Dong Lier and Ah Long were astonished. Congwen Hu had always been excellent at controlling his emotions, so seeing him like this was unusual. They both followed his gaze.
On the staircase stood a young man and a young woman, seemingly about to descend. The girl was speaking with a smile to the boy beside her, and when she laughed, two dimples appeared, making her look even more charming.
The young man was also meticulous in his manners, leading the way with his hand held out as if to prevent the girl from tripping, although it was just a gesture.
As the two approached the aisle near Dong Lier's table, the young man said to the girl, "Yan'er, after the meal, how about a stroll in the Linglong Pavilion? It's a good way to digest."
The girl nodded slightly and whispered, "Your arrangement is fine."
With that, the two walked towards the exit of the Drunken Fragrance Tower without noticing Dong Lier's group.
"Do you know them?" Dong Lier curiously asked.
Congwen Hu didn't hurry to answer but pondered for a moment. Having experienced life and death situations together with Dong Lier's group, there was trust among them. However, the matter at hand was something he couldn't easily reveal relying solely on his own abilities.
After a glance at the two, he replied, "The girl is named Shi Yan, my arranged fiancée. We've known each other since childhood, and she's not officially my wife yet."
After finishing speaking, he took a sip from his tea cup, concealing the emotions that had been exposed.
"What?!" Dong Lier exclaimed, drawing attention from nearby tables.
Fortunately, at that moment, the sound of traditional music and dance started, and a group of dancers appeared on the stage. People shifted their focus to the performance, allowing Dong Lier's group some relief.
Dong Lier awkwardly smiled at the others and continued, "It seems there's a lot to talk about today."
Ah Long replied, "Talking about it is good."
Congwen Hu nodded. The bond among them was extraordinary. Since they could entrust their backs to each other, opening up was only natural.
On the stage, Yirang, the lead dancer, also noticed Dong Lier's group. Judging from their expressions, they had recognized her, but since there were no inquiries at the moment, she assumed they had other thoughts. She continued her performance without paying further attention.
After Yirang finished her dance, Dong Lier's group had finished their meal. They called the waiter to settle the bill.
Hearing the total, the waiter rushed to them, saying, "It's eleven taels and six qian."
"What?!" Dong Lier exclaimed again.
"Eleven taels and six qian," the waiter repeated slowly, thinking they might not have heard him clearly.
Dong Lier was frustrated. The amount was significantly different from what she remembered. When they left the sect, each person received only a minimal amount, barely enough for basic necessities. The rest was supposed to be earned through bounties.
Looking at her depleted purse and then glancing at Congwen Hu and Ah Long, they were still far from enough.
At this moment, a melodious female voice came from behind, "I'll handle it."
"Ranran!" Dong Lier saw Yirang placing silver coins on the table and excitedly hugged her.
Yirang, now in normal clothing, gently pushed Dong Lier away and chuckled, "Alright, I can't stand your affectionate gestures."
Seeing the appearance of Congwen Hu and along seeing Dong Lier, I couldn't help but chuckle. On the contrary, the attendant beside them remained calm, only accepting the silver on the table and saying, "Take care, welcome to come again next time," and then withdrew.
Seeing this, the few people didn't say much more. They walked side by side, losing interest in continuing their shopping spree, and unconsciously headed towards the inn where they would stay.
When they returned to the room and found that Luxiao Jiu had not yet returned, they sat around the round table without speaking.
After a moment of silence, Dong Lier suggested, "How about you, Congwen Hu, go first?"
Congwen Hu sighed lightly, facing the past again. He still felt the same oppression in his heart. Slowly, he said, "I remember when I and Shi Yan were still in our childhood..."
Congwen Hu gradually immersed himself in the memories of the past.
Congwen Hu's father, named Shinan, was the name he later changed for himself. He didn't know his original name. He only knew that his father was the military commander at that time and was highly valued by the emperor.
At the height of Shinan's fame, he unexpectedly announced the engagement between Congwen Hu and Shi Yan, a marriage that no one had expected at that time.
Shi Yan's father, Shi Yiliang, was one of Shinan's subordinates, but the two came from the same hometown, naturally having a closer relationship than others. Shinan trusted Shi Yiliang greatly.
In a mission later on, Shi Yiliang disregarded his own safety to save Shinan in a moment of danger. Unable to repay this favor, Shinan coincidentally both of their wives were expecting.
So, they promised that if both families had one boy and one girl, they would form an alliance through marriage. If they had two boys or two girls, they would become sworn brothers or sisters with different surnames.
Congwen Hu's mother was originally unwilling, but unable to resist her husband's persistence, she had to go along with it.
Not long after, Congwen Hu and Shi Yan were born with only an hour's difference. The difference was that Shi's wife gave birth to Shi Yan smoothly, while Congwen Hu's mother had a difficult childbirth, barely saving her life but succumbed to illness.
Seeing this situation, Shi's family naturally couldn't bring up the alliance at this time. However, Shinan was a man of deep feelings and trust. He decided that after the two children reached one year old, they would exchange tokens and set the marriage.
After a hard wait, when Congwen Hu and Shi Yan were close to one year old, Congwen Hu's mother passed away due to illness. With the white mourning ceremony underway, Congwen Hu had to observe filial piety for three years, and Shi Yiliang, understanding the situation, did not bring up the marriage.
Every time he saw Congwen Hu, Shi Yiliang would remind him that Shi Yan was his promised wife. Although they were not married yet, Congwen Hu always treated her with care and love.
Every festive season, he would go to Shi Yiliang's house, bringing a bunch of delicious and fun things to see Shi Yan. Even on one occasion during the Qingming Festival, Shinan found out and felt both angry and amused. He punished him to reflect on his actions for a day.
Congwen Hu was not angry. After his mother's death, his father became even more caring towards him. Sometimes, his father would stare at him for a long time, as if seeing through his soul. Congwen Hu knew that his father was missing his mother.
Later on, on an ordinary day, Congwen Hu took his newly copied characters to his father for appreciation.
When he walked into the study, his father was not there. Congwen Hu had to put the copied characters on the desk, planning to scare his father later.
However, after a long time, not only did Congwen Hu not see his father, but Shi Yiliang also arrived. Just as Congwen Hu was about to jump out to surprise them, he heard his father roar, "I disagree! Don't try to persuade me. In consideration of our past relationship, I will pretend I haven't seen you or heard those words today. You're on your own."
"Big brother!" Shi Yiliang called out to Shinan, but didn't continue the words behind.
Shinan continued, "Since you have such intentions, I think... let the marriage between Nian'er and Yan'er be canceled. Write a letter of withdrawal, and let Nian'er take the blame. It won't affect Yan'er's reputation."
As soon as the words fell, he walked to the desk, and in a glance, he saw the paper Congwen Hu had placed on the table. With a sudden realization, he seemingly casually turned away, and then saw the bright eyes shining through the crack in the bookcase.
He then said, "You go back first," and as he spoke, he picked up the paper next to him and lit it with a candle flame.
Hearing this, Shi Yiliang knelt directly and shouted, "Big brother! It's my fault. Thank you for being willing to help me conceal it."
Saying that, he started crying, and then continued, "Remember that year when Big Brother and I left our hometown to join the army? We faced life and death together. Others only thought that Big Brother treated me like a real brother. Little did they know, I also regarded Big Brother as a real elder brother."
Seeing the burly man over seven feet tall crying like a tearful person and hearing what he said, Shinan couldn't help but recall the memories of that deep friendship. Unable to bear it, he stepped forward, intending to help him up.
But what Shinan didn't expect was that it was all just an act. He suddenly felt a blur in front of him, and heard the sound of a blade attacking. Instinctively evading, his movements were extremely fast, but he still got injured.
Shinan knew that due to the discussion earlier, Shi Yiliang might have murderous intentions. He wanted to shout for help, but found that he couldn't make any sound, presumably due to the poisonous powder that was thrown at him just now.
Before he could think more, Shi Yiliang had already come behind Shinan. Although Shinan couldn't speak or see, his sense of hearing remained sharp. He was about to counterattack, but his body suddenly weakened, unable to muster any internal force, feeling completely powerless.
Shinan thought, today he might die at the hands of this person. The trust he had built over the years seemed to have been in vain. However, he suddenly thought of the pair of eyes behind the bookcase. Shinan wanted to struggle again.
But at this moment, Shi Yiliang had already pulled out a cloth strip hidden in his sleeve. Using all his strength, he strangled Shinan's neck. Shinan, facing the direction of the bookcase, opened his mouth silently.
Shi Yiliang thought he was pleading for mercy and grinned menacingly, saying, "Big brother, blame it on the allure of wealth and luxury. You don't know how to enjoy it, yet you want to stop others from enjoying it."