Chapter 119: Chapter 119 : The Crisis In Human Realm (4)
The restaurant was supposed to open at noon, but the townsfolk already started lining up three hours before the doors even opened.
"Prince, there are too many people outside," one of the servants reported. "The restaurant does not have enough seats for all of them!"
"Hemm..."
Technically, they could distribute the food outside, but once the people were gone, it was practically impossible to question them.
"It’s okay," Zhang Fengxi decided. "Just give them the food first. Treating them to a al is a start. We can proceed from there."
Besides, Xie Jianyu had only answered three questions on his list just now. He needed more ti to coax all the answers out of the Crown Prince.
The door behind them creaked open and Xie Jianyu entered. He had changed into a set of plain grey and green robes. His beautiful dragon-shaped crown had been replaced with a simple black hair ribbon.
Now, he looked less like a young master of a rich family and more like a restaurant owner in a small town.
Zhang Fengxi grinned.
"You have learned to blend in," he praised.
Xie Jianyu humphed.
"I don’t go to the Human Realm often," he said with a hint of reproach.
Zhang Fengxi giggled. Indeed, he started visiting the Human Realm from a young age. At first, he too dressed ostentatiously and attracted a lot of attention.
Then, he bought a few plain clothes and wore them every ti he ca to visit.
"Your hair bun is a little crooked," Zhang Fengxi remarked.
"Is it?"
Xie Jianyu pulled at his bun, but it beca even more crooked.
"Oh, Your Majesty, you have not done your hair even once in your life," Zhang Fengxi comnted. "Let
help you."
"I don’t want to," Xie Jianyu swatted Zhang Fengxi’s hand away. "I can do it myself."
"Be a good boy and don’t move," Zhang Fengxi pulled at Xie Jianyu’s hair ribbon. One tug was all it took for the knot to dissolve. Xie Jianyu’s hair fell like a waterfall down his back.
"Zhang Fengxi!"
Xie Jianyu tried to take the hair ribbon back from Zhang Fengxi. Zhang Fengxi lifted it out of Xie Jianyu’s reach. He then easily picked up Xie Jianyu and dumped him to the nearest chair.
"Now, hold still. You are my restaurant’s employee now. I don’t want you to go out there looking like a beggar."
"I am not your employee!" Xie Jianyu protested. "If anything, you are mine!"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, this subject is here to serve you. Now shut up and don’t move."
Xie Jianyu crossed his arms obstinately before his chest and sent fiery glares ahead of him.
With the hair ribbon pressed between his lips, Zhang Fengxi humd to himself as he began to work. He gathered Xie Jianyu’s long, silky hair into his hands and combed through it.
His heart unwittingly skipped a beat when his gaze landed on the back side of Xie Jianyu’s neck.
The Crown Prince used all sorts of disguises possible to hide his delicate oga features, but the neck did not lie. It was as beautiful as that of a swan. Delicate and graceful. A prival urge rose in Zhang Fengxi’s heart when he traced Xie Jianyu’s neck with the tip of his fingers.
He wanted to wrap his hands around the neck, kiss it, suck it, and bite hard into it.
Zhang Fengxi lowered his head. His lips wandered precariously around one of Xie Jianyu’s earlobes.
When he took in a deep breath, he could sll the unique, familiar fragrance that was unmistakably Xie Jianyu’s.
"What are you doing?" Xie Jianyu snapped, pulling Zhang Fengxi out of his daydreams.
Zhang Fengxi imdiately straightened his posture and continued combing Xie Jianyu’s hair dutifully.
"Nothing. I saw so dirt behind your ear."
"..... Prince Zhang Fengxi, are you looking for a fight?"
"What? Nooo, no, I was mistaken. Your ears are clean."
They were just sowhat red.
When noon arrived, everyone went outside to heat two cauldrons of food over a low fire. One contained scallion congee and the other one pork bone soup. There was also a huge, three-tiered stear basket with vegetable and at dumplings inside.
The heavenly sll reached the crowd before they even got to the front of the line. Hunger and impatience led the people at the backside to push the ones in front of them.
"Hurry, hurry!"
"I am hungry! Can it not go any faster!"
Zhang Fengxi’s people had to repeatedly remind the queueing townsfolk to stick to the line.
"Everyone, no need to be agitated!" Zhang Fengxi cupped his hands in front of his mouth and shouted. "There is enough food for everyone!"
Xie Jianyu, who had nothing else to contribute, was in charge of rationing the food.
He filled half of the bowl with congee, then he filled it to the brim with pork bone broth. Next to him, Zhang Fengxi handed out warm dumplings straight from the stear basket.
Everyone happily left with a full bowl and two stead buns in their hands.
So even started eating as soon as they received their share.
Xie Jianyu observed the townsfolk one by one as he filled one bowl after another. Without exception, all inhabitants appeared haggard and dirty, their faces devoid of hope. It was very rare for an entire town to plumt into this degree of destitution.
Obviously, there was an underlying cause that hid beneath the surface.
He needed to investigate the root causes and then report this issue to the Golden Dragon Palace as soon as possible...
anwhile, a skinny little boy arrived at the front of the line. He extended a pair of dirty, trembling hands toward Xie Jianyu.
Xie Jianyu handed a bowl to the little boy, but he did not move to the side.
"Y-Young Master, I am so sorry but can I please get a second bowl?"
Behind him, the n and won started to raise their voices in protest.
"Hey, hey, little kid, don’t be greedy! We only get one bowl each!"
The little boy stamred, "My... my mother is sick. She cannot co here to get food. P-please, I am not lying..."
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