I don’t know when, maybe after a rain, dots of green sprouted on the wilderness.
Looking around, there is no longer only the cold yellow or gray brown in the sight. New buds bloomed on the branches, and the road underfoot was dyed green. As we walked along, the grass tips quietly raised their heads, from rubbing against the uppers of shoes to gradually sweeping up to the insteps. Occasionally there would be light rain in the wilderness, urging them to speed up their pace, but every sunny day invited them to stay a little longer and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.
Sometimes, Xie Zhe would see Amiao suddenly stop, lower her ears, lower her body, and sweep the tip of her tail lightly. Immediately afterwards, the spiritual creature ejected itself lightly, landed somewhere on the roadside, and fluttered at the butterfly, causing the sensitive creature to fly uneasily. At this time, he will notice that there are some thin flowers shyly hidden in the half-green and half-yellow grass.
Without frequent troubles, time suddenly sped up. They kept walking, and the changes in the scenery were regarded by Ling Huan as ordinary changes in scenery in different areas. It wasn't until she occasionally walked for a long time and had to take off her thick clothes to get some air that she realized that the seasons were changing and the cold winter was gone. The chirping of birds scattered far and near, the fluttering of insects in the grass, are not the unique scenery of this place, but the fresh breath of spring blowing across the entire land. At these times in previous years, she might still be curled up in the house looking out, wondering whether to go out or stay indoors, or what to do in the still cold spring weather. But now, she is in the midst of growing grass and flying orioles, following the steps of spring, moving relentlessly towards a definite goal. Ling Huan looked around, a smile appeared on his face unconsciously. She couldn't tell whether it was such a warm spring afternoon that was so refreshing, or whether it was the realization that after these days of trekking, they were much closer to their destination.
They were also close to the next big city. Xie Zhe and Han Zhang were identifying the direction and discussing something in a low voice. Linghua heard Miyin calling A Miao, and was probably ready to start again at any time, fearing that it would run too far. Following her gaze, she could see a sparse tree crown shaking slightly, and there was an angry squawking sound from birds, as if an invisible cat had crawled into its nest. Ling Quan seemed to see a touch of white in the shadow of the tree, and wondered if it was the resident of the nest whose peace had been disturbed.
"Follow this road and pass this hilltop, and you can see Huansha City." Hanshang pointed to the path between the grass and trees and said with certainty, "This place has a long history and has been in business for many years. There is no shortage of inns and restaurants. If you walk quickly, you can go to the city and pick out a well-known time-honored brand, and you can have a good toothpaste tonight."
He paused and murmured sadly: "I hope the wild animals caught on the road can be worth a fraction of what Miss Ye paid for treating us to a meal."
Xie Zhe rubbed his forehead and looked back at Ling Huan. He had other things on his mind.
"I don't know how well the city gate is guarded here. There are no traces of living corpses around here for the time being. We haven't seen any traces of living corpses for several days, and there are even fewer rumors. I think this disaster has not spread here yet, but if it hadn't The method of radical cure is to spread the plague easily and quickly."
"Looking at the bright side, although we have not escaped the danger now, we are still spreading faster than it. Being careful is better than being in the middle of it. Besides, if you want to enter the city, if there is nothing happening around, the city will It would be easy for the gate guard to let people in." Han Zhang sighed and patted him on the shoulder.
And indeed it is. Although it is also a famous large city with an endless stream of business travelers, the queue at the gate of Huansha City is much shorter than that of Wanlong City. This is not because the flow of people is much smaller, but because there are many procedures to go into the city like there. The guard briefly interrogated them about their purpose of coming here, took down a few names, and made a cursory inspection of their bodies to see that there were no obvious wounds. He also dipped a willow branch in some liquid of unknown composition, patted each person, and then let them pass. . Ling Hu smelled the bitter smell of the herbal medicine, which must have been a prescription used by the local government to deal with living corpses. The guard didn't even notice the strange thing about her arm. Naturally, she didn't feel uncomfortable.
Once she entered the city, her slightly tense back relaxed, and the rhythm of her arms swinging with her steps became much more natural. She didn't go far before she was attracted by the shops in the city. The area where they entered the city was quite prosperous. Both local and foreign merchants seized the business opportunities along the transportation thoroughfares and formed a market not far from the city gate. The exquisite and magnificent plaques, the dazzling array of stalls, and the constant shouts were all... Stealing the attention of pedestrians at all times. Not only Ling Huan, but her companions also gradually slowed down and looked around with more or less curiosity. The things here are not much different from those in other big cities. What’s more, they are rich in variety and attract passers-by with their liveliness. Miyin was looking at the knick-knacks on a stall, including bells, knots, and wood-carved flowers, birds, fish, and insects. Most of them were exquisite and cute, very suitable for small animals. When the stall owner started lobbying her to buy it, she immediately looked away. Not to mention that she does not regard Amiao as a plaything and does not want to impose human preferences on it. Amiao's current spiritual appearance alone cannot be decorated. The reason for taking more glances is that people who are in the company of small creatures naturally pay attention to related objects.
She walked back to Ling Huan in small steps, and then went to see the other two companions. Han Chang didn't know what interesting things he had discovered. He wandered a little further and was looking around. Xie Zhe, on the other hand, was unmoved and carefully looked at each shop, presumably making plans for the night's food and accommodation.
The sky soon became dusky, and while walking among the rows of shops, bursts of aroma wafted from both sides. Everyone's attention was turned back to their appetite. The aroma of various dishes was like a small hook brushing the tips of their noses and tickling their empty stomachs, and finally dragged everyone straight to the restaurant.
Xie Zhe, who was the leader, was naturally embarrassed to lead Ye Lingyu to a luxurious restaurant. The restaurant he chose was not luxurious, but it had bright and clean windows. There were no common dirt like peanut shells and melon seed rinds on the floor. One look at the restaurant showed that they had put a lot of thought into it. Take care of. After sitting down, Xie Zhe told them in a low voice that he had just heard the locals talking about this place on the road. It was a time-honored restaurant frequented by residents of this city. Because of this, the prices here have always been fair and friendly to the people. After all, they have to maintain their reputation and maintain their reputation. It's not like some restaurants with a grand appearance that charge sky-high prices just to kill off the passing sheep.
I don't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that as soon as he said these words, Han Chang next to him immediately straightened his back, which was a bit taller than when he sat down.
Since it is such a store, there are naturally no expensive delicacies. Fortunately, they don't want to be extravagant in the first place. Being able to order a few items from the menu to see novel and affordable food, and enjoy hot meals and dishes while sitting still is enough to make people who have been traveling for a long time feel happy.
Most of the dishes here are homely and delicious, but the chrysanthemum fish dish is particularly surprising and refreshing. When the plates arrived, no one knew what they ordered. The dishes on the white plate are like clusters of miniature chrysanthemum balls, fried to a fluffy golden color and drizzled with a thick golden-red sauce. At first glance, it looks like some kind of flower, a seasonal snack that has been simmered in batter and then fried.
The first one to react was Amiao. The cat jumped up on the table, stretched out its paws towards the "flowers" and fished them to its mouth. It reached over and licked and bit them, shaking its head vigorously. Xie Zhe's expression became a little subtle as he was ordering the food, and he coughed lightly.
"Try it, this should be the dish called chrysanthemum fish."
After explaining, he picked up the chopsticks in time and took away the piece of fish meat that Amiao had not touched yet. The first thing that hits your mouth is the sweet and sour sauce, the seasoning is well balanced, and it stimulates the mouth and tongue. Bite it down gently, and the moistened soft surface will just hit your teeth, followed by the crispy and crispy dough. The fish meat inside is tender and juicy, and when you lick your lips gently, it mixes with the sauce, bringing out the freshness and sweetness. A piece of fish only lasts one or two bites, making people nostalgic for it. As soon as you swallow it, the endless aftertaste in your mouth urges you to reach out with your chopsticks and grab a few more pieces to match their color and fragrance.
Well, forget about the piece in Amiao's mouth, Han Zhang still has to eat.
Ling Huan opened his eyes slightly. Just now she caught a glimpse of a white shadow passing by the table. Now when she heard Xie Zhe's words, she couldn't help but think of a cat that loved to eat fish. She moved closer to Miyin and asked in a low voice:
"Did Amiao just... jump on the table?"
"Well, ah - yes, it's on the table...what did you see?" Xue Miyin paused, chewed a few times quickly, and looked away as if absentmindedly.
"There was only a shadow, which appeared from the other end and swayed on the table." Ye Linghua gestured, "Now I can't see anything."
"It was served on the table before, but you didn't react. These days, your eyesight seems to be getting better and better."
"Maybe one day, I will be able to see it with my own eyes and touch it." Ling Huan said optimistically and stretched out his chopsticks.
This plate of fish was basically divided between three people. Miyin only moved his chopsticks symbolically, tasted the taste, and then turned to other dishes. Xie Zhe looked at her, and then at Amiao, who was licking the plate. She was meowing angrily because Han Gu had taken away the fish meat in her mouth. Their eyes met and they remained silent.
Hanshang won't mind, right? He said he didn't mind it.
After having enough food and wine, the fatigue that had been left behind during the march revived, and everyone became lazy and drowsy. There was nothing that needed to be discussed that day. The girls said hello to their companions and returned to their respective rooms.
Ye Linghua sat down on the edge of the bed, touched his round belly, and looked at Mi Yin beside him:
"I see that you didn't eat much, so you just ate some vegetarian dishes. Are you feeling uncomfortable? Are you not full?"
"Many of tonight's dishes are meat." Xue Miyin paused and seemed to be trying to say the next words in the gentlest way, "You guys never seem to notice that every time you order a table of meat When it comes to food, I eat very little. Meat makes me think of bad things."
Ling Huan suddenly thought that even though she had only tasted the food she had hunted on the road. For Miyin, she prefers to eat more fruits and vegetables, and is a little more relaxed about eggs and milk. In fact, she noticed it, but she just defaulted to it as a personal habit and never seriously brought it up on the table.
