Old Friends Reunite
Lily Evans had no intention of meddling in their romance. Besides, Leonard Li and Bella Bell were simply fond of each other, but kept things proper and hadn't crossed any lines.
Lily trusted that the two of them could handle their relationship well. As an outsider, she really had no business interfering, so she pretended not to notice.
Quickly, Lily steered the conversation in a different direction.
Leonard Li relaxed visibly when Lily brought up another topic. Cheerfully, he invited her to join them for a meal: "Lily, it's been ages! Since we're finally together, let's have dinner!"
"Sure!" Lily replied with her usual enthusiasm, while Bella Bell hurried off to the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes.
So in the private room, Lily Evans, Leonard Li, Bella Bell, and Lola all sat down to eat together.
Leonard Li was delighted as he ate: "Lily, that foreigner I introduced you to—he turned out pretty well, didn't he?"
He was talking about Edward. Back then, it was Leonard Li's suggestion that led Lily to find the struggling Edward, which opened the door to overseas trade.
Lily was truly grateful to Leonard Li and said sincerely, "I really have to thank you, Young Lord Leonard. If you hadn't made the connection, I would have taken a lot more detours."
Leonard Li chuckled, clearly pleased, and patted his chest. "Of course! My judgment is top-notch—naturally, I only recommend the best!"
Lily Evans smiled and nodded. "Young Lord Leonard, you really do have an excellent eye for talent."
Leonard Li nodded enthusiastically. "Lily, your spice business is booming—I'm genuinely impressed. Those exotic spices from foreign lands used to be so strange, nobody wanted them even for free. But you, a top chef of our time, managed to turn those odd flavors into mouth-watering dishes. It's all thanks to your cooking skills and clever marketing! If anyone else tried, those spices would still be gathering dust."
Leonard Li was speaking from the heart. Only Lily Evans could figure out how to use those exotic spices; no one local had ever thought such odd ingredients could be used in cooking.
"Honestly, if it weren't for you, Young Lord Leonard, I wouldn't even have gotten my hands on those spices. Here's a toast to you!" Lily said.
The two of them clinked glasses, and once they got talking, the conversation flowed and everyone was in high spirits.
Leonard Li asked about the Royal Mathematics Institute. When he learned it was thriving—not only training math teachers, but now offering all subjects—he gave Lily a big thumbs-up. "Lily, you're amazing! You started your own academy! By the way, I heard from Edward that you're looking for foreign language teachers?"
Leonard Li and Edward were friends, so these matters weren’t secrets to him. Lily Evans wasn’t surprised and admitted openly, "That's right. I asked Edward to help me find a few teachers to teach my students."
Leonard Li blinked. "Lily, are you really sending those kids overseas to study? Are you saying the Jin Dynasty can't compare to those foreign countries? Besides, aren’t we supposed to be the ones teaching them, not the other way around?"
Lily Evans just smiled and shook her head. Leonard Li’s thinking was exactly the same as the other noble families in the Jin Dynasty.
"All I can say is, there’s always someone better out there," Lily replied.
Leonard Li thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "If Lily says it’s good, then it must be good. Your vision is broader than most—better than any man I know. If you’re putting so much effort into letting those kids learn languages and sending them abroad, I’m sure you have your reasons. By the way, Lily, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you…"