Instead of a dimly lit lobby and crowded crowds, you will be greeted by a wide atrium with a neat and clean stone path leading directly to an elegant two-story building directly in front of them. The stone path is lined with neat grass, and a row of cypress trees stands on it. The early autumn evening breeze blew gently, the leaves quietly shook on the branches, and the whole courtyard was empty.

Nian Nian and Zhu Mei glanced at each other, and they both felt that this inn was incredible, and the two walked towards the two-story building in front of them. Pushing open the wooden door carved with a hollow pattern, a fragrance came to the nose, which made the two of them suddenly relax because they couldn't find a place to stay for a long time.

The whole building is square in shape, on the right is a wide stone platform made of a whole piece of jade, on the left side of the ground there are two rows of wooden chairs, and the carved window lattices are hung with soft curtains, so that the sunlight leaking into the room is unusually soft, but the hall is a little dim at this time.

Nian Nian and Zhu Mei just wanted to shout someone, at this time there was a string of footsteps from above the building, judging from this string of sounds, there was no martial arts for the people, although the steps were brisk but there was no internal force, and the breath was slightly urgent.

Sure enough, at the corner of the stairs on the left, the man showed his face, he was an ordinary middle-aged man, wearing a plain robe, at this time he was holding the corner of the robe with one hand, and walking down the stairs with the other, and came to the two of them after a while.

I saw the man politely arch his hand, "The two girls want to stay in the hotel?"

"Yes, boss, do you still have a room in your house, even if it's just one. Nian Nian hurriedly said, and at the same time, a pair of smart big eyes stared at the middle-aged man tightly, for fear that there would be no news from his mouth.

The boss smiled, arched his hand again, and only raised his eyes to the necks of the two of them, "Yes, yes, but most of our rooms here have been booked, and only two of the most exclusive rooms are left, ・・・・・I wonder if the two girls still want to live?"

Nian Nian timidly asked, "Well, how much money do you have to pay?" "Thirty taels and one nights for a room, half of it will be paid on the day of check-in, and half will be paid when you leave the next day." “

Nian Nian was shocked in place, thirty taels of silver for one night! You must know that the most expensive inn they have asked so far is only three taels and one night, and the price of this inn is ten times higher! What is even more tragic is that the sum of the silver on the two of them is a total of thirty taels, which is just enough to pay for tonight's expenses, but what will they do tomorrow?

Nian Nian and Zhu Mei hesitated a little in place, and the middle-aged man didn't urge them, only lowered his eyes quietly.

After a while, Nian Nian gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, let's stay here first, but if we don't leave tomorrow, can we pay the room fee later?"

The middle-aged man said politely: "As long as the two girls pay the room fee before leaving, it's fine." “

Nian Nian calculated in his heart, if he paid for the room tonight, then the two of them would have nothing left, but if they didn't pay, they couldn't find another inn, and today's state of Zhumei was very unstable, she could just lie down under the tree and fall asleep, but her sister couldn't. After thinking about it, Nian Nian had to sigh that it was really a black shop, and reluctantly took fifteen taels from his arms and pushed it to the middle-aged man: "Your inn is so expensive, it's better to grab it." We only need one room, and we will pay you fifteen taels of silver first, and the rest will be paid to you tomorrow. ”

The boss was not angry when he heard this, but was slightly relieved, still respectfully bent slightly and lowered his head, and stretched his right hand forward: "Two girls, please come here to check in, please come with me." So saying, he brought them to the wide stone platform on the right, and he himself went around to the back of the stone platform, and took out a scroll from one of the drawers inside, and wrote on it without knowing what was written.

Zhu Mei looked at him curiously, and couldn't help but wonder in her heart: a passer-by on a street corner saw us and had to think about it, and decided how to react to our asking for directions based on our appearance and clothing, and it was really strange that this innkeeper, who was obviously not of a low grade, had been so polite to us since he appeared.

I saw the middle-aged man put down his pen after writing and drawing, turned the scroll and explained politely to Nian Nian and Zhu Mei: "All the people who come to our inn to stay must have an identity registration, and the people we receive in the inn are generally relatives of the official family, foreign missions and other distinguished people, so the two girls also need to record where they live, who proves their identity, and who introduced them." ”

Every year and Zhu Mei are completely blinded, and you still need to have an identity to live in a hotel! Nian Nian was a little angry, his pretty face was cold, and he said to the middle-aged man: "Why don't you make it clear, we don't have that kind of identity certificate and introduction, and what you said earlier won't be a waste of time with you." ”

The middle-aged man hurriedly waved his hand when he heard this, and said again and again: "Don't be angry, girl, I know that it may not be convenient for you to reveal your identity when you are traveling, so I have already prepared an identity registration for you, and the two girls only need to sign it." With that, he smiled and pointed to the scroll spread out in front of them.

Zhu Mei looked at it, it was indeed an identity certificate, which was written. Place of Mission: Baimo Country, Identity: Entourage of the Baimo State Mission, and there is even the national emblem of Baimo Country printed next to it.

As if to see the doubts in the hearts of the two of them, the middle-aged man explained: "The Baimo Kingdom mission is about to arrive in the next few days, they happen to be staying in a small shop, they have a large number of entourage, and the two of them are not easy to detect. ”

So Nian Nian and Zhu Mei both wrote their names on it, and after this step was completed, the middle-aged man summoned a person out of nowhere and asked him to lead the two to their room.

Anyone who came to see that he was dressed as a guy in the inn, but the two of them always felt a little strange following him. This man is not like ordinary fellows who come up with a smile on his face, he does not know when he appeared in the hall, because it is getting late, the hall is dark, and the man's face is always hidden in the shadows, he is very polite to lead the way for Nian Nian and Zhu Mei, but he is not as polite and even respectful as the innkeeper is to them. His steps are steady, his steps are moderate, and his back is straight from behind.

The three of them walked on a narrow corridor, the man at the front, Nian Nian in the middle, and Zhu Mei at the end. The corridor only gently echoed the footsteps of the guy in front of me, distant and lonely. The sky finally darkened, and the mottled shadows of the trees made the courtyard a little chilly, but at some point, with each step of the fellow, the lanterns hanging on the verandah lit up one by one.

The faint orange candlelight passed through the lantern surface, illuminating the entire promenade and even the clear night sky. With this light, Nian Nian's originally somewhat unnatural mood slowly calmed down, and she stared with interest at the oblique shadows pulled out by the three people on the ground.

The three of them were the shortest, so their shadows were also in an arc of downward concave in the middle, and they stuck out their tongues and stood on tiptoe to fill the depression. Suddenly, she leaned forward unsteadily.

Nian Nian hurriedly grabbed forward, and just hit the back of the guy in front of him. Both of them were shocked.

The guy quickly recovered, turned his head slightly, and said softly: "Nian girl, slow down, it's not far away." ”

But Nian Nian was still stunned, she let go of the coarse cloth clothes of the guy in front of her a little sluggishly, and when she found that he had gone far, she hurriedly ran forward with her skirt and went around in front of him to stop him.

What caught my eye was an ordinary and unfamiliar face, not bowing his head slightly respectfully like the previous boss, a pair of eyes stared blankly and directly at Nian Nian, without the slightest expression on his face, and only after a while did he open his mouth gently: "Nian girl, what do you have to say?"

Nian Nian was stunned for a moment, shook his head, and a flash of disappointment flashed in his eyes that quickly drooped, "It's nothing, I, I just recognized the wrong person." ”

The next road is not long, but every year is no longer as playful as just now, she lowered her head slightly, quietly following behind, a little distracted. When Fang had just been so close to the person in front of him, the smell wafting from his body still made Nian Nian feel in a trance through the coarse linen clothes, as if he was still following Wuxian behind, walking the path full of strange formations in the bamboo forest.

The man sent them to the door, bowed slightly, and turned away. Zhu Mei opened the door with the key she had received in advance. The area in the house is very large, the room is elegantly arranged, there is no incense, there is a water tank under the window, there are three lotus flowers in it, the white and tender petals are stained with water droplets, floating on the water surface faintly, and the air is full of a faint fragrance.

Nian Nian is very satisfied with this place, but remembering that it costs thirty taels of silver to live here for a day, his delicate little face instantly wrinkled. Nian Nian sighed softly, it seems that she has to go out to see where she can earn silver, otherwise after paying the remaining fifteen taels tomorrow, she and Zhu Mei will have nothing left.

All the way they went, except for the silver they brought out from Liyuan, the rest was exchanged for herbs picked in the mountains and exchanged in the cities along the way. So I thought about it every year, and planned to do it again, and tomorrow I would find a remote mountain forest to hunt for treasures, so I discussed it with Zhu Mei, and it was settled.

Nian Nian leaned on the small couch, the bamboo flute in his arms suddenly slipped out, and Nian Nian looked at it quietly. The fragrance of lotus flowers lingers on the tip of the nose, but it always can't drive away the breath that was full of hugs just now.

Could it be that my feelings are wrong?