After hearing the report from Manager Qian, Lan Zechen leaned back in his chair, feeling more at ease. Having seen countless people, he was certain that the young lady was not the kind of person who would try to take advantage of others.
I had Lao Qian keep an eye on her personally and seize any opportunity to curry favor with her, and she actually accepted.
That means she's also willing to befriend me.
Wow, this girl is really good.
"By the way, I've also found out about the inn where they're staying. They're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Do you think we should arrange for someone to follow them secretly?" Lao Qian added.
Upon hearing this, Lan Zechen waved his hand. Just when Lao Qian thought that this meant no one needed to accompany him, he heard him say, "Go and help me pack up and prepare. I will accompany him personally."
What? You're actually going to go along in person?
"Otherwise, why don't I, Lao Qian, go?" Lao Qian hesitated for a moment before offering his advice.
Having followed him for many years, I naturally know his personality very well, but I have never seen him so unsettled before.
Duobaoge's main business was actually buying and selling information.
Selling rare and exotic treasures was not only a cover-up, but also primarily because he was a passionate collector, especially of unusual and rare items, to the point of near obsession.
Everyone envied this lady, saying that the Pavilion Master
The good stuff on display in the shop was actually not to his liking.
This time, I actually got two items from that young lady at once, so I'm bound to be interested in her.
That's right, it's not staring, it's dinging!
"No, no, no, you stay and manage the business." Lan Zechen immediately refused.
In his mind, keeping up with that young woman was the most important thing right now.
With Lao Qian already there, Duobao Pavilion is more than enough; it's not necessary for him to be the owner. Besides, he's not short of money. If he hadn't promised his grandfather that he would take good care of Duobao Pavilion, he could have closed the shop down this time.
"Would you like to go to the South Street Lantern Festival? If so, I'll go prepare a sedan chair for you right away," Lao Qian asked quickly.
Lan Zechen waved his hand again and said, "No, no, the lanterns are all the same every year, there's nothing new about them." If he wanted to admire lanterns, he would rather go back to the secret room and admire the revolving lantern he had just acquired.
...
South Street was crowded and bustling with people.
Hong Xiaoduo and Quan Jinghuai tacitly positioned themselves one in front and one behind, sandwiching the seven children and Feiyan in the middle.
Why is Feiyan also placed in the middle? There's no other way, she's too beautiful, and Hong Xiaoduo is afraid that some lecherous men might take advantage of the crowd to take advantage of Feiyan.
In such a chaotic environment, if someone tries to sneak a pinch, touch, or bump into you without much force, you can't be sure if you've been groped.
Although Feiyan has become much more resilient, she is still different from Hong Xiaoduo. She thinks things through more carefully and doesn't want to cause trouble for Hong Xiaoduo, so Hong Xiaoduo is afraid that she will suffer in silence.
Hong Xiaoduo, perhaps due to some special ability, could immediately sense anyone with ill intentions approaching her and Fei Yan, and would strike before they could even make a move.
Sure enough, after walking only a few hundred meters, two unlucky souls were caught off guard. One had his toes broken by her foot, and the other had several ribs broken by her elbow.
The key point is that no one around her noticed when she made the move.
Seeing someone squatting down and groaning while holding their foot, uninformed passersby mocked them, saying that it's normal to get stepped on while joining in the fun, or to accidentally step on someone else's foot. It's just a foot being stepped on, why make such a fuss?
Hearing someone scream, they looked over and saw the person clutching their side. Someone else said disdainfully, "You're a grown man, not made of tofu. Why are you being so delicate and coming out to join the fun? Wouldn't it be better to stay at home?"
Quan Jinghuai, with his sharp ears, heard this and subconsciously turned his head to look at Hong Xiaoduo. Under the colorful lights, she was casually admiring the lanterns on both sides.
He wasn't sure if the unfortunate guy she was teaching a lesson was a lewd scoundrel or a pickpocket, but in any case, this kind of person was definitely not doing this for the first time tonight.
However, this time they were just unlucky and ran into her.
The orthopedic doctor here is truly someone we should thank; we should share some of our consultation fees with her.
The lantern festival was quite lively, with many different kinds of lanterns, but they couldn't find any stalls where they could solve riddles and win lanterns. The little ones were a bit disappointed. They had learned countless riddles in their quest to solve them and win lanterns, eagerly waiting for nightfall, hoping to win a few lanterns to take home. It seemed they had no chance to use their skills!
"Alright, if you want lamps, we can buy them ourselves. It's not like we can't afford them. Pick whichever you like, and I'll pay for it."
"If you don't find any you like, I'll find you something even better later, I guarantee you'll like it." Hong Xiaoduo said, suppressing a laugh as she looked at the children's listless expressions.
"Mother, no, we actually..." Yao Guang had just opened her mouth when she saw her older brother and sister winking at her, shaking their heads, and quickly shut her mouth.
This scene caught Hong Xiaoduo's eye, and she knew it was a little secret being kept from her.
So she didn't press Yao Guang for details, and instead called out to everyone, "To be honest, this trip has been quite tiring. I'm a little hungry. Let's go find a place to eat some glutinous rice balls."
I asked the innkeeper and he told me that there's an old man named Cai who sells glutinous rice balls near the North Gate. He usually sells wontons and dumplings, but he only sells glutinous rice balls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He said his glutinous rice balls are quite delicious.
Strolling along, we arrived at the North Gate and saw several small square tables and steaming pots in the distance. A few diners had just finished eating and were getting up to leave. An old man and a boy of about thirteen or fourteen were clearing the dishes from the table.
"Young lady, do the gentlemen want to eat Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls)? Come quickly, come quickly! My family's Yuanxiao are delicious. We have sesame filling and red bean paste filling." The young man was the first to see Hong Xiaoduo and the others, and he quickly came over to introduce them with bright eyes.
“Yes, little brother, we came to your house to eat glutinous rice balls.” Yao Guang immediately responded happily.
Once it was confirmed that Hong Xiaoduo and the others were indeed from a family stall eating glutinous rice balls, the boy happily greeted them at the table and even asked if they wanted to put the tables together.
Tian Shu and the others got up to help put the table together. The boy then confirmed what kind of filling they wanted. Tian Shu and the others wanted both sesame and red bean paste fillings. In the end, Hong Xiaoduo said that they could just cook the two fillings together.
Soon the glutinous rice balls were served, one with sesame and the other with red bean paste, each with its own unique flavor, and dried osmanthus flowers were added to the soup.
The soft, sticky, and sweet glutinous rice balls are sure to lift your spirits, except for A-Ping.
Hong Xiaoduo frowned slightly upon seeing this. Should she talk to him alone to find out what was going on...?
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