Chapter 55 A Cold Kiss, Northern Hot Pot...
August 26th, Xichun Inn.
Today is the last day that Qingyu and the others will stay in Jizhou City. They plan to leave early tomorrow morning.
Inside Wenchuan's room.
Wen Chuan's room window overlooks the main street. It's late afternoon, and the autumn evening sun is shining down. Everyone on the street is wearing thick clothes, but it still feels a bit chilly.
Things are much better today. A couple of days ago, the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion searched through the blacksmith shop in the south of the city and found the remains of many people in the sunlight, which attracted a lot of onlookers and even made business on this street much worse.
Are you feeling better today?
Wen Chuan's clear and gentle voice came from outside, and Qing Yu turned her gaze away from the crowd outside the window.
The girl sat on the long couch, swinging her legs as she watched Wen Chuan pack his things. "Okay, okay, I'm really all done."
She hasn't gone out much these past two days; she's been sleeping the whole time.
Wen Chuan was folding clothes in the shade, while the boy straightened his clothes and belt. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and the boy smiled gently.
"Are you hungry? Let's go out for dinner later."
"Tian Shu and the others have been wandering around Jizhou City for the past few days, saying they've picked out a delicious restaurant."
He packed his clothes, closed his suitcase, and then said to Qingyu, who was standing to the side in a daze,
"We're leaving tomorrow, and there aren't any big cities like Jizhou nearby. Doctor Lin bought you some warm cloaks at the clothing shop. Let's go shopping again tonight and think about what else we need to buy."
"Qingyu..."
"Qingyu?"
Wen Chuan looked at the girl on the bed with a strange expression. He walked closer, then half-squatted down and looked at her. The boy frowned, his eyes filled with concern and tenderness.
"What's wrong?"
From the very beginning, Qingyu seemed a little off, and her expression was unusually blank.
It seemed like she had finally heard Wen Chuan's voice. Qing Yu looked down at Wen Chuan's face. The young man had handsome features and a gentle expression, and he seemed completely different from the beginning.
But it seems the same all along.
In the sunlight, Qingyu reached out, and the girl gently stroked his cheek.
Just now, Wen Chuan stood in the shadows, sunlight streaming through the window, his profile half-lit and half-shadowed. Although he was smiling and speaking pleasantly, he gave off an inexplicable chill, as if his spiritual energy had grown colder since he came to Jizhou.
She just stared at him, a sudden, inexplicable panic gripping her heart—
That was her intuition, a very bad intuition.
"Wenchuan."
Qingyu called to him softly while stroking his cheek. Her voice was gentle and tender. Wen Chuan lowered his eyes for a moment, and the young man took her hand.
"What's wrong?"
Qingyu lowered his body, the girl standing very close to him, "You,"
Their noses seemed to touch, their eyes met, and their gazes held tenderness and affection, but also a hint of coldness and helplessness.
"You're hiding something from me."
The girl spoke softly, yet with a certainty and a chilling tone.
Wen Chuan smiled upon hearing this. He stroked Qing Yu's fingers, and the young man tilted his head slightly. As their bodies touched, he looked at her earnestly and said, "Qing Yu, some things don't need to be explained too clearly."
Just like him, an ordinary fisherman born in Haicheng, living alone, practicing Taoism in a mysterious way, clearly never having left Qingshui, yet knowing how to read and navigate, killing people with ease, and seeing demons as ordinary people—everyone has their own secrets.
That's not what I meant.
Qingyu looked at him and said, "Wenchuan, that's not what I meant."
She stepped back slightly, her voice calm, "Two years ago, I sensed a danger in a friend."
"Later, I jumped into the South China Sea."
Qingyu's eyes were cold as she stroked Wenchuan's cheek, her voice soft, "The sea is cold in winter, Wenchuan, it's really cold."
She was so cold that she would never experience it again.
They looked at each other, and Wen Chuan understood what Qing Yu hadn't said—just now, she had felt the same danger on herself.
She was incredibly perceptive, to the point of being alarming.
Wen Chuan gazed at Qing Yu, his gentle voice carrying a serious yet resolute tone, "Qing Yu, trust me."
There were some things he was still trying to ascertain; those conjectures were too dangerous, and he just wanted to confirm them further before telling her.
Qingyu smiled, lowered her hand, and leaned back a few steps.
The girl lowered her eyes and met Wen Chuan's gaze. She didn't just stare at him; instead, she lowered her gaze slightly and kissed him with her ever-cold eyes, from his brow bone, eyes, nose, and then his lips.
Although it was a bit strange, Wen Chuan felt uneasy because of her silence and her gaze. He frowned, wanting to say something more.
"green--"
In an instant, their lips met in a passionate embrace, their hearts pounding like thunder.
Qingyu is above, Wenchuan is below.
Her lowered brows held a hint of assertiveness, and after a moment's hesitation, he gently stroked her hair.
The warm light of the setting sun shone down, and the dreamy afterglow draped over the shoulders of the boys. The evening glow finally outlined their silhouettes, casting intertwined shadows.
It was as if the wind was whispering in each other's ears, and their affection spread quietly and unrestrainedly until it wove into a net that connected their heartbeats.
They kissed each other lightly, inexplicably and eagerly.
...
Soft footsteps sounded, and Qin Tianshu knocked on the door.
"Wen Chuan, it's almost time."
Zhang Xuan and Dr. Lin are already downstairs, getting ready to go out for dinner together.
"knew."
Wen Chuanping's calm voice came through, "Qingyu and I will be down right away."
Qin Tianshu nodded. "Then I'll go down first."
The scholar turned and left, and heard no more sounds from inside the house.
inside the house.
Qingyu rummaged through the box for hemostatic medicine, while Wenchuan unconsciously frowned as he touched his lips.
"I remember seeing it here..."
She clearly remembered having a hemostatic powder, the kind that works really well—that's why she didn't hesitate and bit him hard. Where's the powder? Qingyu frowned as she searched for it.
"Alright, if we can't find it, then forget it." Wen Chuan walked over and said, gently tidying up the things in the box, his lips still bearing the marks of a wound.
Qingyu glanced at him, and the girl took a step back, her expression indifferent. "Oh."
Upon hearing this, Wen Chuan smiled, but the movement aggravated the injury at the corner of his mouth. He frowned for a moment, but his eyes held an uncontrollable smile.
Qingyu looked at him speechlessly, then couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"That's too unserious," Qingyu coughed twice, turning the subject back to business. "You mean we still need to find Fan Xiangyanling about this?"
Wen Chuan: "Hmm...and I might need that jasmine petal you have."
Jasmine petals? The one that Liu Ruonv's wife gave him?
The petals were indeed strange; they could serve as the core of the formation, keeping one's appearance unchanged. Qingyu did indeed sense a power within them.
She remembered that Wen Chuan caught the petal, and later he handed it to her to keep.
Qingyu lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then looked at Wen Chuan, "You mean, the jade pendant from Qingshui, the scroll painting from Yangzhou, and this petal..."
"Their spiritual energy is..."
Wen Chuan closed the box and turned to look at Qing Yu.
"Shared origin and shared birth".
In Shengjing, the nine stars aligned, and the matter of the star chart seemed to be put on hold due to the silence and death of the Imperial Advisor—but since the will of Heaven has descended, the people must find out.
...
Jizhou, Jinfeng Tongdingfang.
Inside the private room with the highest tier.
At a large round table, Wen Chuan and Fan Xiang sat next to Qing Yu, while Qin Tianshu sat on the other side of Wen Chuan. Zhang Xuan was playing with Cai Cai, and a small yellow chick was also nestled on a chair with a small bowl next to its beak. Tonight, Cai Cai's hot pot would be prepared by Zhang Xuan and Doctor Lin.
So we're having hot pot tonight?
Qingyu looked at the bronze cauldrons on the table, one for each person. The table was also filled with various ingredients, including mutton and beef, cabbage, radish, spinach, mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and even noodles as a staple food.
Qin Tianshu: "Yes, it's said that this restaurant has the best hot pot in Jizhou City."
Lin Fanxiang smiled as well, looking at the beef on the table. "Beef is not usually seen; only cattle that die of old age or disease are permitted to be eaten by the government—this restaurant certainly has some skill."
Qingyu nodded with a hint of excitement. The "bubbling" sound rang out, and the light aroma of corn wafted from the pot. She was still a little curious, "I've only ever had hot pot in Qingshui, and it feels a bit different."
Zhang Xuan replied, "I know that, the south's is spicy, the north's is fresh!"
Qin Tianshu glanced at him. The scholar had traveled to many places and had seen a lot in real life.
"That's not quite right. Southerners have a wider variety of hot pot broths, such as broth made from bones and spicy broth with various chilies. Northerners, on the other hand, prefer lighter broths. People here value the original flavor of the ingredients and prefer clear broth with meaty aroma."
"Speaking of which, Qishan is in the southwest, in Yizhou, where the hot pot is the spiciest."
Qingyu: "I think I've heard of it, but I was too young before and didn't have any money, so I never ate it."
Wen Chuan poured water for Qing Yu, and while listening to their conversation, he said to Qing Yu,
"It's just a regional difference. Qingshui is by the sea, so the taste is relatively light. In Qingshui, we eat shrimp and crab, which is actually similar to what we eat today."
"It's not too late to eat spicy food when we get to Yizhou."
He remembered that one day in Qingshui, Qingyu smelled a fragrance somewhere, but she couldn't describe it well. After she finished her cultivation, she couldn't find that fragrance anymore. She was very upset and kept whining late at night. She washed the dishes with a clattering sound. In the end, Wen Chuan had no choice but to go with her to look for it. The next day, the boy bought the pot and ingredients needed for the hot pot.
Qingyu nodded and clapped her hands lightly, feeling very happy as she smelled the fresh aroma in the air.
"It smells so good, it must taste delicious."
The soup in the pot had boiled, and its fragrant aroma filled the air. The boys began to add their favorite foods to the pot.
Qin Tianshu and Zhang Xuan made a bet on how many seconds it would take for beef and mutton to cook. The two argued about the number of seconds, and even fought over the temperature of their respective pots.
"It'll be done in seven seconds!"
Five seconds!
Three seconds!
"One second! You two, stop eating!"
Qingyu turned her head and said something, then chatted with Lin Fanxiang about the rest of the journey, adding that the cloak Fanxiang had bought for her was both warm and beautiful.
“There are others too. I also made a medicine kit, I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.”
"Really? Xiangxiang, you're so kind! I'll help you prepare the medicinal herbs tomorrow!"
"Okay, I'll play the zither for you tomorrow..."
Wen Chuan listened to Qing Yu talking with a smile. He quietly cooked the vegetables in the broth, occasionally helping Qing Yu get some vegetables that were difficult for her to reach.
"This dish will have to wait a while."
"Then I'll eat this."
"Okay, this one is ready."
Suddenly, Qin Tianshu turned to Wen Chuan and whispered in his ear, "Chuan'er, this little Zhang is too curious, he's causing quite a stir... Let me ask you something for him, what's wrong with your mouth..."
Wen Chuan's smile remained unchanged. "What a coincidence, I'm a curious person too... I heard you went to the Demon Suppression Pavilion yesterday, what did you find?"
"...You're ruthless."
"Brother Qin, the meat's too tough, you eat it!"
"Go eat your food, you talk too much!"
"...Hmph... Sister Fanxiang, what would you like to eat? I'll get the food for you."
"Coo coo coo..."
"Cai Cai, are you still eating? How much cabbage have you eaten today...?"
...
After three rounds of meals, everyone was full and satisfied.
The moon hangs high in the sky, outside there is a bustling crowd, inside there are friends by your side.
"Why,"
Qingyu sighed with satisfaction, "Now that we're full, let's get down to business!"
...
Cai Cai had hot pot again today.
It's still the hot pot restaurant from the north, hahaha.
Happy coo-coo!
Coo coo coo!
It seems like something's about to happen.
Forget it, what does it have to do with chickens clucking and clucking!
——CaiCai's Diary: Hot Pot
-----------------------
Author's Note: My first kiss came! [Let me see!]
We're such a sweet couple! [kissing emoji]
(A hot pot is a type of hot pot. In this chapter, the main characters are eating a northern-style hot pot. This is just my own interpretation. [laughs])
P.S.: I absolutely love the kids' comments, I find them so funny! [kiss][kiss]
I looked into sending red envelopes today (I hadn't figured it out before, hehe [doge]), anyway, I really want to thank everyone for their comments on the story and for liking Yu Mei [laughing], I hope everyone can comment more and look forward to this story together [hug]
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