Chapter 1115: Chapter 1106: Dissolution
While Yuanyuan slept, Su Jin pulled Xie Jingchen to head out.
Xingxing trailed behind them, eagerly.
Chu Shun was accompanying Qin Hanhan on a walk; with just a month and a half left until delivery, she needed more movement.
Seeing Su Jin head towards the front courtyard, Qin Hanhan guessed that she wanted to go shopping, and she turned to look at Chu Shun.
Chu Shun immediately quashed her little desire, "Don’t even think about it. Whatever you need, I’ll go buy it for you."
"I can just window shop without buying anything," Qin Hanhan said.
This remark—
made it sound as if he lacked money.
Chu Shun with a grand gesture said, "You can buy whatever you want, but you cannot just window shop."
Qin Hanhan, "...."
Qin Hanhan puffed out her cheeks, turning to head back to her room.
But after just a few steps, she suddenly bent over and cried out in pain.
Chu Shun was startled and quickly asked, "What’s wrong?"
"The child kicked me," Qin Hanhan said.
"He definitely wants to go shopping too."
"..."
Black lines metaphorically dropped down Chu Shun’s forehead.
Using the child as an excuse.
Could he be so easily fooled?
Qin Hanhan looked at him expectantly, and Chu Shun, being soft-hearted, said, "When Sister-in-law comes back, I’ll ask her. If she says it’s okay, I’ll take you shopping."
Qin Hanhan immediately brightened up.
Based on what she knew of Su Jin, she’d likely agree to her going shopping.
There’s really no difference between walking in the courtyard or on the street.
If she’d known earlier, she would’ve called her over, but she was afraid of interrupting their shopping mood.
They really hadn’t gone shopping in such a long time.
Especially her; she couldn’t even imagine she could stay put in one place for so long.
Upon stepping out the door onto the cobblestoned street outside the courtyard, Su Jin still felt a surreal, dreamlike sensation.
Especially the vendor carrying goods on his shoulder passing by. Although he was selling common items, she found herself watching him walk a long way before looking away.
It really had been too long since she last went shopping.
She almost forgot what it felt like to indulge in it.
Although she wasn’t in the barracks anymore, the small courtyard was well-guarded with no fear of danger.
Su Jin could go shopping with ease.
A short alley led from the courtyard to the bustling street, about two hundred steps away.
About ten steps from the busy street, Xingxing saw someone selling candied hawthorns passing by and said, "Miss, there’s someone selling candied hawthorns!"
She looked at Su Jin and asked, "Miss, can you eat candied hawthorns now?"
Remembering how Su Jin couldn’t eat candied hawthorns during her pregnancy, Xingxing held this memory tightly.
"I want two skewers," Su Jin said.
Not only could she eat now, but she wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.
Xingxing stepped forward to chase the candied hawthorns vendor.
Xingxing returned with six skewers.
Two for herself, two for Su Jin, one for the master, and one for the master’s attendant.
Xie Jingchen definitely wouldn’t eat it.
Xingxing gave Xie Jingchen’s skewer to the Hidden Guard, "It’s all yours."
The Hidden Guard looked at the bright red candied hawthorns, feeling a wave of sourness hit him.
He had witnessed the fruit’s formidable power before.
He couldn’t comprehend why so many people loved it.
"I’ll pass," the Hidden Guard shook his head and said.
"It’s so delicious, are you sure you don’t want any?" Xingxing asked.
"I really don’t," insisted the Hidden Guard.
Xingxing pouted her lips.
Fine, if you don’t want it.
She would eat it herself.
But just as Xingxing turned away, the Hidden Guard reached out and took a skewer, "I’ll have one then."
Xingxing beamed with delight.
The feeling that someone else liked the food you liked was particularly nice.
The Hidden Guard was happy too, but regretted it when he truly ate the candied hawthorns.
Every tooth was trembling, protesting the decision he made.
The sourness was tangible.
He didn’t dare to throw it away.
The Hidden Guard looked around and saw a little beggar eyeing the hawthorn skewer in his hand, swallowing hard, prompting him to find a handover point.
After giving what was left to the little beggar, the Hidden Guard felt a bit embarrassed and dug into his robe for a small silver ingot to give to the beggar.
Just after resolving the candied hawthorn issue, feeling relieved, Xingxing handed him another skewer, "You’re so kind, here, have another one."
The Hidden Guard, "..."
Could he be spared?
The Hidden Guard took the proffered skewer and looked at the little beggar, "Do you want another?"
"I don’t, thank you, big brother," the little beggar replied politely.
No need to thank him.
Upon taking the candied hawthorn, he should be the one expressing gratitude.
But there would definitely be someone else interested in it as he moved forward.
The bustling street was thriving with activity; though it couldn’t rival the Capital City, it had its own unique charm.
Everything one could need was available, as Su Jin strolled from one end of the street to the other, purchasing whatever caught her eye, with the Hidden Guard following behind to pay and carry things.
When she grew tired, she rested at a stall selling green mung bean soup.
Su Jin wiped sweat from her neck, and Xingxing called out, "Boss, four bowls of green mung bean soup."
"Alright," the boss responded.
"Coming right up."
The boss filled the bowls with soup and brought them over to Su Jin.
In addition to them, there were four or five other people at the stall.
In the distance, a boy of eleven or twelve ran over, shouting, "Aunt Liu, you should head back fast, Sister Chunlan tried to hang herself."
The woman sitting at the table behind Su Jin turned pale at the news, immediately getting up and rushing out.
In her panic, she collided directly with the boss.
The tray in the boss’s hand tilted, sending green mung bean soup splashing towards Su Jin.
Xie Jingchen reacted swiftly, but still, a few drops of soup splattered onto Su Jin’s dress.
This startled the boss terribly.
Su Jin, in her luxurious attire, stood out strikingly from the common folk, clearly not someone they’d want to offend.
The fabric of her dress alone cost more than a small stall’s annual profit from selling green mung bean soup.
The boss was terrified Su Jin would demand compensation, turning pale.
He dropped to his knees immediately, but Su Jin said, "It’s okay, stand up."
Spilling the mung bean soup wasn’t his fault; the woman’s urgent need to return for her daughter was quite understandable.
The table was a mess, and Xingxing’s face was splattered with soup.
Her chest was splattered too, and she carelessly wiped it away, "Such a waste."
Su Jin moved to another table to sit.
The boss quickly called his wife to clean up the table, then promptly served four fresh bowls to Su Jin.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Xingxing asked the boss, "Boss, do you know why that lady’s daughter would hang herself?"
The boss sighed, "It’s all because of the war chaos."
"Huh?" Xingxing was puzzled.
"Is it because her daughter’s husband died in battle?"
The boss shook his head, "No, that’s not it."
Seeing Xingxing’s curiosity, the boss continued with a sigh, "This place used to be part of Nanliang territory; now it’s within Daqi borders. Chunlan had been betrothed since childhood, but her husband’s family is quite far, about sixty miles from here."
Sixty miles, not really far; a half-day’s horseback ride would suffice, or a three-day walk.
But that was before; now Chunlan is a Daqi person, while her fiancé remains among the Nanliang people.
The gates between Nanliang and Daqi are closed; the only way to reach Nanliang is through back roads.
It’s hard enough for people to pass through, let alone a bridal sedan chair.
Asking Chunlan to walk to her fiancé’s home, the Liu Family disagreed, but the groom’s family feared the risks of sending a bridal sedan chair.
Back and forth, they failed to reach a compromise.
Just yesterday, the groom’s family sent a letter dissolving the engagement.
Poor childhood sweethearts, knowing each other for so long, only to be separated just like that.
Chunlan must have been unable to bear the blow and chose to end her life.
