Chapter 158 A Little Tune: This Prince Doesn't Like Rabbit Meat

Chen Chu twirled the chicken leg in her hand and asked, "How did you get this scar on your arm, brother? It looks like you were bitten."

"You mean this?" Luo Heng finished wringing out the water, glanced at his arm, and said with a smile, "It's from when I was little, when someone bit me."

Shen Chu couldn't help but ask, "Who bit you?"

Noticing Luo Heng's surprised gaze, she tugged at her lips and explained, "This scar looks quite deep. I'm just curious who was so ruthless as to bite so deep."

Luo Heng pulled down his sleeve, shook his head with a smile, and said, "It happened when I was a child, I don't remember it very clearly."

Chen Chu gripped the chicken leg tightly, but still couldn't help asking, "Did you live in Yangzhou the whole time you were a child? Did you ever go anywhere else?"

A look of confusion crossed Luo Heng's face. "You've probably never been to other places, right? I don't remember some things from when I was little. Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Shen Chu smiled and said, "It's nothing, I was just asking."

She chuckled to herself, realizing she was being a little obsessed.

How could Luo Heng possibly be Brother Zhan?

Her brother Zhan died the night he was massacred in Liangzhou City.

The city of Liangzhou was littered with corpses and rivers of blood. My mother said that the entire Zhenguo Duke's mansion was gone.

No one survived.

But she never gave up hope. In the dead of night, she would always think of the boy who taught her to ride horses, took her all over the mountains and fields, caught chickens and roasted them for her because of a single word she said, and always took good care of her.

She had managed to escape the massacre, so she always thought that perhaps her brother Zhan could also escape this calamity.

Speaking of which, Luo Heng's personality is really quite similar to Zhan Gege's, even the shape and location of their scars are very similar.

Is there any connection between Luo Heng and Brother Zhan?

"Are you full? If you are, let's hurry on our way." Luo Heng urged from the side, "I think the weather isn't looking good, it might rain later."

Shen Chu snapped out of her daze. "I'm full. Let's go."

The caravan continued on its journey.

The weather in June is like a child's face, changing in an instant.

As evening approached, a thunderclap resounded in the sky, followed by lightning.

Luo Heng said, "It's going to rain. There's a dilapidated temple not far ahead. Let's go there to take shelter from the rain."

As soon as the group settled into the dilapidated temple, large raindrops began to fall.

Looking at the increasingly heavy rain, Luo Heng said, "This rain isn't going to stop anytime soon, it looks like we'll all be spending the night here."

Shen Chu glanced at the remaining half of the main hall of the dilapidated temple and said, "There should be travelers staying here often, so there's no need for special repairs."

Luo Heng instructed the servants to gather firewood and boil water, then took out the rabbit he had hunted that morning and asked Chen Chu with a smile, "Brother, are you hungry? I'll roast a rabbit for you."

Shen Chu slept in the carriage all afternoon and was now full of energy, happily accepting the rabbit.

"Brother, take a rest. Let me roast the rabbit and try my cooking."

She went down to the corridor to tidy up the rabbits.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the dilapidated temple.

A fine horse galloped up and abruptly reined in itself at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.

The horse neighed and reared up in the air, and a tall figure wearing a straw hat jumped down and entered the dilapidated temple.

Chen Chu was cleaning the rabbit when she caught a glimpse of someone approaching out of the corner of her eye. She was so startled that she almost dropped the rabbit.

Pei Yuan removed his bamboo hat and glanced at him indifferently. "What? Are you feeling guilty seeing me, the prince?"

Shen Chu chuckled dryly, "This humble subject wanted to arrive in Changsha Prefecture as soon as possible for a secret investigation, but I didn't expect Your Highness to have the same idea. We're on the same page."

Pei Yuan stared at him for a moment, then uttered two words: "Liar."

They went straight into the dilapidated temple.

Shen Chu hadn't expected to run into Pei Yuan here. She sighed inwardly and followed him inside, carrying the rabbit.

Luo Heng bowed and greeted, "This humble subject pays respects to Your Highness, the Sixth Prince."

Pei Yuan narrowed his peach blossom eyes, his gaze shifting between Shen Chu and Luo Heng. A sneer escaped his lips as he walked straight to the innermost corner and sat down cross-legged.

He had an unapproachable demeanor.

The atmosphere inside the dilapidated temple was inexplicably stagnant.

Shen Chu skewered the rabbits and roasted them over the fire. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luo Heng rolling up his sleeves and packing things up. Her gaze shifted slightly, and she began to hum a tune softly.

The willow leaves are green, and the winter plum blossoms are fragrant.

Girls and boys, let's all pick flowers together.

Flowers can only bloom for a few days, and youth can only live for a few days.

......

Pei Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and his gaze fell on Shen Chu's face.

The bright flames reflected on his face, giving his skin a warm, luminous glow.

He rested his chin on one hand, flipped the roasted rabbit on the rack with the other, and hummed a tune leisurely.

The melody is melodious and beautiful, with a unique sweetness and lingering charm that draws you in without you even realizing it.

The melody seemed familiar. Pei Yuan closed his eyes, and an image inexplicably flashed through his mind:

A little boy, about seven or eight years old, held a little girl's hand tightly, and the two ran and laughed across the vast plains.

When the little girl got tired from running, the little boy carried her on his back and walked her home.

The little girl leaned on the little boy's shoulder, singing a tune with a smile.

The scene flashed by so quickly that Pei Yuan didn't even have time to see the little boy and girl's faces clearly, which made him feel inexplicably melancholy.

After the song ended, Luo Heng clapped his hands with a smile, "Brother Achu, this song is really beautiful, is it a Huzhou folk tune?"

Seeing that Luo Heng's face showed no abnormality, Shen Chu felt somewhat disappointed.

This is a folk song from Liangzhou, which she often sang to her brother Zhan when she was a child.

If Luo Heng were Zhan Gege, he would definitely react to this piece of music.

Brother Zhan is no longer here.

She lowered her eyes to hide the emotions in them. "It's not a Huzhou folk song. I heard it when I was traveling with my master, and I thought it sounded nice, so I learned it."

Luo Heng said, "This is the first time I've heard such a tender and expansive tune. It's somewhat like a tune from the North."

Shen Chu smiled and said, "Maybe so, but I can't remember right now."

Silence fell back into the room.

Only the crackling sound of burning firewood filled the room, and the aroma of roasting meat gradually permeated the air.

Pei Yuan gave Chen Chu a deep look, his gaze settling on the roasted rabbit.

I'm suddenly feeling a bit hungry.

Fine, considering he took the initiative to roast the rabbit, I'll forgive him for deceiving me into going first.

Seeing Shen Chu tear off a piece of rabbit leg, Pei Yuan sat up straight and reached out his hand, feigning modesty.

The rabbit's leg brushed past his hand.

"Big brother, are you hungry? Come and try the rabbit I roasted especially for you." Shen Chu smiled and handed the rabbit leg to Luo Heng.

Pei Yuan reached out and placed his hand on his leg, patting off non-existent dust, his eyes darkening.

Luo Heng took the rabbit leg, tore off a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Delicious! It seems that my brother's cooking skills are not bad either."

Chen Chu smiled and tore off another piece of meat, "Eat more, big brother."

Luo Heng raised an eyebrow and looked at Pei Yuan, "Sixth Prince, would you like to try A-Chu's cooking?"

Pei Yuan took out a dry, crunchy piece of bread from his bag, and squeezed out a few words through his teeth.

"No need, this prince doesn't like rabbit meat!"

Chen Chu looked at the rabbit leg she had just torn off, silently turned it around, and handed it to Luo Heng.

Luo Heng said with some regret, "That's a real pity. Brother Achu's cooking skills are excellent. This roasted rabbit is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a unique flavor."

Pei Yuan took a big bite of the pancake. "My pancakes are specially made by the imperial chef. They are neither too soft nor too hard, and they are quite unique."