Quick mission: We don't make trouble

The morning sun shone on the cobblestone road of the border town. The caravan had left the city early. Today, Zhu Qingqing's family and Wu Di all changed into traditional Hanfu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, showing a different style than before.

Zhu's father and mother wore simple jackets and trousers, looking neat and energetic. Zhu Qingqing, Zhu Yingying, and Wu Di chose riding outfits. The three of them walked out of the inn together, creating a warm atmosphere of parent-child outfits.

Zhu Qingqing had her long, lustrous black hair tied back with a hairpin. This hairpin, a wooden gift from the shopkeeper when she bought clothes yesterday, wasn't expensive, but it enhanced her look. In contrast, Zhu Yingying had her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, secured with a beautiful silk ribbon, giving her a dashing, heroic air. Little Wu Di, meanwhile, had short hair, giving him a boyish look.

Looking at the Zhu sisters' outfits, Yu Bo couldn't help but sigh, "Oh, it would be a shame if my two sisters didn't go horseback riding dressed like this!" His gaze fell on Zhu Yingying, and a glimmer of challenge flashed in his eyes.

Zhu Yingying smiled slightly and responded: "Who said we don't ride horses? Why not? Do you want to run a lap with me to the front?" After that, she turned over lightly and jumped onto the horse's back, galloping towards the front.

Upon seeing this, Yu Bo hurriedly rode his horse to catch up, shouting, "Okay, let's see who runs faster!" The two of them took the lead and disappeared into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Mother Zhu looked at the two young men walking away and said worriedly, "These two kids really don't know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is. Xiao Wang, please keep an eye on them."

Wang Xiangdong smiled and nodded, indicating that he understood. He gently shook the reins, urging the horse to speed up and follow the figures of Yu Bo and Zhu Yingying.

Zhu Qingqing and Wu Di rode together, following the carriage of Zhu's father and mother, and the group walked slowly.

After leaving the border town, the caravan began to climb the mountains. Although these mountains were not as high as those in Tubo, they still gave people a sense of grandeur.

Mother Zhu sat in the carriage, looking at the scenery outside the window, and couldn't help but sigh: "Now that we are in the territory of Da Zhou, I feel that the air is different."

Father Zhu smiled and replied, "That's right! The air here has a moist smell that makes people feel comfortable and pleasant."

He pointed to the mountains in the distance and continued, "And you can see the vegetation there is greener than in Tibet, and it looks more vibrant."

Zhu Qingqing, riding on the horse, took a deep breath of fresh air and felt the beauty and tranquility of nature. Such an environment is really refreshing, as if she is in a beautiful painting.

The caravan slowly advanced along the winding mountain road. Everywhere they looked, they could see vast expanses of cultivated land. Although it was past the autumn harvest season and the fields seemed desolate and empty, they still gave off a sense of being populated. This was in stark contrast to the scene they had previously experienced in Tibetan territory—there, it often took ages to encounter a single household, and all they could see was endless, towering mountains.

Yang Wu also said: "Now that we have entered the territory of Da Zhou, the mountains are not so high, and the road is easier to walk on. Most importantly, there are more people living along the way, and we don't feel like we are walking through the wilderness anymore."

As expected, as the convoy continued to penetrate the mountains, we could occasionally glimpse the corners of houses peeking out from the dense branches and leaves. These houses were clustered in groups of two or three, or stood alone in a corner of the mountain. Occasionally, the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking could be heard, as if telling the stories of life in the mountains.

At noon, they rested for an hour on the mountain, ate some dry food, and then continued on their journey.

In the afternoon, Zhu Qingqing and the others did not choose to continue riding, but chose to rest in the carriage and have a good nap.

After waking up, I began to enjoy this wonderful afternoon tea time.

The fruits I bought yesterday are apples, pears, oranges and sugarcane.

The tea is specially boiled and brewed during the lunch break.

They want to enjoy the journey.

Zhu Yingying took a sip of tea.

Well, tea brewed with tea bricks doesn’t taste very good.

He said to Mother Zhu with a worried look on his face, “After riding a horse all morning, I feel like my face is wrinkled by the wind.

Mom, feel it quickly. My face is not only tight but also rough!"

Mother Zhu smiled and consoled him, "It's not so bad. Not as wrinkled as my old face! But you've definitely gotten quite a bit tanned."

Zhu Yingying sighed helplessly and said, "Yeah, there's really nothing we can do! There's no sunscreen here. Luckily, it's autumn and winter now. If it were summer, the strong ultraviolet rays on the plateau would definitely make us peel off."

Zhu Qingqing suggested: "If you feel your skin has become rough, you can try applying some oil to moisturize it."

Zhu Yingying asked curiously, "What kind of oil is it?"

Zhu Qingqing smiled and replied, "It's just ghee!"

Zhu Yingying said helplessly, "Uh, sister, how could you think of asking me to apply ghee? What if my beautiful face is ruined?

It's my fault too. Yesterday we were so busy shopping for clothes that we forgot to check the rouge and powder shop to see if they had any facial oil. Oh, I'm really not used to it!"

Zhu Qingqing also nodded and agreed: "Yes, I'm used to shopping online, and I don't know what to buy in physical stores."

Wu Di pouted and said with a look of grievance, "That's right! My aunt promised to buy me some snacks, but she didn't get any in the end."

Zhu Yingying smiled awkwardly and explained, "Hey, I forgot everything else when I saw the fruit. But the preserved fruits and melon seeds in that store look pitch black, as if they've been sitting there for a long time. Believe me, you definitely won't want to buy them. It's better to eat more fruit; after all, fruit is fresher."

She took a piece of sugarcane and handed it to Wu Di. Wang Xiangdong had peeled it with a knife during the lunch break. He had peeled more than ten pieces and placed them in the car for them to chew on.

"Come on, little boy, you have good teeth, so you must be good at chewing sugarcane."

Wu Di took the sugarcane and took a big bite, as if venting his dissatisfaction.

Zhu Yingying looked at her cute little niece and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, when we get to the capital, I promise to buy you plenty of snacks to eat."

After hearing this, Wu Di immediately stopped chewing, looked at Zhu Yingying with sparkling eyes, and said excitedly: "Really? Aunt, then let's make a pinky promise and never change it for a hundred years!" After that, he stretched out his chubby little hand and made a pinky promise with Zhu Yingying.

Mother Zhu patted Wu Di's head lovingly and said comfortingly, "Okay, grandma will be your witness."

Looking at her well-behaved granddaughter, Mother Zhu felt a surge of guilt. It was okay for adults to endure a little hardship and fatigue, but the child also suffered, unable to even eat anything good.

In the past, whenever the child wanted to eat something, Wu Di would just go to the supermarket to buy it.

But now, this...

Seeing the worry on her mother's face, Zhu Yingying quickly changed the subject: "Didn't I say you should apply facial oil? Why are you talking about something else now?

Mom, do you know how to make skin care products?"

Mother Zhu sighed helplessly and replied, "Do you think I, your mother, am omnipotent?"

Zhu Yingying hugged her and said coquettishly, "Mom is omnipotent. The underwear you made yesterday is really close-fitting and very comfortable to wear."

As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced at her chest, as if to show her mother how well the bra fit. After all, she had experienced it herself while riding a horse today.

Mother Zhu smiled and said, "It's good as long as it fits me. I rushed to make it yesterday, and I was worried it wouldn't fit. I can always improve it later."

Zhu Yingying happily nodded in agreement and suggested, "You could add some lace or something, it would look better."

However, Zhu Qingqing suddenly said, "Who are you showing off to?"

Zhu Yingying was speechless after hearing this. She thought, "Are you still my sister? How dare you say such a thing?"

She couldn't help but retort, "Can't I just watch it myself? I can enjoy it myself. Besides, if you don't think it looks good, you don't have to! Anyway, Mom only wants to do it for us sisters. Didi and I have one, but you don't have one, huh!"

After hearing this, Zhu Qingqing hurriedly explained, "I mean, just keep it simple. There's no need to make it so complicated. Otherwise, it'll strain Mom's eyes! And you know Mom's eyes are not good. Don't you feel sorry for her? I'm the only one who feels sorry for her."

Zhu Yingying looked at Zhu Qingqing angrily and said coquettishly, "Sister, how could you do this? You are just making up stories!"

Zhu Qingqing looked calm and said softly, "I'm just telling the truth."

Zhu Yingying: "You're always good at changing the subject."

Zhu Qingqing: "You..."

The atmosphere between the two grew tense, as if a quarrel might break out at any moment. Just then, Zhu's mother, who was sitting nearby, spoke up. She gently patted Zhu Yingying and Zhu Qingqing's hands and said gently, "Okay, stop arguing, both of you. You're already grown up, and you're still bickering like children."

Then, Mother Zhu changed the topic to facial oil. She said to Zhu Qingqing seriously, "Qingqing, when we get to the next market town, remember to buy a bottle." After that, she turned around and said to Zhu Yingying with a smile, "Yingying, you should remind your sister too, don't let her forget."

Zhu Yingying listened to her mother's words and nodded to show that she understood. Zhu Qingqing did not refute anything, but just nodded silently in agreement.

Seeing her two daughters stop arguing, Mother Zhu felt much better. She smiled and said, "You two are such a worry. You should learn to tolerate each other and stop arguing all the time."

Zhu Qingqing: "Mom, I don't mean to quarrel. It's just that the journey is too monotonous, and I just want to liven up the atmosphere."

Zhu Yingying: "Yes, my sister and I are just trying to find the feeling.

"After a few words of argument, it felt like we were back in the old days. When my sister and I were little, we would argue and you would always mediate. We wanted to revisit that."

Mother Zhu: "You are so old, but you are still so naughty and making fun of your mother."

"How could that be?"

Zhu Yingying said coquettishly, taking an apple and giving it to her mother, "Come, Mommy, have an apple."

Wu Di, who had been watching the show for a while, couldn't help but say, "Oh my, I get goosebumps."

Zhu Yingying handed her another pear and said, "Come, stuff your mouth."

Hahaha…

Bursts of laughter came from the carriage.