When Yang Fan left the gate tower, he did not ask Ye Zhonglang to send him off. He had already memorized the route he had taken.
Ye Yunbao busied himself on the walls. From the looks of it, he would be spending the night there. Who knew when the Turks would arrive.
No one had swept the snow on the streets, but there was a lot of ash and dirt on it, so even though the snow was very firm, it did not feel slippery.
Yang Fan slowly walked down the street. He had arrived in a hurry and did not pay attention to his surroundings. Only now did he realize that the new year seemed to have just ended in this small city. There were still fireworks on the streets, but they had been crushed by the hooves of horses and carriages and were now stuck to the snow.
The residences and shops on both sides of the street still had peach talismans and other auspicious objects hanging on them.
There were many people on the streets, all of them in a hurry.
The commoners already knew that the Turks would soon launch an attack. Many of them closed their businesses and packed up their belongings, preparing to flee to Liangzhou the next day. If the Ming Wei garrison was really breached, the next target would be Liangzhou. They could not possibly flee to the ends of the earth, and these commoners did not have the ability to do so.
Some of them were unwilling to leave. They had lived here for generations, so where could they go? They did not have the ability to make a living elsewhere, nor did they have the ability to take care of the old and young. These people placed their hopes on the garrison. Even though they were uneasy, they continued to live their lives.
There were many people on the streets. Regardless of whether they were Han, Uighurs, Khitans, Qiangs, or Tibetans, most of them were busy preparing to evacuate the next day. This included the Turks who lived in the area. When the Turks charged into the city, they would not show mercy just because they were Turks.
For the sake of the grasslands, the Turks fought with the various tribes, killing each other to the death. Who cared if the Turks in the Ming Wei garrison were of the same race? Everything was for their own survival! They had no concept of race in their hearts.
At the intersection, Yang Fan saw a small eatery. It was still open for business, and the steaming cauldrons brought a hint of peace and tranquility to the chaotic scene.
The snack bar sold Hu Bing, Pasta, and other snacks. There were also some people who were hungry after a busy day eating there.
Yang Fan stopped and looked at the shopkeeper. He was a man in his early fifties, his hair graying and his face bitter. Even though business was knocking on his door, his forced smile could not conceal the worry on his face. The Turks were about to reach the walls, so who could remain indifferent?
The entire city was oppressive, and this atmosphere had unknowingly affected Yang Fan, causing his footsteps to become increasingly heavy.
When Yang Fan returned to his place, Tin Aino immediately ran over and greeted him happily, "Hi!"
Tin Aino had already taken a bath. Just as she had hoped, she looked fragrant and clean. There was no rouge or makeup on her face. Because she had just taken a shower, there was a natural blush on her cheeks. There was no lipstick on her lips, so her youthful and tender lips were naturally tender and moist.
She was still wearing that woman's nomadic robe, but she had tidied it up very cleanly. The lapels were also neat and the belt was tightly fastened, showing off her slender waist as much as possible. She had her hands behind her back as she looked at Yang Fan with a smile. Her jade-like skin was soft and smooth, and her thin and clear skin was both attractive and lovely.
Because he was preoccupied, Yang Fan did not notice Tin Aino's beautiful face. He only warmly smiled at her and asked, "I am back. Have you eaten?"
Not receiving praise from her sweetheart, not even the slightest bit of surprise, Tin Aino's shoulders immediately slumped. Like a child who was waiting for praise but did not get it, she slightly pouted and said unhappily, "Not yet. The food is here. I wanted to wait for you to come back to eat together, but it's already cold. I will get the courier to heat it up."
Yang Fan said, "I will go find it. Right, let's go to Liangzhou tomorrow."
"Oh …"
Tin Aino responded listlessly.
Yang Fan stood at the entrance of the courtyard and shouted a few times, but no one answered. Tin Aino suddenly remembered something and said to him, "Oh, I remember now. The courier has been called to the warehouse in the west. I heard that they are going to distribute military rations to the four cities."
Yang Fan said, "Oh, then let's go out to eat. Do you want to wear more clothes? "
Tin Aino pouted and said, "I am not cold."
Yang Fan smiled and said, "Then let's go."
…
The place Yang Fan took her to was the snack bar he had seen at the intersection.
When Tin Aino was led to the front of the shop, her eyes slightly curved when she saw the steaming hot soup pot.
In the soup pot, the noodles that looked like little fish were flipping up and down in the boiling water, "swimming" happily, and the thick fragrance of the noodles assailed her nostrils.
Tin Aino couldn't help but think of the day she was saved by Yang Fan, the bowl of Pasta soup that she had belittled to be worthless, the toothbrush that had lost its hair, and that sunny morning …
Tin Aino's heart warmed. She secretly glanced at Yang Fan and thought contentedly, "Although this guy has eyes but can't see and can't bear to praise me, but … his mind is still quite meticulous."
When Yang Fan and Tin Aino walked into the shop, there was only one customer left. That person didn't order anything other than a bowl of Pasta soup. Probably because the Turks were about to arrive and the soldiers were in a panic, that person didn't have the mood to stay outside for long. In the time it took Yang Fan and Tin Aino to order a few dishes and snacks, that person had already finished his bowl of Pasta and left in a hurry.
Of course, the food that Tin Aino ordered included Pasta. This thing was filled with too many beautiful and sweet memories of hers!
Who would have thought that the unscrupulous thief who climbed the wall to steal would become the most adorable lover in her heart today?
As Tin Aino ate a mouthful of Pasta, she glanced at Yang Fan. Thinking back to the memories of the two of them together, that bowl of Pasta was even sweeter than honey.
Yang Fan picked up a mouthful of braised lamb face and looked at Tin Aino, saying, "Why are you only eating noodles? There are so many dishes, you should eat some as well. Is your stomach still not recovered?"
"Not at all …"
With a smile, Tin Aino automatically took Yang Fan's words as her sweetheart's thoughtfulness towards her. She sweetly said, "This soup is clear and fresh, the texture is chewy and fragrant, I like it …"
As she spoke, her smiling eyes glanced at Yang Fan. It was unknown if she also felt that this pretty gentleman in front of her … "The soup is clear and fresh, the texture is chewy and fragrant, the texture is chewy and fragrant …"
Seeing that there were no more customers, the shopkeeper also returned to the shop. Just as he sat down at an empty table, a smile appeared on his tired face when he heard Tin Aino's words. He happily said, "Miss, you really know your stuff. This old man is not good at anything else, but when it comes to making noodles, not to mention in the Ming Dynasty, no one in Liang Province can compare."
Tin Aino pursed her lips into a smile and said to him, "Yes! Shopkeeper's words are not an exaggeration. This little girl is also good at cooking, but it is very difficult for me to make noodles with such a good texture. It's just that … your seasoning is a bit lacking, and the taste of the side dishes is also average. "
The shopkeeper awkwardly laughed and said, "Who said it wasn't so, this old man is indeed not good at cooking. Aye, if not for this, I would not be reduced to this state. "
Hearing this, Yang Fan couldn't help but ask, "Old man, the Turkic army is approaching and everyone is busy preparing to escape to Liang Province. Since old man is from Liang Province, it should be easier for you to settle down there. But why do I see that you don't seem to have any intention of leaving? "
The shopkeeper sighed, "My old wife is ill and this old man's legs are weak. I only have one daughter at home and she has long been married off. What are we going to do? Let's just hope that the imperial army can defend the Ming Dynasty. If the Turks really enter the city, at my age, if I die, then so be it. This old man does not have the face to return to Liang Province … "
Yang Fan and Tin Aino looked at each other. They knew that this old man must have a sad story on his mind, so the two obediently did not ask any more questions.
The old man seemed to be very talkative, or perhaps he did not have much hope for the imperial army to defend the Ming Dynasty and felt that his death was imminent, so he wanted to pour his heart out to someone. Without waiting for the two to ask, he continued, "Back then, my brother and I opened a restaurant in Liang Province. I was good at making noodles and he was good at grilling. Our business was very prosperous.
My brother was not my biological brother, but our two families had been friends since our ancestors. This old man doesn't know when it started, but since my grandfather's generation, our two families have been as close as one family. Our restaurant's business was very good, few people in Liang Province could compete with us. Whenever it was time to eat, customers would line up in front of our restaurant, but the restaurants next to it would be empty. "
Seeing that the shopkeeper had said it himself, Tin Aino couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case, why did old man move here and … just open a small snack shop?"
The shopkeeper smiled mournfully and said, "I was schemed against."
He was silent for a moment, then faintly said, "The food of the other restaurants couldn't compare to mine no matter how well they cooked. We were forced to close down, so how could we not hate them? They just wanted to punish us. Our two families lived next to each other. There was a big stone roller in front of our door. Our ancestors pooled money to buy it and used it to roll rice and wheat in autumn. Later, our business grew bigger and bigger, so we didn't grow our own food anymore. That stone roller had no use, so we just left it there. In any case, it was so heavy that we weren't afraid of people stealing it.
Later on, a Hu merchant came. It was probably the first time he had seen such a rare toy, so he insisted on buying it at a high price. He offered ten hangs. That broken toy wasn't even worth a hangs. At that time, my wife happened to be at the door, and as soon as she heard the price the other party offered, she was tempted. It was just a stone roller, and it was rare to meet a foreigner who didn't understand anything, so she sold it to him.
It's not a big deal to sell it. It's just that my wife was possessed for a moment and thought that the stone roller wasn't worth much. If she kept this a secret, she would be able to take advantage of it. She would go back and tell my brother's wife that someone happened to buy the stone roller and sold it for a whole string of money and gave her half of it. "
Hearing this, Yang Fan vaguely understood. He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "What a good plan to sow discord! This was done by your enemy, wasn't it? "
The shopkeeper slapped his thigh and said, "Who said it wasn't? My wife wanted to conceal this matter, but that Hu merchant insisted on going to our restaurant to eat, and even had people roll that stone roller there, and loudly showed off to the others. In the end, they told him that the object was not worth two qian. He turned pale with fright, and said that he had spent no less than a thousand qian to buy it.
At first, my brother and I thought it was a joke, but when he told us which family he bought it from, we were glad that we met a dumb foreigner. In the end, when we returned home, my brother naturally heard from his family that he only got half a hangs. My wife had no choice but to tell the truth, saying that he only received ten hangs, but that guy didn't believe her!
There is no good way to fight, and no good words to scold. In the end, my brother's wife was so angry that she scolded, 'If you tell a lie, you will die without descendants'. And I … coincidentally, my family only has one daughter, and she doesn't have a head … "
At this point, the old shopkeeper's eyes were filled with remorseful tears, "This hit me where it hurts. I was also really angry, so I rushed up and hit her. In the end, us two brothers also fought. Naturally, our business split up. We each only specialized in one thing, so once we split up, it wouldn't be good for the customers to buy half of the food, and the other half, right?
Our business became worse and worse, but we still couldn't accept it and continued to put up a front. We wanted to compete with our former brothers, but in the end, we also squandered the family business that our ancestors had saved up. Later, after the shopkeeper of the restaurant got drunk, he told others about this matter. When the news spread, we realized that we had been tricked! "
Tin Aino listened attentively, and couldn't help but ask, "Since you already know the truth, why don't you work together again and open a restaurant together?"
The old shopkeeper glanced at her and lightly shook his head, saying, "Little girl, you are too naive. There are some things that you can't make up for just knowing that you have fallen into someone else's trap. Can you forget the harm you have suffered in the past? If it wasn't because of remorse, how could my wife have fallen so ill? What has already happened, how can it be so easy to go back to the past? "
At this point, the old shopkeeper laughed self-mockingly and sighed deeply, saying, "People all have weaknesses! It doesn't matter if they are father, son, brothers, or friends. As long as they have the intention, even a broken stone can destroy the relationship between you two! "
Yang Fan and Tin Aino fell silent. When they paid the bill and bid farewell to the old man, they looked at this stooped old man with a face full of wrinkles and a head full of white hair. When they thought of his past glory in Liangzhou and the harmonious relationship he had with his friends, they couldn't help but sigh.
By the time the two returned to the posthouse, the sky was already dark. Tin Aino stood by the door and turned to look at Yang Fan.
There were lanterns hanging in the corridor, and Yang Fan looked at Tin Aino's charming face under the light. He couldn't help but say, "You are so beautiful today!"
Tin Aino couldn't help but burst into laughter. She rolled her eyes at him and said, "You are only willing to say it now?"
Although Yang Fan said it a little late, the praise from her sweetheart still filled her heart with joy. When she closed the door and slowly walked to the bed, she was beaming with joy and her footsteps were as light as a happy swallow.
Tin Aino lit the stove and took off her outer robe, leaving only her undergarments. Just as she stretched, she suddenly realized that she was so happy that she forgot to bolt the door. She couldn't help but stick out her tongue and quickly walked back to bolt the door.
Just as she walked to the door, it was pushed open. Yang Fan suddenly poked his head in and excitedly said, "Ah Nu, maybe I have a solution!"
… …
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