Chapter 66 As the Rightful Husband

Chapter 66: As the Lawful Husband

It's just that Miss Xi didn't frequent the shop often.

Qi Chengyun made a special trip to Yipin Taoke three times but failed to see her.

He remembered their lively chats at the estate and her uninhibited singing from just beyond the wall, and a hollow ache settled in his chest.

Two weeks went by, and Yang Xingxian's face had mostly healed. He rushed off to see Bai Zhining.

To his surprise, Bai's mother said she had gone to play the pipa at a noble's residence and didn't know when she would return.

Yang Xingxian felt like he'd been hit by a thunderbolt, drowning in regret.

It was all his fault—his own stinginess. Why hadn't he paid the two hundred taels back then to buy her outright? Now someone else had beaten him to it.

He also cursed himself for taking that beating, which had delayed him so long that now he couldn't find her.

He pressed anxiously, "Auntie, is Zhining just working, or did someone buy her?"

Bai's mother also grew flustered: "Of course not, she's just working and said she'd come back. What exactly is your relationship with my Zhier?"

She'd seen Yang Xingxian a few times now, and given how serious he seemed, she had to ask.

Yang Xingxian hastened to reassure her, "Auntie, my surname is Yang, and I'm the eldest son of the Marquis of Changping. Rest assured, I fully intend to marry Zhining. If she comes back, please have her come see me!"

The moment she heard "Marquis of Changping," Bai's mother forgot everything else and beamed: "That's wonderful. Zhier really is something else—with a fine young gentleman like you waiting to marry her, why's she still out working? Don't you worry, when she's back, I'll make sure to pass it along."

Only then did Yang Xingxian relax. Noticing Bai's mother eyeing him eagerly, he handed her ten taels of silver.

She grinned from ear to ear, warming up to this future son-in-law more and more.

Once they were out of that shabby alley, Achang saw Yang Xingxian was still in a sour mood and suggested, "Young Master, do you know who the boss of the restaurant Yipin Taoke that's been blowing up lately is?"

"Who's that?" Yang Xingxian had heard about Yipin Taoke's reputation but hadn't worked up the nerve to try it.

"It's the Young Madam's!"

Yang Xingxian was taken aback: "Really? How'd you find out?"

"The other day I saw the Young Madam telling people where to move the potted plants inside..."

"You sly fox, Xi Qianyue, keeping your own restaurant a secret. Come on, let's go have ourselves a feast."

Yang Xingxian waved his hand and took the lead.

Achang's scheme worked, and he was secretly pleased with himself. Such a big restaurant, and so popular these days—he'd heard they'd added a bunch of new dishes and had been dying to try them.

Well, thanks to the Young Master, why not enjoy some of the Young Madam's food?

Poor Young Master. If he had any other wife, he could eat there three meals a day, no problem...

The two walked in and were struck by how elegant it was—they never expected it to look this good inside.

The manager didn't bother to greet them himself; just a waiter showed them in.

Yang Xingxian's face soured on the spot—this manager had no clue, didn't even recognize his own master's son-in-law.

The waiter apologized: "Sorry, sir, but we don't have any private rooms open. Would you mind sitting downstairs?"

Achang said coldly, "Do you know who this is? This is the owner, got it?"

The waiter gave them a puzzled look: "Our boss is Miss Xi."

"Are you out of your mind? Who did Miss Xi marry? This is the eldest son of the Marquis of Changping."

Achang felt embarrassed too—they'd said he was the owner, and the guy still questioned them?

The waiter didn't dare say another word and quickly went to get the manager.

The manager looked uneasy: "We haven't been told that... the boss's husband gets a private room. Actually, a lot of people are waiting in the reading room upstairs right now. Would Young Master Yang mind sitting downstairs, or waiting in the reading room?"

Yang Xingxian was curious to see the whole place anyway, so he agreed to head to the reading room upstairs.

He hadn't expected the place to be this packed—absolutely booming.

Money rolling in every day!

That phrase popped into his head. Xi Qianyue, she was raking it in!

And here he was, her husband, scraping by.

In the reading room, he found lots of people quietly reading, some holding number tickets.

He got one himself: number 25.

The waiter explained they were on number 16, so he'd have to wait for nine more tables.

Yang Xingxian had given up getting angry by now. If he wanted a private room, he had no choice but to sit in the reading room and wait.

He found the reading room stocked with great books—geography texts, storybooks, the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry collections, you name it.

Basically, anyone who liked to read could find something here.

As he was reading, he happened to spot a familiar face.

Yang Xingxian hurried over and demanded of the waiter, "Why doesn't this guy have to wait in line? He just goes straight to a private room?"

Qi Chengyun looked at him, amused: "Simple—because I'm a VIP guest here."

"What's a VIP guest?"

"It basically means I've spent a ton of money here, or maybe it's because I'm on good terms with the owner. So whenever I show up, the moment a private room frees up, I get it. No waiting."

Yang Xingxian was fuming—he was Xi Qianyue's legal husband, and he couldn't even measure up to some customer?

Yuan Lin shot his master a helpless look. Master seemed to be in an even better mood now that he'd riled up Yang Xingxian.

"So you're saying you're close with my wife?"

Yang Xingxian's voice shot up, and the other guests perked up their ears. What kind of drama was this?

"Oh, so the owner of this place is your wife? Then why isn't it under your name? I've dropped a fortune here, which is why I'm a VIP. What's with the attitude, treating one of your best customers like this?"

Qi Chengyun's smile instantly froze over.

The other guests also thought Yang Xingxian was out of line—not only failing to roll out the red carpet for a big customer, but yelling at him too.

The manager groaned inwardly and rushed over to smooth things over.

"Oh my, Young Master Yang, treating our big client like this—how am I supposed to explain this to the boss?" the manager's tone was no longer as pleasant.

"This is simply outrageous. You're just a manager—you think I can't get Ms. Xi to fire you?"

Yang Xingxian raised his voice again, but the manager didn't even flinch.

What he didn't know was that Xi Qianyue had already advised the manager that as long as he didn't offend any powerful figures, he had full authority over other matters, and only needed to report to her if something arose that he couldn't handle.

The manager was a shrewd old hand. If the boss truly cared about her husband's family, she'd have had them over to taste the dishes and help set things up when the restaurant reopened, offering their input.

The fact that she hadn't even introduced her husband's family showed she didn't hold them in high regard.

Yang Xingxian suddenly felt utterly humiliated—even a lowly manager wouldn't give him the time of day!