Hanxiang County
When we arrived at Hanxiang County, we could smell a burst of fragrance as soon as we entered the city gate and got into the carriage.
Yulan was half asleep, disturbed by the aroma that seeped into every crack. She opened the curtains and saw, amidst the falling snow, shops of all sizes hung signs advertising various spices.
"arrive?"
"We're here, Miss Ye."
Liu Qingbai waited for the carriage to stop before helping Feichun get out. Miss Ye seemed unused to Qingbai calling her that, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
Once we leave the Liu family, we will no longer address each other as master and servant.
Yulan asked Liu Er why?
Liu Er closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time, then gave a high-sounding reason.
He said, "We're heading north, and we might run into danger like bandits. If we're discovered to be the Liu family's carriage, we might be robbed and killed. It would be safer for us to disguise ourselves as a couple seeking refuge with distant relatives."
"But your last name is still Liu. How come others don't know you're from the Liu family?"
"The Liu family has no sons who can get married."
"How would the bandits know?"
Yulan knew what Liu Er was thinking, so she teased him. She found it funny to see him with his hands tucked in, his eyes closed, and unable to speak.
Then he coaxed, "Okay, okay, I'm Ye Feichun, and we're a young couple who've come to live with distant relatives. What about Bao Fu and Haitang?"
Liu Er curled his lips and said, "Your cousin and my cousin."
The journey was relatively safe, with no vicious bandits blocking the way. At most, there were some petty thieves who gave us some money and left. After several twists and turns, we finally arrived at Hanxiang County, famous for its "incense".
The carriage stopped at a place called Tianxiang Inn. Seeing that it was still early, Liu Qingbai decided to go and see why the goods had not moved. He asked Feichun and Haitang to go to the inn to rest first, while he and Bao Fu went to the Yin family to deliver a visiting card.
With this, the four of them went their separate ways.
"This girl is obviously a person of noble status. Take a look at my powder."
A noble status? Feichun thought it was ridiculous, but when he turned around, he saw a young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes carrying a basket on his back and a box of perfume in his hands.
There were several other people selling perfume powder around him, but Feichun only saw that young man. Everyone else seemed to be eclipsed, and he couldn't even see his facial features clearly.
Since he looks friendly, you might think the goods he sells are better, right?
"How much do you sell this for, bro?"
"Sister, these perfumes are not expensive, only two cents a box. You are so pretty, buy two boxes and I'll give you one box for free."
She picked out a few boxes of scented powders, which were somewhat unique, all of which were rare medicinal scents.
The peddler began to introduce his dish, "This is a secret recipe passed down from our ancestors. It's made with medicinal herbs and has a calming effect on the mind." He then handed over a piece of paper and continued, "My surname is Helan, and my given name is Zhu. I run a small business on Yuxiang Street. I see these girls are from other places. If you need anything, feel free to contact me. I'll be your guide."
"The people here are simple and honest."
Feichun bought a few boxes with a smile and settled down in the inn.
Hanxiang County is famous for its "fragrance" because there is an extremely rare raw material in Hanxiang Mountain called Yuxiangcao. It grows on cliffs, is extremely difficult to pick, and takes ten years to mature.
The divine jade-fragrant rose powder that the Liu family provides to the royal family is made from this jade-fragrant rose powder combined with the Liu family's exclusive secret recipe.
However, Mr. Liu neglected the business over the years, the quality was not as good as before, and the palace did not buy much, so the business gradually became difficult.
Liu Qingbai had always wanted to create a new incense, but Master Liu refused to give him full authority. Trapped in the North Courtyard for years, he struggled to master the intricacies of the craft. It was only fair to say that Liu Zhongze deserved the fate of the Liu family's century-old business.
Feichun gazed out the window of his guest room, where Yuxiang Street, Hanxiang County's busiest street, lay just below. He had only heard of frequent fighting in the north, and had encountered some petty thieves along the way, but he was surprised that Hanxiang County remained largely unaffected, its people still living and working in peace.
Just as I was feeling emotional, I saw a few large men blocking the narrow alley. I wondered what they were doing in broad daylight. What if they were bullying men and women?
After leaving the Liu family, Feichun seemed to have grown bolder. He saw the vast expanse of space along the way, no longer confined to the small courtyard. He felt a surge of courage that he didn't know where it came from.
"Haitang, let's go! Let's go take a look!"
The two men hurried downstairs wearing veil hats, and saw that it was Helan Zhu who was surrounded by several strong men in the narrow alley.
"You stinky boy, are you using this face to steal my business again?"
Helan Zhu knelt on the ground and begged the strong man for mercy, and he would never dare to do it again!
"Stop!" Fei Chun shouted coldly, holding a dagger in his hand.
The sword was left by Qingbai for her to defend herself, and Feichun was using it to repel the enemy.
The strong man didn't care when he saw that they were just two girls. He smiled at each other and continued to beat Helan Zhu.
其中一个捏着拳头向着也非春和海棠逼近，并说着：“小娘儿们，这是你情人么？不是的话，就滚远点！这臭小子抢了我们生意，我们教训我们自己人跟你们有什么关系？别不识抬举，小心连你们一起揍了！”
The large man was imposing, towering over Ye Feichun by two heads. But she wasn't exactly afraid, just a little excited, like a wild animal returning to the wilderness to find its prey. She held her sword tightly against its scabbard, warning herself not to draw it unless absolutely necessary, and to avoid trouble in a foreign land. As the man drew closer, the sword in her hand trembled with the edge of its grip. If the villain retreated now, everyone would be happy. If he continued to advance, she didn't know what effect her mediocre skills would have. But for a local thug, it should be more than enough.
Just as the big man was getting closer, Liu Qingbai arrived with the county magistrate. Seeing that it was the official, the thugs ran away. In the deep alley, Helan Zhu limped away, stumbling and dejected.
Ye Feichun stopped Helan Zhu and gave him a hundred coins, asking him to go and see his wound to make sure there was no root of the disease.
The young man wiped his tears and said, "No need. I am already very grateful for your generosity. If I take the money again, I will be ungrateful."
"Then use this hundred yuan to buy all your perfume. Okay?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the hundred-dollar bill was stuffed into Helan Zhu's palm, and Haitang immediately put on his backpack.
Helan Zhu was so shocked that he was speechless. He never thought that such a random person could do so much for him.
Perhaps Ye Feichun had never thought that what he saw in the eyes of a certain boy was not just a chivalrous girl, but a beam of light penetrating the narrow alley, and under the veil lifted by the wind was a statue of Bodhisattva who saved the world.
In other words, from then on, in Helan Zhu's heart, the Bodhisattva had a real body in the mortal world.
Did this person come here specifically to save him?
On the way back to the inn, Liu Qingbai didn't say a word. He resented Ye Feichun in his heart for completely disregarding his own safety and acting like a hero for a person he had never met and had nothing to do with him.
If he came late, wouldn't he be bullied by those hooligans?
Ye Feichun didn't say anything either. She felt a little resentful in her heart, blaming Liu Qingbai for coming too just in time, before she could even show her skills.
"How's the matter going?" Feichun spoke first, trying to appease this ancestor.
But the ancestor said, "I didn't do the job as well as you did. You might as well take back all the dogs in the county."
Ye Feichun thought this ancestor must be jealous again, and wondered if she had any small things on her to coax him. She felt around and found her purse was gone. She stared at Liu Qingbai in shock.
Liu Qingbai was stunned by the look, thinking he was about to be slapped again. He prepared himself and held his breath, but then he heard Feichun say:
"Where's my purse? Is it missing?"
"Hanxiang County is surrounded by Yanxia Pass in front and mountains behind. While the enemy can't enter for the time being, there are many petty thieves. Since you have reported the matter to the authorities, I believe there will be a result soon." The waiter followed the instructions and served a table of local specialties. After a few words of comfort, he continued, "It's almost the end of the year, and Hanxiang County holds a traditional Chinese banquet every year. It's a local tradition. You might want to stay for the New Year before leaving."
"Fragrance feast?"
"That's right. Stores across the county will be releasing new incense, and you'll see a lot of things you haven't seen before. Due to transportation difficulties, many incense items are only sold locally. In short, it's the busiest time of the year."
Bao Fu was delighted when he heard there was something fun to join in. Haitang said he was a loser, but the journey had been bumpy and restless, so what was wrong with relaxing a bit?
Liu Qingbai was quite interested when he heard that it was an incense tasting banquet and asked, "Which is the best incense shop in the county?"
"That's naturally the Tianxian Pavilion opened by the Yin family. They innovate every year and the nobles line up to place orders." The waiter seemed a little proud when talking about this.
The Yin family? Liu Qingbai pondered. He had just gone to the Yin family today and was turned away. He didn't know why the goods had been stuck for so long. It seemed that the only place he could see the head of the Yin family was at the Fragrance Feast.
Speaking of which, the Yin family and the Liu family have been friends for many years. No matter how ridiculous Liu Zhongze was, he had never been shortchanged or in arrears with money.
He wondered what had happened to the Yin family. He had felt something strange about Hanxiang County all the way here, but he couldn't put his finger on it. The entire county was shrouded in a haze of smoke, leaving him feeling groggy and lethargic.
Seeing that no one reacted, the waiter brewed another pot of tea and introduced:
"This is also our Hanxiang County's specialty tea, called Huangliang Tea. I'd like to give it a try, my guests, to help you relieve your fatigue after a long journey."
The tea is clear in color and has a special aroma.
The waiter then introduced: "This is a specialty of our Hanxiang County. It is made by roasting a special local tea. It has a magical effect of calming the mind."
“How can it have such an effect?”
Bao Fu was puzzled. How could drinking tea calm the mind if it only kept one awake?
“It’s a local specialty. You’ll know the taste once you try it.”
Liu Qingbai tasted it carefully and found that the tea seemed to have the aroma of wine, which must be due to the addition of some special spices.
Before I could even take a few sips, I felt dizzy.
Liu Qingbai thought to himself, "Oh no! I've run into a shady shop!"
But it was too late, everything went black and I lost consciousness.
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