The father-in-law had already made two large basins of lotus root candy. The youngest son carried them onto the donkey cart, and Yunling, Tangling, and Gangzi also quickly got into the carriage and headed to town together.
"Brothers, is this how you all work every day?"
“Yes, I go into town every morning, go back up the mountain, come down the mountain and cook with Grandma, then go back into town to sell my wares and go home for dinner.”
"Does the young man know where in this town one can write a letter to Pingcheng?"
The youngest son scratched his head, intending to say he didn't know, but then he thought of a possible solution and said:
“Since you came by ship, the merchants in this town must have correspondence with other places. Why don’t you go and ask those merchants? Perhaps they have a solution.”
Yunling suddenly had a flash of inspiration and realized that the man was right. She looked around, her gaze passing over the smaller shops, and finally landing on "Su Niao Zhai" not far away. The name was elegant, but it didn't quite fit the small town.
Just as she was wondering why the shop owner would open a shop in town, she saw the words "branch shop" engraved under the signboard, and her doubts lessened.
"Brother, let us drop you off up ahead."
"Okay, I'll come find you after I sell the lotus root candy. Grandma and Grandpa will save some food for us, so we can eat it when we get back."
Yunling originally wanted to say that there was no need to be so polite, but then she thought about it again. Before she left, she had not told the old woman that she did not need to cook for them. If she cooked for them, they would not eat, which would be a waste. Besides, what if the two old people were looking forward to their return home for dinner, but they did not eat? Wouldn't that be a disappointment?
Yunling then thought of Zhang Shi, who must be heartbroken that no one ate the food she cooked, so she nodded in response:
"Alright, go ahead, sir."
The youngest son nodded and drove the donkey cart in the other direction. As soon as he left, Gangzi's grumbling followed by his mournful fart went out.
Yunling and Tangling immediately covered their noses and moved ten meters away from him, afraid of being tainted by his foul air.
Gangzi smiled, and after the smell dissipated, he wiggled his bottom and then happily ran forward.
"Grandma, you shouldn't have moved into his house in the first place. It was so awkward and embarrassing. I didn't dare to say a word, for fear of being seen as all talk and no action, and even my farts smelled worse than others."
Yunling laughed heartily. Gangzi's words were inherently humorous, and since he had perfectly captured her feelings, she was even more delighted.
"So you mean you don't want to live in my house either, to avoid feeling awkward and embarrassed, and not daring to utter a single word?"
"What...is that???"
Gangzi was so excited he was practically jumping for joy. His usually quick wit suddenly became stammering. He looked at Yunling's profile, growing increasingly shy. Suddenly, he didn't know where the courage came from, but he put his arm around Yunling's shoulder and pulled her into his arms.
“Grandma, from now on I will definitely treat my aunt as my own mother and my uncle as my own father. I will take good care of them and help the Yun family to have more children as soon as possible.”
Yunling poked his lower back with her elbow, causing him to immediately let go in pain.
"I treat you like a brother, but you treat me like your wife?"
"Brother? You mean you want me to move into your house?"
"Otherwise what?"
Tang Ling breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know why she was nervous when Yun Ling said that Gangzi should move into her house. What had just happened had really frightened her.
“When we first returned to Qingcheng, I thought you were a good person and I was thinking of telling the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) that you should come live with me. But I thought that our home was not very big, so I kept that to myself for the time being. But this time when we went back, our home was built and there was plenty of space, so there was naturally room for you to stay.”
Gangzi clutched his aching lower back and laughed:
"My aunt spoke in a half-hearted way, making me think that I was the chosen one, standing out from all the young men to become the son-in-law of the Yun family. It made me both shy and happy, and I thought that my luck had come after I farted."
"Are you willing? Or should I discuss it with the head镖师 first?"
"What's there to discuss? From today onwards, I'm the boss, and he's the second-in-command."
Yunling could imagine Chen Jie's expression when Gangzi called him "Second Brother." With a look of schadenfreude on her mind, she continued to clarify her words.
"If you come with me, you will receive five copper coins a month, with food and lodging provided. If you take a fancy to any young lady in the future, just tell me, and I will arrange housing, dowry, and betrothal gifts for you."
Gangzi suddenly felt so light he could float, and the words he heard seemed unreal until he pinched his arm hard. He then realized it wasn't a dream, and he laughed so hard his drool almost fell off, exclaiming loudly:
"Thanks, boss!"
After speaking, the three of them headed towards "Su Niao Zhai". Upon entering, the elegant layout inside made them stop their clumsy movements, even their breathing became very light, and they dared not take heavy steps.
Because of the large screen blocking the view, Yunling didn't know what was being sold inside. She just smelled a tea aroma, and her supernatural abilities were fluctuating wildly, which was very strange. She grabbed Tang Ling and Gangzi and turned to leave.
Just as they turned around, someone emerged from behind the large screen. It was a man with a bulbous nose who asked indifferently:
"What brings you three here, and why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Yunling hesitated, and Gangzi immediately responded:
"Excuse me, I ate too much for lunch and my stomach is really upset, so I thought I'd come in and borrow a restroom. Does your establishment have one?"
"No."
"No, then we'll go somewhere else."
Gangzi quickened his pace, and the three of them slipped out the door in a flurry, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Didn't the boss say he was going to write a letter? Why is he suddenly leaving?"
Yunling's supernatural abilities returned to normal, which made her even more suspicious of the shop. However, she was out looking for money, and this was in another place, so she shouldn't meddle in other people's business.
"I felt that the shop didn't resonate with me, and I felt uncomfortable as soon as I went in, so I left."
Tang Ling nodded in agreement:
"That 'Sleeping Bird Abode' does seem a bit off. The name is too elegant. It would be normal if it were located in the city or Bianjing, but it feels a bit strange in a town..."
"Right, right? You also feel something's not right, don't you?"
"And inside..."
They were talking in hushed tones, and the same hushed conversation was taking place on the second floor of "Su Niao Zhai," including that man with the bulbous nose from earlier.
"What are they doing here?"
"They said they had an upset stomach and wanted to borrow the outhouse."
"But they don't look like they have an upset stomach..."
"My lord, should we... take these three away..."
The man with the bulbous nose's eyes darkened, and he made a throat-slitting gesture as he spoke.
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