A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 199 The Lively Scene of Breakfast

Chao Shi Ji, located at the corner of Dongshi, is always bustling with customers.

A long queue had formed outside the doctor's office, all waiting for him to diagnose their ailments so they could go in and enjoy a delicious medicinal meal.

The shop was already full, with no seats available, and many people had to sit together.

The waiters inside were running around nimbly, the shopkeeper was counting money at the counter, and Jiang Xinyue was not showing up; she must be in the kitchen overseeing the medicinal cuisine.

Xiang He and Zhu Nan went around to the back door and went up to the second floor, trying to avoid being seen by the Xiang family.

The two stood by the stair railing and looked down. The Xiang family had already come in. As soon as they saw someone get up, they immediately sat down and urged the people at the table to finish eating quickly so that they could make room for them.

This Li family is truly domineering. This is clearly the capital city, yet she still has the nerve to show her ugly side.

The people at the table wanted to retort, but their bowls were almost empty and they were too lazy to argue with these people, so they ate a few bites and got up to leave.

Li pulled Xiang Fusheng to sit down, saying, "Fusheng, sit down quickly. Tell Grandma what you want to eat."

This behavior disgusted Xiang Fusheng, but in order to avoid upsetting his grandmother, he simply nodded and said, "Anything is fine."

The lineage of the fourth son has completely separated, and the three branches have severed ties.

The second wife's family was already doing well. As Fourth Aunt had said, with Xiang Lianmei mediating this year, the second wife's family had also separated from Xiang Lao Si's family. From now on, they would exchange gifts during festivals, and would not meet unless necessary.

Xiang He couldn't help but admire Xiang Lianmei's intelligence. If she hadn't followed suit and separated the family after being stuck with the eldest son's family and Xiang Lao Si, she would have only faced endless trouble in the future.

"Miss, how can we get Ye Shuyao to come over?"

Xiang He pressed her hands against the fence, looking down with interest. "What's the rush? Even without Ye Shuyao, there are other important people coming here."

Chaoshiji is already quite famous in the East Market, attracting many distinguished guests. If they offend even one of them, given Fusheng's prideful nature, he will certainly not stay in the capital any longer.

As the old saying goes, don't talk about ghosts at night, and don't talk about people during the day.

A delicate pink figure walked in through the gate, accompanied by two young ladies, chatting and laughing as they searched for a seat.

The innkeeper immediately went to make arrangements, and a table happened to be available, which, coincidentally, was the table next to the Xiang family's.

Raising an eyebrow, she leaned closer to He, "This is going to be interesting~"

"As you wish, young lady."

Ye Shuyao immediately noticed Xiang Fusheng below. She didn't pay much attention to him at first, but Xiang Fusheng's gaze was too intense.

That look in his eyes was really interesting; the kind of infatuation a young man had when he saw a beautiful woman made Xiang He feel nauseous...

"Could it be that Xiang Fusheng has taken a liking to someone?"

"Young lady, please don't speak yet..."

The three who knew the core of the matter each had their own thoughts. When Ye Shuyao first saw Xiang Fusheng, her heart was filled with turmoil. When she saw the group of people at the table, she thought she would never see them again in this life, but unexpectedly...

"Shuyao, why don't you sit down?"

The young lady beside her gently tugged at her. Ye Shuyao was startled for a moment before realizing what was happening. She forced a smile to hide the disgust in her eyes and sat down. "I was lost in thought. Where were we?"

"Speaking of the young master of the Xiao family, I heard that he found evidence to prove the Xiao family's innocence."

Ye Shuyao nodded in realization, "Young Master Xiao is indeed exceptionally intelligent."

She was talking to the two young ladies, but her mind was not on the topic at hand. She was secretly plotting how to deal with the family that had hurt her.

Now that she has changed her appearance and identity, she will no longer be held back by this family.

Even if the other person doesn't recognize her, just seeing their face will remind her of her impoverished first half of life, and she absolutely doesn't want to recall the past again!

As soon as she made up her mind, Xiang He caught the fleeting chill in Ye Shuyao's eyes.

"Looks like it's about to begin."

"Besides the girl and us, no one in the Xiang family should be able to recognize us, so why are we still dealing with this?"

Xiang He raised her index finger and shook it from side to side a few times. "You don't know this, do you? She experienced a life of poverty and then suddenly became rich. But her past memories are still there. Whenever she sees these faces, of course she will remember the past."

When Xiang Lianhua tried to harm Xiang Yun, Xiang He retaliated, which is why she later died.

Though dead, she was still alive; that was the hexagram she was facing at the time.

Now, when I see these people, I feel only hatred and disgust. How can I let them bother me?

"Human hearts are truly unpredictable."

Xiang He nodded in agreement, "Go and pass on a message to Xin Yue for me."

Zhu Nan listened attentively and, upon receiving the instructions, immediately went downstairs to the kitchen to find Jiang Xinyue.

But Zhu Nan returned a moment later, saying, "Miss Jiang will do as she says."

"Then we can just watch the show."

Before long, Jiang Xinyue appeared below, carrying a bowl of medicinal food. She casually winked at He and quickly bowed to deliver it to Madam Yu.

"Sir, this is a medicinal dish to refresh your mind. Be careful, it's hot."

Just as Yu was about to make a move after setting it down, Li stood up and picked it up, saying, "This is Fusheng's brain-refreshing drink; eating more is good for your health. You finally passed the preliminary examination, so eat more!"

As she was about to put the bowl down, her limping leg suddenly bumped into something, and her elbow was also hit, causing the medicinal food she was holding to fall straight to the side.

With a crash, the large bowl shattered on the ground, and a bowl full of porridge spilled onto the floor.

"oops!"

A large bowl of porridge fell to the ground, splashing a lot of porridge water, startling everyone at both tables who stood up at the same time.

"Is Miss alright?" A maid in green glared angrily at Madam Li. "You can't even hold a bowl of porridge properly. How can you compensate me if Miss is injured!"

As she spoke, she hurriedly checked Ye Shuyao's injuries. The hot porridge had splashed up and burned her hand. She only had to lift a small part of the porridge to see that it was red from the burn!

"Miss! It's all red from the burn!"

Ye Shuyao pursed her lips and frowned as if she was enduring the pain. "Go and get some cool water."

"Yes!"

The maid hurriedly went to find the waiter, who, upon learning that she had been burned, immediately led her to the kitchen.

The young lady next to her quickly helped her sit on a bench. "Are you alright?"

"How can it be okay? It's all red from the burn..."

One of the young ladies glared angrily at Li, "How did you hold that bowl! If it leaves a scar, can you, a mere commoner, afford to pay for it?!"

The Xiang family was still in a daze. After hearing the reprimand, they immediately bowed and paid their respects. However, Li Shi put one hand on her hip and glanced at the scalded red mark, saying, "It's just a splash. Just wipe it with medicine."

As she spoke, she gave him a sarcastic look, "Everyone in the capital is a young lady, why are you all so aloof..."

"Grandma!" Xiang Fusheng pulled Li Shi over and bowed with his hands clasped. "Miss, my grandmother was also careless. I hope you will forgive her."

Seeing his eldest grandson, a scholar who had just completed his studies, being so humble, he ignited the anger that had been building up since arriving in the capital and forcefully pulled Xiang Fusheng behind him.

"Just tell me if there's any injury. It's just a small burn, and you want my grandson to apologize? What a fuss!"

"Grandma!"

Faced with Xiang Fusheng's reprimand, Li Shi was unperturbed, saying, "Fusheng, you are a student of the Imperial Academy, why should you bow down to others? Really!"

"Shut up!" Xiang Laosi hunched over, "Miss, I'm so sorry, we're just country women who don't know any manners. Do you think we need to pay you some money?"

Seeing her family opposing her, Li's resentment intensified, and she cursed, "You all refuse to help your own family and instead side with a complete stranger! So what if she gets burned! Does burning affect her appearance?"

"How dare you!"

A sharp shout rang in her ears, and the maid in green raised her hand and slapped her across the face—

A crisp slap rang out, and Chaoshiji fell silent instantly.