The Xuan window casts a thin gleam of light, like cicada wings.
Liu Ruyan woke up still early, and the quilt brought with it the unique humidity and coolness of the beginning of winter in the south.
When he raised his head, he realized that the two of them were sleeping on their knees, and she had a pair of lotus arms wrapped around his neck, making her look even more intimate.
Almost instantly, she remembered what she had said last night.
——You couldn’t sleep well at night.
It's really not stable.
Liu Ruyan withdrew one hand, but the other one was still pillowed by his neck.
She shook her arm, but it remained motionless.
She glanced at him secretly, then sat up half-supported, and moved out cautiously, little by little.
Just as he withdrew his fingers, the sleeping man suddenly turned over, hugged her, and said in a vague voice: "Sleepy, stop making trouble."
Her face suddenly turned red because her lips just touched the corner of his mouth, and she only needed to tilt her head slightly to kiss him.
The heartbeat sounded loudly, chaotic and at a loss.
The man in front of him was completely unaware. His eyes were tightly closed, his lips were crimson and pursed in a slight arc.
She couldn't help but secretly thought - beauty is alluring.
Then he raised his head and took a quick peck.
The heart beats harder and harder.
She held her breath, surprised that this was not the first time she had touched him, so why... she was as nervous as a boy.
I was so nervous that my fingertips tugged at the hem of my clothes, twisting out countless wrinkles.
Liu Ruyan immediately let go.
She turned her face sideways and bit her lower lip, showing a rare hint of daughter's shyness.
However, she was thinking in her heart - she had always respected Shen Yanchu as a brother, a good brother who could show his sincerity to each other, go through fire and water, and cut both sides of his teeth.
But how can selfish desires arise between brothers?
She frowned, secretly annoyed.
It's just that this guy looked so good that he made her fall in love with him.
Sin, sin.
She reflected on herself, frowned, and sat up.
Shen Yanchu was awakened by her movements, and then he opened his eyes and saw the girl sitting beside the couch with a completely expressionless face.
"You're awake..." Liu Ruyan realized later, "I...I'm going to get some food..."
After that, she walked out without looking back.
It was almost noon before the carpenters repaired the couch planks.
Liu Ruyan had nothing to do, so she stood upstairs and watched by herself.
There are literary figures gathering today. The deck of Nuo Da is lined with tables and chairs, and all the scholars are surrounding it.
The table in the middle was piled with solitary calligraphy and painting volumes. A man in a cloth shirt said, "You have lost to me the calligraphy master Yan Zhenqing's handwriting. What else can Brother He do?"
Opposite him, He Zhixun's face turned pale. He immediately took off a bracelet and put it on the table: "This is from Master Huineng!"
Everyone looked surprised.
The literary tycoons from the south of the Yangtze River gathered here. They all believed in their own aloofness and disdain to associate with worldly things. Today they were playing a game of words, and the loser would be given a treasure.
Master Huineng is extremely famous, so the things he wears are naturally not ordinary.
When He Zhixun took out the bracelet, he could no longer keep his dignity. He was excellent in poetry, lyrics and songs. He was famous in Jinling, but he lost to a scholar from the mountains.
The scholar crossed his arms and moved forward: "I accept."
After a stick of incense, He Zhixun was defeated again.
"The poem just now was not up to par, so this time I will write the poem instead!"
The scholar didn't want to get too entangled with him, so he rejected him and said: "Brother He has lost two games in a row, so why not just let it go and compete again next time."
"You don't have to wait until next time!" He Zhixun said eagerly, "Aren't you worried that I will lose everything and not be able to bring anything to compete with you? I have it!"
After that, he dragged a woman wearing a curtain hat and unveiled the soap gauze at the brim of the hat in public.
"Qinhuai singer, Mu Qing!"
The scholar turned back suddenly.
When the others heard the word Mu Qing, they also looked over one after another.
"When it comes to Miss Mu Qing, everyone knows about the literati and elegant people."
"I heard that she was originally a boat singer with extraordinary singing skills. It was hard to find a lot of money in Qinhuai."
"Isn't there another rumor circulating that Mu Qing fell in love with a romantic talent and ran away with him?"
Everyone was talking a lot and looked at He Zhixun involuntarily.
——Scumbag.
"Take her as a bet, I will definitely get a good fortune this time." He Zhixun said.
The scholar frowned and packed away the stationery on his desk.
When He Zhixun saw that the scholar was about to leave, he immediately stopped the scholar.
"I'm sorry that I can't accompany you." The scholar refused, "As for Master Huineng's Buddhist beads, please keep them, Brother He."
The scholar put down his bracelet, buried his head and walked out of the crowd.
He Zhixun looked unhappy and finally dragged Mu Qing away from the crowd.
The third day of sailing.
Houses gradually appeared on the shore, and farmers could be faintly seen on the criss-crossing streets.
Finally, the Guangzhou ship docked at the dock, and Liu Ruyan and his party drove the carriage ashore one after another.
It was evening at this time, and the setting sun cast its afterglow, making the fishing lanterns on the shore look like fire.
Several carriages were driving slowly, Liu Ruyan was sitting sideways, swinging her whip in one of them.
Outside Jinling City, the road was lined with vendors, and a group of children clapped their hands and ran across from her.
"Bean paste sticks, water chestnut cakes, and pine nut tea cakes are all over the streets."
"Lotus root with sugar porridge, five-spice lotus root, yam peach stuffed with jujube paste."
…
The children ran to the other side of the street and bought fermented glutinous rice dumplings from the vendors. Each of them had a bowl, and they were eating happily.
Liu Ruyan glanced casually, and the sweet smell of wine slowly floated from the steaming cauldron.
She leaned forward and saw clearly the small and soft white dumplings rising and falling in the pot, which looked mouth-watering.
"What is that?" She raised her finger and asked.
"It's Jiuniang Yuanzi." Dong Qingxian looked at her with a smile, "A specialty snack from the Jiangnan area."
"Jiu Niang Yuanzi?" Liu Ruyan muttered in a low voice, "I've never heard of it."
Dong Qingxian smiled: "You grew up in the north, so you have never tasted the snacks from the south."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Buhuan's carriage came from behind. He opened the door of the mat and looked at the child opposite from a distance, but his eyebrows were deeply furrowed.
"Hua Shao, buy me a bowl." Jin Buhuan stepped off the carriage and threw out two copper coins.
The boy took the coin and crossed his hands.
After a while, Jin Buhuan held a silver spoon in his hand, and the dumplings and fermented wine at the bottom of the bowl kept rippling. Until the lingering heat blurred his vision, Jin Buhuan took a brief sip.
"How does it taste?" Liu Ruyan sat at the table and asked him.
Jin Buhuan put down the silver spoon, his face was startled for a moment, then the corners of his lips slanted upward, and he said as if recalling: "It's really sweet, Brother Liu, do you want to try it?"
After saying that, he handed the bowl over.
Liu Ruyan didn't like sweets, so she quickly avoided them.
At this time, she stretched out a hand from behind and intercepted the fermented rice balls halfway.
Shen Yanchu looked unhappy and put the bowl in front of Jin Buhuan, "Return this bowl of sweet soup to Mr. Jin."
Jin Buhuan smiled and didn't say much. He just drank the wine at the bottom of the bowl silently. Finally, he stood up and called: "Let's set off."
A group of young servants responded quickly, waiting in front of the saddle and behind the horse, and boarded the carriage without giving money in exchange.
Not long after leaving the pier, you will find the East Market of Jinling City.
The group found a place to stay at an inn, booked a few more rooms, and settled in each other.
Jinling City has a bustling market during the day and restaurants at night.
The food that night was also quite sumptuous. In addition to duck delicacies, there were a variety of fresh and aquatic products from the river, especially the pufferfish stew, which amazed everyone.