Two men entered from outside.
Both were male, one appearing to be in his early twenties, the other slightly older, around thirty.
They surveyed Jiang Si’s group.
An old woman, a young girl, a scruffy man, and a pretty boy.
The two men instantly relaxed, shook the snow off themselves at the door, and strode in.
Long Dan and Old Qin exchanged a glance silently, only moving their bodies to block most of Jiang Si and Elder Hua from view.
After the two men entered, Jiang Si sniffed lightly.
The sweet smell of porridge and fragrant roasted meat, usually pleasant to her, became less appealing when mixed with a faint scent of blood.
These two men seemed to be familiar with blood. She wondered if they were hunters or killers.
Jiang Si lowered her gaze to stare at the dancing flames, leaning more toward the latter.
However, she didn’t plan to meddle. When traveling, one should mind their own business and avoid unnecessary trouble.
But sometimes trouble finds you.
The two men who entered didn’t hesitate to gather around the fire. The slightly older one said to Long Dan, “Young brother, may I borrow some fire?”
Jiang Si glanced at the speaking man from the corner of her eye.
Perhaps due to her training in unusual arts, she often noticed subtle details. This man’s accent sounded slightly strange.
Of course, this strangeness wasn’t obvious. If asked to pinpoint what was strange, Jiang Si would have found it difficult to explain.
Almost instinctively, Jiang Si looked at Elder Hua.
Elder Hua’s expression hadn’t changed at all, seemingly undisturbed by the newcomers.
Unable to discern anything, Jiang Si lowered her gaze again.
Long Dan hadn’t noticed anything unusual. Although the newcomers’ rude behavior annoyed him – in the past, he might have kicked burning embers at them – with Jiang Si present, he didn’t want to cause trouble.
Endure for a moment of peace. For the Princess Consort’s sake, he’d endure!
Ahem, he hoped the master would consider his merit in bringing the Princess Consort here and give him a larger silver reward when he got married. That would make his current forbearance worthwhile.
Seeing Long Dan obediently move aside and Old Qin not reacting, the two men exchanged a glance and fixed their gaze on the rabbit meat Old Qin was roasting.
The roasted rabbit was cooked to perfection, its aroma at its most enticing.
“Plate,” Old Qin called out.
Long Dan produced a plate from somewhere and handed it to Old Qin.
Old Qin cut off a rabbit’s leg with his dagger. The perfectly roasted leg, crispy outside and tender inside fell onto the plate.
Long Dan brought it to Jiang Si, then reluctantly changed direction and offered the rabbit meat to Elder Hua.
Elder Hua said nothing, took it, and passed it to Jiang Si, saying in a loving tone, “Eat up.”
The perfect image of a doting grandmother.
Jiang Si didn’t take it, saying softly, “You eat it.”
This exchange of politeness finally made the younger man unable to contain himself. He addressed Old Qin, “Brother, meeting like this is fate. How about sharing half of that rabbit meat with us?”
Old Qin again said, “Plate.”
Another golden-brown roasted rabbit leg fell onto a new plate, which Long Dan brought over.
This time, Jiang Si and Elder Hua didn’t refuse, each holding a plate of rabbit meat and starting to eat.
Old Qin’s dagger began cutting the third rabbit’s leg. He hadn’t looked at the young man who spoke even once.
The young man grew angry: “Are you deaf?”
“Not deaf,” Old Qin replied concisely, taking a bite of the third rabbit leg he’d just cut off.
The perfectly roasted rabbit meat was deliciously tender and instantly satisfying.
He handed the oil-dripping dagger to Long Dan.
The last rabbit leg was for Long Dan.
The young man, seeing this, panicked and reached out to grab it.
Long Dan, seeing his food about to be snatched, reflexively moved to draw his sword, but remembering his earlier restraint, he forcibly held back.
The rabbit’s leg was grabbed by the young man.
“Put it down.” Two cold, clear words rang out.
The young man, who was about to put the meat in his mouth, froze, confused, looking for the source of the voice.
Jiang Si sat next to Elder Hua, looking like just an ordinary, pretty young girl, very unremarkable.
The young man didn’t immediately realize who had spoken.
But Long Dan understood.
If the Princess Consort had spoken, it meant he was allowed to act freely now.