"Mom, how did you end up here too?" Luo Ziling dropped the hose and greeted her with a smile upon seeing Ling Ruonan appear. "I noticed there were still quite a few empty spots in the yard, so I went to the nursery market to buy some flowers to plant since we had nothing going on this morning. By next spring, these flowers should be in full bloom. These peonies should bloom this year. Unfortunately, we might not get to see it."

Ling Ruonan was at a loss for words, not expecting Luo Ziling to have such leisure and interest.

But, in the end, she praised Luo Ziling, saying that after planting these flowers, the old residence seemed more vibrant. Then she changed the subject to serious matters, saying they would be discussing a formal cooperation project with officials from Yuezhou soon and that Luo Ziling should also attend the meeting.

The officials from Yuezhou originally wanted to meet them at the airport and host a banquet, but Ling Ruonan refused.

Ling Ruonan planned to have them find a place to eat by themselves first, and then go meet the Yuezhou officials.

Ouyang Feifei and Luo Ziling, knowing Ling Ruonan's temperament, agreed with her arrangement.

After leaving the old residence, the group found a farm-to-table restaurant on the outskirts, planning to eat something casually.

This was a rather well-known farm-to-table restaurant, a temporary structure made of bamboo and wood, surrounded by flowers and plants, with a small bridge over flowing water—a very southern style. It was mid-spring, and the flowers were in full bloom, intoxicating the entire garden with fragrance.

By the time Luo Ziling and his group arrived at the restaurant known as "Qingyuan," it was already crowded with guests.

Since it was a last-minute decision, they hadn't reserved a spot, but Ye Xiaoli and a few others who arrived earlier succeeded in getting a small pavilion by the water. It was one of the best dining spots at this farm-to-table place.

A solitary pavilion, outside was a pond with peach and willow trees planted around it, and geese and ducks foraging in the clear green water, adding lively energy with their honking.

However, such a spot made Ling Ruonan and Ouyang Feifei's bodyguards a bit nervous.

Because the pavilion was open, meaning those dining inside could be seen from any direction.

If an assassin was lurking nearby, one sniper rifle could take out several people in the pavilion.

However, they could not voice their objections and instead subtly checked for unusual circumstances around the area.

Luo Ziling personally went to order the dishes. After ordering, he returned to his seat and jokingly remarked that what they were eating today was authentic farm-to-table cuisine.

"The true flavors of southern homestyle dishes," Luo Ziling boasted to Ling Ruonan, "During the past visits, we didn't get to taste the authentic dishes and missed the regional specialties."

"Northern and Southern cuisines are quite different; Southern food definitely tastes better," Yang Qingyin agreed with a smile, "I'm fond of the Zhejiang cuisine flavors. Mrs. Ling, the dishes here must be quite mild, unlike the heavy flavors in the North. You might like them too."

"I'm not very particular about food," Ling Ruonan smiled, "A little lighter is nice. Didn't Ziling mention that spring is the season when we need to nurture our health, and eating lighter is better? Otherwise, your skin might become rough."

"I think no matter what you eat, your skin won't deteriorate," Luo Ziling said, looking at the women around him with a smile, "You're all naturally beautiful; external factors cannot change you."

Just then, the restaurant owner walked briskly into the pavilion with two others in tow.

"Sorry to interrupt," the restaurant owner said apologetically, stepping forward, "Could you change to another spot? These folks would like to sit here and eat. Could you accommodate them? I'll give you a discount later."

As she spoke, the owner gestured to the two young men behind her, who had an unusual presence and looked quite arrogant.

Only Ouyang Feifei, Yang Qingyin, Ling Ruonan, and Luo Ziling were seated in the pavilion. Wang Qing and Wuyue sat alongside, primarily in charge of security.

The rest, including Ye Xiaoli and the other bodyguards, were not present. They were dispersed nearby, eliminating potential dangers.

The table in the pavilion was quite large, making six people seem sparse while seated around it.

The owner quickly explained, "There aren't many of you, so maybe you could move to one of the smaller tables upstairs by the water."

She pointed to a spot near the window of the bamboo house and then gestured to the two young men, "There's a large group, and these twelve seats are perfect for them. Could you make an exception?"

The mood was interrupted by the owner, and the women showed displeasure. Luo Ziling frowned, "We like sitting here, so we won't change. Please arrange a different spot for them."

Unexpectedly, Luo Ziling's refusal angered the young men who had come over with the owner.

"Sorry, but we want this spot. Please move quickly. Our boss and the town officials are here to discuss cooperation. If there's a delay, can you bear the consequences?"

The other young man spoke even more aggressively, "Don't refuse when we're being polite; move quickly or you won't be able to finish your meal."

"Oh, such presumption," Luo Ziling laughed in disbelief. He stood and walked over to the young men, gave them a cold look, and suddenly said sharply, "Get lost quickly, don't interrupt us while we're eating."

When Luo Ziling stood up, Wuyue also stood. She was worried the young men might make a move and stepped in front of Luo Ziling, menacingly saying, "Get lost!"

Wuyue's stance intimidated the young men, and they dared not continue their arrogance.

Yet, as they left, they threw out some harsh words.

"Just you wait."

"You'll get what's coming to you."

"Looks like today's meal won't go peacefully," Luo Ziling said with a wry smile to Ling Ruonan, "Hopefully, we haven't upset the owner so much that she'd spit in our food. That would be unfortunate."

"I'll have someone check the kitchen," Wuyue said as she left the pavilion to make arrangements.

Before Wuyue returned, trouble arose.

A large group of people was marching toward the pavilion—roughly a dozen or so.

"Who are these people, behaving so arrogantly, and have no respect for Director Li," the obnoxiously prideful man at the front sneered as he walked, "I can't believe you ignored the offer for a discount when asked to move; truly outrageous."

"Oh, so many beauties," the middle-aged man behind the large man laughed, "Who are these people with such luck to have so many beautiful companions."

"A gathering of the wife, mistress, and lover perhaps," another chimed in.

Even though they were speaking like this, all their eyes were on the beautiful women, and some had a lecherous look on their faces.

The bodyguards nearby, sensing the situation was not right, prepared to intervene, but Luo Ziling signaled for them to hold back.

Having an incident like this during a meal didn't bother him if it made the show more interesting.

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