Chapter 211 It was just a small favor, no need to thank me (6K votes requested)
Ma Guan's bottom line is still too flexible.
Although he did dislike things that were expensive and unattractive.
But he was able to accept anything that didn't require much money.
It doesn't even matter if she's beautiful or not.
When the word "free" is not associated with "charity" and does not touch his fragile pride as a scholar, Lou Yuxue is already comparable to all the gods and Buddhas in his eyes.
Such a kind, such a beautiful soul.
When Ma Guan first came to this "Yunbian Youjia Wonton Shop", he felt at home.
"Boss lady, two more bowls of wontons, please."
Lou Yuxue smiled and responded, then instructed the waiter beside her to refill his bowl.
Ma Guan glanced at Chen Yi cautiously, a hint of embarrassment on his face.
"Please forgive me, sir. I stayed up all night and forgot to eat, so my appetite was a bit bigger this morning."
"Eat more if you're hungry, it's no problem."
Chen Yi knew that Ma Guan didn't have much money, so he could understand his thoughts to some extent.
It's normal for someone who has no money at home and no money on them to like free things.
Little did they know that some people and things are the most expensive when they don't cost money.
Chen Yi stopped teasing Ma Guan, lest the man be so ashamed he'd want to disappear into the ground.
He turned to meet Lou Yuxue's gaze and said with a smile, "Boss lady, this shop has just opened today, and you're giving away wontons for free. With such skillful management, your business is sure to prosper in the future."
Lou Yuxue looked into those gentle, watery eyes and thought to herself, "This fledgling is different after it has been educated."
Despite the immense suppression he suffered in the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture, he was still largely unwelcome in the Xiao family of Shu Prefecture.
However, he was able to turn his situation around step by step through his own talent, and now he is respected by scholars in Shu Prefecture and even the three prefectures of the Great Wei.
His strong will can be described as unwavering.
Lou Yuxue sighed inwardly, then smiled and said, "I am grateful for Mr. Qingzhou's kind words. I hope this little shop can provide us with enough to eat and wear."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi asked knowingly, "You know me?"
"I overheard your conversation just now and now I know that you are the renowned Mr. Qingzhou of Shu Prefecture."
"I dare not claim such fame; it is but a little bit of recognition."
"Mr. Qingzhou, you are too kind. If an ordinary scholar were in your situation, he would probably be feeling quite arrogant."
Let's chat for a bit.
Chen Yi still didn't understand Lou Yuxue's purpose in taking the initiative to talk to him.
All he did was flatter and fawn, as if Lou Yuxue had only come to say hello.
It wasn't until half past dawn that Lou Yuxue, taking advantage of the moment when two robust women brought over the wontons, smiled and went upstairs to the second floor.
Chen Yi watched her retreating figure thoughtfully, knowing that she was probably going to collect the secret letter from the hidden guards.
However, upon seeing the two robust women in the hall staring at him and Ma Guan, he had no choice but to abandon his plan to follow them and check the contents of the secret letter.
Fortunately, she's an old acquaintance, and there will be plenty of opportunities to dig out information about the hidden guards from her in the future.
Chen Yi thought for a moment, then picked up a wonton and looked at it.
With its thin, translucent skin and generous, juicy filling, it looks much better than regular wontons.
Then he put it in his mouth and tasted it, his gaze unconsciously drifting to Ma Guan. "It tastes very good."
The wontons were delicious and visually appealing; I must say, they were made to a high standard.
Ma Guan was shoveling large mouthfuls of wontons into his mouth.
Once there was a brief opening in his mouth, he managed to reply, "If you like it, sir, could you... add more?"
Chen Yi shook his head, eating his wontons while glancing around the room out of the corner of his eye.
It's strange.
Fifteen hours have passed since he entered the wonton shop, and there are still only him and Ma Guan in the shop.
Business was dismal.
In this situation, other business owners might have already started shouting at the door, trying to lure passersby into their shops to try their products.
However, neither Lou Yuxue nor the waiters seemed to be moved.
Clearly, they weren't very interested in the business of this shop.
Or rather, whether or not they make money is secondary; they only consider this place a temporary stop.
Thinking of this, Chen Yi's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked meaningfully, "Did He Ming bring pen and ink?"
Ma Guan was slightly taken aback, not understanding his intention, and nodded: "The student brought it."
"Okay, do this later..."
Chen Yi whispered a few instructions, then lowered his head to finish his wontons, got up, and carried his bags to Guiyun Academy.
Ma Guan respectfully watched him leave.
After finishing two more bowls of wontons, he didn't rush to leave. Instead, following Chen Yi's instructions, he took out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from his bag.
Then, under the astonished gazes of several waiters, he ground ink, picked up a brush, and, with his rudimentary skill in calligraphy, wrote a piece in the Wei Qing style:
"The best wonton in the world".
Two lines of smaller print followed: "Recommended jointly by Chen Qingzhou and Ma Heming of Guiyun Academy".
As the characters were completed, wisps of pale golden light appeared on the paper.
The faint glimpse of her youthful beauty immediately attracted passersby outside the door.
Especially the students of Guiyun Academy.
They were already curious about the new shop that had opened here, and as they passed by, they naturally noticed the imagery in Ma Guan's calligraphy.
Even though I had no intention of going into the wonton shop before, I came in out of curiosity.
"Brother Heming, what's going on?"
Ma Guan picked up the calligraphy copybook, blew on the ink, and then recounted what Mr. Qingzhou had instructed him to do.
"Wontons are delicious and inexpensive, but business is tough, so we can't just let people give them away for free."
"Therefore, Mr. Qingzhou asked me to leave behind a piece of calligraphy as a token of my feelings."
Everyone understood, and their eyes lingered on the calligraphy scroll, examining it closely.
Without Ma Guan needing to say anything more, they quickly found a place to sit down in twos and threes, and called out to the waiter:
"Give me a bowl of wontons, and try it."
"Give me a bowl too."
"Even Mr. Qingzhou said it was good, so this place must have a unique recipe. Let's give it a try."
"There's still about half an hour before classes start today, no rush..."
Upon seeing this, a robust woman with a sturdy build quickly asked the others to attend to her while she went straight to the second floor.
Ding, ding ding.
Inside the room, Lou Yuxue was translating the contents of a secret letter from a play script when she heard the voice and asked with some displeasure, "What is it?"
"Boss... there's been a problem at the shop."
"What's going on?"
"Many guests have arrived."
Lou Yuxue frowned upon hearing this, listened intently for a moment, and roughly understood the whole story. She couldn't help but mutter to herself that Chen Yi was being nosy.
Just as Chen Yi had guessed, Lou Yuxue opened this "Yunbian Youjia Wonton Shop" only as a temporary place to stay.
Once the "burning of summer grain in three towns" incident in Shu Prefecture has subsided, and once a new elder arrives at Mingyue Tower, she will get back on track.
I never even considered running this wonton shop normally.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have chosen such an outlandish shop name.
But now, because of Chen Yi and Ma Guan's unnecessary actions, the wonton shop has attracted the attention of some students from Guiyun Academy as soon as it opened.
Business was showing signs of improvement, which contradicted Lou Yuxue's plans, leaving her both surprised and displeased.
After thinking for a moment, Lou Yuxue calmly instructed, "Operate as normal."
The robust woman responded and left to carry out the order.
Lou Yuxue listened for a while longer, and seeing that many more guests were coming in, she shook her head with a headache:
"This fledgling is really meddling in other people's business."
After that, she didn't think about it anymore and focused on translating the contents of the secret letter.
In no time, three short lines appeared on the paper:
[Investigate the whereabouts of the fledglings on the night of the 'burning of summer grain in three towns'.]
[Contact King Randhu, the bandit leader within the Kingdom of Vashj, to discuss and confirm a meeting time. I intend to travel there personally.]
[Closely monitor the movements of the phoenix and report all matters, no matter how small.]
Lou Yuxue's expression changed slightly as she looked at the contents of the paper.
The three tasks were different from each other.
But each one surprised her somewhat.
The first thing was particularly strange—finding the location of the fledglings on the night the summer grain in the three towns burned.
Based on just this one sentence, Lou Yuxue deduced the intentions of the Pavilion Master and the Golden Banner Official.
"Do they suspect that the 'young bird' did something that night?"
"How is that possible?"
"That fledgling has always been well-behaved, never even leaving the Xiao family's house. How could it have made any moves that night?"
Lou Yuxue had no idea, but she knew that this task was the simplest.
She only needed to contact the Iron Flag Officer, one of the Hawk's subordinates who was hiding in the Xiao family, to determine where the "young bird" had gone that night.
As for the remaining two tasks, contacting "King Lando" and investigating Luanfeng, there are clues to be found.
Although the former was a bandit, he had intricate connections with the royal family of Vashj. The fact that the Golden Banner Official took the initiative to meet with him must be to plan subsequent matters.
The latter, Luanfeng's arrival in Shuzhou was too abrupt, so it's normal that it aroused the dissatisfaction of the Pavilion Master and the Golden Banner Official.
Lou Yuxue thought about it and silently memorized the task on the paper before burning it to ashes.
The task itself wasn't complicated, but there were a few questions.
"Firstly, neither the Pavilion Master nor Lord Jinqi gave any instructions regarding the robbery of that sum of money by the Liu family of Jingzhou and 'Liu Wu'."
"Secondly, the Xiao family has narrowly escaped disaster this time. Xiao Dongchen is dead, and the trade market has not been affected... So, we won't sabotage it afterward?"
Lou Yuxue's heart stirred slightly. Could it be the bandits from Vaishsa Kingdom, King Landu?
That's possible.
"It seems that General Star and Pavilion Master have already made a thorough plan for Shu Prefecture."
"Hmm... to avoid being noticed by the Xiao family, let's wait until after the Mid-Autumn Festival to take action."
Thinking of this, Lou Yuxue calmed herself down, tidied up the room, and went downstairs.
She glanced around, then suddenly stopped.
The once empty "Yunbian Youjia Wonton Shop" is now packed with people.
There were students from Guiyun Academy, talented men and beautiful women strolling along Kangning Street, and passersby.
They were all eating wontons while looking at Ma Guan, who was holding a calligraphy scroll that read "The Best Wonton in the World."
"I have traveled all over the country for many years and have eaten a lot of wontons, but I never thought I would eat wontons with such flavor in Shuzhou."
"good."
"'Number one in the world' is a bit of a stretch, but the taste is alright."
"It's mainly because the handwriting is good."
"Although it wasn't Mr. Qingzhou who personally inscribed the calligraphy, as his student, Ma Heming's calligraphy is still a rare masterpiece."
"This trip was worthwhile..."
Lou Yuxue heard the chaotic discussions in the hall and a hint of annoyance flashed in her eyes.
"Young bird, you better not have done this on purpose, or I'll make sure you don't get away with it!"
...
Chen Yi did it on purpose, of course.
He couldn't bear to see Lou Yuxue working so hard to earn money.
So I came up with an idea to make the "Wonton Shop by the Clouds" even more popular.
Just.
He figured Lou Yuxue probably wouldn't appreciate it.
Chen Yi looked at the words "[Chance +4]" that floated past him and smiled with a mischievous grin.
"Consider this compensation for the loss of not obtaining the Xuan-level opportunity."
He then handed the gifts to Mr. Yue Ming, Mr. Zhuo Ying, and others one by one.
After he had a brief understanding of the progress of the "exhibition hall", he went to the study to give a lecture.
Having given several lessons before, Chen Yi naturally became more adept at it.
We will teach you step by step, starting with the basics of calligraphy.
It takes an hour to explain the changes in calligraphy and the corresponding profound mysteries of the Dao realm.
In the second hour, he wrote two calligraphy models and had the students use them as a reference to freely express themselves on the sand table.
Half a day passed quickly.
Chen Yi gave Ma Guan a few instructions and then left the study on his own, ignoring the requests of the students who wanted to watch him perfect his calligraphy.
With the exhibition hall about to open, he was too lazy to go through all that trouble.
In addition, since he had previously discussed with Mr. Yue Ming that the school would adopt a bottom-ranking elimination system in the future, he could not have close contact with these students.
That way, he won't hesitate to use his full strength when he strikes with a knife in the future.
But when he arrived at Mr. Yue Ming's residence and looked around, his mood instantly became the same as Lou Yuxue's when she saw a room full of guests.
The small courtyard was now packed with people.
Among them were Han Zhangping and Pei Zhaoye from Yuelu Academy, whom they had met before; a scholar who had attended the old master's birthday banquet and was somewhat famous in the Confucian circles of Shuzhou; and some members of prominent families who were clearly from out of town.
They gathered in twos and threes in the courtyard, their eyes mostly fixed on the main hall, clearly waiting for Mr. Yue Ming to be free.
Seeing this, Chen Yi was about to quietly leave when he heard a voice beside him:
"Is Qingzhou's lecture over? Come on, let's go find the dean together."
Chen Yi turned his head and saw that it was Mr. Zhuo Ying. Helplessly, he made a last-ditch effort and said:
"With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, I still have to deliver a gift to my wife this afternoon, so it's inconvenient for me to stay here."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhuo Ying pulled him into the crowd without saying a word.
As he walked, he gestured to the waiting customers around him to make way.
Upon entering the main hall and study, Mr. Zhuo Ying lowered his voice and said:
"Qingzhou, it's not that I'm forcing you, it's just that the situation has been unusual these past few days."
"You saw those people outside too. Strictly speaking, they've all come looking for you."
“Even if you don’t understand the dean, you should at least consider the academy’s situation.”
“Those people are, after all, well-known scholars from various states, or prominent families with high status and prestige. We need to make sure they save face.”
Chen Yi thought to himself that those people simply wanted to learn his calligraphy; if anyone was concerned about saving face, it was those people who were taking care of him.
I may think about it, but that's all I'll do.
He, however, sat obediently in the study.
While drinking tea, we greeted guests one by one with Mr. Yue Ming, Mr. Zhuo Ying, and others.
However, he rarely speaks.
At most, they would offer a few polite words in response.
Phrases such as "I've heard so much about you," "Your son has a good foundation in calligraphy; given time, he will surely achieve great things," or "The dean will make all the decisions."
In the end, it didn't make things difficult for Mr. Yue Ming and the others.
After noon had passed and the guests had all left, Chen Yi finally put down his teacup and said directly:
"It's getting late, I should head back."
Seeing this, Mr. Yue Ming quickly waved his hand to stop him, saying, "No rush, no rush."
There are two things I need your opinion on.
"Tell me about it."
"I heard from Huaigu yesterday that you intend to participate in tomorrow night's poetry recital?"
"If I can turn it down, I naturally don't want to go."
"It's not easy to push it away now."
"The poetry gathering tomorrow night will not only involve some of the academy members, but also the Provincial Governor Liu, Governor Yang, and others."
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow. "The Provincial Administration Commission, Liu Hong?"
"..."
Mr. Yue Ming and Mr. Zhuo Ying exchanged a glance, clearly both of them sensing his disapproval of Liu Hong.
But considering the current relationship between the Xiao family and the Liu family, Chen Yi's attitude is not entirely unreasonable.
"Besides the Provincial Administration Commissioner, there will be people from other government offices, as well as some prominent families and scholars from Shu Prefecture and other prefectures."
"However, we are just bystanders. The success of the poetry gathering will ultimately depend on the performance of you young people."
Chen Yi realized that these two were planning to make him do hard labor again.
"It's actually quite simple. Just display my painting 'Thoughts After the Rain' at the poetry gathering, and that will certainly bring honor to the academy."
Mr. Yue waved his hand, "No, no, that's not appropriate."
"Your poem 'Thoughts After the Rain' has already spread throughout Shuzhou, and many people have seen your perfect running script, so it's no longer appropriate to use it."
Chen Yi thought for a moment and said he would see how things went tomorrow.
However, he did not refuse to go.
After all, he had already promised Chen Yunfan and Li Huaigu yesterday that he would go to the poetry gathering.
Mr. Yue Ming, Mr. Zhuo Ying, and others did not offer any further advice.
They all knew Chen Yi's temperament and that he was very decisive; once he made a decision, no one could dissuade him.
Therefore, they only reminded:
"The Mid-Autumn Festival has always been a grand gathering for literati. If you, Qingzhou, are a natural writer, you might as well write it down so that we may have a look."
Chen Yi asked noncommittally, "And the second thing?"
Mr. Yue Ming paused for a moment and then said, "The exhibition hall is scheduled to open the day after tomorrow. After discussion, we all hope that you can be there to preside over the event."
Mr. Zhuo Ying chimed in, "Your calligraphy has now reached a state of perfection, and it is still in the new style of writing, which is rarely seen even in the three prefectures of the Great Wei Dynasty."
"There will definitely be a lot of people coming the day after tomorrow."
"If you can attend and meet those people, it will only benefit you in the future."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi did not immediately agree.
He was well aware of the benefits of such a thing.
At the very least, he could become a familiar face among scholars.
On a grander scale, this can be considered as solidifying his status as a master calligrapher and greatly increasing his reputation.
More people will know him and recognize him in the future, and others will inevitably have some reservations if they want to deal with him again.
This can be considered one of the few benefits that fame and fortune brought him.
Chen Yi thought for a moment and nodded, agreeing, "I'll come to the academy first thing in the morning after the poetry gathering."
"However, I'm telling you beforehand, if Madam returns in the next couple of days, even if I come over, I won't stay for long."
Mr. Yue Ming smiled and said, "That's natural."
"The time is set for 1:15 AM the day after tomorrow, which is still quite ample. It shouldn't let you stay until noon."
Let's chat for a bit.
Chen Yi got up to take his leave.
As he walked out of the academy, he subconsciously glanced at "There is a wonton shop by the clouds".
Seeing the painting "The Best Wonton Shop in the World" written by Ma Guan already erected at the shop entrance, and the endless stream of customers, he couldn't help but smile.
The female tiger, Lou Yuxue.
You should just focus on running your wonton shop here.
Hehe... You're welcome.
Chen Yi thought about it, a smile appeared on his face, and he went straight back to the Xiao family.
Currently, the hawk has left, the gray wolf has committed suicide, and the phoenix has been following Chen Yunfan.
Therefore, if he wants to know the future movements of the hidden guards, it is most appropriate to start with the tigress.
"Fortunately, Lou Yuxue's life was spared earlier, otherwise it would have been bad if the hidden guards had really gone into hiding."
Unbeknownst to Chen Yi, after he had walked away, a carriage drove out from the nearby Quchi Pond.
The horses were common ponies, and the carriages were simple and unadorned.
At that moment, a corner of the curtain was lifted, revealing a pair of slightly surprised eyes staring at Chen Yi's back.
"He's not dead?!"
"I personally intervened and confirmed that the Xiao family's son-in-law drowned in the winding pond. How could he not be dead?"
Upon hearing this, the young coachman driving the carriage glanced over curiously.
"Master, could it be that Xiao Jinghong came to our rescue in time?"
"I heard that on that day, Xiao Jinghong personally brought Chen Yi back to the Xiao family's punishment hall. With her cultivation level, it was not impossible for her to save Chen Yi."
"There's a possibility, but..."
"Ha, that kid's lucky!"
...
Back at the Xiao family home.
Unfortunately, Chen Yi's prediction came true.
He was indeed to deliver holiday gifts to various families in the afternoon on behalf of Xiao Jinghong.
The reason is simple—Xiao Jinghong is certain he won't be able to return home before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After carefully reading the contents of the letter, Chen Yi showed a somewhat complicated smile.
Although he had little contact with Xiao Jinghong, he could recognize Xiao Jinghong's handwriting and knew that this letter was not written by Xiao Jinghong.
"It seems that the lady feels somewhat guilty for not writing a reply herself."
Xiao Wan'er also noticed something amiss. "Second Sister must have been preoccupied with other matters and had Zhenyue write it on her behalf."
Chen Yi hummed in agreement, put away the letter, and said with a smile, "The summer grain in the three towns was burned a while ago, so it's understandable that you were on guard, Madam."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "I will go and deliver some holiday gifts to each family later; it would be impolite to be impolite."
Xiao Wan'er hesitated and said, "Why don't I go with my brother-in-law?"
Chen Yi thought for a moment and did not refuse, nodding and saying, "Thank you for your trouble, elder sister."
"It's alright, I was just about to leave the manor anyway, it's only a few steps away."
"Let's go then, and come back as soon as possible..."
Xiao Jinghong's decision not to return to Shu Prefecture was not unexpected by Chen Yi.
Aside from the safety of the grain supplies in the three towns he mentioned earlier, the Wushan trade market, which he established in cooperation with the mountain tribes, was also of paramount importance and could not be taken lightly.
In addition, the old master's plan allowed Xiao Jinghong to remotely lead the troops of the three towns, which would also better protect the Xiao family.
However, Chen Yi couldn't help but feel a little wistful after making these deductions.
He originally thought that by getting rid of Xiao Dongchen and forcing the second branch of the Xiao family to leave, the old master and Xiao Jinghong would be able to relax.
Looking back now, it seems like a long and arduous journey.
The whole afternoon.
Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er were busy delivering gifts in Shuzhou City.
Most of them were given to important officials in various government offices in Shuzhou, as well as to some long-established families.
The gift doesn't have to be much; it's the thought that counts.
To his amusement and dismay, however, when they returned, the truck was still piled high with gifts after sending out half a truckload of them.
Those family members and government officials returned the gifts without hesitation.
If Chen Yi and Xiao Wan'er hadn't turned down quite a few items, there would have been even more miscellaneous items on the carriage right now.
As evening approached, they finally finished delivering the holiday gifts and headed home.
On the road.
Looking at the somewhat silent Chen Yi, Xiao Wan'er hesitated before asking, "What are your plans for tomorrow, brother-in-law, for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Chen Yi glanced at her, then looked out the window and replied, "If there's nothing else at home, I'll take Xiao Die to the academy for the poetry gathering tomorrow."
"The poetry gathering... can I go with them?"
In addition to gastroenteritis, my gallstones also flared up.
It hurt for a whole day and night.
So I'll leave the leave request from yesterday unpaid and pay it back once I've recovered.
(End of this chapter)
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