Yue Rujing looked resentfully at Gu Youyou, thinking to herself, "Senior Brother is too much, obviously wanting Gu Youyou to rest, but he said it’s for the horse to rest?"
How could the horse he personally picked be tired after only three days of running?
Jin Zijin smiled but didn’t say anything and went straight into the only inn in Lu City.
"Dear guests, are you here for a short break or to stay overnight?"
Two different voices answered; to stay overnight was shouted by Gu Youyou, while just a stopover was shouted by Yue Rujing.
The shopkeeper looked at them oddly and said, "How should I handle this? Should I listen to the young lady, or to the young master?"
Jin Zijin placed a silver ingot down and said, "Whoever has silver gets to decide, we’re staying, two top-floor rooms."
Gu Youyou’s eyes immediately sparkled with delight, and she even did something very childish, sticking her tongue out at Yue Rujing.
Yue Rujing’s face turned green with anger, and she huffed, "Senior Brother, you’re biased."
Jin Zijin simply said, "You don’t have to stay."
"Ah...?" Yue Rujing was on the verge of crying, "Senior Brother, you’ve changed!"
"This way, please," said the shopkeeper with a smile after collecting the silver, not caring about who changed.
Jin Zijin nodded and followed the shopkeeper upstairs.
Gu Youyou, feeling triumphant, looped her arm through Jin Zijin’s arm, sticking her tongue out at the fuming Yue Rujing, "Ha, take that, you single dog. Ah, my husband, let’s stay in this room."
Suddenly feeling the joy of being wilful, Gu Youyou thought it was quite pleasant to have a husband who stood up for her.
Yue Rujing followed the shopkeeper into the room next door. The shopkeeper heaved a sigh and comforted him, "Young brother, why bother? Your senior brother and his madam are obviously newlyweds, and it’s very normal for a man to dote on his new wife. If you argue with her at this time, you’re just asking for trouble. Remember, ’brothers are like limbs, and women are like clothes’; once the novelty wears off, he’ll appreciate his brother again!"
The shopkeeper wore a knowing look, but Yue Rujing’s face turned cold as he angrily said, "What do you know, get lost!"
The well-meaning advice of the shopkeeper fell on deaf ears, leaving him with a fallen face, "You can’t appreciate a good heart? Serves you right for sleeping in a cold bed."
Damn it, what kind of people are these? Yue Rujing was so angry she almost kicked the knowing shopkeeper’s backside.
There were still several days’ travel to reach Lingnan. Jin Zijin said, "The next city is two and a half days away, we have to take enough food with us, as the food in the inns along the way isn’t very good."
Gu Youyou, jotting down notes, looked up and asked, "Should we add two more pounds of beef? The beef I had earlier downstairs tasted quite good."
Jin Zijin nodded and said, "Add it, the beef from Lu City is known far and wide, we won’t find it anywhere else!"
Gu Youyou’s eyes lit up, "Then let’s add two more pounds of beef jerky."
There was a lot to prepare. According to Jin Zijin, they would be entering a sparsely populated area as they traveled further south, where it would be difficult to find tasty food, so she took some silver and went out to make purchases.
Lu City was an interesting little city; their staple food wasn’t rice but flatbread. Instead of pork, they preferred beef. She bought plenty of flatbread for dry provisions and went to a shop recommended by the innkeeper, specializing in beef jerky. After trying a bite, she found it genuinely authentic.
The night was cool, so to avoid being too cold when camping outside, she also went to a clothing store and bought a thick, man’s overcoat.