Chapter 107 Want a hug?
When Achan and Bai Xiuming left the backyard of the Prince's Mansion, Shen Zhuo remained in the front yard, talking to his subordinates.
Turning around and seeing Bai Xiuming, his scalp tingled, his body tensed instinctively, and even the hairs on his body stood on end.
The way he looks, it's like he's going out to kill someone! Didn't Miss Ji notice anything wrong?
"You...are you going out?" Shen Zhuo looked at A Chan, but his gaze kept sweeping over Bai Xiuming, who was standing to the side.
Ah Chan said in a light tone, "Yes, let's go eat. Has Lord Shen eaten yet?"
It had taken quite a while to wait for Chen Zhuo, and now it was almost noon. A Chan hadn't eaten breakfast; she had only eaten two snacks before leaving the house, and she was really hungry now.
Shen Zhuo quickly shook his head, revealing a standard fake smile: "I won't go, you guys take care."
In her heart, she thought, "Miss Ji is truly capable. Even at a time like this, she can still get Bai Xiuming to go out and have a meal with her."
After leaving Xiling this time, should he start preparing a congratulatory gift?
Ah Chan had no idea what kind of crooked thoughts the serious-looking person in front of her had. Seeing that Shen Zhuo refused, she did not insist: "Alright then, Lord Shen, please do as you please."
Take care.
As the two passed by him, Shen Zhuo hadn't even had a chance to relax when he suddenly saw Bai Xiuming stop in his tracks.
“Sinking”.
Shen Zhuo felt a chill run down his spine: "Is there anything else?"
Bai Xiuming remained silent for a moment before saying, "Send a few reliable people to the underground palace to find my mother's remains."
Shen Zhu blinked, somewhat surprised.
Did Bai Xiuming not manage to collect all of his mother's remains in one night?
However, he quickly realized that it wasn't that he couldn't find them, but rather that he was afraid to look for them.
To others, it was a skeleton; to him, it was a nightmare of the past.
His expression became much more serious, and he solemnly said, "Don't worry, I will personally keep an eye on things and make sure to find every single piece of your aunt's remains."
Thank you.
"Don't mention it." Shen Zhuo instinctively reached out to pat the other person's shoulder to comfort him, but then withdrew his hand halfway through.
The two left the Xiling Prince's Mansion. Bai Xiuming followed her the whole way without asking where they were going.
Ah Chan didn't really have any particular intentions; she just had the idea to take Bai Xiuming away from there on a whim.
It is brave to face pain, but it is not shameful to run away from it.
She turned around and glanced at Bai Xiuming, noticing that his clothes were still dirty. After thinking for a moment, she took him to a well-run clothing store.
As soon as the shopkeeper saw the two enter, he immediately greeted them warmly, bypassed Bai Xiuming, and went straight to Achan.
"Miss, are you here to look at dresses? We've recently received many new styles, including some that are popular with the nobles of the capital."
Upon hearing this, Achan smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you, shopkeeper, to pick out a few men's clothes that the nobles of the capital would like."
The shopkeeper was taken aback when he heard this. He looked at Achan's long hair, which was not tied up, and then glanced at Bai Xiuming.
Thinking to himself that the two were clearly not husband and wife, and their appearances did not suggest they were siblings, he wondered how the man could openly spend the woman's money.
Tsk tsk, what a waste of his handsome face, it's truly despicable.
In a short while, the shopkeeper had already imagined a wonderful drama, but he still smiled and said, "Please wait a moment, young lady."
He turned and went to the back, and soon he and the shop assistant brought out six or seven sets of clothes, ranging in color from light to dark, made of high-quality fabric, and all with exquisite embroidery, showing that the shopkeeper was not lying.
Although it may not be a style from Beijing, it is certainly worthy of a distinguished person.
"Which one do you like?" Achan asked Bai Xiuming.
"You choose."
So Achan chose a long robe with a cross-collar and narrow sleeves, the same color as the one he was wearing. Although the robe was black, the collar and cuffs were embroidered with flowing cloud patterns in dark red thread. Paired with a belt of the same color, it should look good when worn.
Seeing that she had made her choice, Bai Xiuming followed the shop assistant to try on the clothes.
He quickly changed into a clean new outfit and came out. Ah Chan looked him up and down and was very satisfied with her own taste.
The clothes were beautiful, but not cheap either; a set of clothes cost twenty taels of silver. Fortunately, Achan had brought enough money with her before leaving home.
As she paid the bill, she thought to herself that Bai Xiuming was really not easy to support.
After paying the bill, she chatted with the shopkeeper and learned from him where the most famous restaurant in Xiling City was. After leaving the clothing shop, she took Bai Xiuming straight to the restaurant.
Noon is usually the busiest time for restaurants, but with so many major events happening in the city these past two days, news of the incident at the Xiling Prince's Mansion has gradually spread to the city's residents. As a result, wealthy families in the city are keeping their doors tightly shut and are not daring to go out easily, so business at the restaurants is not very good today.
The restaurant, which was usually packed, still had many empty seats today, which was a good thing for Ah Chan. After they came in, the waiter led them to a window seat.
The waiter stood by, waiting for them to order. Since they wanted to make Bai Xiuming happy, Achan naturally let him order his favorite dishes.
As he was ordering food, Ah Chan heard someone outside hawking drinks through the open window, and she peeked out to look.
The drink stall faced the street corner. A little girl, about three or four years old, ran across the street. She had two pigtails on her head, short arms and legs, and was a tiny bundle. She seemed to be heading towards the stall.
However, the little girl was not very steady on her feet. After running a couple of steps, she seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and tripped over herself.
She didn't cry after falling. She sat on the ground in a daze for a while until a man and a woman rushed over, at which point she burst into tears.
"Mother!" The little girl cried as she reached out to the woman who was running towards her, looking extremely aggrieved.
The woman quickly stepped forward, took the little girl into her arms, and gently coaxed her, while the man anxiously circled around the mother and daughter.
I only calmed down after my daughter finally stopped crying.
The family of three huddled together and talked for a while before the little girl finally cheered up and pointed to the drink stall, saying she wanted to drink that.
Finally, the family of three arrived at the stall, and the little girl ordered lychee syrup.
The little girl didn't have a big appetite; she drank a few sips and then gave the bowl to her mother. The three of them shared the drink and then left together.
Achan stared at them for a long time, her gaze lingering until the three figures disappeared around the street corner.
Only after the waiter left did Bai Xiuming notice her staring blankly out the window and ask, "What are you looking at?"
“Look at that drink stall.” Achan turned around and told her truthfully.
"Would you like a drink?"
Achan shook her head; she didn't want to drink it, she was just a little envious.
That little girl was so easy to coax, and her mother was very gentle. This was such an ordinary experience, yet it was something she had never experienced before.
The thought only flashed through her mind for a moment, and she quickly broke free from the somber atmosphere. Perhaps she was affected by Bai Xiuming today, which was why she was so easily saddened.
Achan tried to shift her attention to the man silently drinking tea in front of her, and asked him, trying to make conversation, "What dishes did you order?"
Bai Xiuming looked up at her and said, "What you like."
"Huh?" Achan asked, puzzled.
Soon, the waiter brought out plate after plate of dishes.
As Bai Xiuming said, these were all dishes that Achan liked. Each plate contained chicken.
Ah Chan picked up a slice of tender chicken and put it in her mouth. The salty and savory taste filled her mouth. Suddenly, she was no longer so envious of others. Her current life seemed pretty good.
After finishing their meal, it wasn't even noon yet, but Achan wasn't really keen on sending the person back.
After resting for a while at the restaurant, she took Bai Xiuming shopping.
Bai Xiuming did not refuse. He first followed her into the jewelry shop. Achan browsed around and found the jewelry to be extremely beautiful. Unfortunately, she did not have enough money with her, so she could only watch the spectacle.
After leaving the jewelry shop, the two entered a porcelain shop. The styles here were unique to Xiling, and there were also sets of petal-shaped bowls and plates, which were very special.
Ah Chan thought that once the Shen family's affairs were settled, she should return to the capital.
You should always buy some gifts for people you know well. Gifts that are too expensive are not good, and simple ones are not presentable either. It's better to choose something special.
So she lingered in the porcelain shop a little longer, and even dragged Bai Xiuming over, insisting that he help her choose a style.
After choosing the style, she still had to pick the color. Bai Xiuming couldn't quite understand her dilemma. Seeing her compare for a long time, she finally bought both sets of porcelain.
He didn't quite understand what he had done with all that time he had spent hesitating.
They went from shop to shop until Ah Chan's legs ached. When she turned around, she saw Bai Xiuming carrying large and small bags, all of which were things she had bought.
At this moment, the fierce aura on Bai Xiuming's body dissipated considerably, turning into a deep sense of helplessness.
This was the first time he had accompanied a woman shopping. Although he was physically fit, he was mentally exhausted.
"Where else are we going?" he asked as she turned around.
Achan stopped and looked at the sky. It was probably past 1 PM, and the sun wasn't too hot anymore. She stood by the street for a while, then suddenly had a new idea. She turned to Bai Xiuming and said, "Why don't we go watch the sunset?"
Although he didn't know what there was to see, he still agreed: "Okay."
They first went back to the courtyard where Achan lived to return the things they had bought that day. Sitting in her room, Achan suddenly felt like she wanted to stay with her bed forever, and didn't really want to watch the sunset anymore.
But Bai Xiuming had already agreed, so it wouldn't be good to go back on his word.
She tugged at his sleeve and held up one finger, saying, "I'm only resting for a little while, don't leave. If I fall into a deep sleep, remember to wake me up."
Bai Xiuming had been worn down by her and lost his temper: "Fine."
Perhaps because she had something on her mind, Achan didn't sleep very soundly. When she woke up, it was still light outside.
Bai Xiuming was sitting at her desk, holding a travelogue in her hand, a book she had brought from the capital.
"Has the sun set?" Achan's voice was soft and somewhat indistinct.
"No." Bai Xiuming put the book aside and asked her, "Do you still want to watch the sunset?"
"Yes." Ah Chan yawned and slowly sat up from the bed. "But I don't want to leave."
"I'll take you there."
I've been waiting for him to say that.
Bai Xiuming led A Chan to the west gate of Xiling City. The Xiling army was stationed nearby. Beyond that, it was no longer the territory of the Great Xia.
Perhaps because this place has been filled with war and killing for many years, the scenery here has a somewhat desolate feel.
Apart from the occasional soldier entering the city, almost no one would enter or leave the city gates.
Bai Xiuming brought Achan to the city gate, where they were immediately stopped by the city guards whose eyes were gleaming with sharp light. The city guards here were all from the Xiling Army and were extremely vigilant.
"Sir, passage is prohibited without official documentation."
Bai Xiuming rummaged through his clothes and, under the wary gaze of the city guards, took out the waist token he had snatched from Shen Zhuo that day.
Upon verifying the waist tag, the city guard's expression immediately relaxed. He cupped his hands in greeting and respectfully said, "This humble official greets Your Excellency. Are you about to leave the city?"
"Let's go stay on the city wall for a while. Unless it's urgent, don't let anyone come and disturb us."
"yes."
After relaying the order, the garrison soldier personally led the way, guiding them up the city wall.
The sun over Xiling was unusually stubborn today, refusing to set for a long time.
Ashan stood in front of the battlements, looking at the scenery outside the city. She walked a little further to the side without noticing what was behind her.
Suddenly, footsteps could be heard.
A guard from the Mingjing Division, led by a city garrison soldier, climbed the city wall and finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Bai Xiuming.
"Lord Bai." The guard from the Mingjing Division stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Bai Xiuming recognized this as a commander under Shen Zhuo and replied indifferently, "What is it?"
"Lord Shen instructed me to inform you that your mother's remains have been recovered."
After a long silence, Bai Xiuming finally spoke: "...I understand. Please thank Shen Zhuo for me."
"Then I shall take my leave."
Soon, the people who came left, leaving only Achan and Bai Xiuming on this side of the city wall.
The wind picked up a bit, and Achan smoothed her hair. When she turned around, she saw Bai Xiuming leaning against the wall, his head slightly tilted back, seemingly looking at the sunset glow on the horizon, or perhaps nothing at all.
She tiptoed toward him.
Bai Xiuming didn't show any sadness on his face, but Achan felt that he was very sad.
Achan stared at him quietly for a while before slowly approaching him and squatting down beside him.
She had tried to coax Bai Xiuming many times, but it was all superficial and lacked genuine sincerity. Now, facing him like this, A Chan suddenly felt helpless.
Suddenly she opened her arms to him and whispered, "Bai Xiuming, do you want a hug?"
The little girl I saw during the day was fine after her mother hugged and comforted her. That should be effective, right?
Bai Xiuming turned his head to look at her, and A Chan met his gaze, her eyes reflecting his image.
Seeing that he remained silent, Achan thought he would refuse. She had already lowered her arms, but suddenly her waist tightened as his arms encircled her. The next moment, she threw herself into his arms.
Bai Xiuming's arms encircled her, like a pair of vises, with a rather heavy grip. Achan's body tensed up at first, then slowly relaxed.
She raised her hand and gently patted Bai Xiuming on the back.
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