Chapter 109: Kui Xing Inn
Shao Chengrui pursed his lips and didn't reply.
And so, the group set off for the capital in a grand procession.
After leaving Pingyao County and passing through Zhao Family Village, Shao Chengrui saw that it was getting late and found an inn to stay at.
Jingwu alighted from the carriage and looked up at the signboard: "Kui Xing Inn?"
"Yes, this place was originally called Zhao Family Inn. Later, it was said that the candidates who stayed here on their way to the capital for the imperial examinations all passed the exams, so it was renamed Kui Xing Inn."
As Shao Chengrui took the luggage down, he explained with a smile.
Jingwu raised an eyebrow as he looked at the bustling business inside, with many scholars.
Just as she was about to go in, she heard Yan Shengming speak from the side.
"Master, this female shopkeeper has a rather scandalous past, do you want to..."
"Brother Shengming, Awu is still young, don't tell her everything." Upon hearing this, Shao Chengrui immediately walked over and gestured for him not to say anything.
Receiving that look, Yan Shengming had no choice but to give up and buried himself in carrying his luggage inside.
Jingwu's curiosity was piqued halfway through the conversation, but once she stepped into the inn and saw the female innkeeper's face, she instantly understood.
The marital palace (the area between the eyebrows) is sunken and lifeless, indicating the husband's death. The eyebrows are scattered and disordered like a broom, clearly indicating another lover.
Jingwu sat down at the table, his eyes following her as she finished serving the dishes, walked behind the counter, and acted intimately with the accountant, his gaze full of affection.
She immediately guessed that the accountant was her lover.
Just as she was about to look away, she sensed the chaotic aura around the two of them and immediately sat up straight, starting to calculate.
Yue Huai clearly noticed the two of them as well, and then did some calculations.
Just then, the female shopkeeper stepped forward to greet them.
"Gentlemen, would you like something to eat?" Fang Yushu asked with a smile, wiping the table a few times with a rag. "Our chef is a famous chef from Yangzhou. I can tell you gentlemen have a scholarly air about you; you must be on your way to the capital for the imperial examinations."
“Yes, we’re all going to the capital to take the imperial examination.” Yan Shengming picked up a cup of tea and took a couple of sips.
"Oh my, what a coincidence! Our chef's specialty is a dish called 'Top Scholar's Soup.' Would you like to try some?"
Fang Yushu asked tentatively with a smile on her face.
"Great! Bring two bowls!" Yan Shengming patted the arm of the person next to him, leaned over and whispered, "Let's drink, we'll definitely make it onto the list."
Shao Chengrui opened his mouth but didn't refuse; after all, who would refuse a good omen?
Fang Yushu immediately wrote it down, and when she looked up, she met a pair of bright eyes, and her heart trembled subconsciously.
Then, with a smile, she asked, "Young lady, what would you like to eat?"
Jingwu tapped his fingers twice on the table, but didn't answer immediately.
Seeing that the female shopkeeper's smile was almost frozen on her face, she slowly said.
"I'd like a bowl of vinegar and pepper fish soup."
Upon hearing the name, Fang Yushu's expression stiffened for a moment, then she said, "Well, our inn doesn't have this dish. Would you like to order something else, miss?"
Jingwu looked up and stared directly into her eyes, a half-smile on his face, and said, "No? I remember eating it before."
Fang Yushu maintained her smile, but a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. She then said, "Really, no, are you mistaken, young lady? Our tofu and fish soup is quite delicious, why don't you try it?"
"Five years ago, on the Qixi Festival, at three-quarters past midnight," Jingwu said out of the blue.
Everyone was puzzled, but Fang Yushu's face turned pale instantly.
Her mind raced, and she said in a somewhat urgent voice, "What are you saying, young lady? I don't understand."
"If you've figured it out, come find me after midnight tonight." After saying this, Jingwu looked away and didn't look at her again.
Fang Yushu was momentarily at a loss for what to do.
At this moment, the boy next to him spoke up: "Bring one more."
Fang Yushu immediately agreed, breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly ordered the food for the people at the table before rushing back to the kitchen.
She patted her chest, feeling as if she had survived a disaster.
She's just a little girl, so why are her eyes so scary? How could she know about the Qixi Festival five years ago?
After Fang Yushu told the chef the names of several dishes, she stayed busy in the kitchen and did not go out again.
She immediately went to the vegetable garden next to her, picked up a hoe, and started shoveling.
Jingwu watched the waiter serve the dishes, then sat there upright without eating a single bite.
Not only her, but even Yue Huai next to her didn't touch his chopsticks.
"Awu, why aren't you eating? Is it not to your liking?" Shao Chengrui picked up a piece of fish for her, thinking that she didn't like it, so he comforted her, "The dish you mentioned, after we get to the capital, your cousin will ask around for you. You should at least eat a couple of bites now."
Seeing his cousin trying to persuade him, Jingwu picked up his chopsticks and took a few symbolic bites.
When we were almost finished eating, we heard a group of guests at the table behind us talking.
"This inn originally belonged to Fang Yushu's deceased husband. It used to be called Zhao Family Inn, and business was terrible. Few people from her own village went there to eat. Later, after her husband died, she changed the name to Kui Xing Inn, and business improved a lot."
A man was holding a wine jug, drinking and chatting with the person next to him.
"Who says otherwise? This woman is really clever. Back when she remarried with two children, everyone looked down on her." Someone next to her chimed in, "But we haven't seen those two children in a long time."
"That's right. She's making so much money that she can't even count it all. Look at all those gossipy women in the village; they all have to greet her with a smile when they see her."
Listening to the idle chatter behind him, Jingwu put down his chopsticks: "Cousin, Young Master Yan, I'm a little tired, so I'll go back to my room to rest first."
Shao Chengrui could tell that the person in front of him had something on his mind. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, but did not ask. He only said, "You must be tired from riding in the carriage today. You should get some rest."
Jingwu nodded, then turned and went upstairs to his room.
She sat on the edge of the bed, immediately reached out and did some divination, her expression gradually darkening.
The sky outside gradually darkened, and it was midnight.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, making the fallen leaves rustle loudly.
Jingwu, who was lying on the bed, sat up, walked out of the room, and set up a barrier for the two rooms next door.
Afterwards, she went back inside, stood by the window, and looked at the vegetable garden not far away.
In her eyes, under the moonlight, a figure covered in blood floated on the vegetable patch.
There was an array beneath him, continuously supplying him with yin energy.
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