The sound of laughter and conversation came from the private room, which sounded so harsh to Di Yunjian's ears.
Di Yunjian arranged for several secret guards to follow them secretly. Then he asked the waiter to find a quiet private room away from the hustle and bustle of the main hall and ordered some new dishes in the restaurant.
Only then did he plan to leave the restaurant to look for Yan Qingshu.
—
By now, the sky had completely darkened. The lanterns on the street emitted flickering flames in the night, swaying gently and illuminating the bustling crowd and the curling steam from the street stalls.
Zhu Yao had invited a doctor for Shihua's family and watched as the doctor prescribed the medicine before leaving.
Before leaving, Shihua's mother, upon learning that she was sent by Shihua, quickly took a small embroidered pouch from a wooden box and placed it in Zhu Yao's palm.
She also invited Zhu Yao to have a few pieces of snacks that they usually couldn't afford before seeing her off.
On the way, Yan Qingshu bought a rabbit lantern and was having a great time playing with it when Zhu Yao came back.
"Your Highness, this servant is back," Zhu Yao said.
Yan Qingshu reached out and pulled her to sit down, smiling. "The syrup in this dessert shop is really delicious. I'll order a few bowls for you."
"Boss, one more bowl of mung bean soup and one bowl of cassava water," Yan Qingshu said, turning her head.
The boss responded from afar and quickly served two bowls of syrup on the table.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"We don't need to be so polite," Yan Qingshu said with a gentle smile.
She, Zhu Yao, her mother, and her younger brother had depended on each other to survive, so they had a deep bond.
"I guess Sixth Brother hasn't finished his business yet. Let's go for a stroll around," Yan Qingshu said.
After seeing Zhu Yao finish drinking, Yan Qingshu stood up and was about to explore the bustling market.
Zhu Yao nodded and followed behind her. Yan Qingshu found everything novel. When she saw a sugar - candy skewer vendor, she lifted her skirt and trotted over, paid the money, and took two skewers. She ate one herself and stuffed the other into Zhu Yao's hand.
With a lantern in her hand, wearing a pink and white dress, and having a beautiful face, Yan Qingshu attracted the frequent glances of many young gentlemen and ladies.
Zhu Yao looked back. Seeing that they were not far from the restaurant, she followed Yan Qingshu and strolled with her.
Suddenly, a commotion and cheers in front caught Yan Qingshu's attention.
She took out some money, paid for a mask, put the rabbit mask on her face, and then pulled Zhu Yao towards the source of the excitement.
After squeezing through the crowd, they found that it was an archery game to win prizes. There were many things hanging on the wooden rack, including masks, porcelain dolls, jade pendants, folding fans, and jade ornaments.
At this moment, the archer who was challenging had already shot five arrows without hitting any of the prizes. He left the stage dejectedly.
A well - dressed young gentleman across from Yan Qingshu saw her wearing the mask. Noticing her elegant clothes and graceful figure, he walked forward slowly, fanning himself, and directly blocked Yan Qingshu's view.
"Miss, do you have anything you like? I wonder if I have the honor to win it for you?"
Yan Qingshu frowned at him. Seeing that he was standing right in front of her and blocking her view, she said unhappily, "Sir, you're blocking my way. I don't want the things you win either."
The young gentleman looked embarrassed and was about to say something. He even reached out his hand to touch her, but in the next moment, his action froze in mid - air.
It was because a jade folding fan blocked his movement.
Yan Qingshu turned her head and saw Di Yunjian with a cold face, his eyes as cold as ice shards, glaring at the young gentleman.
"She said you're blocking her. Can't you hear?"
The young gentleman saw Di Yunjian's noble aura, tall figure, and the fact that a single folding fan could block his strength. He couldn't help but feel intimidated. Embarrassedly, he tidied up his clothes and left.
Yan Qingshu's beautiful eyes curved into a smile. Her amber eyes under the mask were full of charm.
"Sixth Brother! You're here!" Yan Qingshu stepped closer to him.
"Yeah," Di Yunjian watched her red lips part and close under the mask. He felt a little distracted and couldn't help but cough lightly.
Then he realized that she had called him "Sixth Brother" and looked at her in surprise.
"What did you just call me?"
Yan Qingshu realized her slip - up. She opened her mouth, feeling a bit annoyed. She had spoken too quickly just now, and it was a bit embarrassing to call him "husband".
"Just call me this," she said.
Seeing her embarrassment, Di Yunjian didn't say much. He bent his finger and flicked her mask.
"This mask suits you well," he said.
Yan Qingshu beamed. She saw that one of the prizes on the wooden rack was a wolf mask.
She tugged at Di Yunjian's sleeve, stretched out her hand, and pointed in the direction of the mask. The meaning was self - evident.
"Sixth Brother..." she opened her mouth, and her clear and coquettish voice slowly came out.
Di Yunjian's heart skipped a beat. Understanding her meaning, he stepped forward and paid the vendor.
He weighed the bow and arrow. This bow was much lighter than the one he usually used for archery practice.
Di Yunjian gently pulled the bowstring, put an arrow on the string, and drew it back.
The bowstring was pulled to the limit. Aiming at the mask, Di Yunjian squinted slightly. The arrow instantly whistled through the air, passed through the hollow part of the mask's eye, and was nailed to the wooden rack.
The small vendor exclaimed in surprise, "Sir, you have excellent archery skills!"
Saying that, he took the mask down and was about to hand it to Di Yunjian.
"Give it to that young lady," Di Yunjian said in a gentle voice.
The vendor then handed the mask to Yan Qingshu.
Yan Qingshu pursed her lips, looking a bit shy. She tightly held the mask and stared at the man who had shot the arrow with bright eyes.
Di Yunjian drew the bowstring again and aimed at the wooden sign on the porcelain doll. The porcelain doll was fair - skinned with a rosy complexion, looking very festive, a bit like her.
It would be nice to shoot it down and keep it by his bedside.
The arrow whistled through the air again, winning the amazed praises of the common people.
The vendor took the porcelain doll down and also handed it to Yan Qingshu.
Di Yunjian put down the bow and arrow and walked to her side. "Do you have anything else you like?"
Yan Qingshu shook her head. "No."
After saying that, she happily reached out and pulled him out of the crowd.
Di Yunjian followed her lead. Zhu Yao and Li Dahai followed behind them.
After getting out of the crowd, Yan Qingshu stood in front of Di Yunjian and put the wolf mask on his handsome face.
Seeing that she was happy at the moment, Di Yunjian was willing to spoil her. He reached out and tied the string behind his head to fix the mask on his face.
"Are you hungry? I've ordered a table of dishes in the restaurant. They're the new dishes in the restaurant," he asked with a smile, seeing that she seemed tireless as she pulled him through the streets.
Hearing this, Yan Qingshu nodded. "I'm hungry."
Di Yunjian took her back to the restaurant. There was a variety of delicious food on the table in the private room.
Seeing the waiter coming towards them, Di Yunjian said to Yan Qingshu with a smile, "You go to the private room first. The dishes are already on the table."
Yan Qingshu nodded. Knowing that there was something he didn't want her to know, she took Zhu Yao and went up first.
"Your Highness, the people in the VIP room No. 1 left half an hour ago. The secret guards have already followed them," the waiter said.
"Tell the secret guards to investigate secretly. Don't let them notice," Di Yunjian ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness," the waiter was about to say something else when a noisy scolding sound came from upstairs.
Then, a wooden table was overturned and fell straight down from the third floor. Some of the guests in the main hall were unable to dodge in time and were hit on the back.
Di Yunjian looked up and saw a familiar pink and white figure being forced to the railing on the third floor, accompanied by noisy lewd laughter.