16 Iced Lemonade (Part 3)
◎Ex-husband◎
If Chen Yue and Zhu Ming heard what the girl said, they would only laugh at her for being an amateur.
Because in Cuju competitions, the names of the participating players will be announced in advance.
There are special intelligence officers who collect information about the opponents in order to plan their responses.
Cuju has been played for so many years, and the best players have always been the same.
There are some surprising troops that hide for many years and then make a big splash, but they are very rare.
If the Flames had a powerful surprise player, they could have teamed up with Li Zheng and decided the outcome in one game. There was no need to wait until later.
The above statement made sense, but Xie Linchuan couldn't help but feel something was amiss. Li Zheng was a clear target, and Qiyun Society would definitely send multiple people to defend him. The Flames couldn't possibly be unprepared.
As I was thinking, I turned the corner and saw three large characters, one horizontal and two vertical:
Icy lemonade.
Replenish strong vitality and shoot with energy.
Just at this moment, a breeze blew, and when it brushed across my cheek, I actually felt a hint of coolness.
The girl with clear eyes was bending over and talking to the little girl with a smile.
It’s Madam Jiang?
Xie Linchuan was stunned. After realizing what was happening, he snorted coldly.
Didn't you say you can't bend because you're injured? Isn't it bending perfectly fine?!
I thought of what she said about Cuju and felt curious.
Out of curiosity, he looked at her carefully.
Both girls wore tea-white short-sleeved blouses, light green folded skirts, and light green velvet flowers in their hair.
The attire wasn't luxurious, but it was quite elegant. The fact that both the adult and the child wore the same outfit was refreshing.
Looking at her stall again, there was a large bucket of ice in front of it, emitting a faint cool breeze - no wonder he felt a chill in the wind just now.
In addition to the slogan, there were also some large characters posted all over the stall:
Delicious! Delicious! Delicious! Refreshing! Refreshing! Refreshing!
Xie Linchuan smiled.
Madam Jiang is a very smart person. She is willing to put in a lot of effort to make money.
——Wait, she was observing so carefully just now, could it be that she wanted to make money from the Cuju team?
…
When Jiang Qinglan saw Xie Linchuan, his eyes lit up and he greeted him enthusiastically: "My dear, would you like to try some lemonade?"
She did not forget the fifty taels. This handsome guy is not only handsome, but also a god of wealth.
Xie Linchuan was deep in thought, and walked to the stall upon hearing this.
He wore a bamboo-moon blue robe and a golden hairpin to tie his hair. He looked truly golden and elegant, and exuded an air of nobility.
There were few people around the stall just now, but now that they saw this distinguished person coming to inquire, they gathered around in groups of three or four.
Xie Linchuan ignored the people around him and did not mention the eavesdropping incident. He just looked at Lemonade curiously and asked:
"What does this drink have to do with shooting?"
Jiang Qinglan didn't mention potassium, calcium, or functional drinks to him, but only said:
"In the latter stages of a match, people's energy and vitality are depleted. This lemonade of mine is for replenishing energy and allowing one to quickly recover. This way, your shot will be more powerful."
If it were someone else, Xie Linchuan would definitely laugh at him for bluffing.
But he had seen candied cherries and braised skewers, so he became curious and picked up a cup and took a sip.
It's cool at first, the ice still thick enough to sting your tongue. Then comes the sourness, the lemony acidity with a refreshing touch, which, combined with the ice, is refreshing and melts away the summer heat.
Next is the sweet and salty, light and shallow, with a long aftertaste.
At this point, the ice had melted, but the coolness still lingered between the lips and teeth.
It really deserves the word "icy"!
Xie Linchuan knew that during the Imperial Guards' Cuju matches, the imperial physician would also prescribe some drinks, but they were all Chinese medicines and definitely not tasty.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Qinglan added, "My dear, you bought cherries the night before and paid fifty taels of silver in advance. You can help yourself to the lemonade."
Xie Linchuan had long forgotten about this matter. Upon hearing this, he looked at her deeply and smiled brightly: "You are good at doing business."
He ordered two glasses of lemonade, one with ice and one without, and turned to leave.
"My dear, wait a minute." Jiang Qinglan chased after him. "My dear, you are my honored guest. May I ask what your address is?"
"My last name is..." Xie Linchuan was about to blurt out, but then stopped.
He remembered Pinglin's words that she didn't want to enter the palace. He also thought of Yang Song in the palace office, who trembled at the sight of him.
Some people in the world are so petty that they can't hold their tongues when they see important people.
Thinking about Madam Jiang becoming like that, he suddenly felt disappointed and changed his words: "My last name is Yan."
Jiang Qinglan folded her arms and saluted: "Master Yan, my stall is over at Zhongwa. You are welcome to come anytime."
Xie Linchuan nodded and left with the water cup.
Back at Green Court, the second half of the game had just begun.
Li Zheng of the Flames team was surrounded and unable to move his fists or feet. At the end of the game, Qi Yunshe scored a goal.
The situation changed immediately, and the price of Guan Pu in Qiyun Society soared.
…
Xie Linchuan and the other two left Fengyun Tower.
Everyone was mounted, and Xie Linchuan remembered something, so he ran upstairs again and came down carrying a water cup.
Zhu Ming's Guan Pu victory rate increased, and he became a little too proud. Seeing the crude pottery bowl, he laughed and said:
"Liuguang, what treasure are you carrying? We're going to Fengle Tower for a drink. Are you worried about not having a good drink?"
Xie Linchuan didn't say anything, just smiled slightly and whipped Zhu Ming on the butt.
The horse neighed and rushed forward.
Zhu Ming was not sitting firmly on his horse. He was swaying back and forth, screaming and groaning.
Xie Linchuan laughed out loud and urged his horse to gallop away.
——
After the competition, Jiang Qinglan closed his stall and asked the coachman Chen Sier to take the things back to Jiangmi Lane, and then began to count the accounts.
Lemonade cost five cents per cup, and dozens of cups were sold.
After deducting the cost of lemons, sugar, salt, ice, travel expenses, and the money for pens, ink, and paper, what's left is...
Tuantuan counted on his fingers and said in surprise:
"That's not right. We worked hard all day and only earned two coins."
A few days ago, I was selling braised skewers in Zhongwa, making a net profit of seven or eight coins a day. Today, after walking such a long way and carrying such heavy goods, I only made two coins.
Tuan Tuan couldn't figure it out.
Jiang Qinglan had a plan in mind and was confident: "Just wait and see, the big business is coming."
Her most targeted audience was the Cuju players. A few came to buy, but not many. This was understandable—with the competition approaching, they naturally had to be careful about their diet. An upset stomach would be disastrous.
Today, she has already put out her sign.
Several Cuju players had tried it, and one young man, named Gao, was very interested and asked her questions for a long time.
He will definitely come again.
Sure enough, the next day, as soon as they set up their stall, three young men in blue clothes came up to them.
Mr. Gao had been here yesterday and was familiar with the place. He pointed at the bottles and jars on the stall and said:
"That's it, lemonade, delicious and strong!"
Another person said, "Really?"
He picked up the small cup and took a sip, his eyes suddenly widened.
Gao Langjun showed a proud look: "See, I didn't lie to you."
The strange thing was that when he left, he looked at Jiang Qinglan a few more times with reluctance.
…
Fengyun Tower, Green Pavilion.
The words "Ice Lemonade" were really big, and Xie Linchuan could see them even from the third floor.
Yesterday, he brought back a cup of tea. My grandmother praised it and drank it all, despite the sour taste in her teeth. This morning, she asked a dentist to see her.
Grandma is really...
Xie Linchuan shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or worry, and decided not to buy it today.
With the sound of gongs, the Cuju game began.
Both sides continued to play in the same style as yesterday, with fierce attack and tight defense, and the first half ended with a score of 0-0.
Halfway through the second half of the game, Xie Linchuan pondered for a long time and suddenly asked:
"Who is the person second farthest to Li Zheng's left?"
He had been observing this man for a long time. He had steady steps and a neat posture, but he never took the initiative to control the ball, as if he was hiding something.
Zhu Ming and Chen Yue didn't recognize him: "Is he a substitute?"
Xie Linchuan remained silent.
The man was in midfield, having received the ball, while Li was on his right, surrounded by three members of the Qiyun Society.
Suddenly, Li Zheng made a fake move, leaving a gap in the front left.
The opportunity has come, it's time for the substitute to pass the ball! Li Zheng charges sideways!
At the critical moment, the substitute faced Li Zheng's right side, his eyes focused, and kicked out. Bang——
The ball was kicked to the left!
It drew a long arc in the air and entered Fengliu's eye!
The whole audience was silent.
Then, there was a huge cheer: "Flame Team - Flame Team - Flame Team -"
Zhu Ming pushed the prostitute aside and stood up suddenly, confused and bewildered: "Hey, what...what's going on?"
"He was looking at Li Zheng on the right, but kicked the ball into Fengliuyan on the left?" Chen Yue murmured, also stunned.
Xie Linchuan crossed his arms and smiled, "This guy is the Flame Team's surprise weapon. Li Zhengdu is covering for him."
Zhu Ming hurriedly called the servant up and said, "Go and check who this person is."
——
In today's match, the Flame Team defeated Qiyun Club 2-0.
This Cuju game uses a scoring system.
Yesterday, Qiyun Club scored one goal, and today, the Flames scored two. Tomorrow, the Flames only need to score one more goal to win. Qiyun Club, on the other hand, needs to score three goals to win. If the two teams draw, the Flames will win.
Because the situation had reversed, at the four Guanpu places outside the Cuju field, some people stomped their feet and laughed loudly, while others pounded the ground and cried loudly, each of them looking like a madman.
Jiang Qinglan was originally feeling happy, but when he heard these people chattering, crying and laughing, he sighed in his heart: Gambling is harmful!
Her family used to be pretty good, but it broke up because her father became addicted to gambling.
I thought as I cleaned up. Today's lemonade sales were about the same as yesterday's, but more players came to buy, and a few people who looked like managers came to ask some questions.
Just as I was collecting the pottery cup and putting it in a large wooden barrel, I suddenly felt something was wrong.
Looking up, he saw a very tall young man in the red uniform of the Flames standing at Guanpu in the northeast corner, staring at him.
He has a handsome appearance, but there is a gloomy look between his brows.
Jiang Qinglan was confused and touched his face, but there was nothing on it.
Someone was pulling her skirt. She looked down and saw her eyes widen. She was so excited that she couldn't speak clearly: "Sister, Lu...Brother Lu!"
Jiang Qinglan's heart tightened.
Ex-husband.
【Author’s words】
My ex-husband Lu Fei is here, he is a very important person [hug]
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