After sprinkling the spices, the grilled fish was tender and delicious, without a hint of fishy sll.
The skin was crispy, still dripping with oil, and the fragrance was so tempting that Yu Tingwan couldn’t wait any longer.
Originally, she wasn’t that hungry, but now she was truly starving.
She walked over.
"I have a feeling."
Wei Zhao glanced at her sideways.
Yu Tingwan stared at the fish, slowly saying, "It’s like the way we slaughter pigs in the village. When the ti cos and they’re fattened up, they can be slaughtered."
It sounded a bit grueso.
But it also seed quite accurate.
The afterglow poured down, painting the sky in rich, inky colors.
At dusk, the two of them entered Wuyang City.
When passing through the city gate, Wei Zhao presented a travel permit, and Yu Tingwan took a glance at it.
Fake.
But convincing enough to pass as real.
The guards let them through.
Wei Zhao dismounted, carrying her down from the horse.
Yu Tingwan looked at the bustling and lively streets, children running around recklessly, and the stalls on both sides showed no sign of closing, with no hint of a curfew.
Quite unusual.
"What’s this?"
Wei Zhao held the reins, afraid that they might get separated in the crowd, and led her along.
"There’s a wealthy rchant nad Zhu in the city. His household has many wives and concubines, yet he remained childless for years. After receiving guidance from a high monk, he gave away most of his family wealth to do good and accumulate virtue, and finally had a son in his middle age."
"Therefore, he beca particularly devout. Not only did he gild the statue of the Childbearing Goddess in the city, but he was also worried about his son’s frail health. Every year, during the Zhu Family’s son’s birthday, he funds temple fairs, inviting opera troupes and lion dances. In the next two days, the city’s people, grateful to the Zhu Family, will burn incense and pray, wishing blessings and good fortune for Mr. Zhu."
No wonder.
Yu Tingwan spoke gently, "There were temple fairs in the town earlier. Many from the village would go to burn incense, grit their teeth to spare a few coins for incense, or buy a peace charm, or have a vegetarian al, and that’s about it."
Places as poor as this are quite rare, unlike Wuyang City.
There was a commotion ahead.
Then a loud "bang."
A stall was overturned.
The stall owner held down the perpetrator, yelling angrily, "You rude woman! You’ve knocked over my stall and still want to run! Pay up!"
The woman looked terrified, struggling with all her might, her voice hoarse and shrill as she scread.
Soone nearby recognized her.
"Oh dear, it’s her again, what’s Xiang Si’s wife doing causing trouble now?"
"She’s usually out of her mind, hardly a day sober in the whole year. Last ti, she bit soone. Luckily for her, Xiang Si is honest and didn’t do anything even after getting his face scratched all over. If it were , I’d have tied her up with a rope to prevent another runaway or simply divorced her."
"Well, you can’t say that. Xiang Si is already over fifty, would you really divorce and remarry at that age?"
As they spoke, soone noticed a man running over from a distance and called out to him.
"Xiang Si, your wife’s here, take her ho quickly."
Xiang Si, a simple and honest-looking man, even if old in years, appeared spirited. He repeatedly apologized to the stall owner and offered compensation.
Rembering the value of peace and prosperity, the stall owner couldn’t argue with a madwoman, so he accepted the money and let it go.
Xiang Si hugged the trembling woman.
"You vanished while I was cooking. It’s okay now, let’s go ho."
Under his comforting, the woman stopped struggling, murmuring, "Ho?"
"Yes, ho. Our daughter is young and crying for you."
The commotion quickly subsided, and the crowd dispersed.
Yu Tingwan didn’t think much of it, surveying the bustling street atmosphere.
In just a while, she had bought many small items.
They continued walking.
Soone was hanging lanterns on a tree, with a big "Zhu" character on them.
Preparing for tomorrow’s temple fair.
Yu Tingwan, who actually enjoyed the lively atmosphere, couldn’t help but feel a bit delighted.
"So we can visit the temple fair tomorrow!"
Wei Zhao: "They can, but you probably can’t."
Yu Tingwan: ???
She couldn’t believe she heard such cold words from Wei Zhao.
In the flow of people, she didn’t have the courage to bring up such matters.
Pretending to be calm yet unwilling to back down, she asked, "Is the Goddess Temple here really miraculous?"
Wei Zhao had no idea.
But the passing old lady did, stopping to look at them.
"You two must be from out of town?"
The old lady smiled, with incense and candles for tomorrow in her basket.
"Our Goddess Temple here is famous far and wide, and many co specifically to pray for children."
"My niece-in-law hadn’t shown any sign of pregnancy for three years, and the family was worried sick. Doctors said there was no health issue. Last year, I urged her to co, and now she’s given birth."
"So, she asked to help fulfill her vow."
Yu Tingwan: "I see."
After thanking the old lady, Yu Tingwan gazed at Wei Zhao with her doe-like eyes, "Then we should also pay our respects."
Yu Tingwan: "It’s bound to happen sooner or later."
Wei Zhao gazed deeply at her without speaking.
Yu Tingwan was almost unnerved by his gaze before he finally looked away as if unconcerned, leading her to a restaurant for dinner.
After eating, they returned to the courtyard.
From the outside, the courtyard seed small, but held hidden depths.
Even though Yu Tingwan was tired from walking after entering, she showed no interest in exploring treasures.
The bathwater was prepared and brought to the room by Wei Zhao.
After doing so, he gracefully exited the room.
"I’ll be next door; you wash first, no need to wait for . Rest after you’re done."
After bathing, the young lady specifically went to the door to glance at the lit room next door.
Assuming he was handling official matters.
Yu Tingwan didn’t go over, instead went to sleep.
She thought she might not fall asleep, feeling sowhat anxious. After all, from Wei Zhao’s deanor, there was no intention to delay.
However, with the Calming Incense burning in the room and the soft bed, she quickly fell asleep soon after her head hit the pillow.
She had no idea how much ti had passed before she groggily heard the sound of a door opening.
Yu Tingwan was too sleepy to open her eyes.
She knew that Wei Zhao was standing beside the bed.
The young lady shifted slightly to give him space. She turned over, ready to continue sleeping, yet he lifted her up.
She struggled to open her eyes, "Hmm? What’s wrong?"
Wei Zhao, with a relaxed expression, carried her out.
"To the room next door."
Yu Tingwan beca fully awake as they entered.
The room was festively decorated.
A sea of red.
Wedding candles were burning, and red draperies hung high.
Wei Zhao carried her directly to the bed.
The blankets and pillows were all red.
Yu Tingwan knew exactly what he intended to do.
Wei Zhao gently spoke, "To have a child, it’s not the Guanyin you pray to."
"Wha... what?"
"For this, you have to rely on ."
However, no rush.
His gaze was too intense, causing Yu Tingwan to curl up slightly.
That’s when she noticed Wei Zhao had changed clothes, seemingly still damp from water.
It was evident he had also bathed.
Wei Zhao, unperturbed, removed his outer garnts with calm deliberation.
Once only his undergarnt was left, he grasped the young lady’s ankle, gently pulling her back, and leaned over.
Pressing her beneath him.
"You can beg for rcy."
Wei Zhao gently stroked the girl’s lips, his eyes deeply captivating: "But I can’t guarantee I’ll spare you."
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