Xia Zhaoyi led a total of ten soldiers of the Xia family army, including Li Man, Yang Fugui, the Su family brothers and sisters, as well as Song Qingtang and six of his personal followers, a group of more than 20 people, and left in Xianxian Ancient County in Panzhou.
The soldiers took off their armor and put on their civilian clothes. Xia Zhaoyi went all the way to Shoushi and sent people to inquire. Finally, he found the footprints of Cai He and others northwest of Shoushi and determined that their purpose was also Shoushi.
Before entering the city, Xia Zhaoyi first sent a soldier to the city with Li Man to inquire, while she took the people to rest at a cottage and inn ten miles outside the north city.
After Peifeng's accident, Shoushi was also affected by it for a while, but just like Xinwanshanguan, due to the need to travel north and south and the necessity of running for a living, those who wanted to pass by Peifeng had to go around.
Here comes Shoushi.
Although Shoushi has not been very prosperous in recent years, there have always been coins in circulation.
Zhao Ning opened two banks in Shoushi.
Wang Fengnian had also mentioned to Xia Zhaoyi in a letter before that he planned to open a shop in Shoushi, but he had not decided what to do for the time being.
There were not many rooms in the cottage inn, so Xia Zhaoyi agreed that two or three people would share a room, and she would share a room with the two girls Su Yumei.
The room was very narrow. The table was by the window, only half the size of an ordinary table. Apart from the table, a stool, and two wooden beds, there was almost no place to stay.
If you want to wash up, go to the bathroom downstairs.
The floor is made of wooden boards, which creaks when stepped on.
Xia Zhaoyi packed up her clean clothes and went downstairs with her small bundle in her arms.
All three bathrooms were full, so she sat in the lobby outside and waited.
The innkeeper came up to her at the right moment and asked her if she wanted anything to drink. She ordered a pot of Biluochun.
When the tea was served, Xia Zhaoyi, who was never very fond of tea, couldn't drink it.
After waiting for a while, Song Qingtang and a personal attendant came downstairs.
Seeing the girl sitting by the window, Song Qingtang asked his followers not to follow her, and he walked away.
"Ah Li." Song Qingtang said.
"Sit." Xia Zhaoyi said.
Seeing Xia Zhaoyi's full tea cup, Song Qingtang picked up the pot and poured himself a cup.
He brought it to his lips and took a sip. He frowned slightly, but said nothing and took two more sips.
Noticing the girl's gaze, Song Qingtang blinked: "What?"
"Isn't it bad to drink?"
"It's okay. During a war, it's a good thing to make a pot of tea from broken leaves."
Xia Zhaoyi smiled: "You are courageous."
Song Qingtang became interested: "Ah Li, what is the greatest suffering you have ever suffered?"
"The family is broken and everyone is dead." Xia Zhaoyi said without thinking.
Song Qingtang said "uh" and said, "That's not what I meant, I meant...well, the most unpleasant thing to eat."
Xia Zhaoyi really thought about it seriously and shook his head: "I can't remember."
"So, what's the most delicious thing you've ever eaten?"
"What's wrong with you?" Xia Zhaoyi held her chin in one hand and said with a smile, "What's the point of asking these questions?"
"We have known each other for so many years, so we can be considered friends. You have to know."
Xia Zhaoyi was very patient today. Because of his words, she thought about it carefully and said, "I can't think of the most delicious thing, but my favorite thing is pastries."
"What pastry?"
"Baihua cake, plum blossom cake, sweet-scented osmanthus cake..." Xia Zhaoyi looked a little far away, "My favorite food back then was the always fresh Baihua cake, and Fangchenlou's ten-flavored pork ribs."
"Hey, isn't that your eldest sister's favorite food?"
Xia Zhaoyi paused: "...why, my sister and I have the same preferences, isn't it? But speaking of which, you also know what my sister likes."
"It was Zhao Yu who wrote to my cousin," Song Qingtang said angrily, "He always claims to be your brother-in-law, and he will mention Miss Xia a few words in the letter when nothing happens, but I know that he wants to inquire about you from time to time."
"Which cousin is yours?"
"Who could be involved with those people at Huiping Pawn Shop? Cao Liulang and Cao Youyun."
When he mentioned him, Song Qingtang felt upset and his voice became a little irritable: "It's Cao Zijun who was used like a dog by Song Zhiyi. The entire Huiping pawnshop has become Yan Qinglin's dog."
"I can see that you have deep resentment." Xia Zhaoyi said.
"Aren't you angry?" Song Qingtang asked back, looking at the girl, "Yan Qinglin used your name as Duke Dingguo to deceive them."
Not only Xia Zhaoyi, but also her second brother.
"And," Song Qingtang felt that he needed to explain, "Ah Li, when you were in the capital, do you still remember when you saw me without clothes?"
"...I didn't see anything."
"No, no," Song Qingtang's face turned red and he stammered, "What I mean is that it was Cao Youyun who drugged me at that time, stripped me naked and threw me on the street! I didn't go to drink flower wine and didn't give me
The money either offended some girl or..."
In the military camp, he had already bathed in the river with a group of people naked. There were many large bathhouses, and more people took bath together.
So there's really nothing to pay attention to if you're not wearing any clothes or anything like that.
Song Qingtang didn't think this was a big old man.
But now, the more he spoke, the redder his face became and his speech became less expressive.
The door to the inner bathroom opened at this time, and there were still two bathrooms.
Seeing this, Xia Zhaoyi picked up the bundle from the bench beside him.
"Wait a minute," Song Qingtang said, turning around and shouting at the waiters over there, asking them to flush the bathroom.
After giving the instructions, Song Qingtang said to the girl: "Wait a minute, we are next door, we can continue chatting for a while."
"..."
Xia Zhaoyi took a deep breath.
"What's wrong?" Song Qingtang was a little nervous.
"It's nothing." Xia Zhaoyi said.
The waiter went to flush the bathroom. After flushing, Xia Zhaoyi went in with the bundle in her arms and put the bundle in the wooden cabinet. Sure enough, she heard Song Qingtang's voice in the cubicle, asking her if she was cold.
Xia Zhaoyi said nothing and took off his outer shirt.
Song Qingtang stood next door, listening to the movement, thinking about the scene, and suddenly blushed again.
"Ah Li..." Song Qingtang called out very softly.
What answered him was the sound of the girl scooping water into the basin and pouring it on her body.
Xia Zhaoyi didn't say a word to him the whole time. When she came out of the shower, Song Qingtang was still next door.
He heard the girl leaving and hid inside, not daring to come out.
Returning to the room, Xia Zhaoyi put the baggage she had changed at the end of the bed and sat beside the bed.
Su Yumei was writing in front of the window. She noticed that there was no movement behind her for a long time, so she turned around out of curiosity.
The girl lowered her eyes and looked at the wooden floor, seemingly distracted.
"Miss Ah Li?" Su Yumei called out very softly.
Xia Zhaoyi came back to her senses: "Huh?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Something happened and I felt strange and uncomfortable. It may be my own problem. I'll think about it slowly." Xia Zhaoyi said calmly.
"Well," Su Yumei said with a smile, "If you have something on your mind and you want to find someone to tell it to, I'd like to hear it."
