Xiangli was a county’s dock, and they still had to transfer to two more boats to get back to Fuku County.
However, since it was already late, they had to stay overnight here.
There were many inns near the Xiangli dock, but Long Aixi told Xia Dabao that the inns close to the dock were very chaotic and it was best not to stay there. Instead, they should find an inn near the Yamen area, where they wouldn’t be ripped off and could eat authentic Xiangli specialty dishes.
The two found an inn, and the innkeeper asked them, “How many rooms would you like?”
Xia Dabao asked, “How much is one room?”
“Fifty wen per room,” the innkeeper replied.
Xia Dabao thought it was expensive, so the innkeeper added, “If you two are siblings, you could take a room for two with two beds. It would only cost sixty wen in total.”
Xia Dabao looked at Long Aixi because he was so tall that the innkeeper mistook him for her brother.
She didn’t mind sharing a room—after all, the innkeeper mentioned two beds. They weren’t siblings, but they were as close as brother and sister. Besides, in this unfamiliar place, she might not be able to sleep by herself; having Long Aixi there would be more reassuring.
Long Aixi said, “Then let’s take a room for two. We are siblings.”
“Okay,” the innkeeper said while swiftly recording it in the ledger, then instructing the servant, “Xiao’er, take them to the second room in the ’Di’ section, the double room.”
…
Though designated as the ’Di’ section, this room was much better than the ones Xia Dabao had stayed in at the Provincial City inn—clean, spacious, and the two beds were far apart, arranged in a ’Z’ shape. There even was a cloth curtain that, once drawn, pletely blocked the view of the other bed. Xia Dabao really liked it.
Long Aixi also thought it was nice. After settling in, he asked Xiao’er to bring up two basins of hot water for washing their faces, followed by three signature dishes and some rice.
The meal truly featured Xiangli specialties, with braised pork ribs, a roast chicken, and a dish of vibrant green hollow vegetables. They had only eaten eggs on the boat today and were quite hungry now. As soon as the food arrived, they began to eat heartily.
“Luckily we were smart to get one room for two. Otherwise, we’d have to go between rooms just to eat, which would be such a hassle, right? And now we’ve even saved quite a bit of money,” Xia Dabao said while eating.
Long Aixi nodded in agreement but slowly added, “I’m not worried about the meals, but I’ve heard that some places in Jianghu are dangerous inns. I’d worry about your safety if you stayed alone.”
“That… certainly won’t happen,” Xia Dabao laughed.
Why did it feel like she had bee a child on this trip?
No, she had to take on the role of the elder sister. Fixing her demeanor, she then said, “After we finish dinner, let’s not go anywhere. We should try to get up early tomorrow. Don’t sleep in, or I’ll have to kick your butt!”
Long Aixi didn’t respond, but he placed a piece of roast chicken into Xia Dabao’s bowl.
With delicious food in her bowl, Xia Dabao couldn’t care less about anything else and just continued to focus on eating.
…
The next day.
Xia Dabao was awakened by Long Aixi.
At the time, she was sleeping soundly, drooling a bit, and ignoring Long Aixi’s calls as she turned over to go back to sleep.
It wasn’t until Long Aixi leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I remember that someone said last night that if I slept in, they would kick my butt.”
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