Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 1087 - 025 Old Acquaintance_3

Chapter 1087: 025 Old Acquaintance_3

This turned out to be quite similar to what Xia Zheng had guessed.

As the two were whispering, they suddenly heard the crowd stir, and someone shouted, "It’s starting, it’s starting!" Upon looking up, they indeed saw two young and beautiful matrons walking out with smiles brimming on their faces.

A familiar person called out loudly, "It’s Embroiderer Ru and Embroiderer Qiao!"

Men mostly took little interest in fabric shop matters, so Xia Zheng did not recognize these two. Among the people at the Red Smoke Pavilion, he had only met the proprietress, Madam Cheng, a few times.

Speaking of Madam Cheng, she was considered a legend among the women of the Capital city. With her parents deceased early and her siblings gone too, she managed, with her grit alone, to transform the small embroidery shop inherited from her family into the now famous Red Smoke Pavilion in the Capital city; her hardship was evident.

What astonished people even more was not just her business but also her lifelong unmarried status. While she was addressed as Madam Cheng, she had in fact never married. It’s just that age had caught up with her, and no one could bring themselves to call her Miss Cheng anymore, so gradually everyone started calling her Madam Cheng.

As Madam Cheng had never married, she naturally had no children. However, Xia Zheng had heard that during the two years he was not in the Capital city, Madam Cheng had adopted a foster son, probably to have someone to care for her in her old age.

Embroiderer Ru and Embroiderer Qiao boasted the finest needlework skills in the Red Smoke Pavilion, even the Imperial Concubine and princesses often had them embroider their clothing.

Embroiderer Ru looked the more dashing of the two, while Embroiderer Qiao appeared more reserved. They started with some polite words, then explained the rules of today’s competition in detail.

Just as Lin Yuan had guessed, the ribbons on the tree represented different points due to their varying heights, the lowest giving one point, the middle three points, and the highest ten points.

Therefore, if one could claim the highest points, one wouldn’t need to worry about the lower ones and could win the competition.

However, reaching the ribbons in the middle was just about the height of an average person, and a woman could manage by standing on tiptoes. But the highest ribbons were unreachable, not even a tall man stretching on tiptoes could get them.

The onlookers discussed fervently, considering the high ribbons a deliberate challenge.

Embroiderer Ru hooked her lips into a smile and gestured for quiet before speaking, "This introduces the additional rule of the competition: it is to be entered in pairs, one man and one woman. As for how to obtain those high lantern riddles, it’s up to our competitors."

Immediately after she finished speaking, the crowd erupted into even more intense discussions. The contest required mixed-gender pairs without the use of tools or martial arts—this simply meant having the men carry the women to reach for those ribbons!

"Looking at it this way, it does seem possible," Xia Zheng said with a sly smile, winking at Lin Yuan.

Caught by his teasing smile, the previously eager Lin Yuan suddenly felt deflated, for embracing and kissing was one matter, but doing so in front of so many was quite another.

However, the requirements of the Red Smoke Pavilion weren’t exactly unusual; the customs in Dayong Capital City were rather open. As with Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan, there were quite a few couples out together, and soon, some shyly stepped forward, willing to compete.

Of course, many single young men made jokes about whether they could participate with their good male friends, which naturally triggered gales of laughter from the crowd.

Seeing a substantial number of participants, Lin Yuan began to feel tempted and, unable to resist Xia Zheng’s urging, finally nodded and walked forward.

The moment the two appeared on the platform, a sudden head popped out of a window on the third floor of the Red Smoke Pavilion, exclaiming with a start, "Oh!"

Madam Cheng, sitting across from him, placed peeled grapes into a clean teacup in front of the young master, where a small half bowl of translucent grapes had already accumulated.

"What, Xuan, have you come across someone you know?"

Cheng Haoxuan chuckled, and quickly pulled back as if fearing Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan on the ground might spot him, then accurately popped a grape into his mouth. "Yes, Mom, and it’s a particularly interesting old acquaintance at that."

Who would have thought he’d actually run into them in the Capital city? Indeed, this visit during the Lantern Festival was not in vain.