NOVPUB"Zhuge Fu, checked in on the eleventh of November..." Mi Zhu picked up the bamboo slip and began to read aloud, "Sima Lang, checked in on the twelfth of November..."
Chen Xi listened until he felt drowsy. Apart from a twinge of regret when he heard Sima Lang and Sima Yi, nothing else made an impression on him.
"Zhuge Jin, checked in at the Mi Family Restaurant on the eleventh of November." Just as Chen Xi was about to doze off, a familiar name reached his ears. He couldn’t help but startle, but before he could ask, Mi Zhu continued reading, "Zhuge Liang, checked in at the Mi Family Restaurant on the eleventh of November."
"Stop!" This time Chen Xi was fully awake. He snatched the bamboo slip and stared at the two names on it. After a long while, under Mi Zhu’s astonished gaze, he slapped the table, heedless of the pain in his hand, and laughed loudly, "Hahahaha, what was lost in the east corner is now gained in the west! Come, let’s go invite these two talents!"
Without paying any mind to the shocked looks from everyone, he headed straight out. The carriage was waiting outside. Having missed Sima Yi and picked up Zhuge Liang, Liu Xuande’s fate seemed quite high!
After a few steps, Chen Xi remembered something and awkwardly said to Mi Zhu, "Zizhong, in which of your family’s restaurants are these two gentlemen staying?"
"Flip the letter over; there’s a carved trace on the back that marks the location," Mi Zhu quickly caught up and said.
Chen Xi turned the letter over and indeed saw a line of carved markings at the lower right corner, "Central Restaurant?" Chen Xi was puzzled. Recalling Mi Zhu’s earlier readings about Sima Yi and Sima Lang’s accommodations, he thought it strange. Could it be that Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang were fated to meet on the same day in the same place? He wondered if anything exciting had happened, like Sima Yi taking advantage of his greater age to thrash the younger Zhuge Liang, for instance.
In Chen Xi’s opinion, given Zhuge Liang’s youth, he couldn’t possibly be that monstrously talented. Over time, a two-year age difference could be made up, but for now, Chen Xi did not believe that Zhuge Liang would be able to best Sima Yi. As for the Spiritual Talent, Chen Xi suspected Sima Yi might possess it, and likely the very one that caused everyone trouble. Regarding Zhuge Liang, though, maybe he was just too young...
Looking back, the Sima brothers had even sent him wedding gifts. It seemed only right for Chen Xi to side with Sima Yi. After all, when he grew up, he could be the one severely bullied by Zhuge Liang. If he didn’t take advantage now, he would only have his imagination to rely on later, which would be a sad state of affairs.
"Zizhong, hurry, take me to them. If we let these two fellows slip away again, we would truly be blind to talent! I just carelessly let two Fa Xiaozhi slip away; if we lose two more with even more potential than Fa Xiaozhi, our Mi Family might as well shut down!" Chen Xi turned to Mi Zhu and said.
"Quickly, let’s go!" Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu dropped all pretense of refinement and, taking long strides, dragged Chen Xi toward his own carriage.
How exceptional Fa Xiaozhi was, Mi Zhu now knew perfectly well. To his horror, Chen Xi claimed two Fa Xiaozhi got away, along with two others who might be even more talented still staying at their family’s restaurant. Mi Zhu nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. The most important aspect of a great undertaking is talent. Letting two Fa Xiaozhi escape, how could you not be devastated!
But now Mi Zhu had no time to reproach Chen Xi; he didn’t want to mention the two who had already escaped. His concern was to keep the two still at his family’s restaurant. It’s never too late to mend. Mi Zhu could be described as Liu Bei’s extremely loyal supporter, considering everything with Liu Bei at the core.
Once on the carriage, Mi Zhu had the servants whip the horses to go faster. Mi Zhu, who had rarely galloped before, now held the reins and drove the carriage toward Central Restaurant without any reservations. Seeing the urgency, it seemed he wouldn’t stop even if he hit someone. Mi Zhu thought that once he got the two Zhuges back, he could just pay to smooth things over.
"Hey, hey, hey, be careful, or you might get caught by Boning!" Chen Xi held onto the carriage window, somewhat panicky, as he spoke. Such high speeds inside the city were a death wish!
"Let’s meet those two people first, and as for anything else, it doesn’t count for much. If Boning comes looking for trouble, I’ll slip away first, and after things have blown over, I’ll turn myself in to him. In the end, this kind of situation at most results in forced labor, and with money, one can buy their freedom," Mi Zhu said, not caring in the least. His expression conveyed that money and all such things were transient, and he’d happily pay a billion for two Fa Zheng.
"Don’t worry, don’t worry, those two won’t run away." Chen Xi had already gotten used to the super-fast carriage and said with a steady heart rate and a smile.
"Two have already run away, and now you tell me the remaining two won’t run either." Mi Zhu stared at Chen Xi, dissatisfied, "Tell me what’s going on, how on earth did two Fa Xiaozhi inexplicably run off." While speaking, Mi Zhu touched his left chest, resembling the expression of a merchant about to throw themselves into a river after a bad business deal.
Chen Xi briefly explained the situation, and Mi Zhu’s look at Chen Xi was filled with resentment, "Zichuan, if you knew their names, you should have told me directly, and I’d have gone to look for them. My Mi Family’s business spans the entire world. Finding a scholar may not be easy, but it’s much easier than your wait-and-see approach."
Chen Xi just gave a wry smile and shook his head, "Once you meet those two, you’ll understand why I did what I did."
All the way at top speed, there were a few times they were nearly stopped by city management. Fortunately, Chen Xi’s reputation was solid, and the Mi Family’s business emblem on the carriage was well-known. Otherwise, given how Mi Zhu tended to charge ahead recklessly, they would have been stopped even if there were no one else on the street.
"Master, we’ve arrived at Central Government Restaurant," the coachman announced. Despite the carriage’s high speed, which was a bit unstable at first, the ride settled down and was fairly smooth, reaching the destination within the time it took to eat a meal.
"Alright." Mi Zhu leaped down from the carriage, not in the mood to use the horse stool and feign elegance at that moment. Meeting those people came first.
As soon as Mi Zhu’s carriage drew up, a sharp-eyed shop assistant hurried back inside. By the time Mi Zhu appeared, the manager of the Mi Family Restaurant was already at the door to welcome the two.
"Let’s go in and take a look." Chen Xi also jumped down and shook his head at Mi Zhu, saying, "We have to make sure at least one of them stays!"
"Your name is Zhao Yuan, from Xuzhou Donghai, joined my Mi Family three years ago. You’ve done well. I’m entrusting you with the management of the entire Mount Tai Mi Family Restaurant. Keep up the good work, and I’ll make up your appointment letter and manager’s attire," Mi Zhu said, patting the manager who looked even more weathered than himself, and then moved on, a smile on his face.
Left behind was Zhao, the shopkeeper, who received the news like a gift from heaven and looked somewhat bewildered as he followed Chen Xi inside.
"Master, if you need anything, please instruct me," Zhao, the shopkeeper, instantly put away his overwhelming joy upon seeing Mi Zhu enter, following Mi Zhu closely with measured steps.
"There’s nothing for you here," Mi Zhu said, waving his hand, "just attend to your own affairs."
Chen Xi scanned the hall where everyone was dining. Not one resembled the figures of Zhuge Jin and Zhuge Liang. He was about to visit the two’s living quarters when he saw a young man in brocade slowly coming down the stairs. The youth’s cultured aura and bright eyes delighted Chen Xi. Found them! (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
