Green Mountain

In the main hall of the inn, Wang Gui held up the steaming yellow millet cornbread, turning his back firmly against Chen Ji.

He pondered in his heart, if Chen Ji came up to ask for cornbread, what excuse would he use to get rid of Chen Ji?

However, Chen Ji paid no attention to Wang Gui and went straight to the stairs on the left. With each step Chen Ji took, Wang Gui followed the sound of footsteps slowly rotating his body, keeping his back towards Chen Ji the whole time.

At this moment, Chen Wenxiao was standing at the corner of the second-floor staircase, shouting loudly, "Wang Gui, why has it taken so long, the food isn’t ready..."

The moment he saw Chen Ji, his voice abruptly stopped, and he turned and went into the room.

Everyone was waiting for Chen Ji to go upstairs, and only when Chen Ji disappeared at the stair corner did Wang Gui finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper in black robe looked askance at Wang Gui, "Isn’t Chen Ji also from your Chen family? Why do you all guard against him like he’s a thief?"

Wang Gui glared fiercely at the shopkeeper, "The Chen family’s affairs are none of your business! We managed to buy some food with great difficulty, even the legitimate son might not be fed enough, how could it be his turn?"

The shopkeeper sneered, "The noble Chen family, yet eager to engage in shameful misdeeds, the master is like this, and so are the dogs tied up at home."

Wang Gui narrowed his eyes slightly, "The Chen family has a long history of being court officials, and certainly doesn’t need the comments of some country bumpkin. If you want to stand up for him, you might as well share your own food with him. Just remember, we don’t know how long the Jing Dynasty’s siege will last; don’t end up feeding others and starving yourself."

While they were speaking, the cotton drapes were pushed open again.