Since it was their first time having a picnic, Zhen Wanwan had a lot of things prepared, and even took out barbecue skewers from her spatial storage.
Zhang Congrong brought several plates of delicious pastries she had made herself.
The group set off from the prefectural city, where the streets were bustling with people.
Through the curtains, Zhen Wanwan saw carriages like theirs, with people in twos and threes heading to the peach blossom grove.
There were only a few beggars scattered around outside the city; there was no sign of any refugees.
Zhu Yuan explained, "The city is too small to accommodate so many people, and it's difficult to manage a large population, so I had people allocate villages to them in the surrounding mountains."
"I have made proper arrangements for all the able-bodied men and women, as you suggested."
Zhu Yuan held Zhen Wanwan's hand tightly, his eyes sparkling, looking just like a well-behaved puppy.
Zhen Wanwan's face turned as red as an apple; who wouldn't be embarrassed by that look in her eyes!
Sitting in the carriage with her, Granny Zhang smiled and quietly covered the baby's eyes with her hand.
The little girl pouted innocently. This cheap dad of hers just loves to use tricks to seduce his mother.
Sweetie looked at her mother and father with a warm, happy smile.
In her past life, her adoptive parents had a good relationship, but they were always very polite to each other, with a hint of distance between them.
Zhen Wanwan shyly tried to pull her hand back, but the other person held it tightly.
She said with a helpless reproach, "The children are still here!"
Zhu Yuan smiled and said calmly, "We are husband and wife, and we should be very close. The child will understand when he grows up."
Zhen Wanwan was embarrassed and wondered about this person's thought process.
Can such a young child understand what I'm saying?
It's true, although the two children are young, their minds are about the same age as their parents.
The peach blossom grove is not far from the city; it can be reached in a short time by carriage.
However, whether in modern or ancient times, tourist attractions are always crowded.
They had barely reached the foot of the mountain when the carriages stopped along the way, forcing many people to walk.
Fortunately, most of those who have time to come and visit are people with assets at home.
These masters, ladies, young ladies, and young masters were accompanied by a group of servants, and they didn't have to worry about the pastries and snacks they brought.
Unlike the others, Zhen Wanwan only brought Zhang Mama, Rou'er, and Xiaomei with her, while Zhang Congrong only brought one personal maid.
Including the coachman, the rest were just four children of the age who were eating, drinking, and having fun.
Zhen Wanwan brought a lot of things, including baby formula, hot water, snacks, diapers, and so on.
Also, prepare the barbecue grill, ingredients, and other necessary items for the barbecue.
Actually, she could have put these things in her spatial storage and taken them out when she got there.
But there are too many people around here, how could she dare?
So they looked at these odds and ends with some worry.
Zhen Wanwan sighed and decided to abandon the barbecue grill for now.
This thing is the heaviest, the most tiring to carry, and it requires a lot of ingredients.
Women are not as strong as men, and apart from Zhu Yuan and the two coachmen, there were no other men present.
We can't let Zhuyuan carry them all!
Even if he carried them all, he still couldn't finish!
Zhu Yuan's face remained calm as he secretly placed his hand behind his back and gestured towards the bushes behind him.
The next second, a slight tremor came from the bushes, and Zhu Yuan then put his arm around Zhen Wanwan and said.
"Madam, let's wait a little longer. Someone will come and help us with our things soon."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhen Wanwan looked at her in confusion. Before she could ask her any questions, she heard a gasp of surprise.
"Sir! You're here to play too! What a coincidence!"
Behind them, an elderly man dressed in fine clothes walked towards them with a smile as bright as a chrysanthemum.
Zhen Wanwan felt her face stiffen for the other person, but when the other person turned around and saw her, they smiled even more happily.
"This must be Madam! I apologize for my rudeness and greet you here, Madam Strategist."
Zhen Wanwan's lips twitched, her heart filled with doubts. Who exactly is this living father?
Her laughter made her scalp tingle and she felt very uncomfortable.
However, one shouldn't hit a smiling face, so out of politeness, she nodded back as a return gesture.
Zhu Yuan glanced at him indifferently and said, "Mr. Xu seems to be in a very leisurely mood today!"
After saying that, Zhu Yuan leaned closer to Zhen Wanwan and whispered to her, "This person is from the third branch of the Xu family and currently lives in the main residence of the Xu family in the prefectural city... In the Xu family in Guangling County, he is from the second branch."
It is well known that the Xu family is a very large and powerful clan in Anqing Prefecture, with a complex and intertwined family relationship.
Although their family originated from merchants, most of their daughters married into families of officials or people of some prestige.
As the family has been passed down through generations, the roots of the Xu family in Anqing Prefecture have become untouchable by others.
His purpose in approaching Zhu Yuan and his wife was something only he knew.
In just a few breaths, Zhen Wanwan had thought through the whole situation and guessed his purpose.
She had spoken with Madam Xu when she was in Guangling County and was well aware of the Xu family's influence.
Master Xu seemed oblivious to the rejection from Zhen Wanwan and the others, and shamelessly continued to stay.
Zhen Wanwan frowned slightly as she spoke to Zhu Yuan with her head bowed respectfully.
I really can't understand why the Xu family, who already has such a high status in Anqing Prefecture, still needs to curry favor with Zhuyuan.
Although Zhu Yuan was the grandson of the Prince of Anqing, very few people knew about him.
Currently, his public identity is merely that of a strategist under General Xiao.
Zhen Wanwan looked at Zhu Yuan, who was unusually sparing with words, and her thirst for knowledge reached its peak.
Knowing her doubts, Zhu Yuan secretly squeezed her small hand: "I'll tell you later."
Zhen Wanwan hummed in agreement and, holding the child, chatted with Zhang Congrong on the other side.
After a while, Master Xu left with regret.
Zhu Yuan explained simply, "He said he wanted to help us carry some things, but I refused."
Zhen Wanwan nodded and praised, "Well done! Master Xu is as enthusiastic as he is, but I still feel uneasy."
Zhu Yuan smiled. "It's alright, with me here, no one can hurt you."
Granny Zhang pointed in surprise at the official road in the distance.
"Wife, look! Isn't that Uncle Zhang, the son-in-law's housekeeper outside of school?"
Upon hearing the sound, Zhen Wanwan recognized the approaching figures as Uncle Zhang and his men.
Zhen Wanwan looked at Zhu Yuan with a smile and said with certainty, "Husband! Did you send someone back to invite Uncle Zhang?"
Zhu Yuan remained silent, leaving Zhen Wanwan to speculate.
Uncle Zhang, leading a group of tall, burly men, strode towards Zhen Wanwan and the others.
The ladies and young women who were strolling along the roadside quickly hid to the side when they saw them.
"My lord! Madam! I am late."
Zhen Wanwan quickly said, "Uncle Zhang, you've come at just the right time! Now that you're here, let's all get together and have some fun today."
Zhang Bo gave a shout and began directing his men to move things.
Zhen Wanwan led Zhang Congrong and the others to enjoy the flowers along the way, while Zhu Yuan carried a child in each arm and followed closely behind Zhen Wanwan.
Because he was tall, handsome, and had a pair of adorable chubby twins.
This road attracts the most attention, with men envying him for having a beautiful wife and two children by his side.
The married women envied Zhen Wanwan for having such a handsome and caring husband.
The unmarried ladies were completely charmed by the adorable babies.
I wish I could transform into a strange auntie, put on a sack, and pack up the twins and take them away.
Under the gazes of all, Zhen Wanwan walked with confident steps.
We enjoyed the flowers along the way, ate some snacks, and chatted about gossip with Zhang Congrong, Rou'er, and Xiaomei.
Zhu Yuan wasn't tired at all holding the two children; he just felt the scene was beautiful and heartwarming.
It was like a dream, deeply etched in his heart, and he could not forget it for a long time.
Years later, when I think back on it, I'll be so happy I'll wake up smiling.
The group had a great time, and Yuan Huizhou reverted to his childlike nature, playfully fighting with Xiao Yizhi.
Zhen Wanwan was instructing the others on how to set up the barbecue grill, while Zhang Mama, Rou'er, Xiaomei, Zhang Congrong, and her maids skewered the food together.
Zhu Yuan sat on a clean cloth with the children and prepared milk for the twins.
The lady said that the two children must be fed before having a barbecue at their house.
Zhen Wanwan was worried that the barbecue would smell too good and that her two children would start fussing and begging to eat it.
They have weak stomachs and absolutely cannot eat this.
Therefore, Zhen Wanwan thought of filling their stomachs first, so that they wouldn't want to eat anymore once they were full.
If Guabao and Tianbao knew what Zhen Wanwan was thinking, they would probably be so heartbroken that they would faint.
Their mother is such a scoundrel.
However, since they are small, they have nowhere to appeal when they suffer losses.
While Zhen Wanwan and the others were preparing for their picnic, some tourists nearby curiously stared at them.
Until Zhen Wanwan set up the barbecue, she brought out the best in modern grilling techniques, and the aroma of the barbecue wafted for miles.
It attracted the attention of countless people, and those people were starting to get restless.
However, given that Zhen Wanwan had a group of formidable bodyguards, they dared not approach easily.
Zhen Wanwan treated them like air, unwilling to act as a saint and offer up these things.
Just kidding, she'd been grilling for so long, her face was practically blackened from the smoke, and she hadn't even had her fill herself, so how could she have the leisure to share with the other person?
Helpless, Zhu Yuan took out a handkerchief, dampened it with warm water, and gently wiped the dirt off Zhen Wanwan's face.
Zhen Wanwan obediently let him wipe her, but her movements were quite rough, and she finished a skewer in just two or three bites.
Incidentally, they could also feed Zhuyuan and greet Zhang Congrong and Zhang Bo, among others.
In the distance, an ignorant child was crying, snot streaming down his face, clamoring for barbecue.
Xiao Yizhi was a person with no morals. He quickly grabbed a few skewers and ran over.
In front of the child, he ate the barbecue bite by bite.
This made the child cry even louder, and the unsuspecting parents thought their child was being disobedient.
Just give him a meal of bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork, and let him have a complete childhood.
Seeing this, Yuan Huizhou shook his head helplessly and continued to gnaw on his meat skewers.
My aunt's grilled food is so delicious!
On the other side, Qu Huaiyuan followed a group of classmates, admiring the peach blossoms along the peach grove.
His simple attire made him stand out among a group of brightly dressed teenagers.
A student frowned and looked at Qu Huaiyuan, saying, "Master, there are quite a few women here to admire the flowers today. Why are you dressed so plainly?"
Normally, when they go to such occasions, they would meticulously groom every single hair.
Unfortunately, their new teacher, despite his young age, was dressed in a very unfashionable manner.
Qu Huaiyuan paused for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "I came here to admire the flowers; whether my clothes are gorgeous or not is irrelevant to flower viewing."
When the student realized he couldn't reason with him, he went off with his other classmates.
As Qu Huaiyuan admired the flowers along the way, he couldn't help but think of the invitation that Zhen Wanwan had sent over yesterday.
He felt embarrassed at the time and refused outright, but today the college suddenly announced a day off.
He was brought over by the teachers and students of the academy.
I wonder if he'll run into Zhen Wanwan and the others.
If they were to meet, how would he explain his arrival?
Qu Huaiyuan pondered for a long time, and finally sighed helplessly.
Since Zhen Wanwan arrived in the prefectural city, she has invited him to her home five or six times.
Qu Huaiyuan refused every time, initially just wanting to escape his relationship.
The more he refused, the more afraid he became of meeting the other person.
"Can you smell something?"
In the student group, someone asked a question.
"It smells like they're baking something! It smells so good!"
The crowd whispered amongst themselves, looking around in an attempt to find the source of the fragrance.
Qu Huaiyuan's eyes lit up; the taste seemed somewhat familiar.
Although the grilled items were different, he still vividly remembers the taste of that 'chili'.
I'm afraid only a woman like Zhen Wanwan would think of using this to cook!
Qu Huaiyuan was both excited and nervous, hesitating whether he should go over and say hello.
Before he could figure it out, the students took it upon themselves to move closer to the source of the fragrance.
Qu Huaiyuan had no choice but to slowly follow behind them.
There are many people here; he should be able to peek out quietly without being noticed!
Zhen Wanwan placed the skewered food on the rack to grill.
Add some spices every now and then, and soon a series of gurgling sounds can be heard all around.
No need to guess, that's the sound of tourists' stomachs rumbling.
Just smelling the aroma awakens the cravings buried deep inside.
Some people couldn't resist and picked up their carefully prepared pastries, eating them amidst the aroma of barbecue.
Unfortunately, the taste was never right, and my favorite pastries became tasteless.
Suddenly, Zhu Yuan flashed and stood in front of Zhen Wanwan, tightly protecting her in his arms.
"A swift and decisive victory! The master has ordered that we capture them alive and bring them back!"
As soon as the sound rang out, chaos erupted all around.
It wasn't until Zhu Yuan shielded her from several swords that Zhen Wanwan realized what had happened to her.
So they encountered the legendary assassin!
Zhen Wanwan held the child in her arms and looked around at the other people.
Seeing that they were all alright, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She quietly pulled out her small pistol, intending to shoot them all with one shot.
She had rehearsed this scene countless times, but the person she was facing was not a Northern Hu person, but an assassin.
Zhu Yuan's eyes darkened, and he stopped her, saying, "Madam! Use this item with caution. If it is discovered, things will only get worse."
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