Perhaps it was because sincerity paid off, the rain gradually subsided after lunch.

Zhanping also reported that the roadblock ahead had been almost cleared and traffic was allowed again.

Everyone started packing up and preparing to start again.

Linglong followed Taoti's instructions and took a handful of oil-paper umbrellas to the grandfather and grandson. "Old man, this is what our wife asked me to give you. You can hold the umbrellas and go home."

The old man was startled, took it with both hands, and thanked him repeatedly, "Your wife is really kind-hearted. Well, I am lucky today to meet a good person."

Linglong smiled and said, "Yes, our wife is always kind to others."

She glanced at the shy grandson behind the old man and asked, "Old man, your grandson is only about eight or nine years old. How could he go up the mountain with you to collect herbs at such a young age?"

The old man shook his head and sighed, "This child's parents passed away early, and I am the only old man left at home. I am worried about leaving him alone at home. If I keep him by my side, he can learn something from me."

Hearing this, Linglong showed sympathy and whispered, "Alas, it's not easy."

A maid came over and said, "Sister Linglong, it's time for us to leave."

Linglong responded, but then she saw the old man picked up the backpack and handed it to her, "My dear girl, I see your wife is good at cooking, you can take these wild vegetables and eat them on the way."

"Ah? This..."

"Take it. It's not worth much. It's fate that we met today. You gave me medicine and an umbrella. Although I'm a country boy, I know the principle of reciprocity."

Linglong took the backpack and said, "Okay, thank you very much, father-in-law."

The rain is hazy and the sky is dim.

Tao Ti was sitting in the carriage. She heard Linglong calling softly from the window and slightly opened the window. When she saw the bamboo basket in Linglong's arms, she frowned and asked, "What is this?"

Linglong explained that the old man left the basket of wild vegetables for her, and also talked about how the two generations depended on each other for survival.

Tao Ti sighed after hearing this and wanted to ask someone to send some change over, but the grandfather and grandson had already left with an umbrella and disappeared in the mist.

The window was closed again. Pei Yan saw Tao Ti holding her chin with one hand, frowning in thought. When she was still thinking about the difficult situation of the grandfather and grandson, he was about to say a few words of comfort when he heard her mumbling softly, "The fungus can be used to scramble eggs, the bracken can be used to salad, and the shepherd's purse, well, should it be made into shepherd's purse and pork dumplings, or shepherd's purse and tofu soup..."

Pei Yan, "..."

Well, he was worrying too much.

———

Because of the rainstorm, when the group arrived at the post station on the outskirts of Luoyang, it was already 11:00 p.m. and the sky was completely dark.

Considering that they would reach Luoyang tomorrow and all the accompanying soldiers had worked very hard today, Tao Ti asked Fu Xirui and the others to take out all the remaining food in the carriage and share it among everyone.

So that night, whether it was cooking instant noodles, dipping steamed buns or bread in various sauces, or mixing rice or noodles, everyone had a really delicious meal.

As the old saying goes, one who eats someone's food will be grateful, and one who receives someone's gifts will be soft-handed. They more or less ate the food brought by the Crown Princess along the way, and naturally they respected and loved the Crown Princess more in their hearts.

"If it weren't for the Crown Princess, we would have only been able to eat dry bread and steamed buns along the way. There wouldn't be so many delicious foods."

"Yes, yes! The Crown Princess is really amazing. She can make so many delicious dishes. Especially this noodle. How did she come up with it? It's convenient and tastes good. One bowl of noodles and soup will warm your stomach!"

"Who says it's not true? This instant noodle is really delicious, even more delicious than the ones freshly cooked in the noodle shop. I don't know if it's easy to make. If it is, we can make more in the barracks. When we go out on the march, eating this noodle is much better than eating dry steamed buns."

When everyone heard this, they all thought it was a good idea. One team leader pondered for a moment and said, "I'll find a chance to mention it to Master Zhan and see if the Crown Princess can give me a recipe or something..."

As soon as he said this, someone immediately added, "This sauce is also good, it's delicious, colorful and appetizing, and it tastes good with anything... Last time I just cooked it with meat, it was so fragrant! I can't get enough of it! Boss, don't forget to ask about the sauce too!"

The team leader nodded in agreement, and everyone continued to eat. The more they ate, the more they felt emotional.

"I wish I could marry a wife as clever and skillful as the Crown Princess. How wonderful my life would be."

"I think you are just wishful thinking, hahaha. A fairy-like figure like the Crown Princess is something that people like us cannot even dream of."

"That's right. I think the only person in this world who is worthy of being the Crown Princess is your Highness!"

Not far away, Zhan Ping was sitting, "..."

Listen to what nonsense these reckless men are saying!

The only person worthy of the Crown Princess is the Crown Prince? That's a good idea, but are they getting the priorities wrong?!

It's obviously a question of whether the Crown Princess is worthy of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!

Just as he was feeling indignant, a bowl of steaming instant noodles appeared before him. The eunuch bowed and said with a smile, "Master Zhan, your noodles are ready. Eat them while they're hot."

Looking at the golden and fragrant instant noodles, Zhan Ping swallowed his saliva——

Well, for now, he could barely believe that the Crown Princess...was worthy of his Highness.

———

Late at night, the rain gradually got heavier, accompanied by faint muffled thunder.

When Pei Yan finished washing up and returned to his room, Tao Ti was already asleep.

It was a tiring day, and under the light and shadow, she fell asleep on her side. Her thick, curled eyelashes were like a small fan, casting a small shadow under her eyes.

Pei Yan put her arm that was hanging outside back into the quilt and lay down slowly, as if he was afraid of disturbing her sleep.

With the curtains drawn, it seemed as if the cold wind and rain outside were cut off from the bed. Between the bed curtains was another small world filled with fragrance and stability.

Following her even breathing, Pei Yan also fell into a deep sleep.

I don't know how long it had been, but suddenly there was a burst of thunder in the sky, rumbling and very scary.

Tao Ti shuddered and woke up in shock.

She half opened her eyes dazedly, and looked around dazedly. Seeing that the person next to her seemed to have woken up as well, she almost instinctively reached out her hand and gently patted his back.

Feeling the gentle pat on his body, Pei Yan stiffened slightly.

I heard the little girl's soft, sleepy voice again, "It's okay, it's okay... It's just thunder, don't be afraid..."

Pei Yan wanted to comfort the little girl, "......?"

Why is it different from what he imagined?

Shouldn't the little girl be so frightened at this moment that she couldn't sleep and was hiding in his arms for protection?

Although...it feels pretty good to be coaxed by her like this.

Tao Ti was completely unaware of the tangled mood of the man beside her. She was still half asleep and half awake. She patted twice gently. Seeing that the thunder outside had subsided a little, she breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "No more thunder, go to sleep..."

She withdrew her hand and continued to sleep soundly, as if nothing had happened.

The next morning, the sky cleared up after the rain, the air was extremely fresh, and there was a faint scent of grass.

In this bright and sunny weather, everyone packed up and hit the road early.

Finally, at about 3 p.m., the group saw the majestic Luoyang City Gate and the welcoming team that had been waiting at the gate for a long time.