Chapter 72：Dine And Dash

Xia Chunyu sighed helplessly. Why must she be so sarcastic all the time? Does she really despise him that much?

Liu Li retorted angrily, "Nice try. Why don't you spin another tale again, Brother Chunyu is not so easily deceived."

Ye Jiayao rolled her eyes. This woman was so fake she doesn't see how anyone would believe her.

Xia Chunyu handed the money pouch to Liu Li. "Princess, Li Yao is my friend, and he's also a friend of Young Royal Highness Jing. If he has offended you in any way, I apologize on his behalf."

"Brother Chunyu, what did you say?" Liu Li asked in disbelief, thinking that she misheard him.

Ye Jiayao snorted and said, "You don't have to apologize on my behalf. I didn't do anything wrong. She was the one being disrespectful to the people in the restaurant, I only lectured her about her behavior. I don't care if she's a princess, I'm not apologizing for something I didn't do."

She wasn't going to apologize to this retarded, arrogant princess. She must learn that not everyone was going to bend to her whims just because of her title.

Liu Li glared at Li Yao in disbelief, wondering where he got the audacity to speak like that. He really didn't care that she's a princess? Wasn't he just chef from a restaurant? He was no match for her.

"I don't care for apologies. I want you to pay for your arrogance," Liu Li seethed, her anger boiling hot. For a second, she has considered letting it all go since her husband-to-be requested it, but she has quickly changed her mind.

Xia Chunyu said gently, "Princess, why is there a need to get angry at him? Won't doing so just lower your status?"

Ye Jiayao opened her mouth to speak but stopped short when Xia Chunyu gave her a malicious glare. He looked like he was going to eat her up if she talked. She shut up unwillingly, silently protesting his words. What did he mean by 'lowering the princess' status by getting angry at her'? If anything, it was Ye Jiayao lowering her status by getting angry at someone who was so clearly off her rocker.

"Besides, if this matter gets out of hand, the empress dowager would find out that you sneaked out of the palace. Since she's ill at the moment, any anger or strain may cause unfortunate events, especially since she dotes on you so much." Xia Chunyu intentionally emphasized the empress dowager. Liu Li might be unruly and willful, but she was definitely afraid of the empress dowager.

"But..." Liu Li was unwilling to let Li Yao off just like that.

"I will teach him a lesson. I would even get Helian Jing to join in. We will stand up for you, Princess, just let this go." Xia Chunyu could really be persuasive when he wanted to be. "Alright, let's get you back to the palace, it's already getting late."

Xia Chunyu nearly pushed the princess in his haste to get her away. He turned around and fiercely told Ye Jiayao, "I'll take care of you when I come back."

Then he gave his guards a meaningful glance.

Ye Jiayao was so pissed off she very nearly threw a shoe at his head. Logically, she knew that he was just helping her, but she didn't like seeing him hold another woman. She didn't like him with another woman, period.

After that whole fiasco, Ye Jiayao wasn't really in the mood to eat. However, this meal was for work. When she has just entered the workforce in the modern times, she was warned from day one not to bring her personal emotions to work. Work life and personal life should always be kept separate. 

Ye Jiayao took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and marched into Fu Ji.

Fu Ji was indeed deserving of its title as Jin Ling's big boss in the food and beverage industry. In that expensive city center, the restaurant was unexpectedly an imposing and grand three-story tall building, its area more than twice that of Heavenly Residence's. Its interior was decorated simply but elegantly, it was low-key luxurious. She heard that this building was Zheng Fugui's personal property.

The ambiance of the restaurant and its interior design was a solid five-star on her ratings.

Ye Jiayao smacked her lips in anticipation. A well-established restaurant was really a good money-making business.

She was here alone so she opted to seat on a space in the hall on the first floor instead of occupying a suite.

The waiter served her tea and brought the menu over, smiling warmly. "You look quite unfamiliar, sir, is it your first time in Fu Ji? Would you like me to recommend some of our specialty dishes? I guarantee that you'll be satisfied with them."

Ye Jiayao smiled. "Sure, let's hear them."

"How does Fu Ji brewed stew, Fu Ji sauce meat, and Fu Ji all happiness soup sound? I would recommend a plate of crab roe steamed dumplings for the main since it is our signature dish. The skin is soft and thin, and the soup is delicious."

Ye Jiayao gave another five stars for the waiter's service.

He was passionate but not overly so. He did not fawn over his customer and he also didn't sound like he's rehearsed what to say. He was good at making the customer feel comfortable. He also recommended dishes with a reasonable fusion of both vegetables and meat, not cheap, but not too expensive either.

"Sure, let's go with that!" Ye Jiayao was targeting their specialty dishes today, anyway.

"Would you like some wine? We have pure Gao Liang Shao, authentic Shao Xing Nv Er Hong, Zhuang Yuan Hong, and also rice wine from Jin Hua prefecture. If you do not like alcohol, we also have chilled sour plum juice, white fungus and lotus seed soup. They're perfect for such a hot day."

Ye Jiayao considered her options for a while before settling on a bowl of chilled sour plum juice.

"Alright, please wait for a moment. I will arrange for your dishes to be served." The waiter walked away smiling.

As she waited for the dishes, Ye Jiayao went about observing the customers coming in the restaurant. They came in wave after wave and it did not take long before the whole hall was fully seated. It made her envious as Heavenly Residence did not have such good business at night.

The dishes were served in record time. However, Ye Jiayao did not immediately dive into eating. Instead, she first observed the appearance of the dishes.

The brewed stew was cooked in a vessel, the various ingredients were equal in thickness and length, and it looked lustrous and translucent under the light. There was a layer of raw vegetable underneath and the top was decorated with shiitake mushrooms, big shrimps, fried fish maw, and a few thin spring onions. It looked exquisite.

If the food served in the hall was this good, the plating for the customers in the suites must be beyond compare.

The Fu Ji sauce meat has six pieces of streaky pork placed evenly in the center of the plate, surrounded by fresh and vibrantly green broccoli florets. The meat was ruddy, glistening with oil, and the fragrance assails the nostrils pleasantly.

Just from the color of the meat alone, it was apparent that the chefs in Fu Ji have a very accurate gauge of the coloring procedure. For the coloring, the modulation of the red food dye rice flour is of utmost importance. Too thick and the color would become diluted, resulting in a color that was not red enough. Also, if they stewed it for too long, or too short, the color would not take hold. 

Last came Fu Ji all happiness soup. It contained black chicken, freshwater soft-shelled turtle shell, prawns, hoof tip, the core of Jinhua Ham, shiitake mushroom, and many more. There was an abundance of ingredients and the fragrance was strong and rich, a little like the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

After she has cataloged how all the dishes looked, she then began to dig in leisurely.

The various stripped ingredients in the brewed stew consisted of carp, prawn, and pork meat. They were chopped till mushy and mixed together with some pepper. The texture was soft, chewy, and smooth.

Five points.

The sauce meat melted in her mouth almost immediately. She had nothing else to say.

Five points.

For the soup, she could only say one word: fresh.

Ye Jiayao silently cheered in admiration. Despite how divine the food tasted, she knew that all the dishes in the main hall were only made by the first-class kitchen hands. The head chef and master chef were usually only in charge of the food for the customers in the suites.

The standard of this first-class kitchen hand was higher than that of Zhong Xiang's. If the kitchen hand's skill was already of this caliber, Ye Jiayao could only imagine how formidable the head chef and the master chef must be.

If it was just a competition of culinary skills, she doesn't have that high of a chance of winning. Her only chance was to impress with novelty. However, she has yet to try Zheng Fugui or his son's skills, so she really couldn't come to any definite conclusion.

Ye Jiayao savored every bite of her meal as it was not every day that she gets to have free meals this exquisite. Ye Jiayao ate so much that she felt like her stomach was going to burst. Although she has yet to finish all of the food, she could not eat another bite. She was just about to settle the bill when she thought of a very serious problem.

Her money pouch got swiped by the little beggar upon the orders of that unruly princess, and she has already returned the princess's money pouch.

She was currently penniless.

Ye Jiayao broke out in cold sweat, looking timidly at the waiter. The waiter smiled and quickly walked over to her. He asked, "Sir, do you want to pay the bill now?"

Ye Jiayao quickly replied, "No, not yet. The food in your restaurant is too good, I feel like I won't do the chef justice if I don't finish them all."

She picked her chopsticks back up and started eating the broccoli.

The waiter smiled again. "Enjoy your meal, sir."

What to do? What to do?

Was she just going to dine and dash? No, that was not possible. She was sitting at the innermost part of the hall and she would have to pass around six waiters and a doorman in order to get to the exit.

There were no phones in this era, she couldn't just send a message or call someone to ask for help.

Ye Jiayao furiously tried to come up with a plan as she ate. She has already finished all the raw vegetables and broccoli but she still hasn't come up with anything. She was now only left with the remnants of the all happiness soup.

The waiter seemed to have noticed that something was wrong. He still smiled at her, but his eyes revealed his cautiousness. He also has started to whisper to another waiter, making that waiter take note of her, too.

Ye Jiayao wished that the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.

Could she just tell the waiter to get someone from Heavenly Residence?

No. That would expose her identity. It was a taboo for people in this industry to spy like this.

Could she get Little Jing to save her?

What if his brother finds out? It would look bad to the already suspicious Helian Xuan if she gets Helian Jing to pay for the food she ate.

No, no.

Look for Manager Du?

This is the time where Manager Du and Er Niang are the busiest!

Look for Dumb Donkey?

I think I'd rather get beaten up and humiliated.

Ye Jiayao scooped the remnants of the soup hopelessly.

"Are you the reincarnation of a hungry ghost? Are you going to lick the plate clean, too?" a cold voice mocked from behind her.

Ye Jiayao dropped the spoon in her hand and closed her eyes in despair. F*ck! I just had to invoke his name, didn't I?

"Took you long enough. Reluctant to part with a certain someone?" Ye Jiayao derided, trying to calm her emotions down.

She could not let Dumb Donkey know that she did not bring any money with her. He could not know that his arrival has just saved her.