227 A horrendous assortment 1 (1/2)

Little Sister, what do you want to do here?”

Shen Ming Yue casually tossed the question towards the young girl besides her as they walked along the streets of Dong Lin City.

The two maidens glanced around the various stores containing a wide array of commodities, their curiosity stoked and banked from time to time.

”What do I want to do…?”

An Fei traced the base of her chin with her index finger, her mind lashing through several replies.

Settling on ambiguity with a hint of truth, the young girl lowered her gaze to inspect the paved streets of limestone as she parted her lips.

”I want to go to Jiang'an.”

”The capital?” the youthful girl besides her echoed in surprise.

”Why the capital – I mean, what would you even do there, Little Sister?”

Shen Ming Yue exhaled as she brushed away a nagging shopkeeper to closely inspect a hairpin cast from bronze and lined with suet jade, only to return in disappointment.

Her cheeks puffed as a charming and pitiful smile graced her countenance, prompting a not too few number of heads turned towards her direction.

”There's someone who I want to meet at Jiang'an,” An Fei shrugged as she spoke with a nonchalant tone.

”They're a close relative, and there's nothing better than seeking a safe refuge at these times.”

The youthful girl could merely give an appraising nod, only to pull her younger partner in the direction of a small-scaled restaurant.

Shen Ming Yue directly ignored An Fei's shout of protest as they breached through the just opening door and the shopkeeper's startled expression, sitting down at the nearest table without a care in the world.

”Ming–Elder Sister, why this restaurant? It's so early, perhaps we could wait a little more?”

The young girl balked at the abrupt glare directed towards her from Shen Ming Yue, and quickly waved the white flag to utter a soft 'Elder Sister' under her breath.

The youthful girl quickly beamed at her obedient partner, waving towards the shopkeeper who had returned from restoring the store to open business.

”Hehe, Little Sister will soon find out, ah! Shopkeeper, the usual!”

The shopkeeper blinked in surprise and squinted in the direction of the speaker, his brows furrowed in confusion. The next moment, as if he had received a brief of divine gospel, the wizened countenance lightened with a dense smile.

”The usual… Young Miss, this one understands!”

Hunching his back, the owner of the small restaurant departed into a secluded corridor hidden behind a sliding wooden panel stationed at the farthest corner.

Her eyebrow raised in puzzlement, An Fei tapped the table with her finger as she raised her gaze to survey the room.

”Is there anything special about this place…” the young girl murmured.

”…it doesn't seem to even have a menu?”

The restaurant could hardly be called a diner, for the interior of the building was merely a spiel of chairs and tables arranged in a careless and random pattern. The walls were barren for decoration save for a few scrolls of lakeside paintings unfurled to impose themselves upon the diners.

There wasn't a menu depicting what assortment of foods was available for purchase, nor was there a counter for any employee to receive orders.

”Little Sister, just wait five minutes and there will be a surprise!”

Shen Ming Yue teased with a lilting voice, her lips curled into a pleased smile as she earnestly gazed into the scarlet irises of the young girl seated across from her.

The young girl hurled her gaze to the adjacent wall as if testifying to her innocence, though her index finger maintained its constant barrage against the surface of the wooden table.

Five minutes… and what was this 'usual' that Shen Ming Yue mentioned earli-

Creak!

The entrance to the store was brusquely shoved open as a burly youth strode in, his figure casting a shadow of gloom onto the dim and quiet atmosphere of the silent restaurant.

The youth yawned as he walked forwards to seat himself in a random chair, surveying his surroundings after having made himself comfortable.

”Oh? There's someone else here before me?” the youth's brows soared towards the sky, his eyes fixating themselves onto the graceful and voluptuous figure of Shen Ming Yue.

”… Cheng Yu Xuan, do you need for me to teach you another lesson?”

The youthful girl's countenance maintained an easygoing smile, though her words were laced with a subtle but deathly layer of frost.

Seated across from her, An Fei obtained a brief impression that Shen Ming Yue's happy mood had submerged itself by a significant margin, and baited herself into witnessing another passionate gaze once she bolstered her courage to take a peek.

”…Beauty Shen is ever-graceful in bearing and wisdom.”

The youth named Cheng Yu Xuan sighed as he clasped his fist before his chest in the jianghu's salute. Heeding the urges of her curiosity, An Fei's eyes roamed onto the newcomer's presence, her countenance flickering with a slight interest.