“Hey hey hey, line up, line up! If you haven’t taken a number, come get one and queue up. No pushing, no cutting! If you’ve got your number, stand in line…”
In the Capital’s East Market, a massive crowd gathered tightly outside a restaurant, leaving no room to pass. The crowd pressed shoulder to shoulder at the entrance. At a table set up by the door, a waiter-like young man stood shouting loudly with a bamboo basket in hand, which was filled with wooden number tokens.
“So many people… Brother Yuanyi, what’s going on here?”
“Why are they all rushing for those tokens?”
At that moment, a group arrived at the front of the restaurant. The most eye-catching among them was a man and woman—Ji Yuanyi and Xiao Wanyu.
“I have no idea either!” Ji Yuanyi was just as shocked by the size of the crowd. He never expected this restaurant to draw such a huge gathering, enough to block the street.
“You, go find out what’s happening,” Xiao Wanyu ordered her guards immediately, wanting to understand what exactly was going on.
“Yes!” The two guards quickly moved into the crowd and returned soon after, sweating from head to toe.
“Reporting to Your Highness, all these people are here to eat. However, the restaurant is already full. To dine here, they must wait for a spot to open up.”
“The reason everyone is scrambling for the wooden tokens is because they’re used to keep track of queue numbers. Each token has a number. When their number is called, the person holding the corresponding token can enter and dine.”
The guards had gathered the information thoroughly and reported back in full.
“All this just for a meal?” Xiao Wanyu was stunned. She looked at the restaurant named “Hai Li Lao” with disbelief.
She had tasted food at nearly every famous restaurant in the Capital, and even the renowned Tianxia First Restaurant had never seen crowds like this. Watching people scramble for tokens as if they were gold truly shocked her. Just how good must the food be to make people act like this?
“Yes, Princess. We also asked further—there are already dozens of tables ahead in line. Even if we take a number now, we’d have to wait most of the day to get in.”
The guard added.
“Your Highness, why don’t we eat next door at Tianxiang Restaurant? It’s also quite good.” Ji Yuanyi had only wanted to take Xiao Wanyu to try something new, but the crowd was far beyond what he expected. He suggested trying the neighboring restaurant instead.
“How can we do that, Brother Yuanyi? Didn’t we agree to come specifically to this ‘Hai Li Lao’?”
“Besides, with so many people wanting to eat here, I’m really curious now. What exactly is so special about this place? Is it really that delicious?”
“You lot, go find a way. I don’t care how you do it—this princess wants to eat right now!”
As the proud Princess she was, Changning had never been the type to wait like a fool. She didn’t waste words and directly ordered her guards to make it happen immediately.
“Yes!” the guards responded and plunged into the crowd once more.
This time, they were gone a while before returning—now holding a wooden token in hand.
“Your Highness, we’ve acquired a token. We only have to wait two more turns before we’re called in.”
As elite guards of the princess, they had their ways. They simply found someone with a token near the front of the queue, revealed their identity from the Princess Changning Residence, added a bit of pressure and persuasion, and the person quickly handed over the token.
“Very good. Well done,” Princess Changning didn’t care how they got it—only that it was done.
“Number two-seven-eight! Two-seven-eight, your turn to dine! Step up quickly, number two-seven-eight! If there’s no response, your number will be skipped!”
Sure enough, not long after, the loud voice at the door started calling out numbers.
When number 278 was called, the guards immediately looked at Xiao Wanyu.
“Princess, it’s our turn.”
“Good, clear the way.” Xiao Wanyu smiled in satisfaction and nodded. Soon, with her guards making way, they squeezed through the crowd and entered the restaurant smoothly.
The moment they stepped inside, a thick fragrance hit their noses. Just a few breaths of it made their stomachs churn, and a wave of hunger swept through their bodies.
As a royal princess, Xiao Wanyu had eaten countless delicacies in her life, but she had never smelled anything like this. It was strange… but it was incredibly fragrant and tempting.
“This way, honored guests, this way please,” a smiling waiter quickly stepped forward to welcome them.
At the moment, Xiao Wanyu and her group were dressed in regular attire. Judging by their clothes, they looked like wealthy aristocrats, but nothing that gave away her identity as a princess.
“Waiter, do you have a private room?” Ji Yuanyi asked, seeing that the restaurant was packed. The entire hall was noisy and full.
“Apologies, sir, all the private rooms are full. You’ll have to dine in the main hall.”
The waiter replied with some embarrassment.
“Hmph, go tell the people in the private rooms that this lady is willing to pay to have them give it up,” Xiao Wanyu said, frowning.
“This…” the waiter hesitated.
“What do you mean ‘this’? Hurry up and go!” Xiao Wanyu snapped, clearly displeased.
“Y-Yes, yes, honored guest, I’ll ask for you now.” The waiter dared not delay and turned to leave.
After a while, he returned, face full of apology.
“Esteemed guests, I’m very sorry. I spoke to those in the private rooms, but none of them are willing to give up their seats. Perhaps it would be best to dine in the main hall? The food tastes just as good.”
It was clear that the diners inside the private rooms didn’t care much about money.