Chapter 58 Betting
He said all this just to get involved with her and remind her of the past.
But he didn't know that Yu Huatang had made such preparations specifically to get close to him, and now that time has passed, it seems a bit in vain.
After a while, she said, "The craftsmanship of Baoxianglou is of course the best. If you are interested in these snacks, you can go there to try them."
"Okay." At this point, he didn't know what to say, and he was afraid that she would be like that day, so he couldn't help but remain silent.
The carriage sped along for a while before finally arriving at the harbor. In the distance, several teenagers were seen swimming in the icy sea with their upper bodies naked.
Zhao Yan saw that this was one of their rituals.
When the two continued to walk towards the crowded direction, a man who was fifty-two years old, energetic, came to greet them with a dozen men.
When they arrived, the mayor said, "Greetings to the governor." The people behind him also knelt down, forming a large crowd.
Zhao Yan stepped forward to support him and said, "You're too polite, Mayor. I just wanted to join in the fun today. There aren't any officials or commoners here. There's just a thick-faced man asking for a drink."
The mayor was unfazed and praised him, "Your Excellency is a good official for being able to put aside your status. You may not know that I also invited the previous governor. But guess what? He said these rustic and vulgar people were not worthy of his attention."
"Hahahaha." A bunch of people behind followed suit and laughed.
Yu Huatang also chuckled, but Zhao Yan felt a little embarrassed. "I originally came here to broaden my horizons. Mayor, please stop joking."
The mayor also stopped joking and walked in front to lead the way. At this time, many people were already playing music at the port, and they seemed to be practicing one section at a time.
Zhao Yan glanced back at Yu Huatang. She was also very interested in these things. Perhaps infected by the excitement, she no longer felt as awkward as before.
When they arrived at the beach, several people sat down and the wind-praying ceremony officially began.
After Zhao Yan was invited to set up the altar, he said a few words, which were nothing more than his wish for peace and prosperity for the country and the people.
Later, the mayor read out the "Prayer for Wind", and a group of people followed him onto the stage and played elegant music.
After the grand ceremony, the swimming competition will begin.
This event was just for fun. A dozen people went into the water. Some of them couldn't bear it anymore and screamed, which made the people on the shore laugh so hard that they had to go ashore and be replaced by people who could withstand the cold.
Yu Huatang was attracted by their antics and started laughing too. At this time, Zhao Yan said, "I see the guy at the far edge is the most burly, and he didn't show any expression when he went into the water. I think he should win."
Yu Huatang followed his finger and shook her head. "I think it's the one in the middle. Look at his calm demeanor and long, steady breathing. You can tell he's an expert."
There were so many people around that they leaned in close to each other to make sure they couldn't hear. Her light breathing caressed his ear, bringing a hint of fragrance. He felt a little happy and continued her words, "Then let's make a bet and see who wins. The stakes are one ounce each for the top three. The loser pays out, how about that?"
After listening to him, Yu Huatang leaned in closer and said, "This is too much money. It's not that I don't want it. But this is all for the purpose of praying for blessings, and it would be bad if it caused a fight. How about changing it to twenty coins per person?"
This time she lowered her head, and the fragrance from her body came with it. Zhao Yan felt his heart move, and a warm current flowed through his body. Seeing her delicate skin looked even whiter in the winter, he forgot to answer for a moment.
After a while he said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Yu Huatang was happy, "Then I'll go tell them now."
As expected, when everyone heard that there would be money to be won by the top three winners, they all became excited. As soon as the cheers started, more than a dozen people jumped in like fish in water. The competition was very simple, with two rounds in total, and the players were ranked according to the order they came ashore.
The man chosen by Zhao Yan was named Yuan Zhuang. He was indeed brave in the first round, but in the second round, he was overtaken by Yuan Daniu, who was chosen by Yu Huatang. The result was obvious, Yuan Daniu was the first.
Zhao Yan happily distributed the reward money, and only when he returned to his seat did he realize that Huatang had cheated. She was a local, so she must have known who was the most powerful here. But she was willing to talk and play with him, which was something he couldn't have cared less about.
Yuan Daniu started to show off after receiving the reward, saying, "Well, Da Hu, you just said you wanted to fight me, but the moment you got in the water, you were as cold as hell and ran faster than a rabbit. Now that I've received the reward, you can call me brother and I'll take you out for a drink later."
Yuan Dahu and Yuan Daniu are cousins. They fight at home every day, from the time he wet his pants to now when he got married, they still have no peace.
Sure enough, the old lady next to him heard what Dazhuang said, picked up the broom beside him and hit him, saying, "I'll make you restless. Even on such a good day, you still know the taboo..."
Da Zhuang was beaten so hard that he was in pain. He yelled and refused to obey, and ran away with his clothes...
After the simple competition was over, it was finally time for the banquet.
Zhao Yan originally wanted to sit at the same table with Hua Tang, but since he was a governor, he had no choice but to sit at the top table.
Yu Huatang was assigned to the third table with female relatives. Most of the people at this table were women, children and the elderly. Seeing that she was a young woman and was close to the governor, they spontaneously thought that she was a distinguished guest, and everyone at the table was very happy.
When all the dishes were served, Zhao Yan saw the spring rolls she mentioned. He drank a glass of wine and started eating them with the rolls.
The mayor was originally worried that he would dislike the strange country food, but now that he saw that he only ate country food, he liked him even more and said, "Since you like these flavors, why don't I ask the kitchen to make another noodle soup."
Zhao Yan actually didn't want to bother, but everyone at the table looked at him, as if strongly recommending this dish, so he readily agreed.
The noodle soup arrived soon, but because it was a farm dish, it didn’t look that good.
But Zhao Yan didn't show any strange expression. He served himself a big bowl and savored it carefully.
Yu Huatang watched from afar and saw him taking a bite from time to time and chatting with the villagers beside him.
The south has always had many dialects, and he probably didn't understand much during the year he's been here, but now he can understand them very well.
Yu Huatang smiled. Zhao Yan had really changed a lot.
Men have a lot to talk about when they eat, and when she finished, his table was still drinking and joking.
When she has nothing to do, she goes for a stroll on the beach.
At this time, the lady who had just sat at the same table with her said, "We are going to Jiuri Mountain later this afternoon. Everyone in the town will be there. Miss Yu, you should go and take a look. It's rare to see so many people. It's nice to relax."
Yu Huatang asked, "Are people from Hui'an County coming too?"
The old lady said, "That's for sure. In the past, they thought it was too far to come. But this year, the new masters captured the pirates, so they came here by ship."
"Coming directly by boat?" she asked
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