70. Eating and Shopping

After interrogating the bandit leader, they sent a message to Ji Tiantian and others down the mountain. By the time they reached the top of the mountain, it was already noon.

Everyone was starving, but they dared not use the cook in the mountain stronghold because they didn't know his background.

Zhang Siqing gritted her teeth and selected a few women to work around in the kitchen. It was clear that these extras had tried their best, but as modern city dwellers, they were completely at a loss when faced with a traditional earthen stove.

The kitchen was filled with black smoke and had a pungent odor while cooking, almost setting the wooden kitchen on fire. It looked more like an alchemy session than cooking.

Ye Zhenzhen held the roasted sweet potato, charred on the outside and raw on the inside, speechless with emotion.

Black Panther sniffed the dark, murky stuff in the bowl, then turned and walked away, preferring to go hungry rather than eat a single bite.

Seeing Black Panther's reaction, and realizing that they would probably have to eat these things to fill their stomachs if they stayed here for the next few days, everyone turned green with fear.

Liu Wei, who had been eager to establish himself as a mountain king and live a carefree life, fell silent after the meal.

Wang Liqing smiled smugly, cupped her hands to the people present, and invited them to come along. "This mountain stronghold is, after all, a den of thieves. It is not very safe to stay here. We owe a great debt to you all for eliminating the bandits this time. Why don't you come down the mountain with me today? First, we can send the women and children in the stronghold back home, and second, we can return the Zhou family's kidnapped caravan. This way, we can ensure a peaceful end!"

Among those rescued from the back courtyard room, one of them spoke up, saying, "I am Zhou Mo, a guard of the Zhou family. It is all thanks to you all that we were able to save our lives. Please come with us home, my master will surely reward you handsomely!"

---

The group rode the horses they had seized from the mountain stronghold, placed the children in the carriage under Ji Tiantian's care, and headed towards the Zhou family.

Outside the majestic city gate, a long line of people queued to enter the city. Once inside the inner city, the market was even more bustling.

Shops lined both sides of the street, one after another, stretching as far as the eye could see. The entire street was bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, a constant flow of people dressed in all sorts of clothes. The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and laughter mingled together, creating a vibrant, everyday atmosphere.

The children sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain, and stared wide-eyed at the market outside the window, feeling utterly fascinated.

"Look, there's a sugar figurine maker over there!" Liu Kangkang exclaimed excitedly, pointing to a small stall in the distance.

Once he started, the carriage could no longer remain quiet.

"There's a monkey show over there! That little monkey is so cute!"

"I see someone selling candied hawthorns!"

"And grasshoppers made of straw!"

The adults, who were leading their horses, exchanged a glance and silently stopped.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to stop or meet up with Zhou Haitao's family first.

"Gentlemen, my master, upon learning of your arrival, was about to go outside the city to welcome you, but you have already entered the city!" Zhou Mo, who claimed to be a guard of the Zhou family, rode up from a distance and jumped off his horse as soon as he saw them.

Everyone looked up and saw a carriage behind him lift its curtain, and a man in brocade robes stepped out of the carriage; it was Zhou Haitao.

Then Lanno led Zhou Jingyi closer.

The group clasped their hands in greeting once more, completing their first encounter with the NPC and successfully forming a team.

"Today is the Lantern Festival, and the streets are bustling with activity. Why don't you all take a stroll first?" Seeing that the children's eyes were darting around, Zhou Haitao decisively arranged for his attendants to send the carriages back first. "We'll come back after dinner tonight, and it will be a completely different sight then."

There is no reason why the people would not respond.

Just kidding, Director Jiang has really gone all out by including so many NPCs, he's bound to make a lot of money filming!

Zhou Mo was also clever, and he led a few quick-witted people to follow them around, being extremely attentive.

The children soon had their hands full of snacks and toys. If they bought too much, someone would even follow behind them to help carry the things.

I don't know where Jiang Wei found this craftsman, but his skills are so good that it doesn't seem like an actor could impersonate him.

When they walked up to an old man blowing sugar figures, the children all stopped in their tracks.

Although the old man's fingers were rough, they were surprisingly nimble. He kneaded a piece of golden maltose candy between his hands a few times, and it became a round ball. He pinched the middle thinner, put the thinner end between his lips, puffed out his cheeks, and the candy ball seemed to come alive, swelling up.

Once it grows to the size of a child's fist, the old man's fingers fly, pulling out two long ears on one side, pressing out a three-lobed mouth on the other, and finally using a bamboo skewer to gently pry out the eyes.

When the old man secured the sugar rabbit with bamboo skewers and placed it on the straw frame, everyone applauded.

"Grandpa is so amazing!" Zhou Jingyi exclaimed, her eyes wide and her face flushed. "I want a little bunny too!"

"I want a little tiger!" Liu Lele shouted the loudest.

Although Gu Sinan and Yan Xu did not say anything, they remained standing in front of the stall without moving.

Zhou Mo stepped forward and put the copper coin into the money box on the table, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

"Thank you for your patronage. Would you like to try it yourselves, esteemed guests?" The old man bent down and smiled kindly at the group of children.

"I...I want to try!" Liu Lele raised her hand the highest.

Several adults watched with great interest. The old man took another piece of candy, pinched out a head, and held it to Liu Lele's mouth.

"Just like blowing up a balloon, take a slow breath."

Liu Lele did as instructed, her eyes widening as the candy swelled.

The old man's fingers moved nimbly, flying up and down, and in the blink of an eye, he had sculpted a lifelike tiger, which made the children watch with bated breath.

Liu Lele carefully took the bamboo skewer, grinning from ear to ear, but she couldn't bear to eat a single bite; she treasured it like a precious gem.

This immediately ignited the enthusiasm of the other children, and the old man blowing sugar figures was surrounded until every child had their own sugar figure before he was freed.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the various animal-shaped sugar figurines with a bit of envy, but she was too embarrassed to ask for one in public. She could only watch longingly, thinking that she would come after the show was over.

When it was Gu Sinan's turn, the little girl pointed to the black leopard that was obediently following them and politely asked, "Grandpa, can you mold it like this?"

"Oh my, what a magnificent hunting dog! I'll do my best, old man."

---

After returning laden with their spoils, the group remounted their horses and headed towards the Zhou residence.

When they arrived at the gate, they saw that the main gate was wide open, and a man who looked like a steward was already waiting at the door, leading them to the main hall.

In the main hall of the Zhou family, after exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats as host and guests.

After the maids served refreshments and tea and then retreated outside, Lanno led his daughter out of the back room and chatted quietly with the others.

"Director Zhou is lucky. Such a big mansion must belong to a wealthy man, right?" Liu Wei complained first. "My family of four was tied up in a drafty woodshed as soon as we opened our eyes. Before we could figure out what was going on, I was pushed down the mountain. The mountain road made my legs cramp, and we even had to intercept the road! Luckily, we ran into President Gu. We were so unlucky!"

"What rich man? Uncultured! That's called a country gentry!" Zhang Siqing gave him a disdainful look.

Zhou Haitao, slightly plump and dressed in a brocade robe, held his daughter with a beaming smile. "I really had good luck in the lottery this time. This whole estate is my property. You shouldn't leave. Stay here. There's a hunting ground in the back mountain. Experience ancient life here and treat it as a trip."

And so, the group was arranged to move into the Zhou family's backyard.

The other three families were all assigned the role of a married couple, and the whole family lived in a small courtyard.

Only Gu and Ye drew roles that were not related, and were led by servants to two adjacent courtyards.

When Ye Zhenzhen arrived at her own courtyard, she didn't rush inside. Instead, she shamelessly went to visit the neighboring courtyard and discovered that the two courtyards were only separated by a wall, and their interior layouts were almost identical.

After bidding farewell to the father and son, he leisurely returned to his own courtyard.

Although it is winter, the courtyard is not desolate because of the greenery.

Ye Zhenzhen walked along the corridor into the room and first smelled a light and cool fragrance. Looking up, she saw a wintersweet tree facing the window of the study. Its branches were gnarled and vigorous, and its small flowers were like carved topaz, which was very lovely.

She felt a sudden urge to draw, so she picked up a brush from the table and started painting on the rice paper.

Although Ji Tiantian doesn't know much about traditional Chinese painting, she believes that all beautiful things are interconnected.

She removed the bright red cloak, revealing an ivory-white robe with subtle bamboo leaf patterns that accentuated her tall and graceful figure. The red arrow sleeves were perfectly fitted, and she wore a camel-red sleeveless round-necked robe with floral patterns over it. Standing quietly by the table, painting, she truly looked like a perfect woman.

Ji Tiantian's eyes lit up with excitement as she looked at Tao Tao, only regretting that she didn't have a camera to capture Tao Tao's current beauty.

Our CEO Tao is perfect for playing Jia Baoyu!!

Just as Ye Zhenzhen finished drawing the branches, a servant announced from outside the door that the host was hosting a banquet to welcome everyone.

Ye Zhenzhen stopped writing and washed her hands before Ji Tiantian pulled her to change into an apricot-yellow outer robe.

"Sigh, what am I going to say when we start introducing ourselves later..." Ye Zhenzhen said, seemingly unintentionally.

“We agreed before we came out that you would say you were from Jingzhao, the third son in your family, and your given name was Zhen. Your master and mistress wanted you to travel around and broaden your horizons,” Ji Tiantian replied while adjusting the colorful silk ribbon around her waist.

"Oh, it's rare for me to be able to come out this time, I need to have enough fun before I go back. I wonder if my eldest and second eldest have told on me yet..." Ye Zhenzhen observed the little girl's expression.

"The eldest and second young masters are too busy trying to persuade the master. The guards we brought this time were all personally selected by the two young masters."

Oh, so I have two older brothers.

"They're really kind of them!" Ye Zhenzhen knew what was going on, but then pretended to instruct the young girl in front of her, "Remember our aliases, don't let it slip!"

"Don't worry about that, I'm Ji Tian, ​​the young master's most trusted servant!"

---

Upon arriving at the warm pavilion, a servant lifted the thick brocade curtain, and Ye Zhenzhen stepped inside, immediately feeling a surge of heat.

The kerosene lamp inside the house was burning brightly, and warm steam seeped from the cracks in the blue brick floor, mixed with a faint fragrance of incense, completely blocking the cold wind from outside the window.

Because the corners of the room were filled with NPCs, everyone spoke very...

reserved.

After exchanging greetings, they took their seats.

Ye Zhenzhen looked up and saw that each person had a small table in front of them, which was quite convenient.

She also noticed that everyone had changed their clothes. The others only had slightly different colors and styles, but Liu Wei's family had finally changed out of their old tattered clothes.

The twins, dressed in matching red jackets, looked like dolls from a traditional Chinese New Year painting, creating a festive atmosphere.

As the host, Zhou Haitao clapped his hands lightly: "This banquet is specially prepared for all of you righteous men. It is called a welcome feast, but in reality, it is to thank you for your righteous deeds. Without you, who knows how long the Black Wind Stronghold would have continued to wreak havoc! Today, we have prepared some simple wine and food to express our gratitude. Men, prepare the banquet!"

As he finished speaking, the maids entered lightly and in single file, and a plate of delicacies was placed in front of them.

A delicate little copper pot simmers with milky-white mutton soup, a few scallions floating in the air; a white plate holds plump, adorable crystal shrimp dumplings, their thin skins encasing pink shrimp meat; square chunks of meat lie nestled in amber-colored sauce, their skins glistening with red and oil; snow-white scallops, gleaming like jade, adorn the emerald green vegetable leaves; a celadon cup holds lotus-shaped yam puree, the petals dyed with an unknown color, topped with osmanthus syrup, pink blossoms and yellow hearts, utterly tempting...

Without any hesitation, the group picked up their chopsticks and began to savor the delicious food.

Ye Zhenzhen was most reluctant to miss out on delicious food, and she was so moved by the first bite that she almost cried.

Compared to the pig feed I scrambled up in the mountain village at noon, this is a true delicacy!

The maid beside him picked up the wine jug and poured deep purple grape juice into the glass.

She ate a few bites of the savory and slightly sweet Dongpo pork, picked up her glass cup, took a sip, and immediately exclaimed, "It's so delicious!"

The acidity and sweetness are just right, making it very refreshing and not greasy.

She downed her drink in one gulp and drank several glasses in a row.

"Haha, this is newly brewed wine this year. If Young Master Ye likes it, please feel free to drink as much as you like!" Zhou Haitao stroked his fake beard and laughed heartily.

"It is indeed a fine wine!" Liu Wei tilted his head back and took a swig, praising it as well.

Gu Tingshen's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this. He picked up the glass and took a sip. In addition to the sweetness of the grapes, there was also a hint of rose fragrance. It was rare to find that there was no astringency of wine. No wonder she liked it.

Seeing that all the children were drinking the same beverage, I felt relieved.

The production team likely used grape juice instead of wine to avoid any unexpected incidents during filming.

Wang Liqing and Zhang Siqing exchanged a gossipy look, clearly thinking about Ye Zhenzhen's pitiful alcohol tolerance of just one cup during the recording on the grassland.

Considering Gu Tingshen's possessiveness towards her, and the fact that the two of them have been separated again...

Tsk tsk, poor President Gu...