Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2684 Still Vigorous in Old Age 68.0
Merlin and Shadow Thirteen each pushed a small cart behind Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. The two walked very steadily, and the jars on them did not wobble at all.

The jars on the cart are drinks from the stall. The jars are insulated so they won't cool down too quickly on the way from the stall to the Duke's mansion.

Originally, according to the shopkeeper's plan, he had no intention of opening the shop after closing at noon.

He felt that since it had snowed so heavily after lunch, the snow on the road was already a thick layer. Although the soldiers of Shen's army had been busy clearing the snow, they couldn't stop the snow from falling even heavier.

Unexpectedly, the snow fell gently for half a day and then stopped just before dark. He quickly tidied himself up, wrapped himself up tightly, and went out. He planned to see if the streets were easy to walk on and if there was anything he could do to help. However, he was stopped by the stall owner before he had taken more than two steps.

The young shop assistant said that they had come out to sweep the snow off the ground after the snow stopped, but when they opened the shop, they found seven or eight young women standing at the door, all shivering from the cold, saying that they hoped they could sell them some of their drink.

The shopkeeper had no choice but to open his stall and make drinks for these young ladies. Fortunately, they had also opened their shop in the morning, so the drinks were ready and kept warm on the stove.

They had planned to close the shop after serving these guests, but unexpectedly encountered Shen Haolin and Shen Cha patrolling the streets, so they simply gave them the remaining drinks. Anyway, there were many people from the Duke's Mansion, the Marquis's Mansion, and the camp, so they could still finish these few cans of drinks.

After helping Merlin and Shadow Thirteen load the cart, they went with the shopkeeper to see Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. There was no other reason than the unexpected heavy snow.

His general store has many emergency items; if the Duke's mansion or the Marquis's mansion needs them, they can simply send someone to him.

Shen Haolin and Shen Cha thanked the shopkeeper and didn't stand on ceremony with him. They assured him that they would ask if he needed anything.

However, they didn't tell the shopkeeper that Chu Han had arrived at the border. It depended on Chu Han's wishes, and they wouldn't speak rashly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the shopkeeper, Shen Haolin and Shen Cha led Ying Shisan and Meilin toward the Duke's mansion. Along the way, they kept reminding the vendors who had set up stalls and the people who went out for a stroll or to buy things to hurry home after finishing their business, so as not to be caught in the next snowfall.

Ying Shisan and Meilin followed behind Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, handing out the drinks from the car little by little. They didn't expect them to be of any great use, but only hoped that everyone could have something warm to drink on this cold day.

When they arrived at the Duke's mansion, Meilin's cart of drinks had already been delivered, but Ying Shisan's cart was still full. He took the drinks directly to the kitchen and instructed the chefs to serve them as tea with dinner.

After Shen Haolin and Shen Cha entered the Duke's mansion, they returned to their own courtyards, freshened up, and changed into their banquet clothes. Only then did they ask Meilin to call people from each courtyard, and everyone went to the Marquis's mansion together.

"You two went out this afternoon?" Qin Zheng and Yan Bo looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha. "Was the journey easy?"

"It's not too difficult to walk, but I've already arranged for someone to sweep it up." Shen Cha casually took two small bottles from Merlin and gave them to Qin Zheng and Yan Bo, then had Ying Shisan distribute the ones he had collected to the others. "These are some drinks I brought back from my trip, based on Miao Miao's recipe. Master and Yan Bo, please try them." "Okay!"

The group entered through the small gate connecting the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis's Mansion. They thought they had arrived early, but to their surprise, Fourth Master Jiang and Chu Han were already there, chatting with Third Master and Old Madam Ning in the pavilion in the courtyard of the Marquis's Mansion.

The younger generation greeted their elders and invited them to sit together; the younger ones sat at one table.

"What were you talking about just now?" Shen Cha looked at Chu Han curiously, then at Third Master and Madam Ning. "If it's inconvenient for you to say, you don't have to. We're just curious."

"There's nothing inconvenient about it," the third grandfather waved his hand. "I'm just marveling at how young my uncle still looks after all these years."

"More than just young," Old Madam Ning said with a smile, covering her mouth. "He's also handsome!" She gave Shen Cha, who was sitting to the side, a mischievous grin, as if she had returned to her youth. "When we first met His Highness, we were absolutely amazed. We never imagined that Master would know such a handsome young man. Back then..." She beckoned to Shen Cha, and when Shen Cha came to her side, she whispered, "I was a little tempted."

"Oh?" Shen Cha suddenly had a mischievous idea. She looked at the Third Grandfather, then at Chu Han, and chuckled, saying, "Since you are so fond of your great-uncle, why did you choose your uncle?"

"It's just for show, for talking. Who to choose and who not to choose is not something we can decide." Old Madam Ning looked at Shen Cha, then at Shen Haolin, and said, "So, you are still very lucky. However..." She glanced at Chu Han and the Third Master, who were talking about something, and whispered, "Fortunately, neither of them chose."

"why?"

"You won't understand now, but you'll understand when you're a little older."

Although Madam Ning didn't say it explicitly, Shen Cha could guess a little bit that neither of them were capable of living a stable life. One had lived for a hundred years, just to find the truth, while the other was from a foreign tribe and was an even lower-class candidate. Therefore, she could only follow her family's wishes and become a husband and wife in name only with Ning Changguo.

Shen Cha glanced at Chu Han and the Third Grandfather, sighed softly, and shrugged helplessly.

"By the way, where are Madam Ning and the little one?" Shen Cha looked around at the groups of people chatting, but couldn't find Madam Ning, nor did she see Ning Cheng, Xiao Fengqi, or Qi Zhifeng. "Eh? Where are they?"

"They went out for a stroll as soon as the snow stopped, saying they wanted to shovel the snow in front of the teahouse properly. If it doesn't snow tomorrow, they still need to set up their stall. There can't be any ice on the ground, so people don't slip and fall." Old Madam Ning sighed. "I have to say, they're all good kids."

"Yes, they are all good children. We should not discriminate against them just because we are not from the same country."

“That’s right.” Madam Ning patted Shen Cha’s arm. “It’s fortunate that we met you. Although there were misunderstandings, they were eventually resolved. In addition, you were willing to help us, which is why we have today. Otherwise, we would probably already be on our way to the Western Regions. As for what kind of life we ​​would have had there, only heaven and earth know.”