Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Hay in the Stove…

The hay in the stove was burning with crackling sounds, the flames shining on Xie Xunzhi's face, and ashes were floating in the air.

The smell of burning choked Hezhou. He supported himself on the cutting table behind him with both hands and asked, "Xunzhi?"

Xie Xunzhi sighed softly as he stepped on the drum. "I lost face with him last time, so I guess he'll have to go this time no matter what."

"Yes, we went to so much trouble to borrow soldiers from Wen County and capture two coachmen, wasn't it just to tell him that we are on the same side?" Hezhou said in a light tone, took a step forward with his long legs and reached out to take the post.

Hezhou was holding the light red post and looking at it. He stood next to the stove and could vaguely feel the burning sensation on his calves.

Xie Xunzhi pursed his lips and whispered, "I was too reckless last time. I shouldn't have..."

Hezhou paused holding the invitation, surprisingly did not interrupt Xie Xunzhi, his eyes darkened as he thought that maybe he should comfort Xie Xunzhi now.

But he didn't want to do that. There seemed to be a faint voice in his heart, saying, "Don't you want to make him feel more guilty?"

"Hey, what do you think he wants to do by inviting us over?" Hezhou raised the corner of his mouth and nudged Xie Xunzhi with his leg tilted.

Xie Xunzhi stood up, lowered his eyes, holding the spatula in his hand. "I don't know. Maybe he wants to test our attitude and decide whether we stay or go."

"Hey! Then he picked the wrong person. I'm not afraid of wearing shoes when I'm barefoot now!" Hezhou clapped the invitation in his hands, making a crisp sound.

He turned around and smiled at Xie Xunzhi, happily took the earthen bowl beside him and stood beside him.

Xie Xunzhi took the bowl and pushed his arm with his free hand. "Go, go out and ask them to eat. This place is small."

"Okay!" Hezhou turned around and went out to clean the table. Hehua and Chunjuan squatted beside the bucket, lifting their skirts to wash their hands.

The two of them were talking intimately, but when they saw him looking at them, they fell silent, stood up, and respectfully called out "Sir."

"It's okay, you guys can chat. By the way, the guest room has been cleaned up, you can sleep separately. Xunzhi and I have discussed this. After all, we are not married yet." Hezhou looked at them.

Chun Juan blushed and lowered her head, "I will follow your orders, sir."

"I will follow your orders, sir."

Hezhou raised his eyebrows and smiled, then went to clean the table.

Before it got dark in the afternoon, Xie Xunzhi pulled him to go to the banquet. Hezhou touched his neck in surprise.

What time is it now? He's not even hungry.

Xie Xunzhi changed his clothes and laughed out loud when he heard his doubts. "We didn't go there to eat. It's hard to discuss things when we're hungry or full."

Hezhou sat at the square table in the room, legs crossed. He tilted his head and stared at Xie Xunzhi behind the screen. His tone was calm, "I don't know anything. What if I get caught again when I go there? What should I do?"

"It's okay. You are smart. Don't leave any words or talk about state affairs. Leave the rest to me." Xie Xunzhi's voice came through the screen.

A gentle voice swirled around Hezhou, and out of nowhere he blurted out, "I don't know anything, and I'm being bought by you again!"

Xie Xunzhi stopped talking immediately, and the friction of clothes behind the screen became louder.

Hezhou also knew that he had said the wrong thing. Even though he felt extremely regretful, he did not dare to think about it for a moment.

He stood up suddenly and said, "Xunzhi! Don't take it seriously, I was just joking!"

He heard no response, so he walked forward quickly. He saw Xie Xunzhi wearing his inner clothes, holding new clothes in one hand and old clothes in the other. When he saw him coming, he threw the new clothes onto the screen.

Xie Xunzhi's tone remained calm. "Brother He told me you had such concerns earlier. It's not impossible to postpone this banquet."

Hezhou quickly pulled off his clothes and stopped Xie Xunzhi from changing. He turned him around and saw that there was no anger in Xie Xunzhi's eyes as he had imagined, but he didn't bother to explain too much.

"Xunzhi is smart, how could he not hear that I just said it casually?"

Xie Xunzhi raised his hand and tapped his chest, the corner of his mouth slightly raised. "I know, but you can say it out loud, so you must have some concerns. Why didn't you say it at the beginning?"

"You... didn't you tell me last time?" Hezhou's eyes wandered, and he took his hand and shook it. "Xunzhi, I really just said it casually, I swear! I still have room for dinner!"

Xie Xunzhi smiled and pushed him away with a palm, "You should go sit down and wait for me to finish changing."

"receive!"

Hezhou walked to the table and picked up an orange, then staggered to the screen. He looked through the light and shadow to confirm that the other party was really changing clothes, and then he felt relieved.

"Xunzhi, should we find a sedan chair or a carriage to pretend?" Hezhou peeled the orange and put one in his mouth. It was so sour that he vomited acid.

"Where can we find sedan chair bearers in this place? It's only two steps away, so there's no need for a carriage." Xie Xunzhi came out after packing up, and looked at Hezhou who was hunched over with his back facing him.

"What's wrong?" He walked forward curiously.

"Nothing, I just thought I heard Chunjuan calling me." Hezhou stood up and looked around. It seemed that someone was really calling him. He handed the orange to Xie Xunzhi and said, "Try it, this orange is not bad."

Xie Xunzhi took the two petals without a doubt, broke off one and put it in his mouth. "It's really good, quite sweet. Will you buy some more later?"

Hezhou:?

Hezhou stared at him with wide eyes in disbelief. "Really?"

"Really? Much sweeter than the ones I bought last time." Xie Xunzhi looked him up and down, his eyes tinged with suspicion. "You didn't eat anything sour, did you?"

"Huh? You're so lucky! I ate a really sour one!" Hezhou said as he took the remaining one from Xie Xunzhi's hand. As soon as he bit into it, the sour taste exploded in his mouth.

"Oh my god!" Hezhou jumped out and vomited, looking at Xie Xunzhi with a yellow face. Xie Xunzhi walked out slowly, his eyes curved into crescents.

"Xunzhi..." Hezhou made a bitter face and threw away the remaining oranges.

Hezhou held the invitation in his pocket and took out another one of his own. He squinted at Xie Xunzhi and asked, "Do you think this orange is sweet or sour?"

"I won't watch it anymore. I can't handle the taste, whether it's sour or sweet." Xie Xunzhi pushed the orange away, a gleam in his eyes.

At night, the streets became more crowded, but most of them were middle-aged and elderly. Hezhou looked around curiously. "Xunzhi, why do we keep walking on this street? Are you afraid we'll be killed if we take the side roads?"

Xie Xunzhi smiled and said, "No, it's just that this road is the clearest on the map."

"Oh~Is that so! That's okay. I was just thinking, I'll take care of it no matter what happens." Hezhou threw the orange up and caught it again. The cold orange was heated up by the heat.

"Less poor."

The two arrived at Chen's house on time. The vermilion gate was open, with guards in brown clothes standing on both sides. There was no carriage parked in front of the gate.

There was someone standing at the door waiting for them in the distance. It was the butler who came to buy things last time. He looked rounder than a few days ago, and there was still a calculating look in his eyes.

"Sir, long time no see!" The butler bowed slightly.

Hezhou smiled and said, "Indeed, it's been a few days since we last met. Did you... only invite us?"

"It's just a family dinner. My master said that since you are the father of the family, we should also be one family, so we invited you to join us."

"Really? Then thank you, Mr. Chen, for your kindness and for leading the way." Hezhou kept looking at Xie Xunzhi, making sure he had not made any mistakes.

Xie Xunzhi winked at him and walked slowly behind him.

Hezhou felt relieved. After all, he was not a person of this era and would be restricted in doing things.

They walked through the corridor and came to a garden with incense burning around it. There were several tables set up in the garden, and he was led to the front table to sit down.

Sitting next door was a woman in simple clothes, holding a child in her arms and coaxing him with a smile.

Hezhou glanced at the dishes on the table. There were mostly cold dishes at the moment. They looked similar to those in a wine shop, but with more decorative elements.

People came in one after another, mostly women and children, and sat at other tables.

After a while, a man of similar age came and sat next to the main seat. Hezhou rolled his eyes but said nothing.

"Hello, I am the eldest son of the Chen family, Chen Jianyuan." Chen Jianyuan smiled.

Hezhou nodded and said, "I've heard of this before. Hezhou, the newly appointed county magistrate, this is my retainer Xie Xunzhi."

Xie Xunzhi smiled at him.

Several people started chatting, mainly Chen Jianyuan asking questions and Hezhou answering. Xie Xunzhi would only take over when he saw that something was wrong.

Hot dishes were served one after another. The servants who brought them up were smaller than spring rolls, and the servants standing around were mostly young.

"I'm late, please forgive me!" A strong voice came, and a man wearing a lake blue robe walked in, with the jewelry hanging around his waist shining.

"Master He, I've been waiting for so long!"

Hezhou smiled and waved his hands. "No, no, I've wanted to visit you for a long time, but I just took over and things have been piling up one after another. It's very troublesome to handle them."

"Really?" Chen Wenjiu frowned, his voice changed. "Ah! To be honest, I'm ashamed to say that the murderer was actually raised in my house."

"No, no, he is just greedy, why should he be ashamed?" Hezhou slowed down his tone, and he was indeed very nervous.

Chen Wenjiu lowered his eyes and turned his head away. "Master He, let's not talk about business today. I just want to make a friend like you."

He waved towards the table next to him and said, "Let me show you my little daughter. She's so well behaved. Oh, she holds my hand all the time."

The woman came over with the child in her arms. The child was smiling, pouting and blowing bubbles, looking well-behaved and cute.

"Indeed, it's cute." Hezhou couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Chen Wenjiu smiled proudly and said, "Yes, what a pity! I am already old, I don't know if I can still see her grow up and get married."

"Why not?" Hezhou replied with a smile, looking at Chen Wenjiu's tough face.

Chen Wenjiu picked up his chopsticks and squinted at him. "Anything is possible! When I first invited you here, I didn't expect you to be so busy! I'm sorry I was so abrupt."

"No, no, it's my first time in office, so I've been a little slow in handling some things, but I've been thinking about it and want to visit Master Chen."

Xie Xunzhi: "It was you who was a burden to me. You fell ill during those few days..."

"Really? It's better now!"

Xie Xunzhi nodded and said, "Okay, not a small amount, but I feel guilty for having missed Mr. Chen's good intentions."

"It's not a big deal. By the way, where are you from? I heard that when you first arrived, Lord He wanted to draw a missing person notice for you?"