Nangong Yu's face darkened. With him sitting there, alive and well, did these two not see him? They still wanted to escort Xiao Man home themselves. Was it because he couldn't be trusted to do so safely?
"No need, Uncle. I'm with my friends. He's very capable. With him sending me home, I'll be fine."
The wonton uncle cast a cautious glance at Nangong Yu and then leaned in to whisper to Xiao Man, his voice low, "Young lady, one can never be too careful. What decent young man wanders around outside in the middle of the night? It's better if we, a couple, see you home."
Nangong Yu's face turned utterly black. Was he wandering outside in the middle of the night a sign of being a bad person, and Xiao Man doing the same was acceptable?
Seeing Nangong Yu's displeased expression, Xiao Man quickly said, "Uncle, don't worry. He's my friend, not a bad person."
"Young lady has never brought him here to eat wontons before." The wonton uncle was somewhat unconvinced. He knew some of Xiao Man's friends, like Prince Qi, Young Master Xue Meng, Young Master Xue Kun, and Miss Chu, among others, who had accompanied the young lady to eat wontons. This person, however, had never been here.
"He wasn't in the capital before, so I never brought him. Today, I brought him for you to meet." Xiao Man smiled, her eyes crinkling. "This is His Highness Prince Qin."
The wonton uncle was so terrified that his legs went weak, and he immediately knelt. He was aware of Prince Qin's formidable reputation. He'd heard Prince Qin had conquered battlefields and killed mercilessly. If he were to distrust Prince Qin, would Prince Qin, in his anger, have his head?
"Your... Your Highness Prince Qin... please forgive me."
"Get up," Nangong Yu said, continuing to eat his wontons. "These wontons are cooked well. Does Xiao Man often bring friends here to eat wontons?"
"Replying to Your Highness Prince Qin, yes, she does," the wonton uncle replied cautiously.
"Who else has she brought to eat here?" Nangong Yu inquired gently. "Don't be nervous, I'm just asking casually."
"Quite a few people. For instance, His Highness Prince Qi, he's been here the most. Next is Young Master Xue Meng, though Young Master Xue Meng hasn't been here for a while. He said he went to the army."
"He has indeed gone to the army. Calculating the time, he should be returning soon."
"And Young Master Xue Kun."
"Does Xue Kun also come often?"
"Young lady, His Highness Prince Qi and Young Master Xue Kun often play together."
"Is that what you call playing together? He's clearly looking for trouble. We want to eat wontons, and he insists on tagging along." Xiao Man denied being friends with Xue Kun. That fellow could never stand to see her happy, and whatever she did, he had to do the same.
"Are there no others?"
"Yes, of course there are. Miss Chu, Miss Bai, Young Master Wen, Miss Wen, and the Cen family head. There are too many to count."
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man. Wen Mohan was one thing, but why Wen Moyu and Cen Yu? Did she bring enemies to eat wontons?
"I didn't bring them. It was one time they happened to see me eating wontons here, and just to mock me, they ate together!" Xiao Man immediately raised her hands to swear. "I still remember what Cen Yu said to me then: 'Unexpectedly, the noble Young Lady Xiao would also eat such commoner food. What, is the Xiao family so poor they can't afford to feed you? Do you need me to bestow some upon you?'"
Xiao Man mimicked him so vividly that Nangong Yu felt as if he could see the effeminate face of Cen Yu, filled with hostility and disdain. "He is indeed quite annoying."
"Isn't he?" Xiao Man said indignantly. "Back then, I was very puzzled. I hadn't offended them, so why did they like to cause me trouble?"
"Perhaps it's jealousy."
"I also think he's jealous because I'm prettier than him," Xiao Man said confidently.
Nangong Yu chuckled, his gloomy expression finally lifting. The wonton uncle also let out a sigh of relief. "Young lady once specifically came to learn how to make wontons from me, saying she wanted to make them for someone. I suppose that person must be Your Highness Prince Qin."
Xiao Man quickly signaled to the wonton uncle. However, the uncle didn't seem to notice until his wife pinched him. He then stopped talking and scratched his head, looking confused. Had he said something wrong?
"You actually learned to make wontons specially for someone?" A sour feeling welled up in Nangong Yu's heart. Even knowing that person was a woman, he was jealous. The first time he met Xiao Man, she had said she would be his bride, yet she had never treated him with such dedication.
Xiao Man smiled frankly. "Yes, I made them for a good friend."
"A man?"
"A woman."
"Which girl is worth you being so dedicated? She must be very beautiful, right?" Nangong Yu asked nonchalantly. Some things, if Xiao Man didn't want him to know, he would pretend not to know.
"Naturally. She's as beautiful as a flower, so lovely that even I pity her."
"Cough, cough." The wonton aunt coughed twice to remind Xiao Man. In her heart, she wondered if His Highness Prince Qin was jealous, even of girls.
"This person, you know her too. I won't tell you now." Xiao Man finished the last sip of soup in her bowl. "Eating a bowl of hot wontons instantly makes me feel warm all over. Let's go, don't delay Uncle and Auntie from packing up."
Xiao Man took out a silver ingot. The wonton uncle quickly waved his hands. "You've already given a lot of money. You can't give any more. Besides, His Highness Prince Qi also said that from now on, your wontons will be on his tab."
"Do I look like someone who keeps tabs?" Xiao Man put down the silver ingot and disappeared into the night with Nangong Yu.
After the couple saw them leave, the wonton stall owners packed up their stall and headed home.
Xiao Man and Nangong Yu walked through the streets in the pre-dawn hours. The cold wind howled, making their clothes flap. Nangong Yu glanced at Xiao Man and reached out, pulling her into his cloak.
"You're so afraid of the cold. What will you do if you go to battle in winter?"
"I'll wrap myself in a quilt and go!"
Nangong Yu laughed. "Then you'll probably be the first person to make the enemy general die of laughter."
"Can't help it. It's too cold. Waking up every day is a difficult task." Xiao Man said with a pained expression. "Why must one wake up in winter? Isn't it better to stay in bed?"
"You're lazy, and you even have an excuse."
"Don't you feel cold?"
"I am a martial artist, I don't fear the cold," Nangong Yu said slowly. "Moreover, in winter, the border is always sealed by heavy snow. If you pour a basin of water, it freezes into ice before it even lands. If I were afraid of the cold and hid in bed, wouldn't we be wiped out?"
"I used to not fear the cold either," Xiao Man retorted. She hadn't feared the cold when marching in winter before, but now, even getting out of bed was a struggle.
"This body isn't as good as your old one," Nangong Yu said softly. "Furthermore, you've been injured repeatedly. Even the best body, if covered in scars, can't withstand it."
"I don't want to be injured either, it's just..." Xiao Man stopped in her tracks. "There's killing intent."