After breakfast, Yu Shu asked the waiter to bring her to the kitchen at the back. She found a waiter who was free to boil the medicine she had bought for Jing Chen yesterday. After it was done, she brought it back upstairs.
Jing Chen was lying on the couch in the living room. When he saw Yu Shu enter the door, he sat up. Yu Shu gave him a steaming bowl of medicine and asked Yu Xiaoxiu to move a chair to sit next to him and watch him drink the medicine.
"Drink it while it's hot. Be careful not to burn your mouth."
Nodding his head, Jing Chen stirred the soup in the bowl with the spoon and drank it in one gulp. The strong taste of the medicine rushed into his mouth.
"Is it bitter?" Yu Shu took the empty bowl and handed a towel to him to wipe his mouth.
Jing Chen shook his head.
Yu Shu sniffed and smiled: "Liar, the smell of this medicine is bitter. Yesterday I saw a watermelon on the street. I will go out and buy one and we can eat it. Do you know what a watermelon is? It's this big. It has green skin and green clothes. The inside is red and there are black seeds. It tastes sweet. "
She turned her head to ask Yu Xiaoxiu: "Has Xiaoxiu eaten watermelon?"
"No." Yu Xiaoxiu listened to Yu Shu's story and felt his mouth was dry. He scratched his head and said: "I have only seen people eat it."
Yu Shu said: "Then I will go buy one now and ask the waiter to put it in the well. We can eat it when Mingming wakes up." Jing Chen's eyes moved as he thought of something. He reached out and pulled Yu Shu's sleeve. Yu Shu habitually reached out and asked him with her eyes.
Jing Chen wrote on her palm: "You want to marry Miss Xia, right?" It was the same question from yesterday. After a night, it was brought up again by Jing Chen. Yu Shu had a headache. She worded her words in her heart and said to Jing Chen: "Did Xiaoxiu tell you that a man and a woman must marry after they have had physical contact?" Jing Chen looked at Yu Xiaoxiu who was standing awkwardly at the side and nodded hesitantly.
Yu Shu put on a straight face and lectured him in a serious manner, "Let me tell you, what he said is wrong. For a man and a woman to get married, they must first be in love with each other and both parties must be willing. Only then can we talk about marriage. Mingming and I don't have any feelings between a man and a woman, and neither do we have a matchmaker, so of course we can't get married. Now that I'm in the same room with her, it's because of the situation. The two of us are innocent. Even if there are some disrespectful actions, it's not because we're in love.
Jing Chen was confused for a moment and nodded. He did not really understand what Xiaoyu said, but he knew that she would not marry Miss Xia.
Yu Shu saw Jing Chen's eyebrows move and he smiled. He had delicate features and was so handsome that it dazzled people's eyes. She asked inexplicably: "What are you smiling at?"
Jing Chen's face was blank for a moment. Did he smile?
"Oh, that's right," Yu Shu suddenly remembered and pointed a finger at Jing Chen seriously: "In the future, other than my words, no matter what anyone else says to you, you must not believe them easily, lest you get deceived. Do you understand?" Jing Chen looked at her without blinking and confirmed the meaning of her words. He nodded obediently.
Yu Xiaoxiu, who was hugging Kim Bao, secretly rolled his eyes. Don't think that he did not know that the 'someone else' his sister was talking about was not him.
Looking at Jing Chen's docile look, Yu Shu felt an itch in her heart. She reached out and wanted to rub his head. Halfway through, she felt that it was inappropriate. No matter what, they were of the same generation. If Jing Chen were to remember this, he would definitely fall out with her. Thus, she landed on his shoulder and patted: "It's good that you remember. You lie down and rest, I will go out and buy you good food." The four of them stayed in the inn for five days. After recovering their energy, Yu Shu found an escort agency in the city and inquired about the route to the capital. She paid thirty taels of silver as a deposit and hired a horse carriage to send them to the capital.
After preparing their rations and clothes, they divined their fortune before leaving. The next morning, they set off for the capital of the Da 'an Dynasty, An Ling City.
Because of the trauma from their previous trip with the caravan, Yu Shu specially found an escort agency and paid a high price to escort them. The four of them set off, pretending to be close friends and family. There were three escorts with them, each carrying a sword on their back. One of them drove the carriage while the other two followed on horseback. Along the way, food and lodging, as well as other expenses, were all paid for by Yu Shu.
The escorts of the escort agency were very experienced. Not only did they recognize the route, they were also able to find good restaurants and inns along the way. Yu Shu wanted to settle down in the capital as soon as possible, so they did not stop along the way. They travelled during the day and stayed at the inn at dusk. Finally, after half a month, they arrived at the capital region.
Near the capital, there were many cities and farms. On the way, the people they met were dressed differently from the people in the south. Their accents were straight and more lively than the Wu language.
After travelling for half a day, they finally arrived outside the capital. It was the middle of August and it was scorching noon. As soon as the curtains were lifted, a gust of hot air rushed in. Yu Shu looked at the line of travelers and horses waiting to enter the city. She heard the escort say, "Mr Yu, we have to get off the carriage before we can enter the city. Do you think you should get off first?"
"Alright." Yu Shu and Xia Mingming each carried their luggage and let Yu Xiaoxiu help Jing Chen get off the carriage. The escort who was driving the carriage drove to another place and parked the carriage. The remaining two followed behind Yu Shu and the rest, sending them into the city. Only then would their escort mission be considered complete and they would be able to collect the money.
In front of the city gate, there was a ten-foot long line. There was a hubbub of voices. Yu Shu looked up and saw a magnificent scene. The three-foot high wall was like a dragon lying on the ground. You could not see the head or the tail of the thing. On the top of the gate, there were three large red words, "Wan Xing Men".
"It's so hot." Xia Mingming used one hand to fan her ear and the other to wipe the sweat off her forehead. She complained.
Yu Shu took off the bamboo hat on her back and put it on her head, "Drink some water when it's hot."
On the other side, Yu Xiaoxiu opened the water bag and gave it to Jing Chen. Seeing Jing Chen wave his hand, she took two big gulps to quench her thirst.
"Eh, didn't they say that carriages are not allowed? Then how can they enter in a carriage?" Xia Mingming pointed to the front and asked.
Yu Shu looked in the direction she was pointing and saw that the city guards had opened up a path for a carriage to pass. They were not afraid at all. There were people with special privileges everywhere, not to mention a place like the capital that was full of riches and honor.
As expected, the escort said, "That must be the carriage of an official in An Ling. They come and go frequently. The guards all recognize them and would not dare to obstruct them."
Xia Mingming put down her hand resentfully and whispered.
Their group of people queued for almost half an hour before they reached the front. The guards questioned them one by one about where they came from and why they came to the capital. When they heard that Yu Shu and the others said that they came to study the Dayan Dynasty, their attitude became better. They did not check their luggage and allowed them to pass.
After walking a dozen steps forward and exiting the city gate, they suddenly saw a wide road from south to north. The road was wide enough for three carriages to travel side by side. The stone slabs were flat and there were no bumps under their feet.
On both sides of the road, there were neatly erected buildings with double eaves and spikes. Most of them were shops of various colors. Their signboards fluttered in the wind, black, red, brown, and green. There were also restaurants with pots hanging down. The fragrance of the wine wafted through the streets. People came and went on the road. Their clothes were neat and their hair was neat. They looked generous and did not look like a dirty village.
Standing at the foot of the Emperor, if someone from a small city came, they would shrink back for no reason. Yu Xiaoxiu's eyes were wide open.
He looked curiously left and right, his mouth slightly open. He was a complete country bumpkin. Xia Mingming and Jing Chen were much more restrained. The former had probably been here before, while the latter had his own temperament.
Only Yu Shu looked at him curiously and turned to talk to the escorts. She dragged Yu Xiaoxiu, who could not move his feet, to a tea shop on the next street. She invited the two escorts to drink herbal tea and paid the remaining 20 taels of 'transportation'. She asked around for directions in Anling City. "Second Brother Liu, we want to find a place to stay. Where can we find a good and cheap shop in this city?" Along the way, Yu Shu calculated. After eating and drinking at Kaifeng Prefecture, plus the travel expenses, her five hundred taels had almost been used up by half. The remaining three hundred taels could be spent carefully. It would be best if she could use the money to buy a house.
"I remember there is a Yunlai Inn on West Fourth Street. It has food and accommodation, but the cheapest one night costs one tael of silver." The head of the escort who was asked by Yu Shu sighed.
"Even the cheapest one costs one tael of silver?" Yu Xiaoxiu said with a distressed expression.
Xia Mingming laughed at the side. "Where do you think this is? Can Anling City be compared to other places? A casual meal in a restaurant costs 20 to 30 taels of silver. A night's stay only costs one tael of silver. Is that considered expensive?"
Yu Xiaoxiu glanced at her. "It's not like I'm spending your money." Probably because the first impression was too bad, Yu Xiaoxiu could not see Xia Mingming as a girl. Thus, he did not have much tolerance.
"You. Luo. " Xia Mingming turned her head away in embarrassment. If she did not have an accident on the ship and lost her belongings, this one tael would not be enough for her to give out as a reward.
Jing Chen looked at the two of them. He picked up the teapot and refilled Yu Shu's cup with water.
Yu Shu pretended not to hear Yu Xiaoxiu and Xia Mingming bickering. After chatting with the escort for a while, they got up to leave and went to meet up with the brothers who drove the carriage outside the city.
Yu Shu and the others sat in the teahouse and chatted.
"Mingming, what do you plan to do next?" Yu Shu asked.
Hearing this, Xia Mingming sat up straight and said defensively, "Of course I'm going with you guys. What, are you trying to get rid of me here?"
Yu Shu said, "I mean, aren't you here for the examination? Don't you need to find a place to ask around?"
Yu Shu didn't understand the process of the Great Yan Examination, but she thought that this kind of examination was similar to the imperial examinations, and there should be procedures. Xia Mingming's luggage was lost on the way, so it was impossible for him to wait empty-handed for the examination.
Seeing that Yu Shu had no intention of abandoning her, Xia Mingming's expression softened a little. Then, she frowned and said, "I've lost my recommendation letter. I need to find a teacher to get it before I can register my name in the Directorate of Astronomy. If I don't get it before October, this trip will be in vain. Tomorrow, we will go to the Puren Training Hall in the east of the city to ask around and see if we are going to visit the teacher's house in the city. "
Yu Shu pursed her lips. I have something to do tomorrow and can't accompany you. "Lou Mingming was surprised and said," Do you still have your recommendation letter?
Lou Mingming was taken aback. "Do you still have your recommendation letter? Not lost? "
Xia Mingming stared at her, "Then why don't you come with me?
Xia Mingming glared at him. "Then why don't you come with me? Are you not going to take the examination? "
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