Lu Zhen and his family sent Xu Jiang to the door and looked at her eagerly.
"I promise to come earlier next time, and you should recover sooner so that you can come to the bookstore to find me."
Lu Zhen nodded.
Wang Chan liked Xu Jiang the moment she saw her. She stuffed a purse into her hand, saying she had embroidered it herself and asked her to wear it for fun. Finally, with a blushing face, she asked her to come to the wedding banquet on the fifth day of the New Year.
"I will definitely not miss the wedding date, don't worry, sister-in-law."
Xu Jiang said goodbye to everyone and went to the street. Idle people were walking and stopping, and before they knew it, they had arrived at Zhaoxingfang.
She knocked the donkey on the head and asked, "Why are you here for no reason?"
The donkey shook its head in dissatisfaction and snorted. What did it have to do with it? It was just a donkey.
Xu Jiang looked up at the street in front of him leading to the house, then looked at the house at the end of the long street and thought of the pear tree in the house.
I heard that pears covered by snow are sweeter.
She thought of Lou Yunchun again. Although she was extremely busy these days, she had seen all his actions. She believed that food could not be eaten in vain, and love could not be accepted in vain.
Not so many things in the world are taken for granted.
Seeing that the Dali Temple should have been dismissed, she wondered if he had gone to the market again. She might as well go back and take a look before making any plans. Xu Jiang turned around and headed back, pulling the donkey, only to run into Lou Yunchun, who was riding a tall horse.
Lou Yunchun didn't expect to meet her here. He kicked his horse's belly and walked quickly to her, with a look of surprise in his eyes.
He asked in a low voice: "Didn't you go to Shoukangfang? Why are you here?"
"Have you been to the market?" I think it was Lin Hongchu who told him.
Lou Yunchun nodded and asked again: "You came to see me?"
"I was just passing by..." Xu Jiang met his expectant gaze, and for some reason, the words twisted around in her mouth, "I came by to treat you."
Lou Yunchun's eyes were dark and shiny, "Invite me?"
"I'll treat you to a meal."
"Where are you going? Back to the bookstore?"
Xu Jiang thought for a moment, "How about going to Liquanfang? A few days ago, Yilaer came to visit me in the market. Seeing that I was busy, he just left a message, inviting us to be his guests. It's better to go today than to wait for a day. Why not go today?"
"Okay." Lou Yunchun nodded, staring at her face which was reddened by the cold wind, and said, "Wait here for a moment, I'll be back soon."
"Yeah." I guess he went home to explain where he was going.
Lou Yunchun rode his horse into the back street of the house. Xu Jiang stared at his back and felt a hint of joy.
Not long after, a carriage drove out of the house. The driver was Lou Yunchun, and two servants followed behind the carriage.
Lou Yunchun stopped the carriage in front of Xu Jiang and asked her to get in.
Two servants immediately stepped forward, one leading the donkey and the other supporting the man.
Lou Yunchun said, "It's windy at night, let's go by car."
Xu Jiang got off the donkey and asked, "What should we do with this donkey?"
The servant leading the donkey smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam Xu. I'll take it to drink water and feed it first, and I'll bring it back myself later."
When the donkey heard that there was food and drink, it immediately threw its head towards the boy.
Seeing its useless appearance, Xu Jiang couldn't help wanting to pat it, so she had no choice but to thank the servant, saying, "Thank you very much, young man." She added, "Please also tell the lady in my shop to tell her not to wait for me."
The servant led the donkey away with a smile on his face. Xu Jiang was speechless for a while when she saw the shaky steps of her stubborn donkey.
"Come in." Lou Yunchun reached out to her in the car.
Xu Jiang took his hand and got into the car.
Lou Yunchun helped her into the carriage and sat in himself, leaving another servant to drive in front.
The carriage was spacious, and the two sat facing each other. Xu Jiang rubbed her face and felt much warmer. Lou Yunchun looked at her face and saw that although her eyes were slightly blue, her eyes were very clear and energetic, and he felt relieved.
"Now that the engraving is done, we're going to start printing. Do you want my help?"
Xu Jiang shook her head when she heard this. "Three hundred copies of the first edition are enough for me and Hong Chu. You're already busy with official duties, so it's not good for you to stay with me."
Lou Yunchun pursed his lips slightly. The closer he became to Xu Jiang, the more he felt that while she appeared familiar, she always held back, leaving her inner thoughts unpredictable. Perhaps she was still wary of him, lacking trust, and therefore unable to fully surrender. But there was no rush. There was still time, and they could take their time.
Xu Jiang was becoming more and more aware of Lou Yunchun's thoughts. Seeing his expression, she knew he was feeling a bit depressed, so she added, "If you want to come, I'd be happy too. But don't take it too seriously. Just treat it as a pastime."
Seeing his eyes light up again, Xu Jiang smiled and asked again, "Do you go to Liquanfang often?"
“I go to handle cases occasionally.”
"This is my first time in the capital. I heard there are many restaurants and theaters run by foreign merchants, and it's very lively."
"No matter how lively the places we go to are, they will usually become quiet."
Xu Jiang chuckled. The Dali Temple usually didn't handle minor cases. Wherever they went, wouldn't there be silence? Thinking of his reputation outside, as either a plague god or a living hell, one could tell how unpopular he was.
"I've seen many theaters run by Hu people in Furong City before. There, besides Hu people, Han people, and Qiang people, many different ethnic groups live together, each with their own unique customs. I wonder what this Liquanfang is like."
"There are many Hu people in the capital, working in all walks of life, even working in government offices. Most of them work as servants, porters, grooms, or sell themselves into slavery. Liquanfang was designated by the imperial court as a place for Hu people to live. There are more Hu people there than Han people, and there are government offices specifically for them, all under the jurisdiction of the Honglu Temple."
When others talked about customs, Lou Yunchun talked about files, and then they talked about intermarriage between the Hu and Han people, and the Hu people taking office as officials. Xu Jiang was fascinated by what she heard and arrived at Liquanfang unknowingly.
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