Chapter 232 – Bai Mingyue
Yan Boshu heard this and frowned.
But unlike Yan Bozhang, although he was slick and greedy, he was truly filial to the Old Master and Old Madam. He would never prioritize the Yan family property over the Old Madam’s life.
He knew Ms. Hu meant well in reminding him, so his expression softened a bit.
“Don’t give me those bad ideas. If you want to control the Yan family’s property, take advantage of this time while the eldest is still in the county prison and Shujing has been sent to Cuiyun Temple, while the First House is in chaos, to serve mother well. If you perform well, father will notice. Perhaps he will let you take over the Yan family’s money ahead of Eldest Sister-in-law.”
Yan Boshu would not allow harming Ms. Jiang, and Ms. Hu dared not take action herself. She could only listen to his words and nodded.
“Husband, can you invite Dr. Bai to come?”
“I don’t know. I’ll go and try.”
Yan Boshu boarded the carriage and ordered the servants to drive the carriage swiftly towards Daxing Town.
Because Yu Family Private Kitchen was not far from his family’s restaurant, after arriving in Daxing Town, he quickly found its location. He went in, ordered a few dishes, and sat waiting for Bai Mingyue to appear.
Yu Family Private Kitchen was not very large. The dining tables for guests were only placed in the main hall on the first floor. There were only two serving boys. The bookkeeper and shopkeeper were the same person. The owner’s wife was the chef. Unlike other high-end restaurants with ordinary tables on the first floor and private rooms on the second and third floors, a dozen or so serving boys, separate bookkeepers and shopkeepers, several head chefs in the kitchen, and cleaners.
However, this small, unknown restaurant had pretty good business. Of the eight tables in the main hall, seven were occupied.
Seeing the booming business, Yan Boshu picked up his chopsticks and snorted at the few dishes on the table that he had casually ordered, his eyes full of disdain.
What good food could such a small restaurant make? The only reason there were so many customers was that these poor patrons were drawn by the cheap prices here.
With that thought, he casually reached his chopsticks into a plate. That plate happened to be Yu Family Private Kitchen’s signature steamed meat.
He picked up a piece of steamed meat and put it in his mouth.
The steamed meat was fragrant and soft, melting in the mouth, and not greasy at all. It tasted even better than the steamed meat in his family’s restaurant.
Truly shocked that the taste of such a small restaurant was so good, he forgot about the important matter at hand and hurriedly tried the other few dishes.
All of them tasted delicious.
After tasting every dish, he placed his chopsticks on the edge of the bowl, frowning even more deeply than when he came in.
The taste of this small restaurant was good, which was the root of attracting customers. At this moment, he had to admit that if this small restaurant continued to develop, located so close to his family’s restaurant, it would inevitably affect his family’s restaurant business in the long run.
“Master Bai, you’re here. I’ve kept a table for you.”
Just as he felt threatened, the shopkeeper’s loud voice at the door interrupted his thoughts. Hearing the shopkeeper address him as Master Bai, he looked towards the door and saw a young gentleman dressed in white brocade robes, with a jade-like face and silky black hair, walking in leisurely.
This young gentleman was none other than the renowned doctor Bai Mingyue of Jiren Hall.
Bai Mingyue smiled and nodded at the Yu shopkeeper. “Thank you, Shopkeeper Yu.”
He was a regular customer of Yu Family Private Kitchen. Upon entering, he saw that the table by the window was empty and leisurely walked over.
Yan Boshu was not sure if that was Bai Mingyue, so he waved his hand and called a servant boy over, asking, “Little brother, is that white-robed gentleman the famous Dr. Bai Mingyue of Jiren Hall?”
“Yes, Dr. Bai comes to eat at our Yu Family Private Kitchen almost every day.”
After a brief inquiry, Yan Boshu stood up and walked to the table where Bai Mingyue was sitting.
Bai Mingyue had ordered his dishes and was waiting for them to be served. Seeing someone standing beside him, he glanced at the person with an aloof, faint smile without saying a word.
Since he didn’t speak, Yan Boshu had to. He saluted with his hands and said, “May I ask if this gentleman is the renowned Dr. Bai Mingyue of Jiren Hall?”
Hearing the three words “Jiren Hall,” Bai Mingyue frowned almost imperceptibly.
Not long ago, to protect Jiren Hall’s reputation, the shopkeeper of Jiren Hall, Bai Jingye, had unhesitatingly pushed him out to take the blame. He was very displeased with Jiren Hall now.
“This one is no longer with Jiren Hall. What does this gentleman need from me?”
Yan Boshu did not notice his frown and replied truthfully, “I heard that Dr. Bai’s medical skills are excellent. My mother is critically ill, and I would like to invite Dr. Bai to go and treat her. I live in Shaoyao Village below Daxing Town. I wonder if Dr. Bai could make a trip? The consultation fee will naturally not be lacking.”
Bai Mingyue was about to decline, but upon hearing the words “Daxing Town, Shaoyao Village,” he swallowed his refusal.
Thinking carefully, that interesting young Yan brother seemed to live in Shaoyao Village.
He was quite an interesting fellow. It was just that recently, that person seemed to have vanished into thin air.
“Alright. Please wait a moment, sir. I will go with you to Shaoyao Village after finishing my meal.”
It was surprisingly easy that he agreed.
Yan Boshu was overjoyed. Seeing Bai Mingyue’s aloofness and his appearance of not lacking money, he had thought it would take a lot of persuasion.
“Very well, very well. Dr. Bai, please take your time eating. I will wait.”
After Bai Mingyue finished his meal, when Yan Boshu went to pay the bill, he discovered that the prices at Yu Family Private Kitchen were not cheaper than his family’s restaurant. For a small restaurant to sell dishes at such high prices and still be so popular, this posed a great threat.
But at the moment, he was worried about Ms. Jiang’s illness and had no time to think much more. He invited Bai Mingyue and quickly left Daxing Town, swiftly heading towards Shaoyao Village.
Bai Mingyue got off the carriage and looked up, immediately seeing the plaque of the Yan residence.
The two characters “Yan Residence” were written in a grand style.
So this family was also surnamed Yan.
Following Yan Boshu into the inner residence, he asked as he walked, “Since you are surnamed Yan, do you know one named Yan Xiaosi? He seems to also live in Shaoyao Village.”
Before Yan Boshu could answer, the servant who had driven the carriage for him interjected indignantly, “Dr. Bai, of course our Second Master knows Yan Xiaosi. That’s the bane of our Yan family. Our Old Madam fell ill all because of that jinx. He was born with a blood-red mole on the corner of his eye, an inauspicious person who brought death to our Third Master. After that, he was driven out of the manor by our Old Master.”
The saying goes, “don’t air the family’s dirty laundry.” Yan Boshu’s expression instantly turned cold. He scolded the servant, “What nonsense are you spouting?”
The servant quickly shut his mouth.
Yan Boshu said, “Dr. Bai, the servant spoke nonsense. Please don’t mind him.”
The corners of Bai Mingyue’s mouth curved up in a cold smile.
So that young man was driven out by this family. At such a young age, he was regarded as an inauspicious person by his family and expelled. No wonder every time he encountered Yan Xiaosi, his situation was ever so miserable.
