My Lord, the princess doesn't want you anymore.

It’s very cold on New Year’s Eve.

There were almost no pedestrians on the streets.

People have either gone to bed or are staying at home with their families to celebrate the New Year.

Only a homeless prodigal would go out alone to get drunk on New Year's Eve.

Li Mo was holding a glass of wine, taking a sip occasionally, and walking a little unsteadily.

That evil red, like the red spider lily blooming on the road to the underworld, wanders on the empty street.

The shops on both sides of the street had already been closed.

The night is too dark, even a faint light can bring great comfort to the homeless.

After seeing the light, Li Mo's eyes, which had seemed a little dull due to being drunk, also brightened up.

It was a small pub.

In the capital, such a simple tavern is inconspicuous.

But this pub has been open for many years.

It is run by an old couple. The wine the old man brews is not very good, but it is cheap.

The old woman’s cooking is not as good as that of a chef, but she has a dish of cold-mixed crucian carp that is quite good.

A special spice is added to the fish.

The old woman said that this was a spice unique to her hometown, called sour green.

This dish of cold-mixed crucian carp is sour and spicy, which makes it very memorable and appetizing.

The key is cheap.

Most of the people who frequent this tavern on a daily basis are people with less than favorable economic conditions.

The pub business was barely passable, but because the shop belonged to the old couple and they didn't have to pay rent, they managed to hold on for many years.

It can barely support the old couple.

Li Mo remembered that when he first came to the capital of Dazhen, he was still a child of four or five years old, and this tavern already existed at that time.

He remembered that the couple was not that old at that time.

At least the old man's back was still straight.

Li Mo walked over and blocked the door panel in the old man's hand, "Wine, do you have any more wine?"

The old man frowned and continued to put the door panel into the door frame, "It's too late, the door is closed."

Li Mo looked at him, "Fish, do you still have cold-mixed crucian carp? I'll sit for a while, just a while, and leave after I finish eating."

The old man was silent.

The old woman came over and held the old man's hand. "It's New Year's Day. If you have a family, who would come to drink with us at this time? Anyway, we still have to stay up all night, so there's no rush to rest."

She looked at Li Mo, "Sir, please come in. The fire in the kitchen is still on. I'll go make it for you right away."

Li Mo bowed slightly, "Thank you!"

There was only a complete bone left of the cold-mixed crucian carp on the table, without a trace of meat on it.

The old woman laughed and said, "This is the first time I've seen you eat fish like this."

Li Mo's eyes were bloodshot from drinking, and his eyesight was a little dazed, "Bring me some more wine..."

After saying that, he fell on the table and couldn't be woken up even by shaking.

***

Prime Minister’s Residence, Jixuexuan.

Nanxing prepared a large table of snacks and waited for the young lady to come back for the group party she had mentioned.

It was almost midnight. Wen Yi smelled the fragrance and walked over slowly. His paws hidden behind his back quietly reached for the cold dishes on the table.

"Pa!" Nanxing rushed over and slapped him fiercely, "Why are you so impatient? You can only eat after the young lady comes back."

"I haven't had dinner yet!" Wen Yi swallowed and went out to practice in a bad mood.

Wen Bing hid outside the door and kept peeking into the house.

Ever since the pink bellyband covered his head, he was embarrassed to talk to Nanxing anymore.

Whenever he saw Nanxing, he would think of the bellyband that still had a hint of the girl's body fragrance.

He had been hiding outside the door for a long time, wanting to say something to ease the inexplicable awkwardness between the two of them, but he couldn't muster up the courage to go forward and start a conversation.

"Why are you so cowardly?" Wen Wu suddenly slapped him from behind, frightening Wen Bing so much that he trembled all over.

He turned around and grinned, "Nothing? Nothing?"

"Who? Who is it?" Wen Yi's vigilant voice suddenly came from the yard.

Everyone was startled and ran out quickly.

But I saw a little girl in purple clothes, carrying a huge food box, standing on the snow with a smile on her face.

Wen Bing pulled Nanxing behind him and took a few steps forward. "It's you? What are you doing here?"

The little girl chuckled and handed the food box to Wen Bing. "Our boss has ordered that we should show some appreciation to all customers during festivals. Today is New Year's Eve, so we have prepared some snacks for Miss Mei. Please accept them."

Wen Bing did not go to take the food box, and the little girl did not force him. She walked to the stone table in the yard and put the food box on the table.

"If you give one portion to every customer who has dined in your restaurant, then wouldn't you be very busy tonight? Wouldn't your boss be losing a lot of money?" Wen Bing sneered warily.

"How could that be?" The little girl covered her mouth and smiled. "Since the opening, our store has only received Miss Mei as a customer, so we are not tired at all today."

Wen Bing: ...

Nanxing: ...

"How did you get in?" Although Wen Jia didn't know the girl in front of him, it didn't stop him from asking with a cold face.

"You came in!" The little girl smiled and pointed at the food box. "It won't taste good if it gets cold. I want to go back too."

She was about to turn around, but Wen Jia had already stopped her, "Want to leave?"

The little girl was not annoyed, she just looked at him with a smile, "You can't stop me."

This made Wen Jia hurt again, his face became even uglier, and he gently drew out the sword at his waist, "Well, why not give it a try?"

"Stop!" Mei Xueer brought An Ran back at the right time.

She scanned the purple-dressed girl from head to toe, "What's your name?"

"Miss Mei, you can call me Ah Zi. That's what our boss calls me."

Mei Xueer smiled awkwardly and said, "Thank your boss for me. I wonder if he has returned to Beijing."

Ah Zi responded promptly, "He did come back once the day before yesterday, but he left again this evening. I don't know where he went."

Mei Xueer glanced at the food box and seemed to smell the aroma of pig intestines emanating from it.

"Qiu Shang, is that his real name?"

"It couldn't be more true." Ah Zi nodded, as if she had no intention of hiding anything from her.

"Who is he?"

Ah Zi shook her head this time, "It's not easy for me to ask about the boss's affairs."

Mei Xueer knew that she couldn't get anything out of him, so she thought for a moment and said, "You can go now! I'll visit this person, Qiu Shang, later."