Fairies Are Fierce

Chapter 5: Night Stay at the Inn

Leaving the mansion on the south bank of Wende Bridge, Zuo Lingquan held an oiled paper umbrella and stood amidst the bustling streets of the intoxicating capital. He looked around, hoping to find a place to drink and alleviate his slightly gloomy mood.

The capital was crowded with people, but he didn't know anyone. His uncle had warned him not to drink flower wine.

After some thought, Zuo Lingquan headed towards the outskirts of the capital and, relying on his memory, arrived at Linhe Lane near Shuimen.

Shuimen was the place in the capital where boats entered and unloaded goods. The people gathered there came from all walks of life, but the majority were laborers who made a living with their physical strength.

It was already late at night, and most of the shops in the small market near the dock had closed. Near the houses damaged by ferocious beasts, there were few traces of people. Only the gambling house and the distant alleys were still filled with lively noises.

Zuo Lingquan walked along the street and arrived outside a tavern in the middle of a small street.

The tavern was pitch black with no sound. A flag with the word "soup" on it swayed in the night breeze.

Knock, knock—

Zuo Lingquan stood at the entrance of the tavern and knocked on the closed door twice. There was no response from inside, so he knocked twice more.

After a moment, the sound of the door opening came from the backyard of the tavern, accompanied by the tired voice of a woman.

"Are you blind? Can't you see that we're closed? If you want to drink, come back tomorrow morning..."

"It's me."

"Who are you? Speak clearly, let the neighbors hear, they might think I'm having an affair and looking for a lover in the alley..."

"I'm Xiao Zuo."

"Xiao what? I don't know you. Hurry up and leave, my man will be back soon..."

"..."

Zuo Lingquan realized that the woman couldn't recognize his voice, so he thought for a moment and said again, "I came to your shop this morning to drink, the young man who is tall and handsome, called your aunt."

"Hmm?"

The landlady clearly remembered this incident, so she didn't say anything more. Instead, the sound of footsteps entering and leaving the tavern could be heard.

After a while, the latch of the tavern's main hall was pulled open, and Tang Jingrong peeked out from inside, showing a hint of surprise.

"Young Master Zuo, why are you here? Did you get hurt during the day?"

The door opened, revealing half of Tang Jingrong's figure. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her dress was modestly worn, but it couldn't hide the grandeur of her bosom. Her face had no makeup, and under the shining moonlight, it was as white as sheep fat jade. Her plump lips added a touch of natural charm.

Zuo Lingquan curled his lips and smiled. "I'm not injured. I finished my business and wanted to find a place to have a drink. I wonder if Sister Tang is available?"

Tang Jingrong had just gotten out of bed and hadn't even dressed properly, so it was definitely inconvenient. However, she couldn't directly refuse either.

She looked at the sky outside, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Um... I just went to bed, and there's no more food for drinking..."

Zuo Lingquan didn't want to force her, so he reached out his hand. "That's alright, Sister Tang, give me the money, and I'll go somewhere else to drink."

Tang Jingrong hesitated for a moment, and her gaze became cautious. She looked him up and down, then covered her bosom with her hand, hesitated with her lips, clearly feeling embarrassed. Finally, she whispered, "What money does the young master want?"

"During the day, things were urgent, so I gave Sister Tang one hundred taels. I didn't have time to get change. A pot of wine and two small dishes, at most, cost three qian of silver. Sister Tang needs to give me back ninety-nine taels and seven qian."

Huh?

Wasn't that a tip?

Tang Jingrong blinked her eyes. It was obvious that she understood Zuo Lingquan's meaning.

Although she was a bit dissatisfied with Zuo Lingquan's teasing, she couldn't have a falling out over money. She hesitated for a moment, then turned around and took out a warm silver note from her bosom. She bit her silver teeth and handed it to Zuo Lingquan, putting on a generous appearance.

"Thank you for your help during the day, Young Master. Consider that meal as my treat."

This seemingly generous but extremely reluctant appearance amused Zuo Lingquan. He took the silver note and looked around.

"Since the shops on the street are closed, Sister Tang, if you can introduce me to a place that's open at night, I'll consider this one hundred taels as the cost of the wine."

What?

Tang Jingrong was not a foolish woman, so she naturally understood Zuo Lingquan's meaning.

Although she was a little unhappy with Zuo Lingquan's teasing, she couldn't have a falling out over money. After hesitating for a moment, she turned slightly to make way and smiled.

"It's late at night, and it seems that there's no tavern open on the street. If you really want to drink, since you've already woken me up..."

Zuo Lingquan took the opportunity to enter the tavern and smirked.

"Then I'll trouble Sister Tang."

"Ah, there's no need to be so polite when doing business. Please have a seat, sir."

Tang Jingyun busied herself back and forth, feeling a bit embarrassed. She turned around, lit the oil lamp, and opened the window. She poured a pot of wine from the wine jar and came to the table.

"The wine is cold, but the weather isn't too cold. We're out of appetizers, I'll go prepare some for you, sir."

Zuo Lingquan simply wanted to drink, without any other requests. He shook his head and said, "It's getting late, there's no need to trouble yourself. I'll just have a few drinks on my own."

There wasn't much fresh food in the backyard, and Tang Jingyun didn't know what to prepare. Seeing this, she nodded in agreement.

Outside the window, the drizzle continued, and the dimly lit room was empty, leaving only a pair of men and women.

Tang Jingyun stood in the shop, not preparing any food. She couldn't just stare at Zuo Lingquan drinking, nor could she accompany him. After thinking for a moment, she took a small stool and sat at the entrance of the wine shop, softly asking, "From what I saw during the day, it seems that you are from the Zuo family. Why did you come to Linhe Lane to drink so late at night?"

Linhe Lane was located near the dock, a place where people from all walks of life gathered. It wasn't considered a good area. Under normal circumstances, no wealthy person would come here to relax.

Zuo Lingquan took a sip of wine and shook his head, saying, "In a few days, the selection for the son-in-law will begin, and my family is urging me. I wanted to find a quiet place to stay for a while."

Tang Jingyun was puzzled and asked, "Being chosen as the son-in-law of the princess is a good thing. Many people are eager for it. Why are you drowning your sorrows in alcohol? Are you afraid you won't be chosen?"

Zuo Lingquan looked somewhat helpless and said, "Didn't you say, Sister Tang, that if I go, will the princess definitely choose me?"

Tang Jingyun actually thought so in her heart, especially after Zuo Lingquan helped her with his sword during the day. She felt that if the princess didn't choose this brave and gallant young man, she must be blind.

"So you don't want to be chosen?"

"What's so good about being a son-in-law? Sister Tang, you've lived in the capital for a long time, don't you know what it's like to be a son-in-law?"

"..." Tang Jingyun frowned and recalled the son-in-law she had seen. They held high positions and were surrounded by people wherever they went. Everyone had to greet them respectfully.

However, Zuo Lingquan seemed to have a high status himself. He had brought quite a few attendants with him today, and his elders were even Third Grade officials.

Although Tang Jingyun didn't understand the life of a son-in-law, she could still imagine the relationship between husband and wife.

The princess held a high position and had great power. She wouldn't follow the traditional rules of male superiority and female inferiority. If the wife was strong and the husband was weak, the husband would definitely be suppressed. Setting aside the honorable status of being a son-in-law, it seemed to be not much different from marrying into the family.

With this in mind, Tang Jingyun began to understand. She stood up, walked to the opposite side of the table, and rested her cheek on her hand, sighing.

"Indeed, you are young, handsome, skilled in martial arts, and your elders hold important positions. If you were elsewhere, you would definitely stand out. It's a pity that you chose to become a marquis, even if it's the marquis of the princess, it's still too unfair."

Zuo Lingquan finally heard some comforting words, but the matter has been settled and he must go. It's not appropriate to complain to others. He smiled lightly, changed the topic, and asked about something else.

"Tang Jie, you flatter me. Even if I want to become a marquis, there's no guarantee I'll be chosen. By the way, why are you running this shop alone?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Jingrong shook her head and smiled.

"What else can I do? My parents passed away early, and I'm the only one left. I don't trust others to help me, and there's no place for them to help anyway."

Zuo Lingquan's smile faded slightly, showing a hint of apology.

"I'm sorry, I spoke too much."

"It's alright. Everyone on the street knows about it. My relatives used to give me a hard time, but thanks to Lao Zhang's kindness, he scolded them and things settled down afterwards."

Tang Jingrong smiled and pointed to a building in the distance.

"Lao Zhang lives over there. Don't be fooled by his words, he's actually a good person. Today, I almost got into trouble on the street, but thanks to the young master's help, he saved my life."

Zuo Lingquan just did what he could, there's nothing to be proud of. He smiled and asked again.

"Tang Jie, you should be older than me. Why don't you find a reliable husband?"

Tang Jingrong frowned slightly, seeing that Zuo Lingquan didn't mean to mock her, she jokingly replied.

"You're just a teenager, is it appropriate for you to ask if I'm married?"

Zuo Lingquan was simply curious, he didn't mean anything else, so he raised his hand apologetically.

"I apologize, I was just curious. Tang Jie doesn't seem like someone who can't find a husband, that's all."

Tang Jingrong showed a hint of pride, raised her eyebrows, stood up, and sat back at the door, indicating that she didn't want to talk anymore.

Zuo Lingquan knew that he had unintentionally killed the conversation, so he didn't want to say anything more. He planned to finish this pot of wine and take his leave.

But Tang Jingrong, sitting at the entrance of the wine shop, looked at the street through the rain curtain and faintly noticed a figure moving near the ruins where the fierce beast caused trouble during the day.

!!

Tang Jingrong was terrified during the day and still had lingering fear. She quickly stood up, her face pale, and ran to Zuo Lingquan's side, pointing outside with her hand, not daring to make a sound, but gesturing urgently, as if she wanted to pull Zuo Lingquan up and stand in front of her.

Zuo Lingquan's face changed slightly, thinking that there might be another fierce beast causing trouble. He grabbed the sword on the table, cautiously leaned out of the window, and looked outside.

The rain was heavy on the small street, and the place where the incident happened during the day was some distance away. It was difficult to see clearly, but he could only see a dark figure slowly moving outside the ruined house caused by the fierce beast. From the outline, it didn't look like a fierce beast, but more like a person walking slowly.

Zuo Lingquan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just to be safe, he asked Tang Jingrong to extinguish the lights and lock the door, then silently jumped out of the window and walked towards the figure...

(End of this chapter)