The Tang family’s main residence is here.
Yingcheng also belongs to Hezhuzhou, but it is located in a more remote location. It took Shen Yizi a day to reach the outside of the city by Tianzhou.
It was evening when she entered the city. She was not in a hurry to ask where the Tang family was, but instead found an inn to stay in.
After dinner, she went out for a walk along the street and bought some items with local characteristics.
Yingcheng is relatively south of here, and the climate here is warm and humid, so people dress more sexy and boldly. As she walked along, she had seen many girls showing their arms and legs.
People here also like to paint their bodies with brightly colored paints and wear ornaments made of bird feathers.
On the roadside stalls, you can see tropical fruits everywhere, such as lychees, pineapples, mangoes, durian, etc., all sold at very cheap prices.
Shen Yizhi bought a coconut, held it in his hand and sucked the sweet juice.
"Sister, do you want to try the sea cucumber rice here? It's delicious, really, I'm not lying to you!"
Behind the food stall, a little girl about fourteen or fifteen greeted her enthusiastically. She had a dark complexion, and her bright big eyes looked at her sincerely. When she smiled, her teeth were very white and eye-catching.
The stall was very small, with only one table for customers to sit on. A young boy of eight or nine years old was cleaning the table skillfully.
Shen Yizi had just finished dinner and was not hungry, but it would be nice to try something.
"OK."
The girl's eyes suddenly curved into crescents, looking particularly lively, and she said briskly, "Please wait a moment."
A plate of sea cucumber rice was served soon.
The sea cucumber rice is served in a relatively deep large bowl, with a whole sea cucumber with rice grains in its belly, a little soup, and a handful of chopped green onions sprinkled on top.
It smells nice.
Shen Yizi tasted it and couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. The taste of the sea cucumber rice was a little beyond her expectations. The sea cucumber was soft and not greasy at all. The rice grains inside were wrapped in egg skin, and each grain was soaked in soup, but it was not sticky. It must have been simmered slowly.
I don’t know what seasoning was added to it, but it tasted sour and spicy and was very appetizing.
Even though she wasn't hungry, she couldn't help but eat most of it.
After finishing the meal, Shen Yizhi put down his spoon and chopsticks with satisfaction.
"Bill, please."
"Twenty cents."
Shen Yizi took out a piece of silver.
The girl looked at the silver coins and felt a little embarrassed. "I can't make the change. Sister, can you wait for a while while I ask my brother to exchange some change for me?"
Shen Yizhi wanted to say that he would not look for one, but then he thought that the girl might not accept it, so he nodded and said, "Okay."
The girl handed the change to her brother and said, "Ah Cheng, go quickly and come back soon."
The young boy took the silver and ran to a shop across the street.
"Sister, you must have just arrived in Yingcheng not long ago, right?" The girl took advantage of the fact that there were no customers and chatted with Shen Yizi.
"How did you tell?" Shen Yizhi asked her if her outsider's features were so obvious.
The girl pointed at Shen Yizhi and said, "Sister, you are dressed too tightly."
Shen Yizi couldn't help but laugh. He never expected that one day he would be accused by the ancients of being too dressed.
In fact, the clothes she was wearing were robes embroidered with dust-repelling and cooling talismans. Even with long sleeves and a long skirt, she was not hot. However, outsiders did not know this, especially to the people of Yingcheng who showed their arms and legs, she was dressed very conservatively and it was obvious that she was from another place.
"By the way, I want to ask you something."
"Just say it, sister."
"Do you know where the Tang family is?"
Judging from the news passed to her by Manfuju, the Tang family is quite famous in Yingcheng and should not be difficult to find.
The girl pursed her lips and said, "Go to the end of this street, turn east, and walk a little further to find the Tang family. His house takes up most of the street, so it's easy to find."
Shen Yizhi noticed that the girl looked unhappy when she mentioned the Tang family, as if she had some disputes with the Tang family.
Just at this time, the girl's younger brother Acheng came back with the money, and she gave her the change.
The next morning, after washing up and having breakfast, Shen Yizi went to Tang's house.
Dozens of tables were set up in the alley outside the Tang family's side door. Dishes were served one after another and were presented again immediately after the meal was finished.
No matter who comes, they can just say "I wish the old birthday star good fortune as vast as the east sea and longevity as long as the pine and crane" and then sit down to eat.
It turned out that the Tang family was holding a celebration for the old lady's 60th birthday. There were formally invited guests inside, and a buffet was held outside.
"The old lady is so kind that she even remembers us poor people when she celebrates her birthday."
"Who says she isn't? The old lady is a living Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering. She used her own dowry to build bridges and roads and set up schools. If anyone has a problem, they can come to the old lady and she will definitely solve it."
"The old lady also donates a lot of money to Lingguang Temple every year, so that the monks in the temple can provide porridge and clothes..."
Shen Yizhizi raised his eyebrows slightly after hearing these people's comments on the old lady of the Tang family. In the minds of these people, the old lady was like a great kind person.
Xie Wanxiang appeared from the Nightmare Pearl, made a fierce "Puh" sound, and her whole body was filled with a cold and eerie aura.
"Xie Wanlin was so cruel as to kill even my own sister for a man. Is she kind-hearted? This is really funny. Hahahaha..."
Her laughter was filled with sadness.
Shen Yizi had been observing outside the door for a while. Every guest who entered through the main gate handed over a name card, and the people in the Tang Mansion would add the name of the gift giver when they sang the ceremony.
For example, "Zhang Youxian from Zhang's grain shop in the east of the city gave me a piece of Tianxiang brocade."
Shen Yizi thought about it and made himself a business card. As for the gift, he could just pick a jade pendant from the space.
After finishing, Shen Yizhi cast an illusion on himself and transformed himself into a handsome young man. He walked to the gate of Tang Mansion and handed over his business card.
The person who sang the ceremony took it and said, "Shen Jiaming from the Shen's Clinic in the south of the city sent me a mutton-fat jade pendant."
After Shen Yizi went in, he realized when a Shen’s Clinic opened in the city.
However, because there were so many people coming to celebrate his birthday, he didn't have time to think about it. The next person came up and he quickly forgot about the question.
After Shen Yizi entered, a servant led her to the banquet.
Xie Wanxiang tried to rush in several times, but was held back by her.
"Be patient, now is not the time to confront Xie Wanlin."
The banquet was divided into male and female guests, with the male guests in the outer courtyard and the female guests in the inner courtyard. After Shen Yizi sat down, he found that he could not see the old lady at all. He found an excuse to go to the toilet to slip out, changed back into a female body, and leisurely went to the backyard.
In the flower hall, the old lady was surrounded by a group of people. Listening to the flattery and jokes from the people below, she smiled politely.