Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

The breakfast on the boat was very simple, even crude.

A small bowl of relatively thick and sticky millet porridge, a plate of dark-colored pickled yellow croaker with a salty and fishy smell, and a small bowl of black pickles whose raw materials could not be seen.

The boatman was very considerate. In order to avoid suspicion, he took his bowl and chopsticks and went to the bottom cabin early. In the narrow cabin, only Shen Jingyuan and Lin Xi were left sitting opposite each other at the low table.

Looking at the food on the table that she would never even glance at on a normal day, Lin Xi subconsciously wanted to frown and complain, but when the words came to her lips, her eyes subconsciously glanced at Shen Jingyuan opposite her.

He looked calm, without any expression of disgust or embarrassment on his face. He simply stretched out his chopsticks, picked up a handful of the black pickled vegetables very naturally, put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully without even frowning.

This calmness, like an invisible thorn, instantly aroused a subtle sense of dissatisfaction in Lin Xi's heart.

If Shen Jingyuan could eat it, why couldn't she? Lin Xi curled her lips in dissatisfaction and swallowed back the complaint that was on the tip of her tongue.

Lin Xi bit her lower lip, made up her mind, and with a bit of pickiness and resignation, she tentatively used the tip of her chopsticks to dig a few times in the pickle bowl, barely picking out a small piece that looked edible. She held it in front of her eyes and examined it for a long time before finally taking a deep breath, closing her eyes, and with a determination that was almost "sacrifice", quickly stuffed the piece of pickle into her mouth.

Lin Xi puffed out her cheeks and chewed the pickles in her mouth with gritted teeth, then opened her eyes in surprise.

The expected strange taste did not appear, instead a peculiar salty fragrance mixed with a subtle fermented flavor spread on the tip of the tongue.

It seems...it seems okay?

Lin Xi's tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and she subconsciously glanced at Shen Jingyuan opposite her.

Seeing that he didn't seem to notice her rich inner drama and exaggerated expression just now, and was still eating breakfast quickly and attentively, Lin Xi felt relieved. She stopped hesitating and calmly picked up a piece of pickled vegetables with chopsticks. With the bowl of warm millet porridge, she drank the whole bowl quietly.

Shen Jingyuan seemed to be completely oblivious to the ever-changing and brilliant expressions on her face. He just silently and quickly finished the porridge in his bowl with a few side dishes at the speed unique to a soldier.

After Lin Xi put down her chopsticks, he stood up easily, put their bowls and chopsticks aside, and then sat down at the table again, looking calmly at Lin Xi who was wiping the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

"When the ship docks at Jinling Wharf," he said, his tone calm but unquestionable, "I'll take you to Lord Lin's mansion."

Lin Xi was secretly regretting that he was indeed hungry. He could even enjoy such crude food that he normally wouldn't even look at. It was so embarrassing.

As a result, when she heard Shen Jingyuan's words without any defense, she suddenly raised her head like a cat whose tail was stepped on. The blush on her face that had just appeared due to eating disappeared in an instant, and she blurted out without thinking.

"I'm not going!"

Shen Jingyuan ignored her protest and calmly met her angry eyes, "I'm not discussing this with you."

"Why?" Seeing his arbitrary look, Lin Xi's anger rose and her voice became a few degrees higher.

"Who are you to make decisions for me? I don't want to go to my grandfather's house! There are so many rules there, it's so boring!"

"Okay." Shen Jingyuan's expression didn't change at all, as if he had expected her reaction. He calmly offered another option, "Then I'll arrange for someone to send you back to Shanghai."

Return to Shanghai? !

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing most of Lin Xi's arrogance, but arousing her deeper rebelliousness.

She had played such a big trick on Xu Yucheng and had the audacity to run away from home overnight. Who knows what the rumors in Shanghai would be like now.

Even if her parents loved her, they were definitely furious this time. They were already furious, so if she went back now, wouldn't that be like walking into a trap and asking for punishment?

What's more... she finally found an opportunity to escape, and even had an excuse ready - she was deeply in love but was betrayed by her fiancé, so she was heartbroken and ran away from home.

What a perfect reason!

Moreover, she had heard Xu Yucheng talk about how vast and interesting the outside world was over the years, and she was extremely curious. She dreamed of going there to see the scenery she had never seen before, instead of staying in the palm-sized Shanghai market all day.

It took so much effort to sneak out, and I'm still not wild enough. How could I be willing to be caught and taken back like this?

It’s all Shen Jingyuan’s fault! If I hadn’t run into him, I would have been living a life of freedom, with fish leaping freely in the vast sea and birds flying freely in the sky. I don’t know how happy I would be!

Thinking of this, new and old hatreds surged into her heart. Lin Xi was immediately furious and blurted out anxiously and angrily, "I'm not going back to Shanghai either. Who do you think you are, Shen Jingyuan? Why do you decide where I go? None of your business is my business!"

When Shen Jingyuan heard this, his expression remained calm. He was neither annoyed nor impatient. He just raised his eyes and glanced at her lightly.

"Why?" He repeated her question, his voice steady but cruel. "A defenseless young lady like you, unaware of the treacherous nature of human nature, will be gnawed to pieces in less than three days if you leave the protection of the Lin family."

"And because of your willfulness," he leaned forward slightly, his gaze like a cold probe, piercing her suddenly pale face, "you might end up destroying more than just yourself. If your whereabouts are exposed, and you fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, you'll become the most poisonous knife stabbing the Commander and his wife."

After saying all this, Shen Jingyuan withdrew his gaze and his tone returned to calm, as if he was stating an established fact.

"So, either you go take refuge with your family in Nanjing and stay put until the storm blows over, or I'll send a telegram back to Shanghai and have the commander personally send someone to pick you up. It's your choice."

Lin Xi's face turned pale after hearing his words, her lips trembled slightly, and she glared at Shen Jingyuan for a long time with gritted teeth, and finally snorted coldly.

"Hmph! You're spouting all these high-sounding truisms, but in the final analysis, you're just worried that if something happens to me, you'll be held responsible and won't be able to explain yourself to my father! Why bother making yourself sound so wise?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingyuan's expression grew imperceptibly colder for a moment, his eyes darkening, but he immediately returned to his calm demeanor.

He neither admitted nor denied it out loud, but just looked at her calmly, as if what she said was just an insignificant childish remark.

Seeing that he remained silent, neither defending himself nor scolding her, Lin Xi suddenly felt that she had grasped the truth. She couldn't help but raise her chin and said, "Don't worry, it's a disaster."

"You don't need to be so kind! I'm responsible for my own life and death, I don't want you to interfere. Once the ship reaches the shore, we'll go our separate ways. You go your way, and I go mine. I'll pretend I've never seen you. Whether I live or die, it has nothing to do with you, Shen Jingyuan!"

After Lin Xi finished speaking, without waiting for Shen Jingyuan's reaction, she walked to the corner of the cabin, picked up her luggage, walked around Shen Jingyuan, pushed open the cabin door with a bang, and walked out.

Behind her, Shen Jingyuan watched her leaving, his eyes darkened, a hint of regret flashed across his eyes, but was quickly replaced by coldness.

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Here is today’s update. Thank you for the gifts, babies. Today is also a day of loving you.

I was so tired from doing farm work in my hometown these days that I didn’t even want to write. Today I finally finished it, hooray!

Thanks for the hard work, everyone! I'll randomly pick one person to treat me to milk tea. The list will be announced tomorrow. Love you guys!