And so, Zhiyin settled down in the outer residence of the Xiao family mansion.
The Xiao family mansion is divided into an inner residence and an outer residence. The inner residence is where the various masters of the Xiao family live.
Originally, Young Master Xiao arranged for his confidante to stay in the inner quarters, since the outer quarters were for servants.
However, since Huang Lao and Ziyou were men and could not enter the inner courtyard, they were arranged to stay in the outer courtyard, so Zhiyin went along with them.
They simply lived in different courtyards.
"My dear granddaughter Yinyin, how about I have Ziyou protect you secretly?"
Halfway there, Old Huang frowned and spoke with concern.
"yes!"
Even Ziyou couldn't help but speak with a serious expression.
They always sensed that there were undercurrents in the Xiao family mansion and that things were not going to be peaceful.
They could have been at ease before, but now that the feud between the two heirs is involved, and Zhiyin plays a crucial role in it, there is likely to be danger.
"It's alright, don't be afraid. We'll deal with whatever comes our way!"
"Besides, you're less than 100 meters away from me, very close, so you can come over quickly if anything happens."
Zhiyin shook her head, not taking it seriously. Instead, she looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "We've come all this way to the provincial capital, so we should take a good look around."
"Alright! Fine, we'll stay with you during the day anyway."
Seeing that his friend was determined not to agree, Old Huang shook his head helplessly and gave up.
…
Thinking that there were still about eight or nine days before the banquet started, Zhiyin wasn't in a hurry.
After getting familiar with the Xiao family mansion, she and Old Master Huang strolled around the provincial capital.
It must be said that the provincial capital truly lives up to its reputation as a place with convenient transportation in all directions; it is indeed very prosperous and wealthy.
Everywhere you look, you can see vendors selling snacks and foreign business people. It's very inclusive and bustling with activity.
The three of them walked and looked around, finding everything they saw extremely strange and unusual.
"There's also a lantern festival at night, and people are composing poems and dancing on boats along the river!"
Seeing that his friend was curious, Old Huang began to introduce her to all sorts of strange and unusual things as they walked.
Upon hearing this, Zhiyin couldn't contain her curiosity either, "There's even a lantern festival!"
"That must be very lively!"
"Yeah, hehe, and there's also a game of guessing couplets to welcome the lanterns. We'll come out later, and Grandpa will show you and Huahua a trick!"
As Old Huang spoke, his voice was full of anticipation, clearly eager to try his hand at it.
"Haha, then thank you in advance, Grandpa Huang."
Zhiyin's eyes crinkled into a smile, clearly delighted to be able to witness such diverse local customs and traditions.
In the afternoon, Zhiyin walked around the provincial capital with a candied hawthorn in her left hand and a sugar painting in her right, observing the flow of people in various places and the things sold in the provincial capital.
Whenever she and Old Huang saw something unusual, they would huddle together and whisper to each other, while Ziyou remained as still as a wooden stake, his eyes sharp as he looked around.
Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, he stepped forward and picked up something, and his eyes lit up instantly.
This was the first time Zhiyin had ever seen him have such a big change in expression, so she immediately went over to him as well.
As a result, Ziyou was holding a purplish-black whip in his hand, which looked to be of exceptionally high quality.
He picked up the whip and casually swung it twice. The whip instantly sliced through the air, leaving behind a trail of whip marks. His eyes were filled with joy. "A fine whip!!"
"Shopkeeper, how much is this?"
…
After learning that Ziyou's whip was a gift for Zhihua, Zhiyin and Huang Lao went straight into an auction house as they passed by.
In the end, Mr. Huang bought an inkstone that looked exceptionally high-quality, while Zhiyin bought a particularly beautiful ring and a comb for Yao Yulin and Zhihua respectively.
After finishing everything, the three of them ordered some food at the inn. Old Huang looked at the drunken fish in front of him, smacked his lips twice, and said with disdain, "It's not good. It's not as good as what my dear grandson Yinyin makes."
"Haha, it's alright. I think this lotus flower pastry is quite delicious. I'll pack some for Huahua and the others to try before we leave."
For Zhiyin, the only thing in this world that he finds particularly delicious is dessert.
Because each dessert is made in its original form, many of which she had never heard of before, such as Eight Treasure Cake, Cloud Cake, Milk Skin Pastry, etc., but they all tasted very good.
…
After finishing her meal, Zhiyin thought that since the second young master's mother was now in charge of the Xiao family, if she asked the cooks in the mansion to help her make things, she would probably be met with difficulties, and the servants in the mansion might not listen to her and might even outwardly comply but inwardly defy her.
So she stopped making a fool of herself, since she was originally planning to open a milk tea shop and a dry pot restaurant anyway.
So after the meal, Zhiyin went to the brokerage here and bought seven or eight men and women.
They found them a house to live in. As darkness fell and the streets were filled with bright lights and lively atmosphere, Zhiyin couldn't help but become interested.
Ignoring the noise around us, we quickly swam with Huang Laozi to rent a boat and started boating on the lake, taking the opportunity to see the beautiful women dancing on other boats.
As the boat glided across the shimmering water, she ate her dessert while admiring the beautiful scenery around her.
Suddenly, her gaze settled on an upstairs building that was beautifully decorated, elegantly styled, and decorated with lanterns on all four sides in vermilion color, giving it a very bright and festive feel.
From the outside, the building has two main floors. Men are constantly going in and out, and women dressed in flamboyant attire are constantly smiling and waving handkerchiefs to greet customers on the roadside.
Upon closer inspection, the plaque above the door clearly reads the three characters "Zuihuanlou".
"My goodness, is this what ancient brothels are like??"
Zhiyin's eyes were full of curiosity and inquiry. Previously, Xinghe County probably did not have brothels because it was relatively remote.
Seeing a proper brothel and the girls inside trying their best to attract customers, she suddenly had an idea!
It seems they know how to organize another entertainment activity; after all, this place is so bustling, it's quite suitable!
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