After receiving her prize, Gu Nanjiao planned to visit the county town to see if there were any good shops or streets available, hoping to expand her business there. After all, Luozhuang Town was too small, with low foot traffic and limited room for development.
However, it was almost noon and they were getting a little hungry, so the three of them found a wonton stall and each ordered a bowl of wontons to eat.
Lin Ji, holding a bowl of wontons, sat down right in front of Gu Nanjiao. Her eyes were full of amazement as she looked at Gu Nanjiao: "Truly worthy of being the daughter of Scholar Gu, her talent is truly exceptional."
"No, no."
Lu Yanzhao frowned, feeling that Lin Ji was truly oblivious to social cues. With his legitimate husband present, how could he possibly sit opposite Gu Nanjiao?
"I never expected that such a young woman could write such good poems." Lin Ji was particularly curious about Gu Nanjiao. He had always thought she was a shameless, infatuated girl, but he never expected that she would have such a high level of expertise in poetry.
"Oh, Mr. Lin, you flatter me. I am truly unworthy of such praise." Gu Nanjiao accepted Lin Ji's compliment without batting an eye.
Lin Ji kept talking to Gu Nanjiao, which made Lu Yanzhao's brows furrow deeper and deeper.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he said, "Brother Lin Ji, one should not speak while eating."
Lin Ji glanced at Lu Yanzhao, knowing that the guy was probably jealous because he saw Lin Ji talking to his wife. Didn't he say he didn't like her? Can't he even say a few words? But Lin Ji wisely kept quiet.
Noticing that Lu Yanzhao's expression was rather unpleasant, Gu Nanjiao wondered if he was unhappy about not getting first place.
"Are you unhappy?"
Lu Yanzhao's mood eased slightly upon hearing this, but he said irritably, "It's good that you know."
Gu Nanjiao scoffed, "A grown man like you is so petty. It's just first place. Even if I didn't get it, there's still second place. It's not your turn."
Lu Yanzhao was instantly amused and said, "You think it's because of that?"
"Otherwise what?" Gu Nanjiao tilted her head and thought for a moment. Apart from the fact that he didn't get first place, she really couldn't think of any other reason why Lu Yanzhao was inexplicably angry.
"Yes, that's why."
Lu Yanzhao got up, paid for the wontons, and strode away.
Gu Nanjiao and Lin Ji were left looking at each other, then hurriedly rummaged around for a bit before following suit.
Watching Lu Yanzhao's rapidly departing figure, Gu Nanjiao slowed down to keep pace with Lin Ji and whispered:
“Young Master Lin, tell me, Lu Yanzhao is really petty. What’s the difference between me getting first place and him getting first place? We’re all family, why is he so angry?”
Lin Ji was taken aback and frowned: "Impossible, Brother Yanzhao never cares about these empty titles."
"Then why are you saying he's unhappy for no reason?"
"Brother Yanzhao's thoughts are hard to guess; I can't fathom them."
Hearing the two whispering to each other again, Lu Yanzhao could no longer bear it. He strode up to Lin Ji, pulled them apart, and separated Gu Nanjiao and Lin Ji on the left and right.
He then tightly gripped Gu Nanjiao's waist and strode forward, leaving Lin Ji far behind.
Gu Nanjiao's short legs couldn't keep up with Lu Yanzhao's long legs, and she was panting heavily: "Let go of me, you walk so fast, it's tiring for me to keep up."
Upon hearing Gu Nanjiao's reply, Lu Yanzhao slowed his pace, but his words were tinged with resentment: "Gu Nanjiao, you are a married woman. How many times have I warned you to keep your distance from other men?"
“I’ve always kept my distance. Even if we’re just husband and wife in name only, I’ve never been in close contact with any other man. What are you jealous about?”
As soon as Gu Nanjiao finished speaking, Lu Yanzhao became hysterical as if his thoughts had been exposed: "Who's jealous? Me, jealous? What a joke! You're too self-righteous. I'll be jealous of you."
Gu Nanjiao...
Why would such a handsome man say such hurtful things?
If you don't have it, you don't have it. Why are you talking so loudly? It's like you're afraid others won't hear you.
Gu Nanjiao patted her chest, feeling a tightness in her chest. She had important business to attend to today and couldn't afford to get upset over such trivial matters.
After calming herself down, Gu Nanjiao said calmly, "I'll see if there are any good locations nearby. Lin Ji, you two can take your time looking around."
After saying that, Gu Nanjiao ignored Lu Yanzhao and walked away.
The county town is really big, several times larger than Luozhen. There are more than a dozen restaurants on one street alone, and clothing shops lined up one after another. It's quite prosperous. It seems I need to discuss with Lü Siniang when I get back that opening a shop in the county town would definitely make me a fortune.
As they walked, they came to a pharmacy also named Bai Ji Pharmacy. Could this be one of Bai Luochen's branches?
As soon as she entered, the pharmacy owner greeted her warmly: "Madam, are you here for a medical consultation or to pick up some medicine?"
Gu Nanjiao glanced around and smiled, "Do you have any beauty supplements for women here?"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face lit up with a smile: "We do have the beauty product you mentioned, Imperial Kudzu Root Powder, but it's currently out of stock and will take some time to arrive."
Gu Nanjiao nodded upon hearing this. It seemed that this must be one of Bai Luochen's branch offices; he was quite quick to send out the news.
"Then I'll come and take a look when your goods arrive."
After leaving Bai's Pharmacy, Gu Nanjiao wandered around the city. She happened to see Lu Yanzhao looking at her with a gloomy expression at an intersection, followed by Lin Ji, who was panting heavily.
"Where have you been?" Lu Yanzhao asked as soon as he arrived.
"I've just been wandering around this area, what's wrong? Why are you looking for me?" Gu Nanjiao asked irritably.
Lin Ji, standing to the side, wiped the sweat from his brow and panted heavily: "Yan Zhao has been looking for you for ages. Where did you go? We've been searching for you everywhere. How could you, a woman, be so bold as to show your face in public all by yourself?"
Gu Nanjiao looked at Lu Yanzhao beside her: "Didn't I tell you I was going to look around for a good location? Where did you go to find me?"
Lu Yanzhao didn't say anything, just stared at Gu Nanjiao, making her feel uneasy.
"You're not allowed to run around anymore."
Lu Yanzhao's panicked heart gradually calmed down. Heaven knows what Gu Nanjiao said at the time. He was so absorbed in whether he was jealous that he didn't notice Gu Nanjiao had disappeared. He never knew she was so fast.
Knowing she had never been to the city before and was unfamiliar with the place, he became worried. He and Lin Ji searched everywhere. As darkness fell, they still hadn't found her, and he grew increasingly anxious.
"What's the big deal? I'm a grown man, how could I possibly get lost?"
After this incident, the group arrived at the city gate, only to find that the oxcarts that used to transport people into the city were no longer there. They decided to find an inn nearby.
Gu Nanjiao felt a little guilty. She had been wandering around for too long, and it was getting dark. The oxcart that was supposed to take people into the city must have already left, which delayed everyone from being able to go back.
Thinking of the fifty taels of silver she had received from the poetry gathering, she suggested that they stay at an inn.
After searching around, Lu Yanzhao pointed to a shop called Tongfu Inn: "This one will do."
Upon arriving at the inn, Gu Nanjiao generously called out to the waiter, "Three superior rooms, please."
Lu Yanzhao frowned but remained silent.
"I'm sorry, sir, we only have two rooms left."
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