On the official road, a black horse galloped swiftly, kicking up clouds of dust. The man on horseback had his hair tied up, and his indigo brocade robe was stained with gray, its luster much duller.
"Whoa—" Fu Yuchi raised his hand to pull on the reins, and the black horse slowly came to a stop.
Looking into the distance, Yingzhou is right in front of you, faintly appearing in your field of vision.
After several months apart, I wonder how his little girl is doing.
As if telepathically connected with its master, the black horse slowed its pace further. Upon reaching the city gate, it raised its head high, exuding an innate air of nobility, as if it intended to trample the small city under its feet.
The soldiers guarding the city had never seen such a magnificent sight before. They were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses and stopped the newcomer. "Who goes there? Do you have any documents?"
With war brewing in the north, the south is tightening its checks; anyone entering the city on horseback must present a document.
"My lords, I've come to the city to visit my family." Fu Yuchi dismounted, took the lead of his black horse, and stood tall and straight. Against the backdrop of the black horse, he resembled a bright moon hanging high in the sky.
He originally intended to wear Xiao Miao'er's clothes, but before he left, Xi Yan saw that his clothes were worn out and said that he had lost face for the Prince of Wei's mansion, so he insisted that he change his clothes before letting him leave the mansion.
The soldiers guarding the city looked at each other, then sized up the man in front of them. They didn't think he looked like someone they could offend, so they let him in.
He used to wear plain clothes, and when he went out during the day, girls would often wink at him. Now that he has changed his clothes, he attracts even more stares from the women on the street.
"What are you looking at? That young master is at most in his early twenties. Why would he be interested in a haggard old woman like you?"
"Pah! You men can laugh at the brothel, but can't we women look at handsome men?"
Fu Yuchi was too conspicuous leading the black horse, and it took several detours to finally find the location of Pingting Cloth Shop.
The strong smell of rapeseed oil made Hei Jun shake his head unhappily; there were still remnants of rice and flour left on the ground.
Fu Yuchi's black boots were stained with white powder. He looked down and frowned, then took two more steps forward.
Finally, at the corner of the alley, we could see the small cloth shop squeezed among many grain shops in the distance.
It was too far away; all you could see was a pretty figure bustling around the shop.
"Girl, I want to buy fabric."
Sun Miao'er reached for the fabric on the top shelf, standing on tiptoe and stretching out her hands, not even having time to turn her head. "Liu'er, quickly help her attend to this."
"I need the shopkeeper's help."
When Sun Miao'er heard the voice clearly, her heart clenched, and she almost fell off the ladder.
"Slow down, Miao'er."
Fu Yuchi took a few steps forward and immediately shielded her.
The street was noisy, and all the sounds gradually became blurred, making it impossible to hear anything clearly.
Sun Miao'er suddenly turned around, and the face of the person in front of her came into full view. His deep eyes were like a whirlpool in the heart of a river, as if they wanted to engulf her completely.
"Master?!" She could almost hear her own heartbeat, but she was afraid that it was beating too fast and that others would hear it too.
Fu Yuchi gently pressed her shoulder and said in an extremely gentle voice, "I'm back."
Sun Miao'er took a deep breath, and a torrent of longing almost burst forth.
She couldn't smell that familiar herbal scent, probably because the two had been apart for too long.
"Miao'er, let me take a good look at you." He had traveled all night, and the stubble on his face was a bit prickly.
It pressed against her forehead, tickling her, and she couldn't help but rub against it.
Liu'er was far away, but she thought that this young nobleman looked decent enough, but why did he start touching the shopkeeper inappropriately? Her sense of justice rushed to her head, and she blurted out "lecherous scoundrel".
Sun Miao'er just wanted to shut him up, but Fu Yuchi spoke up before he could, "Isn't this the same male waiter from last time?"
Liu'er stared intently at Fu Yuchi, then suddenly opened her mouth wide and stammered, "I've seen you before! I've seen you before!"
"Tell me, where have you seen me before, hmm?" Fu Yuchi looked at Liu'er's clueless appearance and really didn't know how Miao'er had agreed to let him stay.
Liu'er slapped her forehead suddenly, then lowered her hand dejectedly after a moment, "I, I can't remember..."
He had indeed seen this face before; it looked very familiar. But where exactly was it?
"That's good, you can't remember. Go do your work!" Sun Miao'er glared at him fiercely, but her ears were burning.
Liu'er realized she had ruined the shopkeeper's plans; the two were clearly flirting. She quickly slunk away and went back to work.
"Are you unhappy that your teacher is back?" Seeing her face flushed, Fu Yuchi couldn't resist teasing her.
Sun Miao'er frantically arranged the cloth, her mind a jumbled mess, her heart pounding with anxiety, as if a little deer was about to leap out of her chest.
"No, Master, it's just too sudden. I had no idea you would come back so suddenly."
She noticed the dark circles under the man's eyes; he must have traveled all night to get back. Could it be that he came back specifically for her?
"Come with me to Duhuanlou this afternoon." His voice was warm, like the spring sun shining down and a hot spring flowing through it.
It's true that he didn't come back specifically for himself.
Sun Miao'er casually piled up the cloth, turned around and said, "Master, thanks to your kindness, Manager Hu has helped me a lot!"
"I've heard about it. One hundred taels of silver. I'm really proud of myself. My own disciple has to borrow one hundred taels from outsiders."
"Besides, this outsider is my colleague." Fu Yuchi leaned down, whispered in her ear, and teased her with a half-smile.
Colleagues? As expected, the savior was just a facade. No wonder Duhuanlou is so powerful; it has the backing of Prince Wei. But right now, Prince Wei and the court are at odds, and Duhuanlou is probably just a pawn in Prince Wei's game.
Sun Miao'er was overjoyed, her joy evident in her eyes.
"Shouldn't you repay the meal you owe your teacher?" Fu Yuchi followed closely behind her, wishing he could etch her image into his heart with his eyes.
Sun Miao'er was already planning the menu in her mind. She had been so busy lately that she hadn't cooked in a long time.
"Of course I haven't forgotten." It would be a lie to say that I wasn't disappointed when I thought that my master hadn't come back specifically to see me, but if I showed it, it would make me seem petty.
Sun Miao'er slipped into the small kitchen in the backyard, and Sun Caiping came over and said, "Miao'er, that young master has an extraordinary air about him. I heard you call him 'Master,' could he be that Mr. Fu from before...?"
Sun Caiping was naturally intelligent and immediately thought of the two things together.
Sun Miao'er didn't answer, but Sun Caiping understood. She herself had stumbled in her marriage, and this niece was the only one left in her family. She had barely managed to survive under Jin Shi's care, and she sincerely hoped that her niece would marry a good husband.
"Are Young Master Fu's parents still alive? How many people are in the family now?" Sun Caiping gossiped mysteriously from behind, hoping to get some information out of her niece.
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