The Lucky Heiress

Chapter 407: The Old Man’s Plea_1

As they got a bit closer, more details became clearer. Wei Ruo could see that in the group were five people, four of them wearing identical clothes, and they surrounded a fifth person in the middle, blocking the wind and clearing the way through the snow for him.

The person in the middle was bundled up tightly, making it impossible for Wei Ruo to discern his features.

However, Wei Ruo could determine that the four escorts were skilled. The snow was already up to their knee level. Yet, they could efficiently clear the thick accumulated snow and move forward in an orderly manner.

Probably Lu Yuhong and his companions also noticed this, so they didn’t have the idea of offering help.

Soon, these people arrived in front of Wei Ruo’s tent.

“All of you, clear out this tent!”

A man in the front announced brusquely to everyone.

No one moved, all of them seated where they were, just watching.

Then a man wearing a big fur coat stepped forward from the group.

Initially, his face was mostly obscured by the hood of his coat, but as he took it off, everyone could see his true appearance.

He was a man in his fifties, his hair peppered with white. He had a goatee, some wrinkles on his face, and due to the cold, his face was pale, his lips slightly purplish.

Setting aside his complexion, the man had a full forehead, bright eyes, an erect posture, and an extraordinary bearing.

The man rebuked his servants, “No rudeness is allowed!”

Then he turned to the people in the tent, “My apologies for the rudeness of my servant just now. I hope you all can forgive us.”

He continued, “My surname is Tan. We were passing by, encountered a blizzard, rendered immobile. We only brought some snacks with us, which barely fill our stomachs, so we had the servants protect me while we sought refuge. However, we haven’t seen a soul the entire day. It was only after half a day’s walking that we found you. We took the liberty of requesting some food. If you’re willing to assist, I would be happy to reward you generously.”

The man was polite and gracious in his demeanor.

Xiu Fengyuan and the others didn’t say a word. They were there only because of the kindness of Miss Wei, so whether they should help this man depends on Wei Ruo’s decision.

Wei Ruo glanced back at Xiumei, who immediately understood her meaning. Xiumei handed over the leftover sweet potatoes and taro to the man.

“If you don’t mind, you can have these.”

Before the man had a chance to respond, one of his servants snapped, “How dare you? Our master cannot possibly eat such crude fare!”

“Nonsense, is there crude or refined food? As long as it can fill your stomach, it is indeed a treasure.” The man sternly reprimanded his servant.

Next, the man reached out, took a roasted sweet potato, and instructed a servant to give Xiumei some silver.

We Ruo interrupted, “It’s not necessary. It’s a fortunate encounter to meet others in this blizzard. If you don’t mind, feel free to eat these roasted sweet potatoes and taro. If it’s not enough, I can roast some more for you.”

“Thank you, young lady,” the man expressed his gratitude.

Afterwards, the man’s servant helped him peel the sweet potato, and he began to partake in the orange flesh inside.

Both Lu Yuhong and Xiu Fengyuan narrowed their eyes slightly. From the man’s table manners, they could once again sense that this man was either of rich or noble birth.

However, neither of them was able to guess the man’s identity. Despite having spent many years in the Capital City, Lu Yuhong had never come across this man.

Having finished an entire sweet potato, the man couldn’t help but comment,” Despite its unremarkable appearance, its taste is quite good, sweet, soft, aromatic, and glutinous.”

Seeing this man being so polite, speaking kindly, and having a gentle smile, Wei Ruo instructed Xiumei to bring him a bowl of wine.

The servant looked worried, “Master, let me take a sip first.”

It seemed like the servant was worried that there might be something wrong with the wine in the bowl.

The man chuckled, “No need to worry. We’re strangers meeting amidst a big snowstorm. It’s already a kindness that they’re sharing their food with us, why would they harbor ill intentions against us?”

After he finished speaking, the man slowly started to taste the drink.

Then his face suddenly lit up, “Could this be the well-known Thyme wine?”

“You’ve heard of Thyme too?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Yes, someone gave me a small jar of Thyme before. When I tasted it, I thought it was wonderful. However, I heard that it’s very difficult to purchase this wine, as it’s only sold in the Taizhou prefecture. So, on this trip north, I was planning to stop by Taizhou to purchase a few jars.”

Wei Ruo was surprised that word of her Thyme wine had spread so far that people from other places even came specifically to seek it out.

Xiu Fengyuan explained to the man, “Sir, this Thyme wine is also difficult to purchase even within the Taizhou prefecture. Generally, each person can only buy one jug at a time, and you must make a reservation with the shopkeeper of the Zuixian Residence quite early.”

“Is that so?” There was a look of surprise and a little disappointment on the man’s face.

Then he looked at the bowl in his hand and asked, “So this is …”

Wei Ruo replied, “I just got this jar today from my friend and had kept it in my carriage to bring it back to the city, but encountering this snowstorm, I decided to share it with everyone to warm up.”

“You’re willing to share such precious wine with us.” The man remarked in astonishment.

“A good knife is best used on a whetstone. The same goes for good wine. In this situation, in this weather, this wine can warm us up and bring us together, it’s the most appropriate time for its use,” Wei Ruo explained.

“Young lady, your words are truly insightful!” The man praised, looking at Wei Ruo with increased interest.

“If you don’t mind, sir, please join us. Sit down, warm up by the fire, and drink some wine,” Wei Ruo suggested.

Given the current circumstances, there was nowhere else for the gentleman to go, and asking him to travel back and forth further was an undue hardship.

“Thank you, young lady,” the man expressed his gratitude.

Then Xiu Fengyuan made some room for him.

Before the man sat down, his servant wanted to take off his own clothes to create a cushion for him, but the man stopped him.

Once seated, the man joined the group, warming himself by the fire and drinking wine just like everyone else.

Wei Ruo then brought out a bag of charcoal, refilled the two stoves, and put some raw sweet potatoes on the fire to roast.

When the newly roasted sweet potatoes were done, Xiumei gave them to the man’s servants.

The man’s four servants immediately refused, “We dare not. If the young lady has extra food, please give it to our master.”

“Just eat it. In Miss Wei’s tent, there are only people who are cold and hungry, there are no masters and servants. If your master gets to eat, so can you. Servants are humans too, they can get hungry and they also need to eat,” Xiumei replied.

The four of them looked surprised, as if they had not expected to get a share.

“Hurry up and take it, I’ll bring some wine for you. But we have run out of bowls so you four will have to share from a jug, is that okay?” Xiumei urged.

The four men looked even more surprised. After exchanging glances, none made a move.

“Well, is it okay?” Xiumei asked again.