Behind the counter of Mianzhai, the shopkeeper and the young clerk stared at each other.
"Ha … Well, shopkeeper, my house is not far from Changmenpu Street. It's just in the south." Yu Shu pointed to the direction casually, intending to fool him.
"Where is the south?" Cao Zixin crossed his arms, took a step back, and waited for her to explain clearly.
"It's in the south. Go south after leaving South Street. Turn into the alley on the right at the first intersection. Keep going until you turn north and keep going. Turn east at the next intersection. You'll see an alley. That's it."
Yu Shu gestured seriously. Facing Cao Zixin's questioning eyes, in order to win his trust, she didn't blink and tried to look innocent. Finally, when the doubt in his eyes dissipated, she looked away and saw him turning to continue to organize the shelves. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she heard him laugh.
"Isn't that just a full circle? Ashu, you're lying to me."
His laugh was a little helpless, but it was not an accusation. However, when Yu Shu heard it, she inexplicably felt sorry.
Originally, she only regarded Cao Zixin as a boss who paid her wages. They were involved in interests. She did the work, and he paid. It was very fair. It was not a big deal to lie to him. However, he was clearly taking care of her. No matter how much it was, he was sincere. It seemed that she was heartless.
To be honest, it had been a while since she came to the ancient times. She had met a lot of people. Apart from Yu Xiaoxiu and Aunt Liu, the one who was good to her was Shopkeeper Cao, who was not related to her.
Why? Should she tell him clearly that she was not Ashu, but Yu Shu, a burden of a concubine in the Ji family. She lived in a servant's room, and a girl disguised as a boy to work for him.
Don't be kidding. She would not do such a stupid thing.
"Haha." Yu Shu laughed and pretended to be stupid. She swayed behind the counter with her hands behind her back and continued to check the account.
Cao Zixin didn't ask any more questions. He tidied up the items on the shelves, walked to her side, and sat down to drink tea quietly. The atmosphere was harmonious. For a while, there was only the sound of the abacus clicking until another customer came in.
***
Before closing, Yu Shu and Cao Zixin had discussed it. She would use half a month's salary to buy a stack of cut hemp paper, two brand new brushes, a bag of broken ink, and an inkstone that had been smashed and damaged.
This time, Cao Zixin did not suggest giving it to her for free. After getting along with Yu Shu for a few days, he knew that she was a person who liked to earn her own living. Giving it to her for free might not make her happy, so he took her half a month's salary as an advance payment.
Yu Shu wrapped the paper and brushes in oilpaper and put them under her armpit. She stood at the door of the shop and waited for Cao Zixin to lock the door. On the street dyed with dusk, their shop was the first to close. However, today's business was surprisingly good. They made 20 taels of silver in a day. Before closing, a rich customer threw a silver ingot, took a stack of jade paper, and left without counting the paper.
This made Yu Shu, who was skeptical about Fengshui, believe it was a coincidence. Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence? Two days ago, the shop was deserted, but as soon as the Fengshui was changed, the shop became prosperous.
When the last piece of the door was put in place, Yu Shu seemed to be able to see the back of the jade beast on the counter glistening with a green light. She wasn't sure if it was a reflection, but it was a little strange.
"It's still early. Come with me to eat something first?" Cao Zixin suggested at the door of the shop. Seeing Yu Shu's hesitation, he sighed, "I haven't eaten anything since last night."
Since he said so, Yu Shu didn't hesitate. She could guess why he hadn't eaten anything. She raised her chin and signaled him to lead the way. Cao Zixin smiled, pointed at the alley diagonally opposite, and led her to the north. When they passed by the door of the cloth shop, Shopkeeper Wu held an abacus in his hand and stopped him.
"Hey, hey, Shopkeeper Cao!"
"What's the matter, Shopkeeper Wu?" Cao Zixin took a few steps back and asked. Yu Shu stopped by the roadside to look at the kites and paper kites on the stall, but she was listening to their conversation.
"It's like this. You see, I bought goods yesterday, and I have accumulated a sum of money this month. It's a mess. The boss wants to check the account tomorrow, and I really can't do anything about it. Why don't you let Ashu stay and help me with the account? I'll treat you to a drink at Dongyun Restaurant tomorrow."
Not all the shops on Changmen Street were opened by the shopkeepers themselves. Some were like Cao Zixin, who rented the shop and became his own boss, and some were like Shopkeeper Wu, who had a boss above them. It was just a fork of several cloth shops in the city.
Shopkeeper Wu was a slippery person, and the account for a month couldn't be settled in a short time. If he wanted to settle the account with Yu Shu, he had to discuss it with Cao Zixin openly. It seemed that he was respecting Shopkeeper Cao, but in fact, he was bypassing Yu Shu and directly asking Cao Zixin to give him face. They were neighbors, and business should be friendly. Besides, Cao Zixin was a nice person. Once he agreed, he wouldn't be afraid that Yu Shu would refuse.
Yu Shu knew what Shopkeeper Wu was thinking. She snorted. Shopkeeper Wu had a good idea. If he begged her directly, she wouldn't be able to respond to him. After all, he had hit her with a broom and tricked her into working for free. However, if Cao Zixin agreed, she couldn't say no.
It seemed that she couldn't go back early today. She picked up a kite with a swallow's body and asked the price,
"How much is this?"
Spring was a good season for kite flying. In the past, the place where she lived was full of electric poles, so she couldn't fly freely. She had to find time to take Yu Xiaoxiu out to play. It wasn't good for boys to stay at home all the time. They were all homebodies.
"Shopkeeper Wu, it's not good to let outsiders see the private account of your shop. Ashu is a child, and he doesn't know the importance of the account. If he gives you the wrong account, he can't afford to lose or lose money. How about this, I know an old fortune-teller on Vientiane Street. I'll write a letter and you can send someone to invite him over. You can spend a few more taels of silver and let him calculate for you. At least you can be assured, right? "
"Little brother, the kite in your hand only costs 20 taels. If you want to buy it, I will give you a piece of rope. How about it?"
Yu Shu turned her head and stared at Cao Zixin's back in surprise. He could sell a favor with just a few words. He actually refuted Shopkeeper Wu's request and didn't push her out as a favor.
She grinned. She didn't know why, but she felt a little happy.
Shopkeeper Wu probably didn't expect that Cao Zixin would refuse. His face was a little stiff. He coughed and looked at Cao Zixin's amiable smiling face. He didn't know what to say, so he said embarrassedly,
"That's not necessary. It's too troublesome to go back and forth. I'll be busy tonight."
Cao Zixin nodded and didn't say anything. He turned his head and saw Yu Shu looking at him with a smile. She still had a kite in her hand. He asked,
"Want to buy a kite?"
"Oh, just looking around. I don't have the money to spend." Yu Shu put the kite back on the stall and led the way to the side of the alley. "Let's go. Didn't you say we were going to eat?"
Cao Zixin glanced at the variety of kites on the stall and smiled inexplicably. He followed Yu Shu with his long legs.
***
On the South Street of Changmenpu Street, there was a small section full of restaurants and teahouses. There were also many food stalls set up in the alley. There were rice cakes, jujube cakes, sesame balls, fried buns, shredded chicken noodles, meat pancakes, bean balls, wonton soup noodles, and all kinds of hot snacks. The street was filled with fragrance. Unless one was really full, no one could walk this street without looking sideways.
Cao Zixin took Yu Shu to sit down at a stall selling wonton at the intersection. Yu Shu turned her head and looked around. There were three sets of long stools and short tables. They came at the right time and occupied the last table. Smelling the fragrance from the table next to them and tilting her head to look at the chopped vegetables floating in the bowl, Yu Shu couldn't help but salivate. She swallowed. She was craving meat. She hadn't eaten meat for days.
The lady-in-waiting was cooking the soup next to the pot. She looked to be in her early thirties and had a floral handkerchief wrapped around her head. When she saw the two of them sitting down, she smiled at Yu Shu before greeting Cao Zixin.
"Shopkeeper Cao, do you still want to eat chicken soup today? Would you like two bowls? "
Cao Zixin didn't rush to answer. Instead, he asked Yu Shu, "This wonton has enough fillings, the skin is good, and the soup is very tasty. Would you like to try it?"
Yu Shu sat casually with one hand on her knee. She smiled and said to him, "Since you are willing to treat me, there is no reason for me not to eat. Then, I'll have a bowl."
Cao Zixin smiled. He appreciated the young man's energy. He was neat and not pretentious at all. It was comfortable to get along with him.
"Sister Zhao, two bowls of wonton. The usual. Don't put coriander in my bowl."
"Okay, I'll put it in the pot for you." As soon as the lid of the pot was lifted, white smoke billowed out. The woman called Big Sister Zhao skillfully scooped a basket of wrapped wontons into the pot. The splashing sound of the wontons falling into the water sounded like it was being heated up.
The skin of the wonton was thin and it was very easy to cook. After a while, Sister Zhao put two big bowls in front of Yu Shu and Cao Zixin. She said, "Eat it while it's hot. If the soup is not enough, ask her to add more." Then she went back to work.
A big bowl of wonton was full. The chicken soup was just right. It smelled more fragrant when one was close to it, but it was not greasy at all. There was a layer of green coriander floating on the top, which looked very appetizing.
"Eat quickly. Go back early after eating."
"Okay."
One was hungry, and the other was greedy. Cao Zixin and Yu Shu didn't talk much during the meal, but they ate very comfortably. The hot wonton was so hot that people were obedient.
Yu Shu drank all the soup in the end. She breathed a long sigh of relief. Her forehead was full of sweat, as if the anger of being beaten by Old Lady Ji yesterday came out together with the sweat. Watching Cao Zixin pay the bill, she thought about when to bring Yu Xiaoxiu here to have a taste.
This wonton was really delicious.
***
In the evening, Yu Shu returned to the yard. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Yu Xiaoxiu squatting at the door and writing on the ground. She walked over with a paper bag under her armpit.
Yu Xiaoxiu was drawing a plate and calculating attentively. He didn't notice that Yu Shu had walked to his side. She kicked her shoes and looked up.
"Don't draw on the ground." Yu Shu patted the paper bag in her hand. "Get up, go into the room, and write on the table."
Yu Xiaoxiu knew at a glance that she had bought paper and pen. When he stood up, because he squatted for a long time, his head was heavy and his feet were light. He swayed back and forth, and Yu Shu supported him so that he didn't fall.
He was anemic because he ate too vegetarian and couldn't keep up with the nutrition. Yu Shu saw it but didn't say anything. She just pulled him into the room, put the paper and ink bag on the table, and took a towel from the rope at the door to wipe his hands.
Yu Shu walked to the bed and untied her short robe. Because the inside was neatly covered with a white lining, she didn't mind that Yu Xiaoxiu was also in the room, so she put on the small jacket and skirt.
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