Chapter 43 The Tales of Drunken Immortal Pavilion in Bianjing (Revised)

Because of the two girls' "running away from home", there was room to resolve the matter of Li Jie'er breaking the hairpin. Granny Liu stopped being aggressive and did not mention when she would repay the money.

Lu Qiong's time in Shangyuan Village passed quickly, and now the two of them had no choice but to return to Bianjing.

Before leaving, Lu Qiong carefully looked around the yard, the house, and the kitchen. The firewood was still not completely dry. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to put it back in the woodpile, thinking that it might be able to be lit when she came back next time.

"Sister, the coachman has arrived, and so have Yu Niang and Li Jie'er, they're all waiting..."

Lu Xuan's clear voice came from outside the courtyard. Lu Qiong responded with an "okay" and then gently closed the door.

Surprisingly, the woodcutter Zhou also came to see him off.

Remembering what she had said earlier, Lu Qiong said apologetically, "Uncle Zhou, I forgot to bring you food... I'll definitely remember to bring you some next time."

As she spoke, she became somewhat guilty, and her voice grew softer and softer.

The woodcutter Zhou found it amusing that she clung to him like a quail, not daring to look him in the eye. However, his expression remained impassive as the wind blew through his hair, obscuring half his face. "You should take good care of Lu Xuan first. Don't let her run out of Bianjing in the middle of the night. I heard there's a curfew in the city, and they'll arrest people."

“There hasn’t been a curfew for the past two years,” Lu Qiong suddenly laughed, breaking the silence. “Uncle Zhou also needs to chat with people more, otherwise he won’t even know that things have changed in the city.”

The woodcutter Zhou remained silent, his weathered face framed by a pair of sharp eyes that stared directly at her.

Lu Qiong felt uneasy under his gaze and regretted that she had dared to provoke him. She coughed lightly to divert everyone's attention and said to Yu Niang, "If anything happens, you can ask Uncle Zhou for help. If that doesn't work, you can ask someone else to go into the city and send me a message."

"Sister Li is also..."

When it's time to part ways after spending only a few days together, I feel particularly down.

Before leaving, Lu Xuan whispered a few words to Li Jie'er, and only waved to the crowd when the coachman urged her to do so.

The millet along the roadside has all been harvested. What was once a golden expanse is now empty, leaving only villagers barefoot in the fields turning the soil, waiting for the next round of planting.

With the wind blowing, the two gradually arrived at the familiar city gate.

People on the street also changed into slightly thicker clothes, and some simply put on an extra long gown, not for luxury, but just to stay warm.

Lu Xuan was not used to the new environment and stood there stunned as soon as she got off the ground. It wasn't until she smelled the aroma of sesame flatbread on the street that she realized she was already starving.

She tugged at Lu Qiong's sleeve, looking expectant: "Sister, I want to eat something."

For the past six months in Bianjing, they have usually eaten at home or at Lu Ji Restaurant, rarely eating out. Now, however, they are starting to feel a sense of novelty and want to go to a restaurant.

Because she had to travel today, Lu Qiong tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep. Now she was exhausted and needed to find a place to rest.

"Let's go check out Zuixianlou, it's conveniently located nearby."

Zuixianlou, as its name suggests, is decorated like a magnificent palace on the outside and a vast universe inside. It also gives new names to different wines, such as calling the Osmanthus Wine "Guanghan Jade Liquid", and others such as "Clear as the Sky", "Spring Colors of Ten Continents", "Flowing Fragrance", and so on.

As soon as the two stepped into the restaurant, they heard the clinking of glasses and the sounds of conversation coming from all around.

"Sir, watch your step!" The waiter in the restaurant held a tray in his left hand and a wine pot in his right, yet he could still attend to the newly arrived guests.

A stage was erected in the center of the hall, with curtains extending to the top of the restaurant. I heard that these were all skills commonly found in entertainment venues, and now people were even invited to perform music on the stage.

It was worth the money.

The first floor was packed, so they were led to the second floor and ordered the signature dish of Zuixianlou, along with two servings of boiled soup.

Lu Qiong was studying the surrounding environment. The seats on the second floor were blocked by screens, but it did not affect her view of the performance in the lobby.

The waiter brought fresh tea and filled two teacups: "Please enjoy, sir!"

After traveling for a while, the two were both thirsty. Regardless of how hot the new tea was, they blew on it a couple of times and then tentatively drank a few sips.

"Sister! Look, isn't that Du Zai?" Lu Xuan suddenly tugged at Lu Qiong's clothes and excitedly pointed down.

Du Zai?

Lu Qiong was puzzled and looked in the direction the person was looking. The person looked familiar... It seemed to be Du Zai? The person speaking next to him was the servant from before, but judging from their manner of talking, they didn't seem to be soliciting customers.

Why did Du Zai leave Zuixianlou?

Could it be that besides "promoting" through her, you've started a new business elsewhere?

Losing interest, Lu Xuan rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly downstairs: "Who knows? After all, he's been telling stories to people lately."

Lu Qiong became interested: "Where did you find out about this?"

“Pan’er said it,” Lu Xuan said, stuffing a pastry into her mouth out of boredom. “It seems that since March of this year, Du Zai has been telling stories to people all over Bianjing, and everyone in this area knows him.”

Lu Qiong nodded thoughtfully. Du Zai had indeed been making money all along, but she wondered what a child would need so much money for.

She quickly lost track of time, as the other servants had already served the dishes.

The first dish was fennel soup, followed by a meat dish of steamed chicken with Sichuan lovage, citron drink, and almond tofu.

Fennel soup with tofu, meat, and eggs has a refreshing and sweet flavor, making it a unique treat to enjoy in autumn.

Lu Xuan loves meat, so she tried the steamed chicken first. A strong herbal flavor immediately came over her, and she wrinkled her face and said, "It smells so strong..."

"The flavor of Sichuan lovage isn't too strong. You haven't tried American ginseng chicken soup, that's really potent." Lu Qiong also tried a piece of steamed chicken with Sichuan lovage added, and squinted her eyes after eating to her heart's content.

This Sichuan-style steamed chicken with chuanxiong is absolutely forbidden.

Lu Xuan sighed. Fortunately, they added almond tofu later, so at least she wouldn't go hungry.

The pastries at Zuixianlou were also quite good. Lu Qiong packed a few portions to take with her. She still needed to go to Jinniang's house to pick up Xue'er later. After all, she couldn't bring Lu Ji's food every time; it felt a bit shabby.

Jinniang was resting in the courtyard. Her business had improved a few days ago, so she asked Pei Yu to make her a reclining chair. She would lie in the courtyard whenever she had nothing to do, while Shuangjie played with Xue'er nearby.

Shuangjie sat on the ground, stroking Xue'er's back, and looked up at Jinniang, puzzled: "Mother, why is Xue'er's fur so smooth? It's easier to touch than other puppies."

"It's because Sister Qiong and the others take good care of them; stray dogs that aren't raised by anyone have no meat on them..."

Shuangjie was only six years old, but she already knew what a stray dog ​​meant. She had no father, no mother, no house to live in, and would be bullied.

Some people have parents, but they still get beaten.

Xue'er suddenly snuggled into her arms and called out, "Woof..."

Shuangjie quickly forgot about those things and called Xue'er into the house, intending to feed him something.

"Golden Maiden!"

Jinniang was still half asleep when she seemed to hear someone calling her. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw that it was already dusk, and she was covered with a garment.

Turning around, she saw Shuangjie squatting in front of the threshold, smiling at her.

After Lu Qiong came in, the two began to exchange pleasantries and chat about everyday things, such as the recent cold weather reminding them to wear more clothes, and the new snacks she had brought...

Jinniang was most interested in food, and she laughed even more heartily. She even started talking about the Pei family: "I heard that the young master of the Pei family has been taking on apprentices everywhere lately. He received quite a few orders during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He's very popular now."

Pei Yu was only eighteen, but he already possessed a fierce spirit, growing like a weed, and would desperately climb upwards whenever he had the chance. It was only natural that he had achieved what he had today.

Lu Qiong also chimed in with a few words.

They then talked about Pei Yu's father, saying that he came back on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but they had another argument. He said that he brought someone back with him, which caused Yang San Niang to turn the whole house upside down.

In order to find some peace and quiet these past few days, Pei Yu rented a room outside and also took Yang San Niang's daughter, Pei Ya, with him.

Lu Qiong was surprised that he was so thoughtful, and simply commented, "He's quite kind."

Jinniang nodded, "Fortunately, Pei Yu was willing to take Yaya away. Otherwise, if she sees her parents arguing all the time, how will she grow up?"

...

Bianjing was still brightly lit at night. Taking advantage of the full moon, the number of people visiting the pleasure boats had only increased in recent days. The Zhou Bridge was packed with people. If it weren't for the patrol officers of the Street Office controlling the situation, there would probably have been a lot of trouble.

Lu Ji's business has been so-so these past few days, perhaps because the manager is gone, or perhaps because people's enthusiasm for mooncakes has waned after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Yang Jie'er was still in charge, and she hired two helpers. One was to attract customers, and the other was to help her prepare dishes, steam snacks, and watch the fire. Most importantly, Yang Jie'er still did the kneading of dough herself.

The young woman who had been helping in the kitchen touched a bowl without washing her hands properly. When Sister Yang saw this, she scolded her: "Everything on the stove must be neat and clean, without any dirt..."

A burst of laughter suddenly came from behind me.

Yang Jie'er was a little angry, but that laughter sounded so familiar. She turned around and sure enough, it was her young mistress who had returned. Her voice was excited: "Young mistress? You're finally back! I haven't been sleeping or eating well these past few days. Managing the shop has been so difficult."

Seeing her mood change so quickly, Lu Qiong laughed until tears streamed down her face: "Just now I thought someone was scolding people in the shop. It turns out it was Manager Yang. He's really capable! He doesn't look upset at all."

Manager Yang... no, Miss Yang also became shy: "This is just following the young lady's instructions, it's nothing."

Seeing her so shy, Lu Xuan chuckled to herself, "Sister, stop teasing Yang Jie'er. She's about to lose her head."

The matter was only resolved once the store got busy again.

Crossing the state bridge, He Xuanqing walked with his hands behind his back, sighing repeatedly. He had just been talking with a friend on the Bian River about the autumn imperial examination a few days ago, and he was quite melancholy. He had been confident, but after the conversation, he felt that he hadn't performed well in some aspects.

Upon entering Lu's shop, he saw the familiar young woman, which brought him some joy.

Lu Qiong recognized him as her first customer when she set up her stall at Longjin Bridge. He had followed her to Lu's shop, but for some reason, she had rarely seen him in the past few months.

Hearing her ask this, He Xuanqing smiled and said, "Manager Lu, you may not know this, but the autumn examinations are held from the ninth to the fifteenth of this month. We were delayed for a while."

Lu Qiong understood; he had gone into seclusion.

However, Xie Xun seems to be participating in this year's autumn imperial examination. Why is he so free, coming here every few days? It can't be that he really likes to eat, right?

He Xuanqing continued to explain, "...The exam results will be available at the beginning of next month. I've been very worried lately, firstly because I'm afraid I didn't perform well, and secondly because I'm afraid of letting down my elders..."

It turns out that both ancient people and students in later generations experience anxiety.