Chapter 37 This time it won't be lost again.
Because of a slight delay on the road, the two arrived in the town at noon.
Shen Panyan wasn't fast on her feet, so Lin Xiao had to use his lightness skill to carry her. Feeling quite embarrassed, Shen Panyan got off Lin Xiao and looked away, noticing the bustling street. She asked softly, "Where is this, Lin Xiao?"
Lin Xiao: "This town is called He Guan Town. It is a necessary stop on the way to the capital. Many merchants will stop here to rest. Some goods that cannot be delivered to the capital will be disposed of here. It is a very lively town."
Seeing his familiarity with the place, Shen Panyan asked curiously, "Lin Xiao, have you been here before?"
Lin Xiao nodded. "Yes, I used to pass by here often when I was doing missions."
"Do you know what fun things there are to do here?"
Lin Xiao hesitated and shook his head, "I've mostly passed through in a hurry before, so I don't know what's fun in town."
“Oh, I see…” Shen Panyan smiled, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling as she grasped his wrist. Her voice was gentle and soft. “Isn’t that perfect? You’ve never played this before, and neither have I. We can play together today.”
"Lin Xiao, let's go."
Seeing her happy, Lin Xiao couldn't help but smile slightly. "Okay."
However, Shen Panyan stopped as soon as she stepped into the crowd.
The memory of her falling into the water and being captured by bandits during the last crowd was still vivid in her mind. Now, with so many people passing by, she felt as if she were back in that night. She was terrified, but her body trembled uncontrollably as she was forced to drift with the crowd.
"Lin Xiao, Lin Xiao..." She subconsciously searched for his figure.
"Your subordinate is here."
Almost instantly, her hand was gently grasped by a large, warm hand, held in his palm, and his voice fell on her ear, "Princess, don't be afraid."
"This time, I will not lose the princess again."
As the somber memories faded, his figure filled her entire field of vision amidst the bustling crowd.
Shen Panyan lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and whispered, "Mmm."
Heguan Town is a small town built around a large river. It has a wide terrain, green mountains and clear waters, and excellent scenery.
Although it's a small town, it has everything you need: food, drinks, entertainment, and more. The houses on both sides of the street are mostly made of blue bricks, gray tiles, and white walls. Following the road, the long bluestone slabs stretch all the way to the dock, where boats come and go busily. Compared to the exquisite and luxurious capital city, this place has a richer sense of daily life.
Shen Panyan had never left the capital. The farthest she had ever been in her life was the Royal Villa. Now that she was here, she was curious about everything and couldn't take it all in.
Street vendors set up large pots, stirring the contents with long spoons, then tossing in a plate of round, plump glutinous rice balls.
Instantly, the oil sizzled and danced, and in no time, the white glutinous rice balls turned golden and crispy.
The vendor quickly scooped up the glutinous rice balls, coated them with sugar syrup, and sprinkled them with sesame seeds; the aroma could be smelled from afar.
Shen Panyan was just strolling around when suddenly a fragrant aroma wafted into her nostrils. She sniffed it lightly, turned her head, and her eyes lit up when she saw the round, plump food. "Lin Xiao, what is that? It smells so good!"
Lin Xiao followed her gaze and said, "That's sugar-coated fruit, a kind of folk snack. Would the princess like to try some?"
"think!"
She had only eaten a little for breakfast, and her stomach was already growling with hunger.
Lin Xiao led her forward, "Shopkeeper, a string of sugar-coated fruit."
Okay.
After paying, the shopkeeper quickly wrapped it in oil paper, saying, "It's fresh out of the pot, please be careful as it's hot. Wait a while before eating."
Lin Xiao nodded, took the gift, and left with Chen Panyan.
Shen Panyan's gaze fell on the candied fruit in his hand, her almond-shaped eyes filled with curiosity.
She would almost never encounter, let alone taste, this kind of folk food.
"Lin Xiao, are you done?" She looked at him, her eyes filled with anticipation.
The aroma of the candied fruit wafted into her nose, and she really wanted to taste it.
Lin Xiao said, "It's still a bit hot, Princess, please wait a little longer."
Should we wait a little longer?
Shen Panyan said, "Okay, alright."
Seeing the disappointment in the princess's eyes, Lin Xiao thought for a moment, "Would the princess like to listen to a story?"
"Listen to audiobooks?" Shen Panyan asked curiously, her attention drawn in.
"Okay." Lin Xiao led her toward a teahouse not far away.
When he passed by in a hurry earlier, he noticed that there was a teahouse full of guests, with thunderous applause from the audience. He figured the speaker must have been very good to attract so many customers.
Upon entering the teahouse, the storyteller on stage spoke with passionate fervor, while the audience below remained silent. The waiter, seeing someone arrive, quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"Welcome! Would you like to sit in the main room or in a private room on the second floor?"
Lin Xiao: "Please come to a private room, and also bring a pot of tea and a plate of pastries. I want the best ones from your shop."
"Okay, this way please."
The town was mostly frequented by traveling merchants, and everyone was busy on their journeys. Even when they listened to storytelling, they would only sit for a short while before leaving, and very few would choose a private room. Therefore, the waiter was exceptionally attentive.
Upon reaching the second floor, Lin Xiao took out some silver from his pocket and gave it to him, saying calmly, "Keep the change, and quickly bring the tea and pastries."
The waiter took it, weighed it in his hand, and his face immediately broke into a wide smile. "Thank you, sir. I'll go right away. Please have a seat, gentlemen."
After saying that, the waiter left the room and walked briskly downstairs.
Lin Xiao glanced around and quickly chose a seat. "Princess, this is a good view. Please sit here."
"good."
Shen Panyan sat down, looking at Lin Xiao, her expression hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Seeing that she had something to say, Lin Xiao asked in confusion, "Princess, what do you want to ask?"
Shen Panyan hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Lin Xiao, Forty-Three said that you've always been very frugal, and that you never spend a single tael of silver in a whole year. Is that true?"
She pursed her lips, her eyes filled with guilt. "I didn't bring my purse today, and you've had to spend money again. I'll make it up to you when we get back."
Lin Xiao: "......"
He arrived too late that day and didn't hear much, so naturally he didn't know that Forty-Three had revealed everything about himself.
Lin Xiao's expression darkened.
Of all the things he could say, he had to talk about how stingy he was.
Shen Panyan continued, "Forty-Three said that your colleagues all love to buy themselves all sorts of delicious snacks or weapons, but you are reluctant to buy anything for yourself and have been saving your monthly allowance. Lin Xiao, I will definitely make up for the money when we get back."
Oh, and there's also the silver he paid earlier.
Shen Panyan felt increasingly embarrassed. Lin Xiao was so meticulous in his calculations, yet he had spent so much money on her. When they got back, she would definitely give him even more.
Lin Xiao likes money, and she has money, so giving him more wouldn't hurt.
If that's not enough, she can always go back to the capital and ask her mother for her own fiefdoms.
She should have returned it to herself in the first place.
Shen Panyan clenched the hem of her clothes, suddenly remembering something.
Since she woke up, there has been no news from the capital. Silence reigns, and no one has told her what happened to the mastermind behind her abduction by the bandits.
Apart from her closest maid, Mu Ying, she dared not ask any other palace maids.
But Mu Ying knew nothing about it, so the matter was put aside.
To be honest, the person she should really ask is Lin Xiao; he should know the answer. But Lin Xiao has only been back for a short time, so there's no rush. She can ask him when he's about to leave.
Shen Panyan didn't want anything else to spoil her good mood with Lin Xiao.
Seeing the princess's apologetic expression and her desire to compensate him with a lot of money, Lin Xiao inwardly sighed.
His eyes were deep and thoughtful. Once he got back, he was determined to have a good sparring match with Forty-Three.
Let him talk nonsense. As a bodyguard, he's so loose-lipped.
However, for now, we need to clear up the princess's misunderstanding.
“Princess, please don’t listen to Forty-Three’s nonsense. I don’t care much about money.”
Shen Panyan was taken aback. "Not so concerned about money?"
Lin Xiao nodded, "His Majesty pays for our food, clothing, and lodging. I don't usually need to spend money, so I stayed."
Shen Panyan suddenly realized, "So that's how it is?"
“However…” Shen Panyan still felt puzzled, “Forty-Three said that you always keep others from touching your money, and you even refused when a colleague asked to borrow a tael of silver…”
She hesitated for a moment, but still spoke her mind.
"It's okay, Lin Xiao. It's normal to like money. Don't feel embarrassed. I have money. I can give it to you!"
Lin Xiao: "......"
He was about to explain when he heard footsteps outside the cubicle.
This was, after all, a teahouse, with many people and distractions. Lin Xiao pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "Princess, may I explain this matter to you when we get back?"
Shen Panyan blinked. "Okay."
Just then, the waiter came in and said, "Gentlemen, your tea and pastries are here!"
"These are our best-selling Xishan Orchid and Hibiscus Seven-Piece Pastry. Please enjoy."
"Xishan orchids?"
Shen Panyan initially thought it was flower tea, but after taking a sip, she found it didn't taste like flower tea at all. She immediately asked curiously, "Why is this tea called that?"
The waiter chuckled, his face mysterious. "My sir, you may not know this, but these Xishan orchids come from Chongzhou, a thousand miles away. They have very specific growing conditions; they need not only mountains and water, but also orchids. The tea leaves absorb the fragrance of the orchids, hence the name Xishan orchids, but they are not actually orchids."
"This tea is emerald green like jade, with a sweet and refreshing taste and a hint of orchid fragrance. It is the favorite tea of noble gentlemen in the capital. If our manager did not have a good relationship with a traveling merchant, we would not have been able to obtain such a fine tea."
"Oh, I see," Shen Panyan said, suddenly understanding. "Thank you for letting me know."
"You're too kind. Please feel free to call me if you need anything."
The waiter bowed and withdrew.
As Shen Panyan sipped her tea, her almond-shaped eyes crinkled into crescents: "Lin Xiao, the taste of this West Mountain orchid is in no way inferior to the tea in my courtyard."
"Are all teas made in rural areas this delicious?"
Lin Xiao shook his head: "This is the only way to the capital. Merchants are profit-driven. They won't bring good goods all the way here, even if they have to travel over mountains."
Shen Panyan suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."
"Lin Xiao, have you been to many places before?" Shen Panyan looked at him earnestly with her almond-shaped eyes. "Lin Xiao, can you tell me about the interesting things that have happened to you since you left the capital?"
She didn't know much about things outside the capital; most of her knowledge came from books.
If she had the chance, she would love to visit different parts of Zhaoyan Kingdom to see if they were really as magnificent and grand as described in the books.
"Lin Xiao, have you ever been to Jiangnan? I read in a book that the scenery there is exceptionally beautiful. Every spring, willows droop along the banks, and you can even take a painted boat and listen to the rain along the streets..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
