Chapter 48 Busy Reading: Why is it that everyone who comes in isn't here to read!
"Tea and Reading After Tea" was indeed a tea room, but it was quite different from ordinary tea rooms. As soon as Lu Fang stepped across the threshold and looked around, he felt refreshed and his eyes were opened.
The room was bright and airy, with two wooden lattice windows wide open. Several strings of small bamboo lanterns, each adorned with a tiny bell, hung at varying heights between the window frames. Two thin, old ramie curtains hung in front of the windows, fluttering in the breeze along with the bells, creating a clear, melodious sound. Several bamboo stalks were casually drawn on the window paper, casting dappled, poetic shadows on the floor as sunlight filtered through.
The tea room is divided into two halves by a carved wooden screen depicting farming and reading. On the right half, there are several low tables for two people placed against the wall and by the window, and in the middle is a very large long table that can seat about ten people. It is now almost full of people sitting around it.
On the left side of the room stood an old pine wood counter, behind which a nanmu wood shelf was stacked with various snack boxes containing all kinds of tea, snacks and dried fruits. A wooden menu was placed on the side of the counter, listing the tea soup and snacks served that day. At the base of the wall, a row of earthenware urns were arranged on a long table, with diamond-shaped red paper pasted on the urns, which seemed to be for various teas and tea cakes, labeled with "Dragon Ball", "Jian Tea", "Yangxian Tea", "Guzhu Purple Bamboo Shoots", "Emei White Buds", "Mengding Tea", "Liu'an", and so on.
As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the sweet and mellow aroma of milk and tea, mixed with a faint floral scent. Lu Fang gripped the strap of his schoolbag tightly and followed the fragrance around the screen.
He was now carrying a brand-new tie-dyed brocade satchel embroidered with a large, panda-faced creature. He'd bought it just before paying the bill—thank goodness! It was now bulging with all the things he'd just bought. Otherwise, with so many things wrapped in oil paper, he wouldn't know how to carry them all!
Stepping aside to let several students who had just bought fresh tea and were carrying square wooden trays pass, Lu Fang withdrew his curious gaze from the teacups they were holding, stood in front of the counter, and looked at the menu with interest:
[On the 19th day of the first month of the ninth year of the Baoyuan era, today's main offering is: Milk Tea]
One: Bo Ya's Broken String - Yangxian Bud Tea - 32 coins per cup
Part Two: Gardenia Scented Tea (32 coins per cup)
Three: Osmanthus and Orchid Fragrance Double-Fragrance Scented Green Tea, 40 coins per cup
Fourth: A cup of Sheng Sheng Wulong Lingnan Fermented Tea costs 45 coins.
Wu: Dragon Ball Tea, Snow-White Jianzhou Dragon Ball Tea, 8 coins per cup.
Optional toppings: dried tangerine peel, red beans, chopped almonds, chopped pine nuts...
Lu Fang was completely bewildered. Why was the tea here so expensive? He had just looked up and hadn't even asked a question when Uncle Cong, who was standing behind the counter simmering the syrup he bought at the Zhouqiao Night Market into a thick sauce, patiently explained while gently stirring the pot:
"This method was learned from the Hu merchants. After boiling the tea, cheese is added. The tea soup is as white as snow, and the tea base is fragrant, making it a unique flavor. Especially at this time of year, a hot cup of milk tea can keep you energized for reading all day."
Cong Bo explained carefully, then smiled at him and said, "Young master, please don't misunderstand. Milk is rare. In Bianjing, only ten out of a hundred households can afford it, so it's precious because it's scarce. Of course, we usually have jujube soup and ginger tea, which cost one or two coins a day. However, milk tea isn't always available either. It depends on whether there are vendors selling milk at the morning market at Zhouqiao. Today is our opening day, and my wife ordered fresh milk, fried milk, and milk crisps from Manfeng Farm in the suburbs in advance. She also specially asked someone to cook them and deliver them, which is why we have this much. I'm afraid it will be gone tomorrow. If you want to try something new, young master, you are welcome to have a cup."
Lu Fang suddenly realized that the Song Dynasty now had trade relations with both the Liao and Jin dynasties, and the tea-horse trade in the Western Regions was also very prosperous. He had heard about these ways of eating tea when he came to Bianjing with the caravans, but he had never seen so many different kinds before. Most of them were just listed as things like dairy products... He thought to himself, but then he glanced at the menu again. He could understand the names of the other teas, which were mostly related to floral fragrance and tea base. Only the first one was incomprehensible to him. He couldn't help but ask in confusion, "What is 'Bo Ya's Broken String'?"
Uncle Cong seemed to have explained this to others a thousand times before. Stirring the thick sugar, he said with great skill, "My lord, please listen. This tea is inspired by the saying 'High mountains and flowing water meet a kindred spirit.' Look at this cup: floating snow represents mountains, clear soup represents water, the sound of the zither symbolizes the clear fragrance of the tea, the kindred spirit symbolizes the harmonious blend of tea and milk, and the broken string symbolizes the lingering aftertaste. Only those who understand and love tea can be the kindred spirits of this cup of tea."
Lu Fang understood again, and admired Yao Xiaoniangzi's ingenuity even more. Moreover... he was, of course, Yao Xiaoniangzi's kindred spirit! He eagerly took out his purse, which was now empty except for a thin layer of skin due to his extravagant shopping. Fortunately, there were still seventy or eighty copper coins inside. He immediately lit it and said, "Bo Ya broke his string and brought me a cup!"
Just as he was counting the coins, Uncle Cong handed him a piece of gold-flecked paper with writing on it, saying, "Young master, would you like some more tea and snacks? This milk tea tastes even better with the snacks. We have some new snacks today: Scholar's Cake, Honey Kumquat Cake, Spicy Chips, Candied Fruit, Plum Blossom Pastry, Spring Roll Pastry..."
Before Cong Bo could finish speaking, Lu Fang noticed a line that read "Snow Cloud Cake" and "Pine Snow Crisp," but it had been crossed out. He asked, "What are these two things?"
"These are rice cakes made by my young lady herself. They smell wonderful, but unfortunately, there were only a few available and they've all sold out." Uncle Cong chuckled and pointed to Geng Hao, who was sitting imposingly at the long table behind him. "They were all bought by that young master Geng."
Lu Fang regretfully chose the "Zhuangyuan Cake" (a type of rice cake), then turned around and saw that Geng Hao had practically taken over the entire long table. There were two or three large bundles on the table, piled high with the things he had bought. Not only were there several cups of milk tea and several plates of rice cakes being eaten, but there were also two food boxes next to him.
He was astonished; Geng Hao had actually bought so much!
A short while later, Uncle Cong brought him a tray with milky white tea in a shiny white ceramic teacup, along with three pieces of Zhuangyuan cake pressed into the shape of begonia flowers.
Perhaps because the tea in the tea room was expensive, some students only came in to buy some snacks or the usual jujube soup. Therefore, Uncle Cong was not very busy. He would make a cup of milk tea every few days and even had time to come out from behind the counter to tidy up the tables.
Lu Fang, carrying a tray, looked around. All the other small tables were already full, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say to Geng Hao, "Brother Geng, please make room for me."
Geng Hao didn't even turn his head, munching on the crispy rice cake, blowing on his teacup, taking a big, satisfying sip, and then letting out a soft hum through his nose as if to say it was done.
The young master of the Geng family was known for his arrogance and bad temper at the Imperial Academy. Lu Fang had played a game of Cuju with him before, and someone on the other side accidentally kicked the ball into Geng Hao's head. After that, Geng Hao didn't care about winning or losing for the rest of the game and kept chasing after the other person and kicking the ball into their head.
He carefully sat down along the edge of the table, intending to keep his distance, but seeing how much he enjoyed the food, he couldn't help but ask, "Is this the tea snack that was sold out on the menu? How was it?"
Geng Hao was initially too lazy to pay him any attention; giving him his seat was already considered generous of him, and this guy was acting like they were old friends, even eyeing his rice cakes. But seeing Lu Fang's curious, craning neck-looking expression, although he was disgusted, he still pushed the plate next to him towards him, remembering that they had played football together before: "Why don't you try a bite yourself and see?"
"Why not take it?" Lu Fang wasn't one to stand on ceremony. He thanked her and took a piece, examining it closely. It was indeed quite different from the fried rice cakes, fried rice candies, and rice crusts sold outside. Most of the ones outside were cut into thick slices, made by mixing fried rice with sugar, resulting in a completely different flavor. But Yao Xiaoniangzi's rice cakes were very delicate; the shape of the rice grains was no longer visible. They were very light in his hand, and the oval surface was covered with slightly yellowish powder. They had a fresh, sweet aroma. They didn't seem particularly special at first glance, but after taking a bite, his eyes lit up.
"Mmm! Delicious! This is so delicious!"
The rice cake crumbled into countless pieces between his teeth. First, he tasted the dry aroma after roasting, and then his mouth was immediately enveloped in a unique sweetness. The taste was unlike any other snack he had ever eaten before, leaving him dazed. It wasn't until a while that he noticed the undisguised look of disgust in Geng Hao's eyes next to him.
This guy is even less knowledgeable than his own Geng Niu and Geng Ma. Geng Hao thought to himself, but his hands didn't stop. He ate another piece, and while eating it, he thought to himself, "It's just a roasted rice cake. What's so special about it? When I get home, I'll ask my cook to make ten or eight catties of it."
As if on cue, Geng Hao looked up and saw Geng Niu or Geng Ma running in, sweating profusely. They carried the two large bundles of things left on the table on their shoulders and, panting heavily, said to Geng Hao, "Brother Hao, shall Geng Niu and I take these things home first, and have Geng Ji serve us?"
"Oh, so this is Gengma." Geng Hao lifted his eyelids with displeasure and said, "Are you two both going?"
Gengma said with a long face, "Gengyang and Gengzhu are driving the cart. The four of them, Longshe, Hutu, and Hutu, are here to protect your safety and cannot be ordered around. The two wild boars, Shuzi and Gouzi, can't eat fine bran. They even got diarrhea after drinking the milk tea you gave them! I think they probably can't drink milk. Many people get diarrhea after drinking it. Now the goods have been loaded into two large carts, and someone has to go with them. If we go back, won't we have to clean up after you? If we let someone as clumsy as Gengji escort them back, they might break something, and you'll be angry again."
He was wronged! Who knew that Hao-ge would say it was just a small study room, nothing special, just something to look around. But once inside, he was like a man possessed. In the stationery shop next door, he bought one set of this and two sets of that. He took all the writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and various kinds of school bags that he usually didn't like. He said he didn't actually like them, but he took them back to reward his half-siblings and to bring some fun things for the old aunts at home.
They even bought all twelve chubby zodiac animal figurines in the shop.
They said it would be just right to give one to each of the twelve idiots.
Without mentioning the word "idiot," Gengma was moved to tears. He never expected that Hao Ge'er still cared about them! When it came time to pay, they were hit by something tied up higher than a mountain, making it hard to straighten their backs. Luckily, there were many of them, and it took several trips to tie them all up and put them on the car.
A bunch of useless things. Geng Hao was annoyed at the thought of having Geng Ji serve him, and waved his hand haphazardly: "Fine, fine, go ahead! Go and come back quickly!"
Gengma shouldered the heavy bundle and left. A moment later, Gengji, with its pointed beak and small eyes, trotted in, beaming, "Haohao Haohao Haohao..."
Geng Hao impatiently grabbed a rice cake and stuffed it into his mouth, warning, "Shut up. You're not allowed to say a word today. If you embarrass me, I'll kick you into a ditch right now."
Lu Fang watched the whole scene from the side, pursed his lips, and lowered his head, trying hard to recall what sad things had happened in the past few days, before he managed to suppress a laugh. When Geng Hao noticed him and turned his head away with narrowed eyes, he quickly pretended to be seriously eating rice cakes.
But this pancake is really delicious; he'll definitely buy some to try later.
And this Bo Ya's Broken String paired with rice cakes is truly elegant, refreshing, and delicious! Lu Fang never expected that the food of the Hu people could be so delicious. After finishing the rice cakes, he was thirsty, and the milk tea was just the right temperature. So he picked up the teacup and took a sip to moisten his mouth. He was immediately amazed and his eyes widened. What a fragrant and smooth tea!
How come he remembered that the milk tea sold in the teahouse run by the Hu merchant was all salty? Not only could they put fried rice in it, but they could also put mutton in it.
Lu Fang didn't like salty tea; he preferred matcha with various candied fruits and preserves, topped with a layer of foam—fragrant and elegant. But he hadn't expected that Yao Xiaoniangzi's milk tea would be sweet, yet not too sweet. It had a tea aroma with a milky fragrance, and a smooth, delicate taste, like snowflakes falling into spring water. The rich milk flavor diluted the bitterness of the tea base to almost imperceptible levels.
It matches the flavor of the rice cake perfectly.
As the first rays of spring shone through the window, Lu Fang basked in the warm sunlight, leisurely sipping his tea.
Hearing Geng Hao scolding Geng Ji beside him, and seeing Wang Wang simply stretching in the hanging basket and eliciting cheers of "Good boy, good darling" from the students around him, he felt an incomparable sense of peace.
Lu Fang rested his chin on his hand, enjoying the beautiful morning light, feeling that everything here suited his taste. He even thought that after finishing the milk tea, he would go and pet the dog.
When he bought milk tea earlier, he noticed a bamboo basket on the counter filled with dried field mice and dried quail, priced at eight coins a bag, which could be used to feed cats and dogs. However, if feeding dogs, only five servings were allowed per day, as Uncle Cong said the dogs were too fat and couldn't eat too many of these snacks.
Is it fat? Lu Fang didn't think so at all, and refuted it in his heart, "How is it fat? Not at all!"
It's still small and growing. Besides, its fur is only thick in winter!
Having made his plans, Lu Fang began to eat and drink with even greater pleasure, also admiring the items he had just bought, feeling that everything he had chosen was excellent! He even planned to use the newly purchased booklet and pen to copy several of his favorite poems by Su Shi…
He was lost in thought, vaguely feeling that he had forgotten something important, but he couldn't quite remember it. It didn't matter, it wasn't anything important if he couldn't remember it.
The weather is fine now, let's talk about it later.
Outside, Master Meng had already arrived, but his anger dissipated the moment he entered. The Yao family's business was opening for the first time, and the house was packed with people! Not only were they all students from the Imperial Academy, but also several young professors from distant hometowns who hadn't been able to return home for the New Year.
With people coming and going, wouldn't it be even more embarrassing to discipline his son in public? So he had no choice but to pretend that he was also there to show his support, and he forced a smile and congratulated Yao Ruyi, who was greeting guests at the door, before pretending to be curious and going inside.
When Master Meng arrived, Meng Boyuan was no longer at the gate. Seeing that there were more and more people, and many students were like headless flies, he went in to help.
The old general store was looked after by Sancunding, the stationery shop was looked after by Cong Xin and Xiaoshitou, the tea room relied entirely on Cong Bo, and the east wing on the other side was the study room. However, since it was everyone's first time here, they were all still very excited. There were many students like Lu Fang who lacked focus. As soon as they came in, they naturally looked around, admired the calligraphy and paintings, smelled the winter plum blossoms, browsed the stationery, and ate tea and snacks. Not many people went straight to the east wing to study.
The two rooms in the east wing had been combined to form a large study room, where several rows of tables and chairs were neatly arranged. A long table and a round-backed chair with thick cushions were placed by the door, which was Yao Qizhao's daily work seat. Today, he was wearing new clothes and had washed his hair and beard. He was waiting there early in the morning.
After waiting anxiously for a while, seeing students gradually entering, Yao Qizhao immediately sat up straight. Unexpectedly, these students were peeking around everywhere, but they didn't come in to study!
He waited anxiously, and finally someone appeared. It was a familiar face. Yao Qizhao looked at the familiar, fair-skinned young man for a long time before he finally remembered his name. He seemed to be the boy from the tailor shop who often came to ask him questions.
However, this child is of average talent and will need to study very hard to have a future. Yao Qizhao was somewhat pleased to see him arrive first and was about to speak when he unexpectedly heard him respectfully ask:
“Mr. Yao… I’m here to help boil water. May I ask where the kitchen and water tank are?” Cheng Shujun asked Yao Qizhao, his face flushed.
Yao Qizhao's face darkened. They weren't here to study, were they?
Why is it that none of these people come here to study?
Cheng Shujun realized his mistake; how could he have asked Dr. Yao? He was still a bit confused and couldn't even recognize people properly. He sheepishly apologized and left. Just then, he saw Meng Boyuan leading someone from the other side and quickly grabbed him, asking, "Where's the kitchen?"
His mother told him yesterday that Yao Xiaoniangzi's study room would open tomorrow, and asked him to come and help out as soon as possible. She said that Yao Xiaoniangzi had discussed it with him before, and that he could come to the study room to do some work within his ability, and then he could come to read books for free in the future.
It's called work-study program.
Just now at the door, Yao Xiaoniangzi gently told him that his job today was to help supply hot water to the study room. If the water ran out, he would boil a few pots and keep them warm on the stove for anyone to use.
"There are so many people today, I'm afraid you'll have to work hard," Yao Xiaoniangzi said apologetically with a smile.
Cheng Shujun didn't dare look at her and blushed as he agreed.
Meng Boyuan was so busy he barely had time to breathe. He called out to a student who was looking for a toilet, and pointed towards the west gate: "It's behind there, go find it yourself, I don't have time to deal with you right now... Hey, hey, the toilet isn't there! Come back, come back! Did you wet your pants? Hold it in! I'll take you there!"
Then he ran off again.
Cheng Shujun then went off to attend to his own business.
Master Meng had been hiding behind a pillar to watch his son, but his legs got tired, so he slipped into the tea room, found a seat near the door, and watched silently for a while longer.
His anger had gradually subsided.
This was the first time he had ever seen Shiro like this.
Previously, in his heart, this son was inferior to Sanlang in every way. He was not good at studying and also caused trouble. When he was young, he lived in the outer city, and Meng Yuanwai's old mother had not yet passed away. When Sanlang was studying, Meng Boyuan would sneak out, scrape pig pancreas into powder, mix it with water, and "offer" it to his grandmother. The old woman vomited white foam for two days after drinking it. When asked why he did this, he said that his grandmother always scolded his mother and even spat into his mother's soup bowl. He said that if he poisoned her and made her mute, the family would be harmonious. Meng Yuanwai was so angry that he almost fainted.
As he grew older, Sanlang continued his studies, but he would sneak out again and sell all the wood used for woodblock printing to a scrap dealer in exchange for a bag of candy, almost causing Master Meng to have to pawn his underwear in the process. Even after Sanlang passed the preliminary imperial examination, he and a few other idle students would collaborate to write all sorts of messy and vulgar storybooks to sell to actors in the opera troupe. They even co-wrote a play about a man named Wang divorcing his wife, and included his grandmother as a wicked mother-in-law, which surprisingly became quite popular! Unfortunately, he foolishly only sold the storybook for two strings of cash, and the play's success had nothing to do with him.
In short, he's willing to do anything except study.
Later, this rebellious son finally grew up, but he still didn't like studying. In Master Meng's observation, Meng Boyuan's ability to recite was only slightly better than Little Stone's, and he also had terrible handwriting. But Master Meng was still unwilling to give up and still hoped that he would make something of himself. What was so good about being a merchant? Master Meng himself had to smile at everyone, even a minor official like Lin Sicao, whom he had to flatter all the time.
Being an official is prestigious! Master Meng's greatest wish is that his two sons can live upright and supportive lives, without having to kneel and fawn over anyone.
As for whether anyone would inherit the woodblock printing business, he thought it didn't matter. At worst, he would make enough money and then close down the business. He could then take the Guan family around to see the sights and rivers.
But this child... Master Meng watched him stand in the courtyard, effortlessly greeting and seeing off guests, seemingly able to exchange a few words with every student who passed by. Even those who weren't his classmates could be called by name. He would put his arm around people's shoulders with a smile, and after a few more words, they would seem to know each other as if they were old friends. Master Meng patted his chest and said:
"You've come to the right person. Come on, I'll take you to Uncle Cong and ask him to give you extra milk and a spoonful of the best jujube honey. Let me tell you, it'll be so delicious you'll feel like your head is about to explode. Trust me, it'll definitely be worth the price. As for the rice cakes, they seem to be sold out now. If you want some, I'll talk to Miss Yao and she'll save you a bag tomorrow or the day after... Oh, what's this? We're classmates. If you ever need anything in the future, just look for me, and I'll find you a good place to study..."
Master Meng hurriedly turned his head away, but fortunately Meng Boyuan pulled the man past him quickly, not even noticing who was sitting by the door.
The shy, plump scholar, dressed in fine clothes and clearly from a wealthy family, was completely charmed by him. He not only generously ordered two different milk teas but also bought a lot of snacks.
This kid really has a good eye for things. He knows who has money and who doesn't, and he treats everyone equally on the surface. He also knows how to recommend different things to different people so as not to make them feel uncomfortable.
Afterwards, Meng Boyuan indeed found him a good spot by the window, put his arm around his shoulder and made an appointment to play football together another day, and then hurriedly left. As soon as he went out, several students greeted him with smiles, and he exaggeratedly raised his arm, put his arm around their necks, and laughed and joked for a while.
It turned out that Silang did not only have two friends, Cheng Shujun and Lin Weiming, as he had thought. He seemed to have many friends and was very popular among his classmates... Master Meng looked at him for a long time with mixed feelings. In the end, he felt heavy-hearted and didn't know what to say. He sighed and left the Yao family's study room with his head down. He still didn't know what to say to his son at this moment.
Yao Ruyi was in charge of keeping accounts and collecting money at the door. When she saw Master Meng walk out silently, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, she heard Lin Weiming run up in a cold sweat and say that Master Meng was so scared when he found out that Meng Boyuan had come here to work as a shop assistant that she was terrified that he would smash her shop in a fit of anger.
But Master Meng had already gone inside! Yao Ruyi hurriedly tiptoed and craned her neck to look inside, searching everywhere for Master Meng to beat his son. Fortunately, she didn't hear his roar, and he surprisingly managed to hold back his anger.
Now that he's gone, Yao Ruyi breathed a huge sigh of relief.
She peeked inside and saw that there were even more people inside, but Meng Boyuan was extremely capable, which impressed her. He was practically doing the work of three people. Now, despite the noise and bustle, the place was not chaotic at all, and there was not a single problem.
She nodded in satisfaction, but the only thing she hadn't expected was that some items in the stationery shop were selling out too quickly, with several already sold out.
She also found it strange that, apart from the items she had ordered from her aunts, sisters-in-law, Zhou Jumu, Old Han and other acquaintances during the renovation of the study, many other items in the stationery shop were things she already owned. They were usually displayed in the small shop and no one paid any attention to them, but after changing the way they were displayed, quite a few were sold.
Yao Ruyi asked Cong Xin to write down the items that had sold out, as she would soon have to ask a few idle men to relay messages to Old Han, Zhou Jumu, and others to restock the goods.
Yao Ruyi hadn't expected that the cat-head ceramic cups and cat-paw-shaped coasters would sell out in just half a day. She had commissioned Old Han to make a hundred of them. Now, the ceramics would take at least seven days to fire, and the supply of these cups, plates, and saucers would soon be insufficient.
However, good business is better than no business. Seeing the bustling crowd inside, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she hadn't mentioned it to anyone these days, she was actually quite uneasy.
For this study room... she almost exhausted all the savings she had earned since opening her general store. Not to mention the small items she asked the aunties in the neighborhood to make, many of the tea soups, dried fruits, and roasted nuts in the tea room were all newly purchased goods, with a lot of money tied up in them, and some payments still outstanding. If she didn't make a splash, she would go bankrupt and become penniless.
When the reading room was being renovated, she contacted every merchant she could to prepare the goods, and she also had to go out to find milk and select tea. She was busy running around all day. Although she was tired, Yao Ruyi did not complain at all, and only thought about getting things done as soon as possible.
She knew her own abilities were limited; there were many things she couldn't do, and her cooking skills weren't great, so she relied more on external suppliers. Selecting and stocking goods was also an essential skill for running a small shop. Her grandmother had taught her how to deal with suppliers and how to choose good products, and this time she put all those principles to good use.
Selling milk tea is a risky business, as milk is extremely perishable and difficult to preserve even in the current climate. Moreover, it is expensive. Yao Ruyi decided to try selling it first and then limit the quantity. She would see how much she could sell today and then control the quantity later.
Milk tea already existed in the Song Dynasty, but it was mostly savory and didn't become popular due to the high price of milk. Yao Ruyi's choice to sell milk tea in the study was actually a business strategy similar to setting up private rooms in the study, offering both affordable and slightly more expensive options to cater to different types of customers.
Yao Ruyi counted the registered members and found there were over sixty. Her card wasn't a savings card; it cost ten coins to buy and offered a 20% discount. Many people weren't worried about the extra ten coins and, hoping for a bargain, most of them got it.
Uncle Er made this card in particular, and those who got the card all felt it was worth it.
Thinking of her second uncle, Yao Ruyi felt a warm feeling welling up in her heart.
During the first month of the lunar year, when she was busy making purchases, Lin Wen'an accompanied her almost all the time. Although he was taciturn, he was extremely perceptive and helped her see through many of the deceptive tricks of the merchants in the market.
Speaking of stationery, besides Jingyuxuan, with whom she had previously collaborated, she also contacted other small pen-making workshops to commission some ingenious writing implements. Some of the shopkeepers were extremely cunning, selling inferior products and charging exorbitant prices, but her second uncle always managed to expose their tricks with just a few words.
He not only accompanied her through thick and thin, but also helped her a lot. Thanks to her second uncle, although she was busy those days, she did not make any mistakes. However... Lin Wen'an has returned to the yamen today.
The students' winter break wasn't over yet, but the government office had already reopened. Lin Wen'an was still helping her organize the goods last night, and before dawn today, he came over early to check on everything for her. Only after seeing that everything was in order and most of the things were taken care of did he leave with peace of mind.
Before leaving, he insisted on keeping Uncle Cong behind, saying that Uncle Cong was old and would suffer if he stayed at the yamen with him. He also said that Uncle Cong was good at cooking, could make milk tea and pastries, and had some martial arts skills, so he could help the family if anything went wrong.
As for him, he was merely assigned to work in the government office, and the emperor had also assigned two eunuchs to serve him. It would be a waste of Cong Bo's talents to follow him.
Once Lin Wen'an opened his mouth, he spoke so eloquently that no one could refute him, and Uncle Cong listened to him without question. Yao Ruyi couldn't persuade him otherwise and agreed.
This morning, she watched that slender figure carrying a milk tea box walk alone into the chilly morning breeze toward Donghua Gate, and she still felt a little guilty.
It seems... it's always been her second uncle who helps her, while she seems to have nothing to do for him.
Moreover, although her second uncle said so, Yao Ruyi could also imagine that the Military Equipment Bureau had heavy official duties and would inevitably work day and night, and it would be very inconvenient not to have a close attendant by his side.
She had an idea in mind and wanted to discuss it with Aunt Ying.
It just so happens that the Lin Si Cao family and the second uncle are distant relatives. They have many children who are not yet grown up. Apart from Lin Weiming, who is doing relatively well in school, his younger brothers are said to have done worse in their exams than Meng Boyuan. Xiao Shitou also said that his mother is thinking of sending his second and third brothers out to find some jobs.
Well... instead of wasting time at the Imperial Academy or going out to work as an accounting apprentice, why not follow my second uncle to the Arsenal to learn some skills?
Just as I was thinking about how to tell Aunt Ying, a commotion of carriages and horses came from the alley entrance.
Yao Ruyi and the wealthy man Meng, who was halfway there, were both startled.
Looking around, I saw that it was Aunt Yu and her family who had returned!
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Lu Fang (chewing): Did I forget something?
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