The woman appeared delicate, but her makeup was smudged from falling into the water. Qin Jiujiu silently thought to herself, "Ancient cosmetics are not waterproof!"
Liu Jin immediately saw through the woman's intentions. It was clear she was deliberately trying to seduce her fourth brother, though her current appearance was rather counterproductive.
"No need for thanks. You two shall accompany us back," Liu Qi said calmly. He always had a gentle demeanor towards everyone, and it was unclear if he had seen through the woman's intentions.
However, there were indeed no other boats nearby, and they couldn't simply abandon these two.
The woman, currently lost in Liu Qi's gentle tone, was thrilled. Not only had he saved her, but he was personally escorting her back! Hearing his words, she naturally accepted with delight and quickly agreed.
The woman who had fallen into the water was the daughter of a wealthy merchant from Chunfeng Du, named Wen Yu. She was a minor character not described in the original text. It was likely that she was an NPC triggered by this unwritten plot point, as Liu Qi and Xiao Yuan had very little description in the original.
Perhaps they were not depicted, but they were all living, breathing individuals. They had their own lives during the times not described in the original.
Qin Jiujiu guessed that Wen Yu was likely a cannon fodder like Qin Yunwan, employing similar, uninspired tactics to pursue men.
With two extra people, the two passengers per boat became three. Wen Yu shared a boat with Qin Jiujiu and Liu Qi. Wen Yu's objective was clear: she was heading straight for Liu Qi. Qin Jiujiu even suspected she had jumped into the lake solely for this purpose.
However, seeing but not speaking, Qin Jiujiu watched Wen Yu desperately trying to get closer to Liu Qi, and then looked at Liu Qi, who, despite appearing gentle, exuded an obvious distance. She sighed and silently gazed at the lake.
Liu Jin's attention was entirely focused on Wen Yu, as if she feared that in the blink of an eye, this woman would be clinging to her brother.
On the shore, a figure in blue had stood for a long time. Only when the two boats were about to dock did the blue-clad figure quickly melt into the crowd, disappearing without a trace.
Wen Yu had assumed Liu Qi meant to personally escort her home. Although Chunfeng Du was known for its open-minded customs, her arriving home wet and in Liu Qi's company might have harmed both their reputations.
Wen Yu was naturally eager. Upon hearing Liu Qi instruct Liu Jin to personally escort her back, a flicker of displeasure crossed her eyes. However, she did not voice it, merely saying, "Then I shall trouble the County Princess. Wen Yu will certainly pay a visit another day to express her gratitude for General Liu's saving grace..."
Qin Jiujiu noticed Liu Jin's fleeting eye roll. She understood that Wen Yu was still unwilling to give up, wanting to leverage this incident to get closer to Liu Qi. She could certainly grasp Liu Jin's feelings.
She hadn't even caught Liu Qi's attention yet and had already incurred the displeasure of his sister. For a man like Liu Qi, who doted on his sister, this girl likely stood no chance!
Qin Jiujiu shook her head. Wen Yu had recognized her identity long ago and had not shown her any kindness, viewing her as a rival. Thus, her head shake was interpreted by Wen Yu as jealousy.
Her hostility towards Qin Jiujiu deepened, but she dared not act openly, only planning to teach her a lesson later.
"Let's go, Miss Wen!" Although Liu Jin was reluctant, if her brother were to escort her, it would invite gossip. Thus, she reluctantly agreed to accompany her, wanting to shake off this overly dramatic woman as quickly as possible.
Wen Yu bowed slightly to them with her maidservant, appearing quite the refined lady, before turning to follow Liu Jin home.
Xiao Yuan whispered a few words to Liu Qi. Liu Qi showed a troubled expression, but then seemed to have made a decision and turned to Qin Jiujiu, saying, "There are urgent military matters today..."
Qin Jiujiu only heard half of it before understanding the reason for the troubled look on Liu Qi's face. He was a man of great etiquette, and it would be impolite not to escort her back, hence his distress. However, the military duties were urgent, forcing him to make this decision.
Qin Jiujiu spoke first, "If General Liu is very busy, then you may leave first! I can go back by myself."
Seeing that Qin Jiujiu was not displeased, Liu Qi felt even more remiss. But as too much time had already passed, he could only continue, "I am truly sorry for the discourtesy today. I will certainly apologize to you next time!"
Qin Jiujiu wanted to say it was unnecessary, but the resolute expression on Liu Qi's face stopped the words from coming out. She suddenly performed a proper bow.
After realizing what she had just done, she felt something was amiss. Whose etiquette had she just copied? Recalling it, her movement was even more standard and elegant than the woman named Wen Yu's!
System: Detected host emotional instability, crisis imminent! Warning! Crisis... Repaired!
Qin Jiujiu did not hear.
Liu Qi and Xiao Yuan's figures disappeared into the distance. Qin Jiujiu watched their receding backs, her expression blank for a few seconds before quickly returning to normal. The earlier questions were gone, and the strange feelings had vanished as if they had never occurred.
Looking at the tavern before her, a lyric suddenly appeared in Qin Jiujiu's mind: "Whose tavern has closed for the night..."
On impulse, she walked in, only realizing later that she was already seated inside.
The tavern was not large and was in a secluded location. She hadn't even noticed its name before entering.
There were very few people inside, almost none. At the bar stood a figure – the proprietress.
As for how she knew the middle-aged woman at the bar was the owner, it wasn't just based on her attire and years of reading novels, but because another person appeared in her vision.
The woman at the bar seemed to see her and called out, "Xiong Er, come out and greet the customer!"
A man's voice quickly responded from within, "Alright! Proprietress! Coming right up!"
Qin Jiujiu thought she had misheard. The name Xiong Er seemed a bit too much, but she had indeed heard correctly. The person now greeting her was named Xiong Er.
Xiong as in the bear, Er as in the number two.
The name was a bit too casual. Along the way, apart from a few protagonists and important supporting characters, the names of minor characters were indeed rather perfunctory. But this was the first time she had encountered such a comical one.
She couldn't help but suppress a laugh, comparing the cartoon character in her mind to the person before her, who looked like a Xiong Er who had lost weight!
The man before her was short and thin, but with thick eyebrows and large eyes, bearing some resemblance to Xiong Er.
Xiong Er didn't know what Qin Jiujiu was laughing at, but the guest was laughing, so he smiled too. Customer service had to be top-notch! This smile only added to his honest demeanor. Qin Jiujiu's idea of leaving was dispelled; she suddenly felt that staying here wouldn't be so bad.
"Miss, what kind of wine would you like to drink?"