Upon meeting Hong Xiaoduo's gaze, Aping immediately turned his head away. Perhaps he also felt that this was inappropriate, so he turned back and smiled at Hong Xiaoduo.
His smile was very unnatural, but Hong Xiaoduo had already looked away and told Tian Shu to put the map away: "Today is the Lantern Festival. There is a lantern festival on South Street. After we have dinner, we will go to the lantern festival."
Aside from Aping, the other six children, as well as Feiyan, remained as usual, regardless of how she arranged the next itinerary. However, after glancing at the map, they noticed that Jiaozhou, the place they were going to next, was in the north.
Even though it will take some time before we arrive, and the temperature may still be low, Feiyan kept this in mind and prepared to take out some warmer clothes whenever she had a spare moment on the way.
Tianxuan was unaware that Hong Xiaoduo's sudden change of route was because of him. At that moment, he was already thinking that if he went north, there would still be space on the vehicle frame, so he should buy some good charcoal to take with him. It wasn't as cold here as in the north, so the sales volume of charcoal was not large, and the price was much lower.
Quan Jinghuai was already planning in his mind that he should hurry up and give Tianxuan extra training, including one more set of sword techniques.
For dinner, we found a restaurant and ordered dishes that the little ones like.
The food at this restaurant was quite good, but Ah Ping seemed to have a poor appetite and kept getting distracted.
"Brother Aping, what's wrong? Don't you love braised pork ribs the most? If you don't eat them soon, we'll eat them all!" Xiao Yaoguang noticed Aping's unusual behavior and reminded him curiously.
"Ah, oh, didn't we say we'd eat tangyuan after the lantern festival? I want to save room for more tangyuan," Aping replied to Yaoguang with a smile.
However, Yaoguang strongly disagreed, saying, "Mother said that we should eat less before bed, otherwise we will have indigestion. Especially glutinous rice balls, which are made of glutinous rice flour and are not easy to digest."
Brother Aping, you should eat more for dinner tonight.
Everyone at the table was amused by Yao Guang's serious expression and tone. Hong Xiaoduo was also surprised that this little guy remembered her words so clearly.
Moreover, these children not only took her words to heart, but also listened to her.
Unlike some modern children who find their parents' nagging about drinking less sugary drinks or eating less junk food annoying and tedious, they are different.
Many children merely give perfunctory replies, but in reality continue to do as they please, completely disregarding their parents' words.
But what exactly is going on with this Ah Ping?
Why did you react this way after learning that your itinerary had been changed and you were going to Jiaozhou?
Is there someone he fears there, or did he encounter something extremely bad there?
Hong Xiaoduo and her group had almost finished eating. As usual, Tian Shu got up first to go to the counter to pay the bill. Hong Xiaoduo and the others walked downstairs and happened to see that the shopkeeper said something, and Tian Shu turned his head to look in their direction.
What's going on? Could it be that the restaurant is overcharging them because they're from out of town? But looking at Tian Shu's expression, he doesn't seem angry.
"What happened?" Hong Xiaoduo asked as she stepped forward.
"It's nothing, I just told him that someone has already paid for your meal, young lady. They even left extra money in case you want to order more dishes or drinks later." The shopkeeper behind the counter told Tian Shu before he could speak.
What? Someone paid the bill for you? Who? Hong Xiaoduo and everyone behind her, young and old, were all very puzzled.
Hong Xiaoduo looked at Quan Jinghuai and thought that he must know him. After all, it was normal for him to meet friends from the martial arts world.
Seeing her looking at him, Quan Jinghuai quickly waved his hand and said, "She shouldn't be someone I know, otherwise she would have greeted me."
"Not him?" Hong Xiaoduo thought for a moment and asked the manager directly, "Do you know the person who paid for us? Is he in this restaurant right now?"
"Reporting to you, young lady, it was Manager Qian from Duobao Pavilion. He came in to pay the money as soon as you went upstairs, and told you to put it on Duobao Pavilion's tab if it wasn't enough. He left after paying." The manager replied with a smile.
I've worked at this restaurant since I was young, and I've been the manager for over ten years now. Naturally, I know Duobaoge and the people who work there, especially the owner and Manager Qian.
Upon hearing the answer, Hong Xiaoduo was somewhat surprised, but after a moment's thought, she roughly understood what was going on.
Although he and Duobaoge had settled their accounts, the two items he had brought out were rare and valuable to them.
This is an initiative to make friends with her.
Tian Shu's hand was still in his purse, watching Hong Xiaoduo's intentions. As long as she expressed her refusal of Duobaoge's offer, he would immediately pay the bill with silver.
As for the money that Duobaoge helped pay, that depends on her opinion: whether she should return it herself and thank them in person, or have the restaurant manager return it to them.
"Since someone has already paid the bill, let's go," Hong Xiaoduo said.
Duobaoge took the initiative to befriend him, and as for himself, after the results of the characters on those four bamboo plaques were revealed, he would still need to consult Duobaoge for information in the future.
Since that's the case, I'll accept their kindness. At worst, I can find some better things for that sect leader when the opportunity arises later.
Upon hearing her say that, Tian Shu immediately took his hand out of his purse and tightened the opening.
The group left the restaurant, and it was already dark, but since this was the main street, the lanterns hanging from the shops on both sides made the whole street very bright.
Hong Xiaoduo determined the direction, took Yao Guang's little hand, and led everyone towards South Street.
The streets are bustling and lively, but the children nowadays are not the same as when they first followed her. They are no longer as cautious and timid as they were back then, and they can't wait to see the meat buns on the street.
In the past two years, following her, they not only ate and dressed well, but also studied, learned martial arts, and became literate; they also broadened their horizons considerably.
Now, when I go shopping, I no longer stare longingly at the steamed bun shop and drool, nor do I envy children my age who have pastries to eat.
They would observe the differences in architectural styles of houses in different places, and they would also comment on the fonts on the shop signs.
If there are many pickpockets on the street, the kids will say, "The local government is no good."
If they see the streets are dirty and messy, or vendors shortchanging customers, they will comment that the local customs are not very good.
At this moment, Feiyan saw some nice embroidery thread at a roadside stall, so she stopped to look at it, and everyone else stopped to wait for her.
"Hey, what are you thinking about, Brother Ping?" Tianji asked casually after being bumped into by Ping.
Hong Xiaoduo looked over and saw A Ping looking somewhat flustered, and frowned slightly...
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