I turned around and glared at him. This guy just loves to pick on me. I've never been that fierce before.
"Don't talk nonsense about me. I'm very gentle, and besides, I'm not petty at all!"
"Yes! Ying'er is the most generous. I'm the petty one." He always knows how to back down, and I was happy to hear that, so I read the book with him.
"I find that I have a different feeling every time I watch it."
"What are you thinking about now? The content hasn't changed at all. Even if I read it a couple more times, there's still no difference."
“It’s different, but you’re always so busy that you can’t calm down and think things through. Let me take a look. Maybe one day when you’re unhappy or feeling down, I can comfort you.”
"That's great! Now I can even find reasons to benefit myself from reading books. I can read more of these in the future."
I closed the book, and he started to smile brightly at the slightest bit of sunshine. When I looked back, he was still smiling. I reached over and pinched his waist, and Xie Yuancheng grimaced.
"Haha~ So you're just like any other person, still trying to act all profound with me!" Seeing that he was about to get angry, I quickly turned my head and kissed him. I couldn't let him get angry, or I'd be in trouble.
"You're just pretending to be weak with me. When we get to the town, I'll give Ying'er a massage so you can rest well on your journey."
"I was giving you a massage, not doing anything inappropriate."
"Yeah, that's why I should repay him." You stingy guy, I snorted and turned around, bumping his chest several times until I heard him gasp, then I stopped.
Around noon, the sun actually came out. The weather here is really unpredictable. It was freezing cold just a moment ago, and now the sun is shining brightly.
"Listen, can you hear a sound?" I just rubbed my ears and heard a sound.
"Probably just someone passing by. Wasn't someone walking by just now?"
"That's true." I listened carefully and looked around. All I could hear were the voices of young women, scattered and infrequent. I felt something was off. Maybe it was because my jealousy was kicking in, which was why I was so sensitive.
I tried to coax the kingfisher, but it was resting with its eyes closed. I poked it several times, but it didn't budge. So I pulled my hand back to my book. But it seems they don't rest at noon. I'm waiting for lunch, but thinking about all that dry rations, I think I'd better not eat them.
"Ying'er, are you hungry?" He was quite knowledgeable about this. I didn't want to eat hard, dry food, so I quickly shook my head.
Xie Yuancheng wrapped his arm around my stomach and slid it over my stomach. "Your tummy is saying it's hungry, you picky eater."
"You are the one who doesn't want to eat yet—it's just a conditioned reflex."
"You still need to eat on time. We'll be in town in half an hour. Would you like something to eat to tide you over?"
"We'll definitely go to town to eat fresh food. We want to try some local food too, and then I won't be picky about food anymore!"
"Alright, but let me listen." Xie Yuancheng rested his chin on my shoulder to listen. I wanted to kick him off. This man is shameless.
"Slap!" I slapped the back of his hand. "Don't move. I'm not that hungry. Let's go."
"I hit you twice today, I'll hit you back later." He showed me his slightly red hand, but I only hit him lightly, and it turned red.
I patted him a few times, and he finally stopped being aggressive. I leaned against him to rest. Ahead was a small side path, and some people were carrying things. Judging from their clothes, they were probably villagers.
“I’ve heard my mother say that some towns like to hold market days, and people from the surrounding area go to the town for the market every few days. I heard it’s very lively.”
"Even if there are too many people to leave, we don't need to worry. The place we stay is different from the town market. But if you want to go see it, I'll consider whether I should take you."
"I'm not going~" I get a headache when I see a lot of people, all crowded together, and they're all strangers, so I really don't like it.
I turned to look at a few people. Even little children could carry baskets on their backs. Toddlers, one or two years old, stood in the bamboo baskets, their little heads spinning like tops, and they would even jump and clap their hands. I really felt sorry for those who were carrying them.
"Hehe~ Haha~" Some laughter came from the direction of the sound. I looked over and saw a chubby girl sitting on a small cart, bouncing around and waving to the people next to her. Luckily, the cart was not broken.
Some people had cloth wrapped around their heads, carrying large and small bags. A mother and daughter were quite interesting; one carried a bamboo basket while the other carried cotton. They were probably buying cotton to make winter clothes. The little girl clutched the basket tightly, her eyes constantly glancing at the people around her. If you didn't know better, you might think someone was trying to steal the basket.
The group walked quickly, with villagers of various appearances walking alongside them on their way back. Although their clothes weren't very nice, they seemed to be in good spirits.
"Is this still part of Linyang?" I was a little curious. These people seemed normal; they weren't bad people.
"No, it used to be, but it was separated from the city later. I'm happy to have some free time now, as long as I have to take care of the people in the big city."
"Alright, I only remember that Linyang is quite big. Besides Linyang City, there are many smaller places. It seems that your fiefdom has been almost completely divided up. No wonder these people don't recognize you."
"Ying'er~" Xie Yuancheng poked my face. "It's written on the flag. I don't like managing people. Managing you takes a lot of effort. How can I manage other people?"
"You're so good at talking~" I glanced around again, and there were fewer people behind me. Weren't they rushing to the market too quickly? It wasn't even noon yet, and they already wanted to go home.
As we were walking, I caught a glimpse of a few girls standing there, glancing at us every now and then. They were wearing patched clothes, their shoes were dirty, their faces were covered in grime, and they were pouting and blinking.
I guess they're trying to ask if I'd take them in as maids, or maybe they're saying I'm cute and adorable, and asking me to take care of them. I've heard this from several people, so I can pretty much guess what they're thinking.
Fortunately, she brought a large number of people, with soldiers stationed both in front and behind. Even if they tried to rush in and shout, they would probably be stopped by the cavalry as soon as they turned to run.
Thankfully, there was no further sound, so I pretended not to hear anything. I guess I don't go out enough to understand the hardships of ordinary people. And seeing those suffering turn into people seeking sympathy and personal gain only makes me dislike them more.
I used to give some money to beggars when I went out, but now I think twice. I guess they're just pretending. They have hands and feet, and they could farm and not starve.
We finally arrived in town. This town was indeed wealthy, and it looked different from other small towns. We took a wide road, not going to the market area, so there weren't many people on the road.
"This place is so strange, why are there so few people?"
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