Chapter Ten: Fish Balls and Coarse Noodles

Time slipped by in a hurry—five years had passed since the transfer.

It was a sunny afternoon on a seemingly calm street, where pedestrians moved along in various postures. Everything looked quite ordinary, until a single shout transformed it utterly: everyone’s eyes lit up, and the street instantly erupted into excitement.

“The Thirteenth Young Master of the Ye family is here! He’s about to squander his wealth at the Laughing Elegant Pavilion—seats are limited, so hurry up if you want to go!”

“Ah, the Thirteenth Young Master is going to throw money around again!”

“I’ve never been to such a high-class place as the Laughing Elegant Pavilion.”

“Haha, today I’ll feast to my heart’s content…”

Within moments, everyone on the street dropped whatever they were doing and ran toward the most luxurious restaurant at the end of the street—the Laughing Elegant Pavilion—cheering all the way.

They all knew one thing: though the Thirteenth Young Master was infamous for his profligacy, he didn’t waste money just for the sake of others. If you couldn’t secure a seat, he wouldn’t go out of his way to arrange more.

Thus, to enjoy this free meal, everyone had to scramble for a spot, running faster than they ever had in their lives, as if wishing they could grow an extra pair of legs.

Everyone in the Imperial City was well aware of the Thirteenth Young Master’s reputation—recklessly squandering for the sake of squandering, with the Ye family never restraining his extravagance. Some had made rough estimates: over the past few years, he had frittered away nearly a million gold coins—enough to keep a family wealthy for generations. Only the Ye family possessed the fortune to indulge his ways.

But it was a mystery why the Ye family allowed him to waste their wealth. Was it simply because he was special? The question had intrigued everyone, but as time passed, curiosity faded and the matter was forgotten.

“Sorry, the restaurant is full.” Even those who arrived quickly were stopped at the door by the staff. It wasn’t that the Laughing Elegant Pavilion didn’t want to make money—there simply weren’t any more seats.

“Damn! Why don’t you expand? How come it’s full so soon?” some dissatisfied folks shouted.

“My friend, our place is already the largest in the Eastern District of the Imperial City. No matter how big the restaurant, we can’t seat everyone—it’s not a public square,” the staff replied.

Inside, on the second floor near the railing, sat a noble boy of about ten and an adorable tiger-girl. From their seats, they could view the entire restaurant.

“Tigress, what are they doing?” The noble boy glanced at the lively scene below, menu in hand, puzzled.

“Hmph, they’re trying to take advantage of you. Can’t you stop squandering, young master?” The little tiger-girl sighed helplessly—she’d said this countless times, always receiving the same answer.

“I can’t. My profession is to be a wastrel. I must squander, I must waste.” The boy spoke with utmost seriousness, perhaps more so than he had about anything else in his life.

“There’s just no reasoning with you.” The tiger-girl shook her head, already considering ways to curb her young master’s extravagance. She couldn’t stop him entirely but could at least limit the damage.

For years, she had kept his spending in check; without her, his wastefulness would have multiplied several times over.

“Time to order. Waiter, bring me a bowl of fish ball noodles,” the noble boy called out for his favorite dish, one the tiger-girl often made for him.

She did seem fond of fish—one might have mistaken her for a cat-girl.

The waiter paused, then replied, “We don’t have that.”

This was a high-end restaurant, after all; such common fare was rare. The waiter, backed by his boss, was unwilling to let the young master order such dishes, as there was little profit in them. The owner hoped to fleece this fat sheep from the Ye family, never imagining that this greedy intention would soon backfire in a way he hadn’t foreseen.

There was also the belief that their restaurant was too refined to serve the Thirteenth Young Master these humble foods.

The young master glanced at the menu. “Oh, then rice noodles with fish balls.”

Again, the waiter hesitated. “We don’t have fish balls.”

“Then beef tripe with noodles.”

“No noodles.”

“How about fish balls with egg noodles?”

“No fish balls.”

“Why is there nothing here? Some high-class restaurant… Fine, cuttlefish balls with noodles then.”

Everyone in the restaurant sweated. Was it really that they had nothing, or was it just him? The Thirteenth Young Master truly seemed a bit… off.

“No noodles!” The waiter was on the verge of tears.

“Again? Then rice vermicelli with fish balls.”

“No fish balls! Just finish me off already.”

The tiger-girl couldn’t take it anymore. “Young master, they don’t have fish balls or noodles—none of those combinations are available.”

The Thirteenth Young Master pondered. “Oh, none of those then… Just bring me the fish balls.”

The whole room collapsed in exasperation.

“No fish balls!”

“And noodles?”

The waiter jumped from the second floor, landing motionless on the ground.

“What happened to him? The stairs are over there; there’s none here,” the Thirteenth Young Master remarked as he looked down.

“Master…” The tiger-girl shook her head, wearing a helpless smile.

“Tigress, there’s nothing here. Let’s go somewhere else; no need to come back to this place.” The Thirteenth Young Master stood, carelessly tossed some coins for tea, and headed downstairs.

Of course, it was far too much for mere tea, so the tiger-girl quickly swapped the gold coin for a copper one—something she often had to do.

“What? Leaving?”

As the young master descended, all those who’d come for a free meal were struck dumb. If he left, wouldn’t they have to pay for their food themselves?

“Thirteenth Young Master…” someone called out, hoping he would leave behind a word or a coin.

“Enjoy your meal. No need to see me out,” the young master replied politely.

“Master, let’s go.” Seizing the moment, the tiger-girl briskly led him away. She knew full well what these people wanted, and also that her young master was too oblivious to consider settling the bill for them.

New book release—if you enjoy this story, please support it with a recommendation vote!