The warm afternoon sun shone on the flower stand, the wisterias swayed in the wind, and the light and shadow were confusing. Guo Chuanlin sat on the stone drum stool, letting the coolness spread little by little.
Han soldiers descended on Yanfeng Peak at night and kidnapped Guo and Qin without knowing it. This made Li Shi extremely angry. He used all the visible and hidden clues at hand to track down Min Kui's whereabouts and issued a death order to eradicate him. No one was left alive, and Feng Di did this to the letter. Min Kui's body had been removed by the government. In addition to him, there were a cook and four boy servants. The bodies were all thrown into the well in the backyard and stuffed tightly.
At least in the underworld, Min Kui still has someone to serve him.
Guo Chuanlin searched thoroughly inside and out, but found no valuable clues. Min Kui's only purpose of staying here was to maintain the "Eagle Line" and deliver news between Jiaguan and Yangzhou. Now, the line was completely broken, and he was hanging in mid-air, unable to go up or down, helpless.
Han Bing has always been cautious in planning. The Yangzhou area is so critical, and there must be more than one "crow" lurking. At present, all he can do is to wait patiently, waiting for another crow to see the secret sign of the agreement and take the initiative to find him.
Walking alone in the streets and alleys, like a drop of water submerged in the rivers and lakes, no one noticed, free and easy, Guo Chuanlin's mood gradually became lighter. He has done his part by doing everything he can and obeying fate. The rest is left to time and fate.
On this day, the sky was clear and the osmanthus was fragrant. Guo Chuanlin walked along the rows of shops. Looking all the way, he felt a little hungry, so he casually turned into a restaurant called "Duji". In the tavern, I ordered a bottle of wine and a few dishes of side dishes.
The lunch market has ended long ago, but the night market has not started yet. There is not a single customer in the tavern. It is deserted and deserted. Even the waiter does not know where to hide and take a nap. No matter how small a mosquito is, it's still meat. The boss, Du Xing, didn't want to slow down business. He asked the cook to start cooking quickly and served hot porridge himself, asking the guests to satisfy their hunger first.
The hot porridge was extremely delicious and had a familiar taste. Guo Chuanlin raised his chopsticks and ate it cleanly. Then he called the boss and asked him who made the porridge. "It was cooked carefully by my humble wife. Are you satisfied with it?" Boss Du was quite proud. This humble bowl of porridge was the secret to his prosperous business. He had won many repeat customers.
Guo Chuanlin nodded and said: "It's not easy to cook porridge like this, but the heat is still a little short of it, so it can't be considered top quality."
"Sir, can you taste what kind of porridge this is?" Boss Du was obviously not convinced, but since being friendly made money, he did not refute.
"The cricket porridge that comes from Han Mansion in Yangzhou, right?"
"Your Majesty, you have such a good eye! However, there is no Han Mansion anymore." As he was speaking, a middle-aged cook came out of the back hall, holding a mother-of-pearl lacquer plate in her hand, with an ordinary face and an expression. Gentle, there are many wrinkles at the corners of the eyes and eyebrows.
"Yun Niang, why are you here to serve the food? Where is Ji'er?"
"He went out to relax." Yun Niang placed several plates of hot side dishes on the table and looked at Guo Chuanlin curiously. She heard from customers that the heat of the cricket porridge was a little off, which was true. The lunch business was particularly good, and she was a little too busy. When cooking the porridge, the heat was a little higher, but she didn't expect that the other party knew the taste so well that he actually tasted it.
Boss Du sighed and muttered: "You little bastard, you must have gone to Taibai Tower again to make trouble..."
Yun Niang frowned slightly. She knew that her husband didn't like the Liu family, but her son just fell in love with her niece Liu He. He ran to Taibai Tower every three days. Her parents couldn't listen to her words, so what could she do. The son is older than he is, and besides, she has also seen Liu He. There is nothing wrong with his temperament and appearance. The only problem is that they can't afford it.
Guo Chuanlin picked up the jug and poured a glass of wine, drank it all in one gulp, and tasted a few chopstick dishes. Although it was a tavern, Yun Niang's cooking skills should not be underestimated. She had a unique talent for the flavor of Huaiyang cuisine. Don't have a taste.
Without any time to spare, Guo Chuanlin finished the food and wine. Boss Du asked with a smile on his face: "What else do you want, sir?" Before he finished speaking, a young man stumbled in, his face pale and grief-stricken.
Boss Du suddenly became angry for no reason. He ignored the presence of guests and reprimanded with a straight face: "You brat, you still know how to come back!"
Yun Niang was still attentive. Seeing that her son's face looked strange, she hurriedly asked: "Ji'er, what's the matter? What happened?"
Du Ji choked up and said: "Xiao He...Xiao He..."
"What happened to her?" Yun Niang's heart sank, thinking something had happened to Liu He.
"She...she is no longer in Taibai Building...she was robbed..."
"Who took her away?" Yun Niang was shocked. She robbed a common girl in broad daylight. This was Yangzhou City!
Du Ji almost burst into tears and said in a panic: "I don't know... that person has a big background. Even the Liu family don't dare to report to the official... Xiaohe, Xiaohe, she..."
Boss Du couldn't see his son's useless look the most, so he waved his hand and said: "Hurry up and help him in. How unbecoming is he for crying!"
Yun Niang glanced at Guo Chuanlin apologetically and pushed her son towards the back hall. Mother and son were heart-to-heart, which was really sad.
Guo Chuanlin asked casually: "Is that your son?"
Boss Du sighed and said with a wry smile: "Yes, he is just such a son. I wanted to leave the hotel to him, but his temper - alas, alas... made the guests laugh!"
"Could it be that your son has fallen in love with Miss Liu He from Taibai Tower?"
Boss Du waved his hands wildly and said: "That kid is just thinking - Miss Liu He is the niece of the Liu family, and will be in charge of Taibai Tower sooner or later. We are doing a small business, and we can't make much money even if we are busy all year long. It’s too high to reach!”
Guo Chuanlin played with the wine glass in his hand and said: "We are destined to meet each other. I know where Miss Liu He is and I have a way to let you meet her."
Yun Niang happened to hear this sentence and hurriedly grabbed her son's sleeve, stopped and listened.
Boss Du was stunned for a moment and asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, are you kidding me?"
"no."
Boss Du hesitated for a long time, but he felt sorry for his son after all, and hesitantly said: "If the guest official can accomplish this..."
Guo Chuanlin interrupted him and said: "You can't talk about Yucheng. Miss Liu He was not snatched away by force. The Liu family didn't explain it clearly, and the son also misunderstood. When we met, we beat each other in person, Liu Heruo didn't have this I mean, it’s better for you to give up as soon as possible.”
Boss Du claimed so.
Guo Chuanlin said: "But there is no free lunch in the world, and I also want to ask for something."
Boss Du's heart skipped a beat and he forced a smile and said, "Sir, please tell me..."
"My lady's cricket porridge has a great flavor. I would like to ask her to teach this porridge-making skill to a maid, so that in the future she can taste such deliciousness without leaving home."
Du Ji's eyes were bright and he shook his mother's arm desperately, asking her to agree.
Yun Niang sighed, walked back to her husband, and said, "Does your guest know Miss Liu He?"
Guo Chuanlin smiled and said, "What a coincidence. My newly hired cook happens to be Liu He from Taibai Building."
