Chapter 32 Fruit Leather: He'll come again!
The sun shines warmly, the frost on the tiles melts away, and moisture condenses on the eaves, occasionally dripping.
In the backyard of the Lin family, which is separated from the Yao family by a wall, a small table with cushions was placed in the sunny south corner of the front porch, and a small red clay stove was moved there, where a pot of coarse tea was brewing.
A faint aroma of tea filled the room.
Wang Yong was over forty years old. Today, he was not wearing his official robes, but rather an inconspicuous blue cloth robe and a pair of blue cloth shoes.
He had a square and broad face, a full forehead, and two dark red patches on his cheekbones, which looked as if they had been tanned by the sun. His face was covered with deep and straight wrinkles, and when he smiled, his face was full of wrinkles.
With this attire and that face, he looks more like an old farmer who has been plowing the fields in the loess soil all year round than a high-ranking official of the third rank who is in charge of the important capital region.
How did you know I was coming today?
He looked up at Lin Wen'an, who was dressed in the old-fashioned uniform of an official of the Eastern Palace, and was feeling a bit sentimental. Then he saw Lin Wen'an using a bamboo strainer to filter out the tea leaves and pour himself a cup of strong tea that he could tell was over-brewed and a bit bitter just by smelling it. He was speechless and pointed at the table, "You're going to serve this tea to your old friends?"
Lin Wen'an didn't lift his eyelids, and handed the teacup to him: "It's a bit cold at home, so there's only some leftover tea. Drink it if you want, or don't."
"I know, you're angry." Wang Yong snorted and continued to point at him with his finger, but still took a sip from the cup. Not only did he swallow a mouthful of bitter taste, but he also spat out two tea froths: "Pah, this is even worse than the tea at my house."
Lin Wen'an pursed his lips. This tea was obviously the one Ruyi usually used to braise chicken eggs. She would usually wrap these scraps in gauze, roll them in the braising liquid, and then take them out. So the braised chicken eggs had the aroma of tea but no bitterness.
However, if this tea is used for brewing, it will not only break into small pieces, but also become bitter and lose its sweetness after brewing for a long time, and it will lose its flavor after brewing several times.
Wang Yong finally managed to clean the tea crumbs stuck to his tongue and palate. He noticed a plate of hawthorn rolls on the small table, presumably meant to accompany the tea. He thought that since the tea was so bad, the hawthorn rolls couldn't be too bad, right? So he wiped his hands with a handkerchief, picked one up casually, and prepared to eat and talk with Lin Wen'an.
He came from a poor family in his early years, and not only did he work as a vagrant and beg for food, but he also made a living by selling his calligraphy for several years. He came from a poor background.
He would maintain a certain air of importance when he was out in public, but he didn't care about such formalities in front of Lin Wen'an. After all, when he was preparing for the imperial examinations, he was so poor that he could only eat cold water and coarse flour buns every day, and he almost fainted from hunger in the examination hall. His clothes were always patched upon patched, and his undergarment had a hole right at his buttocks. His wife even blatantly sewed two pieces of floral cloth for him, and the gaudy colors showed through his outer garment, which made him the laughingstock for a long time. There was also the first time he entered the palace to participate in the palace examination. He was so nervous that he had to urinate. He went to the palace latrine to relieve himself, and a eunuch brought him a plate of dates. Although he was puzzled as to why he had to eat dates in the latrine, he didn't want to waste them, so he not only took the dates with him but also ate them later.
Lin Wen'an knew all about these embarrassing incidents. Therefore, Wang Yong didn't care about etiquette or manners in front of him.
He changed his clothes as soon as he left the palace today and went straight to Lin Wen'an's place. He didn't even have lunch. Now, after drinking two cups of bitter tea, he is even hungrier.
"Although I came incognito today, I actually brought an imperial decree with me." Wang Yong said, casually putting the hawthorn roll into his mouth. He wanted to continue speaking, but he couldn't bite into it!
He forgot what he was going to say for a moment, and the hawthorn roll was stuck in his mouth. He stared wide-eyed, wondering why the hawthorn roll was so hard.
Shouldn't hawthorn cakes always be soft, chewy, and sweet?
He had no choice but to chew a few more times, and thank goodness, it finally softened a bit. He chewed and chewed and chewed.
After a long while, he finally managed to bite off a piece, but before he could even feel happy, it was stuck to his teeth again.
Wang Yong tried to subtly push the tongue down, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach it. He held his breath and looked at Lin Wen'an, who was sitting opposite him, staring at him innocently and waiting for him to continue. He became even more furious.
He pointed at him again with that finger, trembling with excitement.
Lin Wen'an finally couldn't help but smile.
After a while, Wang Yong drank two more sips of bitter tea. His teeth were finally saved. He breathed a long sigh of relief and dared not touch the half-eaten hawthorn roll anymore. He quickly put it on the table and got to the point: "I'm here for no other reason than to order you to take over the kerosene workshop in the Ordnance Bureau and develop powerful oil torches for siege warfare."
As Wang Yong spoke, he pulled a scroll covered with dense writing and drawings from his sleeve and handed it to him with a serious expression:
"The Emperor has already established eleven firearms workshops within the Arsenal, recruiting alchemists, coppersmiths, blacksmiths, and accountants to specialize in gunpowder and metallurgy. Some progress has been made, but it is quite slow. If we cannot develop more powerful firearms, the Emperor worries that after the Liao Kingdom is destroyed by the Jin Kingdom in a few years, the Jin will surely turn their attention to our Great Song. And if we are not confident of a swift and complete victory, the longer the war drags on, the more the people will suffer. Therefore, we must have firearms." [Note]
Lin Wen'an did not express his opinion yet, but simply took it and examined it carefully.
The "Fire Oil Gun" currently being developed by the Ordnance Bureau is a flame-spraying projectile made of wrought copper and consisting of an oil reservoir, piston, and nozzle. Soldiers can use levers to pressurize the oil, igniting the refined stone fire in the oil reservoir and atomizing it through the nozzle to instantly form a flame that can reach several meters in length. It can burn for a long time, and once the fire oil gets on the body, it is difficult to extinguish.
This weapon was used by General Xi in the Battle of Chanzhou against the Liao army a few years ago; it was so powerful that Liao soldiers and horses were reduced to ashes during their charge. [Note]
However, this firearm had a fatal flaw: it was extremely prone to backfire and spontaneous combustion, making it very dangerous. Every time it was used, the Song soldiers carrying this firearm often charged into the enemy lines with the determination to die, intending to perish together with the enemy.
Although the Song army now possesses this powerful weapon, they dare not use it unless it is a critical moment such as needing to cut down the flag and be the first to charge.
"The thing that took so much effort and money, and went through so much hardship to develop, has become a half-baked, useless thing."
Wang Yong also sighed and shook his head, "Now the officials and craftsmen in the Military Equipment Bureau are all helpless. The Emperor thought about it and felt that perhaps only you could accomplish this task, so he called you back."
After listening, Lin Wen'an finished reading the drawing. He rolled it up and returned it to Wang Yong, politely declining: "Your Majesty thinks too highly of me. I have studied the Four Books and Five Classics and passed the imperial examination. I have never been a Taoist priest, let alone refined elixirs. I am not knowledgeable about military affairs and know nothing about flammable oil. If Your Majesty asks me to do this, I really do not know where to start and dare not agree easily."
This is not a refusal; it is indeed the case.
But Wang Yong didn't take it. Instead, he pushed the blueprints back, looked at him, and suddenly said out of the blueprints, "Today, Deng Changxing has been demoted and sent out of the capital. Deng Sheng's father was also found guilty of corruption and demoted to a commoner. Prime Minister Geng was fined three years' salary by imperial decree for neglecting his duties in the inner chambers. You should already know these things, right? Otherwise, why would you be waiting for me? Mingzhi... are you still angry? It was really unexpected that Dr. Yao would suffer a stroke. Although he was only a ninth-rank doctor before, I often met him at Shen Ji's. He could eat a big bowl of soup noodles every time, with a ruddy complexion and a vigorous stride. Even though he was in a lowly position, he could still write several memorials every month, specifically impeaching the illegal activities rumored in the Imperial Academy. He seemed to be in very good spirits. I also often inquired about his cousin Yao Ji. According to him, Dr. Yao was living a peaceful life. Who would have thought that he would suddenly fall like this?"
As Yao Qizhao was a close friend's husband, Wang Yong, despite his busy schedule, still showed some concern. However, Yao Qizhao was an overly upright man. He would impeach anyone he witnessed committing any illegal act, big or small, and his memorials piled up in stacks. The emperor would read them, deal with the major cases, and turn a blind eye to the minor ones, leaving them to languish. After a while, they would all be discarded and burned.
The emperor was somewhat annoyed with Dr. Yao, but out of consideration for Lin Wen'an, he did not reprimand him. Wang Yong was well aware of this.
Lin Wen'an shook his head. He knew all of this, but there was nothing to ask or say now. Besides, the ruler was like a father to his subjects, so what could he ask? He turned his head away, somewhat dejected.
The sunlight was too bright today, almost blinding. He was wearing glasses, so the emotions in his eyes were hidden behind the crystal lenses. He pushed up the lenses on his nose, and after a while, he said calmly, "A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject. How could I be angry? I'm just a crippled body, and I don't know how many more years I have left to live. I'm really not fit to take on any great responsibility."
Seeing Lin Wen'an's current thin and sickly appearance, the wind blowing his old clothes seemed to stir up the seven lonely years he had spent.
The young man who once entered the Eastern Palace with high spirits and the reputation of a genius has ended up with a face covered in dust and temples turned white. How can people not sigh?
It's not Lin Wen'an's fault; if it were him, he would have given up long ago!
Wang Yong sighed deeply, recalling what the Emperor had told him before he left the palace. He thought to himself, "The Emperor was right. Lin Wen'an is incredibly intelligent, but he's just as stubborn as his teacher... But even the most stubborn donkey has a way of being persuaded. Since he couldn't convince him, he had no choice but to bring up the Emperor."
So he cleared his throat, and the old farmer's face gradually became serious.
"Mingzhi, His Majesty has something to say to you."
Lin Wen'an looked up at him, his eyes clear and calm like a deep pool of water, making Wang Yong feel somewhat embarrassed. He felt that before he had even opened his mouth, Lin Wen'an had seen through everything.
Even though he understood everything, he sighed almost imperceptibly, solemnly straightened his clothes, rose to his feet, and bowed deeply, lifting his robes to pay his respects.
"Your subject Lin Wen'an kowtows to receive Your Majesty's decree."
Wang Yong also stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked at him solemnly.
The winter wind suddenly picked up and rustled the bare branches of the old persimmon tree in the courtyard.
"Mingzhi, I remember when you took the imperial examination, the late Emperor asked you about your aspirations for officialdom. You replied that even though you were poor and lowly, you were willing to do your part for the prosperity and well-being of the Song Dynasty. Do you still remember those words? All the old ministers of the Eastern Palace who served me back then have died or been killed, leaving only you. I have no one else to entrust with my duties. But this time I have summoned you back to the capital not for my sake, but because I hope you will not lose your former spirit, that you can pull yourself together, and forge a sword for the country, for the people, and for our Song Dynasty!"
After Wang Yong finished speaking, Lin Wen'an remained prostrate on the ground, not moving for a long time. He quickly helped him up, patted his robes, and said gently, "Now that the message has been delivered, I will take my leave. In this bundle are your official robes, hat, and seal, which the Emperor instructed me to bring. I have placed them here for you to think about carefully."
He paused, then said from the bottom of his heart, "Mingzhi, you're only in your twenties. Do you really want to waste the rest of your life in this little courtyard? If Dr. Yao were sober, he wouldn't expect you to be so dejected and self-deprecating. Putting everything else aside, even just as a friend, I still hope that one day I will see you again in the court. I'm waiting for you."
Lin Wen'an remained silent.
Wang Yong patted him on the shoulder and left.
After he left, Lin Wen'an sat alone for a long time before opening the bundle left by Wang Yong. Inside, there was indeed a brand-new scarlet official robe neatly folded. Next to the black gauze hat, there was a familiar gold token. Turning it over, the words "Duanben Palace Entry and Exit" were clearly engraved among the worn and blackened landscape and auspicious cloud patterns.
He touched it, and it seemed that there were still traces of dirty blood left in the strokes of the inscription. This was the Eastern Palace forbidden token that he had entrusted to Wang Yong to return to the Emperor before he was seriously injured and left the capital.
At that time, his leg bones were broken and he could not see. He had already decided to die and thought he would never return to the capital in his life.
Now he understands that the Emperor sent Wang Yong to say these words and deliver this token in order to persuade him with his emotions.
But seeing this old item, Lin Wen'an couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, and all the memories he had deliberately suppressed welled up like a spring.
Everything was still vivid in his mind; he hadn't forgotten a single detail. However, all the colleagues and friends who had risked their lives alongside him back then were no longer alive, and he could never go back.
He held the token in his hand for a long time, gripping it tighter and tighter until his knuckles ached, before slowly releasing his grip, gently placing it back in its original position, and retying the bundle.
He called for Uncle Cong to put the things away, and then slowly headed towards the side gate that connected to the Yao family's house.
Although Wang Yong left first, he left behind two constables who bought up all of Yao Ruyi's unsold breakfast that morning.
There were quite a few things, and the constables borrowed Yao Ruyi's cart to transport them back. When they saw Lin Wen'an coming over, they quickly bowed to him and said, "Lord Wang saw the menu in front of Miss Yao's door before he came in. He stood there staring at it for a while, and then instructed me to buy it all and take it back to the clerks in the yamen. It just so happens that Miss Yao has all the things ready and they are still warm, so I carried them away."
Lin Wen'an nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
He wasn't surprised at all. He had guessed before Wang Yong came that this man always knew how to please people in subtle ways, in a way that made people happy without causing them any concern.
Since Wang Yong saw the menu, he must have recognized his handwriting. He would have bought the food without Wang Yong even mentioning it. Despite Wang Yong's honest, hardworking appearance, he was extremely meticulous. He was a rare man of conscience and skill in officialdom, truly deserving of the emperor's high regard.
Lin Wen'an looked at Yao Ruyi, who was obviously overjoyed. She was busy running around, pouring tea and giving hot towels to the constables. Judging from the bits of meat stuck to the two constables' beards, while he and Wang Yong were talking inside, these two constables not only had tea to drink but also a fire to grill. Ruyi must have also grilled sausages for them.
Lin Wen'an sat down at the low table by the shop door. The two constables must have been resting here. There were two sets of cups and saucers on the table.
He glanced at the teapot and cups on the table. The lid of the rough pottery teapot was open, and there was no water inside, as if it was about to be refilled. The tea leaves that had been steeped were green and unfurled, with stems and leaves. It wasn't tea foam; it was still fresh tea.
It was better than the tea he served to Wang Yong.
Lin Wen'an's lips curled up very slightly, revealing a smile that was almost imperceptible to anyone.
For Ruyi, regardless of the official rank, anyone who bought something from her was a distinguished guest and deserved to be treated well.
After seeing the constables off, Yao Ruyi jumped over to him excitedly and said, "Second Uncle, you were right! They really sold out! That's great! Not only did we not lose money today, we actually made quite a bit!"
Unable to stand on one leg, she leaned over the table, resting her head on her arm and looking up at him. Her bright eyes and mischievous wink seemed to whisper something to him. She cupped her hand to her mouth and confessed softly, "When Lord Wang came, you didn't say anything, but I sensed you were a little sad when you saw him. Later, he came out first to buy breakfast, and I told him that the prices in red on the menu were reserved for students of the Imperial Academy, and that non-students had to pay the original price—it was a rule we'd established beforehand. I hoped he wouldn't mind. Lord Wang was quite accommodating and paid the original price. Hey, I made quite a bit more money off him! I'll use that money to buy meat for my second uncle! How about we have braised pork ribs today?"
Lin Wen'an froze, even his fingertips trembled slightly. He had clearly concealed it very well; even Wang Yong and Uncle Cong hadn't seen through him, but...
He looked down at the girl in front of him and saw only a pair of smiling eyes, without any gloom.
At that moment, he felt as if the seasons had turned upside down, and he saw only the brightest moonlight of a summer night, clear as canal water, shimmering with silver light, shining on him who had been walking in the abyss for so long without any obstruction.
Before he could answer, there was a rustling sound outside the shop, like mice crawling, and the moonlight that had briefly shone on him immediately turned away.
Yao Ruyi was absolutely furious!
Even rats dared to come to her shop!
Didn't they see when the Fire Wheels were used to kill rats as a warning?
She rolled up her sleeves and was about to rush over when she lifted the curtain and discovered that the shop was not infested with rats, but with people. Hide behind the door were Meng Boyuan, Lin Weiming, and Cheng Shujun, who was ashamed to be doing sneaky hiding with them, but had no choice but to join them, and ended up with a helpless expression and red ears.
"What are you all hiding here for?" Yao Ruyi leaned against the door frame, looking shocked. "Wait a minute, when did you get here? At this hour... and the three of you didn't go to the exam?"
"We were terrified by those constables just now, and they even had knives." Meng Boyuan stood up, still shaken, clutching his chest. The three of them had pretended to be chased away by the constables, but they had actually been keeping watch outside the shop the whole time. As soon as the constables left, they quickly slipped back in.
He said seriously to Yao Ruyi, "Whether it's an exam or not is not important! It's just that the three of us have inadvertently learned of something big, and I have to say, Miss Yao, something big is about to happen to your family!"
Lin Weiming quickly leaned out and said to Lin Wen'an in the yard, "Uncle, come quick! There are bad guys trying to get you!"
A moment later, Yao Ruyi and Lin Wen'an finished listening to the so-called "conspiracy" from the three of them. Lin Wen'an didn't say anything, and his expression didn't change. Yao Ruyi's expression changed from being on high alert to "Is this all?"
She curled her lip in disdain: "What kind of conspiracy is this? Aren't they just gossiping behind people's backs because they've had too many cricket cakes? They sound like they're so great, but they're just afraid to offend Second Uncle and dare not do anything. They're clearly cowardly, yet they're comforting themselves by thinking they're more capable! It's laughable!"
Meng Chenglin and the other two were taken aback by Yao Ruyi's tone: "Aren't you afraid?"
"What's there to be afraid of? At worst, they'll just strip my grandfather of his official position so they can install their own people. So what if they strip him? I was prepared to be an ordinary citizen long ago." Yao Ruyi didn't care at all. Her grandfather's health meant he wouldn't be able to return to officialdom anytime soon anyway. "Grandpa is getting old, and being an official is too tiring. It's better for him to enjoy his retirement."
After Yao Ruyi's explanation, the three of them realized... it seemed to be true... sigh...
Lin Wen'an then said calmly, "This is an old business of the Imperial Academy. They dare to say it because they are not afraid of what people will say, especially since they haven't even started yet. There are many more cases of selling official positions like this. You are still studying now and find it strange, but when you actually enter officialdom and see the various ways of the world, you will understand that when you were studying within the walls of the Imperial Academy, it was the purest and fairest time of your life."
Even Yao Ruyi nodded in agreement. This has always been the case; she'd seen it many times in the hospital. Truly good doctors on the front lines of clinical practice don't get promoted, and many, if they do, are nobody's even known.
"We both come from humble backgrounds. The official positions we earned through more than ten years of hard study can be obtained by others with a few coins and a few words of advice. Not only in the Imperial Academy, but also in the Kaifeng Prefecture government, there are many clerks whose positions are passed down from father to son, generation after generation. Although this should not be the case, it has always been so... You should not skip school anymore. Cherish the days when you can study in peace."
Lin Wen'an's calm words chilled the chivalrous hearts of Meng Chenglin and the other two, who were filled with youthful enthusiasm. The three of them felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and they were so dejected that their heads hung down.
Yao Ruyi quickly comforted him, "What your second uncle means is that you should just focus on your studies now. There's no point in thinking too much, and you don't need to worry so early. Maybe you won't even pass the exam in the future!"
The three of them turned to look at her at the same time.
Lin Weiming, in particular, was so comforted that he almost burst into tears.
After all, unlike Meng Boyuan, who had a family woodblock printing workshop to inherit, and unlike Cheng Shujun, who was constantly being dragged around by them yet still consistently ranked among the top scorers in the imperial examinations, Lin Weiming wasn't quite at the point of giving up on himself, but it was also a real possibility that he might not pass the exams!
His heart ached terribly.
Even Lin Wen'an, whose eyes were usually calm and composed, showed a hint of confusion. He blinked slowly: So... that's what he meant just now?
Yao Ruyi realized what she had just said, realizing how bluntly truthful it was. She scratched her head awkwardly, "I...I'll go check the shop; it looks like someone's here."
She quickly slipped away.
Lin Wen'an watched her hop into the shop on one foot before turning around and nodding to Meng Chenglin and the other two: "But thank you for informing me anyway. I will find a way to take care of it later. It's still early, you should go back to the school."
The three of them could joke and play around with Yao Ruyi, who was about the same age, without having to be too careful with their words. But it was different when they were facing Lin Wen'an. Meng Boyuan and Cheng Shujun followed Lin Weiming and bowed properly, saying, "Yes, Uncle."
Then he took his leave.
Lin Wen'an watched them quietly. The three of them weren't walking properly, pulling and tugging at each other, running and jumping all the way. Meng Boyuan even kicked the air halfway through, as if he were kicking a football out of thin air. Then Lin Weiming kicked his butt.
The two quickly started fighting again and ran away.
The three of them naturally walked around the shop and said goodbye to Yao Ruyi. Meng Boyuan said goodbye to Lin Weiming and left, but Cheng Shujun was a few steps behind. His companions had already run more than ten steps away, but he turned back and said a few words to Yao Ruyi.
Yao Ruyi smiled at him.
Lin Wen'an was separated by an entire courtyard and couldn't hear what they were saying. Yao Ruyi was still inside the shop, and Cheng Shujun was outside, still separated by that large window with wooden planks.
It was still a sunny winter day with no snow and light, wispy clouds.
Suddenly, it felt like his feet were being tugged. Lin Wen'an looked away and saw that it was the kitten that was barking like a dog biting his trouser leg.
He scooped up the chubby little cat, its head and body round and its fur bristling, placed it on his lap, stroked its back fur a couple of times, and whispered, "Woof woof, don't be naughty."
Because it always barked like a dog, would lift its legs to urinate under a tree when it was hot, would stick out its tongue when it was hot, and would wag its tail like a dog to please people, Ruyi casually named it Wangwang.
In response to Lin Wen'an's warning, Wangwang rolled over, grabbed his hand with its front paws, and kicked wildly at his palm with its hind paws.
It barked and meowed.
Lin Wen'an turned his hand over and subdued the kitten again. When he looked up, Cheng Shujun was no longer at the window. Ruyi was leaning over the counter, writing down some accounts. When she stopped to think, she would occasionally poke her forehead or rub her head with the pen before continuing to write.
The afternoon light streamed in through the window, casting sparse shadows that fell squarely on her face, highlighting the fine hairs on her cheeks. The usually lively and cheerful woman now had a serene and gentle air about her, her eyes lowered and her expression focused.
Suddenly, a few dripping sounds.
Lin Wen'an snapped out of his daze, a few drops of rain quickly soaking his nose. Yao Ruyi also straightened up in surprise, looking at the stone path in the alley, which was gradually being dampened by the rain. She hurriedly brought in the wooden planks and goods that had been propped up outside, and then decisively skipped back to find him.
"This weather is really strange. There are hardly any clouds in the sky, yet it's raining. Second Uncle, what are you daydreaming about? Come on, let's go inside and take shelter from the rain! Grandpa! Stop playing with the dog! Come back inside, it's raining!"
***
"Tick-tock, tick-tock."
Raindrops slid off the umbrella and splashed on the ground.
Beneath the ribs of the oil-paper umbrella peeked out a pair of worn straw sandals and thick, chubby ankles wrapped in blue cloth leggings.
Wupan was still wearing his crisp, starched gray monk's robe. He lazily slung his oil-paper umbrella over his shoulder, propped it up with his elbow, and used his free hand to eat the hot vegetarian flatbread in his hand. He ate non-stop as he walked briskly through the wet streets of Zhouqiao.
As he turned into the alley behind the Imperial College, he swallowed the last bite of his biscuit.
He brushed the crumbs off his hands, wiped his greasy cheeks, let out a loud and long burp, and headed straight for the Yao family's house deep in the alley.
More than a month has passed since he last asked the female Bodhisattva for payment, and this month he volunteered to ask his master to come and collect the debt again.
Wupan was incredibly cunning. He knew that the other households' debts were not as easy to collect as the Yao family's. Some of his senior brothers had even been turned away. So when it came to collecting the Yao family's debts, he naturally had to be the first to step up!
The Yao family is poor, consisting of only a grandfather and grandson who are both widowed and alone, but they still pay their debts on time, which is much better than those who have money but don't pay!
Alas... misfortune always seems to find its shortest point, just as bad luck always seems to find the unfortunate! Wupan felt pity for him and resolved to knock more quietly when he knocked on the door this time to collect the debt!
Water splashed everywhere as he rushed over.
When he arrived at the Yao family's house, he slightly raised his umbrella, tilted his head back, and stared at the brand-new lanterns under the eaves, the freshly painted windows and walls, and a large menu pasted on the other wall. He was somewhat stunned.
Is this...is this the Yao family's residence?
He even took another look at the doorplate.
Just then, Yao Ruyi lifted the thick curtain and came out, intending to close the courtyard gate. She saw Wupan at a glance, and Wupan also saw Yao Ruyi, whose face and body had become at least a size rounder.
The little girl who was initially thin and sickly, like a little chick, has now become plump, healthy, and radiant.
He was also overwhelmed by the strong aroma of braised pork ribs in the courtyard.
"Isn't this Master Wupan? It's been a long time! I was planning to personally deliver this month's interest to you at Xingguo Temple, but I unfortunately... uh... I accidentally hurt my foot. Now I'm troubling you to come again. Please come in, please come in! Master? Have you eaten? Would you like some? I just cooked some mixed vegetable soup at home, without any lard. It's cold outside, would you like a bowl?"
Wupan was flattered and surprised to be warmly welcomed inside by the young lady of the Yao family. He never expected that someone who came to collect a debt could be treated so well.
That's so rare! I'll definitely come again!
Not long after his plump figure entered Yao's shop, Sister You also came out of her house with a worried look on her face.
She is usually a person who likes to dress up. Whether she goes out or not, she always makes sure her hair is neat and tidy, and she matches different clothes with different hairpins. But today she came out without tidying up, and a few strands of hair fell messily by her ears.
Holding an umbrella, she walked heavily toward the Yao family's house.
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Before Wupan arrived: The female bodhisattva is so pitiful, I need to be gentle when chasing her for payment [pats head]
After entering the general store, Wupan asked: "Is this the paradise Buddha spoke of?" [Fearful]
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Note on "Meng Huo You": Meng Huo You is petroleum. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the earliest jet fire weapon in Chinese history was invented using petroleum. There were not only large-scale Meng Huo You torches used for sieges, but also small, portable copper gourd-shaped flamethrowers.
The Northern Song Dynasty even had asphalt workshops, demonstrating advanced techniques in petroleum extraction and utilization.
This article references and adapts information about the use of petroleum in the Northern Song Dynasty.
(Whispering: After checking the information, I was speechless... The Song Dynasty was rich and technologically advanced, and its military strength was not bad at the beginning. It's really regrettable.)
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