Misty Rain of the Old Times

After two or three days of relaxation, Gao Jingming returned to his tedious routine of reading and studying. He explained that the exam had already been submitted, and whether or not he'd make the list was a matter for the examiners and the emperor to consider. But he still had to prepare. If he'd had too much fun and ended up with nothing in his head during the palace exam, how would he cope? Even if he didn't make the list, it wouldn't hurt to learn more.

Chen Xuan used to study with him, but after two years of laziness, he now has a headache when reading serious books. How can they be as interesting as vernacular novels, which occasionally have illustrations...

In the blink of an eye, it was the first day of the announcement of the results. Early in the morning, Chen Xuan packed up some things and prepared to go out.

"A Xuan is going fishing again. He brought so many things with him. Doesn't he plan to come back at noon?" Gao Jingming, who was reading a book, took the time to look up and said.

Chen Xuan, who was ready to go, waved his hand and said, "I won't be back for lunch or dinner. You don't have to wait for me. I'm going to the river to fish and have a picnic."

"I'm not envious at all. Ah Xuan, this is the life of a rich young master, right?" Gao Jingming said sourly.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "As long as you don't make progress, life will be wonderful. Master, do you want to go and relax together?"

"Forget it, I still have to read, and I can tell from the look of you, Xuan, that you have an appointment," Gao Jingming shook his head.

Yesterday, he and the little princess had made an appointment to go fishing together. Chen Xuan packed his things and set off, then turned back and joked, "The results will be announced tomorrow, aren't you nervous, young master?"

"A little bit. We'll know the result tomorrow," Xiao Gao said frankly.

"Okay, then you continue to be nervous."

Watching Chen Xuan's departing figure, Gao Jingming hesitated to speak. Sometimes it really drives him crazy to have a buddy like this...

"The Imperial Examination is over, and the Martial Arts Examination will follow two months later. Martial artists from all over the country will also gradually gather in the capital. By then, I should have returned to Yang County. It's none of my business. If you're interested, you can come and watch the excitement. I guess it's not much to watch a bunch of noobs fighting each other."

On the way to the fishing spot, Chen Xuan also keenly felt the changes in the capital. Although there were many people practicing martial arts, no one dared to cause trouble openly under the emperor's feet. The Forbidden Martial Arts Department would teach them a lesson.

There are indeed martial arts arenas in many places. Martial artists need a place to vent their energy, which can be regarded as a warm-up for the martial arts examination.

Chen Xuan was not interested in these things and didn't pay much attention to them. It would be better to leave the limelight to others.

When we arrived at the fishing spot, it was still early and the little princess had not arrived yet, so we started fishing and waiting.

This place is quiet and undisturbed. At first, Chen Xuan thought that the people in the capital, where every inch of land is valuable, had ignored this place. Later, he learned that a royal garden was originally intended to be built in this area of ​​thousands of acres, but it had been shelved. Ordinary people were afraid of breaking taboos and dared not set foot in this area.

How much would it be worth if it was developed? It would be a good deal for Chen Xuan to have a quiet place to relax.

It was almost noon when the little princess finally arrived, bringing with her a personal bodyguard, Xia Mei. After arriving, Xia Mei tactfully avoided the two of them and kept guard around.

Today, the little princess was wearing a white long dress, looking fresh and neat. Seeing Chen Xuan by the stream, she stepped over and said excitedly, "Taohua, when did you come? Didn't we meet at noon?"

Chen Xuan turned around and his eyes lit up. He felt that the little princess was beautiful in every way, with a slender waist and long legs. Even the tight long skirt could not hide her graceful figure. Anyway, Chen Xuan believed in light. It was not that he still had a childish heart, because the little princess was Tiga!
"I just arrived a while ago. The sun is scorching. Xianning, come and sit over here," Chen Xuan said, putting down his fishing rod and helping her open the folding chair. An oil-paper umbrella was floating above her head under the shade of the tree, providing shade.

After spending so much time together, the two of them were already very casual, but not yet close. The little princess said, "I can do it myself. Did you catch any fish? Hey, it's quite cool in such a hot day."

As she said that, she went to look through Chen Xuan's fish basket with great interest.

She had never practiced martial arts and was a weak woman. It was very hot in early autumn, so to prevent her from getting heatstroke, Chen Xuan naturally controlled the surrounding temperature to a suitable level. There was no need to mention such a thing.

"I caught three small crucian carps weighing about one kilogram. Let's cook them later. I brought everything with me," Chen Xuan said as he sat down again. As long as she was happy, it was fine.

She turned around and said excitedly: "This is the first time I cook outside. I have recently started to learn cooking. Taohua, you fish and I will show you my skills."

A princess like her is actually learning cooking? Chen Xuan was skeptical and said in silence, "You're not kidding me, are you? Is the food you cook edible? Do you know how to make fire?"

"Don't underestimate me, you'll know soon," the little princess said, her hands on her hips, and then she really got busy.

She was smart and seemed to have put in a lot of effort. After she got familiar with the cooking utensils, stove and charcoal fire that Chen Xuan brought, she really did it pretty well, though she was a little flustered.

Are you serious? Leaving her busy, Chen Xuan said with interest, "Then I'll wait and see."

"Just wait and see, but Taohua you have to help me kill the fish later. I haven't learned how to do it yet," she said confidently.

Glancing furtively around, Chen Xuan looked at her busy self and said, "There's no one else here. Can Xianning call out to Brother Xuan and let him hear it?"

With her cheeks slightly red, the little princess said without turning back: "You wish, Taohua, don't go too far."

"Okay," Chen Xuan was not disappointed even though he failed. He would take it slow.

"Brother Xuan..." Then he heard the little princess's voice as low as a mosquito, and he immediately felt refreshed. He stopped teasing her. The little girl's face was tender, and she wouldn't be able to withstand it if he went any further.

Next, the little princess was busy making food, like a happy little bird, purely treating this as a special form of entertainment, while Chen Xuan was fishing leisurely. They did not interfere with each other, and the scene was harmonious and warm, as natural as if they had been together for many years.

Except for killing the fish, the little princess completed the entire process by herself. When the sun was setting, she actually prepared a few simple meals and served them on the folding table brought by Chen Xuan.

The fish was freshly caught, and other tools such as charcoal, rice oil, seasonings, vegetables, etc. were brought by Chen Xuan.

"Stop fishing, I'm hungry. Brother Xuan, come and try it and see how it tastes," the little princess called out expectantly. Between men and women, some things can only be repeated zero times or countless times. She was instigated by Chen Xuan to call him brother Xuan before, and now she almost blurted it out.

Fishing for nothing! Chen Xuan threw the fishing rod and came over and said, "I can't wait any longer."

"How about it, I hope I didn't disappoint you," she said proudly as she stood in front of the table, looking like she was about to praise me.

With a smile in his eyes, Chen Xuan looked at the food on the table and said sincerely: "Don't mention it, it looks pretty good."

To be honest, apart from the appearance, it smelled surprisingly good. Chen Xuan was surprised. How could the little princess have such talent?

"Don't just look, sit down and try it," she urged casually, but she was actually a little nervous inside. She was serious about learning cooking and had secretly worked hard, and specially called a group of royal chefs to the princess's mansion to teach her.

Nodding, Chen Xuan sat down and said, "Then I won't be polite."

He took a piece of fish with chopsticks and ate it. Under the expectant gaze of the little princess, he gave a thumbs up and said, "Delicious!"

"Of course, don't you see who made it?" The little princess was immediately happy, and her heart was relieved. Just the word "delicious" made her happier than any praise. All her efforts were not in vain.

"Don't just watch me eat, you must be hungry too, sit down with me, the conditions are limited, so just make do with it."

"What are you talking about? I'm not that delicate. I have to pay attention to my image when I meet you for the first time," she said as she sat down and picked up the chopsticks, eating in small bites with elegant movements. She was mostly watching Chen Xuan eat. Although it was not as good as the delicacies she had eaten before, she just felt happy.

Chen Xuan had to admit that the little princess's cooking skills were comparable to those of a chef in a small restaurant. He probably also understood that she had learned her skills from the imperial chef. With her status, who would dare to hide her skills? He sighed, "The princess personally cooks for me. It's enough for me to brag about it for the rest of my life."

"Just be happy in secret. If you want to eat again in the future, you have to depend on my mood. By the way, Brother Xuan, did you bring any wine?" She said eagerly.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan said, "No, have you forgotten the last time you got drunk after just one drink?"

"Okay, I'll take you next time. I wasn't drunk that time, I was just tired from dealing with a whole day..." she said stubbornly.

The little princess didn't eat much of the food, which was already limited, and most of it went into Chen Xuanxuan's stomach.

After eating and drinking his fill, he joked, "Xian Ning, your cooking skills are really good, but you can't just focus on cooking. You have to pay attention to the details. You're almost like a cat, and there are a few small holes on your sleeves from the charcoal burns."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? You have been laughing at me all the time, right?" The little princess pretended to be angry and ran to the stream to see. It was true. She turned back and glared at Chen Xuan in annoyance, took out a handkerchief and wiped her face with the cool stream water.

After she had tidied herself up a bit, Chen Xuan handed her a wreath that he had quickly found and woven, saying, "Here, don't be angry, this is to apologize to you."

She happily took it and said with a smile: "This is more like it. Actually, I'm not angry. Does it look good?"

"You look beautiful. You are more beautiful than the colorful wreaths," Chen Xuan said seriously.

The sweet-hearted little princess didn't dare to look at him, and turned her head away and said, "You're such a chatterbox, I won't pay any attention to you."

As he spoke, he ran to the stream and sat down. After a moment's hesitation, he took off his embroidered shoes and put the food-grade jailer into the cool stream to play in the water.

Looking at her crystal clear little feet, Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat. If he could hold them in his hands...

He looked away with difficulty, sat down again, picked up the fishing rod and said, "Be careful, don't fall into the water."

"Don't be afraid, you are here," she said happily, shaking her feet. She probably had never been so indulged before.

Chen Xuan's heartbeat slowed down when he heard this. This one sentence was worth a thousand words, and he didn't have any strange thoughts at all.

The happy time they spent together was always short. They packed up and went back near evening. Chen Xuan sent her safely to the princess's mansion before bidding her farewell reluctantly.

He watched the little princess disappear into the door before leaving. After he turned around, the little princess secretly appeared behind the door and watched him leave.

I want to say something but I can’t. Just like snowflakes are reluctant to leave winter, just like we are reluctant to be separated... (End of this chapter)