The food in this restaurant was served quickly; the two had just sat down and waited for only a short while before the waiter had everything ready.
Zhang Xiaoman looked at the knife and fork in his hand, recalled the theoretical method of using them, and then started cutting the steak on his plate.
Although he was not accustomed to using this type of cutlery, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; there was no need to fret over it.
However, Lin Sisi on the other hand, because of her blindness and also being unaccustomed to the knife and fork, found it very challenging to eat.
In the end, Zhang Xiaoman simply cut the steak for her first and then handed her the plate.
Being fed made the young girl blush, her limbs stiff as she bowed her head, looking very shy.
The girl’s voice was so faint and mosquito-like, Zhang Xiaoman almost didn’t hear it.
"Hey, it’s nothing, you don’t have to keep thanking me, I’m starting to feel embarrassed," he said, waving his hand.
Their actions also attracted quite a few eyes from around them, especially after seeing Lin Sisi’s identity as a blind girl. Everyone gave them friendly and congratulatory smiles, and some even took out cameras to capture the somewhat special couple by the window.
Zhang Xiaoman had always felt that Western steaks seemed insufficiently filling, but now he had changed his former opinion.
The steaks here were different from those in the so-called Western restaurants back home; they were delicious and the portions substantial, which allowed him to indulge in a great meal.
Lin Sisi, on the other hand, could hardly eat a few bites before she was full, now holding a dessert and tasting it little by little with a spoon.
Their meal, which could not exactly be called either dinner or lunch, was now drawing to a close.
Having paid the bill, Zhang Xiaoman was chatting with Lin Sisi when seven or eight people gradually entered the restaurant’s door, then sat down at empty seats near them under the guidance of a waiter.
As this group passed by Lin Sisi, they were also attracted by her attire, and couldn’t help but take a few extra glances in her direction.
Zhang Xiaoman also discreetly observed them, realizing that these folks were all from Huaxia, which he deduced from their conversation as they passed by.
"Brother Xiao Man, what’s going on?"
Although Lin Sisi couldn’t see, her senses were very sharp, and it seemed she felt the person in front of her was observing something, prompting her to ask.
"Oh, nothing," Zhang Xiaoman withdrew his gaze, smiled, and said, "I noticed they are also Huaxia people, just curious."
"Huaxia people, huh..." Lin Sisi tilted her head to listen, then continued, "From their accents, it sounds like most are from Sanjiao Mei City, two are from Yueji City, and one is from Qionghua City, oh, and there’s one from Furong City..."
Zhang Xiaoman looked at her with some astonishment, amazed that she could distinguish so finely even though they all spoke Mandarin.
Nearby, the group split into two tables and sat down, now gathering together to discuss something in low voices.
Since he was relatively close to them, Zhang Xiaoman also faintly overheard some of the content of their conversation.
"Brother Yong, do you think we’ll find anything this time? Could the shield we saw on the trading website last time just be a coincidence?"
"Yeah, I checked out the Wencheen family afterward. Although they were once nobles in England, they have fallen on hard times now. I heard that someone was murdered there last month, and only two brothers are left in the family... I just can’t see how they could be the people we’re looking for."
"Exactly, I told you all along this place wasn’t reliable, but you didn’t believe me and insisted on coming. We spent over ten hours on the plane, I almost couldn’t make it back down to earth."
A group of people were chattering nonstop until, eventually, all eyes turned to one of them.
"You guys, if you didn’t trust me, why did you still follow me here? When have I ever let you guys down?"
Facing his friends’ skepticism, he immediately retorted and pulled out a laptop he was carrying, rapidly typing in an address before turning the screen around, showing it to the others and saying:
"After my comparison, the shield displayed on that badge we saw has at least seven similarities to the one sold by the Wencheen family not long ago. And look here, hidden within the lines of the shield is a very small word..."
He zoomed in a lot on the computer screen and then pointed to a specific area.
"Watchmen, see? The word is Watchmen! Then look at this family’s name—Wencheen! Do you see anything?!"
A girl nearby tilted her head in thought before responding, "Watchmen, Watchmen... What does this word mean here? Watchman? Guardian? And the family name is Wencheen... They sound so similar!"
"But what does that prove? It’s probably normal for their family name to be on their shield, right? I don’t think that means anything..." someone retorted.
"Hey, how can you be so dim? This might not prove much, but what do you think the odds are of this coincidence? The similarity in appearance, the resemblance in pronunciation, named ’Guardian’—how normal is it for anyone to have such a name? How can there be so many coincidences in the world?"
Shi Yong confidently said, "If I am not mistaken, the Wencheen family must have some connection to that organization! Maybe they are one of its members, otherwise, how would you explain such a coincidence?"
Seeing this, several people fell into deep thought. After a long while, a skinny young man suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed:
"Right! I told you so! Didn’t I say it all along? There have to be clues here! You didn’t believe me then!"
"Alarm clock! Shut up!" everyone shouted in unison.
The surrounding customers also started giving displeased looks at that moment. Feeling a bit embarrassed, the group quickly greeted them all around and then lowered their voices to continue the topic they were discussing.
"So what do we do now? I heard their family is holding an auction this afternoon. Where is it again? Are we going to attend? But don’t we need an invitation?"
"Yeah, do we just ask directly, or do we beat around the bush? I feel like just showing up to dig into their affairs will get us kicked out..."
At this moment, Shi Yong flashed a mysterious smile.
"Need an invitation? Isn’t it fashionable these days to have electronic invitations? Have you guys forgotten what I do? World-class hacker, remember? Getting a few invitations is a piece of cake for me."
He said this as he took out his phone and fiddled with it.
"There, I’ve already sent the invitations to your emails. The address is 33 Stel Street, Woodstock Town, Oxford County. Let’s head there directly after eating; the admission time for the auction is almost upon us."
The group looked at their phones, their faces immediately lighting up with joy.