The Men at Her Feet

In a blink of an eye, they had reached their destination. She noticed that he had led her to a small noodle booth. She could feel the curious gazes on her as they entered the noodle booth.

It was to expected, as they were the only two people wearing expensive clothing in this worn down place. She looked around, wondering why her uncle brought her here.

To her surprise, all of the workers here were little children, ranging from around six to twelve. Some were serving guests, some were cooking meals, their tiny bodies rushed around the store as they worked diligently.

Xie Lang, who had noticed her surprise, grabbed her sleeves as he pulled her towards an empty seat, “Waiter, two bowls of noodles please!”

An adult walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles on each of his hand and he placed them gently on their table, wiping the sweat on his forehead with the back of his palm.

Princess QingLuan felt a warm and gentle gaze landing on her and she lifted her head, her mouth were agape as she stared at him in shock.

A handsome face stared back at her as he smiled at her warmly, her eyes grew wide as she felt her heart skipped a beat.

The man staring back at her was Gu QingChen!

Xie Lang, who had been grinning wildly ever since Gu QingChen appeared, gestured for him to take a seat. “Today is our princess’s birthday so I took her to your place to celebrate, quickly serve us everything you have!” He explained excitedly as he punched Gu QingChen’s shoulders playfully.

“I only have noodles here.” He answered softly.

“Minister Gu, it’s alright, all I want is a bowl of longevity noodles.” Princess QingLuan giggled as she comforted both men, “But I’m more curious on why you’re here, and why are there so many children?”

“Yes, my princess,” He replied calmly, “These are the homeless children I adopted, they’re all of commoner roots, like me. I wish for them to grow up into independent and self-sufficient people, hence I taught them how to manage a shop... At the very least, they’ll be able to retain the skills they learnt here when they grow up and leave the nest.”

“I see...” She nodded slightly, approving of his actions. Instead of providing unending help to the poor people, Gu QingChen, instead, teaches them how to survive, this will surely make the country strong and prosperous in the long run.

“I’m sorry, but it’s really busy in the shop right now, so I shall take my leave,” He stood up and apologized sincerely, “These two bowls of noodles shall be on me.”

Xie Lang sighed with disappointment, as he watched Gu QingChen reject such a wonderful opportunity to court the woman he loved.

“Uncle, please eat,” She giggled at him warmly, “I know what you have in mind, but honestly, it’s not needed.”

As their age gap were similar and the fact that they grew up together, this was how they interacted with each other, like best friends.

“Ah Luan, let me tell you, I’m sure you know how the men in this country stares at you in a daze during the royal parties right?” He explained with a serious expression on his face, “But I have always noticed that two men doesn’t...”

He paused for a second before continuing, laughing as she glared at him for stopping, “The first one is Fu SiNian, and the second man is Gu QingChen!”

“Well, we all know that Fu SiNian is only interested in power and authority, but Gu QingChen, that’s because he’s too shy~” He explained slowly to the dense princess, shaking his head slightly as he worry for his friend’s future.

Before she could react, a cheerful voice sounded near them, “That is because both of them doesn’t know how to appreciate a good scenery~”

Both uncle and niece looked up towards the voice as the You HanGuang strode towards them in a rush, wearing a bright scarlet riding attire with a white rabbit fur coat.

He sat down conveniently at their table as grinned at them happily, “It is impossible for anyone to hide their feelings or love forever, if they’re able to do so, it means that their love is not deep enough...”

“Plus, imagine a guy who is always lingering around you, letting you know how deep his love for you is, and another guy who is always in the background, taking care of you and even giving up his life for you.” He continued softly, “Which man do you think you’d choose?”

As Princess QingLuan pondered about this question, he landed his gaze at her, his eyes round and watery.

“Ah, here have some vinegar~ This bowl of noodles looked too plain to be eaten~” You HanGuang grinned as he poured the whole bottle of vinegar into her noodles.

As both Xie Lang and Princess QingLuan stared at his idiocy, he scratched his head and chuckled, “Ah, the bottle slipped~ I guess the princess is no longer able to eat this bowl of noodles eh? Let me bring you out to buy something tasty~”

He then grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him, leaving the noodle booth before Xie Lang could react.