After putting away their things, they asked for some water to wash up, sprinkled a handful of wheat on the table for Mazi to eat, and then went to the lobby on the first floor to eat.
Zhao Wu ordered a plate of braised pork head, a plate of roast pork, two vegetarian dishes, a small pot of wine and five bowls of rice.
The waiter called out the name of the dish loudly and bowed, "Sir, please wait a moment. The food and wine will be here soon."
Zhao Wu looked around, his eyes narrowed, and he turned his head towards Xu Lanyin and said in a voice that only she could hear, "Why do I feel like something is wrong here?"
Xu Lanyin's heart tightened, and she looked around the lobby seemingly unintentionally.
Including their table, there were seven tables in the hall, five of them filled entirely with men, and two with women and children. Several young beggars scurried among them, begging for money. They refused to accept the steamed buns offered by the neighboring table. Only one three-year-old, seemingly utterly starving, took the bun and quickly stuffed it into his mouth. Two of the beggars seemed mute, only able to reach out with their hands without speaking.
The waiter cursed, "Go away, go away, don't disturb the guests."
He cursed fiercely, but the beggar didn't seem to be afraid. The little beggar who had begged for a few coins ran out happily, and a new little beggar ran in.
The little beggar who was eating steamed buns also ran out. As soon as he walked out of the inn door, he was slapped to the ground by a man in his forties outside. He didn't even dare to cry out loud.
The little beggar's tangled hair hung below his ears, his face and clothes so grimy that his color was unrecognizable. He wore no shoes, revealing two small, dirty, black feet. All that was visible were his beautiful, large eyes, black and bright, with very long eyelashes. Perhaps because he was too thin, they looked even larger and rounder. At that moment, his eye sockets were filled with tears, like black glass soaked in water.
As he climbed up, his two black glasses accidentally looked towards the lobby and happened to meet Xu Lanyin's eyes. Seeing those eyes full of pity and tenderness looking at him, just like his mother looking at him, the little beggar could no longer hold back his tears and they flowed down his face like two curved "white lines".
The beggar who had just beaten him became even angrier when he saw him crying. He slapped him twice and cursed him under his breath. Then a half-grown beggar came over and dragged the little beggar away like a broom.
Xu Lanyin's heart was in turmoil. She couldn't bear to see a child being abused, especially such a young child. But she couldn't help at this moment. She had to find out the situation here first.
Also, the shopkeeper behind the counter seemed to be calculating, but he would glance at their table from time to time, and would spend a little more time on Xu Lanyin.
With Zhao Wu as a master around, Xu Lanyin was not very scared.
She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and whispered, "Don't eat the food here yet. I'm going to talk to the shopkeeper and find out what's going on."
Zhao Wu touched his nose with his hand and asked in a low voice, "Are you okay? I'll go."
"No, I'll go."
Xu Lanyin stood up, and Zhangqi wanted to follow her, but she pushed him back on the chair.
Xu Lanyin came to the counter, put her hands on it, and asked in Qin's southern accent, "Uncle, I heard that the best embroidery workshop in Feng County is Wang Sanniang's. How do I get there?"
The shopkeeper was in his forties, slightly plump, with a goatee and a stern face. He smiled and said, "Wang Sanniang's Embroidery Workshop is indeed the best in Feng County, comparable to Lanxin's in the provincial capital. It's on South Street, quite far from here. It's closed now, so why don't you go tomorrow, young lady?"
Xu Lanyin asked again with a smile, "What are the local specialties? I want to bring some back home."
The shopkeeper answered all the questions patiently, with a kind, polite and considerate expression.
I was thinking to myself, it's been ages since I've come across a beautiful little sheep like this. While not the most stunning, it's still more tempting than most. Selling such a fine item south would cost a thousand taels of silver, but it's a shame I can't open the little sheep myself for the money...
He quickly glanced at Zhao Wu's table and thought again: I'll use that skinny lamb to entertain my brothers first, then give it a mute potion and sell it in the mountains. The lamb will become mute and beg for food. As for the two rams, the older one will be mute and sold to a private mine. If only the younger one wasn't a martial artist, it would be a shame to slaughter it...
He is as vicious as a devil in heart, but looks kind on the outside.
Xu Lan was shocked, but she suppressed her panic, nausea, and disgust, and smiled, "Oh, I see. Thank you, shopkeeper."
"No thanks, no thanks." The shopkeeper smiled kindly.
Xu Lanyin returned to the table and sat down. Several dishes were already placed on the table.
She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and whispered, "Don't eat, find a way to get back to the house."
Zhao Wu nodded slightly. He generously handed a silver coin to a little beggar. The other little beggars' eyes lit up and they all ran over to him to ask for money.
Zhao Wu was annoyed and frowned, cursing, "That's all, that's all, get out."
The little beggars finally met a generous "rich man" and were unwilling to leave. Some pulled his clothes, some hugged his arms, and shouted, "Master, please have mercy on us, Master, please have mercy on us..."
Xu Lanting was so scared that he shrank into Zhao Wu's arms.
Zhao Wu said angrily, "It's so noisy. We can't eat here. Let's go back to the room and eat." As he said that, he picked up Xu Lanting and walked upstairs.
Xu Lanyin and Zhangqi followed closely behind.
Ding Gu, who was walking behind, said to the waiter, "Please bring the wine and food into our room. It's too noisy here, and my master doesn't like it."
Several people went straight into Zhao Wu's room.
The waiter brought the wine and food and left.
Zhao Wu listened to the waiter's footsteps gradually fade away before locking the door. He put his ear to the door and listened to make sure there was no one outside before quietly asking, "Is there something wrong here?"
Xu Lanyin whispered, "Well, can we check out and leave now?"
Zhao Wu said, "If something goes wrong, they might have already tampered with the mule or mule cart. Seeing that we insist on going out, they will definitely guess that we have noticed something and will not let us go easily. It's dark now, and it will be even more unpredictable if we act outside."
He wasn't afraid of those people, but he was afraid that they would hurt Xu Lanyin and her brother when he fought. It would be great if he had two more helpers.
Then he asked, "What did you find out?"
Xu Lanyin couldn't say she heard the shopkeeper's thoughts, so she said in a deep voice, "That shopkeeper is not a good person. This inn is probably a den of thieves who kill and rob. I asked him how to get to Wang Sanniang Embroidery Workshop, and he said it's three blocks west of the inn. Wang Sanniang Embroidery Workshop is clearly on South Street, next to the South City Inn where we stayed twice before. Wouldn't it be further and further away if we went west?"
She changed the shopkeeper's words.
Zhao Wu frowned and said, "He told this lie because he probably thought we wouldn't live to see tomorrow, or that we wouldn't be able to leave this inn or go to the embroidery workshop tomorrow. Those beggars seemed to be their own pets. They would take the money if they could get it, and steal if they couldn't. They even stole one of my jade pendants."
He was robbed but pretended not to notice.
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