DIDKNWGEWAFEM

Chapter 36: You Jinru

“Ah-Luo, how about we set up a little banquet this time?” The frequently-idle Rong Jiahui suggested, stemming from a recent overwhelming victory.

She also really wants to invite extra people for a sit-down so she can practice her skills for it in advance. Being the future hostess of Marquis Dingyuan’s household, she’ll want to be a step better at it when she has to prepare feasts and deal with people.

Yet, this time, there doesn’t really need to be ‘extra’ people invited; she can just casually invite a few who she’s familiar with. Jiahui’s of noble birth, after all, and even if she didn’t learn something well, she’s still learned it. It’s not bad enough to the point where she wouldn’t be able to make all this happen.

Zhongli Luo always listens to whatever she says, so she nods in response without any hesitation at all. “Do as you like. You don’t need to ask me like this in the future, if you want to do something then you can just do it.”

“Those are your words, then,” Jiahui said coyly. “If the day comes where I blow the roof off, you can’t say a thing to me!”

“I won’t say anything to you even if you blow up the house,” Zhongli Luo follows up.

Jiahui promptly punched her in rebuke. What crap is that? Seriously? Is that what kind of person she is?

Though normally not much of one to rely on, Jiahui genuinely didn’t have any slip-ups when making up her little banquet. This is the Northwest anyways, so there’s no importance attached to customs. There’s basically no customs at all, in fact. She simply invited everyone, even their wives.

At this event, all the men are Zhongli Luo’s colleagues and all the women are Rong Jiahui’s sisters, resulting in greatly harmonious circle they’re all sitting in.

However, none of them expected that, in the middle of everyone’s eating, a surprise guest would appear at the doorway.

Jiahui walked over, looking at Mu Qian with some confusion. How odd. Did she invite him?

Those that had been dining with gusto in the courtyard saw him come in and reined themselves in in an instant. Mu Qian’s rank is extremely high, and the disparity he has between the rest of them isn’t short.

“General Mu,” everyone greets stiffly, cupping their hands.

He acted as if he didn’t see them and paid them no attention. He smiled somewhat shyly, passing a paper bundle he held over to Jiahui. “I just happened to be on the way when I saw this and bought it. It’s not Gui Yunzhai’s work from the capital, but it’ll do…”

She stared at the neatly laid-out pastries wrapped in oiled paper. Gui Yunzhai? She has some kind of recollection of that name, as her papa had bought her a cake from them once when she was little. However… she also recalls that that store’s been shut down for nearly ten years now. It seems like he isn’t aware of that, judging from his tone.

She sniffs at the contents of the bundle. Seems to be an ube pastry…

“Sorry, General,” she speaks up, wrinkling her nose, “I never eat ube pastries. I appreciate your offer of this snack, but you can have it back.”

He paused, somewhat awkwardly and slowly withdrawing his hand. “Sorry.”

He had thought that what she had liked back then would also be liked by this girl with a striking resemblance to her. His want to see her smile as she holds something she loves is something he now realizes is nothing more than wishful thinking.

At this moment, Tan Jun, who had been observing The Enemy’s status, tugged at Zhongli Luo, who was leaning forward after only drinking two cups again. “Zhong, my boy, what’ll you do? Looks like there’s someone who wants to dig out your corner over there! General Mu’s background is better than yours, and so is his rank! You’re a bit left to dry, here!”