How careless of her!
She had just given out three fever-reducing pills—how could she have attracted the Crown Prince?!
A core figure of the nation—was he really this easy to meet?
As soon as Cheng Fang finished speaking, the sound of hoofbeats approached from the distance.
In less than three breaths, the area outside the grocery store was filled with the noise of people shouting and horses neighing!
What to do? What to do?!
It was too late to close the door now!
Jiang Ling glared at Cheng Fang.
I was just thinking of befriending you, treating you to good food and drinks, and you go and dig such a huge pit for me!
Cheng Fang seemed to sense Jiang Ling’s resentful gaze and lowered his head even further.
Before Jiang Ling could react, a group of people rushed in.
A swarm of sword-bearing guards filled her small shop, with another crowd standing outside the door.
The young man at the center strode into the store and bowed. “Long time no see! My greetings to the shopkeeper.”
Qin Zhao wore a light blue robe today and had deliberately removed any ostentatious accessories, not wanting to give off an air of forceful authority.
Jiang Ling looked at the approaching young man in surprise—was the Crown Prince of this country really this young?
When she clearly saw the boy’s face, Jiang Ling’s breath caught!
……Wasn’t this the little brat from the first day, the one who had scraped his knee?!
From her expression, Qin Zhao could tell she recognized him.
A flicker of joy passed through his heart. Meeting again under this identity could at least help close the distance a little.
That would make it easier to broach the topic he had in mind.
“You… you? ……are the Crown Prince?”
Qin Zhao was taken aback, clearly not expecting her first words to be this.
He shot a reproachful glance at Cheng Fang, blaming him for having said too much.
Cheng Fang pretended not to notice. He was truly in a difficult position!
Qin Zhao then waved a hand behind him. “All of you, step outside.”
“As you command!”
Once the swarm of people had exited, Jiang Ling could finally breathe.
Watching on TV, being surrounded by sword-bearing guards didn’t seem like a big deal, but experiencing it in person made her realize how oppressive it felt.
Now, looking at the little brat before her, he had long shed the awkwardness of that day, replaced by an innate dignity and the bearing of one who rules the realm.
Jiang Ling sighed inwardly.
What a mess this was!
At that moment, only the Crown Prince, Cheng Fang, and Jiang Yi remained in the shop.
Qin Zhao turned his gaze back to Jiang Ling, his tone softening.
“I am Qin Zhao, Crown Prince of the Great Yu Dynasty. May I ask your name, young lady?”
“Jiang Ling.”
Qin Zhao wore an apologetic expression. “Last time, Miss Jiang kindly gave me medicine. I promised in person to deliver payment the next day. It was my discourtesy for failing to fulfill that promise. Please forgive me.”
Jiang Ling forced an awkward smile. “It’s not entirely your fault. I had matters at home and didn’t open the shop for several days.”
Just then, a commotion arose outside the shop.
Unnoticed, a crowd of villagers had gathered to watch.
Some were even holding hoes and sickles, clearly having just returned from the fields.
They usually walked along this path and had been happy to see the grocery store open.
But then they saw a group of sword-bearing guards neatly lined up outside the grocery store.
Each one looked fierce and menacing!
They all knew that Jiang Ling was the only one managing this grocery store.
Miss Jiang was a very good person, and it wasn’t easy for a young woman to run a shop alone.
She mustn’t be bullied by villains!
Leading the group, Elder Zhao, holding a hoe, tried to push his way in but was firmly blocked by the sword-bearing guards outside.
“What’s going on? Don’t be afraid, Miss Jiang! We have connections at the county office—no one can bully you! You villains inside, listen up! The magistrate of Ping’an County is my distant nephew’s neighbor. Just wait—I’ll call for help right now! If you dare bully Miss Jiang, I’ll make sure you regret it!”
Old Man Zhang, also squeezed in the crowd, shouted, “Don’t be afraid, Miss Jiang! I’ll write a letter right now, documenting their bullying of the innocent! I’ll present it to the magistrate and get them sentenced to prison!”
Aunt Qian spotted Jiang Yi standing inside and yelled:
“Brother Jiang, you can’t side with these bullies to bully Miss Jiang! Miss Jiang is a kind and virtuous person!”
Jiang Yi had been standing with his back turned, pretending not to exist.
Suddenly called out, he looked utterly devastated!
What bullies?!
What bullies are you talking about?!
This is His Highness the Crown Prince!
How dare anyone call him a bully in public! You people are too bold!
He didn’t dare step forward and could only pretend he hadn’t heard…
Qin Zhao’s intended words were interrupted, and his expression turned somewhat uneasy.
Hearing the villagers outside calling him a bully, his face instantly flushed with embarrassment!
Jiang Ling felt overwhelmed!
What kind of day was this? Why so much excitement?
Her head was already dizzy from lack of sleep, and now it felt even dizzier!
“Everyone, don’t worry, I haven’t been bullied. This young master is here to discuss business—it’s just a bit of a grand entrance.”
“So what if he’s discussing business?! Why won’t they let us in?! Does he get to decide who comes into this shop?”
“Exactly!”
“That’s right!”
Qin Zhao shot Jiang Yi a look.
Jiang Yi understood immediately and walked outside.
“Everyone, our young master isn’t bullying Miss Jiang. We really are here to discuss business! You’ve gotten to know me a bit over the past few days—would I do something like bullying the innocent?!”
The villagers listened half-convinced, their gazes toward him now tinged with scrutiny.
“Didn’t you all tell me how kind Miss Jiang is, how hard it is for a young woman to run a shop alone, and that we should support her business when we can? I took your words to heart and specifically brought my young master here to support Miss Jiang’s business!”
“Then why won’t you let us in?”
Jiang Yi gave an awkward smile and negotiated, “You can come in, of course you can! It’s just… could everyone leave your work tools outside? It’s crowded inside and space is tight. It wouldn’t be good if someone accidentally got hurt with these things. And what if something of Miss Jiang’s got damaged? That would just cause trouble for her, wouldn’t it?”
The villagers looked at each other, then collectively stared at Jiang Yi.
Only then did they set down their hoes, sickles, and other sharp tools outside.
Another swarm of people came in!
“Miss Jiang, don’t be afraid, we’re here!”
“Miss Jiang, we’ve come to back you up!”
“Miss Jiang, there are more of us—we’re not afraid of them!”
Jiang Ling forced an awkward smile, feeling both touched and helpless!
She first led Qin Zhao’s group to the table and chairs behind the counter.
Then, from the icebox, she took out two large bottles of iced tea and a number of disposable cups.
Filling each cup one by one, she carried them out with a smile.
“Everyone, thank you for coming. The summer heat is intense, so I’ve prepared some chilled iced tea for everyone to cool off. Please, don’t stand on ceremony.”
The villagers didn’t decline but naturally picked up a cup each, finding seats where they could. Those without seats stood to the side.
They had come to show support, so they had to embody the dignity of the host.
The chilled sour plum drink had been unanimously praised last time, and this iced tea was no exception.
However, most of the villagers restrained themselves, not wanting to appear too eager and lose their dignified stance!
“Miss Jiang, we aren’t disturbing your business, are we?”
“Of course not. My shop is in Jishui Village, so naturally, the villagers come first.”
The villagers’ scrutinizing gazes kept drifting toward the table behind the counter.
Jiang Ling also took a bottle of iced tea from the icebox, along with a few cups, and handed them to Cheng Fang.
“You must be thirsty after coming all this way. The shop doesn’t have much to offer—just some refreshing drinks to help beat the heat.”
Cheng Fang smiled slightly. “Thank you, Miss Jiang.”