Chapter Seventeen: Getting Ready to Go Shopping!
"Xiao Fei, are you done eating?" Yuan Jue pulled Ming Feng, who was happily drinking soy milk, away from the bowl. He pulled out a transparent blue silk handkerchief from somewhere and carefully wiped the soy milk off Ming Feng's small, pointed beak.
Feng Fei looked up and rolled her eyes at Yuan Jue. Didn't she see she was still eating? Hmm, the wontons at this stall are really good! Not only are the fillings generous, but even the broth is different from others, with a refreshing and delicious aroma. I'll come again next time!
Seeing Feng Fei eating so happily, Yuan Jue chuckled and let Feng Fei continue eating.
"Chirp chirp!" Mingfeng, who had been stopped from drinking more soy milk, expressed her strong dissatisfaction! Why could Fengfei continue eating, but she couldn't continue drinking? Just as Mingfeng was about to fly up to Yuanjue's head and cause a ruckus, Fengfei quickly grabbed Mingfeng, pulled her in front of him, and pushed her own portion of soy milk to Mingfeng: "Here, have some! Don't mess around!"
Seeing the soy milk placed in front of her, Mingfeng immediately obediently went over and started drinking. Fengfei chuckled and followed suit, lowering her head to continue eating, while Yuanjue sat leisurely to the side, glancing at Mingfeng who was drinking and singing happily, then at Fengfei who was eating happily, and then looking up at the street.
By this time, the crowd had gradually increased, and many stalls had been set up on the streets. Apart from some stalls run by women, the others were filled with shouts and calls from vendors. The atmosphere on the streets was gradually becoming more lively, and most people on the streets had smiles on their faces. It was clear that the loss of the country to the White Tiger Kingdom had not had much impact on ordinary people. Perhaps there was some fear at first, but now everyone seemed to have settled down.
Yuan Jue's eyes darkened for a moment, but then returned to normal.
Seeing that Fengfei had finished eating, Yuanjue called over the stall owner, paid the money, took Fengfei's hand with one hand, and lifted Mingfeng onto his shoulder with the other, and walked towards the small courtyard that "Uncle" had prepared for them.
After walking about two streets, we turned into a relatively quiet alley. The third house on the right was the small courtyard.
As they drew closer, Feng Fei suddenly felt a surge of excitement: this little courtyard would likely be where he lived for a considerable period of time, and he wondered what it would be like!
Feng Fei let go of Yuan Jue's hand, ran to the door, looked around, and then turned back to Yuan Jue with a charming smile: "Is this where we'll be living from now on?"
Seeing Yuan Jue nod, Feng Fei became even more excited. He pulled Ming Feng from Yuan Jue's shoulder and exclaimed, "Ming Feng, this will be our home from now on!" Home in this world! Feng Fei silently added in his heart.
"Chirp chirp!" Mingfeng chirped excitedly a few times as well.
Yuan Jue found everything before him very warm and cozy, and didn't want to disturb it. He coughed lightly, took out a bunch of keys from the pouch at his waist, carefully examined them before walking up to the somewhat old wooden door, inserting the key into the lock, and with a gentle turn, the lock opened with a "click".
Yuan Jue stood to the side, holding the lock, watching Feng Fei excitedly push the door open and enter. He simply followed slowly behind.
As the door opened, a blue stone screen wall came into view, carved with chrysanthemum designs, its delicate fragrance seemingly wafting through the air. In the upper right corner was engraved a poem, Tao Yuanming's "Drinking Wine": "I built my hut in the midst of human habitation, yet there is no noise of carriages and horses. You ask me how this can be? When the heart is far removed, the place naturally becomes secluded. Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I leisurely gaze at the Southern Mountains. The mountain air is beautiful at sunset, and the birds fly back together. Therein lies true meaning, but I have forgotten the words to express it."
Could it be that these four continents have some connection with the Celestial Dynasty? This thought swirled in Feng Fei's mind before being dismissed. At this moment, Feng Fei had already passed through the right side of the screen wall and immediately saw two apricot trees in full bloom. The bright red apricot blossoms seemed to stretch out of the courtyard wall, vying for the admiration of those outside.
Feng Fei looked to the right of the apricot tree and saw a door of moderate size hidden behind it, through which she could vaguely make out two rooms. Feng Fei stroked her chin; this must be the kitchen and the east room where the meals were served. Looking further north, she saw another gate without a door, slightly larger than the one behind the apricot tree; clearly, the main house lay beyond this gate. She wondered how many rooms there would be. On either side of the gate were clusters of vibrant chrysanthemums, but Feng Fei glanced at them and turned away; she didn't recognize them. Feng Fei wasn't one for affectation; she only knew chrysanthemums and apricot blossoms because of what she'd heard about them in her previous life.
Yuanjue's courtyard was a two-section courtyard with one entrance and one exit. The overall color scheme was cyan, which was quite different from the gold, yellow, red, and pink colors that were everywhere in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. Feng Fei walked curiously towards the main courtyard, while Yuanjue followed behind Feng Fei after locking the door, letting Feng Fei "inspect" everywhere.
Feng Fei strode into the courtyard of the main house and immediately gaped in astonishment: inside was another courtyard, not too big, not too small, filled with chrysanthemums—a sight that shouldn't be seen at this time of year—red, yellow, purple, pink, and green, blooming in every color imaginable. Feng Fei immediately sensed the unusual nature of the courtyard and looked around in surprise. Seeing Yuan Jue standing quietly behind her, she patted her still-developing chest, exhaled, and muttered to herself, "Phew! He got this courtyard; he should know what happened! Hmm!"
Having put aside her own thoughts, Feng Fei immediately regained her high spirits and led Ming Feng to see the rooms one by one. This was going to determine which room she would stay in! The first room they saw upon entering the courtyard was the main hall, usually used for gatherings, but they probably wouldn't have anyone there, right? To the right of the hall was the east room in the east courtyard, where meals were served, and to the west were three rooms.
Feng Fei looked at each room one by one, and finally decided to stay in the one closest to the main room after touching his chin: firstly, it had better lighting, and secondly, it was more convenient to come and go.
Fengfei happily opened the door and looked inside. The room was fully furnished, lacking only the bronze mirror ornaments on the dressing table, the tea set on the central table, and the bedding. After thinking for a moment, Fengfei went to another room to check, finding only the tea set and bedding missing. She then went to the kitchen and finally made a list, densely filled with all the items she needed to buy that afternoon.
Of course, it wasn't Feng Fei who wrote it; her handwriting was terrible, and she was afraid Yuan Jue would realize from her handwriting that she wasn't her predecessor—that would be disastrous! So, after much pleading, Yuan Jue wrote the document, and Feng Fei dictated it, resulting in this list. As for paper and pen, Feng Fei rolled her eyes again, because the moment she raised the question, Yuan Jue conjured them up in his right hand. Speechless!
"Phew! Finally done!" Feng Fei slumped onto the table like a dead dog. "What time is it now?"
Yuan Jue glanced out the window and said to Feng Fei, "It's almost noon. Let's rest a little longer, then go out for something to eat before buying these things." Yuan Jue waved the list in his hand, knowing that the beauty was breathtaking.
Feng Fei was momentarily dazzled by the sight. After a while, she finally came to her senses and returned to her room, muttering angrily, "What a devil! His smile is so alluring!"
Chapter 18, Hearing from the Drunken Wind Pavilion
Chapter Eighteen: Hearings from the Drunken Wind Pavilion
"Where are we going?" Feng Fei followed closely behind Yuan Jue. She was completely unfamiliar with Qingfeng Town and had already taken several turns. If she didn't keep up, she was afraid she would lose her way.
"Drunken Wind Pavilion." Yuan Jue's calm voice came from the front.
"Drunken Wind Pavilion? What kind of place is that? A place to eat?" Feng Fei looked at the sun and then patted his stomach. The wontons he ate in the morning had long been digested, and it was time for lunch.
Yuan Jue gave a soft "hmm" and then fell silent, ignoring Feng Fei's attempts to start a conversation. Finally, Feng Fei resignedly followed behind Yuan Jue, unaware of the slight smile playing on Yuan Jue's lips.
"We've arrived." Upon hearing Yuan Jue's voice, Feng Fei looked up and saw a large, gold-inlaid signboard with the three characters "Zui Feng Ge" (Drunken Wind Pavilion) written on it. These three elegant and flowing characters must have been the work of a master calligrapher.
Before anyone could even express their admiration, Yuan Jue had already entered the Drunken Wind Pavilion, and Feng Fei immediately followed him in.
Zuifeng Pavilion is the largest, most luxurious, and most prestigious restaurant in Qingfeng Town. Because of its proximity to Fengdu, it was an ideal place for passing officials and merchants to rest. The town's wealthier merchants would also choose Zuifeng Pavilion to entertain officials who could further boost their businesses, hence the pavilion's decor was all designed to exude luxury.
Zuifeng Pavilion has three floors. The first floor is mostly used by so-called talented scholars to compose poems and exchange verses. The second floor has private rooms and elegant seating. The third floor consists of only a large hall and a small kitchen. Ordinary people cannot enter the third floor; one must meet certain strange requirements to gain access. However, these requirements are never known to anyone, because whenever someone tries to go up, those who prepared for the previous strange requirements are usually disappointed to find that the requirements this time are different from before. As a result, fewer and fewer people request to go up to the third floor, but the reputation of Zuifeng Pavilion grows ever stronger.
Many talented scholars from Fengdu came to Qingfeng Town because of the reputation of Zuifeng Pavilion.
However, all of this was irrelevant to Feng Fei and Yuan Jue. Yuan Jue led Feng Fei directly to a seat by the window on the first floor of Zuifeng Pavilion, where a courteous servant brought a pot of tea to them.
"Gentlemen, what would you like to eat?"
Yuan Jue looked at Feng Fei, who then looked at the waiter and asked with some curiosity, "What good food do you have here?"
"Listen up, sir!" The waiter bowed and began to ramble on, "Spicy and numbing fish, eye-catching hot and cool shreds. Skewers of mouthwatering meat, slices of uniquely fragrant dishes. Sour, spicy, and sweet; rolled up, numbing and tingling. A pot of good tea with wine, three ounces of beef, five ounces of beans..."
"Stop!" Feng Fei was completely bewildered, having no idea what the waiter was talking about. He waved his hand weakly, "I don't understand your fancy language, just say it plainly!" The waiter didn't mind, chuckled, and continued, "Actually, our Zuifeng Pavilion's signature dish is 'Spicy and Fragrance Fish,' which is basically hot and sour fish, but it's definitely not something ordinary restaurants can compare to! Then there's 'Eye-Catching Hot and Cool Shredded Potatoes,' hehe, it's actually just red pepper and potato shreds, made with our chef's exclusive stir-frying method and ingredients, making it unique in Qingfeng Town! And then there's..."
The waiter introduced each dish to Feng Fei in the simplest terms. He showed no impatience or disdain for Feng Fei; what he despised were those pretentious scholars in the Drunken Wind Pavilion who, despite clearly not knowing what the dishes were, pretended to know and ordered them. When the dishes arrived, they looked utterly dumbfounded, and when it came time to pay the bill, they looked like they were in pain. It was truly disgusting.
Originally, the Drunken Wind Pavilion wasn't frequented by these charlatanic and image-conscious scholars, as this was the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, where women were the majority. However, ever since the White Tiger Kingdom conquered the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, many men from unknown countries have muddied the waters here, significantly lowering the Drunken Wind Pavilion's prestige.
"Let's order your signature dishes first!" Feng Fei glanced at Yuan Jue, who was broke. If he was broke too, would they dine and dash? After Yuan Jue nodded slightly, Feng Fei continued to the waiter, "And another soup, yours called... um, sour, spicy, fragrant, and sweet. And finally, a plate of peanuts!"
"Alright!" the waiter shouted before turning and leaving.
While waiting, Feng Fei, who was bored, suddenly heard people talking about "Vermilion Bird Kingdom" and "Tiger Guard Army". He immediately pricked up his ears and listened carefully.
"After Tingfengdu was occupied by the Tiger Guard Army, the imperial palace was converted into a temporary palace for the White Tiger Kingdom. I never imagined that my Vermilion Bird Kingdom had become so wretched."
"Shh! Are you out of your mind?! Ever since Fengdu was conquered by the White Tiger Kingdom, everyone in the country has been forbidden from being subjects of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom! If the people of the White Tiger Kingdom hear this, they'll be beheaded!"
The person who had spoken earlier shrank back, looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, leaned close to the second person's ear and whispered, "Tsk tsk, do you know? Not only was the palace converted into a temporary palace, but even those 'beauties' didn't get a good ending!"
The second person scoffed: "Them?"
"Those 'beauties' in the palace were all men. The people of the White Tiger Kingdom aren't all homosexual, so of course they'd kill them without mercy. But I heard only one survived." This person mysteriously approached the first person. "That person was called Ye Rong, a concubine of the late Emperor of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. Strangely enough, her appearance was quite ordinary, at most considered pretty, but for some reason, she was extremely favored by the late Emperor."
"I've heard of this person too! He seems to be only thirty years old, but he looks like he's in his early twenties. It seems he's being held captive at Meng Xi's residence in the White Tiger Kingdom..."
………………
Feng Fei couldn't hear what they said after that. It seemed that the two people talking were afraid of being overheard, and they lowered their voices as the conversation went on.
Feng Fei stared thoughtfully at the teacup on the table until the waiter brought the food up, at which point he snapped out of his reverie.
As the dishes were served, Feng Fei sighed softly. The sorrow, helplessness, and pain that slowly rose in her heart when she overheard the conversation between the two people were the last feelings left by her predecessor. Just as that emotion emerged, Feng Fei made a vow in her heart to the remnant soul of her predecessor to help her get rid of this humiliation, so that the Vermilion Bird Kingdom would still be the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, and that the Vermilion Bird Kingdom would no longer be subject to arbitrary invasion by other countries!
It was from this moment that Feng Fei's imperial heart began to take root and slowly sprout and grow!
"Xiao Fei, time to eat." Yuan Jue tapped Feng Fei on the head with his chopsticks, and only when Feng Fei pouted and looked at him did he calm down and pick up some food to eat.
"Wow! These dishes look a bit different!" Feng Fei was usually able to quickly adjust her emotions. When Yuan Jue's chopsticks struck her, she put her thoughts back down and her expression returned to normal. Yuan Jue didn't point it out and just continued eating.
Mingfeng jumped off Fengfei's shoulder and landed in front of the soup called "Sour, Spicy, Fragrant, and Sweet." She tilted her head, seemingly checking the taste. She gently pecked at the soup with her little mouth and seemed to find it quite good. Just as she was about to try it again, Fengfei grabbed her little tail and pulled her to the table. After tapping Mingfeng's little head, Fengfei asked the waiter for a small plate, poured some soup into it, and then released her from Mingfeng's grasp.
Mingfeng cried out joyfully and pounced on the small plate. She nearly knocked it over because of the force, causing Fengfei to burst into unrestrained laughter. Fortunately, no one could tell she was a woman at that moment, and Fengfei chuckled to herself.
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After thinking about it, I still think it's better to update another chapter~ The first chapter today was a bit short~~~ Please give me some recommendations and add it to your favorites in order to make an extra update~~~(*^__^*)……
Chapter Nineteen: The Tofu Beauty (Part One)
Chapter Nineteen: The Tofu Beauty (Part One)
Yuanjue took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and carefully wiped his mouth. Then he poured himself a pot of tea and looked out the window. Fengfei and Mingfeng, on the other hand, were eating heartily. Fengfei would occasionally put some food into Mingfeng's plate. The two of them were enjoying their meal very much.
In no time, all the food on the table was gone.
Fengfei picked up a peanut and tossed it into Mingfeng's mouth, then scooped up another and put it in his own mouth: "When are we going to buy things?"
Yuan Jue turned his head, his gaze lingering on Feng Fei's puffed-out cheeks for a moment before finally settling on her delicate, pink lips. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as he swallowed, and Yuan Jue turned his head away somewhat awkwardly, his voice a little dry: "It's always better to wait for you to finish eating first."
Upon hearing this, Feng Fei immediately grabbed a handful of peanuts and stuffed them into her mouth before slurring, "I've already finished eating!" If it weren't peanuts in her mouth, she would have definitely spat them out. Even if she hadn't spat them out, if anyone else had done this in front of Yuan Jue, he would have found it extremely vulgar. But since Feng Fei did it, he found it quite pleasing to the eye.
Is this what they mean by "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? What a wonderful feeling! After praising it in his heart, Yuan Jue said to Feng Fei in a light and indifferent tone, "Then let's settle the bill and leave!" He then waved to the waiter who was not far away.
"What are your orders, gentlemen?" It was the same waiter as before, who trotted up to Feng Fei and Yuan Jue's table and asked with a grin.
"Bill, please."
"Alright!" The waiter quickly ran back to the counter to check the bill, then returned to Yuan Jue and said angrily, "Sir, the total is twenty-three taels of silver. The manager said, 'These two officials are quite discerning, so let's just forget about the three taels! It's not a large sum, just a token of goodwill.' So, sir, you only need to scoop out five taels of silver."
Yuan Jue gave a soft "hmm," then opened the purse at his waist, took out twenty taels of silver, tossed it to the waiter, and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, shopkeeper." He then scooped out a piece of silver, about one tael in size, and tossed it to the waiter, "This is a reward for you."
The waiter happily accepted it, bowed to Yuan Jue, and then left.
Feng Fei propped her chin on her hand, tilted her head, and looked at Yuan Jue curiously: "How do you calculate the money?"
Yuan Jue patted Feng Fei's head and smiled, "One tael of silver can be exchanged for one string of cash, which is one thousand copper coins, but one string of cash cannot be exchanged for one tael of silver. One tael of gold can be exchanged for ten taels of silver, but ten taels of silver cannot be exchanged for one tael of gold. It takes about twelve taels of silver to exchange for one tael of gold. Why do you need to know all this?"
"It's nothing, I'm just curious. Besides, we'll be staying in Qingfeng Town for a while, and it would be boring if we always didn't know the value of firewood, rice, oil, and salt." Feng Fei shrugged slightly, indicating that he was just curious. "What can you buy with one tael of silver?"
Yuan Jue recalled his early life, a time of poverty. If he hadn't been so frugal, he probably would have died destitute long ago. "An ordinary family's annual expenses were about two to three taels of silver, but..."
Before he could finish speaking, Feng Fei interrupted him: "Heavens! So we've consumed almost ten years' worth of their resources in this short period? Goodness..." Feng Fei couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement; this was extravagant!
Feng Fei's eyes widened, her pink tongue sticking out and then quickly retracting. Her face was etched with wastefulness, and Yuan Jue couldn't help but laugh: "We don't lack this money. If you think it's wasteful, then after we buy the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, we'll open the kitchen and cook for ourselves!"
Feng Fei's face stiffened, and she awkwardly turned her head away: "I can't cook." She only said that one sentence, the other stuck in her throat: "I could blow up the kitchen..."
“Alright, then I’ll take care of the food!” Yuan Jue smiled faintly and accepted the task.