Chapter 36 Mr. Mei, so you're actually a tsundere...
The small sugar painting stall instantly became the center of the night market.
Most of the customers were significantly taller than them. Children of similar age were launching a noise attack, begging their parents and siblings to stop at the stall. The massive, chaotic wave of people and noise was quite impactful.
Both Fusu and Su Shi were seeing such a scene for the first time, and they couldn't help but feel a little flustered. However, the constant praise and urging for the sugar painting ignited a burning desire in their eyes.
"Please line up and come one by one—"
"Do not crowd, do not trample—"
Two tender voices rang out one after another, and Fusu began to receive the first payment from the customer. After carefully counting the coins, he stuffed them into his sleeve pocket, then took out the pre-made roulette wheel and placed it in front of the customer.
"Brother, what do you want to transfer to?"
The first guest appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a blue jacket, and exuded a faint scholarly air. He smiled at Fusu and gave an expected answer: "Having passed the imperial examination, I naturally want a carp for good luck."
The image of a carp leaping over the dragon gate is one that no scholar can resist.
Fusu immediately flashed a sweet smile: "Then I wish you good luck in drawing the big carp, brother!"
He solemnly lifted the turntable: "Please!"
The guest was also moved by his solemnity. His finger touched the pointer, and after hesitating for a moment, he made up his mind and pushed it forcefully to the left. Instantly, the pointer began to spin rapidly on the dial.
Like all raffles, the grand prize area, marked "Carp," was a tiny, narrow section. The guests' eyes were glued to it; from Fusu's perspective, they were practically cross-eyed. As the pointer slowed, his breathing grew heavier.
Fusu exclaimed in surprise, "We're almost there!"
As luck would have it, the pointer slowly moved near the carp area, causing the onlookers to hold their breath. Fusu looked up at the sound and saw that not only him and the guests, but also the surrounding crowd, the young monk Jingjue, and even Su Shi had stopped what they were doing and were staring intently at the pointer.
"Pfft." Fusu suddenly burst out laughing, then cleared his throat dramatically: "It's almost a carp!"
"Is it possible to get there?"
"Is it possible to get there?"
Will we be able to get there?
At this moment, everyone's heart was hanging on the tip of the clock.
After a few breaths, the pointer stopped moving.
Have we arrived yet?
"arrive!"
"You spun the wheel and got a carp! Congratulations!" Fusu announced the result first. He even clapped his hands, making a crisp "clap clap" sound in celebration. The people around him, not understanding why, followed suit and clapped. After finding that this was lively enough, they clapped even harder, making a continuous "clap clap" sound.
The atmosphere at the stall reached a climax in an instant.
Su Shi was incredibly clever. He scooped up a spoonful of syrup and started drawing a large carp, while sprinkling out auspicious sayings without restraint: things like "carp leaping over the gate," "continuous success in examinations," "rising to high office," and even "good things come in pairs, passing the imperial examinations again after failing the exams."
It was only when Fusu saw that he was talking more and more outrageously that he tugged at his sleeve to stop him.
The guest who won the grand prize was stunned. It wasn't until the huge, shimmering carp was placed in front of him that he seemed to snap out of his daze and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
Su Shi: "What thanks? It's clearly your good luck, brother! It has nothing to do with us. Here, take the carp."
Fusu also said, "I wish you such good fortune in the imperial examinations!"
"Then I'll take your kind words, young men!"
The scholar originally loved glassware, but his financial situation didn't allow it, so he thought he could join in the fun of buying a substitute. As a result, he not only won the grand prize, but the auspicious words that seemed to come out of nowhere, as well as the envious and jealous looks from those around him, made him feel that the fifty coins were well worth the money.
He reached into his pocket, seemingly still wanting more: "Then let's have one more..."
The onlookers, however, were not happy.
"Why are you here again?"
"Brother, you really stole the show just now, that wasn't appropriate!"
"We've been waiting for this for so long!"
Amidst the crowd's condemnation, the guest, holding the large carp, left with a helpless yet elegant air, concealing his merit and fame. Taking advantage of this lull, Su Shi whispered to Fusu, "Were you acting like that just now... on purpose?"
Fusu: "?"
Glancing at the increasingly enthusiastic queue, he realized that Su Shi thought he had deliberately let someone win the grand prize to create a lively atmosphere. Or perhaps the first customer was a plant he had hired!
"How could I possibly have that ability? It was all just a coincidence."
"It seems that even the heavens intend for us to make a fortune."
After a brief exchange, the two continued working in perfect harmony. Once the first person was kicked out, the people in line spontaneously followed the rule of one person per spin, leaving after each spin regardless of whether they were satisfied, thus giving the opportunity to the next person in line.
Most of the people came specifically for the grand prize koi fish. Some children, around Fusu's age, weren't interested in koi fish and preferred their own zodiac animal paintings or goldfish.
There was a little incident in the middle. A child excitedly wanted a candy rabbit, but only got a goldfish. He was so upset that he burst into tears on the spot. The servants accompanying him begged Fusu and Su Shi to allow him to spin the candy again, but the people in line behind them were unhappy and stopped them.
"Everyone else only shares it once, why is your family an exception?"
Su Shi opened his mouth, intending to suggest drawing a rabbit, but then worried that others would follow suit, rendering the spinning wheel meaningless. The child's cries grew louder, and the situation reached a stalemate. Suddenly, Fusu ran to the child, who was about his height, and asked, "You want a rabbit, don't you?"
The child, with tears still blurring his vision, could still recognize the stall owner and nodded gently.
“But you only drew the goldfish…” Fusu had just started to speak when the child looked like he was about to cry again, which startled him so much that he quickly offered a solution: “So, how about you draw a rabbit yourself?”
Upon hearing the word "rabbit," the child's eyes lit up.
Su Shi immediately gave the child an approving look, placed the spoon for scooping syrup into the child's hand, and patiently guided him: "Come on, let me teach you how to draw a rabbit!"
The child was about the same age as Fusu. His little hands couldn't hold the spoon properly, and he didn't know how to use his wrists. But luckily, Su Shi was there to guide the painting, so the overall shape didn't go astray.
Soon, a sugar painting that could barely be identified as a rabbit was created. The child immediately stopped crying and started laughing. He instructed Fusu to use a bamboo skewer to stick the newly baked rabbit together, and holding it up, he left happily.
After letting out a long sigh of relief, the servant bowed to the two of them and followed his young master's steps.
The little furry trouble is now solved.
This action naturally aroused discussion among those around him. When Fusu heard, "They are about the same age, and others are still crying, but this young man is already so good at coaxing people. It's really amazing," although he tried his best to restrain himself, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.
The next sentence left him frozen in place—
"There's no way around it, poor people's children have to learn to be independent early."
Fusu looked down at himself. Did he really look poor? Why was he given this script?
Su Shi burst out laughing without any restraint: "Hahahahahahahahaha!"
Fusu glanced at him sideways: "Don't forget who I'm doing this for!"
Su Shi became even more arrogant, echoing Fu Su's words: "Young Master Zhao, thank you for supporting me by setting up your stall!"
He touched Fusu's sleeve pocket and immediately felt its heavy weight, exclaiming in surprise, "Wow, so much?"
"What do you think? It's so heavy I can barely lift my hand."
Fusu rummaged through the wooden box containing the syrup; only a thin layer remained, and it was beginning to solidify due to the candle burning out. He asked the young monk Jingjue beside him, "Could you please tell the guests behind us that they don't need to wait? And could you please get us another candle? Thank you."
Jingjue immediately stood up: "Alright, this humble monk will go right away."
Although Fusu was in charge of entertaining the guests and Su Shi was the one who painted, Jingjue felt that he had received benefits and had helped quite a bit. Not only did he consciously help maintain order in the group, but just his presence was enough to deter many petty scoundrels and envious people from making any underhanded moves.
At the Xiangguo Temple Night Market, in front of the monks of Xiangguo Temple, you dare to lay a hand on the people he protects? Do you still want to live in the public eye?
As soon as Jingjue left, something happened at the sugar painting stall.
A burly man brazenly cut in line, and the onlookers, seeing his appearance, dared not speak out in anger. Those who could afford fifty coins were considered somewhat wealthy, but were mostly ordinary rich people without powerful connections. Who would dare provoke such a rogue?
As for the two stall owners...
They'd worked for nothing all night; they just hoped no one was hurt. The customers thought to themselves.
Fusu felt a shadow looming over him from above, and the moment his eyes met the man's, he knew he meant no good. The man's eyes gleamed with greed as he stared at Fusu's bulging sleeves, like a wolf that had been starving for days.
Was it because Master Jingjue left that their stall lost its deterrent effect?
Or is it that I've made too much money today, attracting too much envy? So much so that people are willing to take the risk and gamble?
In a flash, Fusu stood up before the rogue could speak, pretending to greet a regular customer: "I'm sorry, the syrup is almost gone. If you didn't get a turn today, you can come back tomorrow."
"hiss……"
A gasp came from somewhere.
"Huh?" Before the thug could even make a move, he was shoved. His face immediately turned ugly and even more terrifying: "Pah! It's just a mess, what's so great about it? I can knock ten of them over with one slap!"
He swaggered out his hand, making a threatening gesture: "Hand over all the money you've earned, and I might let you off the hook! Otherwise, you can forget about your stall and your two delicate faces!"
"you!"
Su Shi was furious and about to argue with the person when he felt a tugging sensation on his sleeve. Immediately, he felt a familiar touch on the back of his hand, just like the last time at Xiangguo Temple, Fusu's fingers were writing on it.
Do not act rashly.
To hold someone back.
Su Shi's lips moved slightly as he silently recited in his heart:
Wait... for... the... pure... awakening... to come.
Fusu deliberately turned around and shook his head at him, indicating: Money is a small matter; people are more important. Negotiation is possible, but whatever you do, don't provoke him. Who knows what such a person might do in a moment of impulse?
The best solution is to scare him away. The second best solution is to delay him. The fact that this rogue is only targeting Jingjue and not attacking him shows that he has some reservations about Xiangguo Temple.
Su Shi calmed down immediately.
"Sir, we can give you the money. We just wanted to ask if you're in a bad mood today."
Seeing that Su Shi didn't kneel down and beg for mercy, but could even chat with him normally, the rogue suddenly felt a surge of nameless rage: "Didn't you hear what I said! Are you looking for a fan?!"
In a flash, he unleashed a powerful palm strike downwards. Fu Su's pupils contracted, and he pulled Su Shi back several steps, staggering as they narrowly avoided the attack. The thug who missed his strike wasn't so lucky; he lost his balance and nearly fell. He became even more enraged and, taking advantage of the momentum, overturned the stall.
After a series of clanging and banging noises, the tables, chairs, straw mats, turntable... everything on the stall was overturned, raising a cloud of dust. It's not hard to imagine that if that slap had landed on Fusu and Su Shi's faces, they would probably have been injured.
The onlookers were so frightened that most of them ran away, and Fusu's face suddenly turned cold.
The man before them was clearly not normal. Besides demanding money, he also harbored a deep-seated destructive urge towards his young son. Any slight disobedience would trigger his rage, leading him to resort to violence.
Perhaps feigning friendship with such a person would be a mistake; directly suppressing and subduing him would be much faster. Fusu was still hesitating whether to reveal his true identity and use it to intimidate him. The difficulty lay in how he could use his face to summon reinforcements if the other party didn't believe him.
But Su Shi was one step ahead: "We are all students of the Imperial Academy. You have hurt us today. Aren't you afraid that the Imperial Academy will hold you accountable to the end?"
"You? Students of the Imperial Academy?"
The thug seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world: "Two little brats, barely old enough to wear open-crotch pants and not even fully grown, the Imperial Academy? Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
He clearly didn't believe it, and was enraged by the threatening tone in Su Shi's words, so he took another step forward, cornering Fusu and Su Shi. From Fusu's perspective, the rogue seemed like a huge mountain of flesh. Faced with absolute strength and size difference, he clenched his knuckles, and a bead of cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
He had no doubt that the thugs who committed the violence in the street would be punished. But that wasn't the problem. How could they avoid immediate harm when things happened so suddenly?
How long until Master Jingjue returns?
Did anyone report this to the authorities?
...
Is it too late to call on Father Emperor to unleash the four-dimensional weapon?
Fusu, finding amusement in his suffering, let his mind wander aimlessly.
Just as a slap was about to land, Fusu instinctively closed his eyes, but then felt Su Shi embrace him tightly.
"Su Shi!"
He was clearly in dire straits and was going to get slapped anyway, yet he still tried to shield himself with his body!
Fusu tried to break free, but a seven-year-old's strength far surpassed that of a three-year-old, and he struggled several times without success. Fusu gritted his teeth and strained with all his might... Wait, why hasn't the slap landed yet?
Fusu suddenly looked up: "Master Jingjue!"
It turned out that Jingjue had appeared out of nowhere, pinning the hooligan's hands behind his back. At that moment, Fusu looked at him with the eyes of a savior.
The crisis was thus averted.
At the same time, another voice rang out: "What if I testify that they are indeed from the Imperial Academy?"
Upon hearing this, Su Shi immediately looked up: "Little Master... Oh, Senior Brother Fan?! What are you doing at the night market?"
Fusu murmured, "Senior Brother Fan?"
An unfamiliar face emerged from behind the thug; it was the owner of the voice from before. Fan Chunren's anger wasn't directed at the two of them, but at the thug: "Have you lost your mind, daring to harm students of our Imperial Academy?"
The rogue felt utterly hopeless in an instant.
Who doesn't know that those who study at the Imperial Academy are all from wealthy and powerful families? Anyone could easily kill him. Why would a pampered young master like him set up a stall at the night market? Who would believe that?
Without saying a word, the young monk Jingjue, who had restrained the thug, pulled him away, saying, "I'll report to the authorities and then tell the abbot and the others. You two talk first."
Fusu watched Jingjue's retreating figure, and seeing that he could easily suppress the thugs with his martial arts skills, he finally came to his senses and breathed a sigh of relief: "Little Master's stamina is truly extraordinary."
He could even hold people who were taller and stronger than him firmly.
It's unclear how many people the Western Xia delegation sent to suppress him.
Fan Chunren stepped forward: "Are you two alright? Are you injured?"
Fu Su stretched out his arms, assuming a posture of being at ease to be inspected: "It's alright, Senior Brother Fan. Master Jingjue arrived in time, and none of us were injured."
Fan Chunren was taken aback for a moment: "You actually call me Senior Brother Fan... Wait, are you the one who received the imperial decree?"
"Yes, yes. His name is Zhao Zongsu."
"Young Master Zhao, this is our senior brother Fan Chunren from the Imperial Academy. He will be taking the imperial examination next year."
Su Shi introduced the two men to each other.
He seemed to have forgotten the dangerous situation he had just been in an instant: "Senior Brother Fan, you still haven't answered me. What are you doing at the night market?"
His tone was not without sarcasm.
Fan Chunren said helplessly, "It was just something I did on a whim."
After leaving Mei Yaochen's office, he was still pondering the words in the plan. On a whim, he decided to see what was so special about the Xiangguo Temple Night Market, which had even caused the Imperial Academy's dining hall to fall into disrepair.
This was the first time he had gone out for a stroll since being imprisoned, and he was taken aback by the bustling atmosphere of the night market. Then Fan Chunren noticed that the massive crowds were all converging on one spot.
He followed curiously...
Fusu tilted his head: "And then you ran into us?"
"yes."
Fan Chunren recognized Su Shi, who had become a prominent figure at the Imperial Academy due to his "shamelessness." Who wouldn't know him? As for Fusu, he initially thought he was Su Shi's younger brother, but it turned out he was also a student at the Imperial Academy and the legendary child prodigy who wrote poetry at the age of three.
Fan Chunren only chatted with Fusu for a few words before immediately verifying the truth of the rumors in his mind: Fusu was calm and composed before and after the danger, and spoke in a logical and well-organized manner, not at all like a three-year-old child.
Add to that his round face that appeals to men, women, young and old alike, and his initial impression of Fusu was quite positive.
Therefore, he kindly offered the two a suggestion: "Recently, the prison is going to establish a 'Dining Hall Committee.' Since you have some knowledge in this area, you might as well participate. It would be beneficial for you."
Fusu's expression suddenly became extremely strange.
Dining hall? Committee?
These keywords sound so familiar. Was it the one he proposed?
Mr. Mei, you didn't say a single word of praise to my face, but before the night was even over, others were already saying it was "about to be established."
Mr. Mei, so you're actually a proud and aloof person!
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