Meng Chijian returned home at dusk.
The courtyard was deathly silent. He called out, "A-Mian?"
No one answered.
He hurried to the backyard and found that the area under the donkey shed was empty.
Meng Chijian stood silently for a moment.
Meng Jing was about to complain when she saw that his back was still upright, but it inexplicably reminded her of a winter when the green mountains were covered with snowflakes.
You find a ferocious sheep on the mountain and take it home, carefully grooming and feeding it every day. But one day, when you let it out of the house, you find it running back up the mountain without looking back.
Has she left?
Meng Jing's voice was still trembling with tears as she mumbled a reluctant "Mmm," "Third Brother, why did you send A-Mian away? A-Mian knows she was wrong, she said she'll only dare to come back when you're not angry anymore."
“I didn’t kick her out.” Meng Chijian returned to the house, believing that his heart had hardened long ago, and it didn’t matter if A Mian left.
Sometimes, living means watching the important people in your life leave you one by one.
He went into the house and saw several newly altered shirts on the bamboo mat. He sat down next to them and smoothed out the wrinkles with his hands.
They didn't even want to take their clothes with them.
The headache, which hadn't flared up in a long time, had lasted for a day and a night, feeling like someone was smashing open my skull with a hammer and churning my brain.
Meng Chijian coughed a few times and took out a few pills from the bottom drawer.
He then stood up and went into the courtyard, leaving behind the words, "I'm going to see the doctor. After you've had dinner, lock the door. If you're scared, go find Meng Er's wife."
On the other side, Ah Mian's steps were heavy. She first went to an old inn in the city to inquire and learned that it would cost two hundred coins to stay for one night.
You can have a room to yourself, and there's a place to tether your donkey (the waiter will help take care of your donkey or horse). There are free breakfast and dinner and hot water.
If you stay at a cheap inn, it will only cost ten coins.
However, when A-Mian went inside, she found that the room was a large communal sleeping area with a strong smell of sweat and sour feet. There was one room for men and one room for women, separated only by a thin wooden board.
Moreover, there was no place to tether the donkey at the chicken feather shop.
After thinking it over, Ah Mian decided to stay in a hotel, despite the hefty bill.
It wasn't that she was greedy for pleasure, but firstly, she was considering safety issues, in case someone stole her money while she was asleep; secondly, without realizing it, Ah Mian was also too afraid to lie on that dirty, smelly bed, where she didn't know if there were lice.
But all her savings combined could only cover a maximum of five days in a hotel.
Ah Mian paid for one day's work, determined to find a job with accommodation within five days.
However, this was her first time staying in a hotel. After putting down her luggage, she looked around the room and checked the sheets and blankets to make sure they were clean.
Having heard the storyteller's tale, A-Mian checked the window paper again, confirming that there were no tears or damage, so no one should have used any bewitching incense on her.
Ah Mian was a little paranoid, but fortunately it was a well-regarded hotel, so there was no problem at all.
She didn't enjoy her dinner, so she called the waiter to fetch two buckets of hot water. After washing up as usual, she lay down on the bed.
I wonder if Meng Chijian is still angry.
She turned over, grasped the horseshoe necklace around her neck, closed her eyes, and fell fast asleep in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn (she hadn't slept all night while visiting the ancestral graves).
When she woke up again, it was already broad daylight, and A-Mian quickly got up.
After having a meal at the hotel, she carried her bundle and headed straight for her destination—the food street.
She didn't want to sell herself into servitude, so she only had one choice.
This time when I arrived at the food street, it was still bustling with people. I tried to make out the shops amidst their conversations: there was Grandma Zhang's Mixed Vegetable Soup, Aunt Wang's Pancake and Bun Shop, Mama Li's Tea House, and a Special Affordable Tavern...
Amian mustered her courage and went into each of these small eateries to ask if they were hiring.
At first, neither of the two restaurants were hiring. The Special Affordable Tavern thought Ah Mian could do odd jobs, but it didn't provide accommodation.
At the end of the day, there was no gain whatsoever.
She had no choice but to spend money to stay in a hotel again.
The failure on the first day was perhaps due to a lack of preparation. This time, she called over the waiter and asked him, "Which stall in the food street is the most popular and has the best food? It's usually so busy that we can't keep up with the demand. I want to try it."
The waiters in these hotels are all "know-it-alls," and they are quite adept at navigating social situations.
Yesterday, he saw that the young woman had a tall and straight figure, and her clothes were worn but neat and clean. He guessed that she was the youngest daughter of a shop in the city, who had snuck out to play after arguing with her family. She was a good traveler who did not need to be offended.
She replied in a friendly tone, "It must be Sister Song's Fish Soup! This shop is very famous. It is said that when the Emperor was traveling incognito, he passed by that shop and was attracted by its unique taste. He praised it highly after eating it! So everyone often goes to that shop and queues up. The two waiters in the shop are too busy to keep up with the demand."
Is that shop big? Does it have accommodation?
"Of course there is. That shop is open from morning till night, and it also does late-night snacks."
After thanking the waiter, A-Mian inquired about where Song Liu Sao's fish soup was. It turned out to be located further inside the food street, and there was already a long queue.
Amian clicked her tongue in amazement, "How much money can you make in a day? You could probably sleep on a pillow of copper coins."
She had no choice but to wait on the side. Around 3 p.m., there were few customers at the shop entrance, and the shop assistants inside were all sweeping and cleaning.
She went inside, and having learned from yesterday's experience, she wasn't too flustered about promoting herself: "My name is Lu Amian, and I live in Qingshan Village. I can catch fish, wipe tables and wash dishes, work as a waiter, and do odd jobs at night. I wonder if you need any help here?"
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