Duan Yanzhou took it in his hands, lifting his head with gentle brows and tender eyes on his handsome face. “Shutang, thank goodness for you.”
Lin Shutang had been a military doctor in the past. Although she mainly treated wounded soldiers on the battlefield, saving lives and healing the sick was her instinct.
She smiled. “Once we leave the city, we can find a place to settle down and brew medicine for Mother.”
“We can brew enough for ten days to half a month at a time, seal it in bags, and when Mother needs it again, just take it out and warm it in hot water.”
Fortunately, her Kongjian Shangpu had plenty of sealed bags and sealing machines.
Sure enough, Heaven was on her side—whatever she needed, she had.
Their carriage continued forward against the wind and snow. After leaving the capital, the group first stopped at the entrance of a small village outside the city.
Heading south from here through the frozen wilderness would take at least a month, so they needed to feed the horses extra fodder for the journey.
On top of that, their eldest sister-in-law Chen Wanrou was pregnant, so they had to travel a stretch and rest a while.
This was also a good opportunity to light a fire and brew medicine for Madam Jiang.
Taking advantage of the time when Duan Yanzhou and the third sister went to brew the medicine, Lin Shutang secretly slipped into the space.
She had been busy stocking up all night and hadn’t yet had a chance to carefully observe this shopping mall space.
Lin Shutang circled each floor again and again and discovered something very strange—although the various dining shops on the fifth floor had no people, they were all emitting steam, as if orders could be placed.
She first went to a milk tea shop and glanced inside. There was no one at the counter or the cash register, but the ordering wall was lit up.
Summoning her courage, Lin Shutang reached out and gently touched the ordering wall, then casually tapped to order a cup of Grape Duoduo.
The ordering wall emitted a purple glow.
Before long, a cup of milk tea actually came out automatically from inside the shop.
Lin Shutang looked at it, slightly surprised—so even though these shops had no staff, they could still take orders.
Delighted, she tentatively ordered another cup of lemon tea.
Sure enough, the milk tea shop quickly produced a cup of lemon tea as well.
She wasn’t greedy. Holding the two cups of milk tea, she first left the space.
The moment she came out, she ran straight into Duan Yanzhou, who had suddenly returned.
Holding the two cups of milk tea, she felt a bit awkward for a moment, not knowing how to explain what these things were. “Yanzhou… this…”
Before she could finish, Duan Yanzhou smiled and took the lemon tea from her hand. “Is this also something from your Qiankun Dai?”
Lin Shutang nodded. “That’s right. Try it.”
With that, she took the straw and poked it into the Grape Duoduo in her hand. “Like this.”
Duan Yanzhou watched with a serious expression, then imitated her, poking the straw into his milk tea without changing his expression. “And then?”
Lin Shutang looked up at him, saw that he had learned well, and continued, “Then just suck it out directly.”
As she spoke, she bit down on the straw and took a sip, the juice staining her red lips.
Duan Yanzhou had been watching seriously, but when he saw those red lips, his ears unconsciously flushed. He quickly turned sideways, turning his back to her. “I see.”
As he spoke, his Adam’s apple moved slightly as he swallowed, and the hand holding the lemon tea tightened a little, as if he was trying hard to keep himself calm.
But soon, a blush spread across his cool, composed face.
Lin Shutang didn’t notice anything unusual about him. Seeing that he hadn’t replied for a while, she asked, “Is it good?”
Duan Yanzhou quickly snapped back to his senses and took a big sip.
That sip of sour lemonade nearly made him choke.
Seeing him frowning, enduring the strange taste with great effort, Lin Shutang couldn’t help but laugh.
Her eyes were large, and when she smiled, they curved like crescent moons—bright and lively.
Duan Yanzhou looked at her, momentarily lost in thought.
Lin Shutang took the lemon tea from his hand and said with a smile, “If you don’t like it, I’ll get you something else. Wait here.”
With that, she entered the Kongjian and went straight to the fifth floor, ordering him a cup of milk tea, specifically choosing standard sweetness.
When she came back out, she found that Duan Yanzhou was no longer in the carriage.
She set down the milk tea and, recalling the way his ears had turned slightly red just moments ago, couldn’t help but smile again.
Her husband appeared cold and aloof on the surface, but it turned out he was warm on the inside beneath that cool exterior.
Well, to put it in modern terms, he was a bit of a tsundere—or to put it more nicely, reserved and restrained.
At that moment, Duan Yanzhou was standing in the snow outside the carriage, letting the cold wind cool his burning cheeks.
Seeing him like this, Third Sister walked over and said, “Second Brother, what’s wrong with you? Standing in the cold wind like this—be careful you don’t make your illness worse.”
Duan Yanzhou looked around, and seeing no one else, dropped the pretense and asked her, “Qin Zhou, have the medicines been decocted?”
Third Sister nodded. “They’re done, and the horses have been fed. Let’s get ready to set off.”
As she spoke, she hooked her arm around her second brother’s neck and whispered with a grin, “Second Brother, how are things going between you and Second Sister-in-law?”