Chapter 11

The panda's greatest sorrow is the lack of recommendation votes during the new book period. Brothers and sisters, please give a few more recommendation votes! They don't cost anything, everyone can do it.

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To the south is the Liu family's mansion, where almost all the direct blood relatives of three generations of the Liu family live. Those who exceed three generations are distributed elsewhere. Although they cannot inherit the Liu family's estate, they can still get a good job and live a life without worrying about food and clothing. If they have outstanding performance, they might even be recalled to the Liu family mansion and become a core member. Large families and clans all follow this path of branching out, which is how they remain strong.

Unlike a castle, the Liu family mansion is not open to the public. It is heavily guarded on all sides, and its status in Tianfu is equivalent to Longcheng in the South Sea. Anyone who dares to enter without permission can be executed on the spot by the guards. Conversely, if someone were to drop an atomic bomb here, the Tianfu government would instantly collapse, and the Liu family would be swept into the dustbin of history.

Yue Chang and Yue Xi came to the mansion and took photos of each other from a distance, acting like ordinary tourists. The armed guards on duty paid no attention, as there were many such tourists every day. As long as they did not approach the warning line, they were left alone.

Yue Chang and Yue Xi walked around the mansion intermittently, and before they knew it, it was almost evening. The sun was setting, and the sky was filled with colorful clouds, forming a fiery sky. The guards at the mansion were also changing shifts.

After watching the shift change, Yue Chang and Yue Xi looked at each other and shook their heads.

The mansion was heavily guarded, and there was no way to infiltrate it.

The sisters turned and left, soon arriving at an inn to eat and rest.

The inn had two floors, was not very large, and served local Tianfu specialties. The most famous dish in Tianfu is hot pot. The climate in Tianfu is damp and foggy, which has led to the local habit of eating spicy food. Tianfu hot pot has the effect of dispelling cold and dampness. Although the spicy and numbing taste may be unbearable at first, the more you eat, the more you will enjoy it. If you don't eat it for a day, you might feel uncomfortable all over.

The sisters reserved a small private room on the second floor. The waiter brought tea and four small dishes, smiling broadly, "What would the two guests like to order?"

Yue Xi was on the phone, and Yue Chang smiled sweetly, "Little brother, what do you have that's good to eat?"

"Plenty! We have fresh pepper chicken, spicy shrimp, love tofu, boiling lamb, sour and spicy soup, chili crab, scallion-braised mandarin fish, braised beef brisket, fatty intestine tofu, spicy liver, spicy chicken, dry-fried beef, fish-flavored pork, water-boiled beef, Kung Pao chicken, Mapo tofu, and sour and spicy fish... We have everything!"

The waiter rattled off a list of dishes, making Yue Xi, who was on the phone, clap and cheer. Flattered by such a beautiful woman, the waiter's face glowed, and he looked spirited, almost ready to strike a standard Red Guard pose.

After calming down, the waiter asked, "Have the two guests decided what to order?"

Yue Xi finished her call and giggled, "Since you've listed so many, let's just have a hot pot!"

"..."

The waiter's eyes widened. Damn! I listed so many dishes, and you didn't order a single one.

"Two more friends will join us later..." Yue Xi put away her smile, "Bring the hot pot first, and we'll order more later."

That sounds more reasonable.

The waiter breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright! One hot pot, and we'll take more orders later!"

As soon as the waiter left, Yue Chang asked, "When will the big brother and the others arrive?"

"Quite conveniently, they are nearby and will be here in ten minutes. However..." Yue Xi chuckled and grabbed a handful of fried peanuts from the small dishes, "There's a city gate tax to enter the city. It costs two hundred for them to come in. Am I too mean?"

"Xi Xi, you didn't wash your hands before eating." Yue Chang scolded her with a helpless tone, lifting her right hand and extending her index finger, "Hold out your hands."

"Um..." Yue Xi stuffed all the peanuts in her mouth and held out both hands.

A stream of water appeared out of nowhere and washed over Yue Xi's hands. She quickly rubbed her hands clean, shook off the water droplets, and her hands rapidly heated up, turning red, with steam rising. In just a few seconds, her hands were completely dry, without a single water droplet.

At the city gate, Liu Menglong handed a cigarette to the guard, said a few nice words, and entered the city with Nalan Ruyue. Unlike outsiders, locals in Tianfu do not have to pay the city gate tax; a cigarette is enough. Yue Xi's plan to make Liu Menglong spend money was completely foiled.

As it grew darker, the city lights came on. Small vendors continued to set up their stalls, and colorful lanterns hung high. A stage had been set up on the open square, and the host, holding a microphone, enthusiastically addressed the tourists, "Dear friends who have come from afar, today is the annual summer lantern festival at Tianfu Castle. This year's lantern festival not only features beautiful lanterns but also a large number of riddles, as well as the best local performances of music, acrobatics, and magic. We are honored to introduce the famous singer group Phoenix, who have also come to the lantern festival. Now, let's give a warm welcome to Phoenix! Please welcome Phoenix!"

"Hello everyone, we are Phoenix!" As soon as the host finished speaking, a man and a woman walked onto the stage. The audience, seeing them, burst into cheers, "Wow! Phoenix! It's Phoenix!"

"Phoenix! I love you!"

"The Coolest Ethnic Style! I love you!"

"Under the Full Moon! I love you!"

"..."

Liu Menglong paid no attention to Phoenix, pulling Nalan Ruyue's hand and pushing forward.

Nalan Ruyue's body trembled as Liu Menglong held her hand, her star-like eyes looking at him with a hint of confusion.

"Hold on tight, don't get separated." Liu Menglong said calmly.

There were many people gathered here, and it was easy to get separated. Liu Menglong did not want to go through the trouble of finding Nalan Ruyue again.

Nalan Ruyue blinked her big eyes and nodded, tightly gripping Liu Menglong's large hand, which was not rough but very warm.

A few minutes later, Liu Menglong and Nalan Ruyue followed the crowd to the inn where the Yue sisters were staying. They walked in, and the waiter immediately greeted them warmly, "Are the two guests here for a meal or to stay?"

"We're looking for someone." Liu Menglong waved his hand, "Don't bother with us, go serve the others."

Hearing Liu Menglong's local Tianfu accent, the waiter chuckled and turned to serve the other guests, "Oh! The two guests haven't been here in a while, please come in..."

On the second floor, Liu Menglong and Nalan Ruyue found the private room where the Yue sisters were staying and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The voice was familiar, lively.

Pushing the door open, the people inside saw Liu Menglong and Nalan Ruyue and immediately beamed with joy. Yue Xi stood up and greeted them warmly, "Big brother, Sister Ruyue, you're here! Come in and sit down."

Yue Chang also stood up, her smile as sweet as ever, "Big brother, Sister Ruyue."

"Alright!" Liu Menglong responded, while Nalan Ruyue could only nod with a smile.

"Why did you come here? I thought you would rest at the hotel for a day before coming out." Liu Menglong pulled a chair over and sat down, not hesitating to pour himself a cup of tea.

"We've wanted to see Tianfu Castle for a long time. Besides, we've already rested on the train, so why rest again!" Yue Xi liked Liu Menglong's straightforward and cool attitude, "And today is the annual summer lantern festival. Big brother, let's go to the lantern festival after we finish eating, okay?"

"Oh, it's already this time of year?" Liu Menglong had attended the summer lantern festival before, usually by himself. For some reason, Liu Ying did not like to attend the lantern festival held at the castle.

For other lantern festivals, Liu Ying was willing to accompany Liu Menglong, but not for the castle lantern festival... or rather, Liu Ying had never entered the castle in Liu Menglong's memory, not even once.

Liu Menglong had also asked her why, but Liu Ying never answered. Over time, Liu Menglong stopped asking.

"Big brother, is the summer lantern festival fun?" Yue Xi called out to the waiter and then turned to Liu Menglong, "I heard there are many fun activities. Can you tell us about them?"

Liu Menglong smiled slightly, "There are many fun things, the most traditional being the riddle guessing. I don't know if Longcheng has a lantern festival..."

"No." Yue Xi shook her head, "Some places in Longcheng have lantern festivals, but the neighborhood where we live doesn't. Besides, people are busy making money these days and don't have much time for lantern festivals. It's better to stay home and watch the New Year's Eve gala than to go out in the cold to see the lanterns."

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Thank you to 'Hanfeng Jiuyue' for the 1888起点币 (Qidian coins) donation.

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