Heaven is the shore of mortal dust - Chapter 36
Wei Zijun couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he turned around.
Although the man had bright, piercing eyes, his face was covered with a thick beard, making it impossible to discern his features; the beard only gave the impression that he was filthy.
Wei Zijun then asked, "Would you like to come into the shop, sir?"
"Hmm!" This time it was even simpler; he seems to be a man who doesn't like to talk much.
"I'm sorry, sir, our shop only opens at 9:00 AM. Would you please come back later?" Wei Zijun said politely.
"Who are you?" the man asked, frowning.
"To be honest, sir, I am the owner of this shop."
"Oh! So you're the shopkeeper! Well, a friend of mine asked me to meet him here, so I'm a little early. No problem, I'll wait at the door for a bit." The man in blue also cupped his hands in greeting.
"Go ahead!" Wei Zijun ignored the man and went to knock on the door.
A moment later, Liu Lang came out to open the door, still wearing his inner shirt, indicating that he had just gotten out of bed.
Wei Zijun thought for a moment, then turned to the man in blue and said, "Sir, please come in and sit down. We'll open early today."
"Very well! Thank you, shopkeeper!" The man bowed and thanked her, then followed Wei Zijun into the room and sat down at a table by the window.
Wei Zijun ordered Liu Lang to pour tea for the man, then went up to the second and third floors to inspect the area. Seeing that nothing was amiss, she took a book and came downstairs. She strolled to the door and stopped.
Looking at the gradually bustling street scene, I found myself missing my older brothers. I sighed, sat down on the chair placed outside the door, and opened my book.
After watching for a while, she sensed something was amiss; it seemed as if a sharp light was shooting towards her from behind. She turned her head and saw the man in blue staring at her. Seeing her looking at him, the man didn't have time to turn around immediately, so he gave an awkward smile and then asked, "What book are you reading, shopkeeper?"
"The Spring and Autumn Annals of Lü Shi! Are you interested, sir?" he asked in return.
"Ah! Yes, it would be great if the shopkeeper would lend me a book to pass the time when I'm feeling down."
Upon hearing this, Wei Zijun stood up and stepped forward, handing the book in her hand to the man in blue.
"Thank you for your help, shopkeeper!" the man said.
"It's alright!" Wei Zijun said calmly, then turned and went upstairs.
With nothing to do, I spread out a sheet of Xuan paper on the table, flicked my sleeve to grind the ink, and dipped the sheep's hair brush in the ink.
Do not heed the sound of rain pattering through the trees; why not chant and stroll leisurely?
With bamboo staff and straw sandals, I travel lighter than on horseback; who cares? I'll let the rain and mist of life take their course.
The chilly spring breeze sobered me up; it was slightly cold, but the slanting sunlight on the mountaintop welcomed me.
Looking back at the desolate place I came from, I return, where there is neither wind nor rain, neither sunshine nor gloom.
A poem by Su Shi, "Ding Feng Bo," is elegantly written on the paper.
Although he used a relatively soft sheep's hair brush, the traditional cursive script he wrote possessed a hidden strength and vigor. Whether thick or thin, coarse or fine, sparse or separated, it was unrestrained, bold, and grand.
Because of her background in art, her understanding of aesthetics makes her cursive script not only grand but also varied, elegant, and harmonious.
This has always been her habit: whenever she feels overwhelmed or has something she can't figure out, she will spread out paper and pen and write a poem to calm her troubled mind.
As I finished the last stroke and lifted the brush to place it on the inkstone, it unexpectedly rolled down, landing right on the characters I had just written. And just like that, the painting was ruined.
Frustrated, he crumpled the Xuan paper into a ball and threw it into the wastebasket, then turned and went outside to get some fresh air.
Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, I heard someone shout, "Don't push your luck! I, Liu Yunde, am not that kind of despicable person!"
Liu Yunde!? Wei Zijun was shocked. He wanted to kill Die Yun's men!?
[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 32, The Liu Family (Part 2)]
After calming down a bit, he casually strolled down and saw a fair-skinned man, about forty years old, sitting opposite the man in blue by the window.
Which of these two is Liu Yunde?!
“Brother Liu! Why be like this! We are birds of a feather!” said the pale-faced man.
“I am an upright man, only you are not a good person! I will not play along.” said the blue-clad man called Brother Liu.
So that's Liu Yunde!
After the pale-faced scholar left, Liu Yunde called the waiter to settle the bill.
Wei Zijun gave a signal to the waiter and then came up to pay the bill herself.
"Sir, that's four taels of silver in total!" Wei Zijun said to Liu Yunde with a smile.
"What?! Four taels?! I only ordered two dishes! Why is it so expensive?!" Liu Yunde exclaimed in surprise. He only had two taels of silver on him.
"Sir, our shop is specially opened for high-ranking officials and nobles. We use only the finest and rarest materials, and the craftsmanship is more meticulous than others. Even the cup we use to serve you tea is worth two taels of silver."
They actually wanted to kill her savior; if I don't kill him, who will I kill?
Liu Yunde blushed. Although he knew he was being ripped off, he didn't care. He casually reached into his sleeve and took out some silver. "I left in a hurry today, and I only brought two taels of silver with me. How about this, I'll pawn this jade pendant to you, and I'll come back to redeem it tomorrow." With that, he took off the snow-white and translucent jade pendant from the side of his clothes and handed it to Wei Zijun.
Upon seeing this man, Wei Zijun realized he wasn't a scoundrel. She thought it best to inquire about his address, so she smiled and said, "Sir, there's no need for that. Just tell us your address, and I'll send someone to pick it up tomorrow."
"I have no fixed abode, and you won't be able to find me, so be it." With that, he placed the jade pendant on the table and turned to leave.
Wei Zijun put away the jade pendant, turned around and followed him out.