Zi Fu was stunned. He had only said one sentence, but it had provoked her to chatter on and on. She never expected that this man, who looked so refined and quiet, would speak like a firecracker.
He knew he couldn't win the argument, but he wasn't about to give up easily, so he lowered his voice and muttered:
“My husband has always spoken gently and has never said a harsh word. How could he possibly say anything unpleasant to hear?”
"My wife has always spoken gently and has never said a harsh word. How could she be so irritable?"
"How come you're mimicking my speech?"
"How come you're mimicking my speech?"
"Hey, you!"
"Hey, you!"
"..."
For every sentence Zi Fu said, Tang Ling would reply with the same sentence.
Zi Fu praised Lu Yinghuai, and Tang Ling praised Yun Ling. Neither of them would let the other off the hook. When they finally couldn't help but start fighting, they found that Yun Ling and Lu Yinghuai were no longer in sight. So they temporarily stopped fighting and worked together to find their master.
Yunling walked south along the road she had taken the night before. After passing the fried mille-feuille stall, she saw the dragon beard candy stall.
This stall isn't very big; like other stalls, it's usually run by two people: one to sell the candy and the other to pull and stretch it.
Yunling observed the man's sugar-pulling technique, which was almost identical to the one she had seen her father-in-law use in Shucheng. However, perhaps because this man was younger, or perhaps because he had more business dealings and had pulled sugar more often, his technique appeared more supple and skillful.
Lu Yinghuai asked softly:
"How about we try every flavor?"
"But didn't you say you'd only deduct two coins from Zifu's wages? How can you possibly make every flavor?"
Yunling had finally seized this opportunity to tease him, so naturally she wouldn't let it go easily.
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Lu Yinghuai's face. He gritted his teeth and said:
"Since we've already done this much, let's just leave him two coins."
Yunling was both amused and exasperated, and simply said:
"It is Zifu's good fortune to have you."
Lu Yinghuai smiled and ordered the stall owner to bring one of each style. When Yunling heard that Zifu was mentioned, she thought of Tang Ling. It seemed that she had not seen the two of them since she arrived at Zhouqiao. She quickly turned around and looked, but before she could take a closer look, a figure rushed towards her and hugged her tightly.
"You little rascal, I knew you were up to something. You sneaked off to Bianjing without a word, and now I've caught you."
Yunling was immediately dumbfounded. She never thought that Pei Lin would come to Bianjing, especially since Pingcheng and Bianjing are so far apart. It was unbelievable that he would come like this.
Lu Yinghuai turned around upon hearing the sound, and upon seeing Pei Lin, he became as timid as a mouse seeing a cat. He was afraid that Pei Lin's appearance would ruin everything he had done.
In the little girl's mind, he would think that he had just taken a boat to Bianjing on business, while Pei Lin had come specifically to find her, so the meaning was different.
More importantly, she didn't push Pei Lin away the moment he hugged her. Does that mean he hugs her often and she's already used to it?
The thought of this ignited a fire of jealousy in Lu Yinghuai's heart, like chestnuts roasting over a fire, ready to explode at any moment.
Just as they were about to burst out of their shells, he grabbed Pei Lin's arm and secretly pulled him away with a "smile":
"It's Brother Lin, what a coincidence."
Pei Lin then noticed Lu Yinghuai. He glanced at Yun Ling, then his gaze fell on Lu Yinghuai's face. So... they were strolling through the night market together, just the two of them. Did Yun Ling tell this person that they were coming to Bianjing, and that they came together?
Okay, very good. If they keep it from him and don't tell him, does that mean they secretly pledged their lives to each other in Bianjing because he didn't come?
Pei Lin felt a surge of resentment, like that of a wealthy family lending money at exorbitant interest rates. He wanted to confront them on the spot and demand an explanation, but this was Bianjing, and he had to consider other factors.
"I don't think this is a coincidence at all..."
Coming to her senses, Yunling's gaze lingered on them as she asked in confusion:
"You two... know each other?"
"nature."
Lu Yinghuai and Pei Lin responded in unison, but apart from the word "natural," they said nothing else. Neither of them said how they met, how long they had known each other, or what kind of entanglement they had.
Yunling waited for a while but received no response, so she gave up. She figured that the Lu family and Ren'an Hall must have had some connection, perhaps they met when Pei Lin came to make a house call.
She didn't investigate further, took the dragon beard candy the stall owner handed her, and was just thinking about which one to eat when Pei Lin had already picked up the one covered in soybean powder and put it in his mouth, wolfing it down.
"I'm starving."
"Slow down, no, I mean, what are you doing in Bianjing, you tiny little thing?"
“It’s all because of you,” Pei Lin said, picking up another milk-flavored one. “I’m telling you, you little brat, where did you get the audacity to come to a place like Bianjing? You really don’t know your place. If you offend some powerful figure, they could bury you and no one would even know.”
You underestimate me.
"I never underestimated you. Oh, so that's why you didn't tell me or tell others."
Yunling found this person a bit strange.
"Who did I tell?"
Pei Lin secretly thought of Lu Yinghuai, but he couldn't say it out loud, so he could only continue to eat in silence.
Lu Yinghuai, who was standing to the side, suddenly felt that he couldn't get a word in edgewise, even though he had tried his best to make his presence felt, but it was all in vain.
He was filled with hatred and jealousy, resenting that Pei Lin could openly express his concern for Yun Ling, while he himself could only hide his feelings deep inside so as not to scare her away.
"Hey, you little bug, let's go to the front. I just came from over there, and the aroma of the perilla and fish grilling on that stove made my mouth water. There was also a lot of charcoal-grilled food, like kidneys, skewers, sheep's head, duck, and roast chicken."
As Pei Lin spoke, he took Yun Ling's hand. When they were about to leave, Lu Yinghuai subconsciously took Yun Ling's other hand; he would not let go.
Pei Lin was already furious. He had come all the way on those frozen fishing boats, which were cold and fishy, and he couldn't eat or sleep well. After the people learned that he was a doctor, they crowded around him to see him for his old ailments.
He endured everything in order to see Yunling, but when he finally found her here, he discovered that she was with another man. Oh well, it's good that he came.
But when he wanted to be alone with Yunling, he was interrupted by Lu Yinghuai. He felt like he was being fanned into a fire, and without saying a word, he simply pulled Yunling away.
Lu Yinghuai wouldn't let him have his way; he held Yunling's hand tightly...
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