The Boss, a Pound of Braised Beef, Please

The main hall of the Jing Family Restaurant.

At the moment, a seemingly honest, good-natured young man leaned listlessly against the stair railing. The towel in his hand swung back and forth without much effort, reflecting his mood.

This young man was the Jing Family Restaurant's waiter. His name was Qian Niu.

It was now a quarter past three in the afternoon, just before four. There wasn't a single customer in the restaurant. In fact, customers rarely came in around this time.

So the waiter had some free time.

Earlier, Qian Niu and the other waiters had cleaned the restaurant and arranged the tables and chairs. Afterward, they'd left one person on duty to greet any customers who might come in.

As it happened, it was Qian Niu's turn today.

Keeping watch was rather boring. He had to keep his eyes on the entrance at all times and be ready to take care of the occasional customer, but Qian Niu didn't dare slack off in the slightest.

It had taken him a long time to find a boss who didn't arbitrarily dock his wages and treated people generously. Qian Niu didn't want to lose this hard-won job because of his own carelessness. After all, he still had a family to support.

At the thought of supporting his family, an image came to mind: a young woman in coarse clothes, holding a well-behaved, adorable-looking little child.

The young woman wasn't pretty, and the child was a little wrinkly, but for some reason, just thinking of them made Qian Niu feel inexplicably happy.

At the same time, a rather awkward smile appeared on his face.

But this smile came from the heart. It was quite unlike the smile he wore when dealing with customers.

As for exactly what made them different, even Qian Niu couldn't say. They were just different.

Just then, Qian Niu suddenly sensed that someone had come in.

The instant he realized it, he straightened up reflexively and casually draped the towel over his right shoulder. Only then did he take a good look at the customer by the entrance.

It was a young man, dressed simply in a moon-white robe. He was neither tall nor short. He carried no folding fan and wore no jade pendant or other ornaments.

Probably just an ordinary person. Not hard to deal with.

Though he hadn't seen the man's face, Qian Niu had already made his judgment.

After all, with years of experience, it wasn't difficult to tell.

To be honest, after all these years as a waiter, the people he least wanted to deal with were young masters and ladies from powerful or wealthy families.

They spent generously, always ordered the signature dishes, and were a great boon to the restaurant's business. Now and then, the likes of him even benefited from their generosity and earned a few extra silver coins.

But for some reason, Qian Niu just didn't like them.

Perhaps it was the arrogance etched into their bones and the way they looked down on everyone. Perhaps it was the disdain and indifference in their eyes when they looked at him. Or perhaps it was simply because they had higher status and more money and power than he did, and he was jealous.

Whatever the reason, Qian Niu just didn't like serving them much, even if he could earn a little extra.

He still preferred dealing with ordinary people. At least it was more comfortable.

But he had a family to support, and he was only a waiter, so he kept all this to himself—and kept it very well. He never told anyone.

But enough about that. Qian Niu gave the young man who had just entered a glance. For some reason, the man seemed familiar.

Looks like a regular.

Relieved, Qian Niu was just about to greet him.

At that moment, the young man seemed to notice Qian Niu too. He turned, smiled at him, gave a slight nod in greeting, then waved his hand.

Qian Niu recognized him as well. He was indeed an acquaintance—and not just any acquaintance.

But since the man had waved to show that there was no need to greet him, Qian Niu tactfully returned to his spot. The man hadn't come just to eat, so Qian Niu wouldn't go over and bother him. Still, his gaze stayed fixed on the young man, following him wherever he went.

At one point, as if something had occurred to him, Qian Niu shook his head for no apparent reason, curled the corners of his mouth, and smiled faintly.

Seeing that Qian Niu was no longer paying attention to him, the young man made his way toward the counter, walking quietly.

A young woman in a long-haired style and a ruqun was bent over her work there.

As he drew closer, he heard the abacus clacking away.

The closer he got, the louder it sounded.

This girl's abacus work was even more precise than mine. Practice really does make perfect.

The young man approached the counter. The girl in front of him was still as busy as ever, completely unaware that an outsider had arrived.

He pinched his throat, swallowed, cleared it, and silently prepared himself.

Perhaps realizing it wouldn't be good to disturb her, the young man leaned a little closer to the girl at the desk. Once he was near enough, he said softly, "Boss, a pound of braised beef, please."

Hearing his voice, the busy girl didn't even raise her head. Her hands paused on the abacus for just a moment before she called loudly, "Brother Qian Niu, we have a customer!"

After calling out, the girl prepared to continue checking the accounts.

But Qian Niu didn't say a word or make any other move.

When she heard no reply, the girl began to suspect something was wrong. She thought, Is no one in the main hall?

But Brother Qian Niu isn't the kind of person to shirk his duties. What's going on?

Puzzled, she finally raised her head and looked toward the stairway.

What met her eyes was a handsome face beaming with a smile. She knew that face extremely well. She even dreamed about it often.

Thinking of the dream she'd had a few days ago, a faint blush crept across the young woman's pretty face.

But then she realized that the person in question was right in front of her. She couldn't let him notice, or else...

How embarrassing.

At that thought, the girl cleared her throat, composed herself, and put on a smile again. "Mingyuan, what brings you here? Haven't you been busy these past few days?"

The young man standing across the counter was Lu Mingyuan. He happened to be out today, so he'd decided to visit his fiancée—the young woman who had been bent over the desk, working her abacus. She was the eldest young lady of the Jing family, Jing Zhi.

He hadn't expected her to be so focused, so he'd decided to tease her a little.

Seeing Jing Zhi's expression shift from surprise to a bashful, flushed smile, Lu Mingyuan felt wonderful. "I missed my A-Zhi, so I came to see you."

Jing Zhi gave a scoff, clearly unconvinced that he'd come just to see her on a workday.

She knew her man inside out.

They'd grown up together, and later she'd helped him run that little private school. To be honest, the two of them had probably spent more time together than Jing Zhi had spent with her parents.

In Jing Zhi's eyes, her man was a total homebody. He usually went nowhere, staying either at home or at the academy.

Unless something important came up, there was no way to get him to step outside.

Even when the two of them went shopping, she was the one who had to drag him along.

So this time, he must have had something important to do and come by to see her while he was on his way.

Though she thought this, the smile on Jing Zhi's face never faded. It was already wonderful that her sweetheart had come to see her.

Besides, being a homebody had its advantages. At least he wouldn't go fool around with other women or get into trouble, let alone put horns on her head.

The person before her had only her in his heart, and that put her at ease.

With that much, she could understand and accept a few minor flaws.

To be honest, over the years, as the eligible young people around Jing Zhi began dating and discussing marriage, she'd seen plenty of couples who had been married for years. She'd come to feel more and more that her mother's advice was right, so she no longer urged Lu Mingyuan to change his ways.

What she wanted most was love. That meant she had to be a little more lenient in other matters—or give a few things up. That was how it should be.

If he were truly perfect in every way, what would he need her for?

And would someone like that even choose her?

Though Jing Zhi thought all this, it had only taken a moment.

Remembering how he'd teased her just now, Jing Zhi lightly tapped Lu Mingyuan. "Hey, why didn't you say something before you came over? You scared me half to death. And Brother Qian Niu, honestly—he didn't even give me a heads-up."

Lu Mingyuan knew she wasn't really blaming him, but he explained anyway. "I was trying to surprise you! Look, you're smiling so happily."

Jing Zhi rolled her eyes. "No surprise, just a whole lot of fright. Don't do that again. I thought there was a thief."

"Alright, alright! I definitely won't next time."

Lu Mingyuan agreed, though from his tone, it was hard to say whether he'd actually manage to keep his promise.

Then Lu Mingyuan suddenly remembered Qian Niu. Worried that he'd gotten the man in trouble, he quickly added, "Oh, A-Zhi, I spoke to Brother Qian Niu beforehand. That's why he didn't interrupt you. Don't blame him."

"Don't worry, I was only saying it. I'd already guessed as much. And Brother Qian Niu is always conscientious. Why would I blame him? Do you really think I'm that kind of person?"

When Lu Mingyuan brought up Qian Niu, Jing Zhi hurried to deny that she'd meant anything by it.

In truth, she wasn't foolish enough to drag anyone else into the affairs between her and her future husband.

"No, no! In my heart, A-Zhi is perfect."

After that, Jing Zhi and Lu Mingyuan chatted across the counter, sharing little things that had happened around them.

Most of the time, Jing Zhi did the talking while Lu Mingyuan listened quietly.

Every now and then, Lu Mingyuan chimed in with a few words of agreement. That was the way of being together they'd figured out worked best for them.

One liked to talk, the other liked to listen. It was just right.

And chatting let them nurture their feelings, while also easing the ache of missing each other.

It was a win on all fronts!

That was a bit of an exaggeration, since they saw each other every day or two. They weren't like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, who only met once a year.

Besides, even when they met and said nothing, simply staying together made them feel at ease.

Perhaps that was love.

Time passed as they chatted.

"You must be tired standing there. Come, sit here."

At one point, Jing Zhi suddenly patted the chair beside her, inviting Lu Mingyuan to come sit with her.

Lu Mingyuan didn't hesitate. He went straight over.

Once he sat down, he deftly took Jing Zhi's little hand in his. She didn't resist.

To be honest, if they weren't in the Jing Family Restaurant, where unfamiliar customers—or even his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, or his future sister-in-law—could show up at any moment, Lu Mingyuan might have taken the opportunity to pull the girl in front of him into his arms.

He didn't feel embarrassed about it.

They'd been together for so many years. Though they weren't married yet, they were practically an old married couple. It would be too affected to keep acting embarrassed.

"Mingyuan, how's it going with creating your divine ability? Is everything going smoothly?"

"Almost done. I should have it finished by the end of the month."

Lu Mingyuan didn't mean to hide anything from her. The young woman before him was the person he'd chosen to spend his life with, so there was no need to keep it from her.

Besides, trust was the most important thing between husband and wife.

Of course, there were two things Lu Mingyuan hadn't told Jing Zhi: that he'd been reincarnated and was a transmigrator, and that he was the famous Anonymous.

Perhaps he'd come clean once his plans had been fully realized.

For now, the more people who knew, the more dangerous it would be.

Lu Mingyuan didn't want to place the fates of both their families entirely in the hands of some uncertain stroke of luck.

That would be irresponsible to himself, to Jing Zhi, and to both their families.

He had to stay cautious.

Jing Zhi had no idea what was going through Lu Mingyuan's mind. Perhaps even if she knew, she wouldn't want him to tell her just yet.

"That soon? Don't just throw something together. We only have one chance."

Jing Zhi knew that it took other people six months or a year to create a divine ability, and some even prepared for years. She didn't want Lu Mingyuan to act recklessly. Although she knew he wasn't that kind of person, she still worried.

The reason they only had one chance was that most people—not to mention 99.99999 percent of them—could never earn enough Qi Luck Points to buy a Divine Ability Stone. It cost ten million points, after all. So for most, their only chance was the free Divine Ability Stone.

Lu Mingyuan seemed to understand what his beloved was thinking. He gave her little hand a firm squeeze and said resolutely, "Don't worry. I planned this a long time ago. I won't be reckless."

"Mm.

"Then, Mingyuan, you must come propose when the time comes. That way, I can tell my parents about the Earth Luck Points. They prepared them as my dowry."

As she spoke, Jing Zhi turned toward him and looked at the young man with eager anticipation, waiting for his reassuring answer.