Chapter 64: Hiring a Cat (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
As if in response, the soft, cuddly bundle in my arms let out a soft "meow," and the chubby little boy nodded in agreement.
He carefully released his grip and lifted a corner of the coarse cloth.
A tiny tabby cat with tiger stripes was revealed.
The cat's eyes were open, but instead of the usual amber yellow, they were a rare aquamarine. Its nose was pink, and its fur was much lighter than that of a typical tabby cat. Upon seeing Chen Tang, it meowed timidly and snuggled into the chubby boy's arms. Chu Yao, standing to the side, frowned.
Shen Tang's attention was entirely on the cat. She carefully ran her fingertips along its soft fur, but the cat seemed a little shy and asked timidly, "Is this your pet cat or a stray?"
The chubby boy said, "It was laid by the mother cat at home."
Shen Tang asked again, "Why did you bring it out?"
Shouldn't such tiny kittens be cared for by their mother?
The chubby boy's mood dipped for a moment after hearing this. He looked down at the cat and said, "My parents said we can't keep it, we have to get it lost."
"You won't let me keep it? This cat is too sick to survive?"
The chubby boy shook his head and honestly said, "No, it's fine, it's just that its eyes are bad. Father thinks it's taboo and won't let us keep it."
All seven kittens in the litter were amber-yellow, exactly like their mother, except for this one. The butcher was worried it was some kind of ominous sign, and since business hadn't been good lately, he felt uneasy and decided to either abandon the kitten or give it away for adoption.
The chubby boy then took it and asked the neighbors if anyone was willing to keep it. The result was predictable—ordinary people struggled to feed themselves and were often hungry, so where would they find leftovers to feed a cat?
Shen Tang said, "What's wrong with your eyes? They're so beautiful."
Being looked at by a cute little cat with those big, clear, watery green eyes is enough to melt your heart.
Just as she was about to say something, she heard Qi Shan's question from above: "Has this kitten found its owner?"
The chubby boy shook his head: "Not yet."
Shen Tang: "???"
She could swear on her life that she had never heard Qi Shan speak in such a soft, gentle tone before, as if raising her voice even an inch would startle the kitten. She looked up and was startled to find a gentle smile on Qi Shan's face—
fear!
┌(。Д。)┐
Shen Tang's expression momentarily lost control.
Unexpectedly, she also heard Qi Shan say, "That's great. Wait a moment, I'll go check the almanac and pick a day to propose marriage."
Shen Tang: "???"
Is this a betrothal?
Shen Tang asked, "Whom are you hiring?"
Qi Shan replied matter-of-factly, "Of course, we'll hire this cat. It looks just like a cat I used to keep."
A sense of nostalgia and reflection naturally flowed from his gaze.
Shen Tang: "???"
If you're going to get a cat, why do you need to offer a betrothal gift?
Not only did Qi Shan formally present the betrothal gift, but he also consulted the almanac and chose an auspicious day—tomorrow, a lucky day for marriage. He even drew a lifelike cat portrait on the betrothal letter and asked the old woman in the house to go out and buy dried fish and two bags of salt.
He acted swiftly and decisively, without any hesitation, and his face showed a visible joy at preparing to become a "groom"...
Shen Tang: "..."
This is absolutely outrageous.
Qi Shan was so busy that she disappeared from sight. Chu Yao borrowed the east kitchen from the old woman and carefully cleaned the offal he had bought.
Qi Shan knew how to bake cakes, and this was the first time Shen Tang had ever seen a man in this era cook. She wanted to help him but was politely refused.
"Mr. Wu Hui, isn't it said that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen?"
He not only knows how to cook, but he is quite skilled at it.
Chu Yao wiped the grease off his hands with a cloth and joked with a smile, "These offal pieces are all butchered by the butcher, why bother staying away? Besides, we're not from a wealthy family. If we don't know how to cook, how can we expect to survive on air and dew?"
His current master is Young Master Shen.
One is a servant, not a master; one must clearly understand one's own position.
Nowadays, cooking methods are limited, seasonings are scarce, and food is mainly boiled, roasted, and steamed, resulting in bland flavors. However, Chu Yao has a secret technique: a bunch of offal that ordinary people would disdain, after being treated to remove the fishy smell and combined with his own concoction of seasonings, becomes delicious.
"Goro, try my cooking."
Shen Tang slurped up a bowl of noodles without any hesitation.
To be precise, it's a rough version of knife-cut noodles.
Or rather, dough balls.
Simply kneading the flour into a dough and then slicing it, though lacking in elasticity, was nothing short of a delicacy for Shen Tang, who had been eating pancakes for so long. The chubby boy also ate with a mouthful of oil, not even letting go of the soup in his bowl, slurping it all up.
In the afternoon, I studied with Chu Yao.
They weren't learning from books, but from martial arts.
Shen Tang: "...???"
Chu Yao, a former scholar of the literary world, is teaching students, but instead of teaching his original specialty, he's gone and started teaching martial arts.
There were two people in the family: one was happily preparing to betroth a cat, and the other was teaching martial arts to students in the courtyard, while Shen Tang...
She's finally free again.
so--
After lying around like a couch potato for a quarter of an hour, she suddenly sat up—it was so boring, she felt restless when she was idle—no one was talking to her and she had nothing to do, so she might as well set up a stall to sell wine and support her family! With a goal in mind, Shen Tang's motivation exploded.
"Mr. Wu Hui, I'm going out to set up a wine stall." As soon as she finished speaking, she had almost disappeared in a flash, as if something was chasing after her. Chu Yao only had time to remind her, "Don't drink any wine," and he didn't know if she heard him.
The same spot as yesterday.
However, there are more types of alcoholic beverages available.
Not only Dukang wine, but also the wine from "Grape Wine in a Luminous Cup," the rice wine from "Newly Brewed Green Ants," and the Lanling wine from "Lanling Wine in Tulips, Served in a Jade Bowl with Amber Light"... We'll unlock the rest later. It's just a pity—
She's just a winemaker; she can't taste it.
"I'm so worried." Shen Tang sighed and lamented, "How much sorrow can one have? It's like a eunuch going to a brothel."
"Pfft—"
Laughter came from the shadows overhead.
When Shen Tang looked up, she saw a familiar face. She became wary. Wasn't this the sickly Mr. Gu from Yuehua Tower?
"Young Master Shen, are you... selling wine?"
"Otherwise what? Sunbathing, of course?"
Shen Tang tapped the "wine" signboard beside her with her finger.
Isn't this person asking a question they already know the answer to?
"Mr. Gu, would you like to buy some wine?"
How to sell it?
Shen Tang said, "A jar of wine weighing two catties costs four hundred and fifty coins, and a jar of other wine weighing two catties costs three hundred coins. The price is fixed."
Mr. Gu readily paid the money, which turned out to be a large piece of silver.
Just as Shen Tang was about to take out a balance scale and small clippers, Mr. Gu raised his hand to stop her, his eyes burning as he said, "Buy them all!"
She was slightly startled.
Before the thought could even form, the sudden realization that the person in front of him could read minds caused his expression to stiffen slightly. He subtly withdrew his hand and calmly asked, "Mr. Gu, can you carry all this wine back?"
"When did I say I would take it back myself? This is such a big deal, could you please make the trip for me, Young Master Shen?"
Shen Tang replied, "Of course."
The customer is king, and the working class has no objection.
Mr. Gu lowered his eyelids slightly, his expression indifferent and unwavering. He said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Mr. Shen, to deliver it to Yaoling Pavilion."
Shen Tang then asked, "Where is Yaoling Pavilion?"
Mr. Gu suddenly revealed a meaningful smile.
"The Jiaofang, Xiaocheng Jiaofang."
Shen Tang's heart skipped a beat.
Qi Shan's judgment that Tang Mei possessed the Imperial Seal was not because she could conjure things; the cause and effect were wrong.
He judged that it was the Imperial Seal (only feudal lords could possess the highest rank of the first grade) only after seeing the top-rank Wenxin.
With the premise of "possessing the national seal," she conjured up something, and with the improvement of the soil by "the fertile Zhouyuan Plain," she judged that the way of the feudal lords was "agricultural affairs."
If others, unaware of the existence of the Imperial Seal, were surprised to see the items conjured, they wouldn't suspect anything. After all, the quantity of items was linked to the consumption of literary energy, and the number was limited. Many considered this ability rather useless; aside from reducing living costs and preventing starvation, it held little practical significance.
Chu Yao believed in destiny, and Shen Tang spent three taels of silver to fulfill the warning he had given him in the "Way of the Scholar".
PS: Three updates tomorrow. Double updates guaranteed, plus an extra chapter (this chapter is from the September 4th update).
P.S.: In ancient times, people took being a cat owner quite seriously. They didn't call buying a cat "buying," but rather "betrothaling," and would give a betrothal gift on an auspicious day.
PPPS: Chu Yao likes dogs but dislikes cats.
(End of this chapter)
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