Second update, asking for likes.
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From Lian's Restaurant to the Nine-layered Pagoda, there's a shortcut. Take the alley behind Lian's Restaurant and walk to the right rear, passing over a Stone Arch Bridge, and you'll arrive beneath the Nine-layered Pagoda.
Lian Manman and the others naturally took this shortcut. Because the alley is remote, only their group was on the road. The Lian Family's employees, long-term workers, and Shen Qian's entourage all carried lanterns, lighting up the path as bright as day.
Lian Manman, Shen Qian, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi chatted as they walked.
"Xiao Jiu, did you come alone?" Lian Manman asked upon seeing Shen Qian accompanied only by servants and attendants. As far as she knew, Shen Jiu at his age couldn't leave the Shen Family alone; he needed elders with him. For instance, his visits to the Thirty Mile Camp were always with Shen Liu.
This was one reason Lian Manman had always thought of Shen Qian as very young.
