Lu Liangwei then asked Long Xuan to pay the bill and buy some more as takeout for Youyou, as she had noticed his fondness for roast chicken feet.

“Thank you, Big Sis.” Beitang You had indeed taken to the taste, and he happily uttered his thanks.

He was probably the one who enjoyed eating chicken feet the most.

Long Xuan, Chu Jiu, and Yuan Xin liked the dish too, but munching on it on the streets was far from graceful, so they stopped after having a few.

Lu Liangwei stroked his head. “Don’t mention it.”

The hawker passed the roast chicken feet and the five raw catties to Long Xuan and Chu Jiu, who took one bag each.

After leaving the street, Lu Liangwei purchased some more street food unique to the Yan Kingdom before going back to the coaching inn.

They had just returned to the inn when Bi Luo, Yuan Xin’s maidservant, arrived with a zither.

Just now, when they had decided to come back to practice, Yuan Xin had instructed her to fetch her zither from the Prince Rui Mansion.

After the zither was set down on the stone table, Lu Liangwei brushed her fingertips over the strings, prompting a series of melodious sounds.

Yuan Xin’s eyes lit up. “You can play the zither too?”

Lu Liangwei shook her head and replied honestly, “No.”

The smile froze on Yuan Xin’s face. “Then how are you going to teach me?”

“Who said I was going to teach you?” Lu Liangwei winked at her.

“…”

Seeing how dumbstruck she was, Lu Liangwei smiled. “Listen carefully.”

Just when Yuan Xin was still in a state of confusion, she heard beautiful singing flow from Lu Liangwei’s lips.

Yuan Xin listened for a moment as if in a trance. Then, she sat down at the table, ran her fingers over the zither strings, and tentatively played a note.

After giving the strings a few more plucks, she soon grasped the feeling of the song and managed to perform a complete piece.

Her playing, coupled with Lu Liangwei’s singing, mesmerized everyone in the courtyard.

As they practiced again and again, the sounds of singing and the zither blended together and filled the entire coaching inn.

When Long Yang returned from his outing, he heard beautiful zither music, and in the midst of it, a gentle singing voice.

“Your sorrowful soul is an enigma, the color of your eyes is a riddle. Like a gust of wind, like a dream, love is life’s deepest mystery…”

Long Yang could not help pausing to listen, and it was not long before he recognized the familiar voice.

His deep eyes softened, and he walked into the courtyard.

Just then, the singing and zither music came to a stop.

Lu Liangwei took out a handkerchief and passed it to Yuan Xin.

She did not expect that this song would move Yuan Xin so much and cause her to shed tears.

“Lu Er, what’s the name of this song?” Yuan Xin wiped her tears away in embarrassment and asked softly.

“‘Painting Hearts’,” replied Lu Liangwei.

“‘Painting Hearts’?” Yuan Xin seemed to be mesmerized by the name as she mulled over it for a moment. When she saw Long Yang walk in, she stood up hastily. “Let’s end our practice here today. I need to go now. I’ll leave the zither here and come back tomorrow.”

Lu Liangwei did not persuade her to stay.

Perhaps the lyrics had touched her innermost feelings, hence she needed some time to herself.

“All right.” Lu Liangwei motioned for Chu Jiu to see her out.

Long Xuan wanted to talk to Lu Liangwei, but when he caught sight of his royal uncle standing nearby with his hands behind his back, he immediately swallowed his words and bowed to him.

Long Yang gave him a nod and sauntered up to Lu Liangwei, his eyes crinkling with affection.

Remembering the song just now, Long Xuan could not help saying in admiration, “I didn’t know you had so many gifts, Royal Aunt.”

Lu Liangwei was a little sheepish. “You think too highly of me. I didn’t write that song, I heard it from somewhere else.”

Long Xuan thought Lu Liangwei was merely being humble. “You’re too modest, Royal Aunt. I’ve traveled extensively for the past few years, but I’ve never heard such a beautiful song.”

‘It’d be strange if you had,’ Lu Liangwei thought to herself.

Long Yang plucked the strings on the zither, producing a familiar tune.