Visitors
…
Tao Yu didn't know whether this sentence was because he knew him too well or because it contained some sarcasm. He came here specially because he was afraid that Tao Yu would misunderstand him and wanted to explain, but Tao Yu already knew why he asked for the perfume formula. In short, this one sentence made him look a bit like a fool.
It was exactly time for Tao Yu to rest. Seeing that Qin Lan had nothing to say, she opened the door and asked him to leave.
"Since there's nothing else to say, please go away. Don't bother me anymore. I'll contact you if you have anything else."
In the blink of an eye, he was thrown out by her. Seeing the door slammed shut in front of him, Qin Lan opened his mouth, but finally stopped talking, raised his hand to support his neck, and sighed deeply.
He knew Tao Yu's habits, so he didn't hang around Tao Yu anymore. He went back to the secret room and told his subordinates the direction, so that they could investigate while they were hiding in various places.
—
Xinfeng saw that Qin Lan seemed to have something to do, but this time he was going out to carry out a mission, not to play, so his expression became more cautious.
"What are you doing at the Jiang Mansion?"
Qin Lan put his arm on Xinfeng's shoulder with a smile, and a sharp light flashed in his curved eyes.
"Don't worry, your master and I are on the same path. I'm looking for her because I have something to do."
“…”
Xinfeng looked at him with an indescribable expression, and finally nodded without saying anything.
"Okay, but you may not see Miss Jiang even if you go."
The person who was hooking his shoulder laughed casually, sounding as if he didn't mind at all.
"No problem, I just want to say hello first."
—
The next day, Jiang Nian packed his clothes in the side room and asked Guizhi to comb his hair. He immediately calculated the time and arrived at the warehouse half an incense stick of time in advance.
There was no place in the Jiang family's warehouse to entertain guests. Since the young man had stated that he wanted to meet in the warehouse and did not go to the pharmacy, probably to avoid being seen, she had to find a place to sit down and talk.
After eliminating several places in his mind, the only ones left were the experimental warehouse that he had previously taken Xiao Yingzhu to visit and the warehouse where the employees worked on a daily basis.
In the end, Jiang Nian chose to hold the conversation under a shady tree outside the warehouse.
But before she reached the tree, another figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
The man before him stood over five feet tall, his features clear and handsome, his demeanor extraordinary. His dark guard uniform, ironed to a crisp, immaculate finish, exuded a calm and commanding aura.
"My name is Xinfeng. I'm here by order of Duke Xiao to guard the important warehouse to prevent any accidents. This is the first time I've met Miss Jiang today, so I hope you'll forgive me."
After the last time Qing suddenly appeared in front of her, Jiang Nian had already accepted the sudden appearance of a secret guard in front of her this time.
Hearing his self-proclaimed name, Jiang Nian, who was about to reply, suddenly paused and asked, "Are you the one who named Qing and Yu...?"
Xinfeng, who had been half-kneeling with his head bowed, had a look of surprise in his eyes and whispered, "Yes."
I wonder if Qing came with her today?
Jiang Nian looked back thoughtfully, but besides her and the secret guard, the only person around was Fuling who had gone out with her.
Recently, she always felt that she was not very familiar with Qing and Yu, and she was not very comfortable getting along with them. She was thinking of finding a topic to make them more familiar with each other so that it would be easier to give instructions in the future, and now is an opportunity.
But there were other things going on at the moment, and the random thoughts that came to mind because of the report of the trade winds were fleeting.
Jiang Nian looked away and saw the employees working in the window of the warehouse next to him, and he understood why Xiao Yingzhu sent Xinfeng again.
Thinking that his alliance partner was so close to him and that they always had a tacit understanding that needed no words, and then because he was about to meet the strange young man, the psychological fatigue brought by it was also relieved a lot.
"Okay, I understand. From now on, just call me Miss."
She nodded and smiled gently toward the trade wind, her eyes clear and gentle. This lively expression, in the tipsy orange light of early morning, resembled a nimble, fluttering swallow.
It turns out that the master likes girls like this.
This was the first time Xinfeng was truly standing at the forefront of the melon-eating scene. He appeared calm and steady, secretly suppressing the urge to go back and share the latest gossip with Yunxiu. He nodded slightly and hid under a tree.
Jiang Nian watched Xin Feng's figure disappear. The breeze blew past his ears, lifting a corner of his green gauze sleeve.
She suddenly lowered her head, curled up her slender fingers on the edge of her sleeve to prevent it from being blown away by the sudden wind. Just as she was about to walk towards the stone table under the tree, a strange and clear voice sounded from behind.
"Is this young lady the daughter of the Jiang family from Pingzhou?"
Following the source of the sound, I saw a man in dark clothes with golden butterflies dancing like flying butterflies, his black hair combed high like a waterfall, and his sharp and beautiful face with sparse eyebrows and bright eyes, which made him look dashing and unrestrained, with extraordinary bearing.
Even if the elegant meeting etiquette is not followed at this moment, and a sudden question or conversation is interrupted, it will not make people feel abrupt and surprised. Instead, it will be like a breeze coming from the mountains and rivers, flowing through everyone's hearts, making people feel more intimate.
Jiang Nian turned his eyes to the side, and his gaze lingered on the face of the young man in gorgeous clothes for a moment, and a fleeting image suddenly appeared in his mind.
The picture was blurry, like the ripples in a pond that disappeared in an instant.
As soon as she stopped walking, she turned around and bowed to the young man in gorgeous clothes.
"I am Jiang Nian. I wonder if you..."
The gentleman in fancy clothes took a few steps forward, raised his hand towards her and said with a smile, "Miss Jiang, there is no need to be restrained between us. Since we are fellow travelers, just treat me as a friend and chat with me."
Hearing him say this, Jiang Nian naturally stopped being polite and invited him to sit at the stone table under the tree.
Guizhi had already prepared scented tea and snacks on the stone table. Fuling, who was in charge of looking after the warehouse, stood behind the stone chair without moving, with his eyes lowered, his face indifferent, and he didn't care about anything else.
When the young man in gorgeous clothes took his seat and Guizhi was pouring tea for him, Jiang Nian suppressed the emotions in his eyes, seized this moment to think silently and recall quickly.
Since she had never met him before, but he said that she and she were of the same kind, it meant that he had unilateral knowledge and understanding of what she had done.
Even though he had intelligence in his hands, he did not come suddenly like an uninvited guest, but took the initiative to show up and invite for a talk, as if to show his sincerity.
Plus, this face always gave her a familiar feeling...
The secret guards lurking around did not move, and the surroundings were peaceful. Jiang Nian always felt that his thoughts were stuck at a critical point.
She raised her eyes slightly as she was thinking, and the young man opposite her was turning his head to thank Guizhi.
Wait, this profile.
The misty scene in her mind seemed to have been wiped away, suddenly becoming bright and clear. The carriage passing by the Jiang Mansion warehouse in the dim light reappeared in her mind.
At that time, the wind lifted a corner of the curtain, revealing the man's profile, which seemed to gradually overlap with the young man in front of him.
The thoughts in his mind pointed to the same answer at the same time, but this answer made Jiang Nian hesitate.
Since we know what she is doing, we also know what is going on behind her. Since those things involve Xiao Yingzhu, she is either an enemy or a friend.
He stated his position so frankly, and the secret guards lurking around him did not move. Does this mean that he is indeed not a threat?
Or is he waiting for her order?
The gentleman in finery opposite glanced over at this moment, and seeing the subtle expression on Jiang Nian's face, he seemed to know what she was thinking. He smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, if you have guessed my identity, you might as well tell me directly."
There was a smile in his tone, and he was waiting for the answer with great interest.
Jiang Nian smiled and shook his head slightly.
"Your Excellency may be overestimating me, but I do have some ideas."
She raised her eyes, the light in them clear.
"Could I be a relative or friend of Duke Xiao?"
The young man in fancy clothes raised his eyebrows and did not comment on Jiang Nian's answer.
"You think I look like his blood relative?"
“…”
Not really.
I just wanted to broaden the scope of my answer.
Jiang Nian was about to bypass this topic and not dwell on it, wanting to get straight to the core of the conversation, but the other party didn't realize that time was running out. He lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea before speaking.
"Miss Jiang guessed correctly. I am Xiao Yingzhu's good friend. From now on, you can just call me Qin Lan."
He slowly raised his eyes and gently shook the teacup in his hand.
"This tea is as sweet and mellow as a peach. It doesn't look like the usual tea sold in the market. Could it be that the young lady specially mixed it?"
When suddenly asked this, Jiang Nian was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
"Qingquan Xiaotuan is extremely bitter at first, but has a sweet aftertaste. I like that hint of sweetness, so I made a slight adjustment to the brewing method to make the tea's aftertaste linger."
Although he said this on the surface, Jiang Nian actually directly changed the tea into modern fruit tea.
Qin Lan glanced inside, seeming to be quite interested in the tea. He then raised his eyes and continued, "Such an interesting floral tea would be perfect to complement the scented sachet at the Flower Festival and win first prize. I wonder if Miss Jiang would like to bring both the floral tea and the scented sachet to the competition this year?"
Fuling on the side raised her eyes, looked at Qin Lan, then turned her gaze to Jiang Nian, with a more questioning look on her face.
Jiang Nian was listening to Qin Lan say this at this moment, and she didn't know what words to choose in response. Fuling was standing behind her, so she couldn't see the cleverness of Qin Lan's question.
This is the first time I’ve heard of the Flower Festival. I’ve never heard Guizhi and Fuling mention it before. Is it a unique festival of this dynasty?
But it doesn't seem like there are any flower-related festivals around here.
Although Pingzhou has many mountains and rivers, the flower varieties are limited, and it cannot be said that there are hundreds of flowers blooming and competing for beauty.
But maybe there is, but everyone knows about it, so it is only mentioned during the event?
She looked at Qin Lan thoughtfully, and he looked at her with a bit of curiosity that came from nowhere. She was about to answer but stopped.
...They are all Xiao Yingzhu's friends, so they might be cunning people. Are they using this activity to find out my identity?
But who would use something that is common in everyone's cognition to inquire about it? There should be no concept of time and space in this dynasty.
She was really exposed to the shadow by Xiao Yingzhu.
Putting away his mixed emotions, Jiang Nian avoided the Flower Festival and only picked out the parts that could be touched upon based on the original owner's preferences.
"I have little interest in scented sachets and cannot make them myself."
She smiled back to express her apology, lowered her eyes and picked up the flower tea in her hand, looking a little helpless.
Qin Lan tapped the table with his fingertips and finally got to the point of gossip. He wanted to find out about Xiao Yingzhu's relationship progress, but asked in another form.
"The Flower Festival doesn't require you to make your own sachets, right? You can also use ones given to you by others."
Her bright face, reflected in the tea, was momentarily stunned. Jiang Nian raised her head and shook it at Qin Lan, preparing to answer and avoid the topic that might reveal her identity so that she could get to the point.
"Master Qin, you've misunderstood. I've never received anything like a sachet from anyone else. Why don't we change the subject?"
Facing Qin Lan's slightly satisfied expression, as if he had heard the answer he wanted to hear, Jiang Nian suppressed the small doubt that suddenly arose in his heart and continued to ask, "I am very curious about the reason for Mr. Qin's visit today. I am willing to listen attentively."
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