At this time, more and more people entered the shop. Meng Zhao handed them the bamboo poles and then went to work at the counter.
Shen Qinghe wanted to go out directly, but Song Kun next to him was a bit hesitant. Delivery only requires carrying the food box to the destination. Even if you run into an acquaintance on the way, you can just say that you just bought the food. But patrolling the streets requires carrying a bamboo pole. What if you run into an acquaintance on the way?
Shen Qinghe saw through Song Kun's thoughts at a glance, frowned, and then said, "I've done the homework the teacher assigned this morning for you."
Upon hearing this, Song Kun's eyes widened instantly. "Really? That's great! Pshaw, it's just patrolling the streets. I'm handsome and extraordinary. Just standing here on the street might bring a lot of business to Sister Meng Zhao's shop!"
Shen Qinghe always kept to himself, seemingly indifferent to everything around him, exuding a cold and aloof aura. Surprisingly, he had a good relationship with Song Kun, actually because the two had some private dealings.
Song Kun was the youngest son in his family. His older brother was very strict with him, taking time every ten days to check his studies. If he was dissatisfied with anything, he would punish Song Kun by making him copy texts. Song Kun suffered greatly because of this.
At first, Song Kun had asked others to copy the text for him, but his older brother had sharp eyes and could see through his tricks every time, so he would be punished by having to copy it twice as much.
Later, when he arrived at the county school, Song Kun overheard that Shen Qinghe could imitate other people's handwriting. So Song Kun took a liking to him. Shen Qinghe was short of money, and Song Kun was generous, so the two started to cross paths.
After reading the several policy essays copied by Song Kun, Shen Qinghe immediately started working on them. Even Song Kun himself was surprised by the finished product.
He could not only imitate his handwriting, but even refer to his strategies and write his own version of the changes from careful copying at the beginning to slackening and then gradually becoming sloppy. He nervously handed over the copy and successfully fooled the authorities.
Song Kun has really struck gold. Shen Qing had only ever helped him with his punishments, never with his homework. Now, he only needs to help Meng Zhao with her work to receive such a great benefit.
Just as the lion dance troupe was about to leave, Shen Qing grabbed Song Kun's arm and chased after them.
At the very front of the procession, a drummer led the way, followed closely by Chen Zheng, who held a long pole with a brightly colored embroidered ball at the top. Behind him, four brightly colored lions sometimes played with each other and sometimes chased the embroidered ball.
They would walk a hundred or so steps and then stop to perform a short show. The lions would lift their front paws off the ground and support themselves only on their hind paws, swaying from side to side as if nodding to the audience. Or several lions would cooperate to fight for an embroidered ball, which looked very dangerous.
Even Song Kun, who was used to these kinds of tricks, was overwhelmed by the spectacle, let alone the passersby. Among the crowd, the banners held by Shen Qing and Song Kun were particularly eye-catching.
Even those who are illiterate will curiously ask the person next to them, "Hey bro, what does that banner over there say?"
The man was watching the lion dance in front of him with great interest, and replied perfunctorily, "I heard there's a shop called Meng Ji Braised Pork on Xishui Street. It's opening today, and if you buy twenty coins, you get a large bowl for free."
"Twenty coins for a large bowl? A large bowl would cost five or six coins, wouldn't it? I don't know what to eat tonight anyway, so I'll go and join in the fun."
Another person chimed in, "I'll go too, and see if this braised pork offal is any good."
There was also a group of children who seemed tireless, following the lion dance troupe as they walked and stopped. Shen Qing noticed them, and an idea struck her. She turned around and quickly walked to the candy shop next door, filled a small cloth bag to the brim, and planned to give a few to the children later so they could shout slogans along with the lion dance troupe.
Not only could they watch lion dances, but they could also get candy for shouting a few words, making the children even happier, so they shouted with all their might.
"A new store has opened on Xishui Street, Mengji Braised Pork welcomes customers, offering a variety of braised dishes for free, and there are also endless gifts to give away."
With the help of the lion dance team and the children, Meng Zhao was extremely busy in the shop. Fortunately, she had made many preparations in advance. First, she asked Xiao Chuan to go to her parents and bring her some meat. Then, she asked Aunt Su Yun in the backyard to lead the two newcomers to wash and prepare vegetables. Only then could she keep up with the shop's business.
Before they knew it, it was noon. The lion dance troupe had circled several blocks. Seeing that they had worked hard all day, Meng Zhao asked Qiu Niang to cook a few more bowls of potato noodles so that they could rest and have something to eat.
Seeing that the children had run all the way and must be tired, Meng Zhao braised two large handfuls of skewers and gave each of them three or four skewers. The children were overjoyed to see that there was something delicious to eat.
The shop was too crowded to fit everyone, so Chen Zheng and his companions took off their clothes and put them away, then squatted down in front of the shop to eat. The rich aroma of potato noodles wafted out, tempting many people to come in and try it.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group rested for more than half an hour before putting their costumes back on. The host had been so generous in feeding them such delicious food, so they were sure to put on a good show in the afternoon.
Then the sound of gongs and drums continued, waking up a man on Xishui Street. He jumped up and shouted loudly outside, "Manager Zhou, Manager Zhou, what's going on outside? It's so noisy! Can't a person get any sleep?!"
Shopkeeper Zhou was watching the lion dance outside when his waiter called him inside. He quickly walked into the shop. Seeing his young master's angry face, he instinctively shrank back, but still forced a smile. "Young master, a shop on the street is opening and they've hired a lion dance troupe. Their performance is fantastic. Would you like to go out and watch the excitement?"
Zhao Shida frowned, his face full of displeasure. "What's so interesting about a lousy lion dance? Go tell them to stop. Don't disturb my sleep."
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