"Having you in her heart is already something good!" Shi Fengju said with a laugh, looking at Liu Ya slightly sourly, "You girl, only have your Mistress in your eyes, why didn’t you also buy a bowl for your young master?"
Liu Ya didn’t realize Shi Fengju was joking and immediately became nervous, stammering repeated apologies, "Young master forgive me, this slave will go buy another bowl right now! This slave... this slave didn’t know the young master also liked such ordinary and coarse food..."
"Never mind, never mind!" Seeing her terrified and blushing, Shi Fengju chuckled and said, "I was just saying, no need to go!"
"This girl is too genuine, she can’t take your teasing!" Sang Wan couldn’t help but laugh as well, seeing Liu Ya embarrassed, she said, "You go down and eat as well, no need to serve here!"
Liu Ya still didn’t dare to leave, timidly glancing at Shi Fengju.
Shi Fengju chuckled and said, "Your Mistress told you to go down, aren’t you going quickly? I was just teasing you, don’t take it seriously!"
"Yes, yes, this slave will take her leave!" Liu Ya let out a long sigh of relief, involuntarily patting her chest.
"Is it really that delicious? Let me try some!" Shi Fengju looked at the bowl of tofu pudding, casually scooped a spoonful, and started eating, nodding and smiling at Sang Wan, "Indeed not bad, no wonder you were thinking about it!"
Sang Wan felt her face heat up, the corners of her mouth twitching, seeing that he didn’t realize anything was amiss, she found it inappropriate to point it out, otherwise it would seem like making a fuss over nothing.
"Yes, Liji tofu pudding is an old renowned brand in town, many people like it!" Sang Wan replied with a light smile.
"So it’s an old renowned brand, no wonder! Let me try some more!" Shi Fengju suddenly understood and helped himself more from her bowl.
The smile on Sang Wan’s face suddenly became a bit stiff, unsure whether to continue eating the rest of the bowl or not, it seemed no matter what, it wasn’t quite right.
"What’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?" Seeing her neck turning red with shyness, Shi Fengju chuckled inwardly, intentionally asking. His little wife was getting more and more adorable.
"Ah, um, I’ll eat!" Sang Wan, somewhat flustered, quickly forced a smile, took a clean empty bowl, and divided half for Shi Fengju, "If young master likes it, let’s split it in half, just for the novelty!"
"Thank you!" Shi Fengju smiled, took it and quickly finished it, smiling at Sang Wan.
Sang Wan pretended not to notice, concentrating on her bowl and continuing to eat little by little.
"With nothing pressing today, why don’t we go out for a walk! I haven’t explored your town yet!" Shi Fengju suggested with another smile.
Although the town didn’t have much to offer, Sang Wan thought it’s still better than staying in the inn room doing nothing, so she nodded and smiled, "The small town can’t compare to Qingzhou, indeed there’s not much fun or scenery, but if you don’t mind I can show you around!"
Shi Fengju said with a smile, "No need for scenic sights, just strolling around the streets is good!"
After the meal, Liu Ya brought in two sets of brand new clothes. One set was a simple-slim cut and styled man’s gown in precious blue hemp fabric; the other set was a silver-red fine cloth outer coat and a white silk gown.
"Wearing such clothes to walk on the street is just perfect, not too conspicuous," Sang Wan said with a smile, "You are always so thoughtful!" and then instructed Liu Ya to help her change clothes, and even had her hair loosened and combed again, inserting only a discrete-looking jade hairpin.
Once both were dressed, Shi Fengju said with a smile, "Let’s go! Show me around the places you used to visit!"
"I don’t come to town much, and I don’t have any usual spots, so I will just show you around randomly!" Sang Wan laughed.
"Great! Anywhere is fine!" Shi Fengju said casually, smiling, as long as I’m with you, anywhere is good.
As they walked on the street, Shi Fengju thought about how these were places Sang Wan used to visit, and it made everything seem alive and vibrant, his face brimming with curiosity, frequently asking her what this and that were, if there were any specialties, and whether she had visited these places etc., looking utterly delighted.
Influenced by his enthusiasm, Sang Wan couldn’t help but feel happy too, chatting about old times with a smile, mentioning the cosmetic silk flowers at Red Flower Hall, the wonton stall on East Street, the Earth Temple and juggling acts on West Street, talking non-stop.
Upon seeing a large iron pot frying sugar chestnuts, Sang Wan couldn’t help but take a few more glances, Shi Fengju laughed and went ahead to buy a bag, holding it hot in his hand, "Do you like it? When we go back, I’ll ask the girl to peel them for you."
"It’s best to eat these while they are hot!" Sang Wan couldn’t help but say.