Chapter 043
Shimen Yihshyong
The painting exhibition that Tsaehorng participated in was quite interesting. At least, that's how Yihshyong felt when they got there. Yihshyong didn't know much about painting, but because he was a person who liked to read, he knew more or less about painting terms. So at least, if he talked about the painting with the people present at the exhibition, he wouldn't look so stupid. However, Yihshyong was lazy to interact with other people at that time. So he spent time there just to enjoy the paintings while mute in a thousand words.
Yihshyong turned his gaze to Shannchyuan and Yinqyueh. The two of them seemed to have the same taste in painting. They paid more attention to the paintings depicting the scenery. But it could also be that one followed the other when the other looked at a painting. Either Shannchyuan following Yinqyueh or Yinqyueh following Shannchyuan. Yihshyong wasn't so sure about that. In Yihshyong's view, the relationship between Shannchyuan and Yinqyueh was rather difficult to define. At least, that was Yihshyong's conclusion up to that point. That might change over time.
The person who invited them, Tsaehorng, was busy conversing with the visitors. Many of the visitors asked the young man questions. There were simple questions. On the other hand, there were also tough questions. Tsaehorng patiently answered those questions one by one. Compared to six months ago, Tsaehorng had changed a lot. Previously, he looked like a quiet child who harbored anger. Now, he looked very relaxed and confident.
After being there for a while, Shannchyuan approached Yihshyong. "I'll take Yinqyueh home. Do you still want to be here?"
Yihshyong didn't want to linger there either. Shannchyuan's words were a relief. "I'll just go with you. Once we get home, we can start moving things to Shindongchaang's warehouse."
Soon after that, they approached Tsaehorng to say that they were leaving the exhibition venue.
"Let's have lunch first." Tsaehorng tried to delay their return.
"Lunch is still a long way off. We have other things to do." Yihshyong smiled.
Tsaehorng looked at his watch. "It's past eleven. We'll be at the diner at half-past twelve if we start walking now. It might take about fifteen minutes for everything to be ready. I think, at twelve to a quarter of the dish will be served. So, it's actually not too early for lunch."
Shannchyuan turned to Yinqyueh. "What do you think?"
Yinqyueh's face was bright. The girl smiled widely. "It's fine if we eat lunch a little earlier than usual."
"Alright! Then we're leaving for lunch now." Shannchyuan also smiled widely.
Tsaehorng's face brightened as he heard Shannchyuan's words. The young man was leading the way as the four of them exited the exhibition area.
"What are we going to eat?" Yinqyueh's voice sounded excited.
"That's up to Tsaehorng," said Shannchyuan.
"What do you want to eat?" Tsaehorng asked.
"You invited us. So we will follow your choice," said Yihshyong.
Tsaehorng just laughed at Yihshyong's words. He continued to lead them.
"Is the place not far from here?" Yinqyueh looked to the right and left.
Tsaehorng nodded. "I'm sure you guys will love the place."
Along the way, there were many shops selling food. Tsaehorng did not stop at any of the shops. He walked on. After arriving at the crossroads, he asked them to cross. Tsaehorng's restaurant of choice was a bit far.
The place is fairly far. Maybe we just got there just in time for lunch. I am afraid because we had to walk a long way, we must have been starving!
Fortunately, Yihshyong's conjecture was not proven. After a while, they arrived at the restaurant they were going to. The restaurant was quite busy. It wasn't lunchtime yet, but people had already started queuing in front of the restaurant. Tsaehorng did not stand behind the line of people queuing. He continued to walk to the side of the restaurant building. There was a small alley.
"Let's go in this way." Tsaehorng turned to them. The young man beamed.
The four of them then walked down the small alley. After about fifty meters, there was a small door on the building wall. Tsaehorng opened it right away. "Come on, please come in!"
Tsaehorng asked Shannchyuan, Yihshyong, and Yinqyueh to enter. Yihshyong suspected that this building was the property of the Tsaehorng family. So he can freely go in and out.
After everyone entered, Tsaehorng closed the door. He guided them up to the first floor through a staircase only about four meters from the door where they had just entered. Upstairs, there's a lot of room. Tsaehorng didn't guide them into any of the rooms. He went up again to the floor above the floor they were standing on. Arriving on the second floor, he also did not stop. Only then, on the third floor, did Tsaehorng walk into one room on that floor.
Arriving at the door, he immediately opened the door that looked quite luxurious. The room behind the door turned out to be enormous. This room was similar to a karaoke room, but it was equipped with a large dining table. Tsaehorng invited them to sit on the chairs in front of the table.
Tsaehorng pressed a button on the doorbell attached to the wall. It wasn't long before someone entered.
"Good afternoon Mr. Mingju." The person bowed respectfully.
It turns out to be true that the people here already knew Tsaehorng.
"Good afternoon." Tsaehorng's voice was so authoritative. Much different from before.
The person who turned out to be a waiter at the restaurant gave them a menu list. Yinqyueh grabbed the menu straight away. She immediately flipped through the menu. Her eyes sparkled.
"What's the special food here?" Shannchyuan asked.
"We don't have such a mainstay here. There are certain foods that we promote. But these particular foods change every day." The waiter nodded politely.
"But there's still a regular menu, right?" Yihshyong looked straight at the waiter.
"Yes, Sir! You can order everything that is written on the menu now." The waiter pointed to the menu Yinqyueh was reading.
"Then what's the surprise menu for today?" Tsaehorng asked.
"Today, we serve horse steak with sweet and sour sauce, horse stew with soy sauce, and smoked horse meat with black pepper seasoning!"
Instantly, Shannchyuan and Yinqyueh looked at each other.
Yihshyong could only wonder in his heart. He didn't understand the meaning of their glances at each other. Horse meat was not very common to eat, but that did not mean that no one ate it. A few months ago, Yihshyong had tried eating horse meat jerky. The meat was so tough! Maybe the jerky came from old horse meat pulling carriages, so the meat wasn't up to par.
"Uncle, do you want to try horse meat?" Tsaehorng's words sounded like an invitation.
"Of course! I wonder what smoked horse meat looks like with black pepper." Shannchyuan answered quickly.
"I want a horse steak in sweet and sour sauce," Yinqyueh said.
"Then I'd like horse stew with soy sauce." Yihshyong raised his right hand.
"Today, I'm in the mood to eat shrimp. So I just asked for boiled giant prawns," said Tsaehorng.
"You don't want to try horse meat?" Yihshyong asked.
"I've tried several times to eat these dishes here, Uncle." Tsaehorng smiled.
In addition, they ordered several other additional dishes listed on the menu. The waiter said that the order would be ready in about twenty minutes. After he excused himself, the waiter speedily disappeared behind the door.
The waiter's words weren't just empty promises. About twenty minutes later, the dishes they ordered arrived. Contrary to Yihshyong's expectations, the horse meat they served was very tender. Not at all tough or hard. Either because they only used meat from young horses or because they cooked using specific techniques to tenderize the meat. It tastes good too.
The food taste in that restaurant was similar to the taste of food from their place of origin. So many herbs and spices were used. Maybe Tsaehorng deliberately invited them to eat at that place to suit their tastes. In fact, Yihshyong and the others had no problem if they had to eat dishes with a distinct taste from the food in their hometown.
Even though they weren't hungry yet, they ate voraciously. It turned out that the horse meat dish there was indeed very extraordinary. Horse meat looked similar to beef, only the fiber was much larger. Yihshyong remembered the time he ate horse meat jerky. He ate it together with Jenqyih. According to Jenqyih, horse meat also tasted sweeter than beef. Jenqyih was famous for not being picky when it came to food. He ate whatever was served to him. Therefore, traveling with Jenqyih was very pleasant because he never minded eating anything and anywhere. Unfortunately, at that moment, Jenqyih could not join them to eat at that place.
"How about these dishes? Would you all like to add another serving?" Tsaehorng's fingers were ready to call the waiter.
"This is enough. We are full. Thank you," replied Shannchyuan.
"Then now I'll order takeout. Let Uncle Nangong and Uncle Beeihae also have a taste of this dish," said Tsaehorng.
"No need. Maybe Jenqyih comes home when it's dark. I'm afraid the dish is already bad," said Shannchyuan.
"It's okay, Uncle. The dishes can be warmed up later."
Tsaehorng quickly rang the bell to call the waiter. After the waiter came, he immediately ordered some takeout food. He also ordered a few drinks and their dessert soup for lunch.
After they finished enjoying the delicious dishes, they sat on the sofa in the room. Yinqyueh turned on the television that was there. She searched for the channel that was broadcasting the news. After pressing the remote control several times, she finally found a TV station broadcasting news about a fire in an elite housing complex in Yuehming.
The news stated that the fire had been extinguished. But the embers were still burning everywhere. No one was allowed to approach the burning houses there. Quickly, Yinqyueh turned to Shannchyuan. Shannchyuan nodded slowly. Yihshyong didn't understand the meaning of the look and nodded. He only thought it might have something to do with whether Yinqyueh would return to her relative's house tomorrow.
"What about the housing problem? Have you found a new house yet?" Tsaehorng opened his mouth.
"Not yet," said Shannchyuan. But thanks to you, we're not too worried right now. You can put your items in the warehouse at the station. We don't mind being out for a while."
"What if you just use one place I have?" Tsaehorng offered to help. "At least, for the time being."
"Thank you," said Shannchyuan. "But we can't bother you anymore. You're currently busy with the exhibition. So focus your attention there. Don't worry about us."
"It's not like that, Uncle. Coincidentally now, the place I live in this city is empty. Right now, I choose to sleep in a place so close to where I exhibit my paintings. So Uncles can use that place. At least until the painting exhibition ends. "
"So when will the painting exhibition end?" Yihshyong was curious. Earlier, he did not pay attention to the exhibition schedule written there.
"The original plan was only for two weeks. However, it was extended by two weeks, so a total of four weeks. Since it has been going on for one week, the exhibition will still last for another three weeks." Tsaehorng gave an explanation.
Yihshyong turned to Shannchyuan. Their leader just nodded at Tsaehorng's explanation.
"I need to ask the others first," said Shannchyuan.
"Okay, Uncle! I'd be delighted if I could help," said Tsaehorng.
After that, they talked about other things. Apart from conversing with Shannchyuan and Yihshyong, Tsaehorng also asked Yinqyueh many questions. Watching Yinqyueh face the questions, Yihshyong had the impression that she only answered what was necessary. She did not explain at length the answer she gave.
Tsaehorng looked at his watch. "I can't believe we've been here for two hours."
"You have to go back to the painting exhibition, don't you?" Yihshyong said.
"That's right, Uncle!" Tsaehorng nodded. "Sorry, Uncle, if I can not accompany Uncles until the afternoon."
"It's okay. We're very grateful," said Shannchyuan.
The four of them left the room. Unlike when they arrived earlier, where they went through the side door, now they went through the front door to get out of the restaurant. Outside, Tsaehorng's car was waiting.
Uh? So Tsaehorng had this planned all along?
"Is there no traffic jam there now?" Tsaehorng tapped the driver on the shoulder.
"It's been smooth, sir! But people are still not allowed to enter the complex," replied the driver.
"Are people who live in places within the housing complex in parts that were not affected by fire also not allowed to enter?" Tsaehorng frowned.
"That's right, sir! Everyone is not allowed to enter. Including the people who live in places that are not caught in the fire."
"Very weird!" Tsaehorng exhaled loudly. "Uncle, what do you think is going on?" He directed the question to Yihshyong and Shannchyuan.
"We couldn't say anything yet because we haven't seen what the damage is. Maybe the authorities are just being too careful. Perhaps in a few hours, they will allow people to go home." Shannchyuan's voice sounded doubtful.
"I thought so too," Yihshyong said. "It's too early for us to speculate. We'd better see how things go. Tomorrow morning, there may be other information."
The car arrived in front of the painting exhibition building.
"Does Uncle still want to look at the paintings?" Tsaehorng asked.
"No. I think we're going home now," Shannchyuan replied.
"Then you don't have to get off. Let the driver take you home," said Tsaehorng.
After saying that, Tsaehorng got out of the car right away. Yihshyong looked at Shannchyuan. It seemed that Tsaehorng had given them absolutely no chance to refuse. Finally, the car started running again. At that time, the vehicle was moving towards their house.
"What is it?" Shannchyuan grabbed Yinqyueh's hand.
"What do you mean, Uncle?" Yinqyueh asked back.
"You've been a bit quiet since you ate. Is something bothering you?" Although Shannchyuan's voice was soft, his tone was full of curiosity.
Yihshyong turned around. He gazed at the two people sitting next to him.
Yinqyueh stared at the ceiling of the car they were riding in. "Earlier, did you notice, Uncle?"
"Notice what?"
"One waiter delivering the dishes?" Yinqyueh's eyes widened.
"What's with the waiter?"
"He looked at Uncle with a strange look. He seemed to know Uncle."
"Maybe it's just your feelings," said Shannchyuan.
"While clearing the table, after we finished eating, the waiter also looked at Uncle with the same look." Yinqyueh stared intently at Shannchyuan.
Uh? Turns out I'm not the only one who thinks like that!
"Right. I also found the waiter a bit strange when I saw Dahge." Yihshyong joined the conversation.
"You saw that too?" Shannchyuan turned to Yihshyong.
"I didn't pay attention to the waiter when he and the other waiters came to deliver the dishes. But I saw when he came to clear the table," Yihshyong replied.
"Maybe I'm similar to the person he knows. Not a few people who have a face and appearance like me. For example, you. Many people say the two of us are very similar." Shannchyuan pointed his index finger at Yihshyong. "In fact, there are people who have difficulty distinguishing the two of us."
"Maybe Dahge was right." Yihshyong lowered his voice. "But, if that's the case, he should look at me strangely, too."
Shannchyuan frowned. It seemed that he was also starting to sense that Yinqyueh's suspicions might be well-founded.
"Even the waiter still looked at you strangely when we walked out of the diner." Yihshyong continued.
Yihshyong had walked some distance behind Shannchyuan and Yinqyueh because he had briefly gone to the restroom. So he could see things that Yinqyueh had missed.
"Well! that means I'm not just imagining, right?" Yinqyueh voiced a little louder.
"At that time, he was whispering to his friend, another servant," Yihshyong said.
"Which servant?" Yinqyueh asked.
"The friend he was talking to didn't come into our room at all. So you've never seen him." Yihshyong's eyes widened as the words slid out of his mouth.
"Could it be that I'm more famous than I realize?" Shannchyuan laughed to himself after saying that.
The car had entered their housing complex. They saw a neighbor living on their left, walking out of the compound. His face looked very serious. It was rare for him to look like that. Usually, he always looked relaxed and full of smiles. Yihshyong had no idea what had just happened to that person. He just hoped the person would be okay.
Less than two minutes the car they were riding had arrived in front of their house. Iren stood in front of the gate. It looked like he had just stepped out of the fence. The gate was still not completely closed. His face was pale.
Yihshyong opened the car door. With a jolt, the car door swung wide open.
Iren instantly approached them. With a bent body position, He opened his mouth straight away. "Shinnshiow has been kidnapped!"
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