Observing Wanfa from the martial arts school servants

Chapter 146 White Clothes Brighter Than Snow

Quan Feng led everyone to the front of the courtyard and stepped aside to let them go first.

The courtyard was small, about ten steps square.

In the center of the courtyard stands an old camphor tree, its trunk so thick that it takes two people to encircle it. The bark is covered with cracks, and dark green moss grows deep within the cracks.

The tree canopy shaded most of the yard, and the afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting countless coin-sized spots of light on the ground.

Under the shade of a tree, there was an old stone table with a smooth, shiny surface and a faint golden pattern carved around the edge.

Several stone stools were scattered around the stone table, one of which was lying askew in the moss.

In the corner of the courtyard stood a stone well, its rim worn smooth by ropes. Beside the well sat a wooden bucket, a few limp leaves clinging to its bottom.

"The courtyard is nice."

Bai Yungui sat down on the stone stool, took off his wine gourd and placed it on the stone table, and began to drink his wine contentedly.

Lin Mu asked Quan for some utensils and started stewing goose in an iron pot.

Miss Hu Xiaoying sat down on the stone stool and waved to Xiaoxiao.

"Xiaoxiao, come here, let me tie your hair."

Xiaoxiao ran over from the kitchen door, her two crooked ponytails bobbing high in the wind, and she was still clutching the half-eaten osmanthus cake in her hand.

She ran up to Hu Xiaoying, obediently turned around, and sat cross-legged on the ground.

Hu Xiaoying took out a small wooden comb from her sleeve and untied the crooked ponytail on her left side, letting her black hair fall down to her shoulder.

Hu Xiaoying had very skillful fingers; she quickly braided a neat little braid, then took the little yellow flower from her hair and pinned it to the end of the braid.

"alright."

Xiaoxiao ran to the well, leaned over the edge, and looked down at her reflection in the water. She looked left and right, very happy.

Later, the young lady held Xiaoxiao and told her the story of Lin Mu's journey from a menial servant to a martial arts scholar.

A group of people chatted about the past of Heyuan and ate stewed goose in an iron pot. Before they knew it, it was noon.

"It's getting late, I have to go to the Zou family, if I don't go back soon, things will get really bad."

"I'll take you there and show you around Qingzhou Prefecture."

The main street of Qingzhou Prefecture was wide and flat, and the bluestone pavement was slightly warmed by the afternoon sun.

Broad-leaved trees line both sides of the street, their canopies overlapping in the air to form a green corridor.

The shops along the street had brand-new facades. Suzhou embroidery hung in front of the silk shop, and a long queue formed in front of the herbal medicine shop. On the second floor of the teahouse, a storyteller was striking a gavel.

Pedestrians on the street were neatly dressed and walked with ease.

Bai Yungui walked along the side, glancing into the weapons shop by the roadside several times, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

"Why are all these weapons new? Has no one replaced them when they got old?"

Lin Mu did not answer.

He stopped as he passed a liquor store.

Above the shop's door hangs an old elm wood plaque, and on the counter sits a row of ceramic jars, their mouths sealed with red clay.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man in his sixties, who was flipping through the account books.

"Shopkeeper, which is the best wine?"

The old shopkeeper took out a black ceramic jar from under the counter, with a small character "Chen" engraved on the bottom.

"This jar."

"It has been aged for twenty years, and there are no more than ten jars of it in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture."

Bai Yungui took the pottery jar, broke the clay seal, brought it to the mouth of the jar, smelled it, squinted his eyes, carefully poured out half a gourd, and took a small sip.

"Good wine, I'll take this jar."

The old shopkeeper held up two fingers.

"Twenty taels."

Bai Yungui's movements froze for a moment.

Lin Mu took out some silver from his sleeve and placed it on the counter, then pushed the jar of wine in front of Bai Yungui.

"I've never even treated my senior brother to a drink."

Bai Yungui's lips slowly curled into a smile as he drank the remaining wine in the old gourd in one gulp, filled the earthenware jar with new wine, sealed it tightly, hung it on his waist, and patted the gourd's belly.

"You brat, even as a retainer of the Quan family, you should be more frugal with your money."

Hu Xiaoying stopped in front of a clothing store.

The clothes in the shop hung on bamboo racks; the fabrics weren't particularly expensive, but the colors were simple and elegant.

She took a fancy to a light purple blouse with a circle of silver thread embroidered around the cuffs, and touched the fabric.

Xiaoxiao peeked out from behind Lin Mu and tugged at his clothes.

"Big brother, Xiaoxiao wants to eat something delicious too."

She tilted her head and scanned the pastry shops, dried fruit stalls, and sesame seed cake ovens along the street several times before finally settling on a small pastry shop.

A large steamer stands at the entrance of the shop. When the lid is lifted, white steam rises, carrying the aroma of rice mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus.

Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up.

Lin Mu bought two osmanthus cakes and handed them to her on an oiled paper tray.

Bai Yungui walked along the side, holding a gourd of wine in his hand, his eyes scanning the pedestrians on the street.

A young man dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe walked past, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, and wearing a jade pendant instead of a sword at his waist.

Several men dressed in short brown robes walked out of the alley. They were sturdy and walked with the measured steps of scholars. They were talking about the most popular candidates for the civil service examination this year.

He took a swig of wine, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly spoke.

"Does no one practice martial arts here?"

"Qingzhou Prefecture cultivates martial arts and literature."

"Martial arts condense the essence of heaven and earth into the body, releasing sword energy that can take a person's head from dozens of feet away."

"Wen Daoxiu possessed a noble spirit, yet he used poetry to harm others."

"Martial arts are not popular here."

Xiaoxiao, the little devil, peeked out from behind Lin Mu, mimicking Jiang Wangdi's usual expressions, chewing on osmanthus cake while making gestures.

Two little arms drew a big circle in the air.

"That martial art involves just pointing a finger at a tree and it falls down!"

After drawing the circle, she made a sword-making gesture, squinted one eye, and pointed at an old locust tree by the roadside several times.

Bai Yungui watched Xiaoxiao's gestures and took another swig of wine.

Hu Xiaoying walked beside Lin Mu, looking at the young men in silk robes and folding fans on the street, and said something in a low voice.

"People in Qingzhou Prefecture seem to care a lot about their appearance."

"Qingzhou Prefecture is known for its fair and even-toned skin."

"The same applies to men."

Bai Yungui smacked his lips, looked down at his calloused hands, then at his faded gray-blue short-sleeved brown clothes, and hung the wine gourd on his waist.

"This place is not suitable for me."

As they spoke, the Zou residence came into view.

A black plaque with gold lettering hung above the door, bearing the words "Zou Mansion". If the gatekeeper didn't recognize Lin Mu, wouldn't he recognize Yu Xiaoxiao?

He came up from afar, bowed, and led everyone into the front yard.

The candles in the main hall burned quietly behind the gauze covers.

The group walked around the screen wall and crossed the threshold, where they saw a man sitting in a grand chair.

The man was in his early twenties, dressed in white, with a handsome face, eyebrows like distant mountains, thin lips, and a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

He sat comfortably and naturally in the armchair, holding a cup of tea in his left hand and a scroll of bamboo slips in his right. The edges of the bamboo slips were polished to a shine, and the patina gleamed with a warm, dark brown luster under the candlelight.

Seeing Lin Mu and the others approach, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "And who are you all?"