Chapter 47 The Crab is Really Big "My name is Lu Lan, and my courtesy name is Changce."
The rattan chair shook with a creaking sound. Wei Jinyun held the counter with his left hand, held the ingot with his right hand, and jumped up.
"Master Lu, you are back."
Wei Jinyun put down the ingot, patted the cat hair on her skirt, and then looked up.
Lu Lan had a new headband tied around her forehead, with some moisture on the ends of her hair. She was wearing a dark-colored tight-fitting suit, with a black leather belt tightly tied around her waist.
"Um."
Lu Lan waved her hand, and Yuanbao ran over with a "whoosh". After having his head rubbed for a long time, he hid in a wicker nest in the corner, holding two small loaches in his mouth and savoring them carefully.
These are two!
He picked up the basket beside him and asked, "Where should I put it?"
"Lord Lu, just give it to me."
Although Gu Xiang stared at them with half-closed eyes and thought for a while, he still took the basket from Lu Lan and went to find a place under the stairs.
"It's still a feast of golden taro."
Lu Lan turned around and glanced at Yunlaixiang's lobby.
Today, a new batch of small clay ovens arrived, and there were many new customers. It was now noon, and by the time Wei Jinyun had taken a nap, the shop was already full, with only the seat opposite Zhang Renbai still vacant.
Zhang Renbai naturally noticed Lu Lan's gaze. He moved the plate of fried watermelon seeds in front of him to the other side of the table, showing no intention of sharing the table with Lu Lan.
Lu Lan wasn't wearing his official uniform. He walked straight to the counter after entering, and for about a minute, he kept his back to the other customers. A screen and a message board obscured the counter. Customers were sipping tea, chatting, and discussing chess, and almost no one noticed him.
"Want to come to Sister Ling'er's place?"
Wei Fuling stuck half her head out of the door and looked inside. "If Meng Ge and I squeeze in, there'll be room for us."
Wei Jinyun shook his head to stop him.
Wei Fuling's small house is already eye-catching, and with Lu Lan placed there... it would be really lively.
"Sit here."
Wei Jinyun pointed to the bench beside him and said, "If Lord Lu doesn't mind."
She has a large, two-tiered counter with plenty of space. Freshly baked pastries are displayed on the outer tier, separated from the inner tier by partitions above and below, more like a modern glass cabinet, crafted with the skill of carpenter Wang.
When the shop was busy, she would bring the food to the long table inside the counter and eat while using an abacus.
"No, it's nice here."
Lu Lan took two steps and sat down, taking a sip of the tea that Gu Xiang quickly brought over.
Wei Jinyun had just finished a good sleep and was now sitting beside him, calculating on the abacus. Lu Lan simply ate his snack in silence, not saying much.
"Brother Wu, it's your turn to throw it away."
Tang Yin waved his hand in front of Wu Sheng's face. "Why, are you frightened by my strength?"
The chess players at the table followed Wu Sheng's stunned gaze, looked at the familiar figure for a long time, and sighed "Ah" beside him.
"Still playing?"
Zhu Zhishan took a sip of tea and asked.
"Why not play? Come on, come on!"
Wu Sheng stretched out his hand and threw the dice, which rolled around on the table - six!
He took up his small sea boat and took a few steps forward. "Haha, Bao'en Temple!"
"My brother Wu has transformed his grief and anger into strength."
Zhu Zhishan came close to Tang Yin and stared at Wu Sheng's face which was changing all the time.
"What do you know?"
Tang Yin waved his folding fan. "My brother Wu shows his forbearing love... Now it's my turn. No one else can grab it. Look, I'm going to throw a big one too!"
Wei Fuqiu spat out a few orange seeds and watched the dice spin and stop. "Tang Yin, the market is crowded. Do you have any boat tickets?"
Tang Yin was furious, so he decided to go to Baoen Temple later to burn some incense.
What luck today!
The afternoon time passed slowly. Wei Jinyun calculated the account and recorded it carefully in the account book at hand.
The rice cake on the small clay stove in front of Zhang Renbai was burnt to a crisp, and his eyes always fell there intentionally or unintentionally.
"Can I sit outside?"
Lu Lan turned around and asked her.
"Of course you can."
Wei Jinyun raised his eyes and said, "But Lord Lu's place is more spacious. I have pens, inkstones, and some straw toys here. There are a lot of things."
"I'll help you clean up."
Wei Jinyun exclaimed "Ah!" and seeing that Lu Lan had stood up, she moved her inkstone inward and switched places with him.
It's just a bench, so there's no difference whether you sit inside or outside.
She was afraid of forgetting the accounts she had just made, so she quickly devoted herself to her abacus career.
Lu Lan wasn't in a hurry to sit down. Instead, she glanced at Zhang Renbai, who was standing by the window not far away. The corners of his eyes were slightly raised, mixed with a hint of nonchalance, and a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Lu Lan sat down sideways, his movements calm yet deliberate. With a gentle push of his broad shoulders, he completely shielded Wei Jinyun, who was working on an abacus beside him, leaving Zhang Renbai with only a dark silhouette.
The rice cakes on the small clay stove were roasted by the charcoal fire, and a cloud of black smoke rose.
Wei Jinyun actually caught a glimpse of Lu Lan helping him tidy up the counter out of the corner of her eye. Even though there was a lot of noise in the shop from time to time, she could clearly hear the sound of him slowly and methodically putting things into the bamboo storage basket while sitting next to her.
"Is the Shui Jiao Gang very vicious?"
"Well, they've been entrenched in the canal for years."
Lu Lan picked up the menu Wei Fuqiu had drawn for Gu Xiang and admired it for a while. "Fortunately, we raided together with several inspectors from other counties this time and caught them by surprise. No one was killed, and the injuries were not serious..."
He looked at her sideways and said softly, "Don't worry, the pirates won't be this aggressive in the next few years."
Wei Jinyun said "Oh" and turned his face to the inside, "Then Lord Lu is not injured."
"A little bit."
"Where?"
Wei Jinyun turned his face back.
Lu Lan met her eyes and gently tapped his chest.
Wei Jinyun's gaze followed him down, and saw that his dark-colored clothes were tightly clung to his chest, outlining his smooth figure, with every inch of it taut and tight.
With a whoosh, she turned her face inward again.
She picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, tapping her abacus. "Then, then Lord Lu, please take care of yourself."
"I will."
Lu Lan held her chin with her hand, and her knuckles slowly swept across the edge of the tea bowl, again and again.
She sat beside him, her eyes downcast, her lashes casting a faint shadow. Her fingers slid across the beads, making a soft sound as they rose and fell. When faced with a complex account, her brows would furrow slightly, her hand hovering over the beads for a moment before dropping.
The noise in the lobby seemed to be filtered out, leaving only the soft sound of beads colliding on the counter. The fragrance of taro paste slowly blended with the rich sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance wafting in from the window.
It seems like I put too much sugar in today’s taro and egg yolk pastry.
Until two tables of customers left the shop, Gu Xiang wiped the tables until they were shiny, but Lu Lan did not get up to move her seat.
"You can rest here."
Zhao Xiangping carried the medicine bag and half-supported and half-helped someone in.
Zhan Ziming had a circle of white gauze wrapped around his forehead, with a hint of light red on it. His left hand was hanging in front of his chest, and bruises and scratches on his arm could be seen where his sleeves were rolled up. There was even a blue mark at the corner of his mouth, and he looked very miserable.
Lu Lantang was waiting for her dice roll when she called out, "Lawyer Zhan? What happened to you? How did you get hurt like this?"
She knew Zhan Ziming.
Zhan Ziming had studied at the provincial school, but after hearing that his family had been harmed by pirates while out on business, he dropped out. Her father-in-law had praised him for his diligence, calling him a rare talent, and even now he would often say, "Ziming was the best student I've ever taught. What a pity!"
Unfortunately, he became a lawyer. Although he was a good lawyer and could make a lot of money, he was still not very popular.
After all, there are too many bad lawsuits, and people are always left with the impression that they are two-faced and take money from others to help them get rid of disasters. This business has a bad reputation.
Zhan Ziming took a sip of hot tea and was about to speak when Zhao Xiangping interrupted him, her tone still tinged with anger. "Ah, to vent my anger! Zhen Yong, the younger brother of Zhen Meiyou from Meiyou Chicken Farm, used to send chickens to my shop with ill intentions. Now that his sister has ordered him to stop, he's holding a grudge."
She placed the medicine package the doctor had prescribed on the table and said angrily, "That guy got so angry that he started spreading rumors about me, saying how could a woman without a husband like me have such a prosperous business? He even urged people to try it and see for themselves. It was all just vulgar and obscene talk. Lately, some customers have been trying to tease him with these things, and when Lawyer Zhan heard this, he wanted to question them, but they said it was Zhen Yong who started it. So he went to settle the score with Zhen Yong, and a fight ensued."
When she finished speaking, Zhao Xiangping subconsciously glanced at Zhan Ziming, but he lowered his eyes and did not respond.
If Zhen Meiyu hadn't asked someone to inform her, she really wouldn't have known that Zhan Ziming, a good scholar, had ended up like this.
Zhan Ziming was indignant after hearing the news from the guests, so he rushed to Meiyou Chicken Farm early in the morning. It happened that Zhen Meiyou went to deliver chickens to the guests. In the chicken farm, apart from two helpers working, there was Zhen Yong lying down and drinking.
When Zhan Ziming walked forward with clenched fists, Zhen Yong was still leaning on a bamboo chair in the chicken farm picking his teeth. When he saw him coming, he didn't even raise his eyelids.
"Zhen Yong, you're spreading rumors about Sister Xiang Ping everywhere. How shameless!"
Zhen Yong scoffed and threw the bamboo stick to the ground. "What's the rush, Mr. Zhan? I'm not making this up. Everyone in Pingjiang knows that you wrote the divorce papers for her and sent Li Dadan to jail for five years. What are you up to? Everyone else knows it. Don't wait for me to make it clear. It's not good."
"You're talking nonsense! Sister Xiangping and I are innocent!"
"Innocent? All men in the world think the same. You're just a lawyer, not writing a story that a scholar has taken a fancy to. Why do you always go to her shop? It's because Zhao Xiangping is so pretty. Don't play tricks on me."
Zhan Ziming was already furious, and Zhen Yong's words just added fuel to the fire. He couldn't hold it in any longer and punched Zhen Yong in the face.
Zhen Yong yelled in pain and rushed over, the two men grappling. The bamboo chair was knocked over, and chicken feathers flew everywhere in Meiyou Chicken Farm. In the end, two helpers pulled the two men apart.
Zhao Xiangping looked down at him and sighed again, "Don't do this again. If you like to eat pickled duck, just come to my shop often. People with big mouths can't be stopped, so there's no need to argue with them. I...I don't care."
She glanced at the gauze wrapped around his arm and frowned slightly, "Look at how badly you're injured. I can't believe it's hurting me either."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhan Ziming's eyes suddenly lit up and he raised his eyes, "Will you feel bad?"
Before Zhao Xiangping could answer, he quickly added, "It doesn't matter. Zhen Yong was hurt worse than me. I'm venting my anger for you."
Zhao Xiangping turned away, avoiding his gaze. "I still have Brother Meng to look after, and the business in the shop is busy enough. You are already a scholar, and your future is also very important. I am very grateful to you, Attorney Zhan."
Zhan Ziming lowered his head, peeled an orange, and said nothing more.
"Okay, you rest here for a while and have some snacks. I still have things to do in the shop."
"Sister Xiangping."
Zhan Ziming handed her the peeled orange and said, "Here you go."
Zhao Xiangping paused, and when she turned back, the hardness in her eyes softened a little. She took the orange from him and said softly, "I'll come see you when I'm done."
Zhan Ziming nodded vigorously, even his previous loss disappeared, and he just stared at her back until the wind chimes at the door shook again, his eyes still not moving away.
Actually, he didn't feel that much pain.
If anyone talks nonsense again, he will help her teach those people a lesson again, but she will have to learn a few tricks from her brother when he comes back.
While Gu Xiang was serving snacks to Zhan Ziming, he also placed two pieces on a plate for Wei Jinyun. She was feeling hungry, so she took a bite, and the afternoon passed in a pleasant and comfortable manner.
Not long after, the wind chimes at the door rang again, and two figures came in hunched over.
Zhan Wenxing's left hand was also wrapped in white gauze, and Jing Liulang was also holding a basket in his hand.
They hadn't changed into their official uniforms, and when they saw Lu Lan, they shouted, "Sir, we finally found you!"
Lu Lan held his forehead and frowned.
The two sets of official uniforms and the voice he shouted during daily training attracted all eyes.
"Lord Lu!"
"Didn't you say you'd return to Changmen this evening? I'm so happy to see you now!"
"Go forward and see if it's Lord Lu."
"I don't dare."
Jing Liulang moved the basket in his hand to Wei Jinyun. The smell made Yuanbao, who was circling around their feet, meow.
A basket of super-large crabs, with big bodies and firm claws, each one is fresh and alive, spitting out small bubbles from time to time.
"Hold it for me."
Jing Liulang gestured to Gu Xiang who was standing beside him, "This is a gift from Lord Lu to Miss Wei."
Wei Jinyun bit into the egg yolk and taro pastry and let out an "ah".
"This is what our Lord Lu fished on the way back to Changmen..."
Jing Liulang saw the look Lu Lan was giving him and quickly gave a wry laugh, "I just bought it casually."
He didn't understand why the warship was moving, yet crabs were being caught one by one. What kind of crab could be so willing to be caught by the warship?
"It's inconvenient to carry two baskets."
Lu Lan coughed lightly and looked around at the scenery.
"Master, have you changed into new clothes? When will you teach me more martial arts so that I can learn how to be faster than a warship..."
As Zhan Wenxing was speaking, he felt the gaze coming towards him, and then he laughed out loud, "The sun is so warm today, let's have some tea."
Their warships are currently docked at Changmen Wharf.
Even if the ship arrived, the people would be gone.
“The crab is really big.”
Wei Jinyun bit the snack and glanced at the basket.
"Mmm, the crab is really big."
"The crab is so big."
Wei Fuling and Wei Fuqiu tilted their heads and spoke in unison from a distance.
It doesn't matter whether the crab is big or not.
Wei Jinyun also looked around at the scenery for a while before muttering, "Thank you, Lord Lu."
Yuanbao circled around her heels, with his tail raised high, and meowed at the crab.
Lu Lan chuckled, "You don't have to call me Lord Lu. My name is Lu Lan, and my courtesy name is Changce."
"Uh-huh... My name is Wei Jinyun."
What is she talking about.
Yuanbao, stop beating around the bush, you're making her talk nonsense!
Wei Jinyun swallowed the last piece of dessert, snatched the basket from Gu Xiang, ran to the backyard to find his grandmother who was turning over the silk cotton, and changed the pots and added water for them.
It seems like she put too much sugar in today’s taro and egg yolk pastry.
Zhan Wenxing wanted to find a seat, but after taking two steps, he saw Zhan Ziming, who was more seriously injured than him, staring at his left hand motionlessly.
He rushed to the table first and asked in surprise, "Brother, what's that wrapped around your head and arms? Could it be that you lost a lawsuit you wrote for someone and are being retaliated against?"
Could it be that these two brothers have met with bad luck, as they will both suffer a bloody disaster this month?
Zhan Ziming glanced at him with a hint of arrogance, "When has your brother ever lost a lawsuit for someone, or when has anyone come looking for revenge? Have you ever seen that?"
"Yes."
Zhan Wenxing sat down in front of him and said proudly, "Those people always come to our door. I swung my knife and showed the sign of the Inspection Office. Since then, no one dares to come."
After saying this, Zhan Ziming curled his lips.
In the past, he always felt that the neighbors treated him warmly and kindly. Even those who insisted that he "revive a dead case" suddenly stopped looking for him after pestering him several times. He thought it was because of his good reputation, but it turned out that they were afraid of his younger brother!
He picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, his eyes still fixed on his left hand. "Is your hand seriously injured? Can you hold anything?"
"It's okay, it's okay."
Zhan Wenxing's eyes lit up, but they were red. "I have no choice but to take the blame for my brothers. Brother, we've wiped out the Shui Jiao Gang. That's great."
Zhan Ziming's eyes also turned red, and he breathed a sigh of relief, "Good brother...Okay, after we finish eating, we will go to Baoen Temple, burn incense for our parents, and tell them."
"Um."
Zhan Wenxing nodded, and then went back to the original topic, asking, "Then who hit you, brother? Who dared to hit you? I'll beat him up, but it can't be that you fell down yourself... It seems that when we burn incense for our parents, we should also burn one for ourselves."
When Zhan Wenxing walked in, Lu Lingxiang saw him.
She left the long table and quickly came to him. "Adjutant Zhan, what's wrong with your hand? Does it hurt? I have a lot of wound medicine stored at home. I'll take you to apply it."
Zhan Wenxing immediately retracted his left hand behind his back as if burned, and stuttered as he spoke, "No, it doesn't hurt! Lu, Miss Lu, what a coincidence that you are here too."
"How can it not hurt to block a knife for someone else?"
Lu Lingxiang didn't believe it at all. She reached out and grabbed the leather belt around his waist and tried to pull him away.
Zhan Ziming, who was standing by, stared at the leather belt being pulled, his eyes wide open. Suddenly, he laughed out loud, "Oh, is this the fairy-like Miss Lu you talk about every day?"
"elder brother."
Zhan Wenxing was already fully cooked, and he quickly waved his hands to deny it, "No, that's not happening!"
Zhan Ziming stopped teasing him and just looked at Lu Lingxiang. He only knew that the Miss Lu his brother was talking about was Lord Lu's sister, but he had never seen her.
Now seeing her in a light blue outfit, she is indeed as heroic and dashing as her brother described.
He was thinking about it when he suddenly added, "Brother, do you want me to buy you some arrow feathers later and sharpen them at home?"
Those smooth arrow feathers at home were originally prepared by Zhan Wenxing to be secretly given to Lu Lingxiang, as she was about to celebrate her sixteenth birthday.
Damn brother! You're so talkative!
Lu Lingxiang didn't care. Instead, she pulled his left hand forward from behind his back and said, "Don't rub your hand right now. Let's heal it first."
Zhan Wenxing muttered softly, "But I haven't eaten my snack yet..."
"I have some at home, and Aunt Ying's snacks are delicious too. I'll take you to try them."
Lu Lingxiang said, glancing at Lu Lan as she passed the door, "Second brother, where are your medicines?"
Lu Lan was watching the excitement and raised an eyebrow helplessly when she heard this. "Xiangxiang, your second brother is also injured."
"What does it have to do with me?"
Lu Lingxiang curled her lips and rolled her eyes, "Can't you eat, drink, stand, sit here all afternoon, and even catch crabs to give away?"
Jing Liulang's shoulders trembled beside a small table not far away, and he let out a muffled laugh.
Lu Lan frowned, "In the cabinet in the lobby, on the top shelf."
The wind chimes at the door rang again and again, and even a wave of students came to replace Xun Guqi. Wei Jinyun finally came out from the backyard.
She first pulled up the door curtain and showed her head, then looked around and walked out with a swagger.
"Miss Wei."
Lu Lan suddenly appeared behind the screen.
He was standing under the message board, reading the messages. Two messages had some dried flowers on them, making them particularly eye-catching.
The note looks familiar, she must be his good sister.
Wei Jinyun was stunned for a moment, then said "hmm" and sat down at the counter.
How come he appears and disappears like a ghost, just like Yuanbao?
Lu Lan didn't say anything more. She picked another small table and sat by the window, facing Zhang Renbai.
Gu Xiang brought the snack plate on the counter back to Lu Lan and added some new tea to the small clay stove. "This is Sanqi tea. Shopkeeper Wei prepared it for you. It promotes blood circulation and dissolves blood stasis."
"Is it unique to me, or does everyone else have it?"
"Shopkeeper Wei just made a pot."
Lu Lan, smile.
"Mr. Zhang, your rice cakes have turned black. I'll give you two new ones."
Gu Xiang finished refilling Lu Lan's tea and quickly grabbed the tea with a pair of tongs as he passed by Zhang Renbai. If he didn't grab it, it would burn their net.
"don't want!"
After half an hour passed, a new guest came in. She was a woman in her fifties.
Chen Wan was dressed in a dark green silk gown with a safety buckle tied around her waist. She walked with a steady stride, exuding a sense of dignity and nobility. Her hair was neatly combed into a bun, with a red gold hairpin inserted in it, and her eyes were still clear.
She was accompanied by a young woman, about seventeen or eighteen, wearing a pale blue silk dress and a pearl hairpin in her bun. She was beautiful, with eyes like autumn water and a graceful and gentle appearance. She walked beside the woman, her steps also light and gentle.
Gu Xiang quickly stepped forward and said, "Aunt, what kind of snacks would you like? We have both sweet and savory options."
Shen Wan waved her hand and glanced around the entire lobby. "I'm not here for snacks today. I'm here to look for someone."
"Brother Tang, Brother Tang?"
Zhu Zhishan waved his hand in front of Tang Yin's face. "It's your turn now. What are you looking at so intently?"
Tang Yin held the folding fan in his hand, his energy for chess gone. His eyes were fixed on the counter. After a long pause, he spoke, "Whose family is she from?"
He thought that he was so lucky today that he didn't need to go to Bao'en Temple to burn incense.
Zhou Zhuqing yawned, "Want to know?"
"Let me think about it." Tang Yin nodded vigorously.
"Exchange a piece of flower paper with me."
"Change it up!"
Zhou Zhuqing picked up a piece of flowery paper with satisfaction and explained, "This is the granddaughter of the owner of Chen's Cloth Shop in the northwest corner of the city. Her name is..."
"What's it called?"
"Change to another piece of flowery paper."
"Take it, take it!"
"It's called agarwood incense."
Tang Yin knew her name and came to his senses. He looked at the flowery paper in his hand and almost shouted, "Where's my ticket? What do I need so many Wu embroidered handkerchiefs for!"
Wei Jinyun hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying in a gentle tone, "Who are you looking for? If it's a regular customer, perhaps I can help keep an eye out for him."
Shen Wan frowned and thought for a moment, as if she couldn't remember clearly. She turned to her granddaughter and said, "Take out the silk ribbon and have a look."
Chen Chuxiang responded by taking out a piece of silk ribbon and handing it to Chen Wan.
Wei Jinyun leaned forward to take a look. The ribbons were the ones used to tie bamboo baskets when selling moon cakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival. They thought since it was a gift basket, they tied different colored silks on it to make it look more beautiful.
Shen Wan took a step forward with the silk ribbon, her eyes falling on Wei Jinyun, "Did you embroider the embroidery on this silk ribbon?"
Wei Jinyun quickly shook her head, lightly touched the stitching of the silk ribbon with her fingertips, and said with a smile, "You are joking, sir. My embroidery is not that delicate."
There is a little rabbit embroidered on it, with fluffy fur, erect ears, and bright black eyes, which looks vivid and lifelike.
This little rabbit is on each of their moon-shaped baskets.
Wei Jinyun raised her voice and shouted towards the backyard, "Grandma! Someone's looking for you!"
My grandmother is only fifty-eight years old, which is the right age for her to make a living.
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Author's words: Jinyun: The crab is really big [glasses]
Lord Lu: She is so nice to me, and the tea is so delicious. Is it just for me? [Pitiful]
Yuanbao: They are two little loaches! [Rainbow fart]
(I haven't said anything for a long time, I want a pot of nutrient solution to make tea [cat head]
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