Nanjiang County has beautiful scenery. A small river divides the county town in two, and boats come and go on the river, making it very lively.
Scholars and literati enjoyed indulging in refined pursuits, so they often gathered on both sides of the river to compose poems, play music, and paint, creating a harmonious scene.
Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu strolled along the banks of the small river, enjoying local delicacies, watching local performances, appreciating the poems and songs written by scholars and literati, and admiring the graceful dances performed by women on painted boats on the river.
I thoroughly enjoyed all of this.
If it weren't for the official's kind reminder to Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu when they entered the city, Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu would definitely have had a very good impression of this place.
Unfortunately, there was one so-called supernatural event that always made Zhu Yuntang and Zhao Qingzhu feel like there was a thorn stuck in their hearts, and they couldn't have fun until it was removed.
I always feel that there's something inexplicable about this place.
After playing for half a day, as darkness fell, Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu found a relatively nice inn and prepared to stay there.
Inside the inn, the waiter registered the two people's information while hesitating to speak, looking rather comical.
Zhu Yunwen smiled and said to the waiter:
"Why don't you just say what you have to say? It's easy to be hesitant like this, don't keep it bottled up inside!"
Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, the waiter sighed and said:
"Young master, there are some things I wanted to remind you of out of good intentions, but they are too strange and I'm afraid they'll cause trouble. Never mind, I can't live with myself if I don't say them."
You two will be staying at our inn tonight. Please remember to keep the doors and windows securely closed, preferably double-locked. Keep the lights on in the rooms, so you don't see anything strange or scary.
Zhu Yunwen knew that it must be this so-called talk of ghosts and gods again.
He smiled and said to the waiter:
“We have also heard that in this precious land, young and beautiful women are often abducted by ghosts and gods. Is this true?”
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief:
"Since you have heard about it, that's even better. You should be even more careful and make sure nothing goes wrong. Nowadays, the world is at peace and things are good."
But even in the best of times and in the most peaceful world, there are bound to be things that are incomprehensible to ordinary people.
The matter has been discussed further; it's impossible to explain everything now. You two should objectively assess and judge for yourselves.
This waiter does have some skill in speaking; no wonder he's qualified to be a waiter in such an inn.
Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu just smiled. After Zhu Yunwen's previous analysis, Zhao Qingzhu was no longer particularly afraid of the matter.
She firmly believes that there are no ghosts in the world, only people in disguise. And even if there are, they are not simply lustful ghosts.
After paying the money, Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu went to the luxurious guest room on the second floor.
The waiter was very thoughtful; he specially prepared a few extra candles.
The meaning was quite simple: they genuinely intended to keep Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu's lights on all night to prevent any so-called danger from occurring.
This left Zhu Yunwen somewhat amused and exasperated, but he couldn't very well refuse the waiter's kind offer.
The waiter left with a smile, telling Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu that if anything happened, they should shout for help.
After the waiter left, Zhu Yunwen placed the candle on the table and said with a smile:
"If we don't figure out this so-called ghost story tonight, it would really be a waste of Xiao Er's hard work."
Zhao Qingzhu also said:
"That's right, but there's a problem now. We've been shopping all day and we're a bit hungry. How about we ask the waiter to bring us some more food?"
Zhu Yunwen nodded, and then went out to order three or five side dishes.
Soon, the dishes were served. Zhao Qingzhu wanted to eat, but Zhu Yunwen stopped her. Then he picked up the dishes and smelled them. Zhao Qingzhu immediately understood and said:
Are you worried that someone might tamper with the food?
Zhu Yunwen said, "Don't eat this food. The reason I ordered a few dishes according to your wishes was just to cover up the truth."
Zhao Qingzhu said:
But I am really hungry!
Zhu Yunwen smiled slightly:
"Don't we still have some dry rations in our packs? Let's just eat something to tide us over. We can just pick out some of the food and throw it in the trash to make it look like we've had enough."
Zhao Qingzhu noticed Zhu Yunwen's caution and then said:
"But we ate a lot of snacks on the street this afternoon. Could there be something wrong with those things?"
Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said:
"Those are naturally not a problem. After all, it's impossible for someone with ulterior motives to tamper with the food we eat at any time."
But the food is uncertain. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the inn, but rather that we might be being targeted by something.
Therefore, it is highly likely that someone secretly placed something inside the delivered food when the innkeepers were not paying attention.
Of course, regardless of whether this actually happened, it's always good to be cautious. Having an extra precaution, or an extra act of temptation, is never a bad thing.
Having been by Zhu Yunwen's side for so long, Zhao Qingzhu naturally understood that Zhu Yunwen's actions must have a reason and must be correct.
So he nodded and said:
"I see."
Therefore, Zhu Yunwen's earlier suspicion that the food might be attacked, yet his agreement to ask for some dishes, was by no means a superfluous action.
This at least gives others the illusion that they will actually eat these things.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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