lucky
The light snow in Furong Town had been falling for two or three days, but it finally stopped. A thin layer of ice had formed on the lake. I thought I would be staying here for a while, but I have to say, it's a little hard to leave now.
The reason is simple: this place perfectly matches Jiang Yi's imagination of the misty Jiangnan region, and she didn't even have time to experience all the delicious food and fun activities!
Before leaving, Jiang Yi hugged a pillar in front of the inn, looked up at the sky and sighed repeatedly: "He Lin, are we really leaving? Can't we stay for two more days?"
"cannot."
"one day?"
"No, if you want to come, there will be other opportunities in the future."
Jiang Yi pouted and stretched: "Okay, you said it yourself, don't forget what you promised me."
"Yes, I promise you."
"Young master, your provisions have been packed and are all in this bundle. Your water bags are also full. This should be enough for your journey."
The shop assistant handed two tied bundles to He Lin, and the innkeeper followed behind, carrying two black porcelain bottles tied together with hemp rope, each with a small square red paper with the character "酒" (wine) written on it.
"Esteemed guests, this is a specialty of our Furong Town—Suihantang wine. It has been aged in the cellar for twenty years. Please have a taste, it's free."
The shopkeeper stroked his mustache and laughed heartily, explaining in detail: "It's like this, we have a custom in Furong Town. When visitors come here, we always give them a bottle of Suihantang liquor before they leave, meaning that today we see them off on their journey, and tomorrow we welcome them back home, reminding them that there is a place like Furong Town in the world. This custom passed down from our ancestors cannot be abandoned, so please don't refuse and accept it."
Jiang Yi turned to look at He Lin, then happily accepted the gift: "This is an interesting custom, giving us a souvenir when we leave. In that case, we won't be polite, thank you."
The shopkeeper waved his hand and said with a smile, "You're too kind, young lady. I wish you both a safe and smooth journey."
Jiang Yi smiled and looked up at the plaque above the inn. "Then I wish your Lai Cai Inn good fortune!"
"Hahaha... Young lady, young master, take care on your journey."
The shop assistant followed closely behind with a smile and said, "Take care on your journey, esteemed guests. We welcome you to visit our Furong Town again."
"Yes, I hope you won't mistake me for a man next time we meet!"
The shop assistant rubbed his nose, his face flushed, and said, "But you can't blame me for this, it's your fault..."
The shopkeeper coughed lightly to interrupt him: "A-Fu."
"Alright, as long as this lady doesn't wear men's clothing next time, I'm sure I'll be able to recognize you. Both of you have extraordinary bearing and are clearly distinguished individuals."
Jiang Yi smiled and nodded. She had a sweet tongue. Don't let her young age fool you; she was only about fifteen or sixteen in modern society. She was incredibly shrewd and clever.
The wine flags fluttered in the air above the roadside taverns. The two men, wearing cloaks, bid farewell to the innkeeper and his staff, and rode together on a black horse, galloping into the distance.
"He Lin!"
"What's wrong?"
The cold wind stung my face, and every time I opened my mouth, the cold air filled my throat.
"Tell me the truth, after we left the capital, you headed south all the way. Did you have something to take care of?"
"yes!"
Jiang Yi squinted, turned her head and shouted, "You big liar! I knew you wouldn't be so kind as to come out with me to hide from the wanted man. It was all premeditated! You'd rather give up a comfortable life as a rich young master and come out to live a life of hardship!"
He Lin chuckled a few times, initially thinking she had guessed the wanted notice was fake, but it turned out to be because of this.
Feeling the slight tremor in his chest, Jiang Yi was absolutely furious: "You still have the nerve to laugh? I don't care, you have to treat me to a big meal!"
"Can."
"That's more like it!"
The further south Jiang Yi went, the more rugged and difficult the road became. If it weren't for a horse, he estimated that it would take him ten days or half a month to get out.
After an unknown amount of time, as Jiang Yi rode her horse past a boundary marker, she clearly saw two characters written on it, in traditional Chinese characters. Unfortunately, she only recognized the bottom one, which was the character "南" (Nan).
Where is this?
He Lin replied, "Lingnan."
Jiang Yi sat on his horse and looked around. The valley was mostly covered with trees, a vast expanse of lush greenery. Although it was the dead of winter, the trees here seemed to thrive year-round.
After a while, He Lin teased, "Didn't you say you went to school? How come you don't even recognize this character?"
Jiang Yi choked up, then forced herself to say, "I have a bad memory, can't I just forget?"
"It seems your teacher is no good, and you, the student, are even worse."
Jiang Yi couldn't help but roll her eyes and said indignantly, "Alright, shut up. You're quite good as a quiet, handsome man."
Upon entering the city, the long street was bustling with activity, filled with people coming and going, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares could be heard constantly.
He Lin led the horse, and Jiang Yi walked alongside him.
A little boy holding a rattle drum ran up from behind and bumped straight into Jiang Yi. With a cry of "Ah!", he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Jiang Yi quickly bent down to help him up, patting the dust off his clothes: "Little friend, are you alright?"
The little boy wiped his nose, grinned, and shook his head.
"Where's your mom... uh, where are your mother and father?" Jiang Yi blurted out "mom," but quickly changed her mind before the words left her mouth.
He pointed to a tea stall on the street corner, where a man and a woman were busy serving customers, completely unaware that their child was missing.
Jiang Yi gestured for He Lin to wait for her there, then took his hand and escorted him back. Before leaving, she spoke a few words to the landlady, who then pretended to spank the boy, but Jiang Yi stopped her and squatted down to give him a few more instructions…
Amidst the surging crowd, He Lin's eyes seemed to be fixed only on the person not far away, quietly watching the scene unfold before him.
If only he had met someone like Jiang Yi when he got separated from his family back then, perhaps none of this would have happened. But deep down, he felt a sense of relief. It was because of everything that happened back then that he had been able to get to where he was now, becoming the second young master of the General's Mansion, and that's how he was able to meet her...
Fate is indeed mysterious and unpredictable.
He Lin only came to his senses when Jiang Yi walked over.
"What’s wrong with you?"
He Lin's eyes reddened slightly. He blinked and said, "It's nothing, I was just lost in thought. I didn't expect you to meddle in such a trivial matter?"
Jiang Yi didn't notice his unusual behavior and laughed, "Of course, your brother said before that the people in the General's Mansion are all kind-hearted people who would help those in need. Of course, I can't let you down. Besides, it's all fate that we met. Luckily, he bumped into a beautiful and kind-hearted sister like me today. If he had run into a human trafficker, wouldn't that have been terrible? Just reminding him is to prevent a tragedy from happening."
He Lin shifted his gaze to the front and hummed softly, "Let's go, I'll treat you to a big meal."
"Really? Let's go!"
...
Jiang Yi was dumbfounded when she stood in front of the gate, asking three questions in a row: "Where is this? Why did you bring me here? Where is my feast?"
He Lin raised his chin, gesturing for her to look at the inscription on the plaque.
Read from right to left. If I'm not mistaken, the four characters at the top are "Hannan Prince's Mansion".
Jiang Yi blinked her innocent, large eyes, her face full of question marks.
He Lin chuckled softly, leaned closer to her, and whispered, "I lost my purse..."
"What?! It's lost!!"
Shh, keep your voice down.
Jiang Yi immediately touched her purse, opened it, and found only two pieces of silver left. She felt a pang of heartache. What a joke! Before leaving the capital, she had given He Lin a bag of gold leaves, and it was all gone just like that!
With just those two coins, she could only afford one meal. What would she do next? Was she really going to end up homeless?
She knew He Lin, that sheltered young master who never left his home, was unreliable; she should have kept it herself.
Perhaps sensing Jiang Yi's thoughts, He Lin reassured her, "Don't worry, you won't go hungry. It's no problem for you to go in and mooch a meal or two."
Jiang Yi was clearly stunned for a moment, her mouth agape: "Huh?"
Did she hear that right? Going to the Prince's mansion to freeload a meal?
"Halt! Who goes there?"
As expected, the two were stopped by the guards at the entrance.
He Lin calmly took out a golden feather-shaped object from his pocket. "Yu Ling Pavilion, Yin Zhaobai."
Jiang Yi's eyes widened as she turned to look at He Lin. What? Yin Zhaobo?!
He Lin went to someone else's house to freeload and even used his brother's name! Well, well, he's definitely a good brother.
Upon hearing the name Yu Ling Pavilion, the guards exchanged a deep look, and one of them clasped his hands in a fist and said to He Lin, "Please wait here for a moment while we go in and inform them."
"Thank you for your trouble."
The guard immediately jogged into the palace and turned around to close the gate.
Seeing this, Jiang Yi's lips twitched inexplicably. What kind of new way of treating guests was this? Why did they look like they'd seen a ghost? They could have just gone in to inform them, but why lock them out?
"Hey, what's this? Golden feathers, let me see."
The moment Jiang Yi leaned closer, He Lin put away what he was holding, his tone indifferent: "There's nothing to see."
"Tch, there's nothing special about it that you're treasuring it like this? I don't even care!"
A short while later, the gates of the Prince's mansion were opened from the inside, and a large group of people came out, mostly guards with swords at their waists and fierce faces. They seemed to be there to take the two people's lives rather than to welcome them.
The man at the front, who had been expressionless, immediately forced a smile upon seeing He Lin. His change of expression was faster than flipping through a book. Judging from his attire, he was probably in charge.
Jiang Yi swallowed hard and took a small step closer to He Lin without making a sound.
He immediately launched into a tired, overused phrase: "Haha, Lord Zhao Bai, you've come from afar, you must be tired from your journey. May I ask what brings you to our Hannan Prince's residence?"
Is your prince here?
The reply from the other side was impeccable: "It's really unfortunate, the prince has gone out and has not yet returned."
He Lin chuckled: "No rush, I'll wait at the Prince's residence."
Perhaps not expecting him to be so persistent, the man's smile froze on his face. He chuckled twice, then slightly turned to invite the man in: "Please."
A large group of guards automatically dispersed to both sides, each eyeing He Lin and Jiang Yi with predatory intent.
As dusk fell, Jiang Yi let out a big burp after finishing her meal, then tilted her head back and drank a large bowl of jujube soup, letting out a satisfied sigh.
There was no other way; following He Lin meant sometimes having no food to eat, so he could only take the opportunity to eat more and accumulate fat to prevent starvation.
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