Hotel
The long street was still bustling and lively. In a teahouse by the roadside, Jiang Yi sat on a stool with one hand supporting her chin, and idly dipped her other hand in tea to scribble on the table.
At the table next to me sat two or three burly men, who, judging from their clothes, were probably farmhands who had finished their work and were taking a break. They were chatting idly, about things like who had gotten married and which employer paid more wages...
Across from the teahouse was a money exchange, but Jiang Yi's current situation made it inconvenient for her to go in, so she asked He Lin to fetch some things for her.
Just as she was feeling bored, a shadow fell down, blocking the sunlight in front of her. Jiang Yi looked up and saw that the person who came was He Lin.
"They're gone."
"oh."
He Lin is tall and has long legs. In the past, Jiang Yi had to jog to keep up with him. Today, she didn't know if He Lin slowed down or Jiang Yi walked a little faster, but the two of them walked side by side at the same pace.
"Have you taken out the silver?"
He Lin took out a brocade pouch from his sleeve and handed it to her: "Well, take it all out as you say."
Jiang Yi opened it and saw that it was filled with gold leaves. She put her nose to the mouth of the brocade pouch and took a deep breath.
Seeing this, He Lin asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"You don't understand, this is called absorbing some good fortune. Only in this way can wealth flow in and you make a fortune!"
He Lin was speechless for a moment and silently looked away.
Jiang Yi quickly stuffed the brocade pouch into He Lin's arms, turned her face away and said with heartache, "Here, take this. All this money is yours now."
He Lin remained motionless.
Jiang Yi grabbed his wrist and forcefully placed it in his palm. "Take it. I said I would pay you back when I lent you the money before. If you borrow and repay, it's not hard to borrow again. Although this may not be enough, it is all I can offer. I will find a way to get the rest later."
He Lin was stunned. He looked down at the money bag in his hand, and his eyelids twitched twice.
What do you mean? Do you want to cut ties with him?
Seeing that he didn't react at all, Jiang Yi was afraid that He Lin would think that the money came from an unknown source, so she took the initiative to explain: "Don't misunderstand, I put the money I borrowed from you in a bank for a long time before I had this."
By chance, while shopping with Xia Zhi, she discovered that money could be deposited in money shops, much like modern banks. The money would accrue interest after being deposited for a period of time, so she simply took more silver and deposited it all in the money shop, which is how she ended up with these gold leaves.
He Lin said he was leaving the capital for a while, and before leaving, she thought of this and took out all of them to return to him at once.
"I remember saying I didn't need to pay you back."
He Lin tied the ropes on both sides of the brocade pouch and returned it to her intact, then strode forward.
Jiang Yi followed up, stubbornly saying, "Yes, you did say that, but the premise is that I have to grant you one wish. But you didn't say I can't grant it, so I still have to pay you back, otherwise I'll feel like I owe you something and my conscience won't be at peace!"
He Lin abruptly stopped in his tracks: "You want to grant my wish?"
Jiang Yi nodded.
"Alright, my wish is simple: you behave yourself and come out of Beijing with me, and you're not allowed to mention repaying the money again."
"Is this... all you need?"
"Um."
Jiang Yi raised her hand and touched his forehead, muttering to herself, "He doesn't have a fever."
He Lin pursed his lips, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her away. If they lingered like this, they wouldn't be able to leave the city before dark.
If it weren't for avoiding trouble, Jiang Yi would definitely have brought Xia Zhi along on this trip. The two of them would have eaten, drunk, and enjoyed themselves immensely, it's unimaginable how carefree and happy they would have been! What a pity...
Before leaving, Xia Zhi insisted on coming along. Jiang Yi was a wanted criminal and might be arrested any day. After thinking it over, Xia Zhi thought it would be safer to stay in the General's Mansion. So, she was sent to Qinxiang Garden to take care of Su Tong. With Su Tong there, no one would dare to make things difficult for her.
Jiang Yi never expected that He Lin could ride a horse, and that his riding skills were actually quite good.
Because his first impression was that of a gentle and refined scholar, who would have thought that he would be so brave when riding a horse, which was completely unlike his usual self.
But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. After all, he is the son of a general. General He Wei goes to the battlefield to kill enemies without batting an eye. If his son can't even ride a horse, people would laugh their heads off!
The two rode together on one horse. Jiang Yi sat in He Lin's lap. The wind blowing in their faces felt like knives, forcing her to keep her eyes closed. The howling wind whistled in her ears.
She gripped the reins tightly with both hands, not daring to loosen her grip even slightly, and shouted through squinted eyes, "Slow down—ah—"
Upon hearing this, He Lin sped up even more, his tone seemingly containing a smile. He was so close that Jiang Yi could even feel the slight vibration of his chest as he spoke.
"There's no other way. It's getting dark soon, and we have to find an inn, otherwise we'll have to continue traveling at night."
"Ah—I'm truly impressed—"
He Lin chuckled softly, squeezed his legs tightly around the horse's flanks, and galloped forward.
In her confusion, Jiang Yi vaguely felt that this man, now away from the capital and like a wild horse unleashed, was the most authentic version of himself.
...
After an unknown amount of time, the "torture" finally stopped. Jiang Yi dismounted and immediately rushed to a nearby tree, bent over, and vomited violently. In reality, she didn't vomit anything; she simply felt nauseous and wanted to dry heave.
He Lin handed the horses to the shop assistant to take them down to feed them hay, then walked over to look at her and patted her on the back.
"How are you? Are you alright?"
Jiang Yi patted her chest, wiped her mouth, straightened up, glared at him, and said indignantly, "Brother, this is my first time riding a horse! Why don't you try it and see how uncomfortable it is? It's shaking me to death!"
He Lin, unusually, didn't refute her and went along with her words, saying, "I'll ride slower tomorrow, or I'll find you a carriage?"
At this moment, the waiter came over and invited the two of them in, saying with a smile, "Please come in, gentlemen. I suppose this young master is traveling far from home for the first time. We have some excellent ginger soup to warm you up."
That's right. Jiang Yi was dressed as a man this time. Firstly, it would be more convenient for her to travel around, and secondly, just to be on the safe side, it would be normal for the shopkeeper to mistake her for a young master.
"What would you two like to order? We have scallion and vinegar chicken, braised duck with bamboo shoots, braised pork belly, and braised mutton with eight fish..."
The waiter read out the names of all the dishes in the inn one by one, and Jiang Yi's mouth watered just listening to them.
After reciting the names of the dishes, Jiang Yi realized she hadn't remembered a single one. She tapped the table lightly with the fingers of her right hand, her mind replaying the mannerisms of those martial arts figures in TV dramas. Finally, she said to the waiter, "Bring up all your restaurant's specialties, and two jugs of good wine."
"Alright, please wait a moment."
Just as the shop assistant was about to turn around, He Lin suddenly called out to him, "Wait."
The waiter slung the rag over his shoulder and bowed slightly: "Is there anything else you need, sir?"
"Give me a bowl of red bean and chestnut porridge, and ask your cook to make it soft and tender."
"yes."
Jiang Yi looked around. Although the facilities of the inn outside the city were not as luxurious as those in the capital, it had everything one should have. It had two floors. The first floor was for resting and eating, and there were already a few guests dining there. The second floor was probably for travelers to stay overnight.
On her first trip outside Beijing, Jiang Yi was clearly full of curiosity about everything, resting her chin on her hand and looking around.
"By the way, He Lin, where has Gu Ziyu been all this time? Where did he go?"
"I asked him to go out and run some errands."
Jiang Yi nodded, then asked, "Where are we headed?"
He Lin paused in his tea-drinking, turned to look at her, a hint of helplessness in his eyes, as if blaming her for talking too much, and threw the question back at her: "Where do you want to go?"
This question stumped Jiang Yi. She had no idea where else to go besides the capital. But since they were trying to escape the wanted notice, the farther they went, the better.
"I'll follow you, wherever you go, I'll go."
He Lin didn't answer, but instead raised an eyebrow.
Just then, a group of burly men rushed into the inn, each holding a sword. The innkeeper hurriedly went to greet them. When Jiang Yi saw them, her eyes lit up. Could these be the legendary heroes of the martial world?
He Lin glanced at them briefly before looking away, as if he had read Jiang Yi's mind, and said, "Judging from their attire, they should be bodyguards."
Jiang Yi was greatly surprised and asked in a low voice, "A bodyguard?"
He Lin patiently explained to her, "Yes, they are a group of people who escort goods and deliver treasures."
Jiang Yi had certainly heard about this, and became even more curious. She leaned closer to He Lin and asked, "What treasure did they give you?"
"How would I know? Why don't you go ask them?"
"..."
As soon as the food was served, Jiang Yi disregarded everything else, picked up her chopsticks and began to eat heartily, her mouth stuffed full. People couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't eaten for three days. Well, after the bumpy journey, she was starving. At this point, who cared what others thought of her? To hell with appearances! What could be more important than filling her stomach?
He Lin shook his head slightly and thoughtfully poured her a cup of tea, placing it beside her in case she choked.
"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."
Jiang Yi mumbled something indistinctly, but it probably meant something like "it's delicious." He Lin didn't say anything more and let her be. After all, she had been traveling all day, so it was normal for her to be tired.
Once all the dishes were served, the waiter brought out two jugs of osmanthus wine and a bowl of red bean and chestnut porridge. He Lin pushed the porridge to her right.
Jiang Yi glanced at it while picking up food, her surprise genuine: "What do you mean? Is it for me?"
"Yes, this was originally ordered for you. Drinking some porridge should make your stomach feel better."
He Lin took both jugs of wine from the table, not letting her touch a single drop.
Jiang Yi was secretly delighted; He Lin really did care about her.
She forced a smile, struggling to suppress it, and cleared her throat: "Thank you."
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