It was late autumn, a chilly season, and it was evening. The weather was terribly cold, and there weren't many pedestrians on the road.
Qingyin was dressed very warmly, which made walking a little more difficult. The thick coat that reached her ankles tightly locked her body, making it extremely difficult to move. Thinking of this, Qingyin suddenly looked at the cheerful little girl walking ahead with a bit of envy.
Lin Daiyu's health has improved considerably in the past few days. With Imperial Physician Jiang watching over her, the young girl is dressed fairly normally, unlike Qingyin, who is basically wearing all her winter clothes.
Walking ahead, the little girl glanced at her father every now and then and caught Qingyin's gaze. The little girl smiled sweetly at Qingyin and thought proudly: Father must want to be with her, but he's too shy to say it.
Thinking about it, the little girl slowly slowed her excited steps and came to Qingyin's side.
Feeling her hand suddenly being pulled, Qingyin lowered her head and smiled slightly, pulling the little girl towards the largest restaurant in Hangzhou. Having had experience in Hangzhou before, Qingyin was quite familiar with this top restaurant in Hangzhou, which was not too far from the dock.
We arrived in Hangzhou too late today. There's no rush to return home. We don't need to travel overnight. We can rest in Hangzhou for the night and then hire a horse-drawn carriage to travel by land.
The head of the Imperial Guards who followed Qingyin thought the same thing. When they arrived at the restaurant, the waiter behind the counter was wearing a clean white cloth and was efficiently cleaning every corner of the counter.
There weren't many customers in the restaurant at this time; they had probably all gone inside to rest.
Before An Sheng could greet him, the young waiter had already noticed him, and subconsciously looked up with a fawning smile, asking, "Are you here for a meal or to stay the night, sir?"
When he saw the familiar face in front of him, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.
The waiter still vividly remembered Qingyin staying at the restaurant last time. Whether it was the demeanor of the servants or the attendants, they were all completely different from others. In particular, the leader's face was unforgettable after he had seen it once.
"Oh, it's an adult!" the waiter said with a smile, his bright eyes sparkling.
Qingyin led the curious little girl to stand in the crowd and smiled slightly at the waiter.
The waiter blushed even more and dared not look down again.
An Sheng tapped on the counter and reminded, "It's the same as before, but with an additional superior private room. Prepare some food."
"Okay!"
With the waiter leading the way, Qingyin quickly arrived at the restaurant's private room. Due to the waiter's favoritism, Qingyin found that her private room was the same one with excellent lighting as before, with a view of the Hangzhou River from the window.
After the waiter left, the little girl relaxed and looked around with great curiosity.
Seeing the little girl's appearance, Qingyin was not surprised. Women in ancient times were subject to many rules and regulations, and very few could go out and play freely. The little girl probably hadn't been anywhere except at home and on the way to the Jia Mansion. This was the first time she had stayed in Hangzhou for such a long time.
Qingyin sat leisurely at the table, where there was a pot of hot tea. He casually rinsed the teacups and poured two cups.
This tea is made from a type of tea tree that grows by the water. After being dried, it is stir-fried and then mixed with some unknown fragrant flowers. It is not bitter, but rather has a sweet taste with a faint fragrance. The brewed tea has a unique flavor.
Soon, it attracted the little girl who had been peering out the window at the distant river.
Qingyin looked at the little girl's longing gaze as she stared at the tea with amusement. "Drink it if you like it. Your father poured it for you anyway."
"Thank you, Father." The little girl smiled sweetly, picked up the teacup, and drank it all in one gulp.
After finishing her tea, the little girl's eyes lit up. She smacked her lips in lingering pleasure and exclaimed with delight, "It's sweet and delicious!"
"Even if you like it, you can only have one more cup. Drinking too much tea will keep you from sleeping well at night." Qingyin smiled gently. He knew that the little girl would definitely like this sweet tea.
Listening to her father's words, Lin Daiyu obediently nodded and only drank another cup.
The restaurant's chefs were fairly fast; the food was served in about half an hour.
Most of the dishes were made with fresh river fish, while there were relatively few freshly stir-fried vegetables, though there were still three or four plates to cleanse the palate.
The fresh river fish undoubtedly won over Lin Daiyu's appetite, especially the spicy red soup stewed fish. The fish was tender with few bones, and the dish was spicy and flavorful. The young girl ate it without even lifting her head, clearly liking the dish very much.
Seeing the little girl's hearty appetite, Qingyin smiled and said, "Eat slowly, no one will take it from you."
Seeing her father watching her wolf down her food, the little girl blushed shyly. She glanced reluctantly at her favorite dish. Jinling people preferred bland food, and since she was in poor health at the time, spicy food was absolutely out of the question. This was the first time she had tasted a perfectly made spicy dish, and she was amazed.
However, with Qingyin's reminder, the little girl did not change her chopping motion, but she did eat more slowly.
Half an hour later, Qingyin, who had eaten and drunk her fill, asked Chun'er to wash her clean and then brought her back to her room.
I need to rest early today, as I have to continue my journey tomorrow.
In the capital, the emperor, who had been thinking about Qingyin for a long time, began to ask again, "Liang Jiugong, when do you think Ruhai will be able to return?"
Standing behind Kangxi, Liang Jiugong was no longer surprised by the emperor's question. He replied familiarly, "Your Majesty, according to the report from Commander Su Wei (the head of the Imperial Guards who followed Qingyin), Lord Lin is already on his way back and should be back in the capital in a day or two."
"Oh, that's good."
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