By the time Yu Shu, Cao Zixin, and the others arrived at the southern part of the city, the sun had just risen, but the wide streets around them were already crowded with people. The streets were full of merchants, selling Fengshui decorations, necklaces, ink paintings, and embroidery. The aroma of snacks wafted through the streets.
It was the first time Yu Xiaoxiu had been to such a lively place other than Changmen Street. As soon as he entered the crowd, he grabbed Yu Shu's arm tightly and looked around curiously. Zhao Hui also pulled Yu Shu's head, and Cao Zixin followed them unhurriedly.
Weaving through the crowd, Yu Shu smelled the fragrance of food and drink. There were shredded meat cakes, red bean buns, bamboo shoots with meat, gourd soup, glutinous rice porridge, and flower juice. All the snacks in Yiyang City could be seen on this street. She was so hungry that her stomach was growling because she hadn't eaten breakfast. She fixed her eyes on a stall selling hot cakes and pulled Zhao Hui and Yu Xiaoxiu forward.
"How much is one?"
"Shredded meat cakes are ten copper coins each, and fried radish cakes are five copper coins each. Miss, would you like to try two?"
Looking at the steaming cakes on the pot, Yu Shu let go of Zhao Hui and stretched out her hand. She smiled and said, "Give me four meat cakes and two radish cakes. Ninety copper coins, right?
"Okay, I'll wrap it up for you."
Zhao Hui wanted to take out money, but Yu Shu stopped her. She turned to Cao Zixin, who was taking out money from her purse, and said, "No need, I'll take it. Yesterday, Chief Pei gave me half a month's salary to spend. There's one tael, and I've changed it into change. Brother Cao, keep your money, you can't use it here."
As she spoke, she let go of Yu Xiaoxiu's hand and took out a string of money from her purse. She took out ten coins and gave it to the vendor. Yue Hui didn't stop her and said to Cao Zixin, "Let her take it this time." Cao Zixin saw that Yu Shu was in high spirits, so he nodded his head and let her have her way. He put away the money pouch.
"Miss, take it carefully and don't burn your hands." "Okay, Aunt Huei and Xiaoxiu will give it to you." Yu Shu took one each and stuffed two into Cao Zixin's hands. "Brother Cao, eat it while it's hot. If it's not enough, I'll leave this for you." Yu Shu's thinking was simple. Cao Zixin was a man, so his appetite must be big. This palm-sized food definitely wouldn't be enough.
Cao Zixin looked at the hot food in the servant's hands. He wasn't used to eating on the street, but he saw that Yu Shu was chewing on the food and glancing at him from time to time, as if asking him why he wasn't eating. After hesitating for a while, he lowered his head and opened his mouth. Actually, the taste wasn't bad.
The street was bustling, and there were many people eating. Four people holding hot cakes didn't stand out. Yu Shu dragged Yu Xiaoxiu with one hand and ate a hot shredded meat cake with the other hand wrapped in oiled paper.
When she saw the tofu juice vendor across the street, she grunted twice and took the lead to squeeze through the crowd. She ordered four small bowls and stood next to the stall, drinking the hot cakes with the other customers who were buying food.
After eating and drinking, her stomach was warm and full. Yu Shu wiped Yu Xiaoxiu's hands with a handkerchief and pulled him to follow beside Zhao Hui. They followed the crowd to the entrance of the Wondrous Cloud Temple.
On the way, when they passed by a stall selling hairpins and combs, Zhao Hui would stop for a while and compare the colorful objects to Yu Shu's hair. When she felt that it was suitable, she would ask Yu Shu if she liked it. Yu Shu had just accepted a set of clothes from Zhao Hui, so she was too embarrassed to ask her to spend more money. No matter if it looked good or not, she would shake her head and pick out a bunch of flaws. The stall owner's face turned ugly, and in the end, Zhao Hui had to pull her away.
Zhao Hui took Yu Shu to walk half the street, but because she didn't cooperate, they didn't buy anything. Seeing that it was still early and the famous traders hadn't gone out, they decided to go to the Taoist temple first.
The Wondrous Cloud Temple was the most popular Taoist temple in Yiyang City. It worshiped the Patriarchs of the Three Pure Ones for people to pray to the gods and fulfill their wishes.
In addition, it also provided the service of asking for and releasing the fortune. Compared with the expensive barter hall, there were more pilgrims here. A handful of incense, candles, and yellow paper only cost ten copper coins.
There weren't many people in the temple at this time. When Zhao Hui went to buy incense, Yu Shu stood in the Taoist field and pulled Yu Xiaoxiu to look up at the three huge statues of old people sitting on the altar. They couldn't tell which one was which. Cao Zixin stood behind them and explained to them, "The Three Pure Ones are the three great realms of Yuqing, Shang Qing, and Taiqing. Because there are three gods in the Three Pure Fairyland, namely Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Primogenitor Tianzun, they are worshiped as the Patriarchs of the Three Pure Ones. Look, the Patriarchs of the Jade Pure Ones, the one with white hair and eyebrows on the left is the Taiqing Patriarchs, and the one on the right is the Patriarchs of the Shang Qing Patriarchs. The forty-second chapter of the Primogenitor Sutra says, "Dao begets one, and one begets two. Two begets three, and three begets all things. All things bear Yin and embrace Yang, and they are harmonious. Therefore, Daoism has the Three Ones Doctrine. "
In her previous life, Yu Shu would occasionally travel. While others were shopping for souvenirs, she liked to follow the experienced tour guides, listen to stories, and broaden her horizons. She felt that it was much more interesting than foolishly watching the bustle alone. Now that Cao Zixin was beside her, she liked it. She didn't hesitate to praise him, "Brother Cao, you know so much." Seeing that she liked to listen, Cao Zixin was naturally happy. "I just read a few books in my free time. If you are interested, I can find some texts for you later." "You know that I'm learning accounting from Shopkeeper Pei right now. I don't have time to read books." Yu Shu declined politely. Compared to books and papers, she preferred to learn practical things. If Qing Zheng threw a few books at her to memorize before teaching her, she might not have the patience to repeat the boring guessing homework every day.
Cao Zixin advised, "If you have time, you should read more books."
Yu Shu agreed with his words, but she had a different opinion. Seeing that Yu Xiaoxiu was looking up at their conversation, she muttered, "I don't know if Brother Cao has heard of this saying, 'Idle people read, busy people walk.'"
Cao Zixin asked, "What does that mean?"
Yu Shu said, "It means that people who read and study have a lot of free time. Look at the people on the streets, working hard to make a living. They have to support their families, and maybe they also have to support the idle people who read. Do they have time to stop and read? Compared to a few pages of knowledge, a few copper coins makes people feel at ease. Reading is good, but it varies from person to person. If they can't make a living, what's the use of reading a few books? Don't you think so?" Cao Zixin was attracted by her words, but what attracted him even more was her bright eyes at this moment. She was very assertive. He thought that this child wandered the streets and was born into a widow, but she had a rare decisiveness and cleverness. Although it was inevitable that she was unscrupulous, she was magnanimous to the point that no one could look down on her.
"According to what you said, you are still a busy person."
"I am now, but I can't say for sure in the future."
"What about me?" Cao Zixin really wanted to hear Yu Shu's opinion of him.
Yu Shu's gaze fell on him. Cao Zixin straightened his body and straightened his back. Then, he heard Yu Shu say in a serious tone, "Brother Cao is someone who takes a break from his busy schedule."
The corner of Cao Zixin's mouth raised. He was satisfied with her comment that was between a busy person and an idle person.
"Sister, what about me?" Yu Xiaoxiu also joined in the fun.
Yu Shu bent her finger and flicked his forehead. "Of course you are a big idle person. After you are done today, go back and do your homework, okay?"
Yu Xiaoxiu covered his forehead and said, "Today is the school holiday, and I finished my homework last night. Do you think I am like you, forgetful and forgetful?"
"Oh, you are still talking back to me. You are lecturing me."
Yu Shu reached out and pinched Yu Xiaoxiu's cheeks. Yu Xiaoxiu was looked up and down by passers-by. He blushed and hurriedly pushed her hand away. The two of them quarreled, and Cao Zixin looked at them with a smile. When Zhao Hui came, Yu Shu finally punished Yu Xiaoxiu, who was bullied by her until his face turned red.
。。。
When they came out of Qiyun Temple, the street was already crowded, and people were surging everywhere. Zhao Hui was afraid that they would be separated, so she pulled Yu Shu and Yu Xiaoxiu on the left and right. From time to time, she also looked back to see if Cao Zixin was following them.
"The Liu family is here, the Liu family is here!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd moved to the east. Soon, there was a long line in front of a teahouse across the street.
Zhao Hui had been to the Three Pure Meeting several times, so she knew the way. Looking at the situation, she knew that they had to go to the Liu family to ask for their fortune, and they might have to wait until the afternoon. So, she directly pulled them and tiptoed to look at the banners hanging high on the street. She found a good name and took advantage of the fact that people were attracted by the Liu family to get to the front of the line. She turned her head and found that Cao Zixin was gone.
Zhao Hui and Yu Xiaoxiu followed her around and looked left and right, but they couldn't find him.
"He must have been separated by the crowd. It doesn't matter." Zhao Hui took Yu Shu's hand and said, "I told him in advance that if he was separated, he could wait at the entrance of the Taoist temple. It's almost our turn. We can look for him after we finish our fortune telling. There's no hurry."
Yu Shu nodded and looked in the direction of the Taoist temple a few times. There were people everywhere, and the further they went, the more blurred they became. So, she gave up and obediently followed Zhao Hui in line, moving forward bit by bit.
After waiting for about the time it took to eat a meal, it was their turn. There was a long table on the side, and a table made of good wood. On the table, there were lots of lots, divinatory trigrams, six lines, and red strings. Behind the table sat a man in his sixties. Behind him, there were two boys and two servants. The man glanced at Zhao Hui and Yu Shu, stroked his beard, and said indifferently, "What do you want to ask?"
Zhao Hui hurriedly asked Yu Shu to sit down on the stool in front of the table. She took out the eight characters in her arms and handed them to the man with both hands. She smiled politely and said, "Sir, this is my niece's eight characters. Can you take a look at her fortune? Will there be a disaster in the near future? "
The man took it with one hand and stretched out the other. A boy handed him a divinatory trigram. He held his palm behind him and rotated it a few times. Then he stretched out his hand and a boy handed him a brush. He wrote a few words on a piece of white paper and crossed it. He frowned and looked up at Yu Shu for a while. He made a "tsk" sound and pressed the piece of paper with Yu Shu's eight characters on it on the table. He said with a bit of sympathy, "A short life doesn't mean great emptiness. There are many disasters and difficulties in her life. There are frequent disasters and adversity. She can't do anything in her life."
Yu Shu raised her eyebrows. Zhao Hui's face was a little stiff. She carefully asked, "Sir, this is … What do you mean? "
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