Chapter Eighteen: Encountering by Chance

  Another group of people left with a loud noise, leaving only a few young men and horses in the mountains, making it even more desolate.

  "Prince Jun, shall we depart as well?" A low voice asked from beside him, looking at the young man who seemed to still be lost in thought.

  The young man nodded slightly, lifted his hood with his hand, and looked in the direction he came from. The sound of horseshoes echoed faintly between the mountains, until finally, it was silent.

  "Prince Jun, what did that girl say to you? Why are you so distracted?" A man who looked like a steward walked out with a smile, compared to the respect of others, he had a few casual tones.

  Just now, the young man and Cheng Jiaoniang stood close and whispered, except for them two, no one else heard the last words.

  The young man turned around, looked at this man, and also smiled.

  The king loves to smile, and his temperament is also good, perhaps it's because he was raised in the palace without worries.

  "She asked me if Mr. He had a marriage arrangement." He said with a smile.

  Everyone burst out laughing.

  "The county king is handsome and rich, which girl doesn't get infatuated at first sight." The manager man laughed even louder.

  "It's just a pity that Father didn't live to see me get married." The young man said, his expression gloomy.

  The laughter stopped abruptly, and the people around them all wore a sorrowful expression.

  "The Duke's memorial day is near." The housekeeper said, squeezing out two tears. "Your filial piety will be known to the late King's spirit in heaven, let us hurry on our journey."

  The young man nodded slightly and took over the reins of the horse led by the attendant with a hint of sadness.

  "The carriage is broken, the county king's route remains unchanged, why don't we go ahead and change to a waterway?" said the manager.

  "But if we take the water route, it will be a detour." someone said.

  "Haste makes waste, the prince's body is precious, he has never traveled such a long distance before, and if he suffers another shock, it would be unbearable for both the emperor and the empress dowager." said the anxious steward.

  "Let's just go with what Liao said then." The young man said with a hint of casualness, "Safety is the priority on our journey."

  The servant happily echoed and went to arrange for transmission. Looking at his back, a hint of cold smile appeared on the young man's mouth.

  It's actually looking at which one will take its own life.

  The fish has already been caught by the fisherman, but the fisherman still doesn't know it, this feeling is also very cool.

  The young man put away his smile and looked again in the direction he had come from.

  One family is surnamed Chen and another Zhou, so what is this woman's surname, Zhou or Chen?

  He put on his hood, spurred his horse and galloped away.

  Day and night without stopping, big roads small paths rushing, the capital city one day closer.

  "Master Cao, I've bought the things."

  Several attendants carrying large and small bags walked into the inn.

  In the hall, Cao and others were having dinner.

  "Take it away, take it away, eat quickly and hurry on your journey." said Cao Guan Shi.

  The attendants entered at the sound.

  "What does the young lady want to eat?" someone asked curiously, looking at the dishes on the table, "Don't these suit her taste?"

  All the way, they were dusty and rushed day and night, eating and drinking just to fill their mouths. Seeing that Beijing was still three to five days away, everyone's mood relaxed a lot. Although they couldn't wait to enter Beijing in one breath, Mr. Chen still patiently let everyone rest here for a while and eat a hearty meal.

  This is already a familiar territory for everyone, and they have chosen a good store with a reputation, ordered their signature dishes, but the woman only took one bite and stopped eating.

  "It's no good," she said.

  Then she recited a string of strange and unusual characters, telling him to go buy them, saying she wanted to make it herself.

  What's wrong with it? Such a good thing...

  This girl is too picky.

  Mr. Chen expressed his reluctance to travel and said he would make do with it for now.

  "It was you who said you wanted to rest." Jingniang said to him.

  She speaks simply, but the maid will interpret.

  "All along the way, didn't our young mistress make any effort?" The maid said unhappily, "When everyone else was working hard to hurry along the road, our young mistress didn't even utter a word."

  That's also true.

  This woman was really quiet all the way, so quiet that Chen Sifu and others almost forgot she was a woman. For example, that night when they encountered a pack of wolves, if it were another woman, she would have been scared to tears, but she just sat quietly, singing softly...

  Can endure hardship, but also pampered and picky, what a contradictory feeling.

  The servant who had gone to deliver the goods returned and reported back to Cao.

  "This money is spent really fast." he said.

  "How much can these two women eat?" Old Master Chen laughed and beckoned his attendants, "I'll pay, I'll pay."

  This won't do, Cao Guan Shi is busy blocking the way.

  "There aren't many flowers, there aren't many flowers." He said with a smile.

  "The princess doesn't use much, but she gives a lot to those brothers from Maoyuan Mountain." The attendant explained.

  "That's alright, the young lady has a kind heart." said Cao Guan Shi again.

  He's really afraid that this woman won't spend her own money, didn't expect her to spend it so happily, willing to let them spend money, which means she considers them as one of their own, that's good.

  When I came, the old master and his son all said that they would give whatever was wanted. Isn't it just money? As long as people are around, what's the big deal about money?

  The maid handed over a handful of chopped vegetables and watched as Jiang Yiniang put them into the pot.

  A small pot is bubbling and boiling over.

  "My lady, you are truly kind-hearted, give those few people from Maoyuan Mountain some more money," said the maid.

  Jiang Yao moved to the side, using a spoon to mix sesame oil and sauce into the soup bowl, sprinkling scallions on top and handing it to the maid.

  The maid took it with some hesitation and didn't know how to eat it yet.

  "When the pot is boiling, blanch the rabbit meat in it and then serve." said Cheng Jiaoniang.

  The maid servant stared blankly at the small copper pot in front of her, filled with thin slices of meat and green vegetables, and was tempted by the aroma of cooking wine and chili peppers.

  "It's not my money, it's for doing good deeds, what's there to be stingy about?" said Cheng Jiaoniang, who had also prepared a bowl and moved over to sit down.

  The maid giggled and watched as Chong Jiuniang picked up the rabbit meat and put it in the pot, then imitated her movements.

  The room was filled with a fragrant steam, and from time to time, the soft murmurs of the maid sucking on something and the voice of Cheng Jiaoniang could be heard.

  "Scald and let cool in sauce."

  "Mmm, delicious."

  "Not delicious, no good wine."

  "What's this way of eating, girl?"

  After a brief silence.

  "Stir-fry." Jingniang gazed at the bubbling meat in the pot and slowly spat out three words.

  A bowl of wine was slowly drunk to the end, Mr. Chen Si brought a few points of intention not yet finished, but still had to hurry on the road, and wait for his father to recover before they could truly drink freely.

  The attendants have begun to pack up the carriages and horses.

  "It's been a while since we've had so many dishes, meat and wine prepared, I don't know when we'll be able to finish them all." The attendant said in a low voice to Master Chen.

  Not cooked in a single pot on the stove, but separately stir-fried, which is more troublesome.

  Mr. Chen shook his head and was about to speak when he heard a noise at the door and saw Madame Cheng and her maid coming out.

  "Daughter, have you eaten?" Mr. Chen asked in surprise.

  "Do you want me to eat well or poorly?" Jingniang asked woodenly as she put on her hood with one hand and looked at him with the other.

  What nonsense is this! This woman's words are really too much to bear.

  Mr. Chen was embarrassed, while Cao Guan Shi couldn't help but chuckle on the side.

  What you care about is not whether others eat well or not, but whether they can catch up with the journey. Why bother asking this question and looking for trouble?

  Mr. Qin was right, this woman must be allowed to act as she pleases and should not be spoken to excessively.

  Watching the woman and the maid get on the carriage, Old Master Chen shook his head and smiled wryly.

  "It's because you didn't eat well, so you're venting your anger on me." He said, unable to resist walking into the room and opening the door, "Let's see how much food is left, why not pack it up and bring it along the way..."

  His voice stopped after he opened the door.

  Inside the room, on a low square table, there were many things placed in an orderly manner. In the center was a copper pot with charcoal, and on both sides were four or five plates each. On the side of the floor, food plates held various bottles and jars. At this time, the charcoal fire had not gone out, and the pot still had steam rising from it, but all the bowls and plates were empty.

  The fragrance in the room wafted up and hit me in the face.

  Mr. Chen took a deep breath.

  So fragrant!

  So many have been eaten up?

  He looked surprised again, how did he finish eating?

  Not only did he buy meat, but also a lot of vegetables, and surprisingly, he cooked and ate with them in sync?

  "What did you do to her?" Mr. Chen asked, looking at the apprentice who came over to clear the dishes.

  "We didn't do anything, the mistress only let us clean and wash the rabbit meat, and brought over oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, knives, and scissors. She also set out pots and plates." The apprentice said with a bow, also looking inside curiously.

  Does this girl eat raw food?

  Mr. Chen wants to ask again, and the attendants outside come over respectfully to hint that everyone is ready and waiting for his order to set off.

  They also say they have to wait for others, but in fact everyone is waiting for themselves.

  Mr. Chen shook his head and stopped asking questions, took over the cloak, put it on, and went out in big strides.

  A team of horse-drawn carriages rumbled forward and left.

  Not long after, a shout came from inside the room, startling the servants who were collecting dishes in the outer room.

  "It's too delicious! This way of eating is too exquisite!"

  Sneaking food from guests' leftover dishes and eating like a madman, this guy is done for.

  The partners watched as the shopkeeper rushed in from behind the counter just a few steps away.

  "You little scamp... Huh? You mean, everything is cooked together in a pot? ...How can that be delicious with all the flavors mixed up?"

  "Boss, you try it, you try it..."

  "...so delicious... wonderful... wonderful... let the people in the back kitchen come over and see how it's made, how to eat it..."

  When I saw the city gate of Beijing, it was almost dusk, and the streets were still crowded with people.

  "We're here, we've finally arrived."

  The Chen family's people had already arrived at the city gate early and were waiting in welcome.

  "Fourth brother!"

  "Second brother, you've come too?"

  Chen Si's old master jumped off his horse and looked at his elder brother, if it wasn't for the quick-witted young servant rushing back to report on his father's current situation, he wouldn't have dared to meet his brother.

  "My father..." But Chen Siu-lau still held his brother's hand and asked in a trembling voice.

  "Hurry up, hurry up!" Old Master Chen also said in a trembling voice, "This is no time for idle chatter."

  Mr. Chen Si hurriedly mounted his horse, and his attendants shouted to clear the way.

  At the same time, there was also a line of people looking over from the side of the road.

  A young man in a black robe stood with his arms around him, while a youth in a green robe sat on a couch, very eye-catching in the noisy crowd.

  "Your Highness!"

  Cao Cao ordered his men to shout and prepare to dismount their horses.

  Zhou Lang rushed over with a few serious gestures and waved his hand.

  Cao Guan Shi immediately sat up straight on his horse.

  "Hurry up, Father and Mother are already at the Chen's residence." Zhou Liu Lang said.

  Cao Guanshi responded promptly and hastened forward. The people from the Chen family's side were rushing ahead, so he didn't dare to slack off. He closely followed behind, protecting the carriage of Cheng Jiaoniang.

  From start to finish, the horse-drawn carriage did not reveal a single gap, nor did anyone lift the curtain to take a peek.

  "It's a good framework." Zhou Liu Lang hummed and said.

  "It should be good and steady." Qin Langjun said with a hint of a smile on his lips, "I'm actually a bit nervous."

  His gaze followed the carriage, and although his expression was as calm as ever, a closer look revealed a few more sparkling eyes.

  Yes, what kind of woman is she?

  The horse carriage quickly entered the city gate and disappeared into the crowd.