The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 957 - 936 - Tracking

Chapter 957: 936 Chapter Tracking

Feng Zongping and his party had booked a private room in another direction, but Mr. Zhuang’s seat was not far from the stairway entrance, so Feng Zongping and Yi Ziyang stepped forward to greet Mr. Zhuang, and after meeting Bai Dalang and Bai Erlang, they left.

Most people in the restaurant, if not known by them, knew them. If one were to exchange pleasantries with each one, there would be no time left to eat, they approached only because this was their first meeting with Mr. Zhuang, and Feng Zongping was particularly curious about them.

For others, a wave or a distant bow as they passed by was sufficient.

If they encountered someone with whom they had poor or indifferent relations, they simply turned their heads as if they hadn’t seen them.

Manbao and Bai Shan sat down and, finding the dishes on the table appealing, gave Bai Erlang a thumbs up, "The dishes you ordered are really good."

Bai Erlang happily pointed to two of the dishes, "I ordered these, try them in a bit."

Bai Dalang then pointed to another dish, "This one was my choice."

The remaining dishes were naturally ordered by Mr. Zhuang. However, to not waste, he had only ordered three. What he wanted to try more was the wine of Primus Pavilion.

His disciples had shown their filial piety, and he gladly accepted it.

Manbao carefully tasted the dishes from Primus Pavilion, finding them indeed delicious, which explained their high price.

Although his sister-in-law’s cooking was also tasty, this was different. Anyway, Manbao thought these dishes were quite delicious; it would be better if they weren’t so expensive.

The five of them were thoroughly enjoying both the food and the drinks.

Mr. Zhuang was slightly tipsy as he rose to his feet, Manbao and Bai Shan supporting him from each side. Mr. Zhuang waved his hand dismissively, "No worries, I can still drink a couple more rounds."

Manbao, supporting him, coaxed, "Let’s drink another time. Let’s head home for today."

Mr. Zhuang looked at Manbao with amusement, as he was only slightly dizzy, not senile. Why treat him as if cajoling a child?

The group descended the stairs and, midway down, two people were ascending. Manbao, walking on the innermost side, slowly let go of Mr. Zhuang and moved forward a couple of steps, while Bai Shan moved closer to support Mr. Zhuang, making room for the people below to pass.

Mr. Zhuang slightly turned his head and locked eyes with the person ascending; his facial expression was still smiling, but his steps halted.

Bai Shan, puzzled, looked up towards their master. Mr. Zhuang then resumed moving, shifting his gaze and continued downstairs.

The person going upstairs also paused for a moment, then stepped aside. Manbao, leading the way down, chattered, "Master, take it slow, these stairs are quite steep..."

Mr. Zhuang responded, bypassing the ascending person and exited the pavilion with Manbao coming back to support him while Bai Dalang went to settle the bill. The five left the restaurant, and Daji brought the carriage around...

The person on the stairs stopped, turned back, and glanced at the departing Mr. Zhuang, signaling to a servant who was trailing behind.

The servant then turned and followed them out.

Daji drove the carriage home.

The roads in the capital were spacious, with separate lanes for pedestrians, horses, and carriages, allowing the carriage to speed even on the main streets.

As they sped along, Daji sensed something amiss. He leant out to look back and noticed that the same carriage was still following them. He frowned and at the next intersection, he turned right. Shortly, he saw that the carriage continued to follow them.

Daji lowered his gaze in thought and decided to head towards the outer city.

The five inside, having just had their fill and suddenly relaxed from the constant stress of recent days, fell dozy except Mr. Zhuang, who, no longer seeming drunk, hung his head deep in thought.

Manbao, jostled by the carriage, accidentally bumped into Bai Shan.

Bai Shan hugged Manbao, who had almost entirely crashed into his arms, and slightly sobered up. He turned around, pulled back the curtain to look outside, and realized he had never seen the shops on both sides of the street, nor did he recognize the road. He couldn’t help but shiver and fully woke up, "Daji?"

Daji, hearing the voice, responded, "Young Master, we took a different route home. Please wait a little longer; we will be home soon."

Bai Shan... Did he think I was a fool? From Primus Pavilion to our house, you just go straight, take a turn, and then another to reach the alley’s entrance. Why change the route?

Manbao also came around and properly sat up. Together with Bai Shan, they crawled to the carriage door and peered out, "Daji, what’s going on?"

Daji turned back and smiled at them, "It’s nothing. A carriage is following us. Young Master and Miss Man, please rest inside for a while. We will be home shortly."

Mr. Zhuang, Bai Dalang, and Bai Erlang inside the carriage also woke up and were startled by this statement.

Bai Erlang grew anxious, "Could it be that we’ve run into some troublemakers?"

An oblivious Bai Dalang said, "In broad daylight, are we still afraid of meeting troublemakers?"

Bai Erlang said, "What if it’s people from the Prince of Yizhou coming after us?"

Bai Dalang was puzzled, "Why would the Prince of Yizhou’s people come after us? No, after you..."

Mr. Zhuang pondered for a moment and said, "Don’t worry, they shouldn’t be here for you; they’re most likely here for me."

Bai Shan and Manbao turned back to look at Mr. Zhuang, one said, "Sir, was it that person from the restaurant earlier?"

The other said, "Mr. Zhuang, do you still have friends in the capital?"

Mr. Zhuang smiled slightly, about to have Daji stop at the front, when Daji sped up the carriage, causing everyone inside to tumble over, all crying out in alarm. Despite the noise, the passengers still heard a ’bang’ from behind the carriage, followed by arguing voices.

Manbao heard a familiar shout, "How are you driving? Don’t you know to give way? Everyone’s rushing to be reincarnated..."

Covering his head, which hurt from colliding with Bai Shan, Manbao didn’t ask Daji but directly questioned Keke in his mind, "Keke, Keke, is it my Fifth Brother?"

Keke responded, "It’s not only your Fifth Brother, but also your Sixth Brother, your great nephew, your second nephew, and your second niece."

All the Zhou Family members were there.

Manbao exclaimed, "How could this be such a coincidence?"

This wasn’t just addressed to Keke but also to Bai Shan.

Before Keke could answer, Bai Shan said, "It’s not a coincidence, right? Did Daji deliberately take this detour?"

Daji remained silent but shook off the trailing carriage at the next intersection by taking another turn, then returned through another sectional gate.

Bai Shan and the others, unfamiliar with the capital, were overwhelmed by these completely unfamiliar streets.

By the time they finally got home, Zhou Wulang and the others had already returned and even finished their dinner.

Zhou Wulang couldn’t help but complain, "Daji, where did you drive to? Why did it take so long to get back?"

Manbao, still feeling dizzy, also felt it took too long.

Daji explained, "I took a longer route to avoid being followed."

Bai Shan asked, "Brother Zhou Wu, are you all alright?"

"We’re fine. That person even compensated us with silver for carriage repairs and for the shock. I had Datou and Second Son quietly follow him; he went to Primus Pavilion. Lichong and Liwei couldn’t go in since they hadn’t eaten, so they waited outside for a long time until people came out. Lichong asked around, and it turned out that the man’s surname is Chen, called Lord Chen."

Zhou Wulang said, "He is an official then."