Lu Song tensed up and immediately stepped in front of Da Wa.
The three Lu brothers also knew that this was not a good time to reunite with their relatives. The current predicament had not yet been resolved, and they could not let the two children get hurt!
The eldest son of the Lu family stepped forward, assumed a fighting stance, and roared, "You dare call me 'master'? The reason I didn't want to start a fight earlier wasn't because I was afraid of you! Our family's affairs have nothing to do with this young master!"
Don't blame the Lu family for not recognizing Da Wa. Putting everything else aside, just look at his height—he's grown considerably taller in the last six months, his face is fairer, and although his clothes aren't silk, they're still fine lake-blue cotton that most people couldn't afford. Plus, with the tavern opening today, and him wearing a long robe and having his hair tied up, he doesn't look like a rich family's young master, but he's definitely a well-to-do young man—completely different from the country boy they remembered!
Da Wa was not angry. He glanced at Qin San Niang and Gu Qingshan in the crowd, and the latter two nodded to him.
Da Wa felt more confident. He patted Lu Song on the shoulder to signal him to relax, then walked behind him and solemnly said to the pimps, "Your Jieyufang have gathered a crowd to cause trouble, blocking our way and delaying important matters. What? Do you own this road?"
The pimp had assumed the two youths were just being impetuous, acting out of youthful arrogance and a sense of injustice, but he never expected their reason to be like this! Looking around, the entire area was filled with onlookers, indeed blocking the main road in front of the gate, a road essential for leaving the city…
That makes sense, doesn't it?
Zhao Ziliang's servant thought to himself, "Isn't this the young master of Ruyi Cake Shop?"
Although Da Wa doesn't often show his face in public, he inevitably appears frequently at Ruyi Cake Shop because of his business selling jam and dried fruit.
The girls in Jieyufang often sent their male servants to buy rare items like double-skin milk and fruit juice, so they had naturally seen Da Wa before. With a little inquiry, it wasn't hard to find out that this handsome young man was the shop's young owner.
The pimp quickly approached the foreman and whispered something. The foreman frowned, then quickly realized what was happening, his expression changing to one of surprise. He smiled and said, "Oh dear, it's the young master of Ruyi Cake Shop. We apologize for blocking your way! I'll have someone clear the way for you right away!"
After saying that, the pimps ignored the Lu family and began to drive away the crowd of onlookers!
Seeing the spectacle, the crowd couldn't bear to watch any longer, and not wanting to actually get their hands dirty with the pimp's sticks, they gradually dispersed in twos and threes. As for those with particularly strong curiosity, they retreated to the roadside a few feet away, sat on the curb, and waited to see how things would turn out.
Most people had no hope! No matter how rich the young man was, he wouldn't possibly help a complete stranger like that girl, would he? That was twenty taels of silver!
The madam stopped a short distance away. As soon as Da Wa spoke, she knew things were bad. A glance at Da Wa's clothes told her that this young man was no ordinary person. She recognized the fabric; it wasn't ordinary cotton but fine cotton embroidered with subtle patterns.
Nowadays, there are regulations prohibiting merchants from wearing silk. However, due to the current war, many rules are no longer followed. Nevertheless, many low-key large merchants still carefully observe the rules. Their favorite material is this kind of "floating cloud cotton," which is understated, comfortable, and has a crisp texture.
This fabric was a housewarming gift from Sili Ren to Qin San Niang. She didn't know the name of this cotton cloth, but thought it was a good cotton cloth, so she used it to make several sets of clothes for her family. They were soft and stylish, and she was even thinking of going to the fabric store to buy a few more bolts!
There is a rule in every era that "respects clothes before respects people," so we also teach our children to be presentable when going out. Although we can't wear silk at home, we will design our own cotton clothes by hand, making clothes that fit each person's body shape!
Therefore, although the Qin family's clothes look similar to what people wear nowadays, they are superior in terms of details and design.
The maid behind the madam recognized Da Wa and knew that the owner of Ruyi Cake Shop also ran a tavern. She had never seen such a bustling scene at the opening of the tavern before, even though she had been in the county town for so long! So she said, "Madam, this young master is the young owner of Ruyi Cake Shop. The Ruyi Tavern, which is so popular today, is also owned by his family."
Maids are the personal maids of the madam. They don't have to work as hard as the girls. Although they are not particularly beautiful, they are trusted by the madam.
Upon hearing this, the madam couldn't hide her surprise. She hadn't expected this young man to be so influential! Her Jieyufang was a place where information was readily available, so she naturally knew about the relationship between Ruyi Cake Shop and the county magistrate's wife. No matter what the owner's background was, he was someone she couldn't afford to offend!
The madam's face immediately lit up with a smile. Holding an embroidered handkerchief, she swayed her hips as she walked up to Da Wa'er, covering her mouth with a laugh. "Oh my, what a handsome young man! Which girl are you looking for at our Jieyufang today? If so, my daughters will be fighting tooth and nail for her!"
Upon hearing this, Da Wa's ears turned bright red. Although he was unmarried, he was still a young man of marriageable age and understood the madam's meaning. However, considering only his purpose, he pretended to remain calm and continued to deal with her.
"Madam, may I speak with you in private?" Da Wa was certain that the madam already knew his identity. Twenty taels of silver, while not a small sum for him now, was something he could afford. However, he had a more suitable method and did not intend to use his own private savings.
The madam waved her embroidered handkerchief, and a faint fragrance of epiphyllum wafted over, almost making Da Wa cover his nose. Seeing his expression, the madam knew that this young man was probably a virgin, and couldn't help but smile. If he weren't from a wealthy family, she would have taken him under her wing. Her Jieyufang not only had beautiful and talented Jieyuhua, but also dashing young male prostitutes, although such handsome ones were rare.
“Alright, since the young master has invited me, how could I refuse?” With that, she smiled and followed the eldest child to the doorpost.
Seeing the madam's reaction, the pimps stopped attacking, and the tense standoff between them and the Lu family eased somewhat.
Lu Dingtian walked up to his grandson, looking him up and down excitedly, his lips moving as he nodded repeatedly. Lu Song's eyes were also red as he gestured to his grandfather not to worry.
The Lu family members finally got a good look at him. The child had grown taller and fatter, and the childishness on his face was gone. He looked very healthy, and his clothes were the same as the young master's, made of fine cotton, only the color was different. He seemed to be doing quite well.
Zhang finally realized that the person in front of her was her son! As a mother, she wanted to rush forward and hug her son and cry her heart out, but her mother-in-law and second sister-in-law held her back. Yes, her son was still waiting for the young master to rescue him, and now was not the right time to recognize his relatives. That would only make things more chaotic.
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