Meeting an Old Acquaintance at the Tavern, Encountering an Unexpected Turn of Events

The Yang Family party walked for a while before arriving in front of a sturdy, four-story restaurant on the main street of East Third Street.

This was Chunyuan Restaurant, one of the few high-end establishments on East Third Street.

Although it could not compare to the Jinghua Pavilion or Fuju Restaurant on East First and East Second Street, which were crowded with noble guests, it was still a grand place beyond the reach of ordinary commoners.

Sister-in-law Liu Ying looked at the well-dressed men and women entering and exiting the restaurant and whispered:

"Ning, why don't we just forget it? The prices at Chunyuan Restaurant are not low; a single meal could easily cost one or two taels of silver.

The Commoner Eatery where I took you to meet Sister-in-law Qi's daughter last time is just by the alley to the west. Their food is affordable, the portions are large, and you'll leave full."

Yang Ning shook his head.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry. I received my pay today, and I wanted to bring our whole family here to have a taste. It won't be overly extravagant.

Besides, have you and Brother forgotten? Today is Xiao Hua's birthday, and as her uncle, I must show some gesture."

Celebrating a birthday—a concept that seemed slightly luxurious for a poor family—had never appeared in the Yang Family's dictionary.

But Yang Ning kept it firmly in his heart. It wasn't just his niece's; he remembered his sister-in-law's and his brother's birthdays as well. He was determined to bring them a better life!

Yang An, standing to the side, also began to comfort his wife:

"Ning has grown up. He has his own sense of propriety and knows what he is doing, so let him be, Ying."

With that, he led his wife and child to follow in Yang Ning's footsteps as they stepped into the restaurant.

Chunyuan Restaurant was indeed a grand establishment. As soon as the Yang family entered, a waiter from the front hall hurried over to attend to them:

"Greetings, masters. How many in your party?"

Although the Yang family's attire was plain, the waiter had seen many people and did not judge by clothes. Seeing that Yang Ning, who led the group, carried himself with an imposing air, he concluded that they were not simple folk.

"Four. Does Chunyuan Restaurant still have any tables available today? Are there any private rooms?"

"Replying to you, master, our Chunyuan Restaurant has thirty-two open tables on the first floor, twenty-four semi-private booths on the second floor, and sixteen private rooms on the third floor.

The Eight Immortals tables on the top floor are currently not open."

"Then we will take a private room on the third floor!"

"Perfect, there is exactly one private room left. I must inform you in advance, master, that the minimum spend for a third-floor private room is three taels of silver."

"That is fine, open it for us."

"Understood." Just as the waiter turned to head to the counter to report the order and lead the Yang family upstairs...

"Waiter, open a third-floor private room for us!"

A crisp female voice caused the Yang family to turn their heads. To their surprise, they saw Yang Ning's blind-date match, He Xiang, who worked as a maid for a wealthy family!

The maid was dressed in beautiful attire, accompanied by several young men brimming with vitality.

He Xiang was clearly stunned when she saw the Yang family, but the formulaic smile from before quickly returned to her face:

"Sister-in-law Liu! Brother Yang Ning! What a coincidence, you are here too. And this must be the Yang brother and little Xiao Hua, right? It has been such a long time!"

Sister-in-law Liu Ying stepped forward to exchange pleasantries:

"What a coincidence indeed. Today is Hua'er's birthday, so our family came to Chunyuan Restaurant to celebrate. And you, Xiang'er, you are..."

He Xiang smiled slightly:

"It is merely by my master's order. I am here to host some talented young elites who have recently joined the manor!" She then turned her gaze toward Yang Ning and smiled brightly:

"If you are practicing martial arts, Brother Ning, and encounter any difficulties, you can find time to come to the Qin Family manor. I can pull some strings and give you some pointers?"

Yang Ning looked at He Xiang and the group of young men behind her, all at the fifth stage of Foundation Establishment, and couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

However, he did not show it on his face and said slowly:

"Many thanks, many thanks, but Yang does not need that for the time being."

He Xiang gave a faint smile, assuming that Yang Ning was just stubbornly saving face while suffering in silence.

The waiter, who had been in a difficult position, saw that the two parties knew each other. Once their conversation ended, he leaned in and said:

"Replying to the lady from the Qin Family, the last private room in our Chunyuan Restaurant has already been booked by Master Yang.

I am afraid that today..."

"Oh?"

He Xiang wore a look of bewilderment. She hadn't expected that the Yang family, a completely ordinary household, would be dining in a private room at this restaurant.

But she immediately turned back and smiled:

"Sister-in-law Liu, Brother Yang Ning.

This is truly unfortunate, as there is only one room left.

But today, my young mistress will be coming to Chunyuan Restaurant in person to meet these talented elites, and we really do require a private room.

I wonder if..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a hot-blooded young martial practitioner behind her cut her off.

"What kind of status does this family have to be booking a private room?

Just find some casual seating or a common table. He Xiang, don't you go delaying Miss Qin's important meeting with us!"

Yang Ning frowned and slowly raised his head to look at the martial artist who had spoken those words, his fists clenched tight, just about to take action.

But he suddenly felt a tug at his sleeve. He saw his niece clutching his clothes tightly, and when he looked back, his sister-in-law and elder brother were slowly shaking their heads.

His brother, Yang An, stepped forward and said:

"In the past few days, we have been very grateful for the care your mother, Sister-in-law Qi, has shown my wife and child. This private room is yours for today; consider it a favor to you.

It is to repay the help your family provided recently."

He Xiang had been thrown off balance by the people behind her, and seeing the Yang Family take a step back voluntarily, she let out a long sigh of relief.

"Many thanks to Sister-in-law Qi and the Yang Family for your generosity."

Yang Ning took his family to a quiet, elegant room on the second floor and got them settled.

Yang Ning called the waiter over to Xiao Hua's side, letting her order whatever she liked, and began to chat with his brother and sister-in-law.

"A-Ning, do you feel that your brother was a bit too weak just now?"

"Brother must have had his own reasons for doing so."

Knowing his younger brother understood, Yang An nodded slowly and then said:

"The Qin Family behind He Xiang is a prominent and powerful household; they are not to be provoked lightly. Furthermore, her mother, Sister-in-law Qi, has been helping your sister-in-law these past few days.

The Yang Family cannot forget this kindness.

Reasonably and sentimentally speaking, letting her have her way this once is no big deal."

Hearing his brother's words, Yang Ning said no more.

After a while, dish after dish was served in turn, and the Yang Family soon put the small episode behind them and began to enjoy the food.

But for some reason, as they ate, the noisy sounds from downstairs gradually emerged, then returned to calm, only to grow noisy again.

Soon after, Yang Ning heard a series of hurried footsteps on the stairs, sounding extremely agitated.

The waiters nearby also grew increasingly nervous, frequently glancing toward the third floor and the first floor.

Yang Ning beckoned a waiter from nearby and asked:

"Lad, has something happened outside?

Why is there such a commotion?"

"Replying to you, sir, Miss Qin of the Qin Family just arrived at our establishment. But after she arrived, an uninvited guest appeared outside, trying to force his way into the third-floor private room..."

"It's a troublemaker, why not drive him out?"

"No... it's not that. It's Young Master Wang Teng of the Blood Ape Gang, who came here to see Miss Qin..."

"The Blood Ape Gang?"

Yang Ning's eyes darkened. This gang was notoriously infamous in the outer city.

Fei Yan had close ties to their gang and had even driven two of their underlings to plot against his family.

The waiter saw Yang Ning's unpleasant expression and, thinking he had disturbed their meal, said respectfully:

"Please rest assured, sir.

Our Chunhua Restaurant has been on this street for so many years; we have seen all kinds of storms and waves, and we will certainly not affect your enjoyment.

Our manager has already gone up personally to mediate."

Yang Ning nodded slightly, and the waiter slowly took his leave.

"Bang! Crash!"

Unexpectedly, the commotion on the third floor did not subside; instead, it became even noisier, accompanied by faint screams and cries of pain.

The third floor finally went quiet for a moment, but before long, the "crashing" started again, spreading all the way down toward the second floor.

"A-Ning, what on earth is going on? There shouldn't be any danger, right?"

His sister-in-law, Liu Ying, asked worriedly, clutching Xiao Hua in her arms with a look of deep concern.

"It's fine. There seem to be quite a few people with the Qin Family on the third floor; I'm sure they can turn this into a safe situation."

Yang Ning comforted them to put his family at ease.

"That's true. The young men following the Qin Family all look like they are no simple characters; I suppose there should be no trouble."

Thinking of the grand entrance He Xiang had made when arriving at the restaurant, Yang An's mind settled slightly.

Wang Teng of the Blood Ape Gang was only one person; it wouldn't be easy for him to deal with the numerous and powerful Qin Family.

"I'll go down and take a look. Brother, sister-in-law, don't worry."

As if to reassure them, Yang Ning stood up and walked toward the staircase.

"Stay safe and don't get caught in the crossfire, Yang Ning."

The members of the Yang Family spoke with unavoidable worry.

"Don't worry, I won't..."

"BOOM!"

Before Yang Ning could finish his sentence, a deafening roar erupted.

A familiar figure was sent tumbling from the third-floor staircase down to the second floor, crashing heavily onto the ground, face covered in blood, life or death unknown.

It was none other than the young martial artist who had just been speaking insolently to the Yang Family beside He Xiang!