The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Jinyang City is located in the southern part of Xia State. The climate is like spring all year round. Although it is the end of June, there is not a trace of heat to be felt.

The location of Yuekelai Inn is very close to the Tiandao League. They chose to stay here in order to facilitate negotiations with the Tiandao League. Now their only chance is the lunch tomorrow.

Zhao Xuan took Gu Zhanghua and called the secretary, walked downstairs and came to the counter.

At the counter, the innkeeper was an elderly man, calculating the bills on an abacus.

Zhao Xuan smiled and called out, "Uncle!"

He casually took out a few copper coins from his purse and placed them on the counter.

"Excuse me, are there any good restaurants or eateries in Jinyang City?"

The old man looked at the copper coins, and the wrinkles on his face turned into a smile.

"Miss, you are too polite. If you want to find the best restaurant, you have to go into the city. There is a restaurant on Fugui Street called Xijiang Yuese. It is the best restaurant in our Jinyang City."

"So what's good to eat around here?"

"There are quite a few small restaurants and snack stalls on our street. If you don't want to go into the city, just walk along this street. Any of them will taste good. If you're full and want to go somewhere else, you can go boating on the Ganlan River or go to Chunri Mountain to admire the camellia flowers. Both are great places!"

"Okay! Thank you, uncle!"

The three of them walked out of the inn, and the secretary asked when he didn't understand.

"Princess, that old man is so old, his face is full of wrinkles. Calling him 'uncle' is more appropriate. Why are you calling him 'uncle'?"

Zhao Xuan raised her head proudly. "You don't understand this, do you? No matter if it's a man or a woman, no one likes to be called old. I don't feel any loss when I call you uncle. Look how enthusiastic the boss is."

"That's because the copper coins you gave me worked."

“Both.”

Gu Zhanghua was also full of doubts.

"Didn't you say you wanted me to experience the ultimate starvation? Why are you asking where to find delicious food?"

Zhao Xuan replied with a smile, "Let me let you experience what it means to be full first, and then experience starvation. Wouldn't the contrast be more obvious?"

"After all, you're just greedy."

"We don't have anything to do today anyway, so we might as well make the most of it. Let's eat first, then go boating and enjoy the flowers. It would be great to make the most of this wonderful time!"

As a result, Zhao Xuan was completely conquered by the various snacks. She took Gu Zhanghua and Shishu, first ate a pot of rice noodles, bought a large bag of flower cakes, and then each of them had a large bowl of assorted mushroom rice.

Then, Zhao Xuan stopped in front of a snack stall selling bamboo tube rice, her eyes shining. Gu Zhanghua and Shishu were already bulging with bellies and could hardly walk.

"No, no, I've fully experienced what it means to be full and bored. I can't eat anymore!"

Zhao Xuan stared at the bamboo tube rice eagerly.

"It looks really special and smells really good. It would be a shame not to eat it."

Shishu breathed cautiously, fearing that if he exerted more force his belly would burst.

"Then you keep eating. I'll go ask for directions to Ganlan River. I need to digest my food, or I'll be at least three times heavier when I wake up this morning!"

Zhao Xuan bought a bamboo tube rice, but didn't eat it immediately. She asked the boss to pack it up for her and hang it around her waist.

The three of them asked for directions, rented a carriage, and arrived at the Ganlan River in less than half an hour. They also rented a small boat.

Shishu was in charge of rowing the boat, while Zhao Xuan sat at the bow. She picked up the bamboo tube rice seriously, smelled the fragrance, and looked very satisfied.

A gentle breeze blew, and the air seemed to be filled with the fragrance of flowers. Gu Zhanghua's depressed mood disappeared in an instant. The sunlight shone on the river, and the waves rippled. He scooped up a handful of river water with his hands and slowly sprinkled it down.

He asked Zhao Xuan, "Little Medical Fairy calls you Huahua, right? I'll call you that too. It's quite fitting for a maid."

"Whatever you want. I really want to jump in and swim to the other side."

Gu Zhanghua looked at Zhao Xuan in surprise: "Can you swim?"

"What's so strange about this? When I was a kid, my dad and I lived in the countryside. There was a small river behind the village. When it was hot, I would go swim a few laps in the river every day. It relieved the heat and gave me some exercise."

"What else can you do? Hunting?"

"It's common. My father worked as a blacksmith to support me, but he could only provide for my basic needs. When I was eight, I followed him into the mountains to hunt. Wild rabbits and wild birds were nothing to me. One time, my father and I even hunted a wild boar! We shared it with the villagers, and that day was more lively than Chinese New Year! The way the villagers looked at me and my father was full of admiration!"

"anything else?"

"Does growing vegetables count? I plant a lot of chives on the hillside behind my house. I cut them as they grow, and then they grow again. I also feed three hens. When they lay eggs, I mix them with chives to make stuffing for chive and egg dumplings. I can also steam buns, cook porridge, stir-fry vegetables, and make cakes. Oh, and I even fish in the river. Anyway, it's not a problem for me to support myself."

Gu Zhanghua looked at Zhao Xuan enviously.

"I don't know what you can do. If I lived alone, I would definitely starve to death. My mother has been very strict with me since I was a child. Not to mention going out of the palace, even playing in the imperial gardens, I was followed by a large group of people. If I wanted to run a few steps, there would be a palace maid to protect me, for fear that I would fall."

"You're so ungrateful for what you've got. Who wants to live a hard life when they have a good life? I don't know what you know. I don't know anything about music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, or songs. Only wealthy families can afford a teacher. When I was little, I loved going to the big locust tree at the entrance of the village and listening to the grandparents chatting. Sometimes they would tell us stories. I know so many characters because my father taught me."

"Where is your father now? Is he still in the village? Is he worried about you going out on your own?"

Of course Zhao Xuan knew that Huang Shuo was in Qingshan Valley at this time, accompanying her master.

"My father couldn't leave my mother. My mother died early. I have martial arts skills, so my father doesn't worry about me. He built a thatched hut at my mother's grave to accompany her."

Gu Zhanghua sighed: "Sure enough, the heroine has passed away a long time ago."

Huh? How could he still remember the story of the heroine? It wasn't surprising, though. In Gu Zhanghua's mind, Huang Huacai had a completely different background than Zhao Xuan's. Zhao Xuan thought, "It's been hidden for so long. There's no rush now. The most urgent thing is to resolve the Jiaoyang Valley issue. Once that's settled, she'll find a way to lure Gu Zhanghua to Qingshan Valley and tell him, in front of her master's grave and Huang Shuo, that she's Zhao Xuan."

"Let's not talk about unhappy things. I think what I can do is not what I can do, and what I can do is not what you can do. We complement each other quite well, don't you think?"

Gu Zhanghua immediately became excited.

"Then I'll teach you the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song, and you'll teach me how to hunt in the mountains and fish in the rivers, okay?"

Zhao Xuan smiled brightly: "I can give it a try if I have the chance."

Many years later, Gu Zhanghua can still clearly remember that day of boating on Ganlan Lake.

The lake is like a mirror, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, like a quiet and beautiful painting. In the middle of the painting, on the bow of a small boat, sits a girl. The wind blows her hair and gently caresses her face. The sunlight casts a golden halo on her face. The girl's big round eyes are curved into crescents. She puts her hair behind her ears with her hands and smiles sweetly at herself.

His heart was beating fast.