She still thinks about me
"That puppet is bleeding!"
The puppet in the middle had over thirty silver threads shed from its body, and blood was slowly seeping from its joints. The entire puppet, once in good health, was now oozing blood from head to toe, its outer cloth and inner cowhide lining stained with blood. The puppet's facial features were also blurred by blood.
"Ah. Ah." The scene was in chaos for a moment. The jade tableware on the Huanghuali hardwood table fell all over the place. Some exquisite cups and plates fell to the ground and broke into pieces. It was a pity for these priceless cups and plates.
At the same moment, a long scroll suddenly dropped from the stage. Inscribed on it were the words, "High officials and dignitaries play chess with umbrellas on the water, unconcerned about the lives and deaths of the common people, yet only about the whereabouts of their bodies." The words were powerful and vigorous, the graceful ending revealing the writer's resentment and resentment. The blank spaces on the paper were covered with a chaotic mess of bloody handprints.
Everyone panicked, momentarily losing control, but Tang Xixu remained calm and composed, a bit lazy. He slowly poured the fine Hezhi wine, taking a sip as the rich aroma filled his mouth. The young man closed his eyes, his brow relaxed and full of enjoyment, a faint smile curling his lips, lost in the world of fine wine, as if everything happening outside had nothing to do with him. Yuwen Xin, however, had disappeared long ago.
At noon, the drinkers were intoxicated and reveling. Inside the building, golden cups and jade goblets were ablaze with light, while candles in gilded lamps flickered, some already extinguished. The revelry had quieted down considerably. For example, the dancers, musicians, and actors from the smoke towers began to emerge, and the dignitaries who had been enjoying the night in some of the side rooms paused at the noise.
A woman jumped from the third floor onto the stage along a red silk ribbon, stepping lightly on the ground with her soft brocade shoes. She smiled and said, "Everyone, continue to play. This is a new play added by the troupe. Don't think too much, just do as you please." The person who came was Fang Niang, the manager of Ruyan Tower. Everyone in the audience breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
Tang Xixu sat at the edge, his right hand bent to support his temples, and his left hand's long fingers gently tapped the table, pause by pause, slowly and rhythmically.
[Side quest officially launched: Give Zhao Mingchang a box of chestnut cakes to strengthen her relationship with the second female lead in the original novel. Mission difficulty: three stars.]
Xu Ning was startled by the system, which hadn't appeared in years. "Did you level up recently? You even mentioned the difficulty of the mission. Where can I find chestnut cakes? Are they here?"
【I don't know, please find it yourself. 】
Xu Ning had just woken up and still reeked of alcohol, so she went to get some water to rinse her mouth. She asked around, but no one had heard of chestnut cakes being served at the banquet. Qu Yi wandered around the party, drinking from the fine wine whenever he saw one, and stopping to play with any new items he saw.
"Do you know where I can buy chestnut cake?" Xu Ning went over and patted Qu Yi on the shoulder.
"Big! Big! Big!"
Qu Yi was so engrossed in playing dice that he trembled when someone tapped him lightly. "Oh my God, you scared me."
"Hey, weren't you drunk? You woke up so quickly." Qu Yi was a little impressed by Xu Ning's ability to sober up.
Xu Ning finally realized, "Yeah, I was drunk. I woke up in bed, and someone had taken off my clothes. I was going to find Tang Xixu to ask him about it..."
As soon as Xu Ning came downstairs, he was attracted by the idea of playing with fire. Then, the system suddenly notified him, and he completely forgot his real purpose. Xu Ning went back to look for Tang Xixu. Half an hour later, Xu Ning had searched the entire second floor but still couldn't find him.
[This mission has a time limit of three hours. Please complete it quickly. Otherwise, there will be a penalty.]
The significance of the system upgrade is that it can better supervise Xu Ning's "work".
"Oh, this is so annoying!" Xu Ning stamped her feet, very impatient. From Qu Yi, she learned that the nearest pastry shop was Qibaozhai, and it would take half an hour to walk there.
Ruyan Tower is the largest den of indulging in money in Linyao. There have been many banquets these days, and all the streets are bustling with people.
Xu Ning walked back carrying the cakes: "Why do you want two taels of silver from me for just a few pieces?" If he hadn't earned some money from judging a case a few days ago, Xu Ning was afraid that he wouldn't even have the money to buy cakes.
The streets were bustling with activity. In the center, a number of musicians, their beauties half-hidden, held umbrellas with dark-colored canopies, parading in a single file. At the street corner, the aroma of beef noodles mingled with the chili pepper spread far and wide, stimulating Xu Ning's taste buds. Along the way, there were numerous cosmetics shops, the scent of cosmetics mingling with the aroma of chili peppers. Xu Ning decisively headed for one.
The weather was growing colder, and the wind was blowing harder and harder, even toppling some stalls. Xu Ning's hair was disheveled and flowing back. She wasn't wearing much, just an extra coat. "This weather is perfect for a bowl of beef noodles with chili oil."
"Boss, a bowl of spicy oil beef noodles." Xu Ning found an empty spot and sat down. Within minutes, he heard someone calling out, "Shaobing, fresh from the pan." Xu Ning followed the aroma and found a stall.
What is she doing? Tang Xixu was about to leave when he saw Xu Ning in Ruyan Tower. He was very curious about what had happened that made her give up looking for him.
Why did she buy only food? Is it really that delicious?
Tang Xixu has had no interest in food since he was twelve years old. In his eyes, as long as he could fill his stomach, it was enough. Later, as his martial arts skills improved, he seldom ate. He had no desire for food.
Tang Xixu hid in a corner that was difficult for others to find, secretly spying on Xu Ning.
Will she buy it for me? She probably would, because last time she bought me some frosted fruit and even fed it to me. Thinking of this, Tang Xixu couldn't help but smile.
The wind grew stronger, and it seemed as if a storm was about to come.
Xu Ning crushed the sesame seed buns he had bought and soaked them in the beef noodles. "Delicious!"
Tang Xixu looked at the girl eating with gusto. "Is this boss's food really that delicious?" he asked. "Since she likes it, why not tie the boss up and have him make it for Ningning every day?" "No, Ningning said she doesn't like eating the same thing over and over again." "Forget it, I'll just learn how to make it. I'll make it for Ningning whenever she wants."
After Xu Ning had his fill of food and drink, he walked back carrying some pastries.
“Drip” “Drip” “Drip”
Fine raindrops first fell on Xu Ning's shoulders, then gradually accelerated and fell. Suddenly, "Wow!" heavy rain fell from the sky, and many stalls without sheds were crushed by the sudden rainstorm.
"It's raining."
"The rain came down so suddenly today, without any warning at all."
Xu Ning took off his coat and wanted to run back, but then he heard the uncle selling sesame cakes say, "Oh, what a pity I have so many sesame cakes."
"Uncle, I want all the remaining sesame cakes." Fortunately, there were not many sesame cakes, only five or six.
"Really? Thank you so much, little girl! I have some pancakes that got caught in the rain. Just give me twelve cents."
"Goodbye, uncle!" Xu Ning turned around and stuffed twenty cents into the pocket of the uncle selling sesame cakes. The sesame cakes originally cost three cents each, and Xu Ning rounded it up to an even price.
Tang Xixu had just bought an umbrella, and when he turned around, Xu Ning was gone.
Xu Ning jogged for a bit, thinking she'd be soaked to the skin if she got home. Zhao Mingshang, dressed in an ice-blue robe and holding an umbrella, approached her.
"Sister Mingchang, why are you here? It's a good thing you came, otherwise I would have been soaked to the skin."
Zhao Mingchang curled her lips in a faint smile, and her inverted brows softened considerably. She said calmly, "Sister Ning's words are quite interesting. Just now, Master Qu said you wanted to buy some chestnut cakes, and I thought the closest one to Ruyan Tower would be Qibaozhai. Seeing that the weather wasn't right, I came here to try my luck. I didn't expect that I would actually run into one."
Tang Xixu was holding an umbrella and saw Xu Ning and Zhao Mingshang chatting happily, and his teeth were almost broken.
Humph, it seems she doesn't need me anymore.
"The second act of The Muppet Show is almost over."
"Then let's walk faster, maybe we can catch the end."
The two of them jogged back.
Tang Xixu was not in the mood to hold an umbrella. It was originally prepared for Xu Ning. In his mind, as long as it was for Xu Ning, no one else was allowed to use it, including himself, even if she didn't need it.
When Zhao Mingshang and Xu Ning came back, the play was only halfway through.
Ruyanlou had thought of everything. Even if it rained, they would lay out a tarpaulin on the third floor early on to ensure that the audience's viewing of the show would not be affected.
"Sister Mingchang, this is chestnut cake for you." Xu Ning carefully protected the chestnut cake all the way to prevent it from getting wet.
Zhao Mingchang was a little surprised, but she didn't show it on her face: "Sister, I'm a bit of a tyrant." Zhao Mingchang always believed that most people don't visit others without a request, and giving gifts must be to ask something of others. The only person in the world who can treat her sincerely is her mother.
"I heard from Qu Yi that it was Sister Mingshang's birthday a few days ago. I was so busy investigating the case that I forgot to prepare a birthday gift for you. I don't have much money, but I heard from Qu Yi that you like chestnut cakes, so I bought one. The gift may be small, but the sentiment is great. I hope you won't despise it, Sister." Xu Ning even wasted an unknown plot unlocking card for this purpose and investigated Zhao Mingshang before coming up with this excuse.
Zhao Mingchang was even more surprised when she heard this. Qu Yi asked her about it on the day of the ceremony. She didn't care much about these formalities and didn't think there was anything wrong with telling her birthday to a man outside her family. She just said it casually. She didn't expect that it would be passed on to Xu Ning.
"Thank you very much, sister." Zhao Mingshang couldn't hide her emotions this time, and her joy was beyond words.
Zhao Mingshang immediately opened it and tasted it: "Hmm, delicious. Let me try it too, sister." Xu Ning was a little embarrassed. Originally, this was bought for Zhao Mingshang, and it would not be good for her to eat it. However, the pastry was sweet and delicate, and she could not resist the temptation and tried a piece.
Tang Xixu also came back and watched the two of them eating dessert with laughter, his thick eyebrows locked together.
So it wasn't bought for me. The young man's brows gradually relaxed again. Water was still dripping from the corners of his clothes, soaking every strand of his hair. He smiled somewhat self-deprecatingly. Tang Xixu, why are you being so sentimental? They don't care about you at all.
Xu Ning finished a piece of cake before glancing at Tang Xixu: "Hey, Tang Xixu, why are you so wet? Didn't I see you had an umbrella?"
Tang Xixu said nothing. He walked to Xu Ning with a dark face and sat down without saying a word.
Xu Ning looked confused: What's wrong with this?
Soon, Qu Yi and Xu Lian also came over.
"We've been looking for you for a long time." Qu Yi was a little impatient.
"It's not us, it's you." Xu Lian retorted expressionlessly. Xu Ning chuckled, pulling Zhao Mingshang's clothes to cover her mouth. "Hahahaha."
Qu Yi didn't understand what Xu Ning was laughing at: "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. Ahem." Xu Ning didn't want to say that Second Senior Brother was being too hypocritical. She was afraid that Second Senior Brother would sternly teach her, "Xu Ning, be dignified."
"Oh, by the way, I also bought some sesame cakes. They are delicious. There are honey flavor, scallion oil flavor, and five-spice flavor." Xu Ning took out six cakes from her coat, one of which she had not finished, and distributed them to several people.
They were all used to living in the open air, and even though Zhao Mingchang was a noble lady, they did not despise her.
Tang Xixu's mood gradually improved when he saw the cake in his hand, "Axu doesn't eat sweet things, try this spiced one." The young man curled up the corners of his lips unconsciously as if he had eaten honey.
"I want to eat this of yours." Tang Xixu pointed at the half-eaten cake in Xu Ning's hand.
"Ah? But this is what I've eaten."
Tang Xixu said nothing, just kept looking at the cake in Xu Ning's hand.
"Okay, okay." Xu Ning gave it to him, but unfortunately it was the only meat pie.
Tang Xixu raised the corner of his lip slightly. See, she still thinks about me.
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