Xia Chujian knew perfectly well that Zong Ruoan had helped.
She mused inwardly, was Zong Ruoan's name more effective as a Colonel of the Special Security Bureau, or as a young master of Zong Military Industries?
In any case, it was more effective than their team's name.
Never mind, as long as they could eat.
They were led by Boss Yi to a particularly elegant private room.
From the window here, the dazzling night view of Da Fu Prefecture was right in front of them, like a perfectly framed decorative painting.
Because directly in front of them was Da Fu Prefecture's landmark building, the Mist Lost Pavilion.
It was a fifty-meter-high, seven-story pagoda, composed of seven tiers, entirely made of wood.
Black roofs, white walls, and red window lattices gave it a solemn and elegant atmosphere.
Each pagoda's door was decorated with colorful paintings from myths and legends, which were extremely exquisite.
At night, the lights of the Mist Lost Pavilion were turned on, creating an extraordinary sense of haziness.
In front of the building, the shimmering pond reflected the moonlight.
Xia Chujian sighed, "This must be what they mean by 'mist-shrouded towers, moonlit ferry crossings', it's so beautiful..."
"Ms. Xia has great insight! This is indeed the origin of the name Mist Lost Pavilion." Boss Yi enthusiastically invited them to be seated, and introduced, "Just in time, we specially imported a special kind of beef from Mulan City for tomorrow's distinguished guests, called Unicorn Cattle, specially roasted in a charcoal brick oven with thousands of years of history. I wonder if you would like to try it?"
"Is it Unicorn Cattle beef produced in the Exotic Beast Forest of Mulan City?" Ye Shijie's eyes lit up.
He hadn't forgotten that in the Exotic Beast Forest, when his Mental Strength was severely damaged, it was Unicorn Cattle beef that pulled him back from the brink of collapse!
Boss Yi patted his big belly with a smile, and said, "Of course, this kind of beef is only produced in the Exotic Beast Forest of Mulan City! It doesn't exist anywhere else!"
Then he shook his head regretfully, and said, "Unfortunately, a while ago, the Humanoids Slaves in Mulan City caused a big riot, which led to the city being sealed off. Our Black Truffle Wild Rhino Pig here is also out of stock. Otherwise, you would find that even more delicious than Unicorn Cattle beef!"
The five members of the team showed a nostalgic expression when they thought of the delicious Black Truffle Wild Rhino Pig.
After Boss Yi of Yi Sha Ka introduced them to the delicacies here, he bowed and left.
After he left, Ye Shijie immediately asked Xia Chujian, "Colonel Zong of the Special Security Bureau? How did he know we were here?"
Xia Chujian had no choice but to say, "Just now, Colonel Zong contacted me about something. I said I had come to Da Fu Prefecture, and casually mentioned that I was complaining that this restaurant required a month's advance booking..."
Li Fu and Song Mingqian both had a slight glint in their eyes.
Even Ping Qiong noticed something different.
She looked at Xia Chujian and smoothed things over, saying, "It seems that Colonel Zong is indeed a nice person, kind and likes to help others, hahaha!"
Her carefree laughter eased Xia Chujian's embarrassment.
Li Fu also said, "We must try the Unicorn Cattle beef here today! Is it even more delicious than what Little Xia makes!"
Song Mingqian flicked his long bangs in front of his forehead, and said with a deep look, "I think, it definitely won't be as delicious as what Xia Gugu makes!"
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned Xia Yuanfang, it was like speaking of the devil.
Xia Chujian had just curved the corners of her mouth when she noticed that her Quantum Optical Brain had another message.
She looked down and saw that this time it was really her aunt.
[Xia Yuanfang]: Chujian, where are you?
Xia Chujian quickly replied.
[Xia Chujian]: Aunt, I'm already in Da Fu Prefecture.
As she said that, she opened the video call, letting Xia Yuanfang see where she was, and had the team members greet Xia Yuanfang.
Everyone gathered around and waved at Xia Yuanfang on the virtual display screen.
Xia Yuanfang was relieved to see that she was indeed with the team members.
She said with a smile, "It's also my fault, I only came back after being out all day today, otherwise Chujian would have told me in person, and I wouldn't have had to chase after you with a video call."
Xia Chujian felt very guilty.
She didn't dare to face Xia Yuanfang, so she left a note and sneaked out.
Now that Xia Yuanfang apologized first, she felt even more embarrassed.
Xia Chujian murmured, "Gugu, it's my fault. I should have told you before leaving."
Xia Yuanfang knew Xia Chujian didn't dare to tell her face-to-face, so she didn't expose her and changed the subject with a smile, "Is this mission of yours dangerous?"
Ye Shijie quickly said, "Not dangerous at all, Xia Gugu, don't worry. We're just secretly acting as bodyguards for a noble lady, and we won't appear in public."
So they really were going to be bodyguards, not assassins.
It was clear that Xia Yuanfang hadn't completely believed Xia Chujian's note.
Because this child had already learned to "report good news, not bad."
Xia Yuanfang breathed another sigh of relief, her expression even more relaxed, and said, "That's good, but even as bodyguards, you must be careful. When will you be back? Oh, when are you coming back?"
Ye Shijie said, "This mission happens to end on New Year's Eve. The earliest we can return to Mulan City is the first, which is the New Year."
Xia Yuanfang said with a smile, "No problem, come to my house for the New Year, and I'll cook you delicious food."
"Xia Gugu is the best! We'll definitely come!" Song Mingqian and Ping Qiong cheered together.
Ye Shijie also said he would go, but Li Fu just chuckled, neither saying he would come nor saying he wouldn't.
Xia Yuanfang didn't mind, she was just being polite.
The Beichen Empire didn't have a lunar calendar, only a Gregorian calendar.
The New Year here was like the Spring Festival in her previous world, lasting fifteen days, all days for family reunions.
She wouldn't force others to be guests at her house.
Xia Chujian was nervous beside them. After everyone finished speaking, she said to Xia Yuanfang on the video, "Gugu, look at the scenery here, it's so beautiful! Next time I'll take you on a trip, and we'll eat here again!"
Xia Yuanfang nodded, "Then I'll wait for you to come back."
Then she hung up the call.
Xia Chujian breathed a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and said, "Luckily there's free Star Network here, otherwise, the data usage for one video call would be insane, and I'd be heartbroken!"
"You can earn almost a million with this one job, what's there to be heartbroken about? You little cheapskate!" Ping Qiong pinched Xia Chujian's face, teasing her with a smile.
Xia Chujian refused to be outdone and pinched Ping Qiong's face in return, saying, "Let me absorb some of Cai Jie's wealth! May we make a fortune this year!"
"Let's make a fortune together! Let's make a fortune together!" Song Mingqian and Li Fu also chimed in.
The four of them were making a ruckus, only Ye Shijie was relatively calm, just watching them smile, not joining in the fun.
Before long, the restaurant started serving the dishes.
They each ordered a portion of charcoal-grilled Unicorn Cattle, wild Lan River Knife Fish stew, and the main course was Langya Sea Black Fish Roe Rice Bowl.
The rice was clearly Tantai Royal Field Rice, and the taste was completely different from ordinary rice.
They had eaten this kind of rice before, so they recognized it immediately.
"Not bad, they actually serve Tantai Royal Field Rice here, no wonder it's the most luxurious restaurant in Da Fu Prefecture." Xia Chujian thought the dishes were just average. Although they were made to look, smell, and taste good, she had eaten better, so she didn't care much.
But the rice was different, it required better ingredients to make it taste better.
Song Mingqian also said, "This charcoal-grilled Unicorn Cattle is just a gimmick, it's not as good as what Little Xia Chujian makes."
Ping Qiong nodded regretfully, "Little Xia Chujian's scrambled egg Unicorn Cattle is amazing, this can't compare."
Xia Chujian said with a smile, "Actually, my Gugu makes it even better. If you can really come for New Year's Eve, we'll go to the Exotic Beast Forest outside the city and bring back more delicious food."
"Can you leave the city?"
"I heard you can leave the city now."
Xia Chujian thought, even if she couldn't, she had a way.
Of course, she wouldn't tell anyone else.
This concerned the lives of Aunt Chen and Zhu Yingying.
She knew what was important.
Ye Shijie also ordered a bottle of low-alcohol wine, but he ordered juice for both Xia Chujian and Ping Qiong.
Ping Qiong had Rosy Dawn Fruit juice, and Xia Chujian had Golden Fruit juice.
The two, one red and one yellow, were in the crystal glass, reflecting the brilliant lights, as clear as top-grade gemstones.
Halfway through the meal, Boss Yi even brought the head chef over to greet them.
Xia Chujian politely praised the food, but the head chef became a little impatient as he listened.
Boss Yi was also a little surprised and couldn't help wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
Ye Shijie found it amusing and quickly stood up, took out a hundred Beichen Coin note, and placed it in the head chef's hand, saying, "Today's meal was delicious, just a little something extra for you."
The chef's anger turned to joy, and he nodded repeatedly.
Boss Yi breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Xia Chujian again, and then followed the head chef out.
After they left, Xia Chujian curiously asked, "Why give money separately? Is it a tip? Does the head chef of such a big restaurant even care about this little bit of money?"
Ye Shijie said, "It's not about the money, it's for good luck. If the head chef personally comes to greet the guests, it's necessary to give a small red envelope. Not having one is considered unlucky."
Xia Chujian: "..."
She said awkwardly, "That's true, not having money is definitely unlucky."
Everyone laughed together.
The little money grubber's stinginess had struck again.
After the group finished eating, they chatted and laughed in the private room for a while before settling the bill and leaving.
Since it was a team meal, Ye Shijie needed to keep the bill after paying.
After returning to Mulan City, they could get reimbursed by the Association.
It was not even seven o'clock when they came out of the restaurant.
The night breeze was very warm, unlike their Mulan City, where it was already as cold as an ice cellar at this time.
Xia Chujian looked around at the street scene and clicked her tongue, "As expected of the capital of Guiyuan Star, there doesn't seem to be any of those old, backward neighborhoods here."
Like her neighborhood.
The streets here were all smooth and accessible in all directions.
Above the streets, there were dedicated lanes for flying vehicles and suspended trains.
On the ground, there were various self-driving vehicles coming and going.
There were also dedicated lanes for exercise bicycles, making the city's traffic well-organized.
Da Fu Prefecture was three times larger than Mulan City.
But the urban planning was even more uniform than Mulan City.
The entire urban area, viewed from above, was two concentric circles.
The inner concentric circle was the location of the Governor's Office, including all the prefectural-level government facilities.
The large concentric circle outside was neatly and evenly divided into eight fan-shaped areas.
Xia Chujian opened her Quantum Optical Brain, looked at the topographic map of the entire Da Fu Prefecture, and said, "Besides the central government area, the entire Da Fu Prefecture is divided into eight districts, namely East One, East Two, East Three, East Four Districts, West One, West Two, West Three, and West Four Districts."
Ping Qiong leaned over to look at the map and said, "Each community here is divided into residential areas, commercial areas, and school districts, which is very different from our Mulan City."
This is the third update, and also the bonus update for 300 monthly tickets.
See you tomorrow, everyone!
There will still be three updates tomorrow!
The newbie author is working so hard, can I get a monthly ticket? (^▽^
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