Chapter 361: Checking into the Inn
Ye Shiqi sat in the carriage, and the afternoon was still so hot, she could only feel herself constantly sweating. If it weren't for her sisters by her side, she would have really liked to take a bath in her "space".
The sun in June and July was too high at noon, and the temperature was too hot. Along the way, there were few trees to provide shade, and the heat radiated from the ground of the sun-drenched main road.
As the carriage moved, there was wind coming through the windows, but even that air was hot, making it rather unbearable.
Ye Shiqi felt too hot to sleep and longed for air conditioning, cars, and other vehicles from her previous life, even public buses had air conditioning.
No matter how you might improve the carriage, with ice, it still could not block out the heat.
When Ye Shiqi felt distressed, she looked out the window and saw fields on both sides of the road—it was the season for harvesting rice, hurriedly gathered in.
Those people, wearing torn straw hats, didn't rest even at this scorching noon, but harvest eagerly!
Ye Shiqi dared not feel troubled anymore. Compared to these hardworking farmers, what was there for her, seated in a carriage, to sigh about?
She could still enjoy the breeze here, with a carriage roof for shade!
The elder sisters in the carriage seemed to be influenced by her, occasionally chattering about the scenery along the way.
They had passed through more than one city by now and had crossed a sea. They all boarded a large ship, crossing over to enter another city.
It is said that there is still a long way to go, and another river to cross before entering Capital City.
In the end, Ye Shiqi fell asleep amidst the motion sickness, not knowing how long she had slept, probably woken up by her elder sisters.
"Qing, Qing, wake up, the East City Gate of the Capital is just ahead!" Ye Fengqi's voice was filled with joy.
"Ah, we finally made it to the Capital without any mishaps!" Ye Luoqi also said with a laugh.
The other sisters also started talking excitedly, finally arriving at the Imperial City of their country.
Along the way, having crossed rivers and seas, and passed through some cities, felt like a day's travel to the girls who had never been so far from home—it was overwhelmingly pleasant.
Ye Shiqi... so soon at the East City Gate already? It seemed to be just evening, perhaps around 5 o'clock.
It appeared that a day's journey was accurate; they had set out before dawn, which was quite fast indeed.
Thankfully, their carriage was modified, and though the horses weren't very fast, carrying just one or two people, both people and horses seemed tired from the journey!
There were soldiers at the city gate, and our group needed to be inspected as they entered and exited.
Luckily, having Zhong Xingwang, a local from the Capital, who knew his way around, made things smoother. Giving the guarding soldiers some Silver Tael as a 'tea-drinking fee' allowed their group to pass through easily.
Upon entering the East City Gate, they were not yet in the busiest parts of the street. This area was just a civilian district.
You could also say it was the suburbs of the Capital, and there was a long way to go before reaching the bustling areas.
Zhong Xingwang's home was in a bustling area, not far from the East City Gate. As they entered the main streets, such a large group could not move quickly.
"Young Master Xingwang, shall our group find an inn to stay in first and visit tomorrow?"
Li Zhihao was speaking on behalf of the Ye family, as he was now a relative of the Ye family and one of their housekeepers.
In a large family, it is always the housekeeper who speaks and takes action.
"This... why not stay at my house? We have plenty of guest rooms!" Zhong Xingwang was unwilling to let his future in-laws stay outside.
"That's also what my brother-in-law and the others had in mind, we've been traveling for a day, so why don't we find a place to stay, and visit tomorrow? We also hope to buy a house and move in first, so we wouldn't need to trouble you all?"
Li Zhihao had heard that the rules in wealthy families were many, and they weren't even true relatives yet, so in addition to the affiliation of relatives, given their large numbers, how would others view them?
Zhong Xingwang..., on this trip, he hadn't brought back any gifts, just a bride—surely his family wouldn't blame him, right?
"Fine, let's find a decent inn, and tomorrow I'll take you to visit my home, and we can look at houses?"
Li Zhihao nodded in agreement, "Okay, take us to the inn to stay, we'll rest for a night, and make plans tomorrow!"
"Young Uncle, I'll take you to the inn to settle down, and treat you to a meal at the restaurant to ease the shock!"
Li Zhihao shook his head and said, "There's no need to spend too much, let's keep a low profile, and just dine at the inn where all of us can have a meal, how about that?"
Zhong Xingwang nodded, in Capital's inns, accommodation and dining were all-in-one services, not inferior to other restaurants, it all depended on whether their restaurant's ingredients were good and whether the chef's cooking skills were up to par.
He personally really liked the ingredients at Ye's Mansion, every time he went to their estate, he never wanted to go home, and if it weren't for specifically coming to Capital this time, he would still be staying there.
They arrived at a place called Xinglong Inn and stopped in front of its entrance, everyone dismounted.
Zhong Xingwang went over to the two carriages and said to Hongji inside:
"Father-in-law, Young Uncle mentioned you wanted to stay at an inn, so I brought you here to settle first, I'll go book rooms for you, then reserve a private dining room for a meal!"
Hongji, seeing the young man's attentive service, nodded and said, "Now let's find rooms to settle in, our whole group has returned tired, let's find a place to freshen up first, and eating can wait!"
Zhong Xingwang nodded and agreed, then entered the inn to look for the shopkeeper, who upon seeing such a large group of people entering the establishment, noted that this young master did not appear ordinary.
"Will the young master be staying at the inn?"
"Yes, book six superior rooms and ten standard rooms for me."
Zhong Xingwang calculated that since his father-in-law and the others weren't staying at his home, he wouldn't return either, and the guards who came with him would stay at their own houses.
He would occupy one superior room, another five would go to his young uncle and his son, father-in-law and his wife, three for the five sisters, and the youngest uncle could stay with him.
It would be a perfect opportunity to bond with his youngest uncle and learn more about his elder sister's preferences.
The ten standard rooms could house the guards and workers from the Ye family, two to a room.
The shopkeeper, hearing this guest booking so many rooms, was all smiles, ordered the waiters to make the arrangements, then added:
"Young master, it's already dinner time, will you be dining?"
Zhong Xingwang nodded, "Arrange a private room for two tables for me, and set up two tables outside in the main hall."
As for what dishes to order, we'll decide after settling in and freshening up before going to dine, just arrange this for us first!
The shopkeeper happily agreed and then personally took care of their arrangements.
Zhong Xingwang then went back outside, leading the shopkeeper to host the guests.
Ye Jiaxing stood quietly with his friends and father at the entrance of the inn; he silently stood there.
At that moment, his mood wasn't very good, standing on this luxurious street, he was but a foreign guest, a worker.
Watching Zhong Xingwang bustling in and out, as though he were the host, when could he himself stand there like a master?