In the stillness of the night, the town's night watchman struck his clapper, bringing a touch of rhythm to the midnight silence.
The night was deep and quiet, broken only by the clatter of the night watchman's gong and the butcher's snores.
The sound of the clapper echoed in the night sky, breaking the tranquility of the night.
The butcher, the only person in the town who still got up after midnight to slaughter pigs, stopped snoring, as if foreshadowing the coming commotion.
Butcher Zhang rubbed his sleepy eyes, looked out the window, and thought about how he would be able to hold a warm and soft woman in his arms in a few months. He then got up with renewed energy, washed up, and began his daily busy work.
Butcher Zhang picked up his gleaming pig-slaughtering knife and went straight to the three pigs that had been marked the night before. The pigs had been anesthetized the night before and died without feeling any pain.
With one slash... blood stained the white pig's body red as butcher Zhang cut open and bled the pig.
After the pig's blood had drained, the pig's body was dissected. Then the slaughterhouse was cleaned, the pork was prepared, and the two pigs were delivered to the restaurant where he had arranged to meet.
He took the remaining pig and offal to his own pork stall. It was past midnight when Butcher Zhang set up his pork stall after a while and supported his family with this skill.
Li Xi and Meng Zhelan appeared under the wall after the butcher Zhang left the house.
Li Xi focused his mind and leaped towards the high wall, hovering over the top, and then climbed into the courtyard, quietly opening the gate for Meng Zhelan.
Li Xi couldn't help but admire the allure of martial arts and her long legs. Ling'er wanted to come along, but both Li Xi and Ling'er refused.
One of them was skilled in martial arts, and the other knew pharmacology; they were convenient for everything they did. His entire family was still fast asleep. After a careful search, they entered his room.
Li Xi took out the burlap she had prepared beforehand, on which was drawn a ferocious pig demon. Luckily, she was an art student, so this level of drawing skill was a piece of cake for her.
Linen was placed over the mosquito net, and gauze bags filled with fireflies were placed around it.
Meng Zhelan placed a hand warmer for burning incense in a dusty, secluded spot; the incense she burned was her own concoction.
It has only a faint scent of grass and wood, and the smell produced when burned can induce a deep sleep and nightmares.
Put your body in a state of half-sleep and half-awake, and then see the things you fear deep in your heart in that half-dream and half-awake state.
However, this nightmare is not an ordinary nightmare, but a hallucination that interacts with the real environment. This incense is harmless to the human body, and a three-day supply is sufficient.
Butcher Zhang's house was a courtyard house with one entrance. During the day, Li Xi sneaked into his room while the family was having lunch.
Observations revealed that the room was rather dark and lacked light during the day. Furthermore, observations of the person's daily routine showed that they would usually go into the room for a short rest after lunch.
As soon as the butcher Zhang Jinfang smelled the incense, he would fall into a drowsy sleep.
Butchers are often superstitious and fear ghosts and spirits because of their heavy karma of killing. Therefore, the things they fear are magnified infinitely when they enter a dream.
After making the arrangements, Li Xi and the other person secretly left before dawn.
The absence of a curfew during the Jingyuan era was due to economic development. Commercial activity was not suppressed, and merchants were not viewed with the same low social status and contempt as in other dynasties.
With policies encouraging business development, more people are naturally going into business, and all walks of life are flourishing and competing with each other.
As dawn broke, Li Xi watched as more and more people gathered on the street.
The bustling crowds of vendors, early risers, and food lovers filled the air with the aromas of various fried, braised, stewed, and boiled dishes, assaulting Li Xi's sense of taste.
As she pretended to take out her phone to scan the code to make a purchase, she suddenly realized with annoyance that she still had that damned muscle memory and the modern habit of never being able to put her phone down.
When Meng Zhelan saw Li Xi seemingly reaching for money, she pulled her to a noodle stall to sit down. Although she wasn't rich, she still had a hundred or two coins.
Li Xi felt embarrassed to sit down and tried the noodles she had brought with her.
Unparalleled deliciousness; in an era before technology and grueling labor, the original rich and mellow flavor of food remained.
She wanted two more bowls, but then thought better of it. She wasn't well-off and still needed someone else to support her. Li Xi secretly vowed to work hard and earn money.
It was still early, and there was no need to be an early riser. Li Xi dragged Meng Zhelan to stroll around the market and look for business opportunities; they couldn't just keep eating and drinking for free.
Think about what she's good at; you can always find something she excels at in terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
Although she studied fashion design, she didn't know much about the dressing habits of people in ancient times. When she went to clothing shops and fabric stores to check things out, the shop assistants seemed indifferent to her.
She was dressed in men's clothing, like an ordinary boy, with a high ponytail tied with a simple strip of linen. This was the only hairstyle she knew, and she didn't want to always ask Meng Zhelan for help.
Seeing that no one paid attention to her, she didn't mind. She casually glanced at the items and flipped through them. Having a general idea of what was going on, she walked out, unaware of the disdain in the eyes of the waiter and the shopkeeper.
Li Xi ignored their indifference. She had lived for two or three decades, and what hadn't she encountered—disdain, sarcasm, and backstabbing? She wouldn't let such a trivial matter harm her health.
Meng Zhelan thought she wanted to buy clothes and was even ready to take out her purse, but then she left. She quickly followed her out.
"Xi'er, didn't you want to buy clothes? Why did you leave? We still have money." Meng Zhelan said anxiously, afraid that she would be too embarrassed to ask.
Seeing the blush rising on her charming face, Li Xi was suddenly struck by her beauty. Girls are indeed so adorable.
Li Xi couldn't help but step forward and put his arm around her shoulder: "No, I'm just wandering around to see what I can do to make money. Lan'er, you're so good to me. If I were a man, I would definitely marry you."
Meng Zhelan blushed and said coquettishly, "Lan'er, you always tease me." After their playful banter, they continued to stroll around the market for a few more minutes.
The local cuisine is incredibly diverse. If you want to use your strength to hunt in the mountains, you'll find groups of hunters carrying wild game and mountain produce.
Indeed, wealth can move people's hearts, and difficulties can be overcome.
Meng Zhelan bought some daily necessities and then went back with Li Xi.
Qingxi Town is 20 miles away from Yadi Village, so the two chose to walk back, firstly to improve their health, and secondly mainly to save money.
Li Xi was still racking her brains for ways to make money, feeling overwhelmed, and thought she would go to the county town next time.
Back in the village, as I was about to open the door and go inside, I heard a quarrel coming from Ling'er's house next door, a mixture of crying and shouting.
Li Xi and Meng Zhelan, worried about Ling'er, turned around and went inside to see Sister Ling'er.
Seeing Ling'er's father holding a carrying pole and about to hit her, Li Xi rushed forward and snatched it away.
The tears that Ling'er had been holding back burst forth. People she had only known for a short time were helping her wholeheartedly, but her father actually wanted to marry her off to someone else as a second wife for fifty taels of silver. That person's children were about the same age as her.
In the morning, he overheard his stepmother telling him that she would keep half of the fifty taels of betrothal gifts for her son and the other half as a dowry for her daughter.
Her mother died in childbirth, and a few months later her father remarried. The following year, she gave birth to a younger sister, and two years later, a younger brother.
With a stepmother comes a stepfather, and ever since her younger siblings were born, her stepmother has shown her true colors.
On the surface, she was kind and gentle, putting on the appearance of a loving mother. But secretly, she would abuse her and make her do chores while her father was working in the fields.
He also warned her not to tell her father that he was giving all the good food to his own children.
She had been eating poorly for years, and her complexion was sallow. Although she was seventeen years old, she was as thin as a bean sprout.
If it weren't for Meng Zhelan feeding her from time to time, she would feel like there was no hope for the future.
Is her father blind? No, he was just easily fooled by his stepmother's sweet talk. Is he stupid?
No, he just couldn't be bothered with it; as long as things looked good on the surface, that was enough. Now, he doesn't care about her happiness anymore, all he cares about is money.
“Sister, how could you hurt Father’s feelings? He’s doing this for your own good. Although Butcher Zhang is a bit old, he’s wealthy and runs a pork shop. He can guarantee you a comfortable life in the future,” Qiao’er, Ling’er’s younger sister, advised.
My goodness, so there was green tea in ancient times too. "Do you want this blessing?" Li Xi said angrily.
“Sister, Butcher Zhang came specifically for you. When you went to town before, he fell in love with you at first sight. He must be a very devoted person.”
"I don't have your sister's good fortune. Sister, please don't make Father angry." Qiao'er was used to putting on this act, thinking she looked pitiful, a true example of her mother's skill.
Ugh, how come this disgusting green tea bitch exists in every era?
Li Xi recalled that one of their design team interns was just like that, using sweet talk to win over a male designer.
The two men often made fun of her height and clothing, and later they secretly started an affair.
The man was married. Once, I saw the two of them hiding in the stairwell of the emergency exit, kissing, hugging, and lifting each other up high.
She excitedly held up her phone and used all the photography skills she had learned in her life to shoot a video. He also complained that his wife at home was out of shape and dressed unfashionably.
After going through a lot of trouble to add his wife on WeChat using a secondary account, he felt perfectly justified in sending the video to her.
The next day, the man seemed to have several fingernail marks on his face. Not long after, he resigned. It's unclear whether he got divorced or not. The intern also left.
Li Xi didn't want to hear a single word about this green tea culture.
She began, “Oh, you’re so good to your sister. I just don’t know why your sister is wearing old clothes while you’re wearing a new dress made of fine cotton. And look at that silver hairpin in your hair! People who don’t know better might think you’re abusing her. Why don’t you call everyone over to take a look?” Li Xi raised her voice and shouted.
Before long, the neighbors gathered around.
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