“I know a lot of things. Which part would you like to hear? How about the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra? That sutra is specifically about the underworld. Would you like to hear it?” Hui Shuo asked eagerly.
Wang Yao's heart stirred, and he was about to ask him to read a passage when there was a knock on the door. It was the innkeeper's wife who brought a girl over.
"This is Fang Xia. She happened to be off today, so she came over as soon as she received the call. You can talk to her about anything you need," the proprietress said.
Wang Yao noticed that Fang Xia didn't look old at first glance, not like someone in their thirties. She was dressed quite carefully, with her hair loose over her shoulders, giving her a gentle and charming appearance.
Wang Yao invited the two to sit in the room. Fang Xia first looked at Hui Shuo in surprise, then sat on the sofa with the landlady and listened to Wang Yao explain the situation.
"Where is your relative? Is he from Ziqiang County?" Fang Xia asked.
“My relative’s name is Mo Luopo. He sells fish at the nearby market and is from Ziqiang County,” Wang Yao confirmed.
“Molupo? Is it in the Xiangyang Road market? We usually go to the Xiangyang Road market, right? They sell fish there? Maybe we even remember it.” The innkeeper’s wife interjected with a frown, and Fang Xia nodded in agreement.
Wang Yao then gave a general description of Molupo's appearance. The innkeeper and Fang Xia frowned and thought for a long time, but they couldn't recall having such a man in the market at all.
"Impossible! Could it be that you just arrived? I especially love eating fish, and I go to the Xiangyang Road market to buy fish at least three or four days a week. I've never seen this person you're talking about before." The innkeeper couldn't recall, and Fang Xia also frowned and shook her head.
"Whether this person exists or not, we'll find out by going to the market. Since Fang... has some free time today, shall we go and take a look?" Wang Yao suggested.
“Great! I’ll go buy some groceries too.” The innkeeper was even more enthusiastic than Fang Xia. Fang Xia didn’t mind. The four of them left the room and went downstairs.
The innkeeper was shouting on the first floor, and she called out a man who kept rubbing his eyes. She told him to watch the inn for her, and then gave him a series of instructions, such as which room's bedding needed to be changed, which room's guests were staying and needed to pay extra room fees, and so on.
She gave very detailed instructions there, even specifying the pattern of the changed bedding, where it was placed, which guest had stayed for how many days, how much they had paid, and what they looked like. She also told them where the water had been boiled and where the floor needed cleaning, leaving no detail unattended.
It was as if the man was mentally challenged; she had to repeatedly remind him to pour hot water slowly and be careful not to burn himself. The man just hummed and hawed, clearly he couldn't remember everything the proprietress had said, and simply nodded to send her away.
"...Why are you wearing this? Didn't I get your jacket out for you yesterday? It's getting chilly now, you'll catch a cold wearing this..."
When Wang Yao heard the landlady say this, he really thought that the man was the landlady's child who hadn't grown up yet. However, the man looked to be about the same age as the landlady, and they didn't seem to look alike. He became very impatient.
However, this person was particularly proactive about his affairs, as if it wasn't quite right for the two of them and Fang Xia to go over without waiting for her. The three of them could only stand outside the inn and wait for the landlady and the man who seemed to be her son to finish their business and come out.
"I heard from Sister Lan that you're from Huadu?" Fang Xia asked.
"Yes. You...have been to Huadu?" Wang Yao asked.
"I didn't..." Fang Xia shook her head. The two exchanged a few casual words before the proprietress came out, turning back to give her some more instructions as she walked away.
"Remember to turn off the power after the water boils, otherwise the kettle will burn out again..."
"Madam, who is this...?" Wang Yao gestured towards the inn's interior to the landlady.
"My man, what's wrong?" The proprietress looked at Wang Yao in confusion.
"Uh... I thought it was your son..." Wang Yao said with a smile, and Fang Xia also burst out laughing.
"That's what everyone says, that I treat my husband like a son." The proprietress wasn't angry; on the contrary, she seemed quite proud. "You don't know, but Fang Xia knows. My man only knows how to read books all day. He doesn't know anything about life. He wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle."
"Brother Tong is a high school teacher at the No. 1 High School in our county, a special-grade teacher," Fang Xia introduced to Wang Yao.
"Oh, isn't that almost at the level of a professor? I know quite a few professors from Huadu Changsheng University," Wang Yao said with a smile.
"Really? Every year, several students in Tongwei's class get into Changsheng University. Whenever Tongwei teaches the first year of high school, parents of freshmen all pull strings to get their kids into Tongwei's class. It's so annoying!" The proprietress boasted with some pride.
The group chatted and laughed as they turned the corner at the crossroads; the Xiangyang Road vegetable market wasn't far away.
“I’ve had a bit of a falling out with this relative of mine, so let’s all stay back and observe from a distance. I’m afraid he’ll get angry if we get too close,” Wang Yao said to the two women.
“Your relative is wrong too. You asked him to find a partner because you care about him. Why are you getting angry with him?” The proprietress said, while greeting acquaintances. She spoke up for Wang Yao.
"...Yes, I'm here to buy groceries!" Fang Xia greeted a woman buying groceries, then spoke softly to the shopkeeper, "Being single for a long time can make you a bit eccentric."
"Who were you greeting just now? Was it Feng Sihai's wife?" The proprietress didn't pay attention to Fang Xia's words, but instead inquired about the woman Fang Xia had just greeted.
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