Feast of Flowers

Chapter 22: Strength

"Where is this?" Hua Jin looked up at the red lanterns hanging on either side of the courtyard gate. It was quiet inside, without the usual hustle and bustle of a regular restaurant.

"It's a private kitchen that doesn't cater to ordinary customers. The cook inside is a master at cooking." Pei Yan stepped over the threshold. "Let's go."

Hua Jin clung to the door frame and blinked at Pei Yan. "Mr. Pei, you know I'm from the village, right?"

"Just a moment ago you were thanking me, are you planning to regret it now?" Pei Yan almost laughed at Hua Jin's words. "My kindness to you isn't even worth a meal?"

"Forget one meal, even if it's a month's worth of meals, it's more than enough." Hua Jin looked innocent. "But the problem is I don't have much money, I'm afraid I won't have enough when it's time to pay the bill, and I can't afford to lose face."

"So it's not embarrassing to linger outside the door?"

"At least that way I'm only losing face, not money. Should I just work like a slave to repay you?"

"There's a joke online that says when a woman wants to repay a man she doesn't like, she says she'll work like a slave, but when she wants to offer herself to a man she likes, she'll say she'll be his." Pei Yan looked at Hua Jin askance. "What do you think?"

"Offering oneself requires mutual consent between both parties." Hua Jin muttered under her breath, head down. "If offering oneself only brings trouble to the person being repaid, it's not repayment, it's revenge."

"Hmph, you're good at finding excuses." Pei Yan grabbed Hua Jin's arm and pulled her inside when she was still clinging to the door frame. "Don't worry, it won't cost you much."

After walking a few steps, Pei Yan suddenly remembered something and looked down at Hua Jin's knees, slowing his pace. "There's a chef at this private kitchen who's very good at cooking Sichuan cuisine."

Hua Jin looked up in surprise.

"My grandfather used to love his cooking when he was still alive. Since you're from Sichuan Province, help me taste it later and see if his dishes are truly authentic Sichuan-style."

Hua Jin buried her head again and murmured, "Oh."

There weren't many people dining in this place, but that didn't mean there were no people. When someone noticed that Pei Yan had brought a young girl here to eat, they couldn't help but be surprised.

With Pei Yan's unpredictable temperament, who could stand being with him besides a woman who just wanted to take advantage of him and leave? If someone spent their whole life with him, they would likely develop a psychological illness.

Some people hesitated whether to go say hello or not, but when they saw Pei Yan take the girl's wrist, they tactfully pulled back their heads. In this day and age, interfering in someone's love life would only bring bad luck.

If they ruined this good thing for him, there would be even more trouble.

Hua Jin noticed that Pei Yan was very familiar with this place, indicating that he often came here to eat.

Passing through the archway, someone came to lead the way and brought them to a private room. "Mr. Pei, same as usual?"

"We'll have Sichuan cuisine today," Pei Yan took a sip of the appetizer tea. "I'm tired of eating the same few things."

"Alright, please wait a moment." The receptionist gave a slight bow to the two of them and then exited the private room.

Hua Jin looked up at the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall. "Fresh carp silk, fragrant celery soup in the emerald brook. Potent Sichuan liquor, delicious river fish. It's quite appropriate to have the poems of the Poetry Sage displayed here."