That's right! This painting is completely out of place with the layout of this room.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Qin Kou'er's room luxurious. Even the residences of the imperial concubines in the palace were not as magnificent as hers.
But in this exquisite room, there was a painting that was worthless.
Lan Linxue reached out and held the painting up, tilting her head to look inside.
The walls were clean, and there was nothing on them.
Lan Linxue tapped it again; it sounded very solid, without any insulation.
Lan Linxue put the painting down again and then stood at a distance to take a look.
Suddenly, his gaze fell on the content of the painting.
Guanyin leaned against the railing, holding a white jade pendant, and sprinkled water into the pond little by little with willow leaves...
pond!
Why are there no fish in the pond?
Lan Linxue sidled closer to examine the rather indistinct pond more closely.
Lan Linxue knew from what happened in the mountains last time that Qin Kou'er was very knowledgeable about mechanisms and secret passages, so he absolutely could not let go of any clues.
The pond in the painting is somewhat blurry, clearly indicating that the artist was sketching it lightly.
But something in the pool seemed to be shimmering.
Lan Linxue leaned closer to take a look and found that there were actually four pearls.
Moreover, it was placed in the four corners, with a very subtle outline of the intersection in the center, upon which a tiny lotus flower was placed. However, two of the lotus petals were golden.
Lan Linxue looked somewhat familiar.
After thinking about it carefully, he suddenly realized something.
He jumped up and down and rushed to Qin Kou'er's bedside.
Sure enough, four pearls were placed on the four sides of the bed. And right opposite the bed, there was a carved lotus flower, inlaid with gold and silver, placed in the center.
Without a second thought, Lan Linxue went straight up and carefully pressed her hand onto the two corresponding golden leaves.
A series of clattering sounds.
The bed was slowly moved, revealing a hidden door.
Lan Linxue and Shuanghua exchanged a glance, then slipped inside.
The bed was gently closed again, and everything returned to normal.
Meanwhile, Qin Kou'er was sitting in her usual spot, leisurely sipping her daughter's red wine.
Old Place is a restaurant, and its name is Old Place.
The owner of the old place is a widow named Gong Erniang.
The old place only sells three things: vinegar fish, salt-roasted peanuts, and aged Shaoxing wine.
What makes this old place so memorable and worth returning to is its unique three small tables, all built on the water. A gentle breeze carries not only the fragrance of lotus blossoms but also the faint scent of night-blooming jasmine.
Gong Erniang was an ingenious craftswoman.
Although the old place wasn't big, she decorated it with exceptional elegance and taste.
Anyone who can enjoy vinegared fish at the old haunts must be either a celebrity or a talented scholar from Jiangnan.
Because Gong Erniang liked people who were good at reading.
Jun Yannuo was probably the person Gong Erniang was most proud of.
All the restaurants in Yangzhou treated Qin Kou'er with utmost respect, but only in this old haunt did Qin Kou'er absolutely rely on Jun Yannuo's connections to get a free meal.
Qin Kou'er once told Jun Yannuo that Gong Erniang looked at him as if he were a peach blossom and she was a bee, and if she didn't taste it, she would probably never give up in this lifetime.
As a result, Jun Yannuo stopped coming to the usual place for quite some time.
I came with Qin Kou'er today because she was in a good mood, and Qin Kou'er is always very picky about food, but she is most proud of Gong Erniang's vinegar fish.
At this moment, when Gong Erniang saw Jun Yannuo arrive, she immediately brushed her hair aside, touched the pearl hairpin in her hair, shook her clothes, and walked over with great charm.
"Oh, Chief Steward Jun! What wind has blown such a divine figure like you to my doorstep? Do you know how much I've missed you since you last visited!"
Gong Erniang swayed gracefully to Jun Yannuo's side, her small hand raised, her body about to collapse onto him.
Jun Yannuo smiled slightly and gently pushed Qin Kou'er aside, thus freeing himself from the crowd.
Gong Erniang's expression froze the moment she saw Qin Kou'er's smiling face.
He flicked the handkerchief in his hand, his voice immediately turning cold, and said dismissively, "Oh, Pavilion Master Qin, here to mooch fish again!"
Qin Kou'er felt that it was unfair that Gong Erniang would give Jun Yannuo a smile and then give her a cold look every time.
At least the merchants on the Qinhuai River still depend on her for their livelihood.
However, Gong Erniang was an exception. No matter Jun Yannuo or Mo Hun, she had said a lot of nice things, but when it came to Qin Kou'er, she was still cold and indifferent, as if she didn't care whether Qin Kou'er accepted it or not.
Qin Kou'er knew why this was, and in the face of helplessness, she could only try to thicken her skin.
With a gentle smile, Qin Kou'er said, "Yan Nuo said that, in the end, the fish from Yangzhou is still the most flavorful when cooked by Second Aunt. It's been so long since I've been here that I almost forgot what it tastes like. So, since I had a few days of free time, I specially dragged me to come and see Second Aunt, and to taste her cooking!"
Is that really the case?
Gong Erniang was overjoyed upon hearing this. Her two beautiful eyebrows curved into crescent moons.
"Why didn't you just tell me if you wanted some? It's no trouble at all! Please come in!"
As she spoke, Gong Erniang quickly ushered Jun Yannuo and Qin Kou'er inside.
There was another table eating nearby, and they were almost finished. Gong Erniang didn't give them any face and went up to them to send them away, saying she needed to clear the place. However, before they left, she specially packed a bag of peanuts for them and gave them two catties of Daughter's Red wine.
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