Fuzhu's Ballad

21

CHAPTER 21 Natural beauty

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After a night of peaceful slumber at the Jixian Inn, Shentu Rui emerged from his room looking fresh and invigorated. However, for safety reasons, Sun Shi Xiang insisted that he ride in the carriage for one more day. Shentu Rui complied without hesitation, much to the satisfaction of Lan Dan, who was secretly relieved at the prospect of avoiding the chilly horseback ride.

The guards ate quickly, finishing the steamed buns, porridge, and pickled vegetables in just a few bites. Even Shentu Rui, who usually ate slowly and gracefully, ate with gusto. Lan Dan didn’t want to delay their departure, so she hastily drank some porridge and wrapped the steamed buns and pickled vegetables to eat on the carriage. She planned to eat while admiring the scenery outside the window, but all she saw after leaving Jixian was the bleak winter landscape. Since it was too cold to keep the window open, she ate her food in silence.

Shentu Rui had initially been lying in bed with his eyes closed, but upon seeing Lan Dan enjoying her breakfast so much, he sat up and requested half a steamed bun for himself. After just a couple of bites, he began to feel parched and called out to Sun Shi Xiang to boil some water for tea.

As the aroma of the freshly brewed tea wafted through the air, Lan Dan maintained a poker face and declined the offer. However, Shentu Rui couldn’t help but sneer as he reached for the teapot and poured some for her. His eyes were fixed on her as he checked the temperature, watching as she struggled to take a bite of her steamed bun.

“I’m feeling much better now, I don’t need to take any more medicine,” he declared proudly, but Lan Dan remained indifferent and continued to eat in silence. Suddenly, a wave of anger swept over Shentu Rui. When had he begun to care about her feelings?

Taking several sips of tea, Shentu Rui relished a sense of revenge as he smacked his lips and praised the flavor. With a malicious glint in his eye, he asked Lan Dan, “Would you like some tea?”

“I don’t want any,” Lan Dan responded defiantly, but as she struggled to swallow the bun stuck in her throat, she put it down and refrained from eating any further.

Shentu Rui seemed to take pleasure in her agitation, taunting her by saying, “Did you oversleep again today? You haven’t even washed your face.”

Panicked, Lan Dan reached up to touch her face, realizing she had refrained from washing it due to the harsh winds on the deck. “It’s your fault!” she exclaimed, accusing him of the previous day’s debacle.

But Shentu Rui simply sneered and rolled his eyes. “I washed my face too, why am I not having any problems? It’s just you causing trouble!”

That particular remark struck a nerve with Lan Dan, who was always wary of being deemed troublesome by Shentu Rui. She turned over, her expression dark and brooding, feigning sleep with her back to him. Eventually, she drifted off into a deep slumber, but still retained some level of consciousness as she overheard snippets of conversation between Shentu Rui and Sun Shi Xiang.

Sun Shi Xiang was explaining to Shentu Rui that their detour would delay their journey by nearly two days. Shentu Rui replied in a low voice that Lan Dan couldn’t quite make out. However, her curiosity was piqued, and she sat up groggily, rubbing her bleary eyes. She inquired of Shentu Rui what had happened, but his response was anything but gentle.

“Sleep all you want! Don’t bother asking anything,” Shentu Rui responded with a harsh and aggressive tone. “We’re going to Fengyang.”

“Fengyang?” Lan Dan’s eyes sparkled with delight, her mood changing abruptly. “We’re passing through Fengyang?”