Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Inside the kitchen, the stove was burning brightly, and the air was thick with fumes.

Chef Liu, who was in charge of cooking, was wielding a large ladle, tossing and turning the food in the wok, and was sweating profusely.

"Chef Liu, is the food and wine ready for the Class A superior room?"

The customer is already urging us!

Afu lifted the curtain and asked breathlessly.

"Alright, alright, I was just about to call you!"

Chef Liu chuckled and pointed to the stove on the side, where a tray was neatly arranged with four dishes and a soup, a pot of warm wine, a small dish of braised beef, and a dish of peanuts.

The dishes looked delicious. The braised pork knuckle was a beautiful red color, and the steamed sea bass was topped with shredded scallions and ginger. Just looking at them made one's mouth water.

Afu nodded and was about to reach for the tray when his expression suddenly changed. A sharp, intense pain shot through his abdomen, as if an invisible hand was twisting his intestines.

He cried out "Ouch!" and bent over, beads of sweat instantly forming on his forehead.

"Afu, what's wrong with you?"

Chef Liu sensed something was wrong, put down his ladle, and quickly walked over.

"I...I have a stomachache...I need to use the restroom!"

Afu clutched his stomach, his voice trembling, his face as white as paper.

"Then hurry up and go to the toilet!"

"If you don't go now, you'll poop in your pants!"

Chef Liu was so anxious that he kept slapping his thigh.

"But...but the guests in the top-class rooms are getting impatient..."

Afu painfully clamped his legs together, caught in a dilemma.

If he's late delivering the vegetables, the shopkeeper will definitely deduct his wages.

Half of last month's wages have already been deducted, and if they are deducted again this month, he won't even be able to afford food.

Chef Liu frowned, turned to look at Awang, who was engrossed in chopping vegetables at the cutting board, and said, "Awang, why don't you deliver the food and drinks to Afu?"

Awang paused, the cleaver in his hand still in his hand. He looked up, a troubled expression on his face: "But I haven't finished preparing all these ingredients yet, I can't leave..."

When he said this, his eyes darted around, and he didn't dare to look directly at Chef Liu.

Awang knew in his heart that it wasn't that he couldn't leave, but that he was afraid to go out.

He managed to sneak into this kitchen to earn a living, chopping and preparing vegetables every day, never daring to step out of the kitchen.

If he goes out and is recognized, wouldn't he be arrested and thrown in jail?

Now there are arrest warrants for him all over the streets, and his portrait is plastered everywhere. If he goes out, he's just walking into a trap.

"Ah Wang, please, just do me a favor."

Ah Fu's face was contorted in pain as he leaned closer and pleaded.

"Let me tell you, that VIP guest is a rich man, he might even give a tip."

If I didn't have a stomachache, I wouldn't want you to take my place!

Oh no, I need to go to the outhouse...

Before he could finish speaking, Afu clutched his stomach, bent over, and stumbled out of the kitchen, disappearing in a flash.

Chef Liu looked in the direction where Afu disappeared, shook his head helplessly, and then turned to Awang: "Awang, go and deliver it."

Ah Fu has diarrhea, so he probably won't be back anytime soon.

If we deliver late and offend the customers, the shopkeeper will still punish us.

Besides, the customer might be generous and give you a tip, so you'll actually benefit from it.

Awang lowered his head, unconsciously slicing the kitchen knife on the cutting board as he rapidly calculated in his mind.

He is indeed short of money right now. He lost most of the silver he had left when he ran away last time.

To escape Ping'an County and settle down elsewhere, one cannot move an inch without money.

He no longer had a place to stand in Ping'an County. All his former brothers had been arrested by the government, and he was now a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone.

It's all that stinky woman's fault!

Awang cursed inwardly.

If she hadn't caused such a commotion, how could he have ended up in this state today?

He can no longer stay in Ping'an County and hides in the kitchen all day, afraid to see anyone.

"Okay, I'll go deliver the wine and dishes."

Awang finally nodded, pretending to be reluctant.

"But I'm not after the reward money; I just don't want everyone to be punished by the manager."

As he spoke, he put down the cleaver, wiped his hands on his apron, and picked up the tray.

The weight of the tray reassured him somewhat; at least it gave him a legitimate reason to go out.

As long as he keeps his head down and doesn't say anything, no one should recognize him, right?

Besides, the Grade A superior room is on the second floor, and it's only a short walk to and from there, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Awang took a deep breath, carrying the tray, and walked around from the side door of the kitchen to the lobby, then quickly went up the stairs with his head down.

His eyes swept over the diners in the lobby, his heart pounding, but thankfully no one gave him a second glance.

The second-floor corridor was quiet, with only the faint sounds of people coming from the lobby downstairs drifting up.

Ah Wang walked to the door of room number A, freed one hand, and knocked on the door.

QQ QQ QQ...

"Come in," a lazy voice came from inside the door.

Ah Wang pushed open the door and entered, head bowed, eyes downcast, as he respectfully placed the food and wine on the octagonal table: "Please enjoy your meal, esteemed guests."

He moved quickly, setting out the dishes and then trying to leave.

Just then, Liu Wei took out a tael or two of loose silver from his pocket and casually tossed it on the table: "Here's your reward."

Awang's eyes lit up, and he quickly bowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you, sir!"

There really was a reward!

One tael of silver is already quite a lot; most customers would consider it good if they could give a few coins.

"Just thank my young master; this is a reward from him."

The young man in brocade robes who was resting with his eyes closed on the couch in Liu Wei gestured with his lip.

"Thank you for your generous gift, young master."

Awang bowed again in Xie Jingxing's direction.

"Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen. I'll be attending to my duties now."

After he finished speaking, he turned to leave, his steps hurried, as if he wanted to disappear through the doorway immediately.

"etc……"

Xie Jingxing's voice was neither hurried nor slow, but it was like an invisible thread that suddenly pulled Awang's steps back.

Awang's heart sank, and his palms instantly became sweaty.

He knew that this one or two taels of silver wouldn't be so easy to get.

He slowly turned around, his smile stiff and forced, and cautiously asked, "Is there anything else you need, young master?"

Xie Jingxing slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on Awang, like a lazy cat finally finding something interesting.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of amusement in his voice: "What are you afraid of?"

"No...no, I wasn't scared."

"There are so many customers in the lobby, I'm worried the staff downstairs won't be able to handle it all."

Awang forced a smile, but fine beads of sweat had already seeped from his forehead.

"Come here." Xie Jingxing got up from the couch, walked to the octagonal table and sat down. He pointed to a scroll on the table with his slender fingers. "Look at the person in this painting. Have you seen him before?"

Liu Wei ripped the string off the scroll and unrolled the portrait with a "whoosh," laying it out in front of Awang.

It was a meticulously painted portrait, depicting a young woman and a boy of about five or six years old.

The woman had delicate features, wore a simple bun, and had bright, determined eyes.

The boy, carved from jade, is being led by the hand by a woman, his smile innocent and naive.

The moment Awang saw the portrait, his pupils contracted sharply, and his blood seemed to freeze.

The people in this portrait, aren't they that brat and that little brat?

He didn't know the girl's name before, but his underlings found out that the woman's name was Liu Tao'er, that she came from the direction of the capital, and that she had a child with her.

It was her who made it impossible for him to stay in Ping'an County.

One by one, his brothers were arrested and thrown into prison, but he was the only one who managed to escape.

Awang's mind was racing.

These two people look very wealthy and powerful. What is their relationship with Liu Tao'er?

Are they looking for her enemies or her friends?

Friend or foe?

How should he answer?

If I say I've seen it, will they ask for details?

Will they hand him over to the authorities?

If he said he had never met her, what if they found Liu Tao'er later and learned from her what happened in Ping'an County? Wouldn't he be pleasing neither side?

He swallowed hard, looked up, and met Xie Jingxing's deep and sharp eyes. Xie's gaze was like a knife, cutting straight through his disguise and seeing through every thought in his heart.

"Young master..." Awang's voice was a little dry, "This..."

He opened his mouth, the two answers in his mind clashing: should he say he had seen it or not?

Xie Jingxing could tell at a glance that this guy named Awang must have seen Liu Tao'er and the others before.

"Have you met the person mentioned in the story?"

Just tell us where she and the child are?

I will give you the silver!

Xie Jingxing gave him a look, and Liu Wei immediately took out a ten-tael silver ingot and placed it on the table.