Chapter 252 Does he need to drink deer blood?
Yuwen Ye didn't even look at her, but said to the coachman outside, "Let's go."
Immediately, the carriage began to sway and wobble as it started to move forward.
Sitting next to him, Shang Ruyi was even more puzzled. But seeing him close his eyes, clearly not intending to pay attention to her, she felt a little wronged. She didn't know what she had done to offend him. Even if he really brought her out to play today, it should have been a happy and affectionate time. Why was he treating her so coldly?
So, she closed her eyes in a huff and ignored him.
After a while, Yuwen Ye slowly opened his eyes a crack, glanced at her, and a smile appeared on his lips.
There weren't many people on the streets today, and the carriage moved smoothly. Before long, a commotion could be heard outside the carriage. The sounds of pedestrians walking and greeting each other could be heard from both sides of the road, as well as the loud shouts of vendors, making it a lively scene.
Hearing those sounds, Shang Ruyi, who had been quiet for several days, began to stir with excitement.
She was young after all, and even the most composed person wouldn't dislike a lively atmosphere, especially with someone she liked by her side. Before long, she couldn't help but open her eyes and lift the curtain to look outside. Although Yuwen Ye had told her a lot about the rebels in various places these past two days, which made her very worried, Dongdu City was, after all, under the emperor's nose and was still the safest and most prosperous place in the world.
Even knowing that what is before us is just a temporary illusion, it still brings joy.
Sometimes, a moment of peace is all that matters.
If you can enjoy a moment of sweetness, then that moment is sweet.
She looked out and gradually found the scenery around her to be familiar. Looking further ahead, she saw a magnificent and bustling three-story building standing in front of her, and she immediately came to her senses.
Tinghelou!
By the way, when they were still stationed at Luokou Ferry, Yuwen Ye said that he would treat her well after they returned, and even suggested that he take her to Tinghe Tower to eat delicious food. After they returned to Dongdu, even though he was surrounded by Wang Shaoji's men, he still rode his horse to the entrance of Tinghe Tower to see the newly put up signboard.
It turns out he had been remembering this incident, which is why he dressed up nicely today.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi felt a surge of joy and immediately turned to look at the person beside her. She saw that Yuwen Ye still had his eyes closed, as if he was not disturbed by the noisy atmosphere around him at all.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "Second Brother..."
"..."
Yuwen Ye did not respond immediately. Instead, he slowly opened his eyes, glanced at her, and then looked at the bustling street outside the curtain before asking, "What do you want?"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "We're almost there."
Yuwen Ye asked, "Where are we almost?"
Now Shang Ruyi knew what he was angry about. He had kept this matter in mind, but she had completely forgotten about it, treating his good intentions as worthless. No wonder he had ignored her the whole way. Thinking of this, she smiled, gently moved closer to him, and rested her head on his shoulder.
Yuwen Ye remained unmoved.
But the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled upwards, and he said, "Have you never taken my words to heart?"
Shang Ruyi immediately replied, "It won't happen again next time."
"..."
If she explained or argued, he might still be angry, but her quick admission of wrongdoing left him bewildered. Yuwen Ye glared at her somewhat irritably, but finally couldn't help but laugh.
Just then, the carriage stopped, and the coachman outside said, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, we have arrived at Tinghe Tower."
The two immediately got out of the car.
During the day, Tinghelou was not as bustling as it was at night, but there were still several tables occupied on the first floor, with several waiters busy at work. There was also a waiter at the door who was loudly hawking his wares to attract customers. As soon as the carriage stopped, he knew that a big customer had arrived and hurriedly came forward with a smile, saying, "Young master, madam, please come in."
After saying that, he turned around and shouted loudly into the room, "Honorable guests!"
They went inside. Shang Ruyi looked around and suddenly felt a little dazed, but she tried her best to calm herself down and followed Yuwen Ye upstairs. The waiter led them into a private room by the window.
Upon entering the private room, Shang Ruyi's heart sank once again.
This is the very private room where Chu Yang intercepted her on the way last time and brought her to Tinghe Tower, where the two met.
But now, the place had been tidied up as usual, and the ancient yet luxurious fragrance that used to permeate the air was gone. Yuwen Ye sat down and saw her standing to the side looking somewhat lost in thought. He asked, "What's wrong?"
"……Um?"
Shang Ruyi suddenly came to her senses, quickly shook her head, and sat down opposite him.
Yuwen Ye seemed to sense that she was a little distracted, but he didn't say anything. The waiter brought over hot tea and some snacks to accompany it, and then asked solicitously, "What would you two like to eat?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Medicinal soup, small heavenly pastry, braised phoenix tongue, and cherry meat."
Shang Ruyi looked at him with some surprise.
Although Yuwen Ye had mentioned last time that she didn't like lamb, he only learned about her aversion to certain flavors. Shang Ruyi had never told him what she liked to eat. But this time, almost all the dishes he ordered were her favorite flavors.
How did he know?
Upon further reflection, she began to understand.
Although she never told Yuwen Ye what she liked to eat, she would naturally eat those dishes more often when her family cooked them. Since Yuwen Ye could tell that she didn't like lamb without even asking, he could naturally tell what kind of food she liked.
So, he was actually keeping an eye on himself quietly.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi's heart warmed instantly, and the slight daze she had just felt was immediately forgotten. Yuwen Ye looked up at her and said, "Take another look, what else would you like to eat?"
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Braised mutton."
"Okay."
The waiter responded and happily ran to the kitchen to report the order.
Yuwen Ye looked at her with some surprise: "Don't you dislike lamb? Why did you order it?"
Shang Ruyi said, "But you like it."
"...How did you know?"
"You ordered a whole table of mutton at Xianglaiju before. If you didn't like it, why would you order so much?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye thought for a moment, then laughed and said, "My family never indulges us in our food and drink, but everyone has their preferences. I only let myself go when I go out, so my family won't say I'm a picky eater."
Shang Ruyi laughed and said, "I've also been told I'm a picky eater."
"oh?"
“When I was at home, my aunt always criticized me. I was also curious why she never picked at her food and would eat everything on the table. But now that I think about it, she is an adult. When she buys groceries, she naturally won't buy things she doesn't like. So she never picks at her food.”
Yuwen Ye laughed and asked, "So, what else do you like to eat?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at him, lowered her head, and said softly, "I like everything you just ordered."
Yuwen Ye looked at her, his smile deepening.
The two of them didn't speak again, but just drank tea and ate snacks. Although it was quiet, it wasn't cold or awkward. On the contrary, there was a faint, sweet fragrance between them that was invisible and intangible, yet seemed to be able to be smelled.
A short while later, the waiter brought over two dishes: braised mutton and medicinal soup. They immediately ladled out two bowls of soup to warm themselves up.
I had just taken two sips of soup when Xiaotian Su was served again.
This dish is prepared differently in different places. Tinghelou's version involves stir-frying shredded chicken and venison with bright green vegetables. The vibrant colors and rich aroma are very refreshing and delightful in the dry winter, so many people order this dish to nourish themselves.
However, this plate was served in a bright red color.
Seeing that the dish looked different from usual, Yuwen Ye asked the waiter, "Why is this dish so red?"
The waiter smiled and said, "Honorable guest, you may not know, but the weather has been cold lately, so we've been adding deer blood to this dish in the kitchen. It's warming and nourishing."
"I see..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye said nothing, only waving his hand to dismiss him.
Shang Ruyi didn't know why he was so interested in a dish, so she asked him after the waiter left, "What's wrong?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head: "It's nothing."
As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks and put some food on her plate, saying, "Eat quickly, this won't taste good when it's cold. They also added deer blood, which will make it taste fishy when it's cold."
Shang Ruyi took several bites in succession, and the flavor was indeed rich, with no fishy taste at all.
After eating for a while, she noticed that Yuwen Ye was only drinking the soup and eating two pieces of braised mutton, but not this dish. So she said, "Why aren't you eating? Venison is very nourishing. You've suffered such a serious injury this time, you should eat something to nourish yourself."
As she spoke, she also placed a piece of her chopsticks on his plate.
Yuwen Ye looked at the bright red food on the plate, but didn't eat it immediately. He just pursed his lips, looked up at Shang Ruyi with a half-smile, and asked, "You want me to eat this?"
"...?"
Shang Ruyi looked at him with some confusion—what did he mean?
The dishes are ordered, aren't they meant to be eaten?
Yuwen Ye was still looking at her, unable to hide the smile on his lips, and asked again, "You really want me to eat?"
Shang Ruyi became increasingly suspicious, and she could clearly sense a hint of ill intent in his eyes and tone. Upon further reflection, she suddenly remembered some folk remedies she had seen before.
Deer blood can make men—
She blushed instantly, especially considering that today was the last day of the one-month period, and she dared not look at him.
Even if the two of them didn't say anything, these past few nights, sleeping in separate beds, she could always feel Yuwen Ye's burning aura making the whole room hot. His early morning sword practice also clearly had a purpose of venting. And she, even in her dreams, would feel a faint palpitation, but it wasn't fear, but a kind of unspeakable... longing.
Now, a dish made with deer blood suddenly brings to light the secret hopes that the two of them have been harboring for so long.
Deer blood...does he need to drink deer blood?
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