Chapter 74

The sky was getting brighter and brighter, and the water in the pot began to bubble. Zhou Li turned down the fire and added water to the basin.

Tang Jing undressed and soaked the handkerchief in water. Zhou Li then realized that not only her face but also her neck and chest were stained with blood. Zhou Li pursed her lips.

Tang Jing slowly cleaned the blood off his body with hot water, and then applied soap. The water in the basin gradually turned red.

Zhou Li changed the pot for her.

Tang Jingcai had just washed herself and went to change her clothes. Zhou Li squatted outside the house and looked at the ground that had just been splashed with water. The red blood was flowing into the waterway with its fangs and claws.

Tang Jing walked out refreshingly with the scent of soapberries on his body, stood beside Zhou Li, and raised his hand to rest on Zhou Li's head.

Zhou Li turned his head, and Tang Jing's hand slipped down. Tang Jing simply squatted down like Zhou Li.

She smiled at Zhou Li's awkwardness and said in a normal tone, "Would you like to visit our Guanshi County morning market?"

"If you go now, you can catch the first pot of mutton soup coming out of the pot. The mutton soup is paired with crispy cakes, which can make you sweat. If you go to the side and order a bowl of iced glutinous rice balls, it will be even more delicious."

Zhou Li snorted coldly.

Tang Jing asked, "Are you going or not?"

"Go." Zhou Li said. She would never have a hard time with food.

Tang Jing laughed, reached out, took Zhou Li's wrist and lifted him up.

Zhou Li's body was limply carried out of the courtyard by Tang Jing. Tang Jing let go of Zhou Li's hand and resumed her own cool demeanor. Zhou Li looked at her several times, and bowed to the servants from time to time on the way. Tang Jing nodded lightly.

The two of them left the city wall, and the road gradually became bustling.

The city began to wake up. In the sunlight, the gray tiles looked like a flowing Milky Way, emitting a dazzling white light. The sounds of hawking in the streets were endless, and everyone was full of energy.

After walking through the streets and alleys, they finally arrived at the mutton soup restaurant that Tang Jing mentioned. The restaurant was already full of customers. After a lot of effort, they finally saw a table of people who had just finished eating and were getting up. Tang Jing naturally asked the owner to clear the table, ordered two bowls of mutton soup, and went next door to buy some pastries.

The mutton soup was served quickly, and the bowl was on the table before Tang Jing came back.

Tender green onions float on the soup. The bowl contains lamb, vermicelli, and extremely finely chopped fried tofu crumbs. There are seasonings on the table and you can choose whether to add them or not.

Tang Jing came back from next door with a plate of pastries. Zhou Li saw other people at the table also choose to go next door to buy pastries. Pastries are baked pastries, so crispy that they fall apart. When you bite them, the crumbs fall off continuously.

Tang Jing taught Zhou Li how to eat it. She added chili peppers, vinegar, and white pepper to the mutton soup, then broke the pastry into pieces and soaked it in the soup. You can also order a separate portion of mutton and put the mutton in the pastry. Zhou Li tried both ways of eating, and her eyes lit up while eating.

Tang Jing knew Zhou Li would like it.

Drinking a bowl of mutton soup early in the morning really made me feel hot, and sweat broke out on my forehead. It seemed that all the unpleasant things that happened just now were taken away as the bowl of mutton soup entered my throat.

Every time Tang Jing had work to do at night, she would drink a bowl of mutton soup in the morning. When the mutton soup went into her throat, her internal organs that were almost frozen by the cold would be revitalized because of the soup. Tang Jing liked this feeling of being alive, but the people she came into contact with the most in her world were the dead. Only by staying among people could she feel the fresh energy.

Tang Jing wiped the sweat off Zhou Li's forehead and went to pay. The shop owner saw Tang Jing and greeted him in a normal tone, "Are you back?"

Tang Jing smiled and nodded.

The boss chatted casually: "You were away for quite a while on business this time. Where did you go? I haven't seen you for a long time."

Tang Jing smiled and said, "He went to the north."

"Yo! That's dangerous!"

Tang Jing nodded and left with Zhou Li.

Zhou Li asked her, "Are you familiar with the boss?"

Tang Jing said: "We drink mutton soup regularly and we get to know each other after a while."

"I didn't expect you to have such a side to you." Zhou Li hummed.

Tang Jing's hand, hanging from his sleeve, accurately caught Zhou Li's hand in the crowded morning market. "Be careful."

Zhou Li's shoulder was bumped by a man carrying goods behind him, and Tang Jing pulled him into his arms. The porter turned around and apologized honestly, but Zhou Li waved his hand and said it was okay.

The two walked in the early morning market, holding sweaty hands in the crowded crowd. It was an extremely ordinary morning, but it was also the daily routine that Tang Jing had longed for.

After Zhou Li returned home, she drank two glasses of water. The sun was shining brightly, and her little face was red from the sun.

Tang Jing fanned her with a fan while a servant was cleaning the yard. Zhou Li put down her cup and took a breath of hot air. Only then did she feel the difference between the north and the south. The summer in the north was hot but dry, while the heat in the south was so hot that it was hard to breathe. The front of her clothes was soaked with sweat. Tang Jing took out her own clothes and asked Zhou Li to change.

There was a family dinner at noon. Her mother prepared it specially after she knew Tang Jing was coming back. Knowing that she had brought her friends, she asked Tang Jing to bring her friends as well.

Zhang Mei's wife Ji Qingshu was a very gentle person. She only cared about matters big and small at home and never cared about things outside. She was a woman who knew her limits and was sensible.

Ji Qingshu is Zhang Mei's second wife. The previous one died in the war, leaving behind only one legitimate son. Tang Jing also has a younger sister and a younger brother. The eldest brother is not in the city now, and the younger brother is stationed outside the city to guard Guanshi County. He will definitely be back at noon.

Tang Jing briefly introduced her family to Zhou Li. Zhou Li looked at her and asked, "Are you close to them?"

Tang Jing thought about it and didn't know how to answer.

She has never been close to anyone.

Tang Jing said calmly, "It's okay."

Zhou Li looked at her expression and guessed that she was just average.

As an adopted daughter, Tang Jing had to undergo rigorous training. She was naturally quiet and not the type to joke with others, so naturally she was not very close to her family.

"Don't worry, mother won't make things difficult for you. She's very easy to talk to." Tang Jing thought Zhou Li was just scared again, so he comforted her.

Zhou Li laughed awkwardly twice, feeling guilty again. She didn't know how to explain to Tang Jing why she had come back with him. Explaining it would only make things worse. She couldn't tell Tang Jing, "I came here for your adoptive father," could she? What would Tang Jing think then? She didn't even dare to think about it.

At noon, Tang Jing and Zhou Li went to a family dinner.

Because the City Lord's Mansion was too big, they specially called a sedan chair to carry the two of them.

Zhou Li clicked his tongue in surprise. It was so far away. As the sedan chair moved inside, Zhou Li found that Tang Jing lived in the outer courtyard. No wonder she was so close to Zhang Mei's office. She could order her around at will. Zhou Li felt sorry for Tang Jing.

Tang Jing held Zhou Li's hand and said, "It was me who asked to live in the outer courtyard. I was planning to rent a house on the street, but my adoptive father disagreed. Living there would disturb their rest."

Only when Zhou Li saw Ji Qingshu and Zhang Man at the dinner table did he understand what Tang Jing meant. These two people were very well protected by them. They were otherworldly and full of celestial spirit, and their words were pure and innocent.

Especially Zhang Man, who is already engaged, but when she talks about her partner, her face is still childish, there is no trace of gloom in her eyes, and there is no trace of life on her body.

Upon hearing that Zhou Li was the much-rumored Mr. Feihua, Zhang Man pestered Zhou Li for an autograph, saying that her sisters would definitely envy her.

Zhou Li smiled and wrote the word "Feihua" in a flamboyant style with a pen.

Ji Qingshu also liked to listen to operas. She was a cultured person who was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics as well as the Women's Instructions. She was usually very chaste and quiet. She was overjoyed to see Zhou Li. Zhou Li had performed in Guanshi County and was well received in the city. However, when she performed, Ji Qingshu was embarrassed to go out and squeeze with the people, so she missed it.

As for Zhang Man, she went to her younger sister's house at that time, and when she came back, Zhou Li had already left Guanshi County.

Zhang Man usually didn't like Tang Jing very much, thinking that she was just an adopted daughter, but was deeply valued by her father. She usually had a sour face and didn't visit her mother the first time she came back. But because her friend was Zhou Li, she gave Tang Jing a good face for the first time.

Tang Jing seemed unaware of this. She was really lacking in family affection, and although she said she was a member of the Zhang family, she was more like a subordinate of the Zhang family. Tang Jing never considered herself to be the same as the Zhang family. She was living for her adoptive father's ideals and the people of the world. Tang Jing had seen too many people die, and even before she died, she wanted to see her adoptive father's ideals realized.

Tang Jing was deeply influenced by his adoptive father and was also an utopianist.

Zhou Li was warmly entertained by the Zhang family, but Tang Jing, the host of the welcoming banquet, was neglected. However, no one at the table noticed anything wrong.

Zhang Mei usually doesn't come back for dinner. Even though the front yard is only an incense stick's distance away from the back yard, he rarely comes back. Sometimes he will have dinner with his family in the evening. Everyone knows that he is busy and doesn't disturb him easily.

Even Ji Qingshu, Zhang Mei's bedmate, often didn't know about her situation.

Zhou Li looked at them and felt even more puzzled. Was Zhang Mei really poisoned?

Why is it that the news has spread all over the northern government, but here in the south everything is normal.

What the system said should not be wrong. There might be something else hidden about Zhang Mei. Zhou Li can only meet Zhang Mei before making plans.

At the table, Zhang Man asked how they met. Zhou Li glanced at Tang Jing, not knowing whether he could tell her.

Tang Jing said calmly, "I went to the county town to do some work, and the gentleman happened to be performing there, so we got to know each other after a few visits."

Zhang Man was dissatisfied.

Tang Jing is not good at telling stories at all. Everything she tells is boring. Even the most dramatic story will probably be made boring by her.

Zhang Man looked at Zhou Li again with sparkling eyes, hoping she would say something.

Zhou Li couldn't say anything, so he nodded and said, "Indeed."

Both of them had a tacit understanding and did not mention that Tang Jing was going to kill someone.

Zhang Man uttered a disappointed "oh!", and Ji Qingshu smoothed things over by saying, "Eat first. If you keep talking like this, the food will get cold."

Zhou Li picked up his chopsticks and first picked up a piece of food for the poor little thing that no one paid attention to. Unexpectedly, Tang Jing did the same thing. The chopsticks of both of them turned at the same time and they were both stunned.

Zhou Li raised the corner of his mouth and put the rice into Tang Jing's bowl naturally.

Tang Jing came a step later and put Zhou Li's favorite food into her bowl.

Zhang Man looked around and said enviously, "I wish my future husband could be as considerate as Mr. Zhou."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ji Qingshu scolded with a doting tone: "They are friends. Your husband will definitely be more considerate."

Zhang Man used her chopsticks to pick at the rice in her bowl and said gloomily, "I don't know what my father is thinking. He clearly wasn't in a hurry for me to get married before and wanted me to stay for two more years. But all of a sudden he's putting this marriage on the agenda. He's really too impatient."

Ji Qingshu said earnestly, "You are old, so naturally you can't stay. Look around the county, is there any girl your age left at home unmarried? Your father forgot about you because he was too busy before, and now that he remembers you, he's naturally worried."

Zhou Li listened and felt something in his heart.

Why does this look so much like entrusting an orphan to someone else?

Tang Jing lowered his head, his eyes deep, showing nothing, just listening to them talk.

She talks little and looks normal.