“Why is the town so lively today? It seems like there are suddenly so many more people.”
“You guys don’t know yet? Qingfeng Lou is holding a Poetry Meeting. They say Fang Daru is going to use this opportunity to accept a final disciple. Even Xian Ling Lao Ye has come.”
“Aiyo, even Xian Ling Lao Ye is here? That must be a grand occasion. By the way, who is Fang Daru?”
“You don’t know Fang Daru? He was once the Di Shi. Do you know what a Di Shi is? The emperor’s teacher…”
A vegetable vendor and an old lady buying vegetables nearby were chatting animatedly.
Ye Wan took the opportunity to chime in and ask, “That’s really lively. Can we go over there to sell things?”
She had come to town early this morning with Lin An Yuan and San Ya on Old Sun’s ox-cart.
Only after arriving in town did she learn that Lin An Yuan had disappeared for two days to rent a stall space for her, which couldn’t help but make her feel a flicker of goodwill.
This man might have a sharp tongue, but he was capable of getting things done.
Once she got her indenture back and had the means to support herself, she wouldn’t mind giving Lin An Yuan a hand.
It wasn’t easy for a grown man to raise three daughters.
When she left the house today, she had applied a little something to her face, at least making her skin less fair, but her features were still more delicate than most of the people around her.
When the vegetable vendor turned his head and saw Ye Wan, his attitude became enthusiastic.
“That’s definitely not allowed. Qingfeng Lou is a place for rich people. Even if we were to sell, we’d have to go to the back door. Madam, what kind of food are you selling?”
As long as she wasn’t competing with his business, it was fine.
“Suan La Fen and Liang Fen. Big brother, would you like to try some?” Ye Wan said as she deftly mixed a bowl.
The vegetable-selling big brother demurred for a moment, not expecting much, and tried a small bowl.
As it turned out, hey, it was actually delicious.
At this moment, in Qingfeng Lou.
“Chu Jiu, are you sure Fang Daru will come to a place like this?”
Seated by a window on the second floor, Chu Xiujie looked at the group of pretentious, poor scholars, feeling not the slightest bit of interest.
Some of them weren’t even Xiucai; they had learned a few characters and rushed over. People like this also wanted to become Fang Daru’s final disciple? It was simply a pipe dream.
This Poetry Meeting to accept a disciple felt like a joke. Fang Daru would lose face just by coming to a place like this.
Beside him, Chu Jiu spoke in a low voice, “Boss, this is the only lead in town at the moment.”
Searching for someone in a vast sea of people, especially someone who was intentionally hiding, was never that easy.
“Forget it. We have to try our luck. What if he really comes?” Chu Xiujie sighed.
“Master Zhang.”
“Master Zhang is here too.”
Just then, a pot-bellied fatty dressed in a silk robe entered through the main door downstairs. At first glance, he looked like a black pig that had gained sentience.
Immediately after, a sedan chair arrived, and a discreetly dressed middle-aged man also entered.
The originally arrogant Zhang Fuhu went up to greet him, “Magistrate Wu, I didn’t expect you to come to Qingfeng Lou as well?”
Magistrate Wu was stunned to see Zhang Fuhu. “Zhang Gui, why are you at Qingfeng Lou? You can write poetry too?”
Why would this kind of person come to join the fun? Wasn’t this just making a fool of himself?
Zhang Fuhu’s expression soured, but since he was so ugly, no one could tell.
“Magistrate Wu, what are you saying? Why wouldn’t I be able to? I’m better than those poor, pedantic scholars in any case.”
Magistrate Wu smiled and went directly up to the second floor.
Zhang Fuhu’s face was grim. Sooner or later, when he passed the exam to become a Juren, he would see how Magistrate Wu would curry favor with him.
“Where is Lin An Yuan? Why isn’t he here yet? Is he not coming?”
Looking left and right without seeing Lin An Yuan, Zhang Fuhu’s expression grew even uglier.
His lackey spoke in a low voice, “Master, since he said he would come, he definitely will. If he doesn’t, we’ll make him suffer for it later.”
It would be best if Lin An Yuan didn’t come. He would have a hard time later.
Zhang Fuhu thought about how Lin An Yuan still depended on him to survive, and he immediately felt much more at ease.
Just wait and see. Today, he would definitely stun everyone with a single brilliant feat.
…
…
“I said I wasn’t coming, I wasn’t coming, but you insisted on making me. A great scholar accepting a student in this kind of place? You’re all being ridiculously fanciful. What a joke.”
Liu Wenshu spoke listlessly, hugging an ice basin in the carriage.
He was afraid of the heat. It was too hot. Even with the carriage curtains lifted, it was still hot, like a steamer.
Yantai was also hot and said, “Young Master, let’s just go to Qingfeng Lou. It’s cool in Qingfeng Lou. It’s good to go sit and have some tea.”
Liu Wenshu tugged at his collar to cool down. “Have you still not found that woman who was selling pears?”
That day, he had eaten one pear, and he gave the remaining three to his grandmother when he got back.
His grandmother had been coughing, but after those three pears, her cough stopped completely. She praised him for being filial and kept saying she wanted to eat more.
Forget his grandmother; Liu Wenshu himself was thinking about them too.
In all his life, he had never eaten such delicious pears. Ten taels of silver was truly not expensive.
He had sent Yantai to find the person, but so many days had passed, and there wasn’t even a shadow of her.
“Aiyo, Young Master, I’ve gone door to door to ask. There are plenty of families in town with old pear trees, but none of them are the same as that day.”
Yantai also wanted to taste the pears that the Young Master and the Old Madam were so fixated on, but he just couldn’t find the person.
“Do you think she might not be from around here?” Liu Wenshu guessed.
Yantai flicked the horsewhip. “That’s impossible. The pears were so fresh, they looked like they had just been picked from the tree. In this hot weather, if they came from somewhere else, wouldn’t they have rotted long ago?”
“What’s that smell?”
As he finished speaking, Yantai twitched his nose.
“Selling Suan La Fen! Liang Fen! Suan La Fen, delicious and not expensive!”
The spot where Ye Wan had set up her stall was a bit hot when she first arrived, but now it was perfectly in the shade.
She gave San Ya a cushion to sit and play on the side while she started hawking her wares.
She even offered free samples, and some people bought some after trying.
“Little Sister, what are these noodles of yours made of? They’re so smooth and delicious,” an old lady asked.
Ye Wan chuckled. “Big Sister, if you think it’s delicious, come again!”
If she said it was Sweet Potato Noodles, they might figure out how to make it themselves at home. One should never underestimate the wisdom of the working people.
She was poor, and poor people weren’t generous.
Then she turned to a middle-aged man beside her and said in a low voice, “Big Brother, you’ve already tried it twice. If you think it’s good, please support my business. My husband is nearby, and if he sees, he’ll beat me again.”
The middle-aged man was originally a little displeased, but upon hearing the latter part, his male chauvinism kicked in.
“He married such a capable wife, and he still bears to hit her? Little Sister, come, give me a large portion! I want both kinds.”
“Alright, Big Brother! If you enjoy it, please come again!”
Ye Wan smiled enthusiastically. Who said being good-looking was useless?
With her and San Ya standing there, all cleaned up, even the people eating felt comfortable just looking at them.
Not far away, Yantai, who was driving the carriage, rubbed his eyes.
“Young Master, is that the woman who was selling pears last time? Why does she look so dark? I didn’t mistake her, did I?”
Hearing this, Liu Wenshu poked his head out of the carriage.