Amidst the hustle and bustle, everyone wore a smile, and even when bargaining, they would use auspicious and gentle words.
In this festive and lively atmosphere, the two awkwardly standing side by side, their expressions stiff, seemed somewhat out of place.
Luo Cuiwei had traveled extensively with her father since childhood. Although she wasn't highly educated, she understood the importance of proper conduct. Today, however, she had a sudden lapse in judgment and forcibly grabbed a man's hand, making him touch her face—
She felt that the ancestors of the Luo family must be cursing her from heaven right now.
If it weren't for the fact that she hadn't had time to discuss the "borrowing a route through Linchuan" issue, she would have already covered her face in shame and fled home.
She had just made that stupid mistake, and the embarrassment hadn't completely faded yet; moreover, after that awkward scene, the carefully prepared speech from yesterday had long since fallen apart in her mind.
The combination of these two complex emotions made her smile appear somewhat stiff.
Yun Lie's mind seemed to be just as complex as hers, and his tall figure appeared somewhat awkward in the bustling crowd.
After walking slowly through the lantern market for a short while, Luo Cuiwei finally noticed that passersby were casting strange glances at her from time to time, so she couldn't help but look at her side out of the corner of her eye.
She then realized that the person beside her had been subtly adjusting his stride, using his tall frame to shield her from the crowd.
Luo Cuiwei's heart trembled slightly. She tried her best to shake off the embarrassment in her mind and turned to look at Yun Lie: "There might be fewer people around lunchtime."
"Hmm?" Yun Lie looked back at her in confusion.
"There's a restaurant in the alley ahead. If Your Highness doesn't mind, let's go sit down for a while, have something to eat to pass the time, and then come back to choose something more leisurely when the streets are less crowded at noon?"
Looking at the crowded scene around him, Yun Lie nodded in agreement, "Alright."
****
There was still about half an hour before noon, and there were only two tables of diners in the alley's eateries, making it much quieter than the main street.
Luo Cuiwei walked ahead with practiced ease, exchanging a few pleasantries with the waiter at the door.
The waiter warmly led the two into the main hall of the restaurant, arranged a quiet table for them by the window, and served them two cups of hot tea.
After taking his seat, Yun Lie remained silent, simply turning the teacup in his hand and leisurely gazing at Luo Cuiwei.
In front of the waiter, Luo Cuiwei couldn't very well address him as "Your Highness," so she could only bite the bullet and point to the shelf with the menu hanging in the hall, "...You, take a look and see what you'd like to eat."
Yun Lie casually glanced at her, then turned back to look at her, and said straightforwardly, "As long as there's meat."
Luo Cuiwei smiled slightly and ordered a few simple hot dishes.
After the waiter went to serve the dishes, fearing that the two would fall into an awkward silence again, Luo Cuiwei quickly tried to lighten the mood: "I didn't expect Your Highness to be so easygoing, actually willing to come to the market to pick out lanterns, haha."
“When I was young, I lived in the inner city, where there were many rules for coming and going, so I couldn’t come here,” Yun Lie’s eyes narrowed, and he lowered his eyes, gently turning the cup in his hand. “I’ve spent more time in Linchuan these past few years, so today is a rare opportunity to broaden my horizons, which is quite refreshing.”
It was rare for him to say so much, and although it was just casual conversation, it made Luo Cuiwei's nose tingle slightly.
The person in front of me was separated from the bustling city by an inner city wall in his childhood, and in his adulthood, he was separated from the prosperity of the capital by thousands of miles.
The capital city was where he grew up, but these bustling scenes that were ordinary and commonplace in the eyes of ordinary people were novelties to him.
"Your Highness has been in Linchuan for what seems like many years now." Luo Cuiwei suppressed the turmoil in her heart and casually brought up this topic.
According to yesterday's plan, we should start here to get the ball rolling, and then gradually discuss the matter of "borrowing a route".
“Nearly ten years.” Yun Lie still didn’t look up, just casually replied.
Is Linchuan a bitter place?
Luo Cuiwei also lowered her eyes, took a sip of tea from her cup, seemingly savoring the moment, but actually trying to hide the sudden, subtle pain in her heart.
Perhaps not expecting her to ask this, Yun Lie paused for a moment before answering, "It's alright. It's just a bit colder in winter than in the capital, and it's not as lively."
Seeing the gentle, shimmering light in Luo Cuiwei's eyes, Yun Lie, unsure of what was causing his panic, added, "It won't be cold after mid-spring."
“Hmm,” Luo Cuiwei nodded, a sincere smile playing on her lips, her tone as gentle as a chat with an old friend, “Do you, in the army, often engage in martial arts duels for amusement, just like you do in the Prince’s mansion?”
This question wasn't part of her prepared remarks or rehearsals yesterday, but at this moment, it's exactly what she wants to ask.
Speaking of this, Yun Lie laughed: "Those guys in the army are even more mischievous. They hunt in the forest, fish in the river, and do it year after year, and they always seem to enjoy it."
As he said this, there was a faint but pleasant smile in his eyes and brows, but Luo Cuiwei felt like crying.
At that moment, she suddenly realized how absurd and blasphemous her plan to "collude with someone" was to the man sitting in front of her.
The reason why the soldiers of Linchuan Army always enjoyed hunting and fishing was because the border region was bitterly cold, and they had no other pastimes.
Even so, they have always been there.
Enduring cold, hunger, and loneliness, far from their homeland and loved ones, they stayed there year after year.
No complaints, no escape, no retreat.
Standing tall and upright, their integrity shines brightly.
Although she didn't know how Yun Lie would react, Luo Cuiwei thought that if she were to reveal the matter of "borrowing a route through Linchuan" today, just the thought of those lads she had never met before, thousands of miles away, would surely chill the hearts of many.
****
Luo Cuiwei had never been to Linchuan, but she had visited Songyuan, which was more than 100 miles away from Linchuan, several times.
They usually went with caravans at the beginning of spring after the New Year.
While the capital was already warming up, Songyuan was still bitterly cold.
The longest she ever stayed there was just over a month, and even now, several years later, she still vividly remembers the stinging sensation of the wind on her face.