Chapter 40040 Man and Mad Dog
Even when the moon was at its zenith, the night market was still bustling with people.
Du Ji Snack Stall was preparing to close.
Since it was their first time setting up a stall, the girls did not prepare too many ingredients in order to prevent no one from buying.
Unexpectedly, there was a pleasant surprise. The fried skewers and braised food received unanimous praise from the diners. Even the stinky tofu, which they had mentally prepared for a high probability of not being able to sell, was sold out.
Du Wuya glanced at the money box. The round copper coins were particularly tempting. She resisted the urge to part with them and announced that she was closing the stall.
The diners cried out in pain.
"Closing up so early?"
"I just came here following the smell, and you tell me you don't sell it anymore?"
Du Qingtang said loudly, "Please forgive me, it's not that we don't want to sell it to you, but we've run out of ingredients and there's nothing left to sell."
As he spoke, he glanced over, and Du Wuya and Du Liuya cooperated by showing the bamboo baskets where the food was stored. There was nothing in it except a piece of cloth at the bottom.
The crowd booed in disappointment.
"Let's go."
"Girls, will you come tomorrow?"
Du Wuya said without hesitation: "As long as it's not raining or snowing, we will set up the stall."
"Okay, I'll come back tomorrow."
The girls politely sent the man away, then looked at each other with smiles in their eyes and eyebrows.
"Let's go home!"
At the command of the fifth sister, everyone quickly packed up their things, pushed the carts through the night market, and headed home chatting and laughing.
After an incense stick of time, the group returned to the courtyard and Du Qingtang knocked on the door.
“Here I come!”
The courtyard gate opened, and the person standing inside was the young man who had visited Du Ji Snack Stall not long ago.
This person never changes his name or surname. He is Fu Wen from Fujia Village, Qingyuan County!
"Qingtang, sister, you've worked so hard. Let me help you." Fu Wen pushed the cart into the yard. "I just made dinner and it's warming in the pot. You can go sit in the main room for a while. The food will be here soon."
Du Wuya disagreed: "Awen is a guest, he should just rest at home, how can I let you..."
Fu Wen didn't give her the chance to stop him and slipped into the kitchen.
"This child!" Du Wuya was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, completely forgetting that she had only been a coming-of-age girl for a year.
To be honest, she had a very good impression of Tangger's friend. He was handsome, lively and polite, a rare good kid.
The youngest daughter is good in every way except that she is a little withdrawn and taciturn. If she makes friends with Fu Wen, she might be influenced by her and become more cheerful.
Du Wuya rubbed her aching wrist, her soft voice revealing a hint of fatigue: "But everyone has worked hard tonight. Eat something and go to bed quickly. There are still things to do tomorrow."
Tomorrow she and Du Liuya will set up a stall to sell sour soup tofu, while Du Qiya and Du Baya will stay at home to prepare ingredients for the night market and make sour soup tofu.
The day after tomorrow, it will be the turn of the two older ones to stay at home, and the two younger ones to go out and set up the stall. It is fair to take turns.
"good."
The girls responded sparsely and walked to the main room with heavy steps.
Du Qingtang was only responsible for collecting money, but he was not tired. He followed Fu Wen into the kitchen.
Fu Wen was serving rice when he saw her come over and pick up a piece of stir-fried mushrooms and vegetables with his chopsticks. "There's some braised pork offal left in the cupboard, so I made this dish separately, with both meat and vegetables. Qingtang, please help me taste it to see if it's salty enough."
Du Qingtang lowered his head and took a bite: "It's just the right saltiness, but——"
Fu Wen pulled out five pairs of clean chopsticks and, without turning his head, hummed, his tone rising at the end: "What's wrong?"
Du Qingtang crossed his arms and said, "Awen, this is my home. Why are you acting like a guest instead of a host?"
Fu Wen's body froze. Before he could even panic, he noticed Du Qingtang's tone was full of teasing. He said unhappily, "You didn't let me go over to help, and told me to buy some stinky tofu and leave, leaving me here alone. I had nothing to do after finishing my homework, and I thought you'd be hungry when you got back, so I decided to cook two dishes and a soup myself to reward you and the sisters."
Having made a lot of money tonight, Du Qingtang was in a good mood and was unusually talkative: "Is the stinky tofu delicious?"
Fu Wen snorted softly: "I've already eaten the second portion and didn't leave any for you. Do you think it tastes good?"
Du Qingtang had no appetite, so she didn't care. She took the bowl to the main hall and thought of Fu Wen stuffing his stinky tofu into his mouth without hesitation. She asked casually, "Has it ever occurred to you that it might not taste good?"
At that time, he only asked Fu Wen to pretend to be a diner and buy and taste a snack that no one was interested in. Fu Wen agreed without saying a word. After that, Du Qingtang was busy with his studies and had to pay attention to the courtyard, so he forgot to mention it.
"I haven't thought about it." Fu Wen smiled at his friend's slightly surprised eyes and said, "Because I trust you. You won't give me anything unpalatable."
Du Qingtang paused.
Fu Wen turned his head to look at her, his eyes full of sincerity. "Even if it doesn't taste good, as long as it's from Qingtang, and as long as it can help Qingtang and my sister and attract more diners, I will eat it all."
Qingtang may not know what she means to him.
From childhood to adulthood, no one was kind to her, and no one liked her.
My parents are, that person is, and the villagers are too.
All she got was blame, abuse and beatings.
Only Du Qingtang.
Only Du Qingtang did not despise her stupidity, showed her kindness, and treated her gently and patiently.
On the day of the academy's entrance examination, Fu Wen was hiding behind a stone lion to study, and he saw Du Qingtang at a glance.
Although he was wearing a tattered short jacket, which showed his shabby and difficult financial situation, Du Qingtang stood in the cold wind like a pine or cypress standing against the wind, which made her feel inexplicably fond of him.
The wind was strong and the weather was cold, and Du Qingtang sneezed.
Fu Wen, who was used to hiding in a dark corner and isolating everyone from outside, mustered up the courage for the first time and extended an invitation to Du Qingtang.
"If you don't mind...you can come to my place to take shelter from the wind."
In this way, they became friends who could talk about anything.
The aroma of food lingered in my nose, and the laughter of the Du sisters filled my ears.
Fu Wen thought that there was no better friend than Qingtang.
He gave her bed curtains, shared test questions with her, urged her to study and do the exercises, and invited her to his home to have dinner with the Du sisters.
So let alone the unpalatable food, even if she had to go through mountains of swords and seas of fire, Fu Wen wouldn't blink an eye.
The sudden straight ball made Du Qingtang a little dazed, as if something invisible suddenly hit his heart. It was a fresh experience he had never had before.
She was a little at a loss, but she didn't show it on her face, and her tone was calm: "I'm not a pushover."
Not long ago, she used a knife to kill two scumbags.
Fu Wen smiled and said, "I know that Qingtang's principle has always been to not offend others unless they offend me."
This is also what she learned from Du Qingtang.
She no longer accepted her fate and bravely confronted her former classmates, as well as her parents who were furious and wanted to teach her a lesson when they learned that she had complained to the teacher.
She did nothing wrong, why should she endure all the prejudice and grievances?
"I have some stinky tofu left at home. I'll fry it for you later."
Du Qingtang's calm voice pulled Fu Wen away from some unpleasant memories. She sniffed and said in a vague voice, "As expected, Qingtang, you are the best to me."
Du Qingtang: "...that's enough."
Fu Wen was amused by her speechless and choked look and laughed out loud. Her overly enthusiastic laughter scared away the birds perched on the branches and also alarmed the girls in the main room, who came forward to take the bowls and chopsticks from her and Du Qingtang.
They ran to the kitchen again, brought two dishes and a soup, then closed the door and the six of them sat around the table.
The aroma of food filled the air, hot mist rose up, and people's hearts became warm.
The girls took a sip and their eyes lit up.
"tasty!"
"I didn't expect Awen's craftsmanship to be so good."
"Awen, you've worked so hard to prepare this table of dishes. Please eat more."
"Yeah, I'm eating."
Fu Wen looked at Du Qingtang, then at the Du sisters, and buried his head in his meal.
The corners of her mouth were raised, but her eyes were quietly moist.
Once again confirmed.
very nice.
......
After eating and drinking, Du Qingtang asked the girls to wash up and turned into the kitchen.
She promised Fu Wen to make fried stinky tofu and she kept her word.
Du Wuya came in to get some water. Du Qingtang, holding wooden chopsticks, stirred the oil in the wok. Without even turning around, he said, "Fifth sister, put the money you earn from the stall in that wooden box. We'll divide it up during the New Year to bring good luck."
The wooden box was made when the trolley was customized. It has two locks on it, which ordinary people cannot open. The safety factor is as high as level nine.
Du Wuya agreed, put down the wooden basin, and stuffed a handful of firewood into the stove. She didn't go to wash until Du Qingtang had fried the stinky tofu.
"Awen, the stinky tofu is ready, come and have some."
Fu Wen was helping the girls pack up the cart. He waved his hand when he heard this, and after he finished packing, he went to the kitchen to enjoy the delicious food.
The academy had closed long ago, so they stayed in the courtyard tonight.
The girls slept in one room. Fortunately, the bunk bed was big enough so it was not a problem for them to squeeze in. Du Qingtang and Fu Wen slept in the same room.
After washing up, he lay down on the bed. Although there was some distance between them, Fu Wen was still a little uneasy, worried that his identity would be discovered. He closed his eyes and his body was stiff, and he didn't dare to fall asleep.
Du Qingtang didn't think too much about it and fell asleep quickly.
Fu Wen listened to her friend's steady breathing, and sleepiness crawled uncontrollably onto her eyelids. She felt sleepy and fell asleep hugging the quilt.
Have a good night's sleep.
The next day, Fu Wen opened his eyes and found that Du Qingtang was gone. Her clothes were neatly arranged and even her sleeping position had not changed. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Although she believed Qingtang and knew that even if her identity was exposed, he would not reveal her to the academy, but it was too shocking for a woman to disguise herself as a man to study in the academy, so she decided not to let Qingtang suffer such a shock in vain.
I got up, dressed, and walked outside. I found that Du Wuya and Du Liuya had already gone out to set up their stalls, Du Qiya and Du Baya were making braised food, and Du Qingtang was reading.
Du Qingtang was holding a book in his hand. He turned around when he heard footsteps and said, "Have breakfast when you wake up. You have classes in the afternoon."
Fu Wen scratched his head and couldn't help but let out a silly smile: "Well, I'll be right there."
......
After dinner, Du Qingtang took out the money box from last night and poured out the copper coins.
The tinkling sounds attracted the seventh and eighth sisters who were busy in the yard. After seeing what the youngest was doing, they hurriedly washed their hands and sat down in a row in the main room.
Fu Wen consciously avoided it and went to practice the questions alone.
"One, two, three..."
The counted copper coins were placed in the wooden box at their feet. The clinking sound was a bit dull, but it did not stop the two girls from being happy. Their eyes were shining and their mouths were grinning from ear to ear.
"...Three hundred and sixteen." Du Qingtang counted the last copper coin, picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote the number down in the account book. "After deducting the cost, the net profit last night was one hundred and seventy-two coins."
Du Qiya and Du Baya had dazed expressions on their faces, their mouths wide open, big enough for an egg to fit in.
"One, one hundred and seventy-two?"
"T-that much?"
"Tang brother, you didn't lie to me?"
Du Qingtang glanced at Du Qiya: "Is it necessary to lie to you?"
"Ah—" Du Qiya covered her face with her hands, squeezing her oval face into a melon seed face with such force that she screamed excitedly, "It's so, so, so good!"
It's not just because she made money from setting up the stall, but also because Tang Ge'er was finally willing to pay attention to her.
These days, Du Qingtang returned to the courtyard every few days to check on the girls' learning results, but he was always indifferent to Du Qiya.
She would answer Du Qiya's questions patiently and carefully, but that was all.
At other times, Du Qiya would make small talk, but Du Qingtang would ignore her.
This made Du Qiya depressed and aggrieved. She knew that she had done something wrong and deserved to be punished, but she was not discouraged and persevered in trying to please her youngest brother.
Hard work pays off, and I finally succeeded!
Du Qiya shouted with joy, but that was not enough, she stood up and jumped three feet high.
Du Qingtang: “…”
Du Baya: “…”
Fu Wen heard the cry and thought something had happened. He ran out to see what was happening. The brush in his hand was still dripping ink. "What's wrong?"
Du Qiya was startled by Fu Wen's sudden appearance. She was out of breath and coughed heavily.
Du Baya was extremely helpless and went over to help her calm down.
Fu Wen looked confused and asked Du Qingtang what was going on.
Du Qingtang knew but didn't say anything, just to save face for someone else, and said calmly: "I made some money from setting up a stall, I'm so happy."
"puff--"
Du Baya chuckled, while Du Qiya's face turned red.
But her eyes were bright and her smile was as beautiful as spring flowers, as if spring had arrived early.
-
In just a few days, Du Ji Snack Stall became famous in the night market. People came every day to buy snacks, whether it was fried skewers or braised food, they all loved it.
The best-selling one is fried stinky tofu.
Diners have changed from initially avoiding stinky tofu to loving and hating it.
What I love is its unique taste, and what I hate is still its taste.
Stinky tofu is both smelly and fragrant, and is very addictive to eat, but the smell can easily get on your clothes after eating it.
"I ate two servings of stinky tofu last night and ran into someone I know on the street. He asked me if I had fallen into a toilet."
Listening to the bearded man's complaints, the other diners burst into laughter.
"You should tell him to try this stinky tofu. I guarantee you'll want to eat it again after eating it once."
The bearded man said gruffly, "How do you know I did this? He couldn't come today because of something, so he asked me to bring him two copies."
Everyone laughed again.
Copper coins tinkled as they fell into the coin box, marking another fruitful night.
The sour soup tofu business is good during the day, but it is far less than the snack business at the night market.
Seeing the girls working day and night and becoming visibly thinner, Du Qingtang couldn't help but reflect on whether she had pushed them too hard.
So I suggested selling sour soup tofu only in the morning and resting at home in the afternoon.
The girls were immersed in the joy of making money and were unwilling to do so, but they could not resist Du Qingtang and finally gave in.
I earned one tael of silver in five days of setting up the stall, which means six taels a month, enough to pay for rent and tuition expenses.
There is still a long way to go to make money, and it would be a waste of time if you exhaust yourself doing this.
Soon in the second half of the month, Du Ji snack stall business became more and more prosperous, and the daily income increased from 300 wen to more than 600 wen, directly doubling.
The girls were so happy that they even counted the silver in their dreams at night.
Perhaps it was because of excessive joy that sorrow came to an end. Some people discovered business opportunities, and fried skewers stalls and braised food stalls began to appear in night markets.
Those vendors set up their stalls near Du Ji using the same name as Du Ji, and shamelessly criticized Du Ji.
"Selling fried skewers! Meat ones are one penny each, and vegetarian ones are two pennies each. If they don't taste good, I won't charge you!"
"Try my braised pig's trotters. They're fat but not greasy, tender and tasty, and much cheaper than Du Ji's."
"Take a look, the first five are free!"
They shouted and solicited customers, and actually let them take away some of the customers.
As time went by, Du Ji's business became much quieter.
The girls panicked, angry and anxious: "They're going too far! How could they do this?"
Du Qingtang had anticipated this: "Where there's profit, there's competition. The more this is the case, the more we must not lose our composure. The only thing you can do is keep the ingredients clean and fresh. Diners have sharp eyes and can tell which restaurant is good and which isn't."
Yes, their noodles and sauces are their own secret recipe. Even if someone else sells fried skewers, they can only imitate 40% to 50% at best, but not the essence. Diners with picky tastes will still stay at Du Ji Snack Stall.
The girls quickly cheered up and spent more energy on selecting materials and making the products.
The pig's trotters and offal were bought at Zhang the butcher's butcher stall. Considering that the radish strips Du Qingtang sent were crispy and delicious, and his wife especially loved them, Zhang the butcher promised to leave a certain amount of pig's trotters and offal for them every day.
The tofu is homemade, so let’s not talk about that for now.
The chicken needed for frying the skewers was bought from a large chicken farmer. It was full of life when brought home. The six chicks in the house chirped with joy when they saw their fellow chicks.
Then they witnessed with their own eyes the scene of their fellow creatures being bled and plucked and then served on the table.
Chicken cub: “!!!”
That morning, Du Qiya dug up earthworms to feed the chicks as usual, and found them huddled together listlessly in the makeshift chicken coop. Thinking they were sick, she quickly caught them and checked them one by one.
"It's not a big deal. Could it be that it's hungry?" Du Qiya put the much-grown chick on the ground and said encouragingly, "Grow up quickly. Braise it and nourish Tang Ge'er. Fried ones are also good. Sprinkle them with plum powder and they'll be delicious!"
Chicken: Save me, save me!
......
Because Du Ji pays great attention to quality control, a large number of diners still stay.
On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, Du Qingtang and Fu Wen went to a bookstore to exchange paintings and went home on the way.
"Chicken legs, chicken wings, and chicken strips have been sold for more than ten days. It's time to introduce new products."
That night, Fu Wen stayed in the courtyard to look after the house, while Du Qingtang and the girls went to the night market to help.
Du Qiya has a loud voice, and she's in charge of shouting out, "Du Ji has a new product! Gluten lotus root stuffed with pork skin and chicken cutlets are fragrant and crispy. Come buy some!"
The diners stopped when they heard the sound, looked at the new products on the tray that looked very good, and swallowed their saliva.
"What's so new about this? I can make it myself at home."
Having said that, my body walked towards the food stall with exceptional honesty.
"What is gluten? I've never eaten it. Give me two."
"My daughter loves lotus root dumplings, and my wife loves stinky tofu. I'd like one of each."
Before long, Du Ji Snacks stall was crowded with people, most of whom came to try out the new products.
At this time, Du Qiya said again: "Tonight, the first five people to come will get a free meal, and the first ten people to come will get a free portion of stinky tofu."
Everyone was stunned at first, some cheered, some wailed.
"Great, I'm second!"
"Oh, if I had known I would have been the first to buy it."
Du Qiya smiled and said, "We will randomly hold free meal events in the future, so please pay more attention."
Now everyone started cheering.
"Girl is generous!"
Looking at the crowded and packed scene in front of Du Ji Snacks Stall, the other vendors running fried skewers and braised food stalls were furious but could do nothing about it.
They wanted to find someone to frame Du Ji, saying that they found something dirty in Du Ji's fried skewers. Unfortunately, those girls were as cunning as a sieve. They always showed the ingredients to the diners openly. Those idiots who only knew how to eat actually believed it and told everyone that Du Ji was clean and hygienic. If they wanted to frame Du Ji, they had to get past them.
Difficult! Difficult!
Du Qingtang took the copper coin handed to her by the diner and threw it into the cash box. Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name: "Du Qingtang?"
Following the sound, I saw a few people standing not far away. They were wearing blue and white school uniforms and were students from the Enlightenment Class D.
The most conspicuous among the group was Xie Guang, who was looking around with a look of disgust on his face.
Since entering the Enlightenment Class C, Du Qingtang rarely saw Xie Guang. The last time she saw him was at the beginning of the month during the horse riding and archery class. She saw Xie Guang carrying a bamboo basket to pick up horse manure. She didn't expect to meet him again at the night market.
She was wearing a blue-gray short jacket with oil-stained cuffs and a tunic around her waist, also covered in oil stains.
Du Qingtang could already imagine how Xie Guang would take advantage of the situation to cause trouble for her.
But it doesn't matter. She has plenty of ways and means to deal with this kind of repeater.
Du Qingtang nodded and said, "Classmate Liu, Classmate Wang, Classmate Hu, Classmate Xie."
"It's really you?" Xie Guang strode forward, glimpsed the greasy stain on the cart, stepped back in disgust, and glared at the people walking with him. "I already told you I didn't want to come, but you dragged me here. This place is always busy, and there are no doors or windows to block out the view. It's filthy. What if I get sick from eating?"
The four girls were originally nervous because these people were their youngest classmates. They were thinking about whether to treat them to a free meal, but when they heard Xie Guang say this, their faces immediately darkened.
Not only them, but the vendors around them also had ugly expressions.
"Hey, whose son is this? Why are you here instead of enjoying your own delicacies at home?"
"No one's forcing you to eat. You really take yourself too seriously."
Xie Guang relied on his wealthy family background to bully Class D. Except for those with good status, most of the others had been bullied by him, but they had to swallow their anger and dared not speak out.
In all these years in Class Ding, the only Waterloo he had was when he failed to deal with Du Qingtang and ended up picking up horse manure for half a month.
Xie Guang ran into Du Qingtang at the night market tonight. Just as he was about to laugh at her, he was met with a barrage of insults. His nose was crooked with anger, and he became even more outspoken: "Isn't it true? I came here to eat, and I'm afraid I've already eaten a mouthful of mud and sand before I even put the food in my mouth."
Du Qingtang saw that he was getting more and more angry, and was afraid that he would be beaten to death, which would affect Du Ji's business. So he lowered his voice and said, "Thank you, classmate, please be careful with your words! It's not easy to run a stall. We are just trying to make a few copper coins to support our livelihood. We can't bear such slander from you!"
Xie Guang sneered, called him a poor bastard, and walked away with a flick of his sleeves.
People were coming and going around him, and he was so arrogant that he didn't look at the road. He was tripped by someone and fell hard on his face.
"Thank you, brother!"
Classmate Wang hurried over to help and found that Xie Guang's mouth was bleeding. He looked down and found that he had hit his head on a stone.
The vendor laughed and said, "You deserve it for being so mean!"
Classmate Wang almost laughed out loud, but thinking that his own business still depended on the Xie family, he bit his cheeks tightly to prevent himself from losing his composure.
The other two didn't expect things to turn out like this.
Tonight they were strolling around with Xie Guang, and when they passed by this place, they suddenly had the idea of experiencing it.
Xie Guang walked along the way with disdain, which attracted countless people to watch and made them very embarrassed.
Just as he was about to leave, Hu Tongchuang suddenly saw Du Qingtang.
Xie Guang and Du Qingtang are at odds with each other, but they are on good terms with Xie Guang and have a good impression of Du Qingtang.
Who would hate a person who is good at both literature and martial arts and has almost no flaws?
Du Qingtang is such a person.
Originally, I just wanted to say hello, but I didn't expect Xie Guang to speak so wildly and anger everyone by himself.
Classmate Liu resisted the urge to hold his forehead with his hands and forced a smile, saying, "Please forgive me, my friend is in a bad mood today, so my words may have been a bit extreme."
No one responded.
Classmate Liu was so embarrassed that he tapped his toes on the ground and looked at Du Qingtang for help: "Classmate Du, do you have anything delicious at home? We've been walking for a long time and we're just starving."
Du Qingtang said expressionlessly: "Everything in my house is delicious."
Classmate Liu: "...then I'll give them both a portion."
Du Qingtang glanced at Du Wuya, who understood and put the ingredients into the wok with a stern face. When the time was up, she wrapped them in oil paper and handed them out stiffly, without even the signature line "Sir, your fried skewers, eat slowly and be careful of the heat."
Du Wuya is a good-tempered girl, provided you don't touch her bottom line.
Her siblings are the bottom line.
As for the consequences, Zhu had already experienced them that night.
Liu and Hu saw this and smiled bitterly: "I'm really sorry, I..."
Du Qingtang didn't want to listen and pointed at Xie Guang: "It seems like he knocked out a tooth."
"What?"
The two looked back and saw in the moonlight that Xie Guang's mouth was wide open, revealing a pitch-black gap.
Classmate Liu: “!!!”
Hu Tongcun: "!!!"
The three of them ran away with the dazed Xie Guang, and did not forget to take their knocked-out front teeth with them before leaving.
"puff--"
I don’t know who laughed out loud first, but then laughter broke out one after another in the night market.
“Serves you right!”
At this time, a woman came to Du Ji Snacks and bought a pound of braised food. She looked at Du Qingtang curiously and said, "I can't believe you're also a scholar."
Someone on the side said, "She's not just an ordinary scholar. Those people were wearing the uniform of Qingyuan Academy. If I'm not mistaken, you're also a student of Qingyuan Academy?"
Du Qingtang accepted the copper coins and nodded, "Yes, I am indeed from Qingyuan Academy."
As soon as she finished speaking, a large group of diners rushed towards her.
"This is the first time I've seen a scholar setting up a stall. Please give me a portion of all the new products so that I can also share in the scholar's intelligence."
"Will my monkey become smarter if it eats your food?"
Du Qingtang: "...This is fried skewers, not a panacea."
The person asking the question was dissatisfied: "What's your attitude?"
Before Du Qingtang could speak, someone started to tease him, "If I remember correctly, you've been eating skewers at the two newly opened skewers stalls lately. Why are you back again?"
The man smirked, his voice unjustified but still confident: "Girls, I've tried it for you, those two fried skewers aren't as good as yours."
Girls: “…”
Fried skewers vendor: “….”
Bah! How shameless!
On the other side, classmate Liu and classmate Hu sent Xie Guang back to Xie's house. On the way back, their stomachs rumbled and they thought of Du's fried skewers. They split them in half and ate them while walking.
The fried skewers were a little cold, but it did not affect its texture and taste.
“It’s quite delicious.”
"Go next time?"
"Classmate Du is a good person. She doesn't mind Xie Guang always making the first mistake. Let's go secretly and don't let Xie Guang know."
"That's what I meant."
-
As word spread that Du Qingtang was a student at Qingyuan Academy, business at Du's snack stall saw a surge.
Now the business of the fried skewers stalls and braised food stalls has become even quieter, and they are thankful if they have a few customers in the evening.
They hated Du Ji so much that they decided to take a risk and ruin Du Ji's reputation. However, before they could take any action, they got into trouble themselves.
They engaged in a price war with Du Ji, blindly lowering prices, and in order to maintain profitability, they used only inferior ingredients.
Several diners suffered from vomiting and diarrhea after eating, and almost lost their lives. In anger, they reported them to the authorities.
The county magistrate beat them with twenty sticks and ordered them to refund the diners' money for food, compensate the diners for medical fees and a series of subsequent expenses.
The market manager also drove these families out and forbade them to set up stalls in the market.
Without these troublemakers, the night market returned to peace.
Even if there are new fried skewers stalls and braised food stalls, they dare not provoke Du Ji anymore. They just do business honestly and live in peace with each other.
On the other hand, Xie Guang blamed Du Qingtang for his fall, and the next day he spread the news that Du Qingtang was setting up a stall at the night market to commemorate his lost front tooth.
Turns out no one cared.
There are students from both wealthy and poor backgrounds in Qingyuan Academy. They admire Du Qingtang very much and think that she has the character of a scholar, is strong in heart but not arrogant, and can earn money to support her family while studying hard.
"Where does classmate Du's stall go? She has beautiful handwriting and good writing, and the food she sells must be delicious too."
"Zhang is thinking of that. Why don't we go together tonight?"
"good!"
Upon learning that Du Qingtang was not ridiculed for this, but instead made Du Ji's business better, Xie Guang was so angry that he fell backwards and wished he could cut Du Qingtang into pieces.
It’s a pity that Du Qingtang went to Class C, and they rarely had any interactions, so he didn’t even have the chance to find fault.
......
On the 26th day of the 12th lunar month, as the New Year draws to a close, the annual literary gathering arrives as scheduled.
Last year's literary gathering was held in a teahouse, but this year the venue was changed to Qingyuan Academy.
That morning, after Du Qingtang finished his morning exercise, he saw many men of different ages wearing round-necked robes pouring into the academy.
"It is said that many of these people have already passed the imperial examinations. Some, though not yet, are quite famous in Qingyuan County. That is why they are fortunate enough to receive an invitation personally written by the county magistrate." Fu Wen said, sighing with regret, "It's a pity that I don't have this honor."
Students of Qingyuan Academy do not need an invitation and can directly participate in the literary gathering.
Du Qingtang smoothed the wrinkled corners of the book and said, "You were able to get into the academy through your own efforts. Isn't that another kind of honor?"
Fu Wen thought about it and it made sense. The last time she returned to the village, everyone was much more polite to her, which would have been absolutely impossible in the past.
Not to mention that because of Du Qingtang, many students from the academy and ordinary people came here to eat, and the business of Du Ji snack stall became better.
There were no classes today, so the two chatted while walking. After returning to the dormitory, they washed up, had breakfast, and went straight to the literary gathering.
The weather was cold, so the literary gathering was held indoors. The sound of winding water flowed, and the music of stringed instruments was pleasant. Scholars from Qingyuan Academy gathered here, clinking glasses and chatting happily.
Since it is a literary gathering, it is natural to display literary talent.
Some people wrote an eight-part essay on the spot, while others wrote poems and essays, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers.
Du Qingtang's weakness lies in poetry. After these days of intensive training, he feels that he has made progress and plans to compose a poem.
When she was conceiving, she thought of the sunny afternoon the day before the academy started, when she wrote a poem "Village Day" in one go.
"The sky is high and the clouds are leisurely. I open the window and look out at the green mountains. Flowers are fragrant in the garden, and smoke rises from the cold beside the stream." [1]
Du Qingtang wrote a poem on paper and handed it in for the county magistrate to comment on it.
There was a charcoal pot burning in the room, and there were so many people around. Du Qingtang touched his scalding cheek and suggested, "It's so stuffy in here, why don't we go out and get some fresh air?"
Fu Wenzhen had this idea. She was not good at speaking and seldom debated with others. She found it boring to watch others arguing, so she simply went out for a walk.
When I went out, there was a pond not far away.
Du Qingtang and Fu Wen went over there, walked along the shore, and discussed the arithmetic problem from last night.
As he was getting excited, a voice interrupted him: "You are shameless enough to take money from your classmates. If I were you, I would have been so ashamed that I would have kicked out of the academy overnight."
Without looking back, Du Qingtang knew who he was.
Fu Wen curled his lips and muttered, "What a disgusting fellow! He's so rude, no wonder he knocked out his teeth."
Du Qingtang gently held Fu Wen's arm to calm her down. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xie Guang standing next to the rockery, looking at her with disdain.
"There's no shame in earning money with your own hands, and my classmates all came with good intentions. I'm deeply grateful, but it's a pity that classmate Xie may never experience this feeling firsthand." Du Qingtang said with a half-smile, "Rather than showing off your quick tongue and speaking ill of others, classmate Xie should convince others with his true abilities. Otherwise, I'll feel like the person standing before me isn't a human being, but a mad dog."
First he mocked his poor popularity, then he called him a mad dog. Xie Guang flew into a rage: "Du Qingtang, you're looking for death!"
Du Qingtang had wanted to scold him for a long time. It seemed that the lesson taught to him by physical attack was not profound enough, and he had to cooperate with mental attack.
Before he could curse again, someone came running over: "Classmate Du, Classmate Fu, you're here! It was so hard to find you!"
The visitor was a student from the Enlightenment Class C. He panted and spoke rapidly, "The county magistrate greatly admires your poetry and eight-legged essays and wishes to meet you."
Xie Guang's face changed slightly. Du Qingtang had actually won the favor of the county magistrate?
Then could he still ask her to get out of the academy?
"Thank you, classmate. I have to go see the county magistrate, so I'll excuse myself." Du Qingtang bowed and moved closer to Xie Guang, saying in a voice only they could hear, "The filling is excellent. I suggest you go back to that same person next time."
After saying that, he pulled Fu Wenyang away.
Xie Guang: “…”
next time?
What next time?
There will never be a next time!
"Damn it! Du Qingtang, I will never let you go!"
......
"Headmaster! Headmaster!"
A childish voice drifted closer, a small child in a blue and white school uniform complaining angrily, "The county magistrate is here, why are you still fishing here? Thank goodness the county magistrate reminded me, otherwise I don't know when I would have found you."
"He does understand me." Yao Xuan tapped the boy's forehead. "You're so disrespectful. Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll forgive you this time."
The little boy howled, covering his forehead with his hands. "Is the headmaster in such a good mood because of the literary gathering?"
"Not really." Yao Xuan put away his fishing rod and stood up slowly. "I just witnessed a wonderful person and a wonderful thing. I found it very interesting."
"Wonderful people and wonderful things?"
The child looked around and saw only two figures walking away.
"Let's go." Yao Xuan walked out from behind an old tree that was so thick that two people could hug it, holding a fishing rod in one hand and a fish bucket in the other, walking briskly.
The little boy trotted after him: "Wait for me, Headmaster!"
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