She opened her eyes groggily. After realizing the current situation, she quickly shifted to the side.
She noticed He Lian Duo stretching his muscles. "If you had slept any longer, my whole arm would probably be useless," he said.
Cheng Xiran blushed and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. I don't remember having this habit. Maybe I didn't sleep well in the carriage, so I subconsciously wanted to find something..."
Before she could finish her sentence, He Lian Duo had already got off the carriage.
Only then did she notice that the carriage had stopped at some point.
With numb legs, she got off the carriage, then stretched lazily and murmured, "Where are we?"
"We're in Qizhou. Qizhou is next to Chuzhou. It's a prosperous place famous for its bead ornaments. After we pass Qizhou, we'll reach the border of Fenzhou."
He Lian Duo replied casually. After looking around, he walked into an inn across the street.
Cheng Xiran followed closely.
They were now on the busiest East Street in Qizhou. It seemed that this inn was quite well - known, or there wouldn't be so many people.
"Hey, two guests, please go upstairs and take a seat. The downstairs is full!" The waiter said as he led them upstairs.
This inn really had good business. Even the second floor was crowded.
Cheng Xiran was already hungry. Smelling all kinds of delicious scents, she subconsciously licked her lips. She found a seat and sat down.
Seeing her like this, He Lian Duo couldn't help teasing her. "Don't think I don't know. You ate three big meat buns this morning, and on the way, you gnawed two duck legs and three big pancakes."
Cheng Xiran was surprised that he knew this.
Neither of them noticed the dangerous look that was cast from somewhere.
After they sat down, the waiter served them tea and introduced the special dishes of the inn. Each of them ordered two dishes.
He Lian Duo didn't order any wine, but soon the waiter brought up a pot of wine.
"This wine is the most famous one in our Fengxianju. It's brewed with a hundred kinds of flowers for a hundred days. It's our landlady's unique skill. Even the imperial palace sends people here to buy it for the annual banquets."
Seeing that He Lian Duo didn't seem to want to accept it, the waiter was a bit stunned and then continued, "Oh, I forgot. This wine was sent by the landlady. She said that this young master looks like a man of taste, so she asked me to bring a pot for you to taste for free."
The smile on Cheng Xiran's lips froze. She almost instinctively looked at He Lian Duo. Seeing that his face was expressionless, she felt a little relieved and kept praying in her heart that he wouldn't accept it.
As she wished.
"Thank her for me. I don't drink." He Lian Duo refused clearly, but the waiter looked a bit embarrassed. "This..."
"I think this young master looks so handsome. He doesn't seem like someone who can't hold his liquor."
Even though the hall was noisy, this clear voice still reached Cheng Xiran's ears.
Cheng Xiran looked in the direction of the voice and was stunned.
The woman had delicate willow - leaf eyebrows and charming phoenix eyes. Under her long and straight nose was a bright red lip. Her appearance was elegant. Although she was wearing plain clothes, it was hard to hide her graceful figure. Her long black hair was casually coiled into a bun, with a long green plum - blossom tassel hairpin slanting in it. With a charming smile, she was extremely alluring.
Cheng Xiran felt inferior.
She saw the woman walking gracefully towards them, with many men behind her casting hot looks.
"Hello. I'm the landlady of Fengxianju. You can call me Fengxian. Don't be so formal."
Seeing He Lian Duo sitting there with a cold face and not saying a word, she stepped forward and picked up the wine pot to pour a glass of wine for each of them. After looking at Cheng Xiran for a while, she couldn't help smiling. "This little girl is so cute. This wine isn't very strong, but you can only take a sip. Drinking too much will be bad for your health."
Before Cheng Xiran could reply, she turned her eyes and stared fixedly at He Lian Duo. "Are you... friends?"
He Lian Duo calmly picked up the white porcelain wine cup in front of him and took a sip. His eyebrows relaxed, and he couldn't help praising, "It tastes a bit astringent at first, but then it's sweet. It's really good wine."
"Of course. This is the wine specially chosen by the current emperor. How could it not be good?" The waiter interrupted inappropriately.
Cheng Xiran also picked up the cup and took a small sip, whispering, "It's just so - so."
The waiter was about to argue with her, but Fengxian motioned him to be quiet. She wasn't angry because of Cheng Xiran's words. Instead, she told the waiter, "You're right. Such a cute little girl shouldn't drink. Go and get a pot of milk tea. She should like it."
"I'll go to the kitchen. See you later."
Before leaving, she gave He Lian Duo a flirtatious look. It was a real flirtatious look, and Cheng Xiran saw it clearly.
But she had to admit that the look was really charming. Even as a girl, she thought Fengxian was extremely beautiful.
Seeing He Lian Duo looking in the direction where Fengxian had left, Cheng Xiran teased him, "If you like her, go and chase her."
There was a bit of anger in her tone, and He Lian Duo could hear it. He wanted to laugh but held it back. He pretended to be serious and asked, "So I really go and chase her?"
"Go ahead. A woman that you fancy must be good..." Cheng Xiran suddenly drank up the wine in her cup and then said, "Why don't we forget about going to Fenzhou? First, finish your business here, and then go back to the capital together. Wouldn't that be great?"
To her surprise, He Lian Duo really got up and left!