The three members of the Fish-dragon Gang couldn't understand why Xu always took all the good things for himself. When they were at Falling Horse Pass, the plump beauty with the mink fur coat almost wanted to snatch this pretty boy. When they entered the city, they got a Snake Wall for no reason. Now, they had only been in the city for a short while, and he was being teased by a woman whose breasts could suffocate a man to death. Comparisons were odious. The three of them rolled their eyes and glared daggers at Xu. After a while, they were no longer frightened by the notoriety of Yanhui Pass. Liu Nerong, who was afraid that the three of them would be exposed, felt relieved. Following Gongsun Yang's instructions, she went to a few popular shops and bought some dry food and water. The price of water here was as expensive as oil. If it wasn't for Gongsun Yang's reminder, Liu Nerong really wanted to turn around and leave when she saw the shopkeeper squatting by the well with a ladle. When she heard the man's obscene words, saying that he would give her a ladle of water if she just touched his hand, she almost pulled out her sword and stabbed him. She could only stay a few steps away and let Xu deal with these hooligans.
Liu Nerong stroked her rapidly heaving chest and subconsciously looked down. She didn't feel it before, but compared to the shameless woman just now, it seemed that her breasts were really not big.
While she was in a trance, someone patted her shoulder. Liu Nerong, who seemed to have seen through her shameful thoughts, blushed, but pretended to be ferocious and looked very awkward. She saw Xu standing in front of her with a gourd ladle filled with well water. Liu Nerong frowned. Xu smiled and said, "Don't worry, this is my treat. I lied to the man who sold the well water that you are my sister. I promised to introduce you to him later. This ladle of water was originally sold to strangers for three taels of silver, but now it's only half a string of money. Anyway, I'm borrowing your favor, so there's no need to feel guilty about drinking it, right?"
Liu Nerong hesitated for a moment and squeezed out a smile. "Forget it, I'll just put it in the water bag."
Hsu Fengnian looked at the young woman whose lips were so dry that they were bleeding. He was angry and amused at the same time. "I said it was for you to drink. I took advantage of your favor because I was a rascal. Why are you learning from me? Do you want to drink it? If you don't want to drink, I'll drink it myself! "
Liu Nerong took the gourd ladle and raised it in the air. Her lips didn't touch the ladle as she slowly poured the cool water from the well into her mouth. She felt a refreshing coolness from head to toe. She stopped to drink it slowly several times until there was still half of it left. The man surnamed Xu saw that she was in a difficult position and took the ladle without saying anything else. He raised his head and gulped it down. He patted his belly and turned around to return the gourd ladle in satisfaction. He didn't forget to whisper a few words to the shifty-eyed well keeper. Liu Nerong clearly knew that the two of them were destined to have nothing good to say, but she couldn't get angry. She secretly scolded herself, "Liu Nerong, where is your backbone? Is it only worth half a ladle of water?"
The three young men from The Fish Dragons were carrying more than 20 water bags, a large bag of dry food, and cooked food such as sauced beef. Hsu Fengnian was empty-handed, except for the spring thunder hanging on his waist. It was inevitable that he would be glared at again. He walked beside Liu Nerong and said with a smile, "You don't know how expensive oil and salt are until you're in charge of the family. Just buying water cost you more than 80 taels of silver. How do you feel?"
Liu Nerong used her finger to moisten the corners of her dry lips and didn't say anything.
When they approached the city gate, there was still some time left before the two hours agreed with Gongsun Yang. Hsu Fengnian suddenly stopped and said, "I may have to stay in Yanhui Pass for a day or two, but I definitely won't delay the business in Yanhui City. I won't see Miss Liu out of the city."
Liu Nerong looked sideways at Hsu Fengnian and calmly asked, "If anything happens, who can I find to reason with? How can I go back and see my grandfather? And the four coffins that are still on the way to Lingzhou? Will I be qualified to go to the mourning hall to burn incense? "
Hsu Fengnian frowned slightly and was thinking about what to say. Liu Nerong let out a long breath and said softly, "I've vented my anger. Young Master Xu is magnanimous, so don't lower yourself to my level. You just have to be careful. "
Hsu Fengnian wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, he just waved his hand and turned to walk back into the city. He came to a tea stall on the outskirts of the barbican and sat down. The water was simple well water, and the tea leaves were also the dregs of cheap tea leaves. It was not an exaggeration for a familiar face in Yanhui Pass to pay for water, especially for the residents who had taken root. Drinking well water did not cost much, but a bowl of tea would cost half a dozen coins. In the end, it did not matter if the tea was good or bad. To be able to travel thousands of li from Jiangnan or Xishu to Yanhui Pass on the Tea Horse Ancient Road, even if it was tea dregs that could not be placed in a banquet in the south of the Liyang Dynasty, it was not cheap. Hsu Fengnian originally had around 300 taels of silver on him. Later, he took advantage of the burning house and plundered around 200 taels of silver in banknotes. He could still afford to drink a few bowls of tea. He quietly waited for the boiling tea to warm up and took a sip. Looking at the barbican that did not fit into the military system of the two dynasties, Hsu Fengnian's brows were gloomy. Along the way, he even squatted in a corner for half a day. He noticed that the drainage troughs made of bricks on the inner walls were meticulously built. They were built like this, and they were maintained like this.
Slowly retracting his gaze, Hsu Fengnian prepared to walk around the city two more times later. Besides, after arriving at this quiet Yanhuiguan Pass where the Frost Heavy Drum was, if he continued to head north, he would truly arrive at Beimang. The owner of the tavern was a middle-aged man. Looking at Hsu Fengnian's appearance, he did not seem to be lacking in money, so he shamelessly mentioned how authentic his braised beef was. Hsu Fengnian agreed with a smile.
As the sun set in the west, wild geese from the south flew overhead. A plate of steaming roast meat was placed on the table. Hsu Fengnian picked up a piece with his chopsticks. Unsurprisingly, it was wild beef from the local area. Of course, it was not as delicious as yellow beef. However, the tavern owner, who was selling tea and cooking ladles, was somewhat quick-witted. He took a type of vegetable that was known as' Everlasting Spring 'and marinated it in the roast meat. It was better than any other spices. This large plate of roast beef looked extraordinary, and its taste was also mouth-watering. Hsu Fengnian simply asked the tavern owner to replace the tea with wine, and then asked him to go to the stall next door that sold pancakes to buy two large pieces. This meal was very comfortable.
Hsu Fengnian raised his head and saw a travel-worn old scholar. He was short and carried a large bamboo bookcase that was seriously disproportionate to his body size. His figure could be considered vigorous. When he smelled the aroma of the wine, pancakes, and beef, his appetite was aroused. He sat down heavily, took off the bookcase, and casually placed it at his feet. He rubbed his shoulders and waved to the tavern owner, saying, "Please give me the same meal as this young master."
The tavern owner's ability to judge people was already practiced to the point of perfection. Although he was unhappy, he did not move his feet, which could be considered as saving the old scholar's face by not directly asking if he had brought enough money. The old scholar did not mind. He took out a cotton money pouch, dipped his finger in his saliva, and took out some silver and copper coins. He divided them into two piles and pushed one pile toward the tavern owner. The latter made mistakes when judging people, but when it came to money, his eyes were sharp and golden. He wiped the money on the table and put the silver and copper coins into his sleeves. His face was full of smiles, and he hurriedly took out some wine and shouted for the stall next door to bring two pancakes over, saying that he owed the tavern owner money first. Then, he busied himself with the braised beef. Not long after, he brought the same dish of Everlasting Spring Beef to the old scholar.
The white-haired old scholar patted the dust on his sleeves, raising a lot of dust. He held the pancake in one hand and the chopsticks in the other. The bowl of wine was placed in front of him so that he could drink it if he lowered his head. He ate the pancake with the wine and meat. He was already very busy, but the old scholar was still unwilling to stop. He said that the beef nourished Qi and blood and was beneficial to the Qi disc. He also said that the Everlasting Spring Beef could clear the eyes and remove annoyances, detoxify, and clear away heat. He chattered non-stop, but the pedantic old scholar ate very slowly. The customers at the nearby tables were already envious of the old man eating heartily. They could not stand his chatter, so they threw their money and left. This made the tavern owner, who could not wait for the customers to leave, very happy.
No matter how much Hsu Fengnian chewed and swallowed, he still put down his chopsticks after he finished eating. He asked the owner of the teahouse, "Is there a shop in the city that makes bows? It's best if it's an old shop."
Yanhuiguan was only so big, and the owner of the teahouse had lived here for five or six years. He could walk down with his eyes closed. He rewarded himself with half a bowl of wine and replied with a smile, "There is, why not? It's just two streets away. The old man's surname is Zhang, and the bow is long. He casually takes out a bow embryo from his shop and can make people jealous. It has been passed down from generation to generation, and the craftsmanship has been passed down for more than ten generations. I heard that he used to be the royal craftsman of Dongyue and Xishu. Old Zhang came to our Yanhuiguan early. His daughter-in-law is a local, and his grandson was born here. Can Young Master draw a bow? But I'll say the ugly words first. Old Zhang has a strange temper. There's a two-stone bow hanging in front of the shop. If you can't draw it properly, you won't be allowed to enter. If Young Master's arm strength is average, don't go and ask for humiliation. "
Hsu Fengnian said, "Oh, a two-stone bow. I can't draw it properly."
Hsu Fengnian regretfully asked, "Is there a shop where I can buy a bow embryo without drawing it? I can't afford a bow that's too good. "
Seeing that the old man was still talking endlessly, Hsu Fengnian couldn't help but laugh and say, "Old Mister, bend over and see if your bag of books has fallen."
The old scholar didn't respond to this teasing and was still immersed in his own world. Hsu Fengnian paid the exact same amount of money and got up to leave. Just now, when he saw that the scholar had split the money in half, Hsu Fengnian had been calculating what price the owner would call out while eating. After calculating, a pot of coarse and strong swallowtail wine, a plate of Everlasting Spring Braised Pork, and even the premium price of the bowl of tea dregs after walking on the Tea Horse Ancient Road were all included. In addition to Yanhuiguan's efforts to rip off unfamiliar faces, he found that the old man was not only a chatterbox who liked to drop his bag of books, but also an old scholar who was good at calculating.
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