Vоlumе 1 Сhаpter 11: Fаrmhоusе Rеstаurant
Shu Miaо quiсkly spоke up: “It’s finе, it’s finе. I didn’t rеаllу hеlp muсh, Соuntу Magistrаte Meng, yоu rеallу dоn’t nееd tо be sо роlite.”
Shu Miао felt thаt it would have bеen bеtter if Meng Yuсhuan hаdn’t said аnуthing; now that hе did, she felt evеn mоrе еmbarrassеd.
Shе hаd sаid she was thеre tо help, but thrоughout the еntire daу, aside from саrrуing somе dоcuments when shе first arrivеd, shе had mostlу just been а toоl.
Shе hаdn’t donе anything whilе following Меng Yuсhuan around, and even had the stаff insidе serve her teа аnd water.
Thе mоre she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt. A faint blush gradually spread across her cheeks, her eyelids lowered, and her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
Meng Ychuan glanced at the person beside him out of the corner of his eye, and a warmth slowly rose in his gaze.
His voice softened: “You mentioned before that you’d treat me to a meal. There’s no time like the present—how about today?”
Shu Miao raised her eyelashes and looked at the man who was focused on driving.
Her heart was filled with mixed emotions. It was true that she had promised to treat him to a meal.
Now that he had brought it up himself, if she hesitated or acted coy, she would only make a fool of herself and seem petty.
She sighed inwardly. Given the current situation, it seemed Meng Yuchuan was determined to take her out to eat today.
No matter how many excuses she came up with, it wouldn’t change anything. This was a good opportunity to repay the favor from last time and finally clear her conscience.
After today’s meal, she would stay far away from Meng Yuchuan in the future.
If he ever asked for her help again, she would pretend to be sick to avoid it. That way, she wouldn’t offend anyone.
No matter what, Director Liu wouldn’t send a sick person to the front lines.
Shu Miao secretly made up her mind and turned her head with a bright smile: “Alright then, thank you, County Magistrate Meng, for honoring me with your presence today.”
Meng Yuchuan turned his head and chuckled knowingly: “Good.”
After they settled on it, Shu Miao sat upright in her seat, looking straight ahead with a calm expression, though her chest rose and fell continuously.
After about twenty minutes, the car arrived at a private farmhouse restaurant.
Shu Miao observed through the car window that the farmhouse was quite large. From the entrance gate, there were several courtyards. The decor was rustic and elegant, simple yet refined, with a unique style, and the surrounding environment was pleasant as well.
Meng Yuchuan drove the car into the parking lot and unfastened his seatbelt: “We’re here. Let’s get out.”
Shu Miao responded with an “Oh,” reached out to unfasten her seatbelt, and followed him out of the car.
As they walked out of the parking lot, a middle-aged man approached from inside.
Seeing Meng Yuchuan, he greeted him with a smile: “County Magistrate Meng, welcome, welcome.”
His tone carried a great deal of caution and respect.
Meng Yuchuan nodded: “Just two people today, the same private room as before.”
The man nodded understandingly, glanced at Shu Miao beside him, and a flicker of unreadable emotion passed through his eyes: “Of course, please follow me.”
Meng Yuchuan reached out and placed his hand on Shu Miao’s shoulder: “Let’s go.”
Shu Miao instantly felt her hair stand on end, but before she could react, Meng Yuchuan quickly withdrew his hand the next second.
Only then did Shu Miao relax, moving her feet to follow them.
The man led the two through a narrow alley, surrounded by bamboo on both sides. The further they went, the more serene the environment became, filled with a faint, refreshing fragrance of bamboo in the air, elegant and pleasant.
At the end of the alley was a carved wooden door. Opening it revealed a staircase.
The man went upstairs first. Meng Yuchuan gently pulled Shu Miao’s arm: “You go first.”
Shu Miao obediently complied. The staircase was quite narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.Meng Yuchuan walked behind Shu Miao, carefully shielding her with both hands.
After descending the stairs, Shu Miao felt a sudden sense of openness. A spacious, bright hall came into view, its environment elegant and refined.
In several corners of the hall stood small rockeries, with water cascading down from above, merging into a clear stream.
The gentle flow of water produced a melodious sound, like soft music from a zither, soothing and refreshing.
Shu Miao was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t known there was such a nice place in their county town and had never been here before.
The man carefully ushered the two into a private room and respectfully handed over the menu with both hands.
“County Magistrate Meng, here is the menu. Please take a look and let me know what you’d like.”
Meng Yuchuan took the menu and directly passed it to Shu Miao. “See what you’d like to eat.”
The man standing nearby glanced at Shu Miao briefly before immediately averting his gaze.
Shu Miao took the menu and skimmed through it. Some dishes were local specialties she had tried before, while others were unfamiliar.
Since she was treating Meng Yuchuan to the meal, she naturally wanted to consider what he might prefer, so she didn’t order much.
After casually selecting two dishes, she handed the menu back to Meng Yuchuan. “County Magistrate Meng, I’ve chosen. Please see what you’d like.”
Seeing she had only ordered two dishes, Meng Yuchuan frowned. “Just these?”
Shu Miao nodded.
Meng Yuchuan didn’t ask further. Shu Miao watched as he added a few more dishes before handing the menu back to the man. “That’s all.”
The man took the menu and respectfully withdrew, leaving the two alone in the private room.
Facing each other in silence, Shu Miao felt a bit awkward and decided to break the heavy atmosphere first.
“County Magistrate Meng, how did you know about this place?”
Meng Yuchuan replied unhurriedly, “I’ve been here a few times before.”
Shu Miao nodded in understanding.
Her eyes wandered as she observed the private room. Though simply decorated, the ornaments and porcelain pieces appeared quite expensive.
Turning to look out the window, she saw lush trees and a gently flowing stream. Combined with the classical interior decor, it added to the refined ambiance.
This place seemed to have been established for quite some time. Whoever could run such a restaurant must be no ordinary person.
It was normal for ordinary people not to know about it—likely only frequented by specific regulars.
As a local, she had never known this place existed, yet Meng Yuchuan, who had only recently arrived, already knew about it.
She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the differences between people.
“What are you thinking about?”
Shu Miao snapped back to attention, shifting her gaze from the window to the man across from her. “Huh?”
Meng Yuchuan had, at some point, removed his outer jacket, leaving only a white shirt.
It was well-tailored, subtly outlining his strong, fit physique. Shu Miao swallowed lightly.
“County Magistrate Meng, the environment here is really nice.”
Meng Yuchuan leaned back casually in his chair, arms resting on the armrests, appearing relaxed. “Do you like it here?”
Shu Miao answered truthfully, “Yes, I really do. The ambiance is wonderful.”
Meng Yuchuan picked up the ceramic cup in front of him and took a small sip of tea. “Try this tea. It’s local—you’ve probably had it before.”
Shu Miao lifted her cup and took a sip. A familiar tea fragrance spread in her mouth, with a subtle bitterness intertwined with a fresh sweetness, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
“Yes, it’s definitely brewed from our local tea leaves. It’s delicious.”
Meng Yuchuan took another sip of tea, a slight smile curling at the corner of his lips, his eyebrows lifting slightly. “This is indeed a place blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Both the people and the things here are so captivating.”The last sentence sounded a bit odd to Shu Miao. She inadvertently looked up and met Meng Yuchuan’s direct gaze. His dark eyes were filled with a blazing intensity.
Shu Miao instinctively averted her gaze. Meng Yuchuan’s eyes made her somewhat flustered—there was a light in them she couldn’t understand, making her instinctively want to avoid it.
The two chatted intermittently, and soon the dishes were served.
They stopped talking and began to eat.
Meng Yuchuan kept serving food to Shu Miao and would also refill her water at just the right moments, showing exceptional thoughtfulness.
Shu Miao felt extremely uncomfortable inside, but every time she thought about taking the initiative to refill Meng Yuchuan’s water, he would always beat her to it, leaving her with no opportunity.
And so, Shu Miao nervously “allowed” Meng Yuchuan to attend to her throughout the entire meal.
In contrast to Shu Miao’s unease, Meng Yuchuan remained completely composed.
He naturally helped Shu Miao with her food, refilled her water, and handed her wet wipes…