The thief took out the items from his sleeve, and Feng Qingyi picked up her phone from the ground and checked it.
Seeing that the phone was fine, she then picked up the few gold bars and her lipstick mirror from the ground, putting them back into her small bag.
The woman in blue looked at Feng Qingyi, "Miss, are you missing anything else?"
Feng Qingyi shook her head, "Everything's been found. Thank you so much!"
Just then, an elegant young man wearing a brocade robe came up from behind.
Perhaps due to running, he was now out of breath.
"I am Zhao Yiqing. Thank you both, ladies, for your help."
Feng Qingyi quickly explained, "It wasn't me, it was this young lady who acted bravely to help."
The woman in blue picked up the jade pendant that the thief had just dropped and handed it to Zhao Yiqing.
"It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning. Master Zhao, this should be your jade pendant, right?"
Zhao Yiqing took the pendant, "This jade pendant is extremely precious to me. I'm deeply grateful for your help today, miss. It's already noon now, so I'd like to invite you to Jin Zun Tower for a meal as a token of my gratitude. What do you think?"
Feng Qingyi also said, "If it weren't for you, miss, I wouldn't have gotten my things back today. Let me treat you to the meal."
The woman in blue looked at the two people in front of her, both eager to treat her to a meal.
"It's just a small matter, you two don't need to take it to heart."
The thief on the ground weakly said, "Could you release me first before you discuss who's treating whom to lunch?"
The woman in blue suddenly realized that she was still stepping on someone.
"If you want to leave, it won't be that easy. You'll be coming with me to the magistrate's office."
Feng Qingyi said, "I'll go with you!"
Zhao Yiqing also said, "I'll accompany you as well, miss."
Seeing this, the woman in blue said, "Alright then, let's go together. The magistrate's office isn't far from here."
The thief struggled to escape but was kicked twice by the woman in blue, and had no choice but to obediently follow them to the magistrate's office.
It was Feng Qingyi's first time seeing an ancient county yamen, so she took a few extra glances.
After dealing with the thief, the woman in blue said, "Meeting today was fate. Let's go to Jin Zun Tower together for a gathering. It's my treat!"
"I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name is Xu Linghe."
Feng Qingyi said, "Let me treat you to this meal!"
"I'll treat. How could I let the two ladies spend money?" Zhao Yiqing also said.
"Why don't we split the bill?" To avoid further argument about who would pay, Feng Qingyi suggested.
Xu Linghe and Zhao Yiqing both looked at Feng Qingyi in confusion, "What does 'split the bill' mean?"
"It means we share the cost equally, each paying for ourselves," Feng Qingyi explained.
Xu Linghe nodded, "That's a good idea. Let's do as you say. You haven't told us your name yet, what is it?"
"My name is Feng Qingyi."
Xu Linghe: "Then I'll call you Qingyi. You can call me Linghe. And you, sir, what was your name again?"
"I am Zhao Yiqing."
Xu Linghe: "Your name sounds familiar. Well, it's lunchtime now, let's go to Jin Zun Tower together."
In a private room at Jin Zun Tower, the three were ordering dishes. Feng Qingyi couldn't recognize a single character on the menu hanging on the wall, so she quietly sipped the tea that the waiter had just brought.
Xu Linghe: "Qingyi, is there anything you'd like to eat?"
"Anything is fine, I'm not picky. You two can order," Feng Qingyi said.
Zhao Yiqing didn't seem to have any particular preferences either, so the task of ordering fell to Xu Linghe.
After ordering, Xu Linghe looked at Feng Qingyi. With her looks, it was impossible for her to be unknown in Shengjing!
"Qingyi, where do you live? How come I've never seen you in Shengjing before?"
Feng Qingyi: "I just moved here recently."
"Oh, I see! Where are you staying now? I'd like to visit you sometime!"
"I'm temporarily staying next to the General's Mansion."
Xu Linghe: "Do you mean next to the Zhenguo General's Mansion?"
Feng Qingyi nodded, "Mm-hmm."
"I see. Our houses aren't far apart then. I'll come visit you when I have time. I noticed you ran quite fast today, have you learned martial arts?"
Although Xu Linghe was the eldest daughter of the Xu family, she was quite different from the other young ladies of Shengjing.
While they spent their days learning the four arts and dreaming of marrying into good families to become wives and mothers, she preferred wielding swords and spears, dreaming of roaming the jianghu. If her family hadn't forbidden it, she would have already set off to wander the world.
Today, upon meeting Feng Qingyi, she noticed that although Feng was dressed like the daughters of Shengjing's wealthy families, her behavior and manners were quite different, more like a free-spirited jianghu woman.
She must be different from those other girls, Xu Linghe thought, and thus wanted to befriend her.
Feng Qingyi: "I've just learned some basic fist and leg techniques, for self-defense."
Xu Linghe: "We should spar sometime if we get the chance."
Zhao Yiqing sat quietly to the side, sipping tea, not joining in their conversation.
Xu Linghe thought carefully about Zhao Yiqing's name, suddenly remembering something.
"Master Zhao, are you perhaps employed at the Wenyuan Pavilion?"
Zhao Yiqing nodded in confirmation.
Xu Linghe was a bit surprised, "I've long heard that Master Zhao is unparalleled in talent. Meeting you today, I see the rumors are true."
Feng Qingyi was a bit confused. Was this Zhao Yiqing some kind of important figure?
Zhao Yiqing humbly replied, "Miss Xu flatters me. I'm merely a humble scholar."
Seeing Feng Qingyi staring at Zhao Yiqing, Xu Linghe took the initiative to introduce him.
"Qingyi, this gentleman is a great talent of Shengjing, the top scorer in the recent imperial examinations, and now works compiling books at the Wenyuan Pavilion."
Hearing that he was the top scorer, Feng Qingyi couldn't help but feel respect. It was no small feat to achieve such a rank in ancient times.
The waiter brought the dishes, and the three began their lunch.
The food at Jin Zun Tower was the best in Shengjing, and Feng Qingyi ate with great enjoyment.
Seeing Feng Qingyi eating heartily, Xu Linghe's fondness for her grew. She liked dining with people like this, unlike those noble young ladies she'd eaten with before, who would barely touch their food and secretly mock her for eating too much.
"Qingyi, Jin Zun Tower's crispy golden fish is exquisite, try some!" Xu Linghe actively offered Feng Qingyi some food.
Feng Qingyi, focused on eating, managed a quick "thank you" between bites.
Xu Linghe smiled and said, "Eat more, I can see you have a good appetite."
Beside them, Zhao Yiqing ate his meal quietly, not saying a word.
After lunch, Zhao Yiqing bid farewell to the two ladies and left.
Walking beside Feng Qingyi, Xu Linghe asked, "Qingyi, what do you think of Master Zhao?"
"He seems nice. Why do you ask?" Feng Qingyi inquired.
Xu Linghe: "I think you two would make a good match. How about I play matchmaker and bring you two together?"
Feng Qingyi quickly waved her hands, "I already have someone I like!"
"Which family's young master do you fancy?" Xu Linghe asked curiously.
