Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 234 The Essence of Mortal Life

It took Lin Chen a long time to coax Zhao Mingyue before her blush faded.

The two continued walking along the market.

There was a dough figurine stall in front of us, surrounded by a group of children.

Lin Chen became interested and pulled Zhao Mingyue to squeeze in and take a look.

The stall owner was an old man with very skillful hands; the human figures and small animals he sculpted were incredibly lifelike.

"How much is this?" Lin Chen asked, pointing to a small fox.

Thirty coins.

"Give me one."

The old man was quick and efficient; he pinched it up in no time and handed it over.

Lin Chen took it and handed it to Zhao Mingyue.

"Here, for you."

Zhao Mingyue held the little fox in her hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:

"My husband, I'm an adult now."

"What's wrong, sir?" Lin Chen said matter-of-factly, "Can't you like this, sir?"

A little boy next to her looked up at the dough figurine in Zhao Mingyue's hand, his eyes filled with longing.

Zhao Mingyue looked down at him and asked with a smile:

"You want this?"

The little boy nodded vigorously.

Zhao Mingyue squatted down and handed him the dough figurine.

"It's yours."

The little boy's eyes lit up, and he took it and ran off, forgetting to even say thank you.

Lin Chen watched from the sidelines, amused. "Good, that's got class."

Zhao Mingyue stood up, patted her skirt,

"If he likes it, then give it to him."

Lin Chen looked at Zhao Mingyue and reached out to pinch her cheek.

Zhao Mingyue was taken aback. "Husband?"

"It's nothing." Lin Chen withdrew his hand. "I just think you... are really nice!"

Zhao Mingyue blushed again at Lin Chen's nonsensical words.

Seeing the longing in the eyes of the other children, Lin Chen simply pulled out a silver note and handed it to the old man.

"Grandpa, make one for each of them, and you can have the extra as a bonus."

The old man took the silver note, his hand trembled, and he almost dropped it.

"This...this gentleman has too many!"

"The more the merrier." Lin Chen waved his hand. "Make sure the children look nice."

"Alright!"

The old man perked up, his fingers practically smoking as he swung them around.

The surrounding children suddenly screamed and it erupted—

"I want a little tiger!"

"I want a little white rabbit!"

"Grandpa, Grandpa, I want..."

Zhao Mingyue tugged at Lin Chen's sleeve and whispered:

"Husband, why did you make me a little fox just now?"

"Because you look like it."

"...How is it similar?"

"Smart, good-looking, and—" Lin Chen paused, then leaned close to Zhao Mingyue's ear, "seductive."

Zhao Mingyue blushed again and tapped Lin Chen with her fan.

Lin Chen didn't even try to dodge; he just chuckled to himself.

The old man was kneading the dough figurines incredibly fast, and the children were all holding them, laughing so hard that snot bubbles were coming out of their noses.

Zhao Mingyue looked at them and said with a smile:

"My husband, you are so kind!"

Lin Chen looked at the group of kids running around like crazy and said in a low voice:

"Because I'm a child too."

Zhao Mingyue was taken aback.

"They're practically fathers of eight children?" She chuckled.

"What? Is it not allowed?" Lin Chen turned and glared at her. "Have you ever heard of a man being a boy until he dies?"

Zhao Mingyue laughed so hard her fan trembled. "Alright, alright, young man."

She paused, then said softly:

"Then... young man, shall we go home?"

Lin Chen took Zhao Mingyue's hand. "No rush, let's look around some more!"

The old man's shouts caught up from behind:

"Take care, you two—may good people have a peaceful life—"

Lin Chen waved his hand without turning his head.

Zhao Mingyue, being led by Lin Chen, looked down at their clasped hands and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

The setting sun cast their long, swaying shadows into the crowd.

……

The two continued strolling until the evening glow began to appear on the horizon.

As the number of people in the market gradually decreased, the stall owners began to pack up.

Lin Chen pulled Zhao Mingyue along and slowly walked outside.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"fine."

"What would you like to eat?"

Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment: "What would you like to eat, my husband?"

"I'm asking you."

"I'm asking you."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Lin Chen looked around, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

"There's a wonton stall over there, it smells really good."

Zhao Mingyue followed Lin Chen's gaze.

There was indeed a wonton stall on the street corner, with a few low tables and small stools, where an elderly couple was busy making their food.

"Come on, let's try it." Lin Chen pulled Zhao Mingyue over.

"Two bowls of wontons, with extra wontons!"

"Uh..." The old woman was a little stunned by Lin Chen.

Zhao Mingyue covered her mouth and chuckled softly, saying:

"My husband has a big appetite, so please put in more food; we'll pay more!"

"Okay!"

The elderly couple worked quickly and soon served two bowls of steaming hot wontons.

Each serving was much larger than a normal serving.

The soup was clear, the wonton wrappers were so thin you could see the meat filling inside, and scallions floated on top.

Lin Chen picked up a spoon and started eating.

"Hot, hot, hot—ah—delicious!"

Zhao Mingyue ate in small bites, nodding gently, "It's really good."

The old woman heard this and her face crinkled with laughter.

"I'm glad you like it, sir! Our wontons have been here for thirty years, and our regular customers all say they're delicious!"

Lin Chen gave a thumbs up, "Thirty years, impressive! That's older than me."

The old woman smiled and waved her hand, saying, "You're too kind."

Zhao Mingyue was eating wontons with her head down, but the corners of her mouth were curved.

After the two finished eating, Lin Chen threw down a silver ingot.

The old woman was startled. "Sir, this is too much. Usually, two bowls of wontons only cost twenty coins—"

"Consider the extra as a reward." Lin Chen waved his hand. "Thirty years is not an easy time. Take care."

After saying that, he grabbed Zhao Mingyue and left.

He's gotten so used to spending money lavishly that he's almost forgotten the miserable life he had in his previous life.

I had some feelings after going out today.

The old woman held the silver ingot, stunned for a long time.

The old man leaned closer. "What are you standing there for? Put it away!"

The old woman watched Lin Chen and his companion's departing figures and murmured:

"Those two, they're not ordinary people, are they...?"

……

It was completely dark.

Scattered lights illuminated the streets.

Lin Chen, holding Zhao Mingyue's hand, walked slowly and asked with a smile:

"Are you tired?"

"Not tired."

"Shall we walk a little further?"

"it is good."

The two walked across one intersection, then another.

Shops along the street closed one by one, and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians.

Zhao Mingyue suddenly stopped.

Lin Chen turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

Zhao Mingyue pointed to the side.

Lin Chen looked in that direction.

It is an inn.

The sign reads "Yuelai Inn," and the lanterns in front of the door emit a dim yellow light.

Lin Chen was stunned.

Then he laughed.

He leaned close to Zhao Mingyue's ear and whispered, "Want to stay at a hotel?"

Zhao Mingyue didn't speak, but lowered her eyes and waved her fan more slowly.

Today I experienced a lot of things I'd never experienced before.

She really wanted to experience the differences between inns, palaces, and post stations.

Lin Chen couldn't help but smile when he saw Zhao Mingyue's expression.

"Okay, okay, let's get a room."

As he spoke, he pulled Zhao Mingyue inside.