Chapter Twenty-Four: Private Restaurants

"Jiaojiao?" Xu Qing called out eagerly as soon as she got home.

Sheng Jiaoyang sat up and looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing was taken aback, feeling that her daughter had changed quite a bit.

"Why have you lost so much weight? Was the competition too tiring?" Xu Qing asked with concern.

"No, I'm just stronger."

Sheng Jiaoyang couldn't stand being looked at like that, so she quickly stood up and twirled around in front of Xu Qing to prove her point.

Xu Qing smiled; she felt her daughter seemed more lively in her presence. Now she had no time to think about anything else, only wanting to help her daughter recover.

Look how thin she's become; the flesh on her cheeks has disappeared.

"Jiaojiao, you stay home and play. I'll go buy groceries and cook." She said, heading out.

Sheng Jiaoyang was quick-witted and immediately took Xu Qing's hand, walking out together, saying, "We won't cook today; let's go out to eat and celebrate."

"But..." Xu Qing had many concerns. She knew her daughter should still have some money, but with school starting soon, there were too many expenses; she wanted to save money wherever possible.

"No buts, I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, I have enough money for my tuition and fees for the next few years."

Xu Qing stopped, turned to look at Sheng Jiaoyang, and asked, "Jiaojiao, what kind of painting did you paint that could sell for so much money?"

It wasn't that she didn't believe her daughter, but she had never known her daughter had a talent for painting before. She had never seen her daughter's paintings, and her daughter herself had no artistic talent. She found it hard to imagine what kind of painting could sell for such a high price.

"You wouldn't know even if I told you. Let me put it this way: the other day I went to the old town's commercial street to sell my paintings, and then a super rich sucker took a liking to my paintings. He thought my paintings were amazing, and that offering too little would be an insult to my paintings, so he transferred some money to me."

Sheng Jiaoyang said ambiguously. Of course, she couldn't tell the truth. Was she supposed to say that she unfortunately met Shen the Demon King that day, and then was very lucky to be overwhelmed by his money?

No one would believe that!

"Jiaojiao, can you tell Mom the truth? How much did your painting sell for?" Xu Qing looked at Sheng Jiaoyang's expression and asked cautiously.

Sheng Jiaoyang thought for a moment and decided to tell her anyway, to save her from worrying about this and that.

She held up one index finger.

"Ten thousand?" Xu Qing thought this number was within her imagination.

"Pfft! Ten thousand isn't even enough to pay our rent deposit." Sheng Jiaoyang chuckled. Sure enough, people who are used to being poor don't have an open mind.

→_→ Someone obviously forgot that she only wanted to ask Shen the Demon King for that much money in an emergency.

"One hundred thousand?!" This number was beyond Xu Qing's imagination. Her eyes widened, and she looked incredulous.

What does one hundred thousand mean for a painting? It would take her two or even three years to earn that much money. If it were a painting by a famous artist, it wouldn't be surprising at all, but Jiaojiao was just a minor girl who had just finished the college entrance examination!

"One million." Sheng Jiaoyang didn't beat around the bush.

These three words were like a thunderbolt, leaving Xu Qing speechless. One million! If they didn't buy a house or a car, it would be enough for them to live on for a lifetime.

"Jiaojiao, you're amazing!" It took Xu Qing a while to recover.

"So, you don't need to worry about me at all. Look how good I am at making money; I'll only make more in the future. You don't have to work if you don't want to, and you don't have to put up with anyone's bad temper, because I'll support you," Sheng Jiaoyang said earnestly.

Xu Qing's eyes instantly welled up with tears. Her daughter had said something similar before, but although she was touched, she felt her daughter was still young and needed to finish university before realizing such a beautiful dream. But now it was different; her daughter had proven that these words were not empty promises.

Never before had she felt more certain that raising her daughter alone after the divorce was the best decision she had ever made. All the gossip and criticism from others over the years, and the lectures and accusations from her family, couldn't compare to her daughter's words, "I'll support you."

Sheng Jiaoyang reached out and hugged Xu Qing.

"You should be happy; I'm no longer a burden to you."

"No, you will never be a burden to me. You are the reason I can keep living." Xu Qing's voice was a little choked up, but her tone was very firm.

Sheng Jiaoyang was deeply moved. She also had a great mother. Knowing that giving birth to her would be life-threatening and shorten her lifespan, her mother resolutely gave birth to her and, miraculously, defied the doctor's diagnosis, staying in this world for five more years to care for her.

Xu Qing was a delicate woman, but she was indeed a good mother. She must have suffered greatly for Xu Jiaojiao.

"From now on, I will also be your pride," Sheng Jiaoyang said, taking a step back.

"You've always been my pride."

Sheng Jiaoyang pulled a tissue from the tissue box in the entryway and wiped away Xu Qing's tears, saying playfully, "Come on, come on, your little pride is going to take you out for a big meal!"

Xu Qing smiled through her tears.

As someone with particularly discerning palates, Sheng Jiaoyang's "big meal" wasn't about extravagance. What she considered a "big meal" was something clean, delicious, and tasteful.

In a small alley on Xuefu Road, there's a private restaurant run by a man obsessed with creating delicious home-style dishes. His restaurant has been open for thirty years.

Sheng Jiaoyang knew about it; her mother had brought her there first. After spending nearly ten years abroad, the first thing she did upon returning was to find this place and order a table full of dishes. The taste was still as wonderful as she remembered.

Sheng Jiaoyang led Xu Qing through a maze of alleyways.

This area still retains some old buildings. Under the eaves carved with dragons and phoenixes, the walls of the blue brick carvings are painted with charming cloud patterns. Even the alleyways are paved with whole slabs of bluestone.

"Jiaojiao, are we on the right track? This is all residential." Xu Qing asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry, I've eaten here before, I won't lead you astray."

As he spoke, Sheng Jiaoyang had already walked to a red lacquered carved wooden door and pushed it open.

As soon as the door opened, the first thing you saw was a lush green vegetable garden. In the middle of the garden, there was a half-meter-wide pebble path. On both sides of the gatehouse, there was a bluestone path that went around the vegetable garden and led to the entrance of the hall.

Inside the hall, there were several portraits on the walls and a landscape painting screen on the side.

This didn't look like a restaurant at all.

Xu Qing was about to back out when Sheng Jiaoyang pulled her in and walked around the screen into the room.

There was a cashier's counter near the door, and a young woman was sitting behind it looking at the accounts.

Seeing two unfamiliar faces, the woman wasn't surprised, but simply asked, "How many people are in your party?"

"Just the two of us," Sheng Jiaoyang replied.

"We have a lot of guests today, all the private rooms are booked, only the attic has seats available, is that alright?" the woman said.

"It's fine, we can even see your little fishpond from the attic."

A hint of surprise flashed in the woman's eyes, guessing that the other party must have eaten here while she wasn't home.

"So, what would you like to eat today?"

"A small fish feast for two, and two bowls of 'treasure rice'," Sheng Jiaoyang glanced at the woman's increasingly heavy belly, "Please sit down, I know how to get to the attic."

"Alright, please take your seats first, I'll have someone bring you some snacks and tea." The woman smiled.

"Okay."

Sheng Jiaoyang pulled Xu Qing inside, turning a few corners, and went up to the attic.

The windows in the attic were all the old-fashioned outward-opening type, all four windows wide open, a gentle breeze blowing through the floor.

The private rooms had air conditioning, but the attic didn't, so people who could book a private room usually wouldn't come up to the attic.

Three sets of tables and chairs each occupied a corner, and the remaining corner was interesting. Two multi-tiered bookshelves stood diagonally, their glass doors revealing they were filled with books. In front of the bookshelves sat a piano that looked quite old.

"This wasn't converted from a study, was it?" Xu Qing asked after looking around.

"This used to be the curator's granddaughter's activity room, the one by the woman at the door earlier." Speaking of which, Sheng Jiaoyang had played here as a child; back then, it was filled with all sorts of toys.

The curator was a doting granddaughter; none of his grandsons had such privileges, having their own attic as a playroom.

So many years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Unconsciously, Sheng Jiaoyang had already walked to the piano. She turned to look at Xu Qing and sat down.

Now that she was Xu Jiaojiao, she would let Xu Qing get to know her new daughter.

The clear, varied sounds blended together, creating a melodious and beautiful tune.

This was her favorite piece, and the one she played most often. She could play it effortlessly, without even looking at the sheet music.

Xu Qing was stunned.

Her daughter was an all-around genius!

Among the people passing by in the corridor across the small fishpond from the attic, the young man in the middle suddenly stopped.

"President Shen? What's wrong?" The middle-aged man leading the way on the right quickly stopped and asked.

"Nothing." The man glanced at the attic without showing any emotion and continued walking forward.