Gu Yaoniang has been feeling a bit bored lately.
Gu Pingsheng spent his days studying at home, and aside from exchanging a few banter with her, they hardly ever saw each other. As a considerate and loving older sister who longed for her younger brother's success, Gu Yaoniang naturally made time for Gu Pingsheng to study diligently.
Gu Xingzhi and Qiaoniang have been much busier than usual lately. The family used to have dinner together without fail, but recently they often wait until evening, and sometimes they even send word back that they don't need to wait anymore.
Xie Danqiu is busy with the imperial examinations, Wang Zhilan is being kept at home by Madam Wang and wants to see her future in-laws, Princess Ruining is currently busy with state affairs, and Lu Zhaoan has received a new big order and is not in Shuojing.
Everything at Jin Yu Lou remained the same. No new jobs were offered, no troubles were encountered, and there wasn't much for Gu Yaoniang to worry about.
Gu Yaoniang suddenly felt a sense of idleness, as if she were just lounging at home all day.
She then began to think about returning to Qingyun County. What would her parents' expressions be if she secretly went home?
-
After lunchtime, the crowds at Jin Yu Lou thinned out. During the midday break, Yu Erniang and Gu Yaoniang chatted idly in the lobby of Jin Yu Lou.
Yu Erniang mentioned a market in the west of the city, full of novel and affordable items, especially a wide variety of unique seasonings.
“My lady, the laurel I put in the pastries the other day was bought from there.”
When talking about these things in the kitchen, Yu Erniang's expression became lively, and Gu Yaoniang's eyes lit up.
She wanted to go home to visit her parents, and she certainly wouldn't go back empty-handed. She also wanted to bring something that Qingyun County didn't have, so that her parents could also be happy.
Her favorite thing was food, and food was the first thing she thought of. After discussing it with Gu Xingzhi and Gu Pingsheng recently, she began to pack her bags to go home.
Gu Pingsheng pursed his lips and clamored that he wanted to go home together, but he also knew that he should focus all his attention on the imperial examinations, so he just said it.
After hearing about the market in the west of the city from Yu Erniang, Gu Yaoniang was quite interested. Her eyes darted around: "Sister Yu, take me to see it!"
Yu Erniang hesitated, "This...that market is a mixed bag, full of people like us, the lower classes. My lady is precious, if you want anything, I can buy it for you."
Gu Yaoniang shook her head: "I want to shop by myself. Don't worry, Sister Yu! Nothing will happen!"
She called out to Bizhu and Bishuang, who were resting nearby, and asked them to go with her to the market in the west of the city.
Yu Erniang didn't know Bizhu and Bishuang's fighting ability. No matter how you looked at them, they were just a group of weak women without even a single guard. How could she dare to take Gu Yaoniang to that market? If something happened, how could she face Gu Yaoniang?
Seeing that Gu Yaoniang was very eager and couldn't hide her desire to go to the market in the west of the city, and was looking at her pitifully with her big eyes, Yu Erniang had no choice but to agree. She thought to herself—well, well, Gu Yaoniang saved my life anyway. If there is any danger, I will stand in front of her and do my best to protect her.
When Gu Yaoniang saw that Yu Erniang had finally relented, she was so excited that she almost jumped up. She instructed Bitao to call the coachman and drive Zhaocai to the door.
Bizhu and the coachman sat on opposite sides of the front carriage, while Yu Erniang and her servant Gu Yaoniang sat together in the carriage.
The carriage that brings good fortune is wider than that of a regular carriage, and it doesn't feel crowded even with four people sitting in it.
Seeing that there was a coachman with her, Yu Erniang felt a little safer.
The carriage continued westward, and Gu Yaoniang was still asking Yu Erniang about what was available in the market there. The two were so engrossed in their conversation that even though the carriage would occasionally lurch and jerk, which was unusual for the driver, it didn't catch their attention.
Bizhu frowned: "Why is Shuojing City in such chaos these days?"
The chaos she referred to wasn't the chaos of war. Rather, it was the fact that in Shuojing City, most people were restrained by their status as residents of the capital, and while there were occasionally those who acted recklessly, most remained respectful of etiquette.
Today, however, there were many people on the road, walking aimlessly in the middle of the road, their eyes lifeless, their bodies hunched over, and they did not know to give way to the carriages, making their journey much slower than usual.
Along the roadside, two or three people sat on the ground, staring blankly at the passing pedestrians and carriages.
They didn't look like the usual people of Shuojing City. But they weren't beggars either. Their eyes were blank, but their clothes were made of comfortable materials and weren't too dirty, which didn't seem like what beggars would wear.
The coachman sighed, "It's true. I don't know where they come from, but there are so many people like them in Shuojing City now. They're supposed to be law-abiding citizens, but they wander the streets every day. I've never seen such clean-looking beggars before!"
Looking at the empty eyes of the people by the roadside, Bizhu felt a sense of unease.
But how could that be? The new policies have just been implemented, and things are getting better and better. How could so many refugees be pouring in, especially in Shuojing, the capital of the country?
-
Just as Yu Erniang had said, the market in the west of the city had a wide variety of unusual items.
The market is located in a maze of alleys in the west of the city. Unlike Le Bao Street, there are very few stalls set up on the streets; instead, the market is located in the houses within the alleys. It's not even a proper shop; it's more like local residents selling fresh goods from their homes to improve their lives.
Most of the alleys were narrow. Gu Yaoniang got out of the carriage and followed Yu Erniang to the market. Bitao looked around warily, carefully examining the market. Bizhu and Bishuang secretly clasped their hands in their sleeves, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.
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