sbdcsierra Chapter 38 The Teahouse Farce
Chapter 38 The Teahouse Farce
As they were heading towards the Prince's residence, someone suddenly stopped the Prince of Jin's carriage.
"Your Highness Prince Jin, our young master invites you to a gathering at Juhong Tower."
The guard Lan Yu said to the Prince of Jin in the carriage, "Your Highness, this is the guard of the Marquis of Ding'an's heir. Shall we go?"
"Go ahead, it's been a long time since I've seen Qiu Bai."
Each carriage was equipped with one or two sets of casual clothes. Prince Jin changed out of his court robes, and the coachman drove the carriage toward Juhong Tower.
Juhonglou is the largest restaurant in the capital. Most of the chefs were once imperial chefs who were rehired after retiring. The older master chefs are responsible for providing guidance, while others cook themselves. Needless to say, the dishes are excellent, and the wines are all top-quality.
Those who frequent this place are usually wealthy and influential people, but there are also ordinary people who occasionally bring their families to shop there once or twice. However, they cannot spend as freely as the rich, so they conserve their money and enjoy life within their means.
"Whoa... Miss Long, we've arrived at the teahouse." Coachman Uncle Chen called out to the carriage, pulling on the reins.
Long Chuqing lifted the carriage curtain and glanced to the side. The teahouse was also three stories high. This street was quite bustling, and most of the shops here were three stories high.
The large characters "Qinlan Tea House" on the tea house's entrance are written with a distinctly artistic flair.
She asked Uncle Chen if he wanted to come in together, but Uncle Chen waved his hand and said, "No, no, I'll go get something to eat over there and then come back here to wait for you."
Since Uncle Chen was unwilling, she did not force him, and she and Ziguang got off the carriage.
Zi Guang helped Long Chuqing into the teahouse. Upon entering, one could see different varieties of orchids displayed everywhere, no wonder it was called Qinlan Teahouse.
It is the season when Cymbidium goeringii and Cymbidium ensifolium bloom. The aroma of tea is occasionally mingled with the fragrance of orchids, giving people a refreshing and comfortable feeling and adding a touch of elegance to the teahouse.
The teahouse was packed with guests, and the main hall was completely full.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the waiter hurried forward to greet her, "Hello, young lady."
The woman in purple asked, "Are there any private rooms available?"
The waiter said apologetically to them, "Ladies, I'm so sorry, we're out of seats. Even the main hall is full. It's packed every day at this time. Would you like to wait?"
Long Chuqing thought for a moment and realized it was really unfortunate, as it was lunchtime. He then said, "Let's not wait any longer, Ziguang, let's go."
"I'm so sorry, please take care, miss. Come again next time." The waiter gestured respectfully.
At this moment, a young man sitting in the lobby, who was relatively close to the entrance, stood up gracefully and called out to Long Chuqing: "Miss, please wait. If you don't mind, I would like to offer you my seat first."
She stopped when she heard this, and glanced to the side. There was a handsome and refined-looking man who looked like a scholar.
Teahouses are mostly places where refined people and scholars gather.
Just as I was about to refuse his kindness, the people at the next table stood up and echoed, "I am also willing to give way."
Long Chuqing, Zi Guang, and the man all looked in the direction of the sound.
Mr. Yu could also give up his seat for the girl.
If you don't mind, Mr. Qin is willing to give up his seat for the young lady.
As they spoke, they all stood up, and the lobby instantly became noisy as people stood up one after another.
The handsome young man was momentarily embarrassed; he hadn't expected such a scene and was at a loss for what to do.
Most people were just there for the spectacle. Some looked over when they heard the noise, wanting to know what had happened. Others, seeing how beautiful the woman was, took a second look.
Hearing the commotion, some people upstairs came out to watch. When they saw a beautiful woman standing downstairs, they cheered, "If you don't mind, we humble folks are willing to give up our private room for you."
Even the innkeeper was alarmed. He was upstairs entertaining guests, but when he heard the commotion, he rushed down to check, thinking that some unpleasant fight had taken place.
The noisy atmosphere immediately overshadowed the originally quiet environment, making it seem chaotic and disorderly.
Zi Guang, standing to the side, was stunned. He grabbed Long Chuqing's arm, his palms trembling and sweating.
Long Chuqing held Ziguang's hand reassuringly, "It's alright."
"It's a mess, let's go." Zhu pulled Ziguang towards the door.
Why did they leave? Everyone kept looking outside.
When they arrived at the door, they stood aside. Uncle Chen had gone out to eat and hadn't returned yet.
Seeing that Ziguang was still a little timid, Long Chuqing wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked, "Are you feeling better?"
Zi Guang nodded: "Much better."
The young girl rarely left the manor and probably hadn't been to these places much before, nor had she witnessed the scene just now, so she was somewhat timid and uneasy.
The innkeeper approached Long Chuqing with an apologetic expression: "Miss, I am the innkeeper of Qinlan Tea House. I am truly sorry for what happened earlier. Please don't take it to heart."
“We have a private room in our building, which the owner usually uses to entertain friends. It’s not open to the public. Our owner said that as an apology, if you’d like, you can sit in the private room and today’s bill will be waived.”
Long Chuqing listened quietly to him finish speaking, then raised her eyebrows slightly: "No need to apologize, it's not a big deal. It's normal for it to be crowded at lunchtime, so we won't go. Please thank your employer for me."
“Well… since you don’t wish to sit down, I won’t force you. These are some of the best-selling dim sum in our teahouse. Please accept them as a small token of my apology.”
The shopkeeper handed over the exquisite box.
Long Chuqing declined, "Thank you, but no need."
"Please accept this, otherwise the master will blame me for not doing a good job," he said, stuffing it into Ziguang's hand.
"I have to go back and get busy." The shopkeeper, afraid that Ziguang would return to him, quickly ran inside.
“Miss, this…” Zi Guang looked at the box in her hand, looking troubled.
"Then take it!"
They've already stuffed it into my hand, so refusing would seem too pretentious. Besides, I can't really go inside and return it, can I? It might just lead to another tug-of-war.
Looking at the bright sunshine in front of me, the street is dappled with light and shadow, and every scene is shining. On the busy street, there is a constant flow of cars and people.
They can't just stand here forever! Standing here like idiots isn't a solution. Since they can't go to the teahouse, they'll find another way.
She said to Ziguang, "Uncle Chen probably won't be back so soon. Go ask at the restaurant across the street if they have any private rooms available. Let's go eat there."
"Okay, then wait for me here, young lady." Zi Guang glanced at the restaurant across the street, responded, and walked across the street.
Ziguang returned shortly after: "Miss, there are still private rooms available."
“Then let’s go over there,” Long Chuqing said, taking the pastry box. Zi Guang helped her across. There were pedestrians walking along the road, and carriages were also traveling.
As they approached the restaurant entrance, a drunkard suddenly opened his arms to Long Chuqing, grinning lewdly as he rushed over, exclaiming, "Beauty, I see a fairy!"
Long Chuqing was just about to go up the steps when he called out to her. She already only had one foot to walk on, and she almost missed a step. She swayed, and the box in her hand fell, scattering pastries all over the ground.
Zi Guang helped her up. She thought to herself, "What a blunder! I didn't check the almanac before I went out today. One bad thing after another has happened."