The sun was setting in the west, and the long street under the afterglow of the setting sun was lonely. A carriage slowly rolled over the bluestone road, making the sound of rumble wheels.
At first glance, the decoration of this carriage is not ostentatious, but many details that are not easily noticed by ordinary people are very elegant, showing the extraordinary status of the owner.
The windows on both sides of the carriage were blocked by a curtain of light blue gauze, making it impossible for people outside the carriage to see what was going on, adding a bit of mystery and happiness.
In Bianjing in September, the weather has turned cold. The cold wind howled by, occasionally lifting a corner of the gauze covering the carriage windows, and the cold air suddenly rushed into the carriage along the gaps in the windows.
Wei Chen turned his face and looked at Ru Lan and Ming Lan shivering, and couldn't help but frown slightly: "Are you wearing too thin clothes today? It's not a problem if you catch the cold."
Then, Wei Chen stretched out his hand to close the windows on both sides tightly, took off his cloak, and carefully covered Ru Lan and Minglan.
Seeing the concerned look in Wei Chen's eyes, Minglan felt warm both physically and mentally. She snuggled into her husband's arms meekly and said softly: "It wasn't so cold when I went out in the morning, but I was negligent."
"What an oversight, it's not just for your face, Wei Darao!"
Rulan on the side pouted dissatisfiedly and cried out for herself and her sister.
"Before going out today, my sister and I noticed that we were out of breath. We thought about wearing more clothes, but then we thought about it. Today's centenary banquet was attended by ladies from high families. If we wanted to keep warm, we would wrap ourselves up like rice dumplings. It seems that even if others don't say it, they will make fun of the Wei family in their hearts, so I lost a few pieces of bloated clothes."
Wei Chen couldn't help being stunned when he heard Ru Lan's words. He didn't expect that the root cause of his wives' cold was actually him.
"My husband was careless and failed to take good care of the two ladies, which caused you to suffer..."
Seeing Wei Chen lowering his head with a look of remorse on his face, Ru Lan couldn't help but blush a little, coughed lightly, put on a smile and said: "Actually, it's not that cold. It's very warm in this carriage. I just accidentally got in." It’s just a cold wind, my sister and I will be fine if we go back and drink two more glasses of hot wine.”
"Sister, it's not a big deal at all. My husband, you don't need to take it to heart."
Minglan also agreed, and she also thought of a way to alleviate Wei Chen's guilt.
"Not far ahead is the Zhouqiao Night Market. It's just a good time to buy some hot water and wine to warm yourself up. Is there anything else you want to eat, sister?"
Then, Minglan winked at Rulan. Rulan immediately understood and started ordering the dishes with her fingers.
"The Wang family's freshly roasted pork rinds, the Mei family's freshly baked chicken offal, the Zhang family's sauced elbows, as well as fried tongs, sliced sheep heads, spicy ginger radish, plum ginger, lettuce shoots..."
Rulan's eyes were shining as she unconsciously aroused the greed in her stomach, wishing she could order all the famous delicacies at the night market.
Minglan saw that her sister was acting so poorly, and quickly interrupted: "That's enough, that's enough. Didn't we have dinner at Prince Huan's Mansion? I'm not afraid of killing you!"
Only then did Ru Lan stop talking.
Minglan glared at Rulan angrily, then turned to look at Wei Chen, smiling and saying, "I wonder if your husband would condescend to make this trip for us sisters?"
"If you are willing, of course you are willing!"
Wei Chen, who was deep in self-blame and guilt, heard that he had the opportunity to compensate his wives. He agreed and nodded hurriedly. He didn't care at all that the night market was full of people from all walks of life. As a high-ranking minister of the imperial court, it would be disrespectful for him to go to buy wine in person.
In Wei Chen's heart, as long as Ru Lan and Ming Lan were happy, it would be no big deal for him to catch fish in the river or hunt deer in the mountains. What's more, just buying some food and wine to apologize was nothing.
After leaving Prince Huan's Mansion, after a journey of about two miles, we passed through the south gate of the inner city of Bianjing, also known as Zhuque Gate, and arrived in front of Longjin Bridge. On a section of about one mile long, we can see the famous Zhouqiao Yecheng in Bianjing.
Every time after dusk, the Zhouqiao Night Market becomes lively, with hundreds of stalls of all kinds and a dazzling array of snacks and snacks. The sudden cold wind made the number of customers tonight less than usual, but the night market is still bustling and lively.
At this moment, a carriage suddenly stopped in front of the Wang family's stall. Then, a handsome young man opened the curtain and slowly stepped out of the carriage.
In an instant, all the pedestrians and stall owners around him were stunned. The bustling market suddenly became quiet, and countless eyes fell on the young man's face.
Today is the 100-day banquet for the emperor's eldest grandson. Although it is not a court meeting, it is still a very formal royal banquet, so Wei Chen is wearing a bullfighting uniform given by the emperor.
Bianjing is at the foot of the Imperial City, and there are many knowledgeable people. When Wei Chen appeared at the Zhouqiao Night Market, not many people may have recognized him, but there were indeed many who recognized this bullfighting uniform.
Moreover, even if ordinary people don't recognize the bullfight uniform, just by looking at Wei Chen's demeanor and the Yuan An and others following him, they can guess that he has an extraordinary identity. He must be an official figure, perhaps a member of the court. A certain important minister is also uncertain.
Wei Chen didn't care about the awe or curiosity of the people around him. After getting off the carriage, he walked directly to the Wang family's stall and greeted: "Shop owner, boil two pots of wine and serve me two portions of the tops of roasted pork skin and meat! "
"Okay, okay!"
The shopkeeper responded loudly, but his voice couldn't help but tremble slightly. He immediately ordered his wife to make some wine to warm the wine, while he hurriedly picked out a few pieces of marinated meat and grilled them on the charcoal grill.
Wei Chen took advantage of this moment to go to another stall and buy all the chicken offal, marinated pork ribs and other foods that Ru Lan wanted. After wrapping them all, he took them back to the carriage together with the freshly baked barbecue.
Wang's braised pork skin is crispy and juicy, Mei's chicken offal is marinated in a secret method and fragrant, and Zhang's pork elbows in crystal rock sugar sauce are smooth and smooth, with a fragrant sauce.
Rulan's eyes widened when she saw that Wei Chen had brought back so many delicious foods. Although Minglan was more reserved than her sister, she was not much better. She was also so greedy that she swallowed her saliva.
Wei Chen smiled, Ru Lan and Ming Lan each took a piece, and poured hot wine for them. The couple sat in the carriage and enjoyed the delicious food full of market smoke.
After drinking a glass of hot wine, the chill in the three people's bodies was dispelled without a trace. Ru Lan ate a plate of roasted pork rinds and a plate of chicken offal with the hot wine. Minglan also ate on the big elbow. Take a few bites.
At this moment, Wei Chen was not worried about them catching the cold at all, but was a little worried about whether they would be full.
After finally coaxing Ru Lan and Minglan to each drink a cup of wheat tea to relieve fatigue, Wei Chen finally had time to sit down and take care of his stomach.
He picked up a few slices of barbecue and put it into his mouth, feeling the sweet and delicious juice filling his mouth. After taking a sip of hot wine, Wei Chen felt comfortable all over.
When he raised his head, he saw that Ru Lan and Ming Lan were still enthusiastically dealing with the food in front of them. Their mouths were full of oil and their hands were full of oil. Their faces were red and their foreheads were slightly sweating.
If the noble ladies at today's banquet saw him, their jaws would probably drop.
Are these still the two Mrs. Wei who are dignified, virtuous, generous and decent in the eyes of everyone?
However, the couple have long been accustomed to this. In front of outsiders, Ru Lan and Ming Lan naturally restrain themselves and observe etiquette, and will not violate the rules at all. But in front of Wei Chen, Ru Lan and Ming Lan are never restrained. Don’t worry about yourself, but come to yourself as you feel comfortable.
This is mainly due to Wei Chen's long-term deliberate guidance to them.
Wei Chen was tired of dealing with the intrigues in the officialdom all day long. When he returned home, he wished he was facing two lively and lovely people instead of two lifeless clay statues who respected him like guests.
Ru Lan and Ming Lan were not used to Wei Chen's unusual approach at first. After all, it was very different from the teachings they had received through hearing and seeing.
But as time went by, Rulan and Minglan gradually adapted to it, and gradually began to enjoy the unique affection and elegance between the three of them.
