Chapter 38 (Second Update) "Majestic"
Chapter 38 "Majestic"
Huzhen, as its name suggests, is nestled against Guishan Lake. It boasts both mountains and water, and is a picturesque place.
Unlike Carp Town, which rose to prominence by staging fish accidents and using a notorious villain, Lake Town is truly built around and thrives by the lake.
Actually, judging from the name, Carp Town used to be the same as Lake Town.
These are all towns surrounding Guishan Lake.
Carp Town used to be famous for its abundant carp, but it gradually abandoned this industry and focused on swindling and cheating. Lake Town, on the other hand, is famous for its perch, mandarin fish, and lotus root, among other things. Visiting Lake Town this season is perfect for preparing a fish and lotus root feast.
During this trip to Qingyun Mountain Villa, including the round trip, I noticed that Bazhenlou Restaurant hadn't been open for business for about half a month. Being in a place like Huzhen was a good opportunity to do some serious shopping.
Around dusk, the carriage from Bazhenlou arrived at Huzhen.
Lake Town is much larger than Carp Town. When the carriage entered the town, it was just as every household was beginning to light lamps under their eaves.
It was better to keep the Bazhenlou restaurant, pulled by eight horses, in a wooden box; it would be too conspicuous to just walk into the town like that.
Bazhenlou does not operate in towns. Even if they stay overnight in a town, they will still open for business outside the town to avoid conflict with restaurants and eateries in different towns.
Originally, there were very few martial arts figures who could be served every day. When many people were suddenly surprised to find the Eight Treasures Pavilion, only to discover that there was no "Open for Business" sign, they could only shake their heads and sigh.
At that moment, many people watched as eight horses pulled a carriage and several wooden crates, including a huge one, entered the town. Many stopped to watch, pointing and whispering amongst themselves, wondering what was inside the crates.
In such a small town, whether the Eight Treasures Pavilion is closed or not, it is indeed too conspicuous.
Sure enough, a seasoned swordsman recognized it, exclaiming, "This is... isn't this... what?!"
"Eight Treasures Pavilion!!"
Wow!
"It really is the Eight Treasures Pavilion!"
To my surprise, I stumbled upon Bazhenlou in this unassuming town!
The martial arts practitioners along the way were very excited, as if they had encountered several martial arts masters on their journey and had agreed to a duel. No one was willing to leave.
So they followed the restaurant for several streets, but they never saw Bazhenlou stop or set up its building.
Bai Cen lifted the curtain and entered the carriage, whispering to Wang Sumo inside, "They've been following us for several streets, and they're still following us!"
Wang Sumo was still huddled in a corner, engrossed in reading the "Eight Treasures Restaurant Cookbook" she had bought at the "Eight Treasures Restaurant" in Carp Town. Good heavens, it was quite impressive, complete with a storyline, and as exaggerated as it could get. She loved watching a spectacle, and once she started reading, she couldn't stop.
What if they disagreed and a spoonful of hot soup was thrown out? The thousands of pursuing troops were all scalded by the hot soup and were defeated one after another.
With a flick of the ladle, the crucian carp in the pot swung its tail, stunning all the martial arts masters in the row!
Wang Sumo had been laughing the whole way with this ridiculous plot.
The action is at its most intense right now, with the protagonist cooking and fighting enemies at the same time!
Bai Cen suddenly spoke up. Wang Sumo, still lost in her silly grin, looked up at Bai Cen with a grin and asked, "Hmm?"
I clearly didn't hear anything, but I certainly enjoyed watching it.
Bai Cen wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he stepped forward and asked, "Master, what book are you reading that's so interesting?"
Wang Sumo generously replied, "Here you are, the 'Eight Treasures Restaurant Cookbook'."
Bai Cen: ? ? ?
It's the first time I've seen someone look at their own family's recipe so intently; it's funny, and they even laughed out loud.
Seeing Bai Cen's appearance, Wang Sumo truthfully said, "I bought the 'Eight Treasures Restaurant Cookbook' at the Bazheng Restaurant in Carp Town. I didn't have time the past two days, but I spent the whole day looking at it today. It's quite good!"
Isn't that piracy?
To everyone's surprise, Wang Sumo burst out laughing again, "The protagonist just strangled the villain with a spinach leaf. As the villain struggled in his death throes, he said, 'You really are vicious. You added so much salt just to rub salt into his wounds...'"
Wang Sumo laughed so hard that tears almost came out.
Bai Cen had a headache.
This is a pirated copy of the "Eight Treasures Restaurant Cookbook"...
But when he heard the name "spinach," he couldn't help but swallow.
Then he reached out and clenched his fingertips, and sure enough, his internal energy was still leaking away bit by bit, leaving him with little strength.
Another year has passed.
"What did you just say?" Wang Sumo asked, remembering what he had just said.
Bai Cen said, "Eight Treasures Pavilion is still too conspicuous when it's closed. Several martial arts practitioners have been following us for several streets and show no sign of stopping. Old Qu asked me to come and ask whether we should stay in Lake Town tonight or go out of town?"
The old man probably doesn't like being stared at.
Wang Sumo reached out and slightly lifted a crack in the wall to peek outside.
There were indeed a few people following, but they weren't all dressed in uniform.
They are not members of any unified martial arts sect, but rather freelance martial arts practitioners.
His expression was slightly lazy, but he still had a kind smile on his face. He probably just didn't expect to encounter Bazhenlou here. He felt very friendly and curious, so he followed them to see if they would raise Bazhenlou somewhere.
Wang Sumo glanced at it a few times, then lowered his fingertips slightly. "They must have found Bazhenlou unusual, so they came to take a look. If they don't see Bazhenlou open for business soon, they'll close down. Don't worry about them. Just tell the old man that we'll stay in town tonight to rest and then go shopping later. We'll reopen for business tomorrow after we leave the lake town."
"Alright, boss." Bai Cen lifted the curtain and went out.
Wang Sumo continued to look down at the "Eight Treasures Restaurant Cookbook" with great interest. Although the story was absurd, it was quite interesting.
Aside from being completely out of place with Bazhenlou, everything else is fine.
Later, the carriage slowly came to a stop; we had arrived at our lodgings. In larger cities, it was fine, but in a small town like Huzhen, Bazhenlou stood out quite a bit, so people generally didn't stay in inns in the town, but rather in private courtyards.
It's safe to leave the Bazhenlou restaurant and the carriage in the courtyard, where you can rest comfortably and even boil some hot water for a bath.
Once inside the courtyard, Lao Qu immediately immersed himself in feeding the horses, watering them, and boiling water. Old Master He helped Lao Qu with his work. Although the two would often bicker after just a few words, they actually had a tacit understanding. Despite their arguments, they could still get things done.
The two old men were busy in the yard while Wang Sumo and Bai Cen went to the market to buy things.
As dusk approached, most of the stalls in the market and on the streets had not yet closed.
Sea bass and mandarin fish are in season, and many vendors are selling them. Wang Sumo found a vendor with lively fish and bought two or three of each. He would keep them in a large bamboo basket overnight so he could kill them when he cooked them the next day.
Bai Cen now understood why his employer had asked him to bring a wheelbarrow when he came out.
A whole bamboo basket of fish, along with two live chickens and a live duck—the live animals alone filled more than half of the wheelbarrow. This was despite the weather having cooled down; fresh pork, beef, and mutton still couldn't be kept overnight, so he would have to come back to buy more early the next morning before leaving the lake town.
We need to replenish the seasonings and spices at Bazhenlou.
You absolutely must get two big bundles of lotus root from Huzhen. You can use it to make soup, braise it with pork ribs, or stir-fry it. Lotus root is in season right now, and it tastes delicious no matter how you cook it.
Like pork, beef, and mutton, vegetables can be left until tomorrow morning.
But you can take your time to pick out some good mushrooms tonight.
Wang Sumo haggled over the price, and those around her, seeing the wheelbarrow following behind her, knew she was a big buyer and gave her the best goods.
Those large clusters of mushrooms smelled delicious.
Also, eggs and rice are needed, as all the food in Bazhenlou is gone, so we need to stock up.
Also, prepare some salted duck eggs, which the old man likes to eat with his porridge in the morning.
They walked and bought things along the way, and Bai Cen felt like he had never stopped. Miss Wang kept buying and buying, and all he did was push and push along and take what the vendors gave him. He had to figure out how to put everything neatly in the cart, otherwise even the biggest wheelbarrow wouldn't be able to hold it all.
As Ms. Wang kept buying, he kept arranging the items. Before he knew it, by the time Ms. Wang slowed down her shopping pace, he had already filled a whole cart.
This is all under the condition that the chickens and ducks cooperated perfectly and didn't cause any trouble; otherwise, the wheelbarrow would have been overflowing long ago. Considering that Bazhenlou is essentially a mobile two-story restaurant, the food they prepared when they officially opened for business certainly wouldn't have been of high quality.
At the very end, when Wang Sumo asked for another large bag of flour, Bai Cen was speechless.
In the end, he carried the flour away on his back.
He couldn't very well put such a large bag of flour, weighing about ten kilograms, on top of those chickens and ducks, nor could he let them lie on the flour. So he had to carry it himself.
When Wang Sumo finished buying the steamed buns and turned around, she saw that Bai Cen had already carried a load of flour. Wang Sumo was startled and asked, "Did you buy so much stuff?"
Bai Cen sighed softly, "Master, is there anything else you want to buy? If so, how about I send it back first, and you can look around the neighborhood?"
“That works too, and there’s some fruit as well,” Bai Sumo replied truthfully.
"Alright, stay in this area and don't go too far. I'll come find you." After saying that, Bai Cen pushed the wheelbarrow with one hand and carried the flour with the other towards the rented courtyard.
Wang Sumo blinked; it was the first time she had ever seen anyone push a wheelbarrow so steadily and smoothly with one hand.
You can't judge a book by its cover; Bai Cen was playing dumb to outsmart others.
Wang Sumo took a big bite of the steamed bun, pretending not to notice.
It would take him a while to get back, so she wasn't in a hurry and waited patiently for him to come before picking out more fruit.
After dusk, the streets of Huzhen transform into a night market.
Although it's not as lively as Carp Town at night, the night market still has plenty of snacks.
Wang Sumo tried all the ones that interested her.
A chef can't just enjoy eating the dishes he makes; people's palates need to be refreshed with new tastes, and this is especially true for chefs.
Wang Sumo picked out a few snacks that she thought were delicious and easy to digest to take back to fetch for the old man and Master He.
Before long, Bai Cen hurriedly returned, still pushing a wheelbarrow.
Pears and dates are in season at the end of August and the beginning of September.
It's perfect as a dessert fruit.
There are also pomegranates, which the old man likes.
"Xiaobai, what kind of fruit do you like to eat?" Wang Sumo asked.
Bai Cen: ? ? ?
He suddenly realized that Wang Sumo was calling him.
When did he become a newbie?
Wang Sumo seemed to see his confusion and was also surprised, "When have you ever not been like that? I've heard Master He calling you all day today."
Bai Cen got a headache at this point. The old man kept calling him "brat" and "brat." He tried to persuade him, "Old man, how about we use a more affectionate way to address him?"
The old man persisted, saying, "You brat!"
He: ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh
Finally, it was Master He who came to the rescue, saying, "Little Bai, come and lend a hand."
"Hey, I'm here!" That's how he answered, which was probably overheard by the employer.
He is, after all,...
Bai Cen sighed softly, "Fine, whatever the employer wants to call him, he'll call him that. If he's going to freeload, he should be prepared to freeload."
Wang Sumo smiled.
"Wow, grapes!" Bai Cen actually stopped this time, unable to look away from the grape stall. "These grapes look sweet and sour, with a bright color and a crystal-clear appearance. They must be delicious."
"Buy!" Wang Sumo said to the vendor, "I'll take all the grapes here."
The vendor was shocked. "Young lady, these grapes aren't cheap."
Wang Sumo took out a silver ingot from his pocket, and the merchants immediately wrapped it up for him.
"Master, there's so much, can we finish it all?" Bai Cen asked in surprise.
"Have you ever eaten candied hawthorn made from grapes?" Wang Sumo asked happily.
Bai Cen: (⊙o⊙)…What is that?
"Buy some bamboo skewers, we'll skewer candied hawthorns tomorrow~" Wang Sumo seemed to be most satisfied with this pile of grapes today. She just took a bite, and it was sweet and sour, not exactly standard, but a pleasant surprise.
Bai Cen pushed a cart full of fruit, along with several quilts, mattresses, and pillows.
Suddenly there were two more people at Bazhenlou. Before, it was just her and the old man. Suddenly, the number doubled. These things were definitely not enough, so they simply bought everything.
Bai Cen picked out two simple outfits for himself and didn't buy anything else.
"A miser?" Wang Sumo asked deliberately, since she had clearly advanced him a month's salary. Bai Cen clutched his money bag tightly. "Money should be used wisely. Being a little miserly is fine."
Wang Sumo found it both amusing and exasperating.
Some people are even more greedy than He Qingque!
He Qingque would take out her own savings for food, while Bai Cen was simply the epitome of a stingy miser.
Wang Sumo remembered the pancake she had at the dock.
The moment the dog dropped the food and carried it away, she clearly saw not only "the sky has fallen" in Bai Cen's eyes, but also the thought, "If I chase after it now, can I still get the unfinished biscuit back from its mouth?"
There's no other way.
But since they had bought almost everything they needed on this trip, Wang Sumo counted the items, and the two returned to the courtyard.
Bai Cen pushed the wheelbarrow, but this time it wasn't full. Wang Sumo jumped on and sat on it, filling the wheelbarrow to the brim.
Bai Cen: "..."
Bai Cen wanted to remind her that this place was just where chickens, ducks, and fish were being prepared for slaughter, but Wang Sumo probably wouldn't mind.
Just as they were about to leave the night market, they heard a series of "howling" and "whimpering" sounds. Seeing a crowd gathered in front of them, Wang Sumo and Bai Cen were both stunned for a moment, then looked at each other knowingly. Wang Sumo got off the unicycle and smoothly squeezed into the crowd.
Bai Cen waited for her outside the crowd, pushing a wheelbarrow.
Along the way, he also realized that whenever there was a commotion, the host would go to watch, preferably in a crowd three or four layers deep, sometimes completely forgetting what he was doing.
Soon, when Wang Sumo emerged from the crowd, Huanxi waved to him.
He had a bad feeling about it.
Sure enough, Wang Sumo was holding a small black dog in his arms.
Bai Cen was dumbfounded. He'd come back with a dog after watching the commotion?!
Wang Sumo, carrying the dog, jumped onto the wheelbarrow and said as she walked, "It's a long story~"
Bai Cen was annoyed. He had only squeezed in to watch the excitement for a few minutes, so how could there be a "long story"?
"To make a long story short," Wang Sumo said, holding the puppy and sighing, "Its owner sold himself to pay for his father's funeral, but the wealthy family that wanted to buy it didn't want the dog, so the owner had no choice but to sell it."
Bai Cen was listening, but the story came to an abrupt end.
Bai Cen was annoyed. "And then?"
Wang Sumo blinked, looking at him in surprise, "And then, isn't it obvious? I bought it."
Bai Cen was speechless. "Then its owner has probably been selling himself into servitude to bury his father for days, and has sold quite a few dogs!"
Wang Sumo was stunned: (⊙o⊙)…
Wang Sumo: "Is that so?"
Before Bai Cen could speak, he saw a little boy in front of him holding a small black dog, telling his father, "Its owner sold himself to bury his father, but the wealthy family that wanted to buy it didn't want the dog, so its owner had no choice but to sell it..."
Wang Sumo: →_→
Bai Cen: ←_←
Even so, Wang Sumo still picked up the puppy and lifted it high, saying, "Don't worry, heroes don't ask about origins, we will definitely grow into a mighty watchdog!"
Then, when "Weiwu" learned that he would be a doorman in the future, he was so scared that he peed his pants.
Wang Sumo: "..."
Bai Cengguang was watching Wang Sumo and "Weiwu" when, without paying attention, he accidentally bumped into someone coming from the left while pushing his wheelbarrow. The impact wasn't serious, but the whole wheelbarrow suddenly stopped, and Wang Sumo himself was thrown forward. He also lost his grip on "Weiwu," and it flew out of his hand.
Oh no! Just as Bai Cen was about to put down the wheelbarrow to catch "Weiwu", a purple figure grabbed it.
Bai Cen recognized him; it was the person who had been accidentally knocked down while pushing the cart earlier.
The man took the black puppy "Weiwu" and stood firmly, then turned to look at Wang Sumo and Bai Cen.
"Brother, I'm so sorry, I really didn't notice just now, I'm very sorry for offending you. Also, thank you for catching our master's dog." Bai Cen thanked him first.
Zhao Tong glanced at him and Wang Sumo again, then looked at the sticky thing in his hand with disgust, and without saying a word, threw it to Wang Sumo. Luckily, Wang Sumo caught it, otherwise "Weiwu" would have been smashed.
This person...
Friendly, yet not so friendly.
"Weiwu" was terrified and stayed in Wang Sumo's arms, not daring to move. Bai Cen continued pushing the wheelbarrow forward while turning his head to look at the middle-aged man in purple clothes from before.
The opponent was incredibly fast, and that speed was accompanied by ruthless decisiveness.
Bai Cen didn't know who he was either.
When you're traveling the world, you're bound to encounter some reclusive masters, or even someone right in front of you whose identity you can't guess...
Bai Cen didn't look at it any further.
When Bai Cen turned around, Zhao Tong also turned around and glanced at him and Wang Sumo on the unicycle. He then frowned slightly and looked at his own hand with disgust—he hated dogs the most!
Just now, I inexplicably reached out and caught that dog.
A ruthless glint flashed in Zhao Tong's eyes.
*
Back in the courtyard, Wang Sumo excitedly announced that she had bought a watchdog.
Old Master Qu and Master He both came to see the "watchdog" of Bazhenlou. When they saw the little puppy in Wang Sumo's arms that didn't even have teeth yet, Old Master Qu's jaw almost dropped.
A watchdog, is that all?
My teeth haven't grown in yet!
After the old man finally managed to get his chin back, the promised "big smart dog" turned into a "little puppy," and its neck isn't even as thick as his fist. How long will it take to raise it?
But Master He really liked it and directly filled a bowl with water to feed it.
The little guy must have been very thirsty. When Master He gave it water, it rolled its tongue around the water and slurped it into its mouth.
Such a tiny puppy can't even finish a bowl of water.
But after drinking the water and feeling satisfied, after a whole day of exhaustion and anxiety, she finally calmed down. She walked around Wang Sumo and the others, sniffing and sticking to them, while looking around. Before long, she was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Even in their sleep, they curl themselves up, finding it comfortable and reassuring.
It was quite dark-skinned, but it looked really cute.
Especially when they are curled up and asleep.
"It's getting cold, we need to make it a nest, it gets cold at night." After all, he had raised free-range chickens before, and Grandpa He's attention to "Weiwu" was very thorough.
"What if it wakes up in the middle of the night, wanders around the yard, and falls into the ditch or something?" Although Lao Qu didn't seem to like the other person very much, there was clearly some awkward concern in his tone.
“We need to add a cage. Puppies feel safer when kept in a cage. They’ll grow out of it in a couple of months.” After Bai Cen finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that three pairs of eyes were staring at him from across the room.
Bai Cen was startled.
Wang Sumo sighed softly, "That makes sense. Xiaobai, you're in charge of finding it a cage."
Bai Cen: "..."
Serves you right for being so talkative!
"What's the little guy's name?" Old Master He asked.
"Weiwu." Wang Sumo reached out and grasped its hand, saying solemnly, "Weiwu, welcome to the Eight Treasures Pavilion. From now on, you will also be a member of the Eight Treasures Pavilion. Once your teeth have all grown in, you will officially begin to fulfill your duty of guarding the gate."
Starting with Wang Sumo, everyone takes turns shaking hands with it as a welcoming ceremony.
"Weiwu" looked completely bewildered.
After the welcoming ceremony, Bai Cen simply carried "Weiwu" back to his room. He was only going to spend the night there anyway. He was leaving the next morning, and it was too late to look for a cage that night.
Locking him up in the house is the same as putting him in a cage. I'll go to the morning market tomorrow and see if there are any cages available.
However, Bai Cen felt that it had been a long time since she had slept so peacefully in such a comfortable place.
Although I was still holding that black "Weiwu" in my arms, it seemed quite comfortable to sleep with such a furry thing occasionally.
*
Next door, Wang Sumo took a relaxing bath.
While taking a bath, I finished reading the rest of the "Eight Treasures Restaurant Cookbook" in one go. But when I got to the last few words "To be continued," I suddenly broke down. The Eight Treasures Restaurant was gone. Where could I find the sequel?
It's all Zhao Tong's fault!
*
"Achoo!" Zhao Tong sneezed in the suburbs.
"Amitabha." Deyuan put his hands together. "Benefactor Zhao, you've been sneezing all night."
Zhao Tong retorted, "Why do you monks have so many trivial matters to worry about?"
Deyuan sighed softly, "Benefactor Zhao, your sneezing is so loud that this old monk really can't sleep."
Zhao Tong rolled over, but he was really trying his best to hold back his sneeze.
But behind him came Deyuan's voice, "Benefactor Zhao, please leave this old monk in Huzhen tomorrow. Huzhen is like half of my hometown. Before I pass away, I want to go back to Huzhen for a visit."
Zhao Tong thought for a moment, then replied in a deep voice, "Nirvana my ass."
[Author's Note]
This chapter also includes 100 red envelopes, which will be distributed together at noon tomorrow.
Goodnight~ [clasped hands]
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