Chapter 17 Eat Rice or Vegetables

After parting with Huang Jin, Qing Huai and Li Fuyao walked much more quickly. After one day, they left the official road and came into a large provincial city. Earlier, Li Fuyao bought a map of Dazhou on the way and knew that this city was not ordinary. When the first emperor of Dazhou established the country, he had risen from here. After Dazhou was established, this provincial city named Yamen had a new awkward-sounding name, Yanshi. Now, Yanshi City and the capital city Shaoliang were the most important cities of the country. And the local people even called Yanshi the second capital city in secret. It could be seen how significant Yanshi City was in Dazhou.

 

After they entered the city, Li Fuyao thought they would buy some food and continue to walk, but Qing Huai wasn’t in a hurry and insisted on having a rest for one night. Li Fuyao looked at Qing Huai helplessly. He certainly couldn’t defeat her if they fought. But except fighting, if he tried to reason her, he would fail even after he spoke a lot when this girl was unwilling to listen. Facing such an unreasonable girl that he didn’t have a chance to win by force, Li Fuyao had to surrender.

 

They booked two rooms in a small hotel in the provincial city and planned to spend one night here. The reason why they chose this hotel was that Qing Huai found that there was a phoenix tree with luxuriant foliage in the courtyard.

 

The small hotel was in a remote place and there were few customers. Except the shopkeeper and his wife, only two young men were staying there.

 

After they stayed in the hotel for a short while, it was spotting with rain. Seeing the spring rain, Li Fuyao thought of the autumn rain in Baiyu Town. He pursed his lips and turned his head to find that Qing Huai walked out of the hotel with a wooden stool. She sat under the eave and looked at the spring rain silently.

 

Li Fuyao came to her and sat on the wooden stool. Qing Huai just glanced at him and didn’t say anything. He stretched out his hand and collected some rain water, feeling the chill on his palm. Then he stated with a smile, “Qing Huai, I always want to ask you a question, but I didn’t find a chance. Now I am going to ask. If I say something wrong, don’t get mad at me.”

 

Qing Huai leered at him, “If you say something wrong, I will just beat you up. No need to get mad.”

 

Li Fuyao shrank his neck but soon asked, “When I was a storyteller in Baiyu Town, I often told such a story. It’s said that a snake can become a flood dragon after cultivating to a certain point. Qing Huai, you are a snake. Do you think it is true?”

 

Qing Huai looked at Li Fuyao expressionlessly and sneered, “A snake is a snake. Why would we become dragons?”

 

Li Fuyao asked, “Are you unable or unwilling to?”

 

Qing Huai replied calmly, “We are unable and unwilling to. When the common people make stories, they would do as they like. A snake is different from a dragon, and how can I become a dragon? Moreover, in this world, including the demonic land, no dragon can be seen. Who knows if the dragon is fictitious?”

 

Li Fuyao was not clear about what had happened and many rumors in the world, and he didn’t know anything as Qing Huai talked about the snake and dragon, so he didn’t dare to say more. He was afraid that the teenage girl would laugh at him as he knew little.

 

But looking at the phoenix tree being exposed to wind and rain, Li Fuyao suddenly felt uncomfortable.

 

He sighed with emotion out of the blue, “Dazhou is really small. I thought the word ‘remote’ as you mentioned was not true, but now I find it is correct.”

 

Qing Huai ignored Li Fuyao.

 

When Li Fuyao was about to sigh again, he saw a young man come out of the hotel. He brought a wooden stool and a big bowl, preparing to sit under the eave, not far away from Li Fuyao. Before sitting, the young man asked politely, “I also want to watch the rain and might not disturb you. I am sorry if I affect you.”

 

The young man was not handsome but was pleasant to the eye. And his behavior could make others like him. Li Fuyao nodded at him and responded softly, “Sir, please make yourself at home.”

 

That young man looked at Qing Huai, but she was expressionless and didn’t speak. So he stopped talking and started to eat after sitting on the wooden stool.

 

He was eating rice.

 

Li Fuyao looked at him in the distance. There was nothing else except rice in the young man’s big bowl.

 

But this young man focused on eating the rice and didn’t even raise his head during the period. Li Fuyao couldn’t help but look at him several times, to find that the young man would grab rice with the chopsticks as soon as he swallowed the last bite, and the movements were successive. But it looked natural, as if he had practiced for a long time. He seemed to be used to it.

 

In about eight minutes, the young man swallowed the last rice and raised his head contentedly. He put the big bowl out of the eave in his hand and collected half a bowl of rain water. After drinking the water in one gulp, he put down the bowl and chopsticks and smiled at Li Fuyao.

 

Li Fuyao suddenly felt this man was interesting.

 

Before he sighed with emotion, another young man came out of the hotel. This man did the same as the other one, bringing a big bowl and a wooden stool.

 

Li Fuyao looked up. This man looked like the other one, but there were green vegetables and no rice in his bowl.

 

Then under Li Fuyao’s astonished eyes, this young man began to eat.

 

He was eating vegetables.

 

Anyway, this young man didn’t eat as seriously as the other. Instead, he ate casually and even chose some bad vegetables to throw away.

 

After about eight minutes, this man finished eating.

 

He put down the bowl and chopsticks and then watched the rain under the eave with the other one.

 

Li Fuyao felt that something big might be afoot.

 

The young man who walked out later said in a rage, “Big brother, I don’t understand.”

 

The polite young man answered peacefully, “Nor do I.”

 

Li Fuyao thought the conversation was rather baffling but believed that the two men understood what they meant, so he didn’t feel it strange, but Qing Huai expressed coldly, “Play mysterious.”

 

Qing Huai was always hot-tempered. Moreover, she was in Dazhou where nobody could afford to offend her, so she was more reckless.

 

But what she said wasn’t a big deal in the brothers’ eyes, so they didn’t get mad. The young man who called his big brother smiled at Li Fuyao, “Sir, your wife is not good-tempered.”

 

Li Fuyao smiled helplessly and thought that he couldn’t afford to have such a wife. If this woman started a fight later, he couldn’t help the brothers.

 

But the tragedy as Li Fuyao imagined didn’t happen because soon he heard the horses’ footsteps outside the small hotel.

 

In no time, a troop of armored soldiers came to the courtyard.

 

Under Li Fuyao’s gaze, the door of the courtyard was pushed open, and a young general in armor with a knife on his waist stepped into the courtyard. A troop of armored soldiers with knife handles in hand behind him didn’t enter the courtyard. These soldiers who had followed their general for many years knew that although the general looked easy-going, he was proud. If they ruined his arrogance by accident, the consequence would be terrible.

 

In the spring rain, the young general didn’t hold an umbrella, and his hair was a little messy but not scattered.

 

Looking at the two young men sitting on the stools under the eave, the young general asked, “Will you go with me?”

 

The graceful young man stood up and replied calmly, “We finally came out of the prison. How would we go back as you said?”

 

The young general waved his hand, “Well. Just fight if you want to. Cut the crap.”

 

Afterward, he shouted, “The military government of Yanshi is handling a case. Anybody irrelevant should get out of here immediately.”

 

The shopkeeper and his wife had closed the door and hidden somewhere faraway when the troop of soldiers showed up outside the courtyard, so only two people irrelevant were left, Li Fuyao and Qing Huai.

 

So he was speaking to them.

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Li Fuyao was about to stand up when he suddenly thought of the scene about the two young men eating. Then he paused for a while.

 

When he paused, there was a bright blade light in the courtyard.