Chapter 76
Even after they arrived in the prefectural city, Meng Shuanzi's young master still hadn't dismounted. Chen Qing couldn't help but ask Zhou Yuan in a low voice, "He just kidnapped someone else's young master like that?"
Zhou Yuan also felt that this couldn't be done, so he rode his horse in front of Meng Shuanzi's horse and blocked their way.
The horse, which was running smoothly, was suddenly stopped, its front hooves in the air. Meng Shuanzi steadied the horse and looked at Zhou Yuan in confusion: "Brother?"
Zhou Yuan held Chen Qing firmly with one arm and asked him, "You just took him away like that?"
The young man knew that Zhou Yuan was the one in charge among them, so he shrank back a little, leaning against Meng Shuanzi's chest, and said, "I'm going with him willingly."
Zhou Yuan didn't talk to him, but only looked at Meng Shuanzi.
“Brother…” Meng Shuanzi didn’t know what to say and was a little embarrassed.
Now was not the place to talk, so Zhou Yuan made way for them and they went to an inn in the prefectural city.
The things Chen Qing and his group bought earlier are still at the inn. It's late today, so they're not in a hurry to leave. Originally, two rooms would have been enough, but now they have to accommodate an unmarried young man, so they can only open three rooms.
The five people sat and talked. Meng Qi felt superfluous and thought that he should bring his wife out with him in the future so that he wouldn't have to feel this way now.
This guy is named Qin Xia, the guy Du Feng mentioned who is liked by Chen Qing's third and fourth brothers. He is only eighteen years old this year. Although he is a guy, he is already the pillar of the family. All the family's expenses depend on him.
The Chen brothers fought for him in the arena, but his parents not only didn't appreciate his good qualities, they planned to sell him for a good price. They even considered marrying Qin Xia to both brothers, saying that as long as the Chen brothers gave them twenty taels of silver, they would marry Qin Xia to them as a shared wife.
When Qin Xia learned that his parents had such thoughts, he overturned the table at home. He worked himself to the bone every day and dealt with the Northern Di people just so that his family could live a good life, but his family betrayed him like this.
These past few days, everyone in the village has been talking about the runaway son of the Chen family. He went to see him while the Chen family was holding a funeral. If a runaway son can live so well, and he himself is capable, he should have abandoned this rotten family a long time ago.
He happened to be watching from the kitchen. Unexpectedly, Meng Shuanzi thought he was there to steal something, and the two of them got into a fight. Afraid of disturbing Chen Qing, Meng Shuanzi went to the side and fought with him. After the fight, he found out that Qin Xia was a boy. During the fight, Qin Xia's shirt was torn off, revealing half of his fair shoulder, which did not match his face.
Qin Xia devised a plan and directly clung to Meng Shuanzi, asking him to take her away.
It's not that Meng Shuanzi was blind; Qin Xia really didn't look like a young man. He wasn't wearing a headscarf, and he was tall. He said that Meng Shuanzi had seen his body and wanted him to take responsibility.
This was the first time Chen Qing had heard such gossip. Looking at Qin Xia, who showed no fear whatsoever, he was somewhat worried: "Your family..."
“They’re a bunch of bastards, vultures that eat people without spitting out the bones. I’ve made money for them for eight years. As long as they’re not handless, they won’t starve.” Qin Xia looked at Chen Qing. “The place you’re going to must be very nice. They’ve taken such good care of you. I want to go there too.”
Qin Xia has the appearance of someone from Xiaxi Prefecture. He is tall with a high nose bridge. However, due to the wind and sand, he has two red patches on his face, which is not strange but rather quite distinctive.
Although Chen Qing was born in Xiaxi Prefecture, he was more like his stepfather, especially after being nurtured by the feng shui of Luohe Village for so many years, he had long since changed.
Chen Qing was speechless. He looked at Zhou Yuan, then at Meng Shuanzi.
As if knowing what they were worried about, Qin Xia took out a piece of paper from her pocket: "This is my household registration document. I moved out of that house a long time ago."
There must have been many hardships involved.
Zhou Yuan didn't want to make a decision for Meng Shuanzi, so he took Chen Qing back to his room. Meng Qi had long since stopped wanting to stay there, so he also went back to his room.
Back in his room, Chen Qing still wanted to crane his neck to look, but Zhou Yuan pinched the back of his neck and said, "So curious?"
Chen Qing smiled somewhat embarrassedly. He had a good impression of Qin Xiaxin and felt that he was the same kind of person as Li Xin. If he really went to Luohe Village, he might be able to become good friends with Li Xinxin.
Before they could rest, Qin Xia knocked on their door.
Chen Qing went to open the door. He was somewhat surprised and stammered, "Wh-what's wrong?"
Qin Xia glanced at Zhou Yuan, then said to Chen Qing, "I want to sleep with you tonight."
Zhou Yuan: ?
"Huh?" Chen Qing was also surprised.
“He doesn’t want me to go with you, but I’m determined to go. He saw my body and he has to take responsibility for me. If I sleep in the same room as you, you won’t abandon me and sneak away.”
Chen Qing: ...
Ultimately, Chen Qing couldn't argue with him, and ended up sleeping in the same room as Qin Xia.
Qin Xia talked a lot and asked many questions. Chen Qing answered at first, but later he drifted off to sleep. It seemed that his problem of not being able to sleep in unfamiliar beds had improved somewhat, and he could sleep even in unfamiliar places.
The next morning, Zhou Yuan came angrily to call for people. Qin Xia jumped up as soon as she heard the voice, while Chen Qing took a while to get up.
After quickly packing up, they prepared to return. Meng Shuanzi looked at Qin Xia, who had already climbed onto his horse, with a bitter expression. Only after they were all on horseback did he slowly follow.
He should have told Qin Xia he was already married when she asked him.
After leaving Xiaxi Prefecture, upon seeing the territory of Yizhou Prefecture, Chen Qing glanced at Zhou Yuan and asked, "Should we go back and take a look?"
Zhou Yuan shook his head: "There's nothing to see. Everything was taken care of when I left."
Chen Qing agreed: "Then let's go home?"
"We promised to take you to the capital." They said goodbye to Meng Qi and the others in Yizhou.
"Brother Yuan, let's catch up with the caravan. See you on our way home." Meng Qi said goodbye to them, and for their convenience, he also took the things they had bought there with him.
Qin Xia rode with Meng Shuanzi again, and waved to Chen Qing: "Have fun, see you when we get home."
Chen Qing smiled awkwardly and waved to him. Then Meng Qi and the others sped up, leaving only a wisp of dust in front of them.
Not in a hurry, Zhou Yuan didn't ride his horse very fast. He was focused on getting there quickly, but only on the way back did he have time to appreciate the beautiful scenery around him.
They arrived in the capital on the third day of the eighth lunar month, so it seems they won't be able to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival at home this year.
Before entering the capital, they rested and changed their clothes to wash away their fatigue.
When they entered the city gate, they all dismounted. Zhou Yuan led his horse with one hand and Chen Qing with the other, and they lined up to register at the city gate.
As Chen Qing watched them get closer and closer to the registration area, he became increasingly nervous, even starting to move his hands and feet in unison.
Zhou Yuan comforted him, "It's okay, we have all the necessary documents, we won't be arrested."
Chen Qing, a country bumpkin, never imagined he would be able to visit the capital of a country. When it was their turn, Zhou Yuan showed them the contract, explained their purpose, and they quickly passed through the city gate.
Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Zhou Yuan: "We haven't offended anyone, have we?"
Zhou Yuan turned his head to look at him: "Why do you ask that?"
“I used to go to the opera with my mother. The opera said that in the capital, the gatekeepers all had relatives who were high-ranking officials and nobles.” Chen Qing whispered in Zhou Yuan’s ear, afraid that someone would hear him.
Zhou Yuan didn't laugh at him: "Okay, let's be more careful."
Chen Qing was cautious in his words and actions in the capital, but he still exclaimed in surprise when he checked into an inn. He didn't realize that staying in an inn in the capital was so expensive!
Zhou Yuan put his arm around Chen Qing's shoulder, paid the bill under Chen Qing's distressed gaze, and led him to the room.
Chen Qing could say he had never stayed in such a nice room in his life. The wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner on the table smelled wonderful, he had never smelled such a pleasant fragrance before. He didn't know what kind of flowers they were, but they smelled wonderful.
Chen Qing only dared to look at the set of white porcelain cups, afraid that if he touched them, he would break them and they would have to pay for them.
When he turned around, he saw that the bed was much bigger than the one at home. The bed curtains seemed to be made of silk, and they felt cool and smooth to the touch. Chen Qing was afraid that his hands would scratch the silk, so he dared not touch it anymore.
The bedding on the bed is made of the same material. I can't imagine how comfortable it would be to sleep on this bed in the summer.
With no outsiders around, Chen Qing didn't need to hide himself. He gently lay on the bed and rubbed his face against the sheets, which felt much more comfortable than Zhou Yuan's hands.
Seeing Chen Qing still lying on the bed feeling it, Zhou Yuan didn't urge him, but sat on a stool to the side and watched him act silly.
Chen Qing looked around the room, almost lying down to examine the carpet on the floor, but he laughed and pulled him up: "You haven't finished looking yet?"
Chen Qing got up: "Okay, okay."
"I'll take you to try Tianji, I don't know if there will be any seats left." Zhou Yuan took his hand and walked outside. "If there are no seats, we'll try other Beijing snacks."
Chen Qing was unfamiliar with the place and had no choice but to listen to him.
They came out of the inn and easily found Tianji Restaurant by asking for directions. The people from the capital seemed particularly enthusiastic: "You definitely won't be able to get a table if you go now. Tianji Restaurant is always full from the moment it opens. If you want to eat there, you'll have to queue up early tomorrow morning."
"Thank you." Zhou Yuan bowed to him and then led Chen Qing around the capital.
The capital city is indeed the capital city, bustling yet orderly. It has almost every local specialty, fine porcelain and jade, dazzling silks and satins, and taverns and music halls of all sizes.
They only strolled around two or three streets in the entire afternoon.
Instead of eating dinner at the inn, Zhou Yuan chose a restaurant that wasn't too crowded and ordered two dishes that were supposedly the restaurant's signature dishes. Chen Qing didn't dare to imagine how expensive they were, but since Zhou Yuan had brought him here, he wouldn't spoil Zhou Yuan's fun.
The high price of the food was indeed justified. Chen Qing felt that he had never eaten anything so delicious in his life. The soup was so flavorful that it seemed to contain all the freshness and aroma of the ingredients. It had already slipped into his stomach before he had even tasted it properly.
Chen Qing told Zhou Yuan his thoughts, and Zhou Yuan served him a bowl of soup: "Aqing's life is still very long. It's only been a short time. We will experience more, eat more delicious food, and see more beautiful scenery in the future."
Chen Qing finished all the food on the table before asking Zhou Yuan, "How much money do you have left?"
"Don't worry, our family is rich," Zhou Yuan said.
The money he invested in the security escort agency had already been distributed to him as dividends during the Chinese New Year. He kept some for household expenses and invested the rest back into the agency, hoping to open one in the prefectural city as well. Everything is now slowly progressing.
The escort agency made money faster than Chen Qing had imagined. They did more than just escorting goods; they had many other jobs as well. However, Chen Qing didn't need to worry about any of these things; he just needed to be happy.
On such a comfortable bed, Chen Qing was still having trouble getting used to the bed; everything was slippery and felt like he couldn't get a firm footing, so he gripped Zhou Yuan's arm tightly.
Zhou Yuan looked down at him: "What's wrong?"
Chen Qing clutched his chest: "I can't sleep."
He couldn't sleep, so Zhou Yuan did something to help him fall asleep, but Chen Qing refused no matter what he said, afraid of dirtying the inn's bed and having to pay for it.
Helpless, Zhou Yuan had to change his approach. Chen Qing grabbed Zhou Yuan's hair, feeling as if he could barely breathe.
After a moment of confusion, Chen Qing got up to look at Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan had already swallowed it, then went to the side to drink some water and rinse his mouth before returning to bed and hugging Chen Qing: "Are you tired now?"
Chen Qing was very embarrassed and buried his head in the quilt, not wanting to pay attention to him. Zhou Yuan came over and kissed him again. Chen Qing could still feel the smell. He was a little disgusted and turned his head away to stop him from kissing him.
Zhou Yuan laughed at him: "You despise yourself too?"
Chen Qing was so embarrassed that he ignored him, and gradually felt sleepy. He grabbed Zhou Yuan's hand and murmured, "Zhou Yuan, I want to go home..."
"Okay, I'll go home in a couple of days." Zhou Yuan gently patted his back, and soon Chen Qing fell into a deep sleep.
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