Xiao Anning took Tian Miao shopping. As they went from shops selling jewelry to shops selling clothing, Xiao Anning would buy anything that Tian Miao said she liked and get someone to take it all back to the Duke’s residence.
When it was almost noontime, Xiao Anning brought Tian Miao to a restaurant.
“This restaurant was opened by my grandfather. When Grandfather was young, he was an avid food lover. He gathered and recruited chefs from all over the country. Yes, he didn’t search for ingredients but for the best chefs from all over the world to cook for him.” Xian Anning spoke of his grandfather, who loved to eat. He was trying hard to hold back a smile as he said, “Because my grandfather is getting on in years, and there are many kinds of delicacies his body can no longer take, my grandmother later made the call to open this restaurant so that his chefs have a place to showcase their amazing skills. She also controls how often Grandfather eats gourmet meals.”
While Xiao Anning was explaining this to her, Tian Miao looked up at the restaurant’s signboard.
The House of Gourmands.
This restaurant had a total of five floors. Just standing at the entrance, before even going inside, they could detect the aroma of delicious fare coming from inside the restaurant.
Xiao Anning had come in person, so he would naturally receive deferential treatment. He was brought to a cabin on the fifth floor, which was usually not open to the public. It was the cabin that was exclusively reserved for Prince Ying.
“Your signature dishes, serve a portion of them all,” Xiao Anning instructed the shopkeeper, whose face was filled with reverence.
“Noted.” The shopkeeper hurriedly went down and ordered someone to serve tea. Then he sent someone to the kitchen to place the orders. The Young Marquis’s visit was much more important to them than if Prince Ying himself had arrived in person. If the Young Marquis was happy, Prince Ying would also be happy. If the Young Marquis was unhappy, that would be disastrous. As for Prince Ying’s mood, they couldn’t be blamed if he had to eat food that didn’t suit his palate. It was Princess Ying who had ordered them not to give Prince Ying oily and spicy food.
After all the dishes were served, the shopkeeper stood to one side and personally listed everything that had been served. He gave Tian Miao a detailed introduction of the name and origin of each and every dish, not forgetting, of course, to mention these dishes’ special characteristics.
After the shopkeeper finished introducing the dishes, he took his leave and had two young waiters stand guard at the door. If the Young Marquis or his guest inside the cabin had any request, they would be able to conveniently summon someone.
Tian Miao picked up her chopsticks and started tasting the food. She tried every single dish and finally confirmed the dishes that she wanted to take back with her.
“This Eight Treasure Duck, this Lotus Leaf Steamed White Chicken, as well as this Sweet and Sour Fish fillet…” Tian Miao listed off the names of dishes. And while Xiao Anning sat there confused, she simply said, “Get someone to note this down. Prepare twenty sets of every dish on my list for me before I leave.”
Xiao Anning was stunned. Twenty of each? Was she going to take the food with her? But how was she going to take all these dishes back? The food would taste vastly different after being packed and reheated, right? But Xiao Anning suddenly remembered that amazing occurrence where he’d been able to see things in the OmniStore and felt that his worries were probably unfounded.
“All right. I will place the orders in a while.” Xiao Anning didn’t ask further questions and answered her right away.
“And then you can take me to those shops that sell snacks.” Tian Miao had just finished the main meal and was already thinking about what snacks she could bring back for afternoon tea.
Xiao Anning laughed and said, “This is something that I am really knowledgeable in. Back then, my grandfather traveled all over the capital in search of good food, and he took me to all these places.”
Just as Xiao Anning and Tian Miao walked out of the doors of the House of Gourmands, they met someone.
That person was Ji Liruo, who’d just gotten off her carriage.
There were a lot of people going in and coming out of the restaurant. But Ji Liruo, who was standing at the entrance, caught sight of Xiao Anning, who was right ahead, as well as the stunning woman beside him, at a glance.
When Ji Liruo saw that the two of them were about to leave, she shouted out loud without thinking, “Young Marquis.”
Xiao Anning stopped in his tracks and “looked” over to where Ji Liruo was.
“Miss Ji.” Xiao Anning’s tone was somewhat hard to read.