Chapter 163 Successfully Done

In Zhong Min's impression, Xiao Mingzheng seemed to have never given her anything. But just when they had just untied their knots and accepted each other but had to separate temporarily, he actually said that he had something to give her.

She was delighted. Even if she was self-reliant, a woman in love always felt extraordinarily sweet when she received a gift from the one she loved. The conservative and closed nature of the ancient world was unlike the open and unrestrained modern world, but the romance buried in people's hearts remained undiminished.

Before she knew the answer, countless conjectures instantly emerged in her mind, but in fact, no matter what he gave her, she would be equally happy. The thing is not important, what is important is the person who gave it, and the love that makes people think of it.

But when she saw what Xiao Mingzheng gave her, her heart was moved indescribably. It was not only joy, not only surprise, but more of it was the kind of emotion that burst out and made people unable to remain unmoved.

The object in her hand, once so light, now seemed incredibly heavy. Even after the carriage had departed, her face still wore a childlike, silly smile. It was nothing more than an ordinary jade hairpin, the jade was ordinary, the style was almost non-existent, let alone any exquisite carvings or shapes.

But this was no ordinary jade hairpin, for it was engraved with two tiny yet beautiful characters: "Min" and "Zheng." Xiao Mingzheng had crafted it himself, spending an entire evening on it, and every stroke of it was imbued with his love.

"I've never given you anything. I carved this piece myself, piece by piece. Seeing it is like seeing myself."

Zhong Min recalled the look on his face when he said this, so gentle, so doting, as if his eyes couldn't hold anything else but her. Such care couldn't help but move her, and such warmth couldn't help but make her intoxicated.

He really understood her. No treasure in the world could compare to his heart, and the hairpin he made with great care could naturally touch her heart more than anything else.

"From now on, don't wear that plum blossom jade hairpin anymore."

Before getting on the carriage, Xiao Mingzheng's last words were unexpectedly these. Thinking about it now, Zhong Min couldn't help but laugh. She had never known this guy was such a jealous person. It turned out he had always been worried that she would fall in love with Luo Jiaxing. No wonder when Jiang Xiyan asked him that question, he actually said that Luo Jiaxing liked gentle women.

However, after hearing this and knowing the jealousy in his heart, she was extremely happy. At least a man who was jealous of her was much more comfortable than those who were always indifferent. At least this proved that he cared about her enough, and this feeling was really good.

"Young Master, you are still in a daze. How long has it been?" Seeing that Zhong Min has been like this since he got on the car, Zi Yan beside him couldn't help but joked. In the past, she always worried that the relationship between the prince and this lady was always so ambiguous, but now, anyone with a discerning eye can see what is going on.

Zhong Min came back to her senses, but ignored Cai Ziyan's teasing and smiled to herself. She was not someone who could not stand teasing. Being in love or thinking about someone was nothing. It was impossible for her to feel embarrassed.

Seeing this, the others started to tease Zi Yan, and for a while, there was constant laughter in the carriage. After all, they were all young girls, and although they all understood the burden they were carrying on this journey, it could not stop them from looking for happiness.

A dozen days later, the group finally arrived in the capital. From the moment they entered the city, everyone became more cautious, no longer playing and joking as they had on the road before. With the exception of Xier, everyone here had received special training, so Zhong Min didn't need to give them any additional instructions.

After entering the city, the carriage headed south without stopping. The two inns in the capital were no longer their own territory, so the first thing they had to do was find a suitable permanent place to stay.

Zi Yan was extremely familiar with the capital, and in a short while, she had Zhong Min and the others at the entrance of an alleyway where residential buildings were concentrated. The residents here were all middle-class people. The simple courtyard houses, each with its own entrance, were quite suitable for their current status. Most importantly, Zhong Min took a closer look and found the terrain to be extremely conducive to concealment. Coming and going here would be unnoticeable, and any emergency would make it easy to escape, making it the perfect base for a permanent headquarters.

After getting off the carriage, Zhong Min couldn't help but stretch her legs. She had been sitting in the carriage for so long that she felt uncomfortable all over. After a moment, she looked around and asked Zi Yan, who was standing beside her, "Is this the place?"

Zi Yan nodded and said, "That's right. Three months ago, there were two families here who wanted to sell their houses, and three families who wanted to rent them out. Even though it's been so long, one of them, the Zhu family, has a peculiar habit of renting out their house. They won't rent to business people, officials, people with many families, people who stay for a short time, people who are not serious, or people who are divided into several families... Anyway, they have so many different conditions, so I guess it's definitely not rented out now."

"With so many requirements, even if the house is not rented out, can he rent it to us?" Xier was a little confused when she heard it. She had never seen such a strange person. Isn't it enough to make money? He has so many inexplicable requirements, which really makes people dizzy.

When Zi Yan heard this, she smiled and said, "Don't worry about this. With me here, there will be absolutely no problem."

Zhong Min also laughed and said, "I'm really relieved about this. Zi Yan has always been smart and has the most creative ideas. Let's go and take a look. I hope it hasn't been rented out yet. This place is perfect for me."

After walking a little further, turning left and right without much difficulty, they soon arrived at the Zhu family Ziyan had mentioned. Looking up at the wall beside the door, they saw a small bamboo sign with the words "For Rent" hanging on it. Everyone was immediately excited, praising Ziyan's prowess.

"I'll go knock on the door first. The owner doesn't live here. He usually leaves an old man named Deng to look after the house. He is a servant of the Zhu family. Whether the house can be rented out actually depends on his word." Zi Yan explained to Zhong Min and asked for Zhong Min's opinion at the same time.

"Zi Yan, do you know the situation of this old man Deng?" Zhong Min asked Zi Yan as if he had thought of something.

Zi Yan nodded and said, "I know. I also know the details of the Zhu family. Young Master, you may not know that I was originally responsible for intelligence matters in this area, so I will find out the details of any special people and things."

"That's good. Now that we know each other, I think you're almost certain to rent this yard." Zhong Min smiled appreciatively. He really had to look at Zi Yan with a new eye. "In that case, let's not go in together. You can go alone. There won't be much benefit if there are too many people."

As she spoke, she took out a few banknotes from her bosom and handed them to Zi Yan, and then said, "Money is not a problem. Go ahead, we'll wait for you outside."

Seeing this, Zi Yan responded confidently, "Don't worry, sir. I'll take care of this matter!"

Zhong Min smiled faintly and said no more, instead motioning Zi Yan and the others to follow her to the side and wait. Seeing this, Zi Yan didn't delay any longer and calmly went forward to knock on the door.

After a while, someone opened the door. As expected, it was an old man in his fifties. After hearing Zi Yan's purpose, the old man didn't say much and let the person in directly.

Originally, everyone thought that it would take at least half an hour to get any news. After all, this family had so many rules. Even if Zi Yan had an idea, it would still take some time to talk. However, they didn't expect that the door would open before they had even had a cup of tea.

"No way, Zi Yan was kicked out so quickly?" Xier said to Zhong Min in a low voice. Seeing that Zhong Min didn't move, she naturally didn't dare to go forward casually. She could only stay here and watch.

"It's not about kicking her out, it's about the matter being settled." A smile suddenly appeared on Zhong Min's lips. Zi Yan was really capable. With such a capable helper, the mess in the capital would not be so troublesome.

Hearing Zhong Min's words, everyone hurriedly looked over again, and the scene at the door truly startled them. Zi Yan, speaking in some unidentified dialect, chattered something to the old man, making him laugh so hard that he couldn't stop. Without a word, he immediately handed her the house key, then excitedly said a few more words that were equally incomprehensible before leaving with a smile.

After the old man left, Zhong Min came out from a hidden place nearby with the others. Zi Yan greeted them happily and repeatedly asked Zhong Min to go in and take a look at this new place of settlement.

After looking around inside, they found the house wasn't too small, with plenty of rooms, more than enough for the seven of them. There was a well in the yard, and all the furniture in the rooms was already there. There was even a large pile of firewood outside the kitchen, so it looked like everything was available.

"Very good, it really is a nice place!" Zhong Min nodded affirmatively, and then asked Zi Yan, "What did you say to that old man just now that made him so happy?"

The others were also very curious, and when they saw Zhong Min asking, they pricked up their ears and waited for Zi Yan's answer.

Zi Yan smiled playfully and said, "Actually, there's nothing much to say. This old man is from Jiangyun, which is incredibly far from the capital, several times farther than Muzhou. Therefore, there are very few people from his hometown. I happened to know their language, so I pretended to be a fellow villager for a while and said I'd send some of my homemade red rice cakes to their host in a few days to try and ease his homesickness."

"No wonder. Meeting old friends in a foreign land is truly precious. Zi Yan is truly remarkable. She even speaks the dialect of such a remote place. Could it be that you can actually make some of my hometown red rice cakes?" Zhong Min praised while reminding him, "Even though we've rented the house, if they find out you're a scam, it'll easily expose our identities."