vrcanaries Chapter 152 Are you two a newlywed couple?
Chapter 152 Are you two a newlywed couple?
Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling entered the city.
Because they didn't bring horses when they boarded the ship, they need to buy a new carriage in Shenyang City.
It was already evening, and Shen Yuan planned to stay in the city for the night and set off again at dawn.
After entering the city, the two went straight to the horse shop in the East Market.
Although it was evening, the market was brightly lit and had many stalls. People strolled around in small groups, carrying lanterns.
Most of these stalls sell food.
As Shen Yuan passed a stall, she suddenly stopped. She turned her head to look at the pot of bone broth that was still boiling. She saw pig's blood, large intestine, radish, tofu and other ingredients floating in the broth. It smelled especially delicious.
She couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
"Shenyang City tofu is on sale, twenty-eight coins a bowl. Would you two like to try some?" The stall owner looked at Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling with a beaming smile.
Shen Yuan turned to look at Xiao Ling: "Do you want this for dinner?"
Xiao Ling frowned subconsciously as he looked at the pig intestines floating in the pot, but seeing that Shen Yuan's eyes clearly said "I really want to eat this," he nodded and said, "Okay!"
Shen Yuan immediately turned to the stall owner and said, "Two bowls of tofu, please!"
"Alright! Do you two have any dietary restrictions? Would you like some coriander, garlic sprouts, and chopped green onions?"
Shen Yuan: "Neither bowl should have coriander, but add more garlic sprouts, vinegar, and chili!"
"Alright! Please come in, gentlemen!" The stall owner led Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling to sit down at the table, then quickly returned to the pot to make noodles.
Soon, the noodles in the pot were cooked. The vendor scooped the noodles into a bowl, added a few spoonfuls of pork blood, tofu, radish, and chopped large intestine, then sprinkled on garlic sprouts and scallions, drizzled on chili meat and vinegar, and finally poured on a spoonful of hot soup.
"Sir/Madam! Your tofu is here!"
The stall owner placed two steaming hot porcelain bowls in front of Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of dough, blew on it, and then put it in her mouth.
"Mmm...it's so delicious!"
Curious, she asked the stall owner, "What are these noodles made of? Why are they different from the ones I ate in the South?"
The stall owner smiled and said, "These are rice and mung bean noodles. After drying them, they are cut into strips about two fingers wide and then cooked in this broth. They have a chewy yet smooth texture! People in Shenyang City love to eat this!"
Shen Yuan took another sip of the soup; it was fresh and delicious.
She looked at Xiao Ling: "You should try it!"
Xiao Ling used her chopsticks to move the large intestine in the bowl to one side, then picked up a piece of dough and took a bite.
Seeing this, Shen Yuan leaned closer and asked, "You don't eat pig intestines?"
"If you're not going to eat it, give it all to me!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling put all the large intestines in the bowl into Shen Yuan's bowl.
Shen Yuan took a bite of the stewed, plump intestines and said, "I heard that people in Shenyang especially love to eat intestines. They have a bowl of intestine soup with rice every morning!"
Xiao Ling's lips curled slightly, "Then does that mean they can't speak at all all day?"
"They also love to drink tea, and their breath smells wonderful!"
Shen Yuan puffed out her cheeks and retorted defiantly.
Seeing her eating so heartily, a smile involuntarily appeared in Xiao Ling's eyes.
It does smell really good.
"Today is the Lantern Festival. According to our northern custom, we should eat dumplings. These dumplings are free for you two. Please have a taste!"
The stall owner suddenly handed over a small plate of dumplings.
It's filled with shepherd's purse and pork. There are six in total, not many, just enough to try.
Xiao Ling glanced at the dumplings on the table and pushed them towards Shen Yuan: "These are your favorite dumplings, have a taste!"
Shen Yuan didn't stand on ceremony; she picked up a dumpling, dipped it in vinegar, and popped it into her mouth.
"Mmm... these dumplings are delicious too! The shepherd's purse smells so good!"
She had barely finished speaking when the stall owner behind her suddenly asked, "Are you two a newlywed couple? You look so affectionate!"
Shen Yuan looked up and met the stall owner's gossipy yet self-assured gaze, and sighed helplessly.
Although the New Year has passed, she will be seventeen years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, which is indeed the age for marriage.
But she doesn't look like a married woman at all.
Xiao Ling didn't explain that it was because he was often quiet and therefore didn't like to talk.
But Shen Yuan didn't want to be misunderstood, so she stood up and said, "You've misunderstood!"
"Huh?" The stall owner looked at Shen Yuan in surprise, then at Xiao Ling. As someone with experience, he could tell at a glance that Xiao Ling's gaze towards Shen Yuan was strange!
How could you have guessed wrong?
The stall owner couldn't help but glance at Xiao Ling again. Could it be unrequited love?
This young man was incredibly handsome; he was the most dashing young man he had ever seen in Shenyang City. He never expected that he would also have a crush on him.
As expected, being handsome is of no use at all.
No matter how handsome you are, you can only watch others eat with a silly, longing look.
A man should be like him, having some skills so he can earn money to support his wife and children!
Look at him, he's already married a long time ago!
I've never even experienced what unrequited love feels like!
Although the stall owner had a lot on his mind, he still wore a polite smile and didn't reveal anything.
He rubbed his hands sheepishly and explained, "Sorry, I misunderstood! Most of the people eating out during the Lantern Festival are loving couples, and I thought you two were too!"
"It's alright." Seeing that Shen Yuan had finished eating, Xiao Ling put down the money and got up.
The stall owner counted the copper coins on the table and asked in confusion, "Sixty coins? How come there are four extra coins?"
But Xiao Ling and Shen Yuan had already gone far away.
After dinner, Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling went to the horse trading company.
After choosing their horses, Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling pulled their carriage to the market and bought some dry food and clothes.
The next morning at dawn, Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling left the inn and headed straight out of the city, continuing northward.
The newly replaced horses were strong, healthy, and full of energy, able to run more than 100 li a day, much faster than the horses Shen Yuan used before.
Therefore, Shen Yuan felt that her idea of sending the carriage to the post station before crossing the river, having someone send it back to Jian'an City, and then buying a new carriage after crossing the river was particularly cost-effective.
Not only did they save on the river crossing fee, but they also had carriages for themselves and the people at the pharmacy and restaurant.
Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling traveled by carriage for half a month.
On the first day of the second lunar month, Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling arrived at Jizhou, the city closest to the capital.
The further north they went, the stricter the identity checks became at the checkpoints. Fortunately, Shen Yuan had already spent money to get Xiao Ling the necessary travel documents while they were in Shenyang City.
The two then successfully arrived in Jizhou.
Upon arriving in Jizhou, Shen Yuan expected the inspection to be more stringent. However, the soldiers guarding the city only glanced at the documents she handed over without even opening them, and then let Shen Yuan and Xiao Ling in.
This puzzled Shen Yuan.
She turned to look at the long queue of people leaving the city on the other side. The queue was teeming with people, all of whom wanted to leave the city.
The soldiers guarding the city not only demanded to examine their household registration documents, but also searched their luggage and belongings. They even required them to take off their outer garments in full view of everyone for a body search.
The group included many women and young girls, who turned pale with fright when they saw the soldiers guarding the city searching their bodies.
Even so, they did not leave.
It seemed that they were more afraid of staying in the city than of having their outer robes removed and being searched.
Shen Yuan was suspicious, but before she could think about it further, the guards behind her impatiently urged her to hurry up and go in, so as not to block the way.
If you want to go to the capital, Jizhou is an unavoidable pass.
So Shen Yuan didn't think too much about it and led Xiao Ling into Jizhou City.