The tall and slender figure walking in had a pretty face with a smile hovering over it. It was Yao Siqing, the sister whom Jiang Sheng had not seen much of in the past few days.
She was also Jiang Sheng's only friend in the entire Fengjing.
"What are you standing there blankly for?" Yao Siqing laughed and reached out, skillfully dishing out food and said, "Hmm, still so round. Sister didn't I teach you, you need to eat more vegetables?"
"But Sister Yao, pork hock is so delicious," Jiang Sheng replied indistinctly, "And I've become thinner, whose face are you pinching?"
What she said was reasonable.
Yao Siqing almost gave up on the idea of teaching Jiang Sheng to lose weight. She tsked and said, "But little Jiang Jiang, girls who are too fat will not be liked by boys."
"That's not true. My brother really likes me," Jiang Sheng retorted with her hands on her hips. "All brothers like me."
They say it's a blessing to be able to eat well and be chubby.
Yao Siqing was almost persuaded again. She smiled wryly and said, "Actually I don't want you to lose weight either, but Jiang Sheng, you will eventually grow up and become a charming young lady."
But there are already so many charming young ladies in Fengjing, one more wouldn't make a difference.
Just think of those young ladies from prestigious families, they only eat two sticks of vegetables a day in order to maintain their figures. Their waists may be slim and delicate, but their bodies are also fragile and brittle, falling with a light push.
On the other hand, even three men probably can't push Jiang Sheng down.
Yao Siqing felt that she was fine as she currently was, at least for now.
"Oh well, when you hit a growth spurt in the future, you will naturally become thinner," she comforted herself thusly. Then she pulled Jiang Sheng's hand, "Since we are already at the Tranquil Residence, sister will treat you to a meal. Eat whatever you want without worries, sister has money."
"Do you still remember what I taught you last time? Don't smile at people casually, walk in gracefully instead. Ask for a private room, you need an air of mystery..."
What a beautiful sister, though she does talk a lot.
Jiang Sheng was in a daze as she was half pulled and half dragged into the Tranquil Residence.
The head waiter was taking inventory. When he saw Yao Siqing, he wanted to come over to greet her. But when he caught sight of Jiang Sheng, he was so frightened that he couldn't even get the words out. He just stammered, "Mi-miss, you've come."
It was evident that Mrs. Jiang had announced Jiang Sheng's identity. The head waiter was afraid that he would be held accountable for his previous arrogance.
"We'll take a second floor private room," Yao Siqing suddenly spoke.
It was like the head waiter was granted amnesty. He wiped his sweat and hurriedly went to arrange it.
After the two of them were seated, he also hurriedly got someone to serve tea. Listening to Yao Siqing smoothly listing the dishes, his face maintained an obsequious smile.
He still remembered how he had smiled at Jiang Chenghua in the same way previously.
Jiang Sheng felt somewhat dazed as she recalled the few times she clashed with Jiang Chenghua here. Although she didn't suffer too much loss, the deterrence and authority brought by the prestigious status still left an indelible impression in her heart.
Especially when they almost fought last time. Although her anger was vented, if their partnership was completely ruined, it would be a loss in terms of heart and money as well.
On the other hand, a large establishment like Tranquil Residence remained unharmed with their fortune intact, merely missing out on a bit of pocket money.
Until the world was turned upside down.
The formerly helpless little orphan girl became the recipient of bootlicking. As for Jiang Chenghua, word was that she had been unconscious all this while, seemingly avoiding something.
Is this the power brought by status?
Someone who climbed up step by step from the bottom like her would surely feel happy inside, but when it came too easily, it made one feel panicky without a sense of fulfillment from overcoming the odds by oneself .
Yao Siqing finally finished listing the dishes and reminded her again, "I've ordered all the signature dishes. You can add whatever else you like. Don't hold back and just order what you want, sister has money."
"That's enough, enough." Jiang Sheng shook her head. "It's still better not to waste and splurge."
Only then did the head waiter retreat obsequiously to arrange for the dishes to be prepared, and serve them out as quickly as possible.
The private room became quiet again.
While sipping premium Longjing tea, Yao Siqing did not forget to ask aloud, "What were you hesitating about at the door just now? If you really take me as a friend, go ahead and tell me without worries. I'll definitely help if I can."
Jiang Sheng fiddled with her fingers. She was uncertain if she should say it or not.
After a long while, she finally made up her mind. "I know Sister Yao's identity is not simple, you should be a young lady from the Yao family in Fengjing. I want to tell you about some things regarding the Jiang family. Don't laugh at me."
She then talked about the events surrounding her switched identity at birth. She also brought up her earlier dilemma.
"I wanted to ask the Tranquil Residence if they could make hand-pulled noodles. But I don't want to have too much contact with the Jiang family either," the little girl's face was full of melancholy. "Sometimes I feel like this is all a dream, and when I wake up I'll have nothing left."
"I don't covet riches and honor, but I'm afraid that everything before my eyes is a mirage, that I'll lose it all after getting it. Then it'd be better if I never had it at all."
Jiang Sheng looked up. The 11-year-old her had gradually learned to pretend that she was fine even when feeling sad, forcing out a smile instead of shedding tears.
But it was precisely this kind of smile that made people's heart ache even more sadly.
Yao Siqing clenched her handkerchief tightly. Her heart felt extremely stuffy and uncomfortable.
Without warning, a commotion came from outside. The obese head waiter nimbly rushed in and impatiently said, "Want, I want it. I'll take it, the hand-pulled noodles too."
When he saw Yao Siqing's strange expression and Jiang Sheng's stunned look, he retreated two steps back and explained, "It's not because of the Jiang family that I want it. I know about the hand-pulled noodles. Previously a customer ate it in Anshui Prefecture then came to Fengjing to look for it, but I couldn't make it too. Since I happened to hear Miss mention it, of course I'll want it."
It was just plain noodles, but it could be cooked to have a rich meaty fragrance. It would definitely suit the appetites of the rich people in Fengjing perfectly.
There's no denying that although the head waiter looked down on customers when taking orders, he still had good business senses.
Yao Siqing nodded. She turned to look at Jiang Sheng with some encouragement in her eyes.
"Then... I'll open a workshop to supply hand-pulled noodles to you," Jiang Sheng took a deep breath. "We'll sign a business agreement for this partnership based on clear terms. This is purely business."
It's unrelated to the Jiang family, and also has nothing to do with Miss Jiang.
"Good, good!" The head waiter readily agreed. "The dishes have arrived. Please eat slowly, young ladies. I'll go attend to the other guests."
After placing the piping hot dishes neatly on the table, he thoughtfully closed the door on his way out too.
The private room became quiet again.
On the table was a range of meat dishes giving off heat and aroma, featuring all kinds of premium beef and mutton that were rarely seen usually. On the contrary, common poultry like chicken, duck and goose were missing, let alone pork.
Jiang Sheng recalled the pork hock that she loved the most. Although the crispy skin was certainly appetizing, she had only been eating pork all these years. The main reason was because beef and mutton were far too precious for ordinary people to afford or even have the chance to eat.
Despite coming to this upscale restaurant no less than a hundred times, she hadn't managed to eat a single full meal here before this.
And now, the high-grade lamb ribs had been stewed till the meat slipped off the bones. It beckoned invitingly at her from within the rich gravy. But Jiang Sheng had no appetite for it.
"Little Jiang Sheng, have some food," Yao Siqing put two pieces of beef onto her plate. "The ingredients used by the Tranquil Residence are the best and freshest."
In the past, she would have wolfed everything down for sure.
But now, the crestfallen little girl only lightly shook her head while asking in a dazed, bewildered way, "Sister Yao, if you were me, would you go back?"
