Chapter 81 The long spoon gradually returns to normal
As the announcement spread, the streets became a bit more lively than yesterday. Sunlight dappled the bluestone pavement, casting shadows, and street vendors had already set up their stalls, their calls echoing throughout the streets. Although the crowds were not as dense as before, at least it was no longer deathly silent, and Changshao was slowly coming back to life.
By now, the sun had gradually moved to its zenith in the sky, its bright rays shining down, carrying the sweltering heat of late spring and early summer. Jiu Ya placed her hand in front of her brow, her slender fingers casting a small shadow on her forehead to shield her from the somewhat dazzling sunlight. She looked up at the sky; a few wisps of thin clouds drifted across the azure expanse, sunlight filtering through them and casting countless golden rays.
"It's almost noon, why don't we go get some lunch?" Jiu Ya turned to Rong Jiang, a bright smile playing on her lips. After a morning of running around, her stomach was growling loudly.
"Okay." Rong Jiang nodded gently, the sunlight shining on her fair skin as if it were coated with a layer of soft light.
"I wonder which restaurant nearby is better." Jiu Ya looked around, her brows furrowing slightly. Given the current situation, it was impossible to judge which restaurant was more popular based on the flow of people, as there weren't many. Most of the restaurants on both sides of the street were deserted, with only a few customers coming and going.
Rong Jiang glanced at the restaurants along the street and said calmly, "Anything nearby will do. Ajiu didn't sleep all night, so after lunch, she can go back to the inn to rest."
Jiuya looked down at herself. Although there were no visible stains on her turquoise dress, she felt a faint, lingering smell of blood. She wrinkled her nose, then thought, "It's alright, I can just eat something, changing my clothes is more important." Even though she hadn't personally touched the corpse, she still felt uneasy. It wouldn't be so bad on the battlefield, but not changing her clothes normally made her feel uneasy.
“Alright then, let’s find one nearby.” Jiu Ya said, her gaze sweeping around the street before finally settling on a restaurant called “Drunken Immortal Pavilion.” The restaurant was quite elegant in appearance, with a black plaque with gold lettering hanging above the vermilion door and two large red lanterns in front. Although there weren’t many customers, it looked clean and tidy.
There weren't many restaurants near the yamen (government office), but after walking a short distance, restaurants lined both sides of the road. Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Restaurant) was located at the corner of this street, in a rather conspicuous position.
As Jiu Ya and her group entered Zui Xian Lou, a waiter immediately came to greet them. The waiter was a clever young man. Just by looking at the four guests' clothes and demeanor, he knew they were either rich or noble. He quickly put on a smiling face and led them to a private room on the second floor.
The private room was tastefully decorated, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls and a pot of lush green asparagus fern by the window. A gentle breeze blew in through the carved wooden window, bringing a touch of coolness. After the four of them sat down, Jiu Ya casually ordered a few signature dishes and a pot of tea.
The food was served quickly; although not anything fancy, it was reasonably tasty. Jiu Ya was starving and ate with great relish. Rong Jiang ate with her usual elegance, exuding an indescribable air of nobility. Bai Yu and Li Yue stood quietly to the side until Jiu Ya gestured for them to sit down, at which point they cautiously took their seats.
After lunch, the four returned to the inn. The sunlight was perfect, making the stone steps in front of the inn shine.
The four of them standing together were extremely eye-catching; such a group would be the center of attention wherever they went. As soon as they entered the inn, the innkeeper saw them and his face immediately lit up with a smile.
Because the government had issued a public notice, everyone knew that the skinning monster that had been roaming the city and causing havoc had been subdued, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, some cautious people, still fearing that the monster might still exist, hurriedly checked out of their rooms early in the morning and left the city just as the gates opened.
This small inn was now almost empty. The rooms that had been fully occupied were mostly vacant. The innkeeper was quite surprised that Jiu Ya and her group had entered.
Upon recognizing the group, the shopkeeper was even more surprised. He had a strong impression of Jiu Ya and her group from yesterday, but hadn't seen them this morning. He had assumed they had left early like the others, but they had unexpectedly returned. The shopkeeper quickly came out from behind the counter to greet them, his face showing a mixture of confusion and apology.
"Gentlemen, have you forgotten something?" the innkeeper greeted them cautiously. He assumed these distinguished guests had returned to retrieve something they had left behind.
Jiuya raised an eyebrow in confusion, "We haven't checked out yet! Have you already started cleaning the room?"
Although there wasn't much in the room, she couldn't just start cleaning right away, could she? First, they hadn't checked out yet, and second, it wasn't past noon. Jiu Ya subconsciously touched the purse at her waist to confirm that the room fee had already been paid.
The innkeeper waved his hands repeatedly, beads of sweat forming on his honest face. How could he let the guests have such a misunderstanding? He quickly explained, "No, no, sir, you've misunderstood. We usually start cleaning from the rooms of guests who have clearly checked out." As he spoke, he pointed to the register on the counter, "The rooms of all the guests are still intact and untouched."
"I see." Jiu Ya nodded. She had originally intended to leave soon, but then she suddenly remembered that Bai Yu had mentioned why this inn was still open to guests despite yesterday's situation. So she changed the subject, "We'll leave tomorrow morning, so let's stay one more night!"
As she spoke, her gaze swept across the lobby. The inn was indeed much quieter, with only a few guests sitting in a corner eating, a stark contrast to the bustling scene of yesterday.
"Are you sure you have enough rooms now?" Bai Yu immediately followed up Jiu Ya's words and asked, "Give us one more superior room and two ordinary rooms. We don't need that woodshed anymore." As she spoke, she glanced at Li Yue standing to the side. The woodshed where Li Yue stayed while keeping watch last night was indeed in poor condition. Since he was going to stay another night, he naturally couldn't stay there again.
"Yes, yes, I'll arrange it right away," the innkeeper replied, and began to flip through the accommodation registration records. His fingers slid quickly across the pages, carefully checking the availability of rooms.
"The rooms shouldn't be too far apart," Jiu Ya added. After what happened last night, she didn't want everyone to stay too far apart, so that if anything unexpected happened again, it would be convenient for them to look after each other.
The innkeeper looked up, a smile plastered on his face. "Alright, I'll make sure everything is arranged for you, sirs." As he spoke, he turned and called out to the backyard, "Tiger's mother, come quickly and arrange rooms for the guests!"
The innkeeper's wife responded and came out from the backyard, wearing an apron and with flour on her hands, looking like she was busy in the kitchen. She was a capable woman, managing all the affairs of the inn perfectly.
The innkeeper confirmed with Tiger's mother which rooms next to Jiu Ya's room from the previous night had been cleaned out, and then quickly arranged rooms for Jiu Ya and her family. Tiger's mother was efficient and soon brought out the keys, personally leading the guests upstairs to see the rooms.
Jiu Ya looked at Rong Jiang and said with a grin, "Come on, Ran Ran, let's go upstairs?" As she spoke, she naturally took Rong Jiang's arm, their behavior intimate.
Rong Jiang nodded gently, lifted her skirt, and gracefully stepped up the stairs.
All the superior rooms in this inn were similar, simply furnished but clean and tidy. After asking Rong Jiang's opinion, Jiu Ya randomly chose one and quickly went to wash up. She couldn't stand the faint smell of blood on her body and wished she could change her clothes immediately.
This time, Bai Yu followed closely behind Jiu Ya, and Jiu Ya no longer had the chance to do her hair herself. As soon as they entered the room, Bai Yu quickly helped Jiu Ya take off her coat and then brought hot water for her to wash up.
Before the dressing table, Jiu Ya sat in front of the mirror, letting Bai Yu comb her long hair. The bronze mirror reflected a slightly tired but still elegant and beautiful face, with a hint of languor in the corners of her eyes and brows.
Bai Yu was styling Jiu Ya's hair. Her hands were skillful; she deftly parted Jiu Ya's long, dark hair, like a black cloud, and tied it into a bun on top of her head, letting it fall naturally. A strand of hair near her ear was braided into a small braid, the end of which was adorned with a string of orange-red coral beads, looking quite playful. The rest of her loose hair was loosely tied with a light-colored hairband, hanging down her back. Then Bai Yu began to select suitable hairpins and ornaments, her movements gentle and practiced.
While selecting hairpins, Bai Yu asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to rest for a while this afternoon? You didn't close your eyes at all last night." Her tone was tinged with worry, but her hands never stopped moving.
"What's the big deal? I can usually go into seclusion for a month or two, what's one night?" Jiu Ya said casually. Staying up all night has no effect at all. She glanced at the various hairpins and rings in the jewelry box. "Look, let's use the hairpin with the luminous bead on the left!" She pointed to a hairpin in the box with a red luminous bead, which shimmered with a warm luster in the sunlight.
Bai Yu took out the red pearl hairpin and carefully inserted it into Jiu Ya's hair. "Yes." Her movements were gentle, as if she was afraid of hurting Jiu Ya.
Of course, other hairpins and ornaments were also essential. A slightly more formal updo couldn't be achieved with just one hairpin. After all, the overall look was already defined, and a bare hairpin wouldn't look quite right. Bai Yu then selected several delicate pearl flowers and hair ornaments, carefully inserting them into the updo to perfectly embellish it.
Before finishing her dressing, Bai Yu seemed to remember something and asked, "Your Majesty, why did I feel that those ghost messengers were quite polite to this mortal prefect today? Yin and Yang are in harmony, and this prefect is not their superior, so why bother?" Her brows furrowed slightly, clearly puzzled by the ghost messengers' attitude towards Song Ping.
"Human officials certainly have no jurisdiction over ghost messengers, but Changshao is the jurisdiction of those few ghost messengers. Although they belong to the Yin and Yang realms respectively, more than a dozen lives have been lost. Whether it's the human prefect or the ghost messengers in the underworld, they all bear responsibility for negligence!" Jiu Ya toyed with a jade hairpin, her tone indifferent. "Besides—" She touched the tassels hanging from the hairpin, her expression somewhat ambiguous. She seriously suspected that the ghost messengers were being so polite because Rong Jiang herself was present. After all, human officials genuinely had no say in the affairs of ghost messengers, and they had no reason to curry favor with them.
If her boss were around, she'd be incredibly obedient. Jiu Ya silently added to herself, a sly smile playing on her lips.
Bai Yu was curious and slowed down her movements, waiting for Jiu Ya to continue.
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