The two ate and drank for a while, then lay on the rooftop, enjoying the sea breeze and moonlight, savoring the rare tranquil and leisurely time. They didn't get up to rest until one in the morning.
Before going down, Lu Yuzhi mustered the courage to hold Su Muqing's hand, then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. After the kiss, he looked at her nervously, worried his actions were too rash.
Looking at the handsome face so close, feeling his sweaty palm and the expectant look on his face, Su Muqing turned their clasped hands into interlocked fingers. Then she raised her other hand and gently caressed Lu Yuzhi's face.
Perhaps it was because the cold poison from the Bing Xing Grass in his body had not yet been cleared, Su Muqing only felt a cool, smooth, and tender skin. She had to admit, Brother Lu had quite good skin!
As Su Muqing's face slowly drew closer, Lu Yuzhi became even more nervous. When their lips met, the difference in temperature, one cold and one hot, sent a jolt of electricity through their minds, startling them.
Lu Yuzhi's lips were cool, while Su Muqing's were fiery. This kiss felt entirely different from the one when they had crossed the water barrier with the pearl.
Su Muqing raised her hand to cover his eyes, obscuring his passionate gaze, and closed her own eyes. Lu Yuzhi also raised his hand to caress her cheek. Two inexperienced people, with lips lightly touching and breaths mingling, neither made any further move to disturb the beautiful feeling.
Finally, Su Muqing slowly pulled back because her head was becoming increasingly dizzy. She didn't know if it was from maintaining the same posture for too long, causing a lack of oxygen to her brain.
Feeling her withdrawal, Lu Yuzhi leaned forward again. The hand caressing her small face shifted to tightly embrace her slender waist. Just as Su Muqing was about to say something, her lips parted, and she extended her tongue.
This sudden action was like opening Pandora's box. Both of them trembled, and then opened their eyes simultaneously. So this was what it felt like!
They kissed for a long time, and Su Muqing felt Lu Yuzhi's body growing increasingly tense. She had to forcefully push him away. After separating, they looked at each other, panting.
When the kiss ended, Su Muqing's lips felt numb. It wasn't because Lu Yuzhi had used too much force, but because his lips were so cold, and they only grew colder with each kiss, eventually making her teeth chatter.
Lu Yuzhi extended his thumb and wiped away the saliva from her lips. He licked his lips and smiled brightly at Su Muqing. November 20th was destined to be the most unforgettable day of his life.
Su Muqing felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, but her lips curved upwards uncontrollably, also expressing her good mood. She turned her head away, not looking at Lu Yuzhi's smile, and then they flew to the deck.
The sleeping black bear sensed the movement, lifted an eyelid, saw it was them, and turned its head to continue sleeping. The eagle was not in the pavilion, likely having flown out to stretch its wings. Everyone else was fast asleep. The little milk bun had already gone to rest with Leng Ren and the others. The entire ship was now quiet.
Lu Yuzhi walked Su Muqing to her door, couldn't resist hugging her again, and whispered goodnight before quickly turning and leaving. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to control his desires.
He was already over 22 years old. He had spent most of his time in the military camp, and then there were the incidents with the princess. Therefore, Lu Yuzhi had never interacted much with girls. Unlike other young masters, who had many concubines and maids by the age of seventeen or eighteen, he was different.
Moreover, Master Zhikong had once said that his fated person grew up in the countryside. This was why he couldn't help but feel attracted to Su Muqing after meeting her. Firstly, she was truly outstanding and unforgettable. Secondly, she was the fated person who could save him, and the one he had acknowledged in his heart.
Su Muqing entered her space to wash up. As she lay on the bed, she couldn't help but recall their kiss. Thinking of something, she smiled shyly, and then with a smile on her lips, she drifted off to sleep.
Back in his room, Lu Yuzhi lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He wondered why Su Muqing's attitude had suddenly changed, and then he wondered if he had performed poorly that night. Finally, like a傻瓜, he covered his face with the quilt and burst into laughter.
The next morning, Lu Yuzhi, who had not slept all night, got up early to make a hearty breakfast. Others gradually woke up. By about eight in the morning, he came to Su Muqing's door and knocked to wake her up.
"Brother Lu? Morning~" Su Muqing groggily got up and opened the door, her eyes still heavy with sleep, looking at Lu Yuzhi standing outside the door, smiling gently.
"Hurry up and wash up, breakfast is ready," Lu Yuzhi said, rubbing her head and urging her to get ready.
"Oh~ Okay!" Su Muqing had just finished her sweet reply when she remembered her disheveled state from just waking up.
Oh no, how could she be so careless about her appearance in front of the boy she liked? She quickly used her arm to cover her face, pushed Lu Yuzhi out with her other hand, and then quickly closed the door. With a yelp, she rushed into her space to get ready.
Lu Yuzhi, not understanding what was happening, was pushed out the door. Hearing her call out twice and then silence, he guessed she had gone into her space to wash up and waited patiently outside the door.
Su Muqing wore a fairy-like outfit today: a white undergarment with exquisite embroidery, paired with a goose-yellow light gauze outer layer. She looked playful and cute, yet remained gentle and elegant. After choosing her clothes, she applied a light makeup.
She applied a thin layer of UV-blocking primer and then a very light makeup. Her natural beauty was already good, so she didn't need much. After getting ready, she exited her space and opened the door.
Lu Yuzhi, who had been waiting at the door, was instantly stunned when he saw her dressed up. Being stared at with such intense eyes first thing in the morning made Su Muqing feel a bit "sore-mouthed." She cleared her throat to remind him. He then blushed and averted his gaze.
"Didn't you say breakfast was ready? Let's go~" Su Muqing said, then ran ahead, unable to resist a stolen giggle.
Lu Yuzhi snapped back to reality and saw she had already run far ahead. He quickly chased after her and took her hand. The two of them appeared at the entrance of the hall, hand in hand.
Leng Ren and Leng Feng, upon seeing the perfect couple holding hands outside the door, exchanged a smile. Their young master had finally gotten what he wanted; they would have a young madam from now on.
Ke Binna and Wan Yan'er also came over to tease them, wondering why the couple was being so high-profile today. They had long noticed Lu Yuzhi's kindness towards Su Muqing, but since no one had explicitly stated it, they hadn't inquired too deeply. However, judging by their demeanor today, they seemed ready to go public.
"Let's eat first!" Su Muqing generously pulled Lu Yuzhi to the table and then picked up the little milk bun to hold.
Lu Yuzhi, as usual, portioned out the porridge for her and also for the little milk bun. He took the child from Su Muqing's arms, picked up a spoon, and began feeding him skillfully.
Although Brother Lu had always done these things before, now that they had broken the ice between them, Su Muqing felt particularly sweet seeing his attentiveness.
Wan Yan'er and Ke Binna looked at the sickeningly sweet couple in front of them and turned their bowls away. However, as one turned left and the other right, they ended up facing each other directly. Normally, such a gaze between single men and women could spark some fire.
But these two were clearly not ordinary!
The moment their eyes met, they coincidentally sprayed congee into each other's faces. This was why Su Muqing called them a bickering couple. Their subconscious reactions were surprisingly synchronized.
What followed was naturally another chaotic scene. The others at the table simply protected their own breakfast and moved to a smaller side table to eat, lest they get caught in the crossfire. Ha Ke ate happily beside them, occasionally taking time to cheer on his master.
This provocative behavior directly infuriated Wan Yan'er, and Ke Binna was also angered by his actions.
This indeed became collateral damage. The others didn't see what happened, but Ha Ke's ending was quite miserable. After being beaten, he didn't even get to eat breakfast. In the end, he had to be responsible for cleaning up the messy hall that the two had created.
The subsequent sea voyage was smooth, with favorable winds and no more inexplicable phenomena. The young couple dated while working on their project proposals. The bickering couple argued one day and competed in fishing the next.
At the end of November, the large ship arrived at Yue Lan City, another coastal city in Wan Feng Kingdom. This was the closest city to Tian Zhao Kingdom. They had been at sea for more than twenty days, and if all went well, they would reach their destination in about half a month.
At five in the evening, the two ships docked at Yue Lan City's largest pier. They planned to purchase some supplies in the city and then set off again the following night.
Su Muqing felt the temperature here was at least 38 degrees Celsius. After being scorched by the sun all day, as soon as they disembarked, they felt a wave of heat rushing towards them. It felt like being in a steamer, and within moments, everyone was drenched in sweat.
There were many people standing around, almost everyone with a sweat towel draped over their shoulders. Seeing them disembark, those people quickly surrounded them and began to solicit business. Su Muqing then realized that these people were all waiters from various establishments, including restaurants, carriage services, and inns...
She was surprised by the advanced business model here, offering pick-up services for dining and accommodation. Ke Binna directly chose Tian Yue Lou, and the group quickly got into a carriage and was transported to the most prosperous inner city of Yue Lan City.
Tian Yue Restaurant was a large establishment that combined dining and lodging. After they got out of the carriage, the waiters immediately rushed out to greet them enthusiastically. Seeing the ubiquitous glass decorations and luxurious擺件 inside the restaurant, Su Muqing guessed that the owner must have had immense wealth. Either the restaurant's cuisine was good enough to be very profitable, or the owner had a powerful background.
Lu Yuzhi looked around and found the surrounding environment acceptable. He nodded to Leng Ren and the others. However, when they went to book rooms, they saw Ha Ke already at the counter.
He took out a semi-transparent glass牌 from his waist and handed it to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper, who had been amiable, immediately adopted a respectful expression upon seeing the inscription on the牌.
The shopkeeper walked over, first bowed respectfully to Ke Binna, and then called him "Young Master." Su Muqing and the others then realized that this restaurant was actually owned by Ke Binna's family. No wonder he had gone straight for the Tian Yue Lou carriage as soon as they disembarked.
Ke Binna waved his hand generously, telling the shopkeeper to prepare five of the best rooms for them. He also asked for hot water to be prepared for them to wash up and for a sumptuous meal to be arranged.
The restaurant was truly luxurious. The dining area was at the front, and the lodging was behind the restaurant. Not only was it a three-story building, but it also had pavilions, rockeries, and flowers around it.
The superior rooms they stayed in were like modern presidential suites, with a small living room, a dedicated dressing room, and two beds, one inside and one outside. There was a large bed for the master to rest and a smaller bed for the attendant to sleep nearby. Overall, the arrangement was quite user-friendly.
Lu Yuzhi directly took the little milk bun back to his room. After the waiter delivered hot water, they both soaked in the bathtub. The little milk bun loved baths and would get very excited, waving its hands whenever it saw a bathtub.
After everyone had finished their preparations, they habitually gathered at Su Muqing's place. Then, led by the waiters, they walked through corridors and a small garden to the largest room in the restaurant for dining.
The dining room was also very large, and the table was twice the size of an ordinary eight-immortal table. It was laden with dishes. Su Muqing roughly counted over thirty dishes, and more were still being served.
Seeing the dishes constantly being brought to the table, Su Muqing felt it was simply too much. She quickly asked Ke Binna to tell the shopkeeper to stop serving, as the table was almost full.
To her surprise, Ke Binna waved his hand dismissively, telling her not to be polite. He said he wanted them to try all the signature dishes of the restaurant. Seeing this, Su Muqing didn't insist further.
The group sat down and had a good meal. Even with five hungry men at the table, they only managed to finish less than ten of the forty-odd dishes.
Seeing the dishes that had only been touched a couple of times, Su Muqing took out a handful of plastic food bags from her satchel and put all the remaining dishes into them. The three of them could barely carry the packed food. This showed how much food there was.
The group arrived at the entrance of the restaurant and handed the bags of leftovers to the waiter who had been running errands for them, also giving him a 50-wen tip for his transport service to bring the leftovers to the pier for their ship's crew and soldiers to have an extra meal. One of the people who had picked them up earlier was this waiter, so there was no need to send someone else with him or tell him which two ships.
The runner was overjoyed to receive such a good assignment. This was almost equivalent to two months of his tips. These kinds of jobs usually only offered a small reward when sending guests to the ship.
At most, they would receive two or three wen, and that was only if they encountered generous guests. If they met stingy ones, receiving one wen as a tip was considered good.
After handling the leftovers, the group prepared to go out and explore the night market. As the sky darkened, the heat in the air subsided slightly. Their procurement of supplies had already been entrusted to the restaurant's shopkeeper, so they didn't need to worry about it anymore.
Seeing the unique small items at the roadside stalls, Su Muqing began her mad shopping spree again.
A woman shopping was already formidable. Now that two women were together, not only was their combat power explosive, but their endurance was even more astonishing! A group of men followed behind them, shaking their heads. Women who loved shopping were simply terrifying!
Su Muqing continued her carpet-bombing shopping spree from her space. She shopped from one end of the street to the other. Leng Ren and Leng Feng had returned to the inn twice in the meantime. By the time they returned, there was another pile of goods waiting for them.
The merchants on the street knew that two big customers who spent lavishly had arrived on East Street. Some shops that had already closed were rushing to reopen after being informed by others. They hadn't expected to be able to make a last-minute sales push before going to bed.
The two girls, having reaped a good harvest, browsed the last shop and were smilingly escorted out by the shopkeeper. Seeing the listless men waiting outside, the two felt confused.
How could these men have such poor physical fitness? They had only shopped for one street, and they all looked listless. They were simply too weak!
Su Muqing even considered whether she should buy two old hens and then take some root strands from thousand-year-old ginseng to stew a pot of old hen and ginseng soup to give them a good tonic.
After sending away the men who were in the way, the two girls enthusiastically headed to West Street. The shops on this street were mainly jewelry stores and pawnshops.
Su Muqing chose a jewelry store with a simpler decoration and walked in. The shopkeeper was a man in his thirties, and a woman of similar age was beside him.
"What kind of jewelry would the two young ladies like to see?" the woman asked with a smile as soon as she saw customers enter.
Although the woman tried her best to control her tone, the two of them saw her red eyes and nasal voice, clearly indicating she had been crying not long ago. However, this was their private matter, and they wouldn't presumptuously ask why she was crying.
The two walked directly to the counter and looked at the displayed jewelry. And indeed, although this small shop was not large and its decoration was simple, the jewelry was made quite well. The hairpins of various flower shapes were carved so vividly that if they were colored, they would look almost real.
Su Muqing picked up a lotus hairpin and asked, "Madam, may I ask how much this hairpin costs?"
Hearing the customer's question, the woman politely replied, "Greetings, young lady. This hairpin uses ample material, and the design is also very complex, so it takes the master craftsman a lot of effort to carve. The selling price is at least one tael of silver."
For such exquisite handmade jewelry, the price was only one tael of silver? Su Muqing weighed the hairpin in her hand; it was at least thirty grams. One tael of silver is fifty grams, but with labor costs and wear and tear, the price was indeed not expensive.
Since she found the price reasonable, Su Muqing chose several more items. She discovered that buying some things in this world was even cheaper than in the space mall.
In the end, she selected nine hairpins, four pairs of silver bracelets, and many silver earrings, totaling twenty taels of silver. The jewelry store owner, seeing her buy so many items, also gifted her a few pairs of silver lilies, which were actually simple silver studs.
Everyone was happy to have made such a large transaction. The woman quickly found a piece of cotton cloth and wrapped up the jewelry she had chosen. Su Muqing took out a twenty-tael silver note from her person, which she had just exchanged at the weighing station for convenient shopping.
Just as the transaction was successfully completed, a group of people suddenly came in noisily from outside. Su Muqing and the others turned to look and saw several burly men surrounding the jewelry store with their men.
From the situation, it was clear that the other party was hostile. Su Muqing did not want to cause trouble and did not intend to meddle. She picked up her wrapped purchases and pulled Wan Yan'er, preparing to leave.
However, when they reached the doorway, they were blocked by those strong men. The leading men looked at the young girl in front of them, lewdly rubbed the stubble on their chins, and then began to verbally harass them with lewd remarks.
Seeing this, the woman rushed forward and pulled Su Muqing and the others behind her. "What do you want? They are just customers in our store. Don't trouble them."
The burly man directly grabbed the man behind the counter, threw him to the ground, and said, "Heh~ You owe me two hundred taels of silver, and today is the last day. With principal and interest, you owe three hundred and fifty taels! Everything left in this store now belongs to me. You say they are customers? What if you colluded together and had them take something out to hide? Wouldn't I be the one at a disadvantage?"
"Boss Jin, we didn't and wouldn't dare to do that! Please, be accommodating again! These two young ladies are indeed just customers who came into the store to buy things, we don't know them. If you don't believe me, I'll prove it to you..." The man said, getting up from the ground, then ran behind the counter and handed the twenty-tael silver note that Su Muqing had just given him.
The man took the silver note and saw that it was indeed for twenty taels. He didn't expect these two young ladies to be so wealthy, able to buy so many things so casually.
The man called Boss Jin grabbed the silver note and tucked it into his chest, making no mention of letting Su Muqing and the others go. He then pushed the male shopkeeper away fiercely and demanded that he return three hundred and fifty taels of silver immediately, or he would seize the shop.
The man was stunned upon hearing this, and the woman also pointed at Boss Jin with indignation. "Didn't we just give you twenty taels? Why is there still three hundred and fifty taels?"
"You stinking bitch, how dare you point at me? Believe it or not, I'll sell you and your daughter to a brothel together! Let you mother and daughter sell yourselves to repay me." Boss Jin, seeing that the woman dared to point at him, furiously stepped forward to discipline her.