Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 94: Pastries That Don’t Fill Your Hunger
Jiang Xuan handed the gorgeous little box on the low rock to Mr. Sha.

Mr. Sha took the box, weighed it, and was very satisfied. But when he opened it, he was a little dumbfounded.

Neatly placed in the box is a six-colored Clivia-shaped dessert, divided into six petals, which are similar in spirit but not in appearance, and each petal is independent.

On one side of the small box containing the snacks, there were two wooden spoons with a warm texture clearly placed. They were extremely exquisite and looked very substantial.

As a gift, Mr. Sha thought there might be some small decorations in the box, but he didn't expect that the spoon would take up the vast majority of the weight.

Mr. Sha picked up one of the petals of the petal-shaped pastry, pinched it in his hand and examined it. It was neither thin nor thick, and very exquisite, but it didn't look very filling.

After a long while, Mr. Sha felt somewhat helpless and said with a wry smile: "It looks good, but it's not practical!"

"Mr. Sha, please eat it. I'm not hungry yet." Jiang Xuan didn't seem to care much about the actual weight of the snack and said calmly.

"Don't be stubborn, kid. Wait."

After saying that, Mr. Sha took a few big strides and left the low rock.

……

In a flash, Sha Lao walked towards Jiang Xuan with a thin, dry branch in his hand.

Looking closely, he saw that a thin tail was tightly wrapped around the dead branch. At the end opposite to where Mr. Sha was holding the branch, a mouse was trapped on it. It wanted to break free but couldn't move.

"What is this?" Jiang Xuan asked with some confusion.

"Take a spoon and rub some powder onto all the snacks in the box, then pour in a mouthful of wine and stir." Old Sha instructed Jiang Xuan.

After listening to what Mr. Sha said, Jiang Xuan immediately understood what Mr. Sha meant. Mr. Sha wanted to test the poison on mice.

The reason why Jiang Xuan was able to immediately understand the purpose of mice was that he had seen similar methods and scenarios many times with his sister Jiang Xian. However, Jiang Xian's approach was more rigorous and detailed, and several groups would carry out the process simultaneously.

Jiang Xuan nodded in response without asking any more questions. He moved quickly and completed a series of actions according to Mr. Sha's requirements.

He handed the spoon full of food to Mr. Sha, who took it and fed the mouse another mouthful.

Then, Mr. Sha moved the snacks in the box and placed the mouse in the exquisite box. He loosened it from the dead branch and the two of them waited quietly.

……

"Mr. Sha, are you suspicious of Yunchen Inn?" Jiang Xuan finally spoke and asked.

"Not really. It's not a bad thing to be careful when you go out." Mr. Sha replied.

Jiang Xuan nodded and said, "Then we should try it later? Wouldn't that be a bit troublesome?"

Sha Lao shook his head and replied, "It's best not to eat something offered to you. You must try it when you need it."

"Okay, I'll remember that." After hearing what Mr. Sha said, Jiang Xuan replied simply.

Seeing Jiang Xuan say this, Old Sha's expression became somewhat dejected. He said to him, "In the past, I didn't care about these things at all. I always thought that life should be free and easy."

At this moment, Sha Lao's voice was choked with sobs. Jiang Xuan saw that Sha Lao's expression was different from usual, and something was wrong. After a moment, he asked softly, "What happened next?"

"Then...something happened."

Mr. Sha paused for a moment, then continued, "That's normal. When you're in glory, you're praised by others. When you're down, you're bullied a few times. That can be considered being treated equally by the world."

After saying that, he met Jiang Xuan's eyes, saw the worried look on his face, and pretended to be strong and forced a smile.

"Normal?" Jiang Xuan muttered to himself. He had many questions he wanted to ask Old Sha, but looking at Old Sha's current condition, he couldn't bear to ask any more questions.

It's not like Jiang Xuan had never interacted with someone of Sha Lao's age before. Indeed, people of Sha Lao's age tend to be more stable and thoughtful than most young people. But Sha Lao was still different. When Jiang Xuan first met Sha Lao, he thought he was just a freeloader. Sha Lao had helped him, so it was natural to treat him to a meal. But he was also afraid of him getting too attached.

But the more they spent time together, the more Jiang Xuan realized the charm of Mr. Sha.

When Mr. Sha casually dressed up, his natural elegance was naturally revealed. Coupled with the childlike nature he showed when interacting with him, Jiang Xuan felt that his living environment should be happy.

But when they first met, his somewhat dejected appearance and the guardedness he inadvertently displayed towards others made Jiang Xuan feel very conflicted. Old Sha was very conflicted, and the feeling Old Sha gave him was also very conflicting.

This confusion and contradiction may gradually be answered starting from today.

Hearing Mr. Sha reveal his inner thoughts for the first time in front of Jiang Xuan today, it must have taken a lot of courage for Mr. Sha, but what was indispensable was his gradual trust in Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan didn't dare to imagine what Mr. Sha had been through, but what was certain was that some of Mr. Sha's past must have been difficult to talk about with others, and must have been very painful.

……

Mr. Sha was gradually resolving his emotions, and Jiang Xuan was also going through a lot of psychological activities.

Sitting in the same place, the two people's mental journeys are completely different.

Seeing Jiang Xuan hesitant to speak, Old Sha knew that the little guy in front of him was thinking too much again.

"Okay, let's not talk about this." Old Sha took the lead in breaking the somewhat depressing atmosphere between the two.

Hearing Sha Lao's words breaking the tranquility in the forest, Jiang Xuan also ended his inner thoughts.

Old Sha let the mouse out of the box and stared at the slightly tipsy mouse spinning in circles. He put on a smile and said to Jiang Xuan, "Look, it's dancing."

Jiang Xuan smiled at Mr. Sha and began to observe the mice, looking very focused.

"It really looks like he's just drunk, so there shouldn't be any poison." After a long time, Jiang Xuan withdrew his gaze from the mouse and replied.

"Eat something, we still have to hurry on our way." Old General Sha handed the snack to Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan looked at the snack that Sha Lao had stuffed into his hand, and it was not easy to refuse it. He directly returned a piece to Sha Lao and started to eat it with relish.

Old Sha looked at the snacks that Jiang Xuan handed back and said nothing more. He just squinted his eyes, smiled, and began to chew slowly.

"Drink a few sips to warm yourself up." Old Sha held the wine jar halfway up the waist and raised the jar of wine sent by Yunchen Inn in front of Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan had never drunk alcohol before. When he saw the wine handed to him by Mr. Sha, he was stunned at first, then he took the jar and drank a few sips through the bottle.

"How is it?" Old Sha looked at Jiang Xuan's slightly changing expression, eagerly waiting for his answer.

After hearing this, Jiang Xuan pursed his lips, savored the taste for a moment, and said, "It's neither difficult to drink nor delicious." Jiang Xuan had no attachment to the jar of wine and handed it to Old Sha.

"Although the wine in Yunchen Inn cannot be said to be very good, it should not be bad either. You have quite a good taste!" After saying that, Old Sha picked up the jar of wine and took a few gulps.

"Is it so delicious?" Old Sha's eyes flashed, and he carefully turned the wine jar twice in his hands, as if he had obtained some rare treasure.

As for the sad things that I just thought of, they should have been forgotten long ago.

"I never thought that the Yunchen Inn would have such delicious wine. Why is it hidden and not sold?" Old Sha said, looking at the jar of wine in his hand.

"Hahahaha!" Mr. Sha suddenly burst into laughter.

"Boy, is this your first time drinking?"

(End of this chapter)