Chapter 46 Zhixingzhai: The Self-Study Room is Now Open for Renovation!
There are very few houses in the alley, totaling about twenty households of all sizes. They are known as the "old, dilapidated and small" houses in Bianjing City. However, the location is excellent. It is not only close to the Imperial College, but also just a few steps away from Xingguo Temple and Shangshutai. Further ahead is the Imperial Street and Donghua Gate.
Not only is it extremely convenient for children to attend school, but if the husband is an official, he no longer needs to rush to court or work at the government office. This place offers almost the shortest commute distance in the entire Bianjing city. He can get up when it's light, wash his face and beard, grab a mutton flatbread, and slowly eat as he walks.
Therefore, once a homeowner here is willing to sell, even if the asking price is extremely high, the house can be listed today and sold tomorrow; they are very popular.
Thinking about it this way, Grandpa Yao was quite insightful back then. Although he still owes a lot of debt, he bought the house early. A few days ago, when Yao Ruyi went to the real estate agency to inquire about renting a house, the agent told her to give up as soon as possible. The prices of houses near the Imperial College have skyrocketed in recent years. Even a small courtyard costs two or three thousand strings of cash, and it's impossible to rent one.
Previously, even though Yao Ruyi had almost been poisoned to death, she never dared to imagine that the Emperor would be so generous as to give her such a valuable house for free.
Moreover, judging from Lin Wen'an's tone, he was so nonchalant. The officials allowed him to pick, but he was quite impolite, as if he were picking radishes in the field, and he only picked the juicy, plump and big ones!
Yao Ruyi was stunned by the house that fell from the sky. Holding the bunch of brass keys in her hand, she felt as if she were walking on clouds, which felt very unreal.
She only ever won twenty yuan once in her past life when she won a scratch-off lottery ticket.
At least two thousand strings of cash must have been spent by now. So, dreaming of golden rain falling from the sky while eating poisonous mushrooms is actually a kind of omen?
The first day of the Lunar New Year was a bright and sunny day, even hotter than before the New Year.
Yao Ruyi wore a double-loop bun today, with a pearl tassel hairpin on each side of her temple, and two pom-poms at the ends. She wore a small cape with a cute, chubby rabbit pounding medicine embroidered on the satin surface. The edge of the cape was trimmed with fluffy, soft rabbit fur. Inside was a peach-pink narrow-sleeved long jacket, and a pleated cotton-padded skirt was tied around her waist.
As she followed Lin Wen'an toward the house, her steps were so light that the pom-pom on her head was bobbing, and her heart was pounding!
However, she had transitioned from initial elation to worry and speculation. Although she was still happy, she was also concerned that the emperor might regret his decision. After all, in the book, he was an official who used five taels of silver to prepare imperial meals and to sell land at a discounted price! He even used his Shenji VIP card to get a discount on roast duck! Would he really be willing to part with a house worth two thousand guan?
As they passed through the alley, Yao Ruyi hurried forward and grabbed Lin Wen'an's sleeve. The man turned halfway around, and she tugged at his sleeve again, gesturing for his overly tall head to come closer.
Lin Wen'an then bent down slightly and lowered his head.
Yao Ruyi pulled the man down and whispered in his ear, "Second Uncle, what did you say to the official? Why is he suddenly being so generous? Something's not right. I was just thinking about it, could it be that you promised him something? Will he come up with some excuse later and make us pay back the money?"
After all, they only gave her the keys, not the deed! Yao Ruyi suddenly became alert.
Lin Wen'an stared at the two round rabbit fur pom-poms in her hair, their tips tinged with crimson, swaying slightly as she spoke. Only after she finished did he slowly withdraw his gaze: "Don't worry, although the Emperor is frugal by nature, his word is law, and he wouldn't go back on his word. Currently, all government offices are closed for the holidays until the fifteenth of the first lunar month, so the property deed cannot be transferred temporarily, and we have obtained the keys first."
Yao Ruyi felt relieved, but also a little embarrassed, feeling guilty for having such a biased view of the emperor.
Seeing that her brows relaxed and she became smiling again, Lin Wen'an smiled as well, without explaining to her how he had persuaded the official.
In fact, he didn't say anything. He simply took off the fish bag and official seal, placed them on the dragon table, and calmly told the official Zhao Boyun that his family was now facing a great calamity. He had no intention of continuing his official career and wanted to resign to go back home to take care of his elderly and weak family members.
Zhao Boyun naturally understood.
The palace banquet had just ended, and he was returning to the side hall to change and rest. He had drunk some wine and was feeling a bit tipsy. He was fiddling with the white duck paperweight on the table when he heard Lin Wen'an's words. He gave Lin a very rude look and said, "Don't give me that!" But he quickly softened his voice guiltily and hiccuped as he said, "I really didn't mean to do that earlier. I was quite startled and even got a good scolding from my aunt. Thinking that it was your family members who were hurt, I felt even more guilty and wanted to make amends. Now that you've brought it up, just say it. What do you want? There's no need to be formal with me. Just tell me. How about... a few pounds of pepper?"
Lin Wen'an then proceeded to say that he had come.
Although Ruyi said that renting just one room would suffice, he knew Zhao Boyun's temperament well. Once he made that request, Zhao Boyun would surely take the opportunity to back down and might even shamelessly charge Ruyi rent. So he said directly, "Pepper is also acceptable, but my home is cramped. I would appreciate it if Your Majesty could grant me another room."
Zhao Boyun nearly dropped the duck in his hands. What? This bastard was practically trying to pluck feathers from his iron butt!
He turned his head angrily and saw Lin Wen'an sitting upright to the side, still with a cold and indifferent expression, but the official seal was still on his desk, as if to say, "If you don't agree, I'll leave the official seal here."
He ground his back teeth and reluctantly agreed.
He had originally intended to keep those two houses as rewards; the confiscated houses wouldn't cost him any money, so rewarding those meritorious officials was perfect! Zhao Boyun was still thinking about the situation in Guizhou; he'd heard the plague was devastating, and the doctors and physicians were working day and night. He had already decided that the doctors who returned from Guizhou after successfully driving out the plague would be richly rewarded…
But in the end, he was in the wrong regarding the poisonous mushrooms. The fact that something that came out of his hands had gone wrong made him feel very ashamed.
Enough... Enough!
Later, he'd get the rewards from the medical officers, and then he'd have to confiscate a few more corrupt officials... oh no, I mean, find a few more good houses. Zhao Boyun did some quick calculations in his mind. He still had quite a few corrupt officials under his control, whom the Imperial City Guard had secretly investigated but hadn't yet dealt with. These people were still somewhat useful for now; he could fatten them up, and once the epidemic in Guizhou was over, he could confiscate their property to celebrate his victory.
He glared at Lin Wen'an, who readily agreed and bowed in gratitude upon hearing his consent, then pursed his lips and told Liang Da'dang to go to the storeroom, find the records, and fetch the keys. He then thought for a moment, "We've already given him the house, what's a few more pounds of pepper?"
Take it all!
As for the other matter Ruyi had entrusted to him, Lin Wen'an had not forgotten it either. There was no need to disturb Zhao Boyun about this matter. When Liang Dang came to report with the keys and pepper box, he briefly mentioned it to Liang Dang.
Liang Da Dang and Lin Wen'an were old friends. They had served together the young, mischievous Zhao Boyun, and had even survived a bloody palace coup. Their bond was different from that of other court officials. He laughed and said, "The monks of Xingguo Temple are always shrewd, each one willing to pluck a feather from a passing goose. They always take advantage of others, never suffer a loss. But this is a small matter; I'll send a clever boy over to deliver a message."
Lin Wen'an then bowed and thanked Liang Da Dang.
Liang Da Dang naturally dodged it by sidestepping.
Having fulfilled Ruyi's wishes, the palace banquet had long since ended. Zhao Boyun, however, still planned to invite some close court officials to drink and chat, and to climb the city tower to watch the fireworks. Lin Wen'an was naturally among those invited, but he repeatedly declined.
Enraged, Zhao Boyun jumped up and down, cursing him with his beard bristling and eyes wide: "I've already given you the house and the pepper, but you can't even drink with me? You're not married yet, and besides your teacher who's harder than a rock, who else is in your dilapidated house? You! If you leave today, I'll never ask you to drink again!"
This was like a child saying, "If you don't play with me, I won't play with you anymore." Lin Wen'an ignored him. As long as Zhao Boyun's bottom line wasn't crossed, his temper would flare up and subside quickly, especially since he was a drunkard now.
He simply bowed respectfully, said a few perfunctory New Year's greetings, and left with the keys and the packet of pepper.
Despite the biting cold wind, he was eager to return home.
Who exactly lives in that shabby little house? A lot of people: the teacher, Three-Inch Nail, Cong Xin, Big Yellow, Wangwang and his dog brothers, Pingping, Miaomiao, and Tingmu, and more…
That night, Lin Wen'an sat in the carriage, a smile playing on his lips.
Yao Ruyi was unaware that the Emperor was still incredibly stingy and hadn't changed at all. At this moment, she and Lin Wen'an stood in front of the house diagonally opposite the Yao family's residence, next to the Liu family's study, looking up at the mottled ebony door.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement, and opened the door lock, which was covered with a thick layer of dust. The hinges were rotten, and she pushed it in with difficulty. The first thing she saw was a small screen wall. Turning around, she saw a four-sided corridor. The hall was to the north, with two rows of rooms on both sides and a square courtyard in the middle.
There are two side doors on the left and right. Going through the door on the east side, there are two very small side rooms, and at the end there is a long-abandoned outhouse. Going through the small door on the west side, there is a kitchen and a storeroom.
Although it only has one courtyard, the house has eight rooms that people can live in, and the layout can barely be considered a "four" shape. Overall, it is a very regular and square house type.
Aside from the lack of a well, this courtyard is twice the size of the Yao family's!
Yao Ruyi wandered around the room, initially exclaiming in amazement at each place she saw, but later she could only swallow her saliva frantically.
It seems she posted... posted!
Lin Wen'an stood in the courtyard, smiling as he watched Yao Ruyi run around happily. One moment she was saying that she wanted to build another small house in front of the screen wall and put a ticket gate counter there; the next she was saying that the two rooms on the west side should have many cabinets and tables, hot water, and her snacks and instant soup dumplings sold there; the other row of rooms should have the walls knocked down to make a large study room...
She was completely absorbed in it, her eyes sparkling, her heart filled with anticipation for the future.
Afterwards, Yao Ruyi grabbed Lin Wen'an by the sleeve and dragged him over to see the good things she had found. It turned out that the two side rooms outside the east side door were piled high with tables, chairs, benches, and broken cabinets that had been covered in dust for many years. The imperial guards who had confiscated the property back then didn't care about these dilapidated old things and dumped them here after ransacking the place.
That benefited her.
"Second Uncle! These will be ready to use right away after a little tidying up! It'll save us a lot of money!" Yao Ruyi exclaimed excitedly, tugging at his sleeve and jumping up and down. "I'm rich! I'm rich!"
The pom-pom in the hairpin hit her cheek, and the rabbit fur collar made her face turn red. When she smiled at him with her eyebrows curved, her eyes were almost invisible.
He let her tug at his sleeve, and, influenced by her, couldn't help but smile as he recalled Zhao Boyun's words.
Who lives in that shabby little house?
Far away, yet so close...
*
Yao Ruyi couldn't wait until after the Lantern Festival to start work. She couldn't go back to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, so she spent the whole day squatting in the deserted courtyard, tinkering and tidying up, and dragging all the old furniture from the side room to the courtyard.
For those that were severely damaged, they were simply disassembled into individual planks. If the mortise and tenon joints were loose or the edges were missing, they would tap and hammer them with a wooden mallet, reinforce them with wooden wedges, wash them clean, and then reuse them.
She was having a great time and didn't find it tiring at all.
Lin Wen'an often came to help her, but she would send him away.
There was nothing she could do. Many students complained to Yao Ruyi that the sausages made by Sancunding were terrible, either burnt or undercooked. Cong Xin often made mistakes in his calculations. As one of only two mental arithmetic technicians in the family who could bake starch sausages until they were crispy and blooming, Yao Ruyi had no choice but to entrust the grocery store to her second uncle, who happened to be on leave and didn't have to work.
Incidentally, she also asked him to help Grandpa Yao organize those books and poems. Now that she had such a good place, Yao Ruyi naturally took advantage of the time before the students started school to decorate and open her "Zhixingzhai".
But there was still a lot of work to be done: building cabinets, demolishing walls, painting, and moving goods. Yao Ruyi had made up her mind: from now on, the general store would no longer sell stationery; it would be sold exclusively in her Zhixingzhai! This house, located in the far corner of the west wing, like the Yao family's, had a window facing the alley. The first room in the west wing would then be converted into a "stationery boutique" selling pens, ink, paper, inkstones, school bags, thread-bound notebooks, keychains, blind box ornaments, and the like.
This way, even students who don't want to pay to enter the study room can buy tickets through the window, which also attracts many students who want to browse to buy tickets and come in. It's a win-win situation.
The east wing was converted into a bright and spacious study by knocking down the wall and placing rows of bookshelves and several rows of tables and chairs with partitions on both sides to prevent peeping. It was roughly designed to resemble a small library in later times. Books could be borrowed and read in the study, but it was not allowed to take the books away. The other rooms were divided into several private rooms.
Not only that, Yao Ruyi also wanted to organize a "book copying discount" activity.
While woodblock printing of teaching materials was the most convenient method, Yao Ruyi learned from Master Meng that the price of making molds for blackboards was actually not cheap. Yao Ruyi then thought that she could encourage students with good handwriting to voluntarily copy the books, and if they checked for any errors, they could earn some money and a free reading card for a few days at Zhixingzhai.
Moreover, she has decided to make the study room a paid membership. Members can get discounts on study supplies, books, snacks, and instant noodles. Non-members can still come in, but everything will be at the original price.
Even if some students who were reluctant to spend money to enter the study room asked others to buy things for them, Yao Ruyi didn't mind. Anyway, the money was still in the pot, and she could make money by selling more!
But how to prevent counterfeiting for members? This was something she had been thinking about for a long time without any clue. She needed to control the production costs and prevent counterfeiting... Even finding Zhou Jumu carved wooden plaques would probably be difficult.
Seeing her scribbling on the paper with a troubled expression, Lin Wen'an pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps we could emulate the 'corner stub' method used in the blackboard archive: they would pre-cut a corner of the woodblock into a specific shape using tools, and the corner would be sealed by the woodblock workshop. Later, by providing the blackboard and comparing it with the corner stub, we could confirm which woodblock workshop produced it. However..."
He paused abruptly, then stopped talking. In the end, he only said that he would find a rare and inexpensive type of ink, make her library membership card, and send it back, telling her not to worry about it.
Scarce and cheap ink?
The words were so contradictory; Yao Ruyi scratched her head, unable to come up with anything.
Lin Wen'an said no more.
Actually... it's related to the waste oil from the Ordnance Bureau.
When the Ordnance Bureau was refining flammable oil, it produced a lot of non-toxic charcoal dust, which was called "waste ink". This waste ink was black and shiny, and it would not fade even after being soaked in water or exposed to the sun once it was absorbed into wood or paper pulp.
Upon arriving at the Ordnance Bureau, he noticed this item and petitioned the government to collect and store it for future use. Previously, these waste inks were carelessly discarded by craftsmen, unaware that they were actually very useful for transmitting secret information within the army, serving as an excellent method of preventing counterfeiting in military reports.
The intense heat ink can also be used in the production of special pulps. Carbon particles are mixed into wood chips and pulp, and after pressing, the ink particles will appear irregularly on the paper surface. When held up to the light, they can be seen as shimmering bright spots or dark, thread-like lines. The effect varies depending on the proportion of ink added.
The products made in this way vary from batch to batch, and the raw materials cannot be found elsewhere. The finished products are very different from ordinary ink and cannot be copied at all.
Because the matter concerned the Ordnance Bureau, Lin Wen'an couldn't tell Yao Ruyi the whole story. He had already decided to report to the authorities and then use his own salary to buy some paper to try making it. He would mix the strong ink into the pulp and use the method of keeping scraps, thinking that this "membership card" would be foolproof.
In recent years, businesses outside the city have all started to imitate Shenji's "VIP cards," and it has become a trend in Bianjing. Each business has its own methods to avoid being copied, which they all keep secret.
Lin Wen'an had also seen Wang Yong's "VIP Card" for Shenji Restaurant. The card was extremely exquisite, forged from a sheet of purple copper, and engraved with characters created by Shenji. He had heard that Shenji's members were divided into three levels, and Wang Yong proudly shook the purple copper hammered VIP card at him, saying that it was a "distinguished platinum VIP" that could be obtained by accumulating a hundred strings of cash, and could be used at Shenji Restaurant branches all over the country without any hindrance.
I've heard that the official card is a gold-plated "Golden Dragon Card," one of a kind in the world.
Therefore, Lin Wen'an did not find it strange that Ruyi wanted to do it at this time.
Instead, they even put a lot of thought into making plans for her.
He had even thought of what materials to use to make it for Yao Ruyi. Given Ruyi's personality, she would never want to use expensive materials such as copper sheets and gold foil. So... he would use mulberry bark paper and bamboo paper, which are used to paste windows in winter, mixed with some scraps of cloth, stirred into hard paper pulp, soaked in alum and tung oil, and then pressed with hot ink. This would make a stiff, special, and waterproof thick hard paper sheet.
Lin Wen'an was helping her figure out the membership issue, and Grandpa Yao had also finished the first edition of the Imperial Academy's collection of excellent poems and essays. Just after the seventh day of the lunar new year, Yao Ruyi went to find Zhou Jumu, gave him an extra 20% of his wages, and asked him to work overtime to measure all the doors, windows, walls, tables, chairs, bookshelves, and shelves of the house, and finalize the blueprints.
They started work around the ninth day of the lunar new year. The couple had come here as refugees from famine and had few relatives to visit during the first month of the lunar new year. They were only thinking about making money and agreed to the job without any hesitation.
They have now taken on two apprentices, both only ten years old, whom Zhou Jumu carefully selected from the labor market. Making wood requires a sharp eye, the ability to look away, a steady hand, a large frame, and considerable strength. In short, Zhou Jumu has his own methods for choosing apprentices, and he is wholeheartedly teaching the two children he believes to be extremely talented.
He was so busy working on Yao Ruyi's various chess and card games and wood carving orders that he was dizzy and even dreamed about carving General Dama. Although this gave him a stable source of income, he was exhausted. After a day's work, he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow at night, which made He Xiang dislike him and suspect that he was impotent.
He couldn't afford not to take on apprentices, otherwise he would be exhausted. Now that he has these two children, he teaches them odd jobs like planing wood, painting, and polishing, which has finally helped him recover.
Now, Yao Ruyi's family has a big job to do, and the couple alone can't manage, so their two skinny children are helping out. They were named after Zhou Jumu, one is called Cypress and the other Pine, and both are diligent and capable. Zhou Jumu is good to his wife, but very strict with his apprentices; if they make a mistake, the ruler will strike them hard.
Yao Ruyi often saw the two children running up and down, helping to carry timber, and their arms were often covered with swollen red welts from being hit, which she found quite distressing.
Fortunately, there was He Xiang. When Zhou Jumu hit his apprentices, she would hug the two tearful, dejected children, give each of them a piece of candy, apply medicine to their wounds, and gently and carefully tell them, "Your master is strict, so that you can learn real skills in the future. Otherwise, if you are spoiled, you will never be able to change your bad habits. To be a carpenter, you must do things seriously and carefully. If a house you work on collapses or a cabinet falls over, even if no one is hurt, your reputation will be ruined, and your life will be over. Don't blame your master; he sincerely hopes that you will graduate as soon as possible."
With the fragrance of lotus blossoms circulating among them, she would often lead the two children to sneak out and eat some good food at Yao Ruyi's general store. Far from harboring resentment, the pine and cypress trees were very attached to and devoted to their master and mistress. The two children gradually became more diligent, carrying timber and shavings every day, wearing their shoulders and fingers raw without uttering a sound. At night, they would even practice on their own how to join mortise and tenon joints.
"Thump—thump—"
The days passed slowly amidst the sounds of hammers striking the walls. Grandpa Yao now sits in his room every day, preparing lessons with utmost seriousness and focus. Ever since I told my father about building a study room, he has been required to go to Zhixingzhai every day at 7:00 AM to "work."
When Yao Ruyi introduced the idea of a 60-year-old man finding new employment, she initially thought the confused old man wouldn't understand. However, when Yao Ruyi explained it, his eyes lit up, and he even offered to make two new sets of clothes, albeit shyly. When he went to the clinic for acupuncture, he asked Uncle Cong to take him to get his beard and sideburns trimmed, his face shaved, and even his unruly eyebrows shaved off.
When he returned, Lao Fang's face was shaved shiny and he had also shaped some arched eyebrows, which made Yao Ruyi burst out laughing.
Unexpectedly, his spirits improved dramatically as a result, and he talked much less nonsense! Perhaps Grandpa Yao never mentioned it, but having taught all his life, he must have longed to return to the podium.
Two days later, Lin Wen'an somehow produced a stack of pre-pressed membership cards. The cards were palm-sized rectangles, made from thick, sturdy paper pulp, and coated with tung oil. Just as he had said, he had mixed a glossy black ink into the cards, making them resemble small ink paintings, exuding a free and unrestrained spirit. As the light changed, the ink marks on the cards could even reflect a faint silvery-white sheen.
Although it's made of cardboard, it's quite exquisite.
But that's not all!
Each card, as Yao Ruyi requested, had a number from "001" to "One Hundred" engraved in the lower left corner. These palm-sized membership cards were actually cut from a large pulp board. Lin Wen'an demonstrated to her that as long as each card was arranged in order of its card number, the patterns on them would match perfectly.
Yao Ruyi exclaimed in surprise,
That's amazing! No one can replicate something this realistically!
Moreover, the front of the card is engraved with the large characters "Yaoji (Squinty Rabbit Head) · Zhixingzhai", while the back is a vine with leaves. The twisted vine is extremely smooth, and among the branches and leaves hang two bitter gourds, with even the thorns carved in the finest detail.
When Yao Ruyi saw the bitter gourd vine, she felt terrible.
She turned her head blankly to look at Lin Wen'an, who was also looking at her with a slightly profound expression. Her throat tightened, and she had a feeling that she... seemed to have died again without realizing it.
And so, with everyone contributing their efforts, Yao Ruyi's study room was successfully set up.
Time flew by, and after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the lanterns were extinguished, and the winter holiday was coming to an end.
With less than two months left until the imperial examinations, even the laziest students are starting to feel anxious. The alleyway near the Imperial College is gradually coming back to life, and the neighbors are returning one after another. Many students have already returned to school early with their books, and the alley is bustling with people. The general stores are doing much better business.
Thinking it was an auspicious time for the opening, Yao Ruyi thoroughly cleaned the new house, wiping it spotless. Grandpa Yao's collection of books was neatly stacked on the bookshelves, and various snacks, instant noodles, and a large boiler for boiling water were all prepared. The writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and thread-bound books from the general store were also moved over. She then chose an auspicious day, climbed a ladder, and personally hung up the "Zhixingzhai" plaque, a gift from Zhou Zelkova.
After setting off two strings of firecrackers with a crackling sound, she smiled and delivered a large box of "sliced rice that officials love to eat" to Old Xiang, making him beam with joy. He even came down to help Yao Ruyi carry the glue bucket himself, and borrowed the wall outside his duty room that faced the alley entrance to post a notice with Lin Wen'an's calligraphy that read "Grand Opening of Yao's Zhixingzhai Study Room".
I had just finished putting up the signs and was thinking of putting up a sign in front of the door with the price list when, to my surprise, two self-recommending employees came to my door.
Yao Ruyi stood at the entrance of Zhixingzhai with a triangular wooden frame tucked under her arm. She looked at Xiao Shitou, who had two pigtails sticking up in the air. He was looking up at her with a serious expression and said, "Sister Ruyi, I can boil water, cook soup dumplings, and I can read and do math. I can run fast and eat very little..." As she spoke, she pointed to Meng Boyuan next to her and said, "I'm much better than Fourth Brother Meng. Sister Ruyi, don't want him, choose me instead!"
"Hey, you little stone! How can you talk like that!" Meng Boyuan, who had even brought his bedding, was exasperated. He pinched the stone's face hard and quickly explained to Yao Ruyi, "Young lady Yao, don't listen to him! He's been trying to memorize 'The Road to Shu' for two months, and I've already heard it all, but he still hasn't memorized it. He's so young, what if he gets burned or falls? If he encounters an unreasonable person, he might just slap the wall! It's better to hire me, isn't it? I don't need much money, just a place to stay and three meals a day..."
Yao Ruyi glanced at this one, then at that one, and felt that neither of them seemed very reliable! She was somewhat amused and exasperated: "You two aren't both serious, are you...?"
As they were talking, Geng Hao, who had been sent back to school by his father, emerged from the family carriage with droopy eyelids and yawning constantly. Behind him followed his twelve zodiac servants, and the group strolled leisurely to the alley entrance.
Seeing a group of students gathered at the entrance of the military duty room, looking at a fancy big-character poster, pointing and whispering among themselves, they stopped and went over to take a look.
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May you be blessed with good fortune! [Sprinkling flowers]
Wishing everyone prosperity! [Sprinkling flowers]
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