Liam Brooks was momentarily stunned, hurriedly grabbed a pot of tea, and ran upstairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, the situation here was no better than downstairs. Only at the innermost table by the window sat two young men dressed as scholars. The one sitting inside wore a long white robe, while the one outside wore a long blue robe.

Liam Brooks approached the table, bent over, and asked with a beaming smile, “Honored guests, may I ask if you…!”

“Bang!”

Before Liam Brooks could finish, the scholar in white suddenly slammed the table, sprang to his feet, his face full of anger, and pointed at the three dishes on the table, saying, “You insolent waiter, how dare you make a fool of me! Tell me, what exactly did you serve us?”

Liam Brooks was so frightened he shivered, his quick-witted black eyes glancing at the three dishes on the table, and he muttered softly, “Lotus seed soup, braised beef, stir-fried duck feet.” He frowned in thought, then nervously said to the guest, “Honored guest, I don’t think I made a mistake. These are indeed the three dishes you ordered just now.”

“Hmph, the dishes are correct, but—” The scholar in white sneered coldly, then changed his tone: “This lotus seed soup is sickeningly sweet, the braised beef is so salty it’s inedible, and as for this bowl of stir-fried duck feet, the feet are harder than rocks. Not to mention for people, I doubt even pigs would eat this. Outrageous!”

The scholar in white was spitting with indignation, while Liam Brooks was sweating coldly as he listened.

A few years ago, he would have thought these two were just here to cause trouble, but now, whenever he thought of the bald old man in the kitchen, his heart was in turmoil, anxious and uneasy. He stammered, “Th-this honored guest, I—I wonder if there’s been some misunderstanding?”

“Misunderstanding? I think you just won’t cry until you see the coffin.”

The scholar in white sneered, grabbed the pair of chopsticks in front of him, and tossed them at Liam Brooks’s feet, grunting, “Try it yourself.”

“Yes, yes! I’ll try it right away!”

Liam Brooks picked up the chopsticks at his feet, looked at the three dishes on the table, swallowed hard, a trace of fear in his eyes. First, he used a spoon to scoop a little lotus seed soup into his mouth—sure enough, it was so sweet his teeth almost fell out. Liam Brooks frowned, then picked up a piece of beef and put it in his mouth. As soon as he chewed, his eyes squeezed shut, and his thin eyebrows nearly twisted together. This wasn’t beef at all—it was pure salt.

Liam Brooks didn’t dare chew any more, and forced himself to swallow the piece of beef. But as soon as he did, his stomach churned, and with a “bleh,” he vomited it right back up.

The scholar in white saw this and sneered, “Well? Did I wrong you?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll get someone to replace your dishes right away.” Liam Brooks bent over and apologized repeatedly.

“That won’t be necessary,” the scholar in white shook his head, pointed at the three dishes on the table with his white paper fan, a faint smile on his lips, and said, “As long as you eat all three of these dishes, I won’t hold it against you.”

To eat all three of these dishes—he’d rather fight a pig for its food.

Liam Brooks immediately turned pale with fright, his legs trembling.

The scholar in blue, seeing that the waiter was just a child, felt a bit of pity. He stood up, cupped his hands, and said, “Ethan Carter, please calm your anger. There’s no need to get upset with a waiter. How about this: later, I’ll treat, and we’ll invite a few friends to the Jade Pavilion across the street for drinks and poetry. What do you think, Ethan Carter?”

The scholar in white heard this and thought it made sense. After all, he was a man of letters—arguing with a waiter was beneath his dignity! He cupped his hands and said, “Owen Carter, you are absolutely right.” With that, he flicked his long sleeves and went downstairs together with the scholar in blue.

Before leaving, the scholar in blue tossed some silver coins onto the table.

These refined scholars held themselves in high regard and cared deeply about their reputation. Even though they could have left without paying a single coin for this meal, they would never let themselves be gossiped about over a meal’s cost.

After they went downstairs, Liam Brooks finally breathed a real sigh of relief. He stared blankly at the three dishes on the table and sighed, “Well, that’s that. They’re all gone.”

……

Night had fallen, and a cold wind was blowing. Except for the brothels, which were lively every night, all the taverns and teahouses had closed their doors to guests.

“Sigh—! Who knows when this will end!”

After checking the accounts at the counter, the Drunken Immortal Tavern’s Old Steward couldn’t help but sigh. All day long, they’d only had one business, and even managed to drive the customers away. Such a pitiful turnover was simply outrageous.

“It’s almost the third watch. Liam Brooks, close the door!”

Just after giving the order, Old Steward added, “Oh right, Liam Brooks, go take the leftovers from today’s customer and give them to the drunkard at the door.”

“Okay!”

Liam Brooks answered and headed to the kitchen, muttering, “I really don’t know what uncle is thinking. There’s no business left, and he still keeps that drunkard here. Who would dare come to our shop?”

Liam Brooks’s voice wasn’t loud, but Old Steward heard it clearly, and let out another long sigh.