Chapter 58: Jiangnan
Yu Wan has developed a habit of waking up early over the years, but once she wakes up, she just stays in bed and prefers to go for a walk.
"Let them sleep, I'll go with you. I came here to broaden my horizons, it's no fun sleeping in an inn. There wasn't much to see in the previous cities, and now that we've finally found one, I want to explore it more."
Jin Yifei laughed heartily, "You don't need to worry about that. The closer we get to the capital and Jiangnan, the better the situation will be. You'll have plenty to do."
The two had just reached an agreement when He Jing suddenly spoke up.
"I'll go too."
Jin Yifei smiled but didn't say anything.
Since He Jing is supposed to catch the carriage tomorrow, Yu Wan said, "You'll have a hard day tomorrow, so get some more sleep."
He Jing didn't say anything and turned back to his room.
Xue Xiujun followed closely behind, whispering something in He Jing's ear. It was unclear what they were talking about, but the sound faded into the distance, followed by the sound of the door closing.
Jin Yifei escorted Yu Wan and Zhu Zhifeng back to their guest rooms, and then went back to his own room to rest.
Zhu Zhifeng lay sprawled on the bed, reminiscing about the delicious food.
"I miss home so much, I miss my parents so much. I'm really afraid I'll get homesick. I sit in a carriage for several hours every day, my bones feel like they're going to fall apart."
Yu Wan closed the door, bolted it, and washed up.
This was the first time she had been away from home for so long since she came into this world. It was impossible for her not to miss home, but having finally come out for a trip, she was also filled with great curiosity, eager to appreciate the local customs and traditions.
"If you're tired, go wash up and rest early. Sleep in until you naturally wake up tomorrow."
Zhu Zhifeng obediently got out of bed, "That Xue Xiujun is so annoying, his mouth is so foul."
Yu Wan laughed and said, "You're the first person to say he has a foul mouth. Everyone in the entire Sui County likes him and says he has a sweet tongue."
Zhu Zhifeng pouted, "Don't be fooled by his appearance. I have a feeling there's something wrong with him. You'd better be careful."
Yu Wan smiled but remained silent.
The next day, Yu Wan finished tidying up and heard a knock on the door.
Upon opening the door, they found He Suzhi and Jin Yifei standing like two door gods at the entrance.
She looked at He Jing and said, "Xue Xiujun hasn't gone out, has he? Tell him to look after Afeng. Otherwise, I'm not comfortable leaving her alone at the inn."
He Jing said coldly, "I've already told them."
Jin Yifei laughed and said, "Then let's set off, and come back as soon as possible."
The two men stepped aside to let Yu Wan walk in front.
Along the way, many people looked at the three of them as if they were part of the scenery.
She could often hear passersby whispering, praising her and the two men behind her for being good-looking.
Yu Wan thought to herself, "If Xue Xiujun hadn't come out with us, then with three handsome men standing together, no one would know who to look at."
Jin Yifei pointed out, "The largest market in the area is just ahead; there are quite a few people there."
Yu Wan looked in the direction he pointed, when suddenly He Suzhi pulled her away. Jin Yifei was pushed to the other side of the road, leaving them quite a distance apart.
It turned out that a carriage was rushing by in a hurry, completely disregarding the safety of pedestrians, who had to dodge it on their own.
After buying the ingredients, I returned to the inn and saw Zhu Zhifeng and Xue Xiujun arguing.
"You look respectable enough, but I never expected you to be a thief! Tell me! You've been at Awan's restaurant for so long, have you stolen quite a bit?"
Zhu Zhifeng's face turned red with anger, regretting that she didn't know martial arts or how to fight.
Xue Xiujun's face turned ashen, and he retorted:
"Who's the thief? They went out and asked me to stay behind and protect you. You slept soundly until the middle of the day, so of course I had to check on you. What if someone secretly carried you away? Wouldn't I have to rescue you? You call me a thief? What did I steal from you?"
Zhu Zhifeng's face turned bright red. "Then you didn't have to sneak in. You could have knocked!"
Xue Xiujun was furious. "I knocked on the door for ages and there was no response, so I came in to check! Who knew you were sleeping like a log, giving me a real scare. And just when I was about to leave, you suddenly woke up and started yelling."
Zhu Zhifeng was slightly at a disadvantage, her momentum weakening a bit. "Then you...you...you're not a gentleman either. How could a man like you sneak into a woman's room like that!"
Xue Xiujun was furious. "I never said I was a gentleman! But don't worry, even if I were a notorious womanizer, I wouldn't do anything to you if I saw you sleeping!"
"You!" Zhu Zhifeng's face turned red and purple as she angrily pointed at him, but she couldn't utter a single word.
Jin Yifei advised, "Cousin, Young Master Xue meant well, so we can't blame him. Besides, we all know his character; you're overthinking it."
Seeing that someone was speaking up for him, Xue Xiujun felt even more confident.
"Exactly! If it weren't for my request to look after you, I would have gone out to have fun long ago. But that person is ungrateful and even turned around and bit me!"
Zhu Zhifeng realized she had misunderstood the other person, but the other person's words annoyed her. She snorted and turned to go back into the house.
Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, the onlookers dispersed.
The group went inside, closed the door, and sat down to discuss their departure.
Yu Wan noticed that during the argument just now, He Suzhi glanced at Xue Xiujun thoughtfully, and the latter's eyes showed a hint of guilt.
These two people are strange.
What exactly is their relationship?
If He Suzhi concealed his identity, did Xue Xiujun do the same?
Did they already know each other before they met at Yu's Restaurant?
They seemed to know each other well, like old friends, but there was also a hint of wariness between them.
That's so strange.
If Xue Xiujun really wanted to go inside and do something, she didn't believe he intended to do anything improper to Zhu Zhifeng.
She was completely confident in her judgment on this point.
Having spent more than half a year with Xue Xiujun, she did not believe that Xue Xiujun had any improper thoughts about any woman. Apart from eating, drinking and having fun every day, he seemed to pay little attention to matters between men and women, as if he was missing that kind of brain and had not yet figured it out.
He Suzhi, on the other hand, was taciturn and kept his thoughts to himself, making him difficult to guess.
The atmosphere inside was a bit eerie, so Jin Yifei spoke up to ease the tension.
"Our next stop is to continue south. The scenery along the way is beautiful, and as we get further and further away from Sui County, the local customs and even accents will change, making the journey more and more interesting."
Yu Wan said in a deep voice, "We can enjoy the scenery, but we don't need to spend too much time there. Let's hurry on our way."
Jin Yifei said worriedly, "I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it. The journey has been bumpy and tiring, and it's hard to get proper rest. Let's go slowly so we can rest well and have more fun."
“I’m calculating the time,” Yu Wan insisted, “It takes more than half a month to get from here to Jiangnan, and another half a month to get from Jiangnan to the capital. It will take about the same amount of time to get back to Sui County from the capital. We’ve been out for quite some time now. Time is still very tight.”
Jin Yifei stopped trying to persuade him and compromised, saying, "Alright, let's hurry on the way."
The other three had no objections, and the matter was settled.
After that, we continued our journey, stopping frequently to enjoy the beautiful scenery and seeing many different cities and towns with varying appearances. Some cities were stable and harmonious, while others were dilapidated and desolate.
Yu Wan has gained a lot. The county where she is currently located is not the largest city she has ever seen, but it is the most vibrant and cohesive.
Some cities are indeed quite good, with excellent infrastructure, and have far greater advantages than Sui County. In comparison, Sui County, a small border town, is simply not worth mentioning. However, she still believes that given enough time, she can transform Sui County into a city of immense value.
In the blink of an eye, the group arrived in the Jiangnan water towns, where the local customs and traditions became increasingly distinct from those in the north.
Yu Wan couldn't help but sigh that the ancient Jiangnan region was far more beautiful than the modern one.
Even though Zhu Zhifeng kept saying she didn't want to come, she got completely absorbed in the experience and went on a shopping spree.
Just as Yu Wan was about to send Xue Xiujun to find an inn, Jin Yifei stopped her.
Jin Yifei laughed and said, "We're already home, why stay at an inn?"
Zhu Zhifeng didn't want to be separated from Yu Wan, so she pleaded, "My grandmother will definitely make me stay at the Jin family's house. Wan, please come with us!"
Yu Wan had no choice but to agree. Since everyone always followed her opinion, they all accepted Jin Yifei's arrangement.
Zhu Zhifeng sighed, "I came here once when I was very, very young, with my mother."
Jin Yifei smiled and explained, "The Jin family's ancestral home is in the southwest, and they later settled in the south. It took the Jin family nearly a hundred years to achieve all of this. Please rest first, I'll excuse myself for half a day. I'll come to pick you up this evening."
Zhu Zhifeng asked, "Where are we going to be taken?"
Jin Yifei laughed and said, "Of course, it's a welcome feast, a family banquet."
Zhu Zhifeng fidgeted with her fingernails and muttered, "Oh? I'm going to see my grandparents? They're definitely going to give me a long talk, trying to persuade me to stay or something. My mother must have written to them. Cousin, tell me honestly, didn't my mother tell you the same thing before she left?"
She was terrified of being besieged by her maternal grandparents' family. If she were left isolated and helpless, she would be forced to stay here and would find it difficult to return to her own home.
Xue Xiujun clicked his tongue twice, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he remained silent.
This is a matter of etiquette. Even outsiders who come here must pay their respects to the host. Zhu Zhifeng is a close relative, so how can we avoid seeing her?
Yu Wan advised, "Afeng, don't think too much about it. Let's meet him first. Although I don't have the right to say anything on your behalf to your elders, your cousin should be able to help you. You should know him better than I do what kind of person he is."
Jin Yifei chuckled and said, "Awan understands me better. Don't be fooled by our blood ties; she doesn't trust me at all, not even a tenth as much as you do."
Seeing the two chatting intimately, He Jing left with a cold face, followed closely by Xue Xiujun.
After Jin Yifei left, the four of them had some snacks and tea, and then strolled around the house.
The Jin family is a prominent family in Jiangnan with businesses all over the country, so their mansion is exceptionally large. They spent an entire afternoon exploring the mansion but only managed to see one-tenth of it.
It is said that there are also many villas, with pleasant scenery and unique features in every corner.
Zhu Zhifeng had a great time shopping, but she kept saying how nice it would be if Suixian County had one too. Whenever she saw something nice, she would mention Suixian County.
She was very determined; no matter how good things were outside, it wasn't her home, so she had to go back.
They sat in the pavilion, admiring the lotus flowers blooming in the pond, each one with a clear and elegant color and a full shape.
"It's so beautiful. Awan, isn't your food court also building a garden? I heard you hired a flower seller to handle it? At first, I was worried you had chosen the wrong person, but then I found out that the woman is indeed quite capable. She managed to bring it to life little by little, and it's getting more and more like it. By the time we get back, it should be almost finished."
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