certainly not as earnest as now—and Zhu Zan had flatly turned it down.
Back then, she was an odd stranger to them. Now, she was Zhu Zan's wife.
"Alright," Miss Jun said. "Let's go have lamb soup at Xixi."
Zhang Baotang let out a sound of surprise.
"Sister-in-law..." he said.
Zhu Zan coughed lightly, interrupting him.
"We're not married yet. Don't call her that." He said in a deep tone, "She has a name."
"Miss Jun, you know about Xixi lamb soup too?" Zhang Baotang said, quickly correcting himself.
Xixi lamb soup was an old shop in the capital, not particularly famous, and certainly not a place everyone flocked to like the large restaurants and eateries.
She knew of it because her master praised it constantly, though every trip back to the capital was busy and rushed. He had always said there would be "another chance to go next time." After getting married, Lu Yunqi also mentioned taking her there someday. But someday never came.
"The Lord Heir talked about it before," she said with a smile, glancing at Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan gave her a cold smile but didn't refute her, instead turning his head away.
...…
...….
When Lu Yunqi saw Miss Jun walking over, he stood up. The Jinyiwei near him immediately followed closely, but Lu Yunqi didn't take a step forward—he simply stood quietly at the corner of the street and watched.
Half the street had long been cleared of pedestrians.
Only after Zhu Zan and his group mounted their horses and rode off did Lu Yunqi also mount his horse. Naturally, the Jinyiwei followed, the sound of their waist knives unsheathing loud and sharp.
They followed at a measured distance, causing passersby to instinctively make way wherever they went.
Zhang Baotang looked back.
"Second Brother, those dogs are still following us," he said.
Zhu Zan didn't even turn his head, his expression disdainful.
"As long as they don't block the way, they're well-behaved dogs," he said.
As they rode through a bustling street into a small alley, Lu Yunqi's indifferent expression changed slightly.
"Master, what's wrong?" The Jinyiwei beside him immediately became alert, scanning their surroundings.
"Nothing," Lu Yunqi replied, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "What a coincidence. Very good."
What coincidence? What's very good?
The Jinyiwei remained puzzled but had no need to understand. Their role was only to obey orders. Watching Lu Yunqi urge his horse forward, they hurriedly surrounded him front and back.
The narrow alley became crowded with the sudden arrival of so many people, and seeing the Jinyiwei appear, the small lamb soup shop quickly saw its patrons scatter like flustered birds and beasts.
Zhu Zan and his group had already entered and taken their seats. The shopkeeper and his staff nervously came forward to serve Lu Yunqi and his men.
"What can I get for you, Master?" they asked cautiously.
Lu Yunqi pointed at Zhu Zan and his group.
"Whatever they're having, I'll have the same," he said.
Indeed, it was yet another meeting between bitter enemies. The shopkeeper silently lamented, internally calling upon all the Heavenly Gods. Everyone in the capital knew that whenever the Duke of Chengguo's heir and Lu Yunqi crossed paths, there was never peace—especially now that the two were vying for the same beauty.
But Lu Yunqi merely spoke that one line before sitting down without further action, and Zhu Zan's group appeared not to notice Lu Yunqi's presence. The shopkeeper, praying to the heavens, led his staff in hurriedly serving them.
The lamb soup shop offered simple dishes, and the food was soon brought to their tables. Zhu Zan's group sat around one table, while Lu Yunqi sat alone at another. In the spacious hall, only these two tables were occupied—one side lively with laughter and conversation, the other utterly silent. The shopkeeper and staff stood to the side, feeling as though they were caught between fire and ice.
"Sister-in-law… Miss Jun, try this!" Zhang Baotang said warmly, placing a large lamb bone in front of Miss Jun.
Miss Jun lightly gathered up her sleeves, picking up the rather inelegant lamb bone and began eating.
On the other side, Lu Yunqi too picked up a lamb bone and took a slow bite.
"It's truly delicious!" Miss Jun said between bites, nodding repeatedly.
Her eating was quick and efficient, surprising Zhang Baotang and Sifeng.
"Miss Jun eats lamb bones like she's used to it," they said with a laugh.
Eating such bones did require some skill.
Miss Jun paused slightly while biting into a piece of cartilage, her eyes full of mirth.
More than just lamb bones—she had eaten raw fish before.
"There's nothing she hasn't eaten," Zhu Zan remarked from the side.
Zhang Baotang looked at Zhu Zan, a face full of admiration.
"Second Brother, you really understand Sister… Miss Jun," he said. "So thoughtful."
The first half of the sentence seemed normal, but the second half felt oddly nonsensical. Zhu Zan shot him a glare—how had he deduced thoughtfulness from that?
Miss Jun put the bone down, spreading her hands slightly to keep her sleeves from touching the oil stains. Zhang Baotang was about to hand over a wet towel when he saw Zhu Zan had already grabbed one, holding Miss Jun's arm and wiping her hands for her with practiced efficiency.
After two swipes, Zhu Zan snapped back to his senses, inwardly cursing—how had serving others become such a natural habit?
Looking up at Zhang Baotang and Sifeng, their faces went from dumbfounded to grinning with ambiguous smiles, and Zhu Zan cursed again.
Three quick motions and Miss Jun's hands were cleaned. Zhu Zan threw down the towel, grabbed his chopsticks, and began eating shredded tofu as if nothing had happened.
"Miss Jun, try this as well," Zhang Baotang said again eagerly.
Miss Jun accepted with a smile.
The young lady's eating style was carefree, her conversation breezy, creating a vibrant and cheerful atmosphere at the table. Their group never glanced at the other guest, Lu Yunqi, while Lu Yunqi's gaze remained fixed on them—or rather, on Miss Jun.
Whatever Miss Jun ate, he ate. Whenever Miss Jun laughed, he laughed as well, as though they were sitting across from one another, sharing a meal.
It wasn't an unfamiliar sight.
Miss Jun recalled her early days in the capital when she and Ning Yunzhao had seen Lu Yunqi at a fried tofu shop, dining intimately with a young woman.
At the time, she hadn't understood. Now, it was clear—the woman had been pretending to be her.
Remembering that, and thinking of the many other women in that courtyard—all assembled to replicate her as pieces of a puzzle—while Lu Yunqi reveled in their company...
Miss Jun felt a wave of nausea, setting down her spoon and turning away to retch.
The people at the table were startled, and Zhang Baotang rose abruptly.
"Sister-in-law," he exclaimed, "Are you… expecting?"
Watching Miss Jun, Zhu Zan instantly reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"You're expecting, not her!" He shouted with a glare.
...….
...…
(Not in a great mood, two updates today.)