Chapter 235: The Scent of a Dress by the Golden River
Chapter 235: The Scent of a Dress by the Golden River
Thirteenth day, moonlit night.
Thousands of star lights illuminate both banks, and a stone bridge stands in the middle of the water.
Every evening, Liujin River is the most popular place for young men and women in the city.
The lights are dim and the corner of the bridge casts a layer of charming soft light on everything. Many secret and surreptitious thoughts quietly grow between the wide sleeves and the green skirts, just like the river passing through the archway, silent but indestructible.
"Jinling sent a fan to Shuangzhai, with an inscription written by the banquet master. Friends passing by, whether you want to buy it or not, come and have a look..."
"A jade hairpin and jade ring, you can give it to your sweetheart!"
"Guest, please look at this..."
A man in a black robe and a bamboo hat sat alone on the pier in the middle of the stone bridge. The golden river illuminated by the full moon light passed silently under his feet, seemingly having nothing to do with the hustle and bustle of fireworks on both sides of the river.
It's a very cold night!
A late-returning black boat came upstream from downstream. The rower was an old man in a straw raincoat, with a snow-white beard and a wrinkled face. Every time he pushed the oars, the veins on his skinny arms bulged.
"It's hard to imagine that an old man who is not a warrior can still be so strong. The potential of the human body is really endless."
When he was still four or five feet away from the archway, he waved to the boatman.
The old man looked up and asked loudly, "Do you want to use the boat, sir?"
Zhang Yu nodded, then jumped down, his toes stepping on the water, creating ripples. After three steps, he landed steadily on the bow of the boat. The bamboo hat on his head did not move at all. With the help of the old lantern at the end of the boat, he could see that the river water had only slightly wet the soles of his boots.
"The guest has great kung fu skills!"
The old man rowing the boat has lived for more than sixty years and has seen many extraordinary people. Even if the river god climbed onto the boat from the bottom of the water and asked him to drink, he would not be surprised. He has no money and has done nothing wrong. Who would make things difficult for an old man rowing a boat?
"Where are you going, sir?"
"There's a wonton shop up the east coast."
"Liu's Wonton Shop?"
Zhang Yu nodded.
"okay."
It's less than two miles, and the boat fare is a few copper coins, but after all, it's on the way, so I'll just spend the money on the day, so naturally no one will think it's too little.
Zhang Yu stood at the bow, his black robe blown up by the wind, revealing the sword at his waist.
In less than half a minute, the old man turned the boat around and moved towards the river bank.
"You have collected the boat fare."
The old man in the straw raincoat hurriedly let go of the oar and wiped his muddy hands on his collar. Just as he was about to take it, the other party became impatient and loosened his hand. The boat fare fell on the dim deck with a "ding-dong-dong" sound.
"This young man is too impatient."
The guest went ashore and disappeared among the people coming and going on the shore.
The old man took down the lantern on the bow, and when he shone it, he was shocked to see dozens of dimes of silver scattered all over the cabin. Collected together, there were at least ten taels of silver. He quickly extinguished the lantern and pushed the oars with all his might.
"The river god has appeared! The river god has appeared!"
"Just save for another two years, save for another two years, and that will be enough money for my grandson to marry a wife..."
The old man in the straw raincoat was secretly happy, but suddenly he was stunned. He felt that the guest seemed familiar and had taken his boat a few years ago. He didn't want to think about it anymore, and the smile on his face became smooth again.
Times have changed. A few years ago, he was unable to save enough money to attend a private school. His grandson now carries heavy bags at the dock, and his hands, which do not match his actual age, are probably no longer able to hold a pen.
But life is like this golden river, rushing from one station to another. The past is a foregone conclusion, but the future is still promising.
……
On the east bank of Liujin River, the sign of 'Liu's Wonton' fluttered in the night wind, with four lanterns hung high. Of the original three generations of a family, only two figures were left, busying themselves in front of the stove. The chubby little girl tried hard to maintain the stove, but was always a step too slow.
"Is it cooked?"
"Are the wontons you sell copper or iron?"
"It can't be human meat wontons, right?"
"Then when you eat it later, you must take a close look to see if there are any hair or nails in it, hahahaha..."
When Zhang Yu arrived, there were already four tables of guests seated here. Among them, there were people at two tables dressed alike, wearing red shirts and carrying swords. Coincidentally, they were the disciples of Songshan Sect who came out for a midnight snack.
"A bowl of wontons."
"Please take a seat, my dear. I will wait for a moment."
As the chubby little girl spoke, she was using a strainer to scoop out the cooked wontons from the boiling water, placing twelve wontons in each bowl, sprinkling the ingredients on them, pouring broth on them, and serving them to the two tables of guests. She was very efficient and the old woman could only help her.
He found a small table outside and sat down, with eight Songshan School disciples sitting next to him.
A cool breeze blew at night, and a few dark clouds covered the full moon. It looked like it was going to rain.
Pedestrians are in a hurry.
"Sir, you haven't paid yet."
The disciples of Songshan School finished their wontons and stood up to leave.
A little girl of about thirteen or fourteen, with a determined look in her eyes, stood in front of this group of ferocious men.
They were used to this in Dengfeng City. When it came to the year-end accounting, the shopkeepers were sensible and no one dared to come to Chongfu Hall to find Zuo Lengchan with the account books at the end of the year.
Maybe there were some in the early years, but there are so many ravines and valleys in Songshan Mountain that there must be a dangerous place where they could slip and fall.
The Songshan Sect is rich, but the Left Sect Leader will not spend his money on swords.
Without realizing it, I ended up bringing out the good habits at home.
The money for eight bowls of wontons is not much, so just pay it.
The leading senior brother from the Songshan Sect felt that it was a bit embarrassing to be stopped in public.
"Pay? Little girl, do you know who we are?"
"No matter who you are, you have to pay for your food."
The long-faced man said proudly: "Listen carefully, we are from the Songshan School!"
"Songshan Sect?"
"Exactly!"
The long-faced man thought he had scared the other person.
The little girl shook her head: "I don't know."
The Liu family's wonton business is doing well. In addition to the ancestral craftsmanship, it is also because the ingredients are sufficient and fresh. For the grandparents and grandchildren, the profit from each bowl is meager, but the cost is not low. If they cannot make back the money from these eight bowls, at least several days of work will have been in vain.
The long-faced man's expression darkened: "Don't you know him? After tomorrow, this Pingyang City will be under the jurisdiction of the Songshan Sect."
A disciple of Songshan Sect said, "The rivers and lakes of Pingyang are all under the jurisdiction of Songshan Sect. You are setting up a stall here to do business, so you should pay us money."
They were not necessarily reluctant to pay for eight bowls of wontons, but they were angry that the prestige of the Songshan School seemed to be not respected at all in this city.
In Dengfeng, as long as the name of the Songshan School was announced, the restaurants, brothels, and shops in the city would rush to pay tribute, not to mention a small place like Pingyang Prefecture.
Zhang Yu finished the last mouthful of soup, stood up and walked between the two sides, took out a dime of silver, put it on the table, and looked at the little girl who was about to cry out of anxiety.
"Young shopkeeper, I will pay for these Songshan Sect heroes."
The little girl was stunned. She looked up at the handsome face under the bamboo hat, then looked at the silver, and immediately wiped away the crystal tears in her eyes.
The long-faced man sneered, seemingly not appreciating it, and glanced at the man in the bamboo hat.
"Who are you? Are you asked to pay? Are you mocking us Songshan Sect for not being able to afford a few bowls of wontons?"
Zhang Yu chuckled and said, "Brother, you have misunderstood. How could they know the reputation of Songshan Sect? I have been in the martial arts world for a long time, and I have heard of the name of the Five Mountains Sword Sect. It is an honor to be able to meet with several brothers from Songshan Sect."
The long-faced man nodded slightly, and these words gave them enough face.
"You are a sensible person, so I'll give you this opportunity?"
"However, my two senior brothers and twenty fellow disciples have not had their midnight snack yet, you see..."
"That's not difficult. I'll treat you. Little shopkeeper, please find some food boxes from the vendors you know nearby, along with the bowls and chopsticks. I'll give them to you for the extra money."
Zhang Yu smiled and took out another ingot of silver from his sleeve.
The long-faced Songshan disciple was satisfied. He patted Zhang Yu on the shoulder and praised him for his ability to get things done. He said that he would have a good friend like him in the Songshan sect in the future.
Dark clouds covered the moon.
A drizzle of rain was floating in the sky.
Eight disciples of the Songshan School were walking on the long street, carrying food boxes.
The long-faced man suddenly turned around and saw the shadows of the trees swaying behind him, but there was no suspicious person.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
The long-faced man withdrew his gaze.
"Nothing, I guess I'm overthinking it. I always feel like someone is following me..."
(End of this chapter)