Chapter 60: An Insurmountable Hurdle
Su Zhaozhao still found it hard to believe as she sat at the dining table.
Xie Huaizheng had actually brought her to a small town three kilometers away.
Now, she was sitting at the entrance of someone’s home, a large bowl of lamb noodles placed before her. Skewers of roasted lamb were also brought to the table.
The savory aroma was enough to make your mouth water.
A few other tables around them were occupied.
It was clearly a restaurant, albeit one where the owners had simply set up a few tables in their doorway and called it a business.
There were many such family-run operations in this era.
Still, Su Zhaozhao never expected Xie Huaizheng to bring her to a place like this to eat.
"Why did you bring me here? It feels so out-of-the-way."
Finding the town itself wasn’t difficult, but getting to this specific spot required navigating a few small, winding roads. She wondered how Xie Huaizheng had ever found it.
"I was on a mission nearby once, that’s how I found it," Xie Huaizheng said flatly.
"Eat up while it’s hot. It won’t be as good once it’s cold."
Su Zhaozhao dug into the bowl of lamb noodle soup before her. She took a sip of the broth, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction.
Most people in this area ate lamb. The meat wasn’t gamey at all; it even had a subtle, milky aroma and was delicious.
She began to dig in with gusto.
A bowl of noodles sat in front of Xie Huaizheng as well, but he wasn’t particularly hungry. He watched Su Zhaozhao eat with such concentration, as if she were savoring a rare delicacy.
The corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl into a small smile. ’It’s true,’ he thought, ’she makes everything look delicious.’
’He wondered how the Su Family had mistreated her in the past.’
Just then, the proprietress walked out of the restaurant and asked Xie Huaizheng, "Little Xie, is it good?"
She walked with a limp, as if her leg was injured.
Xie Huaizheng smiled at her. "It’s delicious."
His tone was no longer frigid, but carried a hint of gentleness.
Su Zhaozhao paused, her noodles halfway to her mouth. It was the first time she had ever seen Xie Huaizheng show such warmth to anyone.
Usually, he was incredibly cold, and it didn’t matter who he was dealing with.
Even with Liu Guosheng, he was aloof at best, never gentle.
Yet now, with the proprietress of this little restaurant, he was acting so kindly.
This made Su Zhaozhao’s gaze linger on the woman.
’They seem to know each other.’
The next moment, the proprietress looked at Su Zhaozhao and asked Xie Huaizheng, "Is this your girlfriend? It’s the first time I’ve seen you bring a young woman here."
"My fiancée," Xie Huaizheng said.
Hearing this, Su Zhaozhao’s eyes immediately shot back to Xie Huaizheng. His expression was soft as he stated it as a matter of fact.
’He actually admitted I’m his fiancée?’
’Did hell just freeze over?’
Before Su Zhaozhao could say a word, the woman broke into a benevolent smile.
"Young lady, are you new to West State? I haven’t seen you before. You look so lovely and fresh-faced. What a pretty girl."
Su Zhaozhao immediately gave her a sweet smile. "Yes, I just got here."
Her sweet and well-behaved demeanor made the woman even happier. "Eat up! Is there anything else you’d like? I can make it for you."
"Oh no, that’s alright! I actually ate a little while ago. This is just a late-night snack for me," Su Zhaozhao said hurriedly.
She really couldn’t eat much more. There was this whole main course, plus several skewers of lamb.
The skewers were huge; there was no way she could finish them all.
"Oh, nonsense. You’re too skinny, you should eat more. If it’s not enough, just call me over, and I’ll get you more."
Just then, a customer at the next table called out, and the woman went over to ask what they needed.
Watching the woman’s slight limp, Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but ask Xie Huaizheng, "Did you two know each other from before?"
Xie Huaizheng nodded.
But after the woman walked away, some of the softness left his face.
He quickly finished his bowl of noodles and said to Su Zhaozhao, "Go on, eat."
He stood up and walked over to a nearby tree to have a smoke.
Su Zhaozhao watched Xie Huaizheng’s figure, partially hidden in the darkness. For some reason, she felt that he seemed very lonely right then, perhaps even a little sad.
’Why is he like this?’
Su Zhaozhao didn’t understand, but she knew better than to ask him about it.
That was just how he was; if he wanted to say something, he would say it.
If he didn’t want to talk, no amount of prying would get it out of him.
Besides, she had a vague feeling it was related to some painful part of his past, and she didn’t dare to ask.
When she was about halfway through her meal, the proprietress came back over, carrying a few roasted buns. "Young lady, take these to eat later. I made them myself; they’re very tasty."
"Oh, ma’am, you’re too kind," Su Zhaozhao said quickly. "I won’t be able to finish all this."
She felt a little embarrassed.
"It’s nothing, really, just take them. I don’t have much else to give you, and this is our first time meeting, after all."
’There must be more to the relationship between this woman and Xie Huaizheng,’ she thought.
"Well, thank you, ma’am." Seeing that she couldn’t refuse, Su Zhaozhao accepted them.
The woman smiled at Su Zhaozhao. "You can just call me Aunt Liu."
"Aunt Liu," Su Zhaozhao said at once.
Liu Guiyan beamed. "In all these years, this is the first time I’ve ever seen Little Xie bring a girl here."
"Really?" Su Zhaozhao asked in surprise. "Did he use to come here often?"
Liu Guiyan nodded. "I used to tell him he didn’t need to come. His training keeps him busy, and he can’t get away often. But he always insists on visiting. On the surface, he’s just patronizing my business, but I know... he still hasn’t moved on from what happened in the past."
Hearing Liu Guiyan’s words, Su Zhaozhao’s curiosity was piqued. "What happened?"
’So something else happened to Xie Huaizheng in the past?’
’But there was nothing about this in the novel.’
’The novel mostly mentioned the hardships the male lead endured for a few years after his family’s fall from grace, and how he was later healed by the female lead.’
’Could it be that Xie Huaizheng is in that state right now?’
’But didn’t the Xie Family’s downfall just begin?’
’How could it have been "a few years"?’
Before Liu Guiyan could say more, Xie Huaizheng returned.
He had finished his cigarette and aired out the smell. Seeing Liu Guiyan chatting with Su Zhaozhao, he walked over.
Seeing the roasted buns Liu Guiyan had packed and placed on the table, he immediately said, "Aunt Liu, you’re too kind. We have plenty of food where we’re staying."
"I know, but it’s a token of my affection. And just look at this girl, she’s so thin! Don’t you go skimping on her meals. Give her more meat to eat. The army doesn’t lack for food, does it?" she couldn’t help but chide Xie Huaizheng.
Su Zhaozhao was, at that very moment, enthusiastically gnawing on a lamb skewer.
Hearing Liu Guiyan’s words, she froze mid-bite.
Xie Huaizheng’s gaze drifted over to her, and he eyed her with a smirk.
His expression seemed to ask just how, exactly, he had been mistreating her.
Su Zhaozhao quickly jumped in, "Um, Aunt Liu, I’m not short on food at all. It’s just... I didn’t get much to eat back home, so I was always hungry. I’ve actually gained some weight since I came here."
Liu Guiyan sighed. "Come here often, then. I’ll make you plenty of meat to eat!"
She looked truly sorry for Su Zhaozhao, who simply smiled back. "Thank you, Aunt Liu."
After they finished eating and left, Su Zhaozhao couldn’t hold back her question as they sat in the car. "So, what’s the deal with you and Aunt Liu?"