Chapter 64
They were gone the whole day and there was no one to talk to. Bored, Lin Xing fiddled with her hairband. Considering she had to hurry, she didn't put her hair in a bun, but just tied it up with a hairband.
However, some interesting things still happened along the way, and several people chose to stay at an inn to rest at night. Although the post station was empty, it was very lively. Lin Xing was shocked when she came in.
It was already late at night when they arrived. The inn looked brightly lit from the outside, and laughter could be heard from time to time. They thought there were many people there, but when Lin Xing and her group entered on their own, they found that only one table was being used.
The people in the room were also stunned. Just as the two sides were looking at each other, a man dressed as a servant stood up and walked in front of them, saying apologetically: "I didn't hear you knocking on the door just now, so I didn't go out to greet you. I hope you can forgive me. Please come in."
Lin Xing: "Is there any food at this time?"
"Yes, please tell me what you want, sir."
"In that case, then prepare two tables of meals first. We haven't had a hot meal after traveling all day." Her voice became lower and lower. The servant only heard the first sentence and nodded quickly in response.
When I came to my senses, everyone in front of the table had dispersed and went about their business, and now the place looked like an inn. Shen Ling and Lin Xing sat down casually, and Yu Hang went to finish the rest.
Shen Ling: "Shopkeeper Lin, how do you feel?"
Lin Xing rolled her eyes at him and said, "What's wrong with you? I'm no longer the shopkeeper."
"And I'm dying of exhaustion."
Shen Ling curled his lips and said, "I want to shout."
"Deputy Envoy Shen, please go ahead." After saying that, Lin Xing began to rub her old waist. This carriage was really not something that ordinary people could bear.
Yu Hang sat down at the table and said, "The room has been arranged. It's late at night. Go back and rest after dinner. We have to travel tomorrow."
Hearing this, Lin Xing wailed and fell on the table, saying in pain: "I'm so tired!"
Yu Hang lowered his voice and said, "We will be at the Yu Mansion at noon tomorrow. The emperor asked us to rest first and then come to the palace to see him in two days."
Shen Ling narrowed his eyes, imitated Lin Xing's posture, and said lazily: "The emperor is really sympathetic to the people."
"You think too much. We have to go to court the day after tomorrow."
Lin Xing, who had her eyes closed, sat up with a gloating look, watching the fun and saying: "Your Majesty is even more wise. Deputy Envoy Shen has been on vacation for a long time, and he really needs to go back to work."
After saying that, he winked at Shen Ling. Shen Ling noticed that the boy was carrying the dishes towards him, so he stood up and said, "Manager Lin's good days won't last long."
"More than you."
…
"Dear guests, the dishes have been served. Please enjoy your meal."
After the servant went down, the few of them began to eat like hungry wolves, spitting out and swallowing until their stomachs became round.
Shen Ling: "Have we already left Dingzhou?"
Lin Xing put on a fake smile and stared at Chen Ling and said, "If we are still in Dingzhou after walking for a day, then this place is too big."
Yu Hang said calmly: "We have entered the capital now."
Shen Ling lowered his eyes and stared at the leftovers in front of him in a daze. Lin Xing waved her hands in front of his eyes a few times, and when she saw him come back to his senses, she said, "If you're sleepy, go to bed. I feel like you're a little abnormal."
He shook his head, not knowing which statement he was denying.
“Although the capital and Dingzhou are very close, the food here is completely different.”
Lin Xing and Yu Hang's eyes were drawn to the dishes by his words, waiting for him to explain, but Shen Ling did not speak again for a long time. Lin Xing said: "There is nothing to see from these two plates of leftovers..."
"ah!"
"What's wrong?" Lin Xing and Yu Hang asked in unison.
At this time, Shen Ling was covering his head. There was a small ball of unknown material at his feet. Lin Xing picked it up and after observing it for a while, she said, "What is this?"
Shen Ling: "I don't know, hiss, it hurts."
Yu Hang took his hand away and roughly swept across the place where it was hit. "It's okay, there's no trace at all."
"Why are you so unlucky? Even this could hit you." Lin Xing threw the ball into Shen Ling's arms, letting him vent his anger on the murderer.
"Brother, can you give the ball back to me?" A little girl came to them at some point, pinching the corner of their clothes, and asked in a timid voice.
Lin Xing and Shen Ling looked back in surprise. Yu Hang, who was sitting opposite them, witnessed the entire process of the crime. He hadn't said a word since then and just looked like he was watching the fun.
Before Shen Ling handed the ball over, a woman hurried over to protect the girl behind her, and kept apologizing nervously, "I'm sorry, guests, this child didn't mean it, please forgive me."
Shen Ling passed the ball to the woman, and the girl secretly stretched out her small hands from behind her to take it, shaking her head.
"It's okay, girl, don't worry about it. Children don't have much strength."
The woman then put on a smile, thanked them and left with the child. Lin Xing stared at their backs for a long time without coming back to her senses.
Yu Hang: "What's going on?"
Lin Xing thought thoughtfully, "That child... looks a little familiar."
Shen Ling glanced at the backs of the two again and said, "Maybe I've seen too many children before, so I feel familiar with them."
Lin Xing couldn't remember who she looked like so she could only accept this statement. She turned around and saw someone walking towards their table.
"Dear guests, I am the manager of this post station. We were at fault just now. This is my compensation to you all. The post station will also cover your meals tomorrow morning."
The visitor was an elderly man who spoke Mandarin not very fluently, but it did not affect communication and his accent sounded somewhat familiar. He was placing a plate of exquisite desserts on the table. Lin Xing was still worried about what had just happened and decided to find out secretly.
She picked up the snack and tasted it, then made an amazed expression and said, "Boss, are these snacks you made yourself? They are so delicious."
Seeing that someone liked his snacks, the shopkeeper became proud and said, "Of course, this is our exclusive secret recipe. We are the only one who has it within a hundred miles."
There is no other post station within a hundred miles.
Lin Xing continued, "This is delicious. I've never eaten such snacks in Nanru. I must take some away when I leave tomorrow."
"That's no problem. Our post station has also taken care of it. As long as the young lady likes it, that's fine." The shopkeeper seemed to realize something. "How many of you...are you from Nanru?"
Lin Xing: "Yes, we are on our way to the capital to look for relatives and passed by here."
The shopkeeper fell into deep thought, stroking his beard and saying, "To be honest, I am also from Nanru, but I left several decades ago."
"Oh~, then why did you leave?"
"To earn a living."
Lin Xing made a face that showed she understood everything, and said bitterly, "That's why we went to the capital. Since we're from the same hometown, why don't you sit down and have a chat and a cup of tea together, boss?"
"Then I'd rather obey you than be disrespectful."
After the shopkeeper sat down, Lin Xing gave Chen Ling a look, and he immediately said, "My surname is Yu. My three brothers and sisters have been helpless since childhood. We heard that a distant cousin was doing a small business in the capital, so we wanted to come and seek refuge with him."
This experience seemed to have touched him, and when he spoke again his voice was trembling, "My last name is Lin. My parents died when I was young, so I had no choice but to leave Nanru. I found this livelihood by accident, so I settled here."
Yu Hang looked around and asked, "Are all the people in the post station from Nanru?"
"Yu..."
Shen Ling suppressed a smile and said, "Second Young Master."
"Second Master Yu has misunderstood. These people came together by chance, from all over the world."
Lin Xing: "I saw how close everyone was to each other and thought they were relatives."
"Miss Yu is right. The shortest person here has been here for five or six years. Aren't they family members?"
Lin Xing: "Then that girl just now..."
"The child's name is Wen Xiao. She came with her mother. She was still an infant then. Now she is eight years old."
Shen Ling: “Eight years old?”
"Alas, that child has had this problem since his mother's womb. He has always been stupid and stupid, and even smaller than other children. He has not improved even after being raised until now."
Lin Xing: "Then...what about her father?"
Shopkeeper Lin shook his head and said helplessly, "We don't know either. The mother and daughter came to the post station alone. The child didn't speak, and the mother didn't speak either. They didn't answer any questions and just worked desperately. After a while, no one asked any questions."
The three of them said in unison: "Alas!"
"Don't be so upset, everyone. This is just a thing of the past. Everyone is doing well now. Xiaoxiao is getting better, and Xiaonuan is also becoming more cheerful." Shopkeeper Lin slapped his head and said, "How could I forget that Xiaonuan is also from the capital? Aren't you all going to the capital? You can ask her to tell you in advance."
Before they could stop him, Shopkeeper Lin's voice filled the entire inn, "Xiao Nuan, Xiao Nuan!"
The woman from before came running over and asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"
"These distinguished guests are all going to the capital. I didn't expect you to be from the capital. Can you show them the way in advance?"
"Shopkeeper, you know I've been away from the capital for eight years. How can I give directions to you? What if I give you the wrong directions?"
"Oh, it's okay. How can I know you don't remember it if I don't try?"
Shopkeeper Lin turned his gaze back to the three people, and Lin Xing stuttered, "I...I heard that our cousin...lives on...Chang'an Street. Yes, Chang'an Street."
When he heard the place name, Wen Nuan's expression was blank for a moment, and then returned to normal, but Lin Xing still caught it.
"Chang'an Avenue is the most prosperous street in the capital. You can enter from the Zhengyang Gate in the south."
"See, I told you you knew."
Lin Xing: "Zhengyang Gate, I'll remember it. Thank you for telling me, young lady."
"Wa, wah, wah!" A burst of crying was heard, and the warm expression turned into panic.
"Xiaoxiao is looking for me. Sorry everyone, I'll take my leave first."
Shopkeeper Lin was also very anxious, "Go back quickly, don't let Xiaoxiao wait too long."
Not long after Wen Nuan returned, the crying stopped. The people in the lobby finally had the energy to continue chatting. Shopkeeper Lin kept asking about Nan Ru's recent situation, and Lin Xing and Shen Ling answered to the best of their ability. They tried to make the description vivid, so that Nan Ru's current situation came to life on paper. They were very successful, and in the end Shopkeeper Lin was very happy.
As for our Second Master Yu? He listened as patiently as Shopkeeper Lin, and imagined a paradise from their descriptions.
At last, Shopkeeper Lin wiped his tears and said, "It's late, everyone go back and rest, we have to travel tomorrow. Thank you very much for today."
After saying goodbye, Lin Xing returned to her room and lay down, but she was not sleepy. She became more and more excited as they talked. She even vaguely heard the sound of a pipa.
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