Grabbing Your Hand, Dragging You Away

Chapter 13

People always say, how great it would be, to have one person that knows you well. But sometimes, once someone completely knows all your likes, and hence, is good at using this to catch you, that feeling really is......extremely uncomfortable.

Undoubtedly, Yuwen Rui is that person that makes my teeth itch.

He has always known what I need, what I don't need, what I love to eat, what I don't like to eat, what I like, what I hate. He knows me so well, that I sometimes get the illusion that the one he knows is actually the real me, and the me that I know, is not me at all.

Eh, how did I suddenly become all scholarly, talking about what- 'the me that he know knows me', no matter how I put it, in the end, are they not all me? Sure enough, I have been stimulated by him. Based on what rights ah, what right does his subordinates have to snatch other people's rice bowl (job that feeds them), is he not even going to let the commoners live now, as a person, one must at least be honest and kind, the most important point being......

Are their cooking skills any good?

......

"Ah-Lan, are you going over or not, we've already skipped a few places." Ying Lu doubtfully pokes at my arm as she asks.

I glance at Ling Zhi who is gracefully frying the pancakes black. Go? It'd be shocking if I do go, do you not see the few men in the corner, with black crumbs around their mouth from eating, yet the corners of their lips still carrying senseless smiles, what is this called, this is called: death under the peony flower, needs not be pitied. (Ah-Lan twists the original phrase of 'dying under the peony flower, remain dissolute as a ghost' which refers to men that will die with no regrets before a beautiful woman, even if it means dying at the beauty's hands)

I draw back my line of sight and look at Ying Lu, keeping a composed expression, "Young Lady."

Ying Lu reaches up to play with her own hair, "Speak ah."

I say in a very sincere tone: "Have you noticed?"

Ying Lu blinks, "What? Notice what?"

I sincerely plus honestly continue, "Could it be you haven't noticed, the few places I took you to, all have one thing in common?"

"Eh, let me think." Ying Lu rolls her eyes around, "Seems to be all places for eating."

"Young Lady is correct." I pat her shoulders, "Young Lady, the few places I took you to just now, you remember them all, must never ever go to them in future. My mother has taught me since I was young, ladies must not be greedy for food." Although this phrase is not something I keep in mind, but Ying Lu is the young lady of an esteemed family, and so, she can listen to these words if she likes.

"Ah?" Ying Lu is a little confused by these words, after a little thinking, she then seems to find it rather reasonable, "That is quite true, in the end, the things outside are not completely safe to eat. Shall we go take a stroll over there then?"

I flatly say: "My mother has also said."

"Also said what?"

"Ladies takes pleasure in their own appearance."

"So?"

I pull her hand, "Young Lady, let us go to the rouge store."

At a spot, not far from the rouge store, Ying Lu and I come to a stop, Ying Lu's eyes settling at the entrance of the rouge store, and mine stops at the second floor of that restaurant across the road from it. That restaurant cannot be considered an elegant place, those that go there are all commoner families with their children, but I just happen to see a certain familiar figure, and my heart is hit with slight laments.