When everyone arrived at Liuguang City in Yanma County, it was already dark.
Li Danqing looked left and right on the street where people were coming and going, and finally caught a glimpse of a decent-looking inn. He pointed at the place and said: "Senior! How about we stay here today?"
Here it is.”
Zhou Jue turned around and looked at the inn that was decorated so well, and shook his head: "Zhou is poor in life and can't get used to living in such a noble place. I don't think it's as good as this one."
Zhou Jue pointed at a short facade next to the inn. Li Danqing looked at it intently. Although the inn next to it was adjacent to the inn in front of him, it was completely different. The inn's door was short and its facade was shabby.
, but fortunately it was kept clean and there was no plaque, just a piece of cloth with the words "Qingshui Residence" written on it.
"Pure is the best, water is the best."
"Qingshui means perfection, a good name."
Zhou Jue ignored Li Danqing's strange expression and walked towards that place with a smile.
Li Danqing turned his head and glanced at Master Ji who was standing aside. She was also helpless, so the two of them could only follow her at this moment.
After experiencing what happened during the day, the mood of the two of them has changed somewhat.
If it was said that Zhou Jue had some scruples before, or that he could go with them because he did not know their identities, today the people from the Eternal Life Palace told him exactly what was going on, but even so, Zhou Jue
Jue still protected them, even at the cost of offending the Palace of Eternal Life.
Listening to the conversation between the two parties, it seems that Zhou Jue still wants something from the other party, at least the so-called longevity pill is still very important to Zhou Jue.
Neither of them could figure out what the other party was thinking.
…
The inn is simply furnished, with only a few wooden tables and no extra decoration. But it is clean, with both the floor and the tabletops being kept spotless.
"Are the guests staying at the hotel or staying at the hotel?" Just as they entered the inn, a young man who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old came up and greeted him.
The young man was wearing linen clothes, had dark skin, and a simple and honest appearance. When he smiled, he showed white teeth, which made people feel more favorable.
Next to him was an eight or nine-year-old girl, holding a white pastry in her hand. At this moment, she was afraid of strangers and hid behind the boy, carefully observing everyone.
"Both." Zhou Jue smiled and made a face at the girl.
Hearing this, a look of embarrassment appeared on the young man's face: "My father has gone out to do errands. Only my sister and I are here. I can help take care of the hotel, but if I want to eat, I will make some noodles..."
"However, the noodles I made are not bad. There are also fried sauteed seeds in the kitchen. The cooked noodles are added with sauteed seeds and poured with hot oil. They are also very delicious. My guests, would you like to try them?"
The young man said with eagerness and expectation in his eyes, obviously still trying his best to retain this business.
Zhou Jue looked at the inn casually. Both the lobby downstairs and the rooms upstairs were very quiet. It was obvious that there was no business in this inn.
He smiled: "Then we will be lucky enough to have a taste of this little brother's craftsmanship."
When the young man heard this, he was overjoyed. He nodded repeatedly: "Please sit here for a while, sir. I'll go right away."
After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave, but then he thought of his sister beside him, lowered his head and warned: "Nanny, brother is going to make noodles for the guests, you just have fun here, don't be naughty and disturb the guests.
"
The girl nodded playfully, and then the boy turned around and walked into the kitchen of the inner room with confidence.
"Senior, what happened today..." Seeing the young man leaving, Li Danqing also found an opportunity and was about to say thank you to Zhou Jue.
But Zhou Jue turned to look at the girl who was standing there fearfully.
"Little girl, what's your name?" he asked with a smile.
The little girl was a little scared, so she took a step back without thinking, holding the white pastry tightly in her hand, and looked at Zhou Jue with wide eyes.
Zhou Jue smiled and didn't force it. He turned his head and was about to drink tea.
"Zhou Zhou." But at this moment, the girl's childish voice came over.
"Huh?" Zhou Jue looked back at the girl and smiled.
: "Your surname is Zhou, so we are the same family."
The girl blinked her eyes, seemingly confused by Zhou Jue's words, but she instinctively felt close to Zhou Jue. She mustered up the courage to step forward, looked at the pastry in her hand, and then at Zhou Jue and Li Dan.
He lowered his head and hesitated for a while. Although he was a little reluctant to give up, he still divided the palm-sized pastries into three uneven portions, stretched out his little hands and tiptoed, and handed them over.
"Here." She said softly, her voice was very small, and she still seemed a little timid.
The three people who took it were stunned, but Zhou Jue didn't hesitate and took a bite. The pastry was stringy and sticky, but the taste was sweet and delicious.
Zhou Jue suddenly showed a look of satisfaction. He pointed at the pastry and asked with a confused mouth: "It's delicious, little friend, what is this thing?"
The man's eyes were shining, and there was some white pastry stuck to the corner of his mouth. He looked like a child who discovered something new and wanted to ask an adult for help.
"Longxu cake is made by heating maltose, kneading it into a ball, and dipping it into glutinous rice flour." Li Danqing responded.
"Long Xusu? What a name!" Zhou Jue said with a hearty smile.
After saying that, he turned to look at the girl aside and said sincerely: "Thank you."
The girl's face turned slightly red and she seemed a little embarrassed, but she still stood where she was and had no intention of leaving.
Li Danqing noticed something strange and asked, "Is there anything else?"
At this time, the girl named Zhou Zhou raised her head and looked at the three of them, gritted her teeth, and mustered up the courage to say: "The noodles made by brother... are not delicious..."
The three of them were stunned for a moment, obviously not knowing how to respond to the girl's words.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhou secretly thought that the three of them were interested in this matter and hurriedly added: "My brother used to study in the college and practice. My father never let me do these things. He only came to help recently. Guests, don't mind..."
Seeing the girl's anxious look, Zhou Jue was the first to come to his senses. He smiled, placed the dragon beard cake in front of his eyes, and said with a smile: "Giving food to a child can be worth a thousand pieces of gold."
"We are vulgar people. We are satisfied if we have just one thing to eat. We will not be picky."
Zhou Zhou couldn't quite understand Zhou Jue's convoluted words, but she finally knew that the guests would not be picky. She immediately laughed and her face turned red with happiness.
"Before I left, my father made a lot of dragon beard cakes for my daughter. The guests liked it. I will go and get some more for you." Zhou Zhou said this, turned around excitedly, and was about to go to the inner room.
But just in time, the young man who went to work in the house made some noodles and came out with a food tray. Seeing Feng Feng Huo Huo's sister, he was a little unhappy: "Nanny, didn't I tell you to sit there obediently? You were running around again, disturbing me.
What should the guests do?”
Zhou Zhou suddenly felt aggrieved and stood there with his head lowered.
"Brother, I misunderstood. Miss Zhou Zhou wants to share her Dragon Beard Cake with us." Zhou Jue smiled at the other party at that time, and waved the Dragon Beard Cake in his hand as if to prove it.
The young man was stunned for a moment, then handed three bowls of hot noodles to Li Danqing and the others, and then said: "This is what my father made for my daughter to satisfy her cravings in his spare time. It's not expensive. You three like it. I'll wait for it."
I'll get some more for you three."
The young man's expression was warm and he said shyly: "You three, let's try the noodles first."
His eyes were hot, and he looked at the three of them with a bit of worry.
Li Danqing was prepared after Zhou Zhou's previous reminder. He picked up the noodles with chopsticks and put them into his mouth. Suddenly, a salty and bitter taste filled his mouth. He frowned and looked at Concubine Ji aside.
, but seeing that the eldest princess also frowned slightly, Li Danqing felt strange, and looked at Zhou Jue beside him, only to see him wolfing down the noodles as if he had been hungry for days and nights.
"It's delicious! This noodle is very delicious." Then Zhou Jue praised.
The young man was very happy and scratched his head shyly: "The guests praised me so much. My father loves me so much. I rarely do these things in the past. A few days ago, I had a guest come and I made a bowl of noodles. The guest said it was bland and tasteless.
I paid and left. I tasted it myself and found that I forgot to add salt. Today I specially remembered that if the guests like it, I will cook some for you later.
.”
After hearing this, Li Danqing could probably understand where the bitter salty taste in this noodles came from...
"No, no need. I ate a lot at noon today. This bowl of noodles is enough, that's enough." Li Danqing said repeatedly, and then glanced at Zhou Jue, who had a normal expression, and secretly wondered if it was just him and Master Ji who were like this.
Did you put too much salt in the two bowls of noodles?
"I heard from the little girl that I used to study and practice in a college?" Zhou Jue asked after taking another sip of noodle soup.
Hearing this, the young man smiled bitterly: "I have read books for several years, learned some words, and practiced for some years, but it is difficult to make any progress in the vajra realm."
"Studying doesn't bring much understanding. Practicing requires a lot of medicinal materials and elixirs. My family is in embarrassment and I don't want to waste my family's money anymore, so I stopped going."
Zhou Jue nodded. This way of cultivation is indeed not simple. If your family does not have a strong family background and has not been selected by a sect such as Yangshan, it is indeed very difficult to achieve success in martial arts with just your own efforts.
It's difficult.
After all, not everyone is as lucky as Li Danqing, who has divine objects such as Chaoge Sword and "Dragon Elephant Hunyuan" to protect him.
The embarrassment of the young man in front of me is the real situation of most people.
Li Danqing glanced at the young man, and he could probably tell that there was a lot of unwillingness and helplessness hidden in the young man's wry smile.
Once upon a time, Li Danqing, who was trapped in Wuyang City, also felt like this. He was about to express some words of comfort or encouragement.
"That's not bad. Running such an inn and living a leisurely life is not a good choice." But at this time, Zhou Jue said softly.
Li Danqing frowned, a little confused.
The same goes for Concubine Ji on the side.
"It can only be regarded as supporting the family, not as good as those classmates. When I was young, I had a good friend who is now a warrior in the Purple Sun Realm. It was said that he was valued by a sect a few days ago and wanted to go there to practice. Compared with him in the future
, we are as separated as clouds and mud." The young man whispered a little lonely.
Li Danqing can probably understand the young man's mood. For a young man of this age, who has never had great ambitions? The intersection between vision and reality is often the most confusing and uncomfortable experience.
"In order for a cook to cook, a farmer must first grow the vegetables."
"If a martial artist wants to practice, he must have a pharmacist to refine the elixir."
"If a general wants to fight a war, he needs craftsmen to make swords and armor."
"You see, everyone in this world has their own responsibilities, but some people are in front and some are in the back."
"But every link is essential."
"Brother, you don't have to feel sorry for yourself, let alone belittle yourself." Zhou Jue said slowly at this time.
To Li Danqing and Master Ji, these words sounded somewhat preachy.
The young man also smiled and said: "Sir is a scholar and knows more than me. I will just write it down."
The young man responded politely, but whether he agreed in his heart was another matter.
"Nothing is noble or cheap."
"There is a distinction between high and low in people's hearts, so people have distinctions between high and low." Zhou Jue said with seriousness and sincerity.
After all, this sermon came out of nowhere. The young man could not refute it, so he just nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, I will remember it. Thank you sir."
After saying this, he remembered that the fire in the kitchen was still not extinguished, and hurriedly turned around and went to the room.
As soon as he walked away, Zhou Zhou next to him very considerately picked up the kettle, came to everyone, and poured a cup of tea.
Li Danqing felt bitter in his mouth, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he reached out to pick up the water glass.
But at this time, Zhou Jue had quick eyesight and quick hands, grabbed the water glass, raised his head and swallowed the water in big gulps.
"One more drink! But it's too salty for me." At the end, he handed over the water glass and said again, not satisfied.
Li Danqing and Master Ji couldn't help but look at Zhou Jue in astonishment. Zhou Jue felt the gazes of the two of them, glared at them strangely, and muttered: "Watch me fuck you?"
"This noodle is so salty. If I don't tell him some truth that he doesn't like to hear, will he really finish it?"