“Brother Zichen, it’s so good that you’re alright. Everyone said you were dead, but I never believed it… Brother Zichen, why haven’t you ever come back to Beijing all these years? So many people in Beijing miss you. Grandpa Yu misses you, Uncle Yu and Aunt Yu miss you, Uncle Xiao misses you, and me too…”
The girl bit her lip, her words unspoken, but her watery eyes, fixed on the man, refused to blink.
He was exactly the same as she had thought about for thousands of days and nights, even better than she had imagined a million times.
Xiao Jinhan stood with his hands behind his back. When he heard the words "Uncle Xiao", his eyes suddenly turned cold. He glanced at the figure on the other side of the river, and his mind immediately drifted ten miles away. He was about to step out of the courtyard gate.
Jun Qingcheng's view suddenly disappeared, and she quickly reached out to stop the person, "Where are you going, Brother Zichen?"
Xiao Jinhan's eyes flashed with impatience. "If Princess Mingzhu has nothing else to do, she should hurry back to the capital. The mountains here are high and the roads are long, and Prince Yan and Princess Yan will probably worry about her day and night."
"What did Brother Zichen say..." Jun Qingcheng's eyes froze for a moment, and the corners of her eyes turned slightly red.
Despite having traveled thousands of miles south to Wuxi Prefecture and nearly been killed by that shady inn, barely escaping from the river, he was now kicking her out before they could even exchange a few words.
"Princess, please go back. Shanghe Village is not a place for you." Xiao Jinhan frowned and glanced at Yu Feng.
The latter immediately understood and lightly stepped out of the yard.
Jun Qingcheng followed their gaze and saw the figure under the willow tree opposite. She recognized her at a glance as Su Hua's personal maid!
Upon seeing this, the girl felt a pang of sadness well up in her eyes, and it took her a long time to manage a weak smile. "Shanghe Village is a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains. I want to stay a few more days before returning to the capital."
After saying that, seeing the man's expression and the movement of his lips, she quickly winked at him playfully, "Brother Zichen, you mustn't send me away. I already sent a message to Father and Mother before I came. If I go back like this, Father and Mother will worry."
However, Qingcheng arrived in a hurry, and there are no inns near Shanghe Village where we can stay. I wonder if Brother Zichen could spare a place for me and my maid to rest...
In the Su family courtyard, within the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a row of eight-immortal tables had already been set up from one end of the courtyard to the other, roughly counting as many as fifty or sixty tables.
Beside the makeshift stove, men were slaughtering cattle and sheep shirtless, women were busy slicing meat, and children were sitting on small stools with the Su brothers to wash off the offal.
Five large iron pots were lined up in the center of the courtyard, with firewood crackling beneath them and beef bone soup bubbling inside.
Once the beef bone broth was ready, the women used spoons to scoop it into small pots. Each table had its own pot, and each pot contained a large piece of hot pot base. The bone broth mixed with the hot pot base dissolved, and a gentle mountain breeze carried the spicy and savory aroma straight to everyone's noses, making everyone swallow their saliva involuntarily.
With many hands making light work, the three cows and three sheep were quickly prepared, and bowls of beef and mutton slices were served on the table. In addition to beef and mutton, there were also various green vegetables brought by the villagers, and each table was fully loaded.
Without the host saying much, the villagers took their seats, and cheers echoed throughout the village.
"Oh my, this hot pot beef is so delicious! Just one bite and my old lady's tongue feels like she's going to be swallowed!"
"Yes, I, Li Laosan, have never seen so much meat before. Three whole cows and three big sheep, more meat than I have ever eaten in my entire life."
"The Su family is benevolent and righteous. This is something that even the Emperor himself wrote about. Moreover, not only the Emperor affirmed it, but all the river clams in the river have come to bring good news to the Princess of Le'an and the Su family today. Half a bucket of river clams have opened up more than a dozen pearls."
"That's right! My brat went into the river to collect clams in the middle of the day and I gave him a beating. But I never expected that there would be so many clams inside those clams that had never borne pearls before. It's all thanks to the Su family..."
At the large table in the innermost room, Ah Zheng downed a mouthful of wine and smiled smugly at the girl next to her, "Little Hua'er, you can now be sure that my mouth is blessed. These river clams are here today as a gift for you!"
“Yes, Ah Zheng is right. It’s not only been blessed, but it’s also genuine golden light.” Su Hua couldn’t help but chuckle. Just as she was about to say something more, she noticed the person walking back with a strange expression and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t Zi Chen here?”
Qingdai shook her head, holding the carrier pigeon. "Master is a bit busy right now, he might not come over until later."
"It's alright, we can set aside a portion of each of the beef and mutton later. But it's hot now, so we need to keep it in an ice basin, otherwise it will spoil easily." Su Hua felt relieved, and then she remembered that her husband always loved that bowl of braised liver, so she simply got up and went to the kitchen, since there was no room in the ice basin.
However, just as he stood up, there was a loud knocking on the courtyard gate.
Looking up, they saw the figures of the Jun family master and servants, along with Meng Yun'er, standing prominently at the doorway.
"Princess Mingzhu is here again!" Someone called out from near the table by the door. The previously lively courtyard suddenly fell silent, with only the bubbling sound of the pot remaining.
Upon hearing the word "again," Jun Qingcheng's eyes flashed with an almost imperceptible hint of displeasure.
However, before she could speak, a cold snort rang out from the courtyard, "Oh, isn't this the noble Princess Ming... Zhu...? What, are you chasing after our little Hua'er to beg for her kneeling?"
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