Chapter 148 City Streets 48

Chapter 148: Prefecture City Life 48

Soon, the day they had agreed to return to the village arrived. Chen Sanxi led a horse over—a sleek, black steed with a glossy coat and beautifully defined muscles, pulling a covered cart behind it.

"Wow! What a handsome horse! Chen Sanxi, you even bought a horse!"

Qin Banban stood before the horse, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the tall, strong, and well-built steed, completely mesmerized.

Chen Sanxi subtly straightened his back and said with a smile, "This is my master’s horse. Before he started his security escort business, he served in the army, and this horse accompanied him during that time. Knowing I was returning home, he lent it to me."

As he spoke, Chen Sanxi gently stroked the black horse’s smooth neck and mane, then asked Qin Banban, "It’s very gentle. Would you like to touch it?"

Qin Banban asked excitedly, "May I?!"

Chen Sanxi nodded, guiding the horse’s head closer with the reins and leading Qin Banban’s hand to gently stroke its mane.

This was Qin Banban’s first time touching a horse. Its neck was warm, and its mane was thick and coarse, slightly prickly to the touch. But Qin Banban was too caught up in the novelty to mind, lovingly stroking the horse’s neck. The horse, being gentle, tilted its head and rubbed its pricked ears against her palm.

Qin Rongshi watched as Qin Banban moved closer, noticing how Chen Sanxi’s eyes seemed glued to his sister. His mother, however, appeared oblivious, also smiling as she admired the horse.

Cui Lanfang: "Horses and mules really are different! So handsome! Much taller and bigger than our Cuihua!"

Listen to that—she’s even praising it.

Qin Rongshi: "..."

The blue-and-white mule, seemingly understanding, stamped its hooves and let out a short snort.

Liu Guyu chuckled, covering the mule’s ears, and said with a laugh, "Cuihua shouldn't have to hear that!"

Cui Lanfang relaxed into a smile, patting the mule a couple of times. "Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore. I’ll go take a look too."

With that, she walked over to where Qin Banban was standing.

Liu Guyu continued laughing, nudging Qin Rongshi with his elbow and teasing, "Look, your sister’s about to be won over."

Thank heavens there’s at least one sensible person in the family.

Qin Rongshi sighed, looking somewhat helplessly at Liu Guyu. "And you’re still laughing."

Liu Guyu kept smiling. "Banban is grown now. She has her own thoughts and plans. There’s no point in you worrying as her brother."

Qin Rongshi: "What about you?"

Liu Guyu paused in confusion, then pointed at himself and asked in return:

"Me? Of course I’d respect her decisions! Although I’ve told her before that a girl can have a good life without marrying, if Banban finds a man she likes, that’s fine too."

Qin Rongshi: "I meant you. What are your own thoughts and plans?"

As he spoke, his eyes fixed intently on Liu Guyu, dark and deep like a swirling galaxy, as if trying to see through to his heart.

Liu Guyu instantly understood what Qin Rongshi was asking. He rubbed his nose and muttered softly under his breath, "My plans? To earn money, of course!"

Qin Rongshi was stunned for a moment but quickly snapped out of it, letting out a helpless laugh.

That really did sound like something Liu Guyu would say. Chuckling softly, he began moving the items from the front of the house onto the cart—all New Year provisions bought in the prefecture city to bring back as gifts.

"Mom, Banban, we’re almost packed. Let’s get on the cart!"

After discussing, Qin Banban and Cui Lanfang rode in the cart driven by Chen Sanxi, while Qin Rongshi and Liu Guyu took the mule cart, which was loaded with luggage and goods. A dog lay on the back of the mule cart. The two carts set off from the prefecture city one after the other.

On the twenty-eighth of the twelfth month, the group finally arrived at Fushui Town.

Though they had only been away for half a year, the familiar sights of Fushui Town felt like ages had passed.

The town was small, and horses were a rare sight. Many townspeople came out to see the horse, praising its beauty and strength.

"It’s noon. Should we eat before heading back?" Liu Guyu suggested. "The old house in the village hasn’t been lived in for a long time. It’ll take a while to clean up, and the kitchen won’t be ready to use immediately!"

This made sense, so everyone agreed. They drove the horse and mule carts to a restaurant for a meal.

"Qin Rongshi!"

"It really is you!"

"You’re back in Fushui Town?"

By chance, they encountered friends as soon as they entered the restaurant—Xie Baozhu and Li Anyuan.

Though they had kept in touch by letter, the three friends hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Xie Baozhu, always the most demonstrative and enthusiastic, rushed over immediately and gave Qin Rongshi a big hug.

"Auntie, you’re all here too! Here for a meal? Come, come, take a seat… Brother Li, Sister-in-law Li, can we get a bigger table?"

Only then did Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi realize that the randomly chosen restaurant was run by Brother Li and his wife.

A few years earlier, when Liu Guyu went to Li Anyuan’s area to buy Rouge Plums, he had met other members of the Li family. Discovering that Sister-in-law Li had exceptional cooking skills, he taught her how to set up a stall and make malatang to earn money.

Over the years, she must have saved quite a bit with this skill, as they had now rented a shopfront and opened a restaurant.

Sister-in-law Li, Xu Yingcai, was an energetic and capable woman. She quickly came out to get them a bigger table. Delighted to see Liu Guyu and the others, she excitedly called to the back and chatted with them for a while.

Li Cheng and his younger sister, Li Maidong, both came out. The restaurant was doing well, but the couple didn’t want to spend on hired help, so they had asked Li Maidong to assist.

They figured it was better to pay family rather than outsiders, and it also gave Li Maidong a chance to learn some skills from her sister-in-law for the future.

Xu Yingcai was overjoyed, pulling Liu Guyu aside and saying happily, "Liu Geer! Our family has to thank you! If it weren’t for you, we’d still be crammed in that small earthen house, with no hope for a better life. We’ve built a new house, opened this restaurant, and can even send our son to private school! We owe it all to you!"

Looking at the Li couple and Li Maidong, they were all dressed in new, thick winter jackets. Xu Yingcai wore a silver hairpin and bright red earrings, while Li Maidong was dressed in a pretty, light-colored outfit (though not very practical for avoiding stains) with ornamental hair pins.

They hardly resembled their former selves—they were completely changed people.

Liu Guyu modestly replied, "I didn’t do much. It’s all thanks to your cooking skills, Sister-in-law!"

Xu Yingcai had a natural talent for cooking but had never imagined it possible until Liu Guyu showed her another possibility.

Qin Rongshi smiled upon seeing his two friends and quickly started talking with them. Xie Baozhu, being lively and sociable, talked incessantly.

Qin Rongshi also asked about his teacher, Lv Shiwen, and learned that after he left, Lv Shiwen had gone traveling again and hadn’t returned yet.

However, Qin Rongshi occasionally received letters from his teacher and knew how he was doing.

After a hearty meal, Xu Yingcai, still thrilled, prepared them a complimentary feast. The three friends agreed to meet again soon before parting reluctantly.

Before leaving, Qin Rongshi stopped Xie Baozhu and Li Anyuan, retrieving a wooden chest about two feet long by one foot high from the mule cart.

Xie Baozhu, who had been reluctant to leave, his eyes went wide and he excitedly pulled at Li Anyuan's sleeve, exclaiming, "Books! It must be books! Come on, Yuan Yuan, let’s go quickly!"

Li Anyuan, both amused and frustrated, held him back and said, "You’ve advanced in your learning, so why are you still fleeing from books?"

Xie Baozhu said glumly, "It's the New Year! Who wants to spend the New Year with so many books?"

Li Anyuan glared at him, "If you don't read for a day, your mind grows dull. If you don't read for a month, your senses grow dull. I gave you homework before the New Year break. Don't just spend all your time playing. If you haven't finished it by the time the academy reopens..."

Li Anyuan didn't finish his sentence, but just glanced sideways at Xie Baozhu, making his meaning clear without words.

Xie Baozhu was tall and brawny, the tallest among the three friends, with broad shoulders and a strapping build. Standing next to Li Anyuan, he made the slender and refined Li Anyuan look like a thin bamboo pole.

But despite his imposing physique, Xie Baozhu instinctively hunched under Li Anyuan's glare, throwing his hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright, Teacher Li, Teacher Qin, I'll follow your arrangements, whatever you say!"

Seeing Xie Baozhu clowning around again, Qin Rongshi couldn't help but smile.

"These are indeed books," he said.

"But not all are for the imperial exams. There are also some leisure reading books, as well as good-quality ink and paper that aren't available in our town. Anyuan, you love painting, right? I brought a set of pigments for you—bright colors that won't fade, perfect for your use."

Li Anyuan loved painting and was skilled at it. In the past, when his family was poor, he often set up a stall to sell calligraphy and paintings to make money.

But back then, he was young, his techniques were immature, and he didn't have an official rank. Plus, few people in the small town appreciated calligraphy and paintings, so it was hard to sell his works. After he passed the imperial exams and became a scholar, however, restaurants and wealthy families began commissioning paintings from him.

"Also, Baozhu mentioned in his last letter that his family's cat had kittens. He wanted Mr. Qiongshan's *Classic of Cats* to see if it had advice on raising newborn kittens. And Anyuan said he was missing two volumes of Mr. Qiongshan's six-part travelogue. I brought those back as well."

In modern terms, Mr. Qiongshan was a popular author. His books were very popular, often selling out quickly, and they were hard to find in small towns.

Hearing about the *Classic of Cats*, Xie Baozhu immediately took the large wooden box as if it were a treasure, opening it and digging through it eagerly. Li Anyuan kept a straight face, but his eyes were glued to the box when he heard about the painting pigments and the travelogue he had long wanted but couldn't find.

After the meal and the gifts, they said their goodbyes and finally headed toward Shanghe Village.

The horse-drawn carriage was a rare sight even in Fushui Town, and it attracted even more attention when it entered Shanghe Village. Many villagers came out to watch.

"Hey! Is that a horse? It is, right?"

"Who is it? Who's coming? And they arrived in a carriage!"

"Look, the one driving the carriage... isn't that Sanxi from our village? And the one behind seems to be Scholar Qin! They've returned to the village!"

...

The village bustled with excitement. Liu Guyu and the others exchanged pleasantries with the villagers, chatting for a while before finally dispersing.

Once inside the village, Qin Banban and Cui Lanfang got out of Chen Sanxi's carriage. After saying their goodbyes, each headed toward their own home.

*

"Woof! Woof!"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Luo Qingzhu, who was embroidering a pouch inside the house, heard the noise. He put the pouch, needle, and thread into a basket and stood up to go outside.

Unlike his rough-mannered sister Luo Maier, Luo Qingzhu excelled at fine needlework. He embroidered exquisite pouches, handkerchiefs, and round fans, and was skilled at making tassels and fringe. He could even craft silk flowers.

When he had free time at home, he would make some of these items to sell in town. His skills had improved so much that his works were now exclusively supplied to the best shops in town, fetching good prices. But the work was hard on his eyes, so his mother and sister didn't allow him to do too much of it.

"Big Black, Ah Huang, what are you barking at?"

Luo Qingzhu walked outside and saw that the black and yellow dogs had stopped barking but had already pushed the gate open. They were excitedly wagging their tails and shaking their hips, running and jumping around outside. A familiar black-and-yellow dog was also excitedly rubbing against them.

A mule cart stood parked at the gate, and four people stood beside it. They were none other than the Qin family, who used to live across the street.

"Qing Zhu! We're back for the New Year!"

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Author's Note: ①: Excerpt from Xiao Lunwei's "Reflections on Reading."

Yesterday, some of you asked about my neck issue—thank you all, dears, for your concern!

It’s indeed a neck problem. I haven’t found a solution yet, so for now, I can only exercise daily, avoid looking down too much, and see if it improves after a few months of persistence. If any of you have experience with this and know methods to alleviate the discomfort, feel free to share in the comments. This condition is truly bothersome.

Also, take it from me—take good care of your neck, shoulders, back, and waist. Try not to look down at your phone too much, and if you have a desk job, make sure to get up and move around regularly. It really is a real pain.