Chapter 72
There was silence in the cabin.
Zhou Li was furious. Why were you allowed to question her aggressively but she was not allowed to light a fire?
Zhou Li sneered: "This has nothing to do with you."
Tang Jing knew that they couldn't talk. She still wanted to sleep with Zhou Li in her arms tonight. She had finally managed to get her onto the boat. Tang Jing didn't want to piss Zhou Li off, but looking at Zhou Li's expression, Tang Jing knew that she had already pissed her off, so she tried to soothe Zhou Li.
"My adoptive father welcomes the masters of the Ranger Hall and admires your righteous deeds. However, if a knight breaks the law with force, and if the world is pacified in the future, and everyone is like this, seeking revenge for hatred and grievances, you stab me and I stab you, how can there be peace in this world?"
Zhou Li was stunned. She knew that Tang Jing was right, so she was speechless and did not refute.
Zhou Li frowned and said, "I don't have much authority to speak in this hall, but I will do my best to convey your meaning."
Zhang Mei is indeed different from the Northern Government. Now the main force to wipe out their gang is still the Northern Government. Because they have killed many local corrupt officials, the Northern Government will basically send troops as soon as they get news about them. Although there are many masters in the gang, it is inevitable that they cannot handle it alone.
Tang Jing smiled. She raised her hand and took Zhou Li's wrist. Zhou Li felt a little awkward, but did not shake it off. Tang Jing said gently, "I'm glad you want to go back with me."
Zhou Li looked at Tang Jing and laughed awkwardly. She wanted to explain that her following Tang Jing was not what she thought, but she didn't know how to explain this problem. Fortunately, Tang Jing quickly changed the subject.
"Do you want to eat fish?" Zhou Li hadn't caught up with Tang Jing's train of thought, as the topic suddenly shifted from life and death to eating.
"There's a kind of white fish along the way. It's tender and sweet, perfect for filleting. Would you like to try it?"
Zhou Li had come to Beijing by boat before, and she had vomited after eating fish, so naturally she didn't want to eat fish again. When she mentioned eating fish, she seemed to smell the fishy smell again and shook her head, "No."
"It's rare that there's something you don't like to eat." Tang Jing laughed.
Zhou Li frowned and said, "I ate too much fish when I came to Beijing before, and it's only been a few days."
Tang Jing couldn't help laughing, "Then I'll ask the kitchen to make something else."
"Okay." Zhou Li nodded.
Tang Jing looked at Zhou Li, her eyes filled with warmth, like the warm sunshine on a winter afternoon. She said, "You will like Guanshi County."
Guanshi County is where Zhang Mei stayed and it was also his base camp.
Zhou Li was not clear about Zhang Mei's condition for the time being, but according to the system, Zhang Mei should be seriously injured. However, seeing that Tang Jing did not look anxious at all, he began to doubt that the adoptive father she mentioned should be her foster father, not Zhang Mei herself.
The boat had already left the capital. At noon, the waves on both sides of the river were blue. According to the itinerary, it had only traveled one-fifth of the distance. It would take about three more days on the river to reach the destination.
This is a large ship with a deep draft and can sail fast.
After lunch, Zhou Li came out to stroll on the deck, looking at the green mountains on both sides and the sparkling river water under the sunlight.
The boat has passed through the deep mountains, and the mountain scenery is accompanied by clouds and mist, and the scenery is extremely beautiful.
Tang Jing walked over to Zhou Li and stood beside her quietly for a while before asking, "Do you like this kind of scenery?"
Zhou Li nodded.
She said to Tang Jing, "I used to long for this kind of paradise life, but I am destined to be a wanderer."
Tang Jing laughed: "Who doesn't yearn for a poetic paradise? But only when the country is at peace can we live a normal life."
Zhou Li was a little dazed looking at the serious expression on Tang Jing's face. Perhaps she had never understood the heroine. Tang Jing also had his own ideals. People with clear goals will always shine.
Zhou Li chuckled: "You are still trying to convince me."
Tang Jing's lips curled up slightly: "I was discovered."
Zhou Li couldn't help laughing: "You never thought about hiding your purpose, did you?"
Tang Jing looked at Zhou Li deeply, then turned her head to look at the clouds in the distance. Her voice floated lightly into Zhou Li's ears.
"I don't want to be your opponent, Zhou Li."
She was calling Zhou Li's name very seriously. Zhou Li was standing shoulder to shoulder with her. They were looking at the same scenery, but with different moods.
Zhou Li said: "I won't be your opponent."
Tang Jing didn't say anything else, but a few chuckles slipped out from her lips. She said, "Don't get a heat stroke in the sun. Go back to your room."
At night, the water was gurgling, and the boat gradually sailed from an uninhabited area into a populated area. The lights on the shore flickered. Zhou Li sat by the window admiring the scenery along the way. There was a knock on the door. As expected, she knew who was outside the door.
As the door opened, a fragrant breeze blew towards me. Tang Jing had changed his clothes and stood by the door with a food box in his hand. "Have a drink with me. I'm afraid we won't have such a relaxing time when we get to Guanshi County."
Facing the cool night breeze, Zhou Li also wanted to have a drink, and Tang Jing's idea was exactly what she wanted.
Taking the food box from Tang Jing's hand, Zhou Li casually placed it on her dining table. Her window was wide open, and the scenery on the shore slowly receded.
Tang Jing didn't close the door either, and the breeze blew through, dissipating the day's summer heat.
Sitting on the stool, Zhou Li opened the food box without hesitation. Inside the food box was a pot of wine and some side dishes.
Zhou Li opened the wine jug and sniffed it. There was no pungent smell of wine, but a sweet aroma of wine.
"Osmanthus wine?" she asked, and Tang Jing nodded.
Zhou Li took out the side dishes one by one and placed them on the table.
These side dishes are exquisitely shaped and varied, and paired with fine osmanthus wine, it is obvious that they were carefully prepared by Tang Jing.
Beautiful scenery, delicious food, beautiful women, and good wine, even the most unsophisticated person will be immersed in it.
Zhou Li and Tang Jing clinked their glasses and savored the wine slowly.
Osmanthus wine has a special aroma, and it should have been chilled when it arrived. I really don’t know where the ice came from on the boat. It tastes cool and pleasant when drunk, and paired with refreshing side dishes, it makes people sigh.
Zhou Li sighed comfortably, and Tang Jing laughed out loud.
She picked up the pot: "Another cup."
Zhou Li moved the wine cup closer and poured the clear wine into her cup.
The night breeze was blowing gently. It was a rare opportunity for the two of them to sit together quietly like this. Neither of them broke the quiet atmosphere and said something that would destroy the atmosphere.
Zhou Li did pick up some interesting stories about the troupe and told them to Tang Jing, especially about Gou Sheng.
Gousheng is different from Xiaoyuan. Xiaoyuan chased Zhou Li because she liked singing opera, but Gousheng was almost starving to death and chose the wrong career for a piece of steamed bun. Although he was young, his muscles were strong. When he first started working, he almost fainted from the pain of bending his muscles. Since then, he has been in a daze when practicing martial arts. He originally had a crush on Dapeng, a martial artist, and said he wanted to learn kung fu from Dapeng, but he couldn't stand the hardship.
Zhou Li smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. "That kid was cunning and sly. We used to let him go because he was young. But then he became Dapeng's apprentice. Dapeng is a very stubborn person. When he saw that kid slacking off, he directly hung him upside down from the beam and insisted on making him admit his mistake before letting him down. After that, Gousheng never dared to slack off again."
Then he said to Tang Jing, "Do you know why Gou Sheng is called Gou Sheng?"
Tang Jing shook his head.
Zhou Li said, "When Gousheng came with us, he was young and can't remember his name. We called him Gousheng because he would stare eagerly at anyone eating, so we got used to giving him a bite. So, we called him Gousheng. But a good name is good for keeping him. Look how strong he is now."
Zhou Li was quite proud when he talked about this.
After all, as the owner of the troupe, it was not easy for her to support the sixteen people in the troupe. Not only did she support them, but she also supported them well.
Speaking of this, Zhou Li felt a little sad. She hadn't seen other people in the troupe for a long time.
Tang Jing saw Zhou Li's expression and asked, "Do you miss them?"
Zhou Li nodded.
Tang Jing's expression was gentle: "Next time we will go to see them together."
"Do you want to travel around the world with me?" Zhou Li joked.
Tang Jing narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly.
The two of them were a little tipsy, and Tang Jing heard Zhou Li laughing again: "Let's go to the ends of the earth together and explore all these beautiful mountains and rivers. Will your adoptive father think I'm eloping with you?"
Zhou Li giggled, and Tang Jing looked at her slumped over the table, playing with a wine cup, his eyes deep.
"Then just ignore him." Tang Jing said.
"Whatever it takes?" Zhou Li shook her head. This wine had a bit of an aftereffect. It tasted sweet at first, but the aftereffect was quite strong. She stood up and embraced the night sky wildly.
"If you run away with me, I'm worried that your adoptive father will send people to hunt me down, and I won't be able to defeat them," she muttered.
Tang Jing saw that she was wobbling a little, so he stood up and supported her, "I'll fight them off for you."
"Then it's a deal." Zhou Li giggled again and stretched out her little finger to make a pinky promise with Tang Jing. Tang Jing had just stretched out his little finger, but before it touched Zhou Li's finger, the boat shook and their fingers missed each other. Zhou Li fell into Tang Jing's arms and was hugged by her.
It turned out that there was a strong wind, dark clouds covered the starry sky, and the window and door frames were whistling in the wind.
"Is it going to rain?" Zhou Li murmured, smelling the water vapor.
Tang Jing grabbed her arm and helped her sit down next to him, then closed the window and went to close the door. Zhou Li thought she had left, but she listened carefully and heard the crackling raindrops falling one after another, and the boat was rocking like a small boat. Tang Jing finally stopped Zhou Li's chattering mouth. She had wanted to do this since Zhou Li was drinking before.
The sobbing was drowned out by the sound of rain. The boat rose and fell on the water, and Zhou Li also rose and fell. She looked dazed, enjoying the happiness of lying flat.
The night passed in a flash, and the next day Zhou Li crawled out of Tang Jing's arms. This was the first morning they welcomed after sleeping together. However, the weather was not very good today. It was gloomy outside, and it rained several times in succession. The whole room was filled with the smell of wood.
As soon as Zhou Li moved, Tang Jing woke up.
She woke up quickly, not like Zhou Li who was so confused when he just woke up and didn't know what year it was.
Tang Jing yawned delicately, pulled the quilt up to cover her collarbone, and said to Zhou Li, "I have nothing to do today, why not sleep a little longer."
I still have to stay on the boat for three days, and when I have free time I will read books and listen to the water.
Zhou Li thought about it and lay down again.
As soon as she lay down, a pair of hands reached out, slid into her loose clothes, and touched her waist.
Zhou Li grabbed it, and Tang Jingren moved over and continued to sleep next to her.
The two of them didn't know how long they had been arguing last night. Zhou Li saw blue marks under Tang Jing's eyes, and she felt a little sleepy, so she held Tang Jing's hand and fell asleep.
The boat was floating like a cradle, and Zhou Li was floating along with it.
Suddenly, a voice appeared in my ear: "Zhou Li, wake up. It's noon."
Zhou Li opened her eyes sleepily. Tang Jing had put on his clothes without her knowing and looked down at her.
"It's time to eat."
"Yeah." Zhou Li said lazily, with a heavy nasal tone.
She stood up and let out a delicate sneeze like Qiu.
Zhou Li: "Someone scolded me?"
Then there was another sneeze. Zhou Li was puzzled: "Are you thinking about me?"
After hitting Aqiu twice more, Tang Jing was helpless. She touched Zhou Li's forehead and found that she didn't have a fever. She knew some basic medical skills. She touched Zhou Li's wrist and found that she had caught a cold.
The wine was cold last night, there was a draft, and they made a fuss at night, so it's no surprise that Zhou Li got sick.
Zhou Li rubbed her nose, feeling that she was about to run, and fumbled for her handkerchief, but she usually had a strong body and practiced martial arts regularly, so she was not often sick, so naturally she would not carry this.
Tang Jing came over last night to change clothes and didn't bring anything. She watched Zhou Li fumbling for a handkerchief and silently handed her large sleeve to him, "Use this."
Zhou Li raised her head, uttered a puzzled sound, and a small snot bubble popped up. She quickly covered her nose, pushed away Tang Jing's sleeve, and went to find a towel. She would never do such a disgusting thing as wiping her snot on other people's clothes. Even if Tang Jing was willing, Zhou Li couldn't do it. She got goose bumps all over her body and was so disgusted by Tang Jing.
Seeing that Zhou Li was found, Tang Jing quietly went out to find a servant to write a prescription and boil the medicine.
She had everything on board. After all, she fabricated an identity as a concubine's daughter of a wealthy and powerful family. It was only because of her status as a concubine that she was able to marry the prince as a concubine. Otherwise, she could also be the wife of a commoner.
Tang Jing didn't pursue these things too much and asked someone to carry the food into Zhou Li's room. Zhou Li had already put on her clothes and was washing her face. She looked at Tang Jing's actions and asked in confusion, "Aren't we eating in the lobby?"
"You are sick." Tang Jing said.
"What kind of illness is this?" Zhou Li said nonchalantly, "It will go away after a few sips of hot tea. I'm in good health."
"I'm worried."
"Will you listen to me?"
Tang Jing said this harshly, as if deliberately refuting Zhou Li's words, but Zhou Li's eyes softened. Even though she was in the house, she heard what Tang Jing had just told the servants. She really did care about her.
Zhou Li didn't want to refuse Tang Jing's kindness. Although people usually cared about her, because she was the boss, everyone would be relieved if she said no, and no one would object like Tang Jing who was so cautious.
Zhou Li is not a porcelain doll, but he is also grateful for Tang Jing's kindness.
She relented, "Okay."
Originally, some special dishes were prepared for lunch, which were heavy in oil and salt, and were the taste Zhou Li liked. But she had caught a cold and wanted to eat something light, so Tang Jing temporarily changed the menu.
As long as Zhou Li doesn't eat fish, she's fine with eating anything. She doesn't want to see fish again for the time being because she's had enough of it.
Tang Jing was relieved to see that Zhou Li had a good appetite.
After dinner, they took medicine first, and Tang Jing prepared ginger soup. Zhou Li was active and wanted to go for a walk outside, but Tang Jing persuaded him to stay.
Looking at Tang Jing's persistent expression, Zhou Li had to touch his nose and give up the idea.
There were two more light rains outside. Zhou Li rested his head on Tang Jing's legs and listened to her reading to him.
There were many storybooks specially prepared on the boat to prevent the journey from being boring. Tang Jing lowered her voice and read softly. Although it was a clichéd story of a talented scholar and a beautiful woman, when she read it, it added a touch of ambiguity with the fragrance of a red sleeve.
After drinking the medicine again in the evening, Zhou Li broke out in a sweat. The sky outside was clear, with a few stars showing, but the temperature was still very low. Tang Jing asked someone to bring water, and she and Zhou Li soaked comfortably in the wooden barrel.
It's not that Zhou Li had never seen Tang Jing's body before, but she was still a little shy facing him in such a relaxed manner. Tang Jing had no expression on her face. She picked up a cloth and helped Zhou Li wipe her body and wash her hair. Her movements were gentle, and Zhou Li felt comfortable being served. But when she wanted to help Tang Jing, she was driven away.
Tang Jing pinched her wrist and said in a hoarse voice, "If you don't want to make your cold worse, don't mess around with me."
Zhou Li understood, and she considerately gave the wooden barrel to Tang Jing. Tang Jing came out after a long time.
Zhou Li blushed.
I murmured in my heart that Tang Jing was too lustful. We had sex yesterday, and he wanted more today.
What she didn't know was that Tang Jing was usually indifferent, but he couldn't control himself after meeting her.
Zhou Li is Tang Jing's opium, making her unable to struggle and can only indulge.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
