A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

When she met an old friend in a foreign land, Gu Xixi naturally invited Jiang Mingyuan to have dinner at the same table.

During the casual conversation, Jiang Mingyuan mentioned that he was traveling to the capital alone to take the imperial examination in the spring.

He also guessed that Gu Xixi had come for Fu tea, so he said, "Since we are going to the capital anyway, we can travel together and take care of each other."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "I agree."

Both of them looked at An Qinghe.

An Qinghe had a stern face ever since he met Jiang Mingyuan. "I have no objection either."

"When traveling through wild roads and wastelands, having an extra person always brings more peace of mind."

Even though he had heard that many cousins ​​in Daye were getting married, he was wary of Jiang Mingyuan when they first met.

However, from a rational perspective, especially for Gu Xixi's safety, it would be better to go with Jiang Mingyuan.

After reaching a simple consensus, the three of them had dinner and agreed on a departure time for the next morning.

The next morning, when Gu Xixi and An Qinghe came downstairs, Jiang Mingyuan had already occupied a table by the window and was waiting.

The table was laden with local breakfast specialties.

Gu Xixi walked over and asked with a smile, "Brother Zichu, how early did you get up?"

Looking at the food on the table, An Qinghe concluded that Jiang Mingyuan was deliberately trying to impress him, so he said sarcastically, "Did you get up so early to block the way here on purpose? Are you afraid we'll go back on our word and leave him alone?"

Jiang Mingyuan smiled and offered his seat to Gu Xixi, ignoring An Qinghe's words. "Fengcheng is a large city. It takes at least two or three hours to get out of the city from here. To save time, I ordered food in advance."

"The fried dough is sweet, unlike what we have back home. This pan-fried chive dumpling has a filling mixed with dried shrimp from the east, so it has a savory flavor."

"And the porridge in front of you can only be found in Fengcheng. The white glutinous rice porridge is cooked to be extremely thick. Only half a bowl is served, topped with piping hot soy milk."

"There are sweet ones and not sweet ones, which bowl would you like, Xixi?"

Gu Xixi looked at it and said, "I'll have the sweet one."

Jiang Mingyuan selected one of the bowls, placed it beside her, and carefully turned the porcelain spoon to a more convenient position.

"Be careful of the burn."

Such a thoughtful gesture, if performed by someone else, might seem too slick. Or it might give the impression that they have ulterior motives, revealing a hint of obsequiousness.

Jiang Mingyuan did it very naturally, as if it were the proper thing for him, without any other intentions.

His appearance evokes a sense of warmth and approachability, making one feel that he embodies the essence of a true gentleman.

Gu Xixi smiled and thanked her, picked up a spoon, stirred it, and took a small bite.

"Well, it's delicious."

Jiang Mingyuan also picked up the porridge bowl, smiled slightly, and said, "As long as it suits your taste."

"Let's try something else. Most of the local staple foods are oily, so I chose some refreshing side dishes."

An Qinghe sat beside him, feeling increasingly frustrated as he listened, but unable to find a reason to vent his anger, so he could only eat large mouthfuls of rice as if to vent his frustration.

Jiang Mingyuan looked at An Qinghe and said, "I've ordered these. I wonder if Mr. An can enjoy them?"

An Qinghe swallowed his food and said, "Most of the time, when men are traveling, all they need is to fill their stomachs."

"That's why I don't know as much about food as you do, and you can talk about it with such expertise."

Gu Xixi glared at An Qinghe secretly, then smoothed things over by saying, "Brother An left home at a young age and traveled to various places to do business. When he was away from home, he didn't have high requirements for food."

Jiang Mingyuan could naturally tell that An Qinghe's words were barbed.

He smiled nonchalantly and said, "To enjoy wealth and endure hardship, Mr. An has such a mindset. No wonder he has achieved such success in business at such a young age."

An Qing was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Mingyuan to praise him, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"You're not bad either; you're already able to go to the capital to take the imperial examination so early."

Jiang Mingyuan laughed and said, "All scholars in the world hope to pass the imperial examination with flying colors, and I am no exception."

"Whether you can become the top scholar in the imperial examination depends on fate."

An Qinghe waved his hand, "I don't understand your intricacies, but that's the gist of it."

Everything was peaceful after that. After the meal, Anqing called the waiter to settle the bill, but was told that the young master at the same table had already paid in advance.

The waiter walked away after speaking, but An Qinghe still disagreed. He said to Jiang Mingyuan seriously, "It's not like you're hosting a banquet. We just bumped into each other and went out together. How can you pay for the meal?"

Jiang Mingyuan said, "It's just breakfast, why be so formal, Boss An?"

“That won’t do.” An Qinghe said, already counting out the copper coins and pushing them from the table to Jiang Mingyuan.

"Three people are eating, so we're dividing it into three equal portions. This is mine."

Jiang Mingyuan was taken aback.

I thought Anqing was trying to show off in front of the woman by insisting on paying the bill.

I never expected that he would only serve the portion he was eating.

This was the first time Jiang Mingyuan had ever seen a separate payment method. Fearing that Gu Xixi might feel embarrassed or unhappy, he quickly looked up.

But then they saw Gu Xixi calmly place a copper coin on the table, the same amount as An Qinghe's.

"this is mine."

Jiang Mingyuan was puzzled, "What are you doing...?"

Seeing that Jiang Mingyuan, a normally intelligent man, had been rendered completely helpless, An Qinghe was in a good mood and explained with a smile:

“This is called the ‘E-E-System’. Xi-Xi taught me it. She said that when you’re out on official business, it’s not like when you’re hanging out with friends and treating them to meals. You should keep track of every expense.”

"What should be shared by everyone should be shared. If we live together for a long time, no one will have any grudges or need to guess what others are thinking. Instead, we will trust each other more and our relationship will become closer."

"Eh? Eh?" Jiang Mingyuan muttered to himself.

He suddenly understood, "I've learned something new."

Gu Xixi smiled inwardly. The day before she set off, she and An Qinghe had agreed to split the bill for the entire trip.

At first, An Qinghe didn't understand, but now he's lecturing others.

The three left the inn and continued their journey.

Jiang Mingyuan rode only one horse, carrying a bundle of personal belongings, another bundle of books for the exam, and the Four Treasures of the Study, which can be considered as traveling light.

Gu Xixi told him to put the things in the carriage for temporary storage.

Jiang Mingyuan didn't stand on ceremony.

Gu Xixi looked at the spacious carriage and invited, "There's plenty of room in the carriage, Brother Zichu, why don't you come up and ride with me?"

Even An Qinghe said, "You are a scholar, riding a horse for days on end must be too much for you. You should take a carriage instead."

Jiang Mingyuan firmly declined, saying, "I'm already much lighter now that I've gotten rid of this burden, there's really no need for me to take a car."

"Besides, Boss An drove the carriage himself, so it's only right that Miss Xixi, being a young lady, rides in the carriage."

"It would be too disrespectful to Boss An if I were to sit in the car as well."

"Why don't I ride a horse and follow the carriage? It would be more convenient to chat with Boss An along the way."

An Qing glanced at Jiang Mingyuan and felt a greater sense of goodwill towards this scholar.

"You're quite a discerning person. Let's go then."

Actually, Jiang Mingyuan had another reason.

Boys and girls should not sit together after the age of three, so it was really inappropriate for him to be in the same carriage as Xixi.

If he were seen by people along the way, it wouldn't matter to him, a grown man, but it would likely greatly damage the reputation of the young woman.

We left Fengcheng before noon, and the area outside the city became increasingly desolate.