Chapter 2460 - 2434: Heart Racing

Manbao comforted him, "It’s not your fault that you were rejected; it’s just that you’re not suited for each other."

Liu Huan felt somewhat soothed, but still couldn’t help asking, "In what way are we not suitable?"

Manbao couldn’t very well say that Liru thought he was stupid, right?

So she said, "You can go ask Liru."

Liu Huan shrank back again, gazed into the distance, and asked, "Should we go straight to Yongzhou, or visit your family’s farm first?"

"Let’s drop by my family’s farm to leave some things, and then we’ll head to Yongzhou."

Their farm wasn’t far from Yongzhou. At the moment, the spring planting was about finished, with nearly everyone in the fields planting rice seedlings.

Manbao and her group reached the farm, and seeing the seedlings in the fields turning green in places, she was overjoyed and said, "A couple of spring rains in the next few days would be perfect."

Bai Shan nodded, "I think this year’s wheat looks good too. It’s already bowing down and will turn yellow and be ready for harvest in about a month."

After harvesting, the fields can be used for late rice planting or growing beans to enrich the soil.

Manbao said, "If we don’t have time to plant rice seedlings and beans this year, we can still plant some vegetables."

Some people work slowly or have fewer family members, which causes them to miss the optimal farming time.

Fortunately, the land also needs to rest and replenish; as long as it’s not left barren, it’s fine.

Zhou Dalang and his brothers had arrived at the farm the day before. They met them at the entrance, and Manbao handed over the luggage without going inside, then rode off with a horse cart.

Zhou Dalang only had time to call out, "Come back earlier in the evening!"

Manbao responded from afar and rode away.

The gates of Yongzhou City were as they remembered. They queued to enter, and upon entry, they looked around in bewilderment.

Bai Shan asked, "Where do we find Madam Tang?"

Manbao, troubled, said, "I forgot to ask her yesterday. Oh well, let’s go check the best restaurants and inns in Yongzhou."

She said, "Since she mentioned treating me to a meal, she’ll likely be waiting at a restaurant or inn. That whole street is lined with eateries; we’ll search each one."

Yin Huo glanced at the sun and said, "It’s not quite lunchtime yet, is it?"

Manbao replied, "No problem, we’ll stroll over slowly."

So they did meander leisurely, mainly observing the shops and stalls along the street.

The items displayed on the streets of Yongzhou were somewhat different from those in the capital, with the sugar figures even being chubbier than those from the capital.

Manbao found them delightful and bought five in one go, handing one to each person.

Everyone held a sugar figure in one hand and led their horses leisurely with the other, while enjoying a monkey show on the street. Such performances were rare for them, usually only seen in the outer city of the capital.

The monkey antics in Yongzhou were indeed different from those in the capital.

They all squeezed in to watch, snacking on their sugar figures, and cheered heartily along with the crowd during exciting parts, generously rewarding the performers with coins.

Yin Huo fumbled with the coins, intending to place them all on a tray but noticed the astonished look in the eyes of the person holding it. His face turned a bit red, and his heart raced, a rare instance where his eyes welled up, his hands slightly shaky. He dropped a handful of ten or twenty coins onto the tray, some slipping to the ground with a clatter.

The other person was momentarily stunned, then quickly bowed with a smile, repeatedly thanking Yin Huo, saying, "Thank you, Young Master, may you be prosperous..."

After several more blessings, the person crouched to pick up the money and walked off with a broad grin.

Manbao glanced at Yin Huo and said to him, "Don’t be nervous..."

Yin Huo nodded.

Manbao smiled on the surface but felt a bit heavy-hearted inside.

Soon, a performer with a monkey perched on his arm approached, bowed slightly to Yin Huo, and said with a smile, "Young Sir, you are magnanimous today; allow me to show you something special..."

Then the monkey expertly leaped around, jumping through bamboo hoops, dazzling everyone. The crowd cheered loudly.

Yin Huo found the show pleasant; his eyes were alight with excitement. Overcome with enthusiasm, he rewarded the performer all over again.

After squeezing out with the crowd, fifteen minutes later, Manbao couldn’t help but keep glancing at Yin Huo.

Yin Huo and Bai Shan noticed and looked back at her. Yin Huo even touched his face a little embarrassedly, asking, "Did I have another episode?"

He always thought his tendency to blush and tear up was an illness.

Manbao agreed, but didn’t confirm at the moment, merely asking curiously, "Were you very nervous just now?"

Yin Huo said somewhat embarrassedly, "A bit flustered, not really nervous."

After all, taking back the money he gave away made him seem stingy. He regretted not waiting to see how others rewarded the performance before following suit.

Manbao scratched her chin, musing, "It’s strange how you remain unperturbed in life-and-death situations, but when someone insults you or gives you an odd look, your heart races."

Bai Shan chimed in, "Perhaps he is indifferent to life and death but has thin skin?"

Manbao peered at his pale face and nodded deeply in agreement, then patted Yin Huo’s shoulder and said, "This won’t do; you need to toughen up your skin."

Yin Huo: ...

Bai Shan examined his facial expression carefully and then nodded, "I see now; you go thin-skinned only in front of strangers. You’re quite thick-skinned with us now."

Yin Huo’s face flushed slightly but not as obviously as when he faced the monkey show people, where his cheeks almost seemed to bleed.

Manbao scratched her head, deciding to check his health later to see if his condition had relapsed. He seemed fine before.

Bai Erlang and Liu Huan had dashed ahead and quickly returned. Bai Er pointed to the front and said, "I think I just saw a Tang Family badge on a carriage."

Everyone’s eyes lit up, and they immediately asked, "Where?"

"Over there, at the Huiyan Pavilion’s parking area."

Manbao said, "Huiyan Pavilion? I haven’t tried it, perfect for a taste test."

Bai Shan agreed, "My stomach is rumbling; let’s go."

So they decided to finish their sugar figures first, as it would be impolite to meet someone while eating, especially if Madam Tang had guests. They couldn’t afford to be disrespectful.

Crunched down their sugar figures, they strolled a few dozen more steps and indeed spotted the Tang Family carriage.

Their eyes brightened, and they were about to step forward when suddenly someone was flung out of Huiyan Pavilion, landing with a "smack" not far from them.