Encounter (2)
Long afterward, Mi still remembered that evening. The setting sun cast a soft, warm light, illuminating her in a dress that shimmered like emerald brocade. Her waist was as slender as a cola bottle, and her dark red hair was braided and coiled on top of her head, adorned with a small silver floral crown. The gentle red sunlight bathed her in a veil of red light, obscuring her pale face. Only her soft, questioning voice touched the hearts of everyone in the room. She was a true noblewoman.
The shop owner stood up awkwardly, bowing slightly as he invited the noblewoman into the cramped dining room to sit down. Kraft quickly grabbed a cloth and wiped the table repeatedly. Following the noblewoman in was a stern-looking middle-aged maid. Her grey dress, tightly closed lips, and slightly bowed posture made her appear even more respectful. The maid laid a thin blanket on a chair, and the noblewoman gracefully sat down, smiling as she asked again, "May I try some?"
The shop owner glanced at Mi and subtly shrank back. This was the first time he'd eaten this little bellflower. Although he'd tried a tiny bit earlier, who could guarantee it was edible? Philip and his sister April, seeing a real noblewoman for the first time, especially a beautiful young lady, were too nervous to speak. Kraft, usually quite bold, was only bold around the roughnecks of the Adventurers' Guild. Mi scratched her head, picked up a small fork, placed it on a plate, poured a glass of water, and carried it over on a tray. The shop owner grinned and shook his head at Mi, mouthing, "Is it edible?"
“It is an honor to have you, madam, visit our humble establishment,” said Mi, placing the pastries in front of the young lady. He set down a water glass on her right, picked up the tray, and sat down opposite her. Kraft quickly tiptoed over and took the tray from Mi. Mi smiled and said, “These are some of our newly made pastries. Please try them and give me your feedback.”
Only when she got closer did I notice that this noble lady had a pair of cat-like green eyes, and a smooth, delicate forehead above her long, thick eyebrows. Her eyelashes were very long, and when she lowered her head to pick up her fork to taste the pastry, her upper lashes cast a heavy shadow on her eyelids, obscuring her beautiful, emerald-like eyes. Her nose and mouth were small, but compared to her small mouth, this noble lady had slightly fuller lips, making her look even more like a kitten. The young lady opened her small mouth and stuffed a piece of pastry inside. The onlookers followed her action, looked up, opened their mouths, and then breathed a sigh of relief, all thinking to themselves, "Luckily, we used a smaller flower mold today." The young lady pursed her lips and gently chewed the pastry in her mouth. She slowly raised her eyes and smiled, swallowed the food in her mouth, picked up her cup, took a sip of water, and then said, "Delicious!" After saying that, she lowered her head and quickly ate the pastries. In no time, she had finished all eight pieces. Philip licked his lips greedily, but unfortunately, he didn't leave a single pastry. The others also secretly swallowed their saliva, thinking that they should at least ask Mi to make two more portions later.
The maid stepped forward and handed her a handkerchief. The young lady wiped her mouth before smiling and saying to Mi, "It's delicious. I think this is the best flavor I've ever had." After saying that, she lowered her head and smiled, then looked up and said, "Hello, my name is Lian."
Mi paused for a moment, certain she didn't recognize any woman named Lian, who wore a silver crown and was a noblewoman: "Good day, Ms. Lian," Mi said in the traditional aristocratic greeting.
“Can you go back now? I’ll take you back!” Ms. Lian stood up.
Mi was a little confused, but Dougto, ever perceptive, stepped forward and said, "Sir, we'll be heading back now. Thank you, Lady Lian, for escorting her home. She's staying at the Flower Inn." Dougto was so excited he forgot to say "Good day," clearly eager to get this noble lady out. Mi obediently stood up and turned to leave with Lian. The maid bowed slightly to the people in the shop and followed them out, startling the others who quickly bent over. Just as Mi stepped outside, he heard Philip gasp, "My goodness, that's a real noble lady! She's so beautiful, even her eating is beautiful! How can she be so beautiful!" Philip's sister, Little April, also swooned, "The lady's crown is so pretty!" Mi looked up at Lian's crown—a silver base with intertwined floral patterns supporting several silver leaves, the veins of which were clearly visible. Simple yet exquisite, it was indeed beautiful.
Miss Lian's carriage was across from the restaurant. Following Miss Lian's servant, Mi stepped forward, opened the carriage door, and took the footrest from the coachman, placing it by the door. Miss Lian boarded first, turning to extend her hand to Mi. "Thank you," Mi said, following Miss Lian's hand as she got into the carriage and sat down opposite her. The servant closed the door, and the carriage began to clatter along.
The noblewoman, Lady Lian, sat upright in the carriage, avoiding Mi's gaze and intently staring out the window. Mi followed her gaze; theaters, restaurants, eateries, flirtatious women—the carriage entered the famous Pink Street. Mi looked away, noticing Lian staring at her. Mi looked up, and Lian quickly averted her gaze, continuing to look out the window as if she hadn't moved at all.
The carriage soon arrived at the Flower Fate Inn. Sheila had been watching the carriage with curiosity. When she saw Mi get off, she gasped in surprise. Mi turned to Lian, who was still staring out the window, and thanked her, "Thank you, Ms. Lian, for bringing me back."
The maid closed the carriage door, and the carriage drove away. The plump boss, Sheila, grabbed Mi's arm: "My lord, have you been granted a title?" It was a noble carriage with a coat of arms. Sheila was too excited to see the shape of the coat of arms clearly, but she could assure her that it was a flower.
“No, a friend gave me a ride home.” Mi didn’t know who this Ms. Lian was either, so she answered Sheila.
"Oh dear, why didn't you invite your friends in for tea? I've never met a real nobleman before." Sheila watched the carriage drive away with a wistful look, completely forgetting that she had ever met Mrs. Aldrich, and deciding that she should stay as far away from those nobles as possible.
Inside the carriage, Lian excitedly grabbed the servant's hand: "Xiao Wei, it's her, it's her, I've found her."
"Okay, Miss, you've finally found her." Xiao Wei patted Lian's hand and smiled at her.
"Tell me, how can I—" Lian looked troubled. "Why is she being so polite to me, Xiao Wei? What did she say her name was again?"
"Miss, you didn't ask her name."
"Oh dear, Xiaowei, why didn't you remind me?" Lian said coquettishly, pulling Xiaowei's hand. "Xiaowei, my heart is beating so fast, I've never felt this fast before. I don't even dare to talk to her. What should I do, Xiaowei? Can you help me invite her to Ailian Castle? Ah, no, I want to invite her myself, Xiaowei, I'm so nervous."
Lian leaned back against the car wall, a strange blush on her face, her whole being filled with excitement. In a dreamy tone, she said, "Xiao Wei, I finally know what a heartbeat feels like. Why didn't we come sooner?"
Outside the car window, there were sounds of men drinking and joking, and women laughing and teasing. Xiao Wei frowned: "Miss, this is not a good place."
“But she lives here, and I’ve never been here before.” Lian put her face to the car window, looking around at everything with curiosity. She took a deep breath: “The car smells so good, it’s filled with her scent.” Lian started touching things around in the car.
"Miss, are you happy?" Xiao Wei seemed to be looking at her child who had finally grown up.
"Yes, I'm so happy. I've never been this happy before." Lian suddenly grabbed Xiaowei's hand. "Xiaowei, let's go back. Let's stay at an inn."
"Okay." Xiao Wei knocked on the carriage, which then turned around and headed back towards the Flower Fate Inn.
Fried recently started attending a newly built school outside the city of Lincheng 17. It consisted of two rows of six single-story houses facing each other, with a total of twelve classrooms divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Although Fried was literate, he knew nothing about the laws of Lincheng 17 and had to start from scratch in the beginner class with a group of children around ten years old. The presence of both boys and girls in the class didn't surprise Fried; what surprised him most was that all the teachers were women, including some in their late teens and early twenties. Fried still lived in Lincheng 17. Every morning, a horse-drawn carriage would take the students and teachers to the new school and back to Lincheng 17 in the evening. A canteen had been built near the school, providing all teachers and students with a free lunch.
Fried lived and ate at the city lord's mansion, without any work assigned to him for the time being. Yana gave him a spot at the Lin City Girls' School, requiring him to advance to the advanced class as quickly as possible. Before Fried could advance from the beginner to the intermediate class, he would join a supply convoy from Lin City 17 to Wei City 17 for a two-month internship. This meant that even if Fried was a genius, it would be three years before he returned to Taiyang City.
A new school has been built north of the west gate of Lincheng 17. The school is currently unnamed and is said to be a branch of the Lincheng 17 Girls' School, but due to the presence of both boys and girls, a name has yet to be decided. Summer has arrived in the Flower Kingdom, and crops are being harvested. All the farmers in Lincheng 17 are now idle, busy with a major project: building a new warehouse in the new city lord's mansion. All supplies destined for the garrison city will be stored there. A brand new town, Linzhen 17, will be built around the new city lord's mansion. Residents of Lincheng 17 will be able to freely travel between Linzhen 17 and Lincheng 17. This is a significant change, with half the people of Lincheng 17 supporting it and the other half observing. After all, this is development towards the garrison city. City Lord Qiu is leading the relocation, moving the city lord's mansion and warehouses to Linzhen 17. Linzhen 17's guard is also recruiting. This time, recruitment is no longer limited to eldest sons or men; the only requirement is that their ancestors for three generations must have been residents of Lincheng 17. New residents are still not allowed to leave Lincheng 17.
The new recruits arrived in Linzhen 17 with Qiu. Currently, Linzhen 17 is only in its nascent stage; the city lord's mansion consists of just a few simple bungalows. Half of the students from the Linzhen Girls' Technical School live here, protected by the newly recruited Linzhen 17 Women's Guard. The male soldiers of the Linzhen 17 Guard are currently doing construction work, tasked with completing the city lord's mansion and warehouses before winter. Maintaining the safety of Linzhen 17 are two adventurers: one from the Linzhen 17 Adventurers' Guild outpost; the other, recommended by Galina, is the captain of the Linzhen 19 City Defense Force. Galina wanted to participate in the construction of Linzhen 17 from the very beginning.
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