Thinking of this, her brows relaxed: "You guys are busy, you guys are busy, I'll be right back."
Watching her walk away, Lin Cheng finally wiped away the cold sweat that had broken out on his body.
"Fortunately, the young master's prediction came true." The old man breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at the several stunned men.
"You, you, you, and you! You almost ruined everything! From now on, avoid the young mistress! Do you hear me?!"
Chapter Four
Leaving the Shangguan Mansion, it wasn't long before we arrived at Baotai Street. Because the Imperial Academy was located here, the street was lined with bookstores, writing brush shops, inkstone workshops, and stone inkstone studios; even the plaques alone exuded elegance. Truly, this was a land of literary brilliance, a place of imperial elegance.
Yu Zigui walked past several well-known shops with practiced ease, then turned into a slightly deserted alley. It was midday, a time when spring drowsiness should be a welcome relief, but several students in the restaurant held books in one hand, their rice hanging in mid-air, their cheeks flushed.
"How utterly uncivilized! One cannot be like Yu Moumou!" one man slammed his fist on the table in anger. The others sighed in agreement and turned the page.
The scholar, seemingly unassuming, realized that this Mr. Yu was actually a scholar who loved playing mahjong and never paid his debts. He was truly a man of all ages and genders; Mr. Yu was quite a character. The crescent-shaped eyes squinted, trying to make out the title of the book that even the most talented students at the Imperial Academy cherished, when suddenly their eyes met those of a scholar.
Suddenly, her face turned bright red, so red that it reminded her of the red fruit that Master Shangguan had mentioned. She had just been like that, feeling utterly undignified and ashamed.
"This...this young lady, is there...something wrong?" the red-faced student asked.
Thankfully, she wasn't a stutterer; otherwise, a stuttering red fruit would surely make Master Shangguan laugh himself to death, she thought to herself with relief. "Excuse me, sir, where did the Chrysanthemum Picking Bookstore in this area move to? It's only been a few days, how did it become a restaurant?"
"Chrysanthemum Picking Bookstore?" The student looked at her strangely.
"Isn't that the name? My husband clearly said it was." She blinked innocently.
"So it's your master. I was wondering why the young lady would read such a book." The scholar loosened his grip on the book slightly, revealing two words on the cover: "Wenlu" (闻录).
Could it be the "Records of the Imperial Academy"?
"Girl, girl."
She came to her senses.
"Don't bother looking for the Chrysanthemum Picking Bookstore, young lady. If your master wants to read, go to the Confucius and Mencius Treasure Shop at the street corner and buy a few sets of classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections. As the saying goes, reading the books of sages and worthies..."
"Thank you for your trouble, young master."
She turned and ran. This man was clearly an old man, a scholar of classics and philosophical works; she might as well go back and read "The Jade Hairpin." Head down, she ran frantically, until she suddenly heard a voice at the end of the alley.
"Is the young lady looking for Caiju Bookstore?"
She paused, looking down into the alley. There she saw the person who had spoken standing against the light, her petite figure carrying a large book box, looking just like a fat snail.
"Young boss?" she asked uncertainly.
Upon hearing this, the men's clothing shop owner pouted and burst into tears, sounding aggrieved: "Miss Chen, I'm so miserable!"
"My surname isn't Chen." Yu Zigui said calmly, looking at the water stains gradually spreading on his sleeve.
"Oh?" After a brief pause, tears welled up again. "Miss Li, I'm suffering so much!"
"My surname isn't Li either."
"That...that's Wang, no, Liu? Or Yang?"
Yu Zigui looked at the young shop owner, who was still reminiscing and pretending to be familiar with the place, and sighed, "Never mind my surname, young shop owner, how did you end up like this? Where is Caiju Bookstore?"
"Waaah... The shop was taken over by a heartless, unscrupulous merchant."
"A swindler?"
"It's that despicable, shameless, filthy, and money-stinking Shangguan Mansion!" The small business owner turned into a snail-shaped firecracker. "I had originally agreed to buy on credit from the paper mill and the printing press, but five days ago, the two suddenly joined forces to force me to pay. Even the landlord sublet the storefront to a restaurant. Later, I found out that the mastermind behind this was Shangguan Mansion!"
It all started five days ago, she began to understand.
"Miss Sun is wondering why the wealthy man from Jinling is targeting my small bookstore. At first, I was also puzzled, but then I figured it out. It's actually very simple."
No way, the boss found out she was the culprit? Yu Zigui's eyes widened as he saw Snail puff out its chest and stick out two fingers.
"envy."
"ha?"
"It must be some greedy, unscrupulous merchant who is jealous of my 'Chrysanthemum Sect's' scholarly elegance and refined character that has led him to commit such a heinous act. But please rest assured, Miss Sun, even if I am torn to pieces, I will never yield!"
"The young boss is Xiaoxiaosheng." She used to wonder why books with horizontally drooping ends were placed in the most prominent position when she went to Caiju Bookstore. Now she knows why.
“Exactly, exactly.” The snail smiled smugly, then suddenly said seriously, “Please keep this a secret for Xiaoxiaosheng, Miss Sun. I don’t want to end up like Wei Jie, being stared at to death by fans on the street. Girls these days are too enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that I have to keep a low profile.”
Her lips twitched involuntarily. "So it turns out that only girls like to read books by young bosses."
"That's right! The people who come to buy books are either young ladies from their boudoirs or resentful wives from their secluded mansions. The women of the Great Wei have been trapped for too long, so they can only use storybooks to torment men. Ah, I get it!" The shopkeeper clapped his hands, as if he had suddenly realized something. "Maybe that unscrupulous merchant was tormented by his own woman, which is why he closed my shop!"
Yu Zigui shuddered, feigning curiosity as he looked at the square snail shell. "What good books does the young boss have in his book box?"
"Hehe, Miss Zhou, you're in luck." Putting down the mobile bookstore behind him, the shopkeeper mysteriously took out a handwritten book. "This is my latest masterpiece, which I have written by combining folk legends and real-life experiences. I poured my heart and soul into it, working tirelessly day and night."
"The Unofficial History of Longyang: How One Should Not Be a Man Like Yu Moumou?"
"Well, this Mr. Yu is the most sought-after person in Nanjing right now."
Taking the book, Yu Zigui flipped through two pages. It contained information about someone who refused to admit defeat, was disgraced, indulged in sensual pleasures, and forced himself on a scholar. Most importantly, this Yu Moumou was a man. She was relieved, completely relieved, except for one thing.
"Why does this sickly scholar have the surname Shangguan?"
"Books are used to express feelings, and they mostly carry the author's little wishes. The man surnamed Shangguan is being tormented and abused by others, hehe."
Seeing the young boss happily daydreaming, she remained silent, read a few more pages, and after a while said tactfully, "The sickly scholar and the playboy seem somewhat familiar."
"Miss Lin said I was imitating?" The shop owner's expression changed.
She quickly said, "No, no, no, what I meant was..."
"Boss, over here!" Two constables emerged from the long alley.
"They actually colluded with the Imperial Guards! Are they trying to wipe us out?!" The shopkeeper cursed under his breath, snatching the copy from her hand and frantically packing his book box. "Oh no, I can't close it! You surnamed Shangguan, I curse you to have sons without an anus!"
"That's not a good idea," she said, adding that having only daughters would be too difficult.
"Yes, yes, it needs style, style! You surnamed Shangguan, I curse you to get your anus violated every day!"
"..."
As they were talking, several guards squeezed into the alley. Without even bothering to fasten their shirts, Fat Snail slung his satchel over his shoulder and ran off.
"Quick, quick, don't let that girl get away."
"I'm a man, not a girl!"
"Still being stubborn! Wang Han, Ma Chao, Zhang Hu, Zhao Long, we must capture this girl today!"
"yes!"
The chorus of roars startled the snail.
"A hero should be shown a way out; one shouldn't act like Yu Moumou!"
...
The clouds in the sky are like white robes, which in an instant transform into greyhounds.
But at this moment, in her eyes, this cloud had sharper teeth, a bigger head, and a stronger body; most glaringly, it had three horizontal lines on its forehead. But so what if it was a man-eating tiger? So what if there were no good books? Life and death were fleeting, but true friendship remained steadfast. She still had a close friend with whom she had shared a life-or-death bond.
Holding the newly bought roasted spring flowers, Yu Zigui walked into the Nanshan branch. Banners fluttered above the door, with several eye-catching characters—First issue of the Year of Bingyou.
The courtyard was filled with neatly arranged new books, and the line of people waiting to pay stretched from inside the door to outside—a truly unprecedented sight. Yu Zigui casually picked up a copy of "Tales of the Martial World." The sapphire blue cover looked somewhat familiar. Opening the book, the first page, as usual, was written by Old Man Nanshan himself, recounting the events of the Northern Barbarians before the new year. One couldn't help but admire Cong Luan's profound writing skills and exquisite use of language. It both immersed the reader in the scene and concealed top-secret matters. Most importantly, the real names of the people on the trip were all replaced with "So-and-so," making it difficult for even the Northern Barbarians to carry out their revenge—truly brilliant!
However… this meant she had the unfortunate coincidence of sharing the same name as that notorious and wicked celebrity. She sighed inwardly and was about to turn the page when a slender white fingertip pressed down on the edge of the page.
"So stingy, only showing one page without paying?" she teased, looking up.
“It’s not that I’m stingy, but all these books in this room are going to be sent to the neighboring county. We can’t delay.” Cong Luan casually closed the Anecdotes in her hand, pressing down the edge of the page as if afraid of being unfair, so that not a single ink mark was visible. Then she looked at the headmaster of the branch academy with a slightly stern expression, “Why aren’t you moving the books? What if we’re late and it damages the reputation of Nanshan Academy?”
"Yes, yes," the headmaster replied, turning to the guests and saying, "The new issue is sold out. Please come again another day."
Chaos erupted instantly in the hall. Yu Zigui picked up the jar of Shaochun tea and followed Cong Luan into the tea room in the backyard. The warm spring sunshine was intoxicating. She covered her mouth to yawn and was about to sit down when she saw Cong Luan kick over a round stool and give her his own to her.
"This stool is wet, you can sit on mine." As if afraid she would change her mind, Cong Luan sat down instantly.
"You didn't even wipe it clean, even though it's wet." Yu Zigui rolled her eyes at her.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. You actually have time to drink with me today." Cong Luan opened the wine jar, brought it close to her nose, and smelled it. "Yecheng Shaochun! How can you be so generous?"
“You only get married once in your life, how could I not be generous?” Yu Zigui squinted at Cong Luan and saw that her face was flushed but her appearance was fine, so she was finally relieved. “So it’s true. I thought Uncle Lin was lying to me.”
"Liar?"
“Hey, Ziyu has been putting a lot of pressure on me lately, and I’m getting a bit paranoid. By the way, Uncle Lin asked me to give you this: Xiao Kuang’s private key.”
She accepted it from Luan's hands. "I see..."
"Yes, yes, that's exactly right. We entrusted the young master to you before he even entered the house. Everyone in the Shangguan family is very satisfied with you."
Cong Luan smiled and asked, "And you, are you satisfied with Shangguan?"
Her moon-like eyes curved into crescents, her expression shifting. "Satisfied, extremely satisfied."
"Since you're satisfied, why not get married?"
"Get married?" She looked at Cong Luan with a strange expression. "Didn't you say that Zi Yu was too arrogant and that I should put him down first?"
Cong Luan was taken aback, then blushed: "That's... I've figured it out now. Husbands and wives are birds of the same forest, so why distinguish between front and back, left and right? Besides, the sooner you marry into the family, the better we can keep each other company."
She chuckled: "You keep saying 'marry in,' as if you're already married. Are you in such a hurry? Come, come, little wife, let's have a drink together."
Just as he was about to pour wine into the teacup, Cong Luan grabbed the wine jar. "Someone, go to the headmaster and bring me the Azure Cloud Cup. I want to drink with Alliance Leader Yu."
Yu Zigui's dark eyes remained unmoved, a half-smile playing on his lips. "A teacup will suffice; why bother with a jade cup?"
"Burning spring pear blossoms white wine should be done in a jade cup. Today, you must listen to me." Cong Luan glared at her, and Yu Zigui slowly withdrew her hand.
"Alright, I'll go with whatever the host says."
The fragrant wine shimmered, its color resembling a light drizzle, one cup after another.
“Ah Luan, there’s a question I’ve never been able to figure out: Was Xiao Kuang a posthumous child?”
"His father died before he was born, and his mother died in childbirth shortly after he was born. Little A-Kuang was so pitiful."
"Poor thing, so pitiful. Who taught him martial arts?"
"..."