Street Performers
The next morning, perhaps because he had something on his mind, Lu Yu woke up earlier than usual, but he stayed in bed and didn't want to get up, which was unusual.
Bai Miaoke beside him was still sleeping soundly, with the corners of her lips slightly curved in her sleep. I wonder what sweet dream she was having.
They have lived together in the main house since they moved into this yard. In fact, on the second day Lu Yu suggested moving to the side room.
But this proposal was immediately rejected by Bai Miaoke, on the grounds that she had to take care of Lu Yu's recovery. But she forgot one thing, that is, the way she slept, she should be thankful if she didn't hurt him more seriously.
Fortunately, at Lu Yu's request, the two of them covered themselves with two separate quilts, which not only restrained Lu Yu's distracted mind, but also greatly reduced the possibility of him being accidentally injured by Bai Miaoke.
Lu Yu stared at the sleeping face of the girl for a full half a quarter of an hour before the unaware girl slowly woke up.
In the past two days, Bai Miaoke has gotten used to the fact that Lu Yu has already gotten up when she wakes up. Today is the first time she has seen him lying beside her in the morning.
Bai Miaoke moved her legs back from Lu Yu's body through the quilt, smiled at him sheepishly, and saw ripples in the man's calm eyes.
"What time is it?" Bai Miaoke's voice was soft and sweet, as if she had just woken up.
"The end of the Chen hour." Lu Yu replied.
"It's so late!" Bai Miaoke sat up and complained, "Why didn't you call me?"
The quilt in front of her also slipped down because of her movements, revealing the girl's slightly messy goose yellow pajamas, and a section of mauve rope that was exposed after being rubbed by her.
Then she lifted the quilt and prepared to get out of bed over Lu Yu who was sleeping on the outside, but the moment she turned over, she met the man's dark eyes.
This posture, this distance, this atmosphere, are perfect for a kiss. Bai Miaoke was about to lean closer as she thought of this, but suddenly stopped when the distance was only a finger's length away.
Because she suddenly remembered that they had just gotten up and hadn't washed yet, wouldn't that be a bit unhygienic...
So she turned a corner, slapped the man on the cheek, and without waiting for anyone to react, she got out of bed and changed her clothes.
The man on the bed, who was particularly thoughtful, touched the cheek that seemed to still be warm, and silently wondered why she changed her position to kiss him. Did she dislike him?
At Bai Miaoke's urging, the two quickly finished their breakfast, took the things they had prepared yesterday, and set off with Xiaoyu and Xiaofeng.
It was already 9:00 p.m. when the few of them walked onto the street, and there were already quite a few people setting up stalls and hawking their wares.
She chose a location near the intersection, placed the stool she brought from home under a tree, and put a small table on it. Bai Miaoke then took out the big words she had written yesterday from her bag: Scholar Painting.
With this simple signboard stuck on the side with a wooden stick, the stall was considered open for business.
However, it was difficult to attract the attention of the people coming and going, so Bai Miaoke arranged Xiaoyu and Xiaofeng to attract customers, and she acted as Lu Yu's first customer.
Let Lu Yu draw a picture of herself first to attract the crowd's attention. She walked to the opposite end of the bridge, stood still, and looked out from the railing.
Since he had already promised Bai Miaoke, even if he felt a little uncomfortable, Lu Yu would do what he said and try his best to cooperate with her arrangements.
He picked up the pen and started writing, concentrating his mind and calming his spirit. Soon, Bai Miaoke was the only person left in his eyes, and a graceful girl slowly appeared on the paper.
By the time he began to carefully outline the girl's eyebrows and eyes, a group of people had already gathered around him. Some had heard of the reputation of this scholar's son-in-law, some were attracted by the shouts of Xiaoyu and Xiaofeng, and more stopped to see Bai Miaoke on the bridge.
After putting down the last stroke, Lu Yu was about to admire his painting when he was interrupted by a voice beside him.
"Sir, you paint really well. How much would you charge for a painting by you?" a woman who was watching the whole process asked.
"We just opened today, and we only charge one or two taels of silver for a pair!" Bai Miaoke had already walked towards this side from the bridge head. Her steps seemed to be brisk, but she came up in a few steps and answered the question.
One tael of silver was not a small sum for ordinary people. The woman was hesitating when another young man who was watching spoke up: "Sure! Draw one for me!"
Bai Miaoke looked at the man. He was wearing a gorgeous brocade dress. It was obvious that he was a wealthy man. She smiled and said, "Of course, sir, do you want an ordinary painting or a customized one?"
The man was stunned and asked, "What is a fine product?" Not to mention him, even Lu Yu who was sitting next to him looked at Bai Miaoke curiously.
The girl cleared her throat and raised her voice so that the people watching could hear her: "The one tael of silver I just mentioned is the price of an ordinary painting, which is a painting of you sitting here."
"Customized products are designed according to your requirements. The facial features, clothing, background environment, posture and movements are all up to you!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the onlookers immediately began to talk about it.
Bai Miaoke continued, "However! This custom-made masterpiece is naturally not that easy to draw. The price will also be determined according to your requirements. It is absolutely fair to everyone!"
The young man waved the folding fan in his hand and said, "This is quite interesting. I want to order one for you!"
"Then draw me wearing the golden and jade hair salon, standing elegantly at the bow of the ship, surrounded by mountains!"
"Oh, by the way, I've eaten too much in the past two days, so remember to make me thinner." The young man tightened his stomach and added.
Lu Yu sighed imperceptibly, thinking that Bai Miaoke's idea was really embarrassing him. Then he saw the girl take the initiative to grind ink for him and took the opportunity to whisper in his ear: "Good husband~"
"Okay." Lu Yu felt that he was ready again. He asked the man to stand a few steps away and began to paint hard, thinking about the man's request while painting.
As I was painting, more and more people gathered around me, almost blocking the road.
Although Lu Yu had a blank expression on his face throughout, he thought in his heart that Bai Miaoke's move was really brilliant.
Putting aside the idea of making money, his previous worry about being found by the people chasing them was no longer necessary, because no one would have thought that they would set up a stall so ostentatiously in the most crowded place on the street.
It still took a little more than a quarter of an hour to complete a picture of a boat moored among mountains. The man in the painting had the same expression as the person standing not far away, but he was more elegant and handsome.
The man came over eagerly to see the painting. He was very satisfied with it and praised it highly: "It's so well drawn! This is exactly the mood I wanted!"
Passersby who watched Lu Yu painting also praised him: "You are indeed a talented scholar, your painting is so good."
Someone also said something like "He is so handsome", which was echoed by a group of young ladies.
Seeing the lively discussion among the crowd, Lu Yu's lips gradually became a straight line. Bai Miaoke, who was becoming more and more familiar with him, knew that he was a little unhappy.
"Are you satisfied, sir?" she asked the man with a fake smile.
"Satisfied, satisfied. How much?" The man said as he took out the purse from his waist.
Seeing his lavish appearance, Bai Miaoke narrowed her eyes and said with a smile, "Sir, you are even more elegant than in the painting, and you are our first customer after opening. Since we are so lucky to meet you, I will only charge you ten taels of silver."
Ten taels of silver were enough for many common people's family expenses for a year, but it was obviously nothing to this man. He took out a silver ingot from his purse and put it on the table.
Bai Miaoke put the silver in her arms and smiled more sincerely. She reached out to hand the painting on the table to the man, but a pair of slender hands picked up the painting before her.
Then Bai Miaoke saw the honorable Prime Minister personally handing the painting to that person.
Even a prime minister in trouble has to bow down for ten taels of silver, Bai Miaoke sighed in her heart.
But her mind soon changed.
Later, several young men and women came to ask for paintings. Bai Miaoke was surprised to find that if it was a man, Lu Yu would hand him the painting personally, but if it was a woman, Lu Yu would not even look at it after the painting was finished, and let Bai Miaoke take the painting and hand it over.
Tsk, so it was to avoid suspicion.
Bai Miaoke shook her head, wondering why he was sometimes open-minded and sometimes so old-fashioned.
After a busy morning, the four of them closed the stall and went to eat.
Bai Miaoke originally wanted to go to the same restaurant as last time and chat with Yun Niang at the same time, but Lu Yu rarely rejected her proposal.
After all, the one who worked the hardest this morning was her scholar-son-in-law, so Bai Miaoke naturally listened to him and went to a small restaurant run by an old couple.
The restaurant was simple but visibly clean. The elderly couple, who were over fifty years old, entertained them warmly. While waiting for the dishes, Bai Miaoke chatted with them.
"Grandma, how long have you opened this store?"
"Old man, you've been running this shop for more than 30 years, right?" The white-haired old lady turned around and asked the old man who was busy in the kitchen.
"You old woman! Have you forgotten how many years we have been married?" The old man's voice from the kitchen drifted over along with the smell of food.
Bai Miaoke then noticed that there was a medium-sized window between the kitchen in the restaurant and the customer tables outside. It was separated by a curtain, but the sounds inside and outside could be heard clearly.
It was the first time she had seen a kitchen with a window like this, so she asked curiously, "Why is there a small window here?"
The old lady smiled, revealing two missing teeth, and said, "It's that old man inside. He can't rest assured if he can't hear my voice, and he doesn't let me have peace while I work."
A burst of laughter came from the kitchen at the back, and the sound of stir-frying sounded lighter.
Bai Miaoke also laughed, looking at the old couple who had been in love for many years with some envy, and felt a little emotional in her heart.
She whispered softly, "That's great." If only I could meet someone like this in my life, and we could bicker with each other but still have each other's company, and grow old together, how wonderful it would be. Of course, the second half of the sentence was her unspoken wish.
Thinking of this, she looked up and met Lu Yu's burning gaze. He had been silent just now, so Bai Miaoke realized that he had been looking at her like this for a long time.
In those eyes, she had seen vigilance, indifference, and cruelty; she had also seen heartache, fear, and worry.
But this time, she saw love in it, as if it was a whirlpool that swallowed her up and made it difficult for her to escape.
Bai Miaoke was a little scared and dodged unconsciously. Ever since she risked her life to save Lu Yu, and the two of them came to this small town, Bai Miaoke had been avoiding the confusing questions along the way, and now they seemed to be gradually becoming clear.
So the next second after she looked away, she bravely looked at Lu Yu again, with a little more determination and expectation in her eyes. Perhaps the road is long, and she will not feel lonely if she has someone to walk with her.
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