Not long after breakfast, Dugu Di and Xiao Ce took their leave.

Lin Wanwan had prepared a lot of gifts for Ma Zhou, not to mention gold, silver, and jewels, filling two trays. Additionally, there were fine wines, delicacies, and clothing.

"I hope my humble gifts are not too modest for you, brother."

"Nonsense, Le’an sister has been very thoughtful. I, as your brother, thank you."

After a brief interaction, Ma Zhou had deeply felt the generosity of his sworn sister.

He gladly accepted her generosity with a smile.

As soon as the rain mixed with snow stopped, Ma Zhou rode off from the residence.

Lin Wanwan saw him off in a carriage driven by Kun Lun. Besides Kun Lun, the female guard Liu Rushi also sat at the front of the carriage. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

At a pavilion by the official road, ten miles outside of Xiaoxi Town, Xiao Chong was already waiting there.

"Whoa~~~~" Ma Zhou reined in his horse, dismounted, and greeted with clasped fists, "Zifang, in such cold weather, you are waiting here."

"As Prince Bin is leaving, it is only right for this humble brother to see you off," Xiao Chong saluted from a distance, "Please."

"Please."

Ma Zhou and his attendants dismounted and walked briskly to the pavilion on the hillside.

Lin Wanwan also lifted the carriage curtain, descended with the help of Liu Rushi’s hand, as she planned to turn back here.

Although the rain mixed with snow had stopped, the road was still somewhat muddy.

On the shoes of Ma Zhou and his companions, one could see splashed mud, but Xiao Chong’s clothing remained pristine. Who knows how long he had been waiting here? Did he arrive before the rain and snow?

"Cousin." Lin Wanwan made a respectful gesture to Xiao Chong.

"Cousin, greetings." Xiao Chong returned the courtesy with clasped hands and made a gesture of "please," welcoming everyone into the pavilion, "I have already brewed hot tea, Prince Bin, have a cup before you go?"

"Good, I’ve heard of Zifang’s excellent tea skills for a long time. These days, we’ve only been drinking wine together and haven’t properly tasted your tea. Let me savor it today." Ma Zhou laughed heartily, patting Xiao Chong on the shoulder, walking arm in arm into the pavilion.

Lin Wanwan followed silently.

As the pavilion was relatively small, after spreading out a carpet and placing a tea table in the center, there wasn’t much room left. So the attendants and maids stood around the pavilion.

In the swirling white mist, the three sat in a triangle on the floor, and Xiao Chong distributed tea to Lin Wanwan and Ma Zhou.

On a cold winter day, a bowl of hot tea in one’s stomach instantly warmed the whole body.

Lin Wanwan had always been indifferent to the tea drinks of the Great Tang, but today, surprisingly, Xiao Chong’s tea was quite delicious.

Was it because the cold wind had blown for so long on the way here? A hot tea was like a blessing in the snow.

"Cousin, today’s tea is particularly good. Did you not add oil, salt, onions, or garlic?" Lin Wanwan finished her small cup and reached out to Xiao Chong for more tea.

Smiling, Xiao Chong poured her another cup and said, "Recently, I saw an ancient book about the art of tea and tried it a few times. I’m glad you like it. Prince Bin, what do you think?"

Ma Zhou finished the tea in his cup and, like Lin Wanwan, silently handed over his empty cup with a smile.

"Hahaha..."

The three laughed heartily, everything understood without words.

After they finished drinking tea, Xiao Chong took out a full wine sack and smiled, "Prince Bin, this is a sweet potato wine I recently brewed. See how it tastes."

"Oh, sweet potato? Is that the high-yield crop that Le’an sister’s mentor brought back from foreign lands?"

"Yes, that’s what it’s made from." Xiao Chong nodded.

Ma Zhou accepted it, pulled the wooden stopper, and took a big drink directly from the mouth of the wine sack, praising, "Wonderful! Wonderful! It doesn’t have the richness of fermented wine, but it carries a subtle fragrance, thick and full-bodied, with a long finish. Good wine!"

Xiao Chong chuckled, "As long as Prince Bin likes it. Today, we part ways but hope to meet again!"

Lin Wanwan also saluted, "Prince Bin, my brother, I’ll see you off here. Long rivers and mountains ahead, safe travels!"

"Thank you both. Wait for my return to Chang’an for our next meeting!" Ma Zhou saluted with clasped fists, stuffed the wine sack into his carried luggage, mounted his horse, and rode away with his escorts as the two of them watched him off with a whip in hand.

After Ma Zhou’s party disappeared into the distance, Xiao Chong turned his head to Lin Wanwan and said, "Cousin, shall we head back as well?"

"Alright." Lin Wanwan nodded, watching as Xiao Chong’s attendants packed the tea set, then asked, "Cousin, is there more sweet potato wine? I’d like to try it too."

Xiao Chong smiled, "Yes, the recipe was in the book you gave me. After trying it a few times, the taste kept improving. I’ll send some to your residence later."

"Alright, thank you, cousin." Lin Wanwan thanked happily, as she could use those stab-resistant vests as a return gift for Xiao Chong.

The material of these stab-resistant vests was extremely special, even considered high technology in modern times. Impossible to replicate in ancient times due to the lacking industrial base.

Besides the ones she intended for Xiao Chong, Lin Wanwan wouldn’t give them away further, not even to Ma Zhou, her sworn brother.

After all, history did not record that Ma Zhou encountered any assassination attempts.

The remaining stab-resistant vests would all be used within her family.

Baye Feng and Liu Rushi, one male and one female, constituted her strongest force and were sure to get them. Kun Lun, being her absolute confidant, would naturally receive one too. As for the rest, she would observe further.

As Xiao Chong’s nominal fiancée, it was perfectly normal for Lin Wanwan to give him two intimate garments without drawing attention.

However, to cover it up, she also brought two sets of clothes from her garment shop to give as a matching gift.

Judging just by the appearance’s splendor, the simple stab-resistant white vest was not striking at all. Although the weaving and material were unusual, the style was not something the ancients would favor. Even if outsiders saw it, they probably wouldn’t think much of it.

Shortly after returning to the residence, people from the County Government arrived with two jars of sweet potato wine.

Lin Wanwan gave the early-packaged return gifts to the visitor, "Please convey my thanks to cousin for the fine wine."

"Understood."

The visitor retreated.

"Master, here are the return gifts from the Village Lady for me to bring back."

"Understood, leave it there." Xiao Chong said indifferently, not lifting his head as he continued processing the documents on his desk.

"Understood."

Only after the items were placed did Xiao Chong gradually stop his writing.

With a strange light in his eyes, he set down his pen and walked to the table where the return gifts had been placed.

After a pause, he opened the package to find two sets of brocade robes, though exquisite, they were not tailor-made, nor of Lin Wanwan’s craftsmanship, so naturally not very thoughtful.

Xiao Chong’s expression showed a bit of disappointment, then he noticed two white stab-resistant vests pressed at the bottom.

The style of this garment didn’t seem strange to him because the supplementary edition of "Friend of Military and Civilian Dual-use Talent" included knowledge of tailoring, and he had naturally seen pictures of modern clothing styles.

He just wondered why Lin Wanwan would send these two evidently unconventional garments for no apparent reason.