hotmtlnovel Page 95
Page 95
"No, I mean, the gold bean they paid for breaking the table last time is enough to cover their expenses for a few more days."
“There are still two left.” Qiu Ying opened the lower drawer and showed them to him. “That young lady gave Yue Lan one last night, and this morning when Yue Lan helped her hold an umbrella, she gave her another one.”
“If she stays for another ten days, we will have no worries about taxes this year, and we won’t even have to worry about the New Year.”
Fu Hai said, "Isn't what we saved up before, plus the income from this Lantern Festival, enough?"
"I've settled all the income from the past few days!" Qiu Ying showed him the ledger. "We're still short a hundred taels of silver to pay the taxes at the end of the year, although for that young lady, it's just a matter of a few gold coins."
She said, "There's nothing we can do. Business was so slow for the first few months that it was a complete waste of what should have been the busiest summer."
Fu Hai sighed, "One hundred taels? That's a bit difficult. There aren't many customers in the summer, and it gets colder and colder as the season goes on, until the mountains are blocked by heavy snow in winter..."
As they were talking, a magnificent carriage drove in from the city gate and stopped in front of the inn.
It was the carriage of the Painting Immortal Pavilion, naturally carrying Miss Xianrui back from the city.
Chapter 177 A Physique That Attracts Strange Women?
Fu Hai picked up an oil-paper umbrella from the counter, ran over, and held the umbrella for the young lady who was bending down to come out.
Li Xianrui glanced at him, and the two looked at each other and smiled.
With an oil-paper umbrella held up under the curtain of rain hanging from the eaves, Li Xianrui lifted her skirt, lightly leaped across the puddles on the ground, landed on the single-level stone steps of the main hall, and stepped inside.
"You've suddenly become so quiet here." She looked around. "There were a few people here this morning, how come all of this is empty?"
“Since the canal opened, everyone has been heading that way,” Fu Hai said. “The official road here is basically abandoned. These past few days, everyone who’s been staying here has come to see the lanterns, so naturally, they’ve already covered the whole road.”
Seeing that Sister Qiu Ying got up and took the oil-paper umbrella, he said, "Sister Qiu Ying, you rest, I'll go."
He turned around, opened his umbrella, and went out to the side courtyard to help park the carriage of the Painting Immortal Pavilion.
Li Xianrui looked back at his retreating figure in the rain with some surprise. As the owner, it was normal for him to order the waiters around.
Even though he was right there, he didn't feel ashamed and personally did the chores that most people would look down on. Some of Fu Lang's thoughts seemed quite different from those of ordinary people.
She looked at the waiter in the light blue skirt and said, "I see that your boss and his two junior sisters seem to be at the eighth level of cultivation. The eighth level of cultivation is not weak in the martial arts world, so why do you still personally run this inn?"
Qiu Ying said, "When we opened a martial arts school here before, no one came because there were no martial arts to teach. It was only after it was converted into an inn a few years ago that we were able to pay the tax for the sect's quota."
"Although the master and the two young ladies have improved their martial arts skills a lot recently, they are not martial artists after all. Miss Yuelan wants to join the chivalrous path, but the master is worried and will not allow her to go. The master wants to try joining the public service, but the two young ladies think it is dangerous and will not agree."
Li Xianrui said softly, "I see." That's understandable.
In an ordinary county, someone at the eighth level of martial arts is strong enough to be a fast horseman, but ultimately, for a low-level martial artist to enter the martial world, even if they are a government official, is to live a life of constant danger.
Running an inn is, after all, a business. Inns have always been considered neutral places, so there's no need to worry about getting involved in all sorts of martial arts battles.
She looked out at the wind and rain, pondering how to tell her sect about this matter and then ask Fu Lang to come to Yucheng Mountain next year to propose marriage.
The difference in status between Yucheng Mountain and Xiaodiancang Mountain in the martial arts world is too great; initially, most sects would not agree. Perhaps they could have Fu Lang marry into the family? But Fu Lang, a dignified man, would certainly not be willing to become a live-in son-in-law.
For a moment, I was also troubled.
Fu Hai helped park the carriage in the side yard, untied the horse, led it into the stable, and then put food into the manger.
Then he returned to the lobby, only to find that Sister Xianrui was still there and was chatting with Sister Qiuying.
Upon seeing him return, Li Xianrui stood up, nodded slightly, and went upstairs.
"Sister Qiu Ying," Fu Hai asked curiously, "what did you two talk about?"
“We didn’t talk about much!” Qiu Ying said. “We just talked about the situation in the mountains. It seems that the young lady is quite interested.”
Approaching the employer, he looked outside with the employer and asked, "Employer, have you decided what to do next?"
"Let's keep the inn open for now. After all, it's getting cold and rainy, and we can't switch to another business."
Fu Hai opened his attribute panel and looked at his skills. Martial arts skills are useless if you don't roam the martial world, but once you're in the martial world, you'll never have enough.
In addition, there are "Jade Maiden Painting Sutra" and "Blue Sea Tide Song", as well as "Qin Skill (Medium Grade)" which is given as a gift with "Blue Sea Tide Song".
How about I switch careers and become a musician to make money? My mid-level qin skills should be pretty impressive in a county town like this, right?
Looking around, he asked, "Where's Yue Lan? I haven't seen her on the mountain, and I haven't seen her here either?"
Qiu Ying said, "They're upstairs in the main room, playing mahjong with the three young ladies from Huaxian Pavilion. Anyway, there's nothing else to do here, so Mr. and Mrs. Fu should go back and check if the doors and windows are closed properly and if there's anything they need to put away."
"Who would have thought it would rain today? Everything was fine yesterday!"
Fu Hai said, "I see."
Click on the "Spy" window of Butterfly Girl to see where she is, and you can talk to her about Xiaoye.
As it turned out, the Butterfly Heroine was not in the city, but outside the West Gate. The sudden downpour caused trouble for some tourists, and some vehicles, boats, and vendors took the opportunity to bargain. They had no choice but to rush over to deal with the situation.
"They didn't gamble, did they?" He looked up again, still worried. "Yucheng Mountain has thousands of acres of fertile land, and even the maids there get more than an ounce of pocket money a month. What if she loses all her money and sells herself off?"
Qiu Ying said, "No! The master manages things well. Neither of the young ladies dares to get involved in gambling or drugs."
Fu Hai said, "It seems like something's missing?"
Qiu Ying turned back to the counter and said, "Even the owner himself can't do that anymore."
"I... I can do it, can't I?" Fu Hai said a little guiltyly. "I never go to brothels or red-light districts."
"The owner really does have a knack for attracting strange women!" Qiu Ying sat down behind the counter. "White bones, demon cats... I don't know why, but last night at the inn, that cat was meowing really loudly, like it was in heat..."
"I...I'm going to do some work in the backyard." Fu Hai slunk away to the backyard.
Actually, there wasn't much to do in the backyard. The Fu family elders and Yue Lan had already done what needed to be done.
I did a few things here and there, and I also took out an umbrella and threw away some kitchen waste and garbage through the side door.
Holding an umbrella, I glanced into the distance. The official road was deserted in the rain, and the mountains stretched to the west.
Turning around to return to the inn, he looked up and saw Li Xianrui standing on the balcony of Room 2, the highest room, looking at him.
He held the umbrella in one hand and waved with the other.
Entering the backyard through the side gate, I suddenly saw a red umbrella swirling on the eaves of the flat-roofed house.
Sister Xianrui also held an umbrella and floated down from the balcony, using her light-footed skills to float over in the rain, landing beside him.
"Sister Xianrui, it's raining, why are you coming down this way?"
Although Li Xianrui possessed superb lightness skills, the rain was even heavier, and as she fell, her skirt fluttered, inevitably getting soaked.
Fu Hai then took her hand and led her around the bungalows in the backyard to the eaves of the courtyard house.
“Your inn occupies quite a lot of land,” Li Xianrui said. “There’s also such a large area in the back.”
"It was supposed to be a martial arts school!" Fu Hai put away his umbrella and led her to his room. "Sister Xianrui, would you like some tea? I'll make some, but I don't have any particularly good tea."
Li Xianrui said, "It's alright, just make some tea and chat."
Fu Hai then went to fetch the tea stove and brewed tea and chatted in the room.
Chapter 178 Sister Xianrui, what party are you in?
Fu Hai took out the tea leaves and boiled water to brew the tea.
The clear tea was poured into the teacup in front of Li Xianrui.
Li Xianrui took a small sip and asked in surprise, "Although this tea isn't top-grade, it's still quite special. Where is this tea from?"
Fu Hai said, "Actually, it's just a few tea trees in the mountains that we grow ourselves. We pick and process the tea ourselves. Because we do it ourselves, it's a little different from what we get outside."
“This method has its own unique charm,” Li Xianrui said. “And unlike other people who like to add random things when brewing tea, which makes the tea lose its aroma in the end.”
Fu Hai laughed and said, "Actually, this is the only way I know how to make it; it's simple."
After all, in the world he came from, the so-called "brewing tea" was no longer popular.
He said, "Sister Xianrui went to the government office this morning and met with that old Mr. Zhao?"
"Although he deserved his punishment, the wrongful imprisonment decades ago cannot be left unresolved."
Li Xianrui held a small teacup and looked out the window. "I just told him that I would investigate the matter from back then and that if those people who died in prison were truly innocent, I would definitely give them justice."
"And any outer disciples who participated in those events back then, if any are still alive, will certainly not be let off easily."
She sighed softly and said, "Actually, I know that the truth is probably true. Those innocent people are still being buried in mass graves as rioters, nameless and without tombstones, and many of their children have been reduced to lowly status because of it."
"If I didn't know, that would be fine, but now that I do know, I can't just ignore it."
Fu Hai nodded.
Given her status in Yucheng Mountain, as long as she pays attention to this matter, she will naturally be able to find out the truth and clear the names of those innocent people.
Then she asked in a low voice, "Did Sister Xianrui also go to Baoshuzhai?"
Li Xianrui raised her slender hand and rubbed her temples: "Sigh! That Lady Langyue is really tight-lipped. No matter how I try to use the power of Yucheng Mountain to pressure her, she just won't say anything."
"Well, this is just her professional ethics, and there's nothing I can really do to her."
Fu Hai breathed a sigh of relief... That's right, other people's wives also value their integrity, how could they just reveal things casually?
Li Xianrui added, "By the way, when we went to see the play last night, wasn't there a fighting arena across the street?"
Fu Hai whispered, "Is it that 'kitchen knife party/mom party' competition?"
“It’s the Snow Vegetable Party and the Touma Party,” Li Xianrui said. “There were many young girls over there, arguing noisily and almost coming to blows. Later, a talented woman from your An County, or Cen Qiong… You should know Cen Qiong, right?”
"A seventh-level martial artist is quite famous in your An County. Our Jade City Mountain pays attention to famous martial artists in various counties and prefectures. This person and that heroine Murong Die are both well-known figures in An County."
"However, she was not a chivalrous person, but a talented woman who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
Fu Hai said, "I know her. She's the older sister of one of my classmates at the academy."
I've met Cen Yao's older sister several times before.
Cen Yao is actually quite pretty, and she is a prized disciple of the Wind Dance Hall.
But most people only know her as "Miss Cen the Second", because there is a more famous "Miss Cen the Eldest" in An County.
"She couldn't stand it anymore, so she suggested that we just close off the venue, and everyone could choose between Setsuna and Touma. The loser would be kicked out."
Li Xianrui said, "I also heard about this in the city this morning. I heard that the Touma Party won two votes, and the Setsuna Party accepted their loss and all left. It became a celebration for the Touma Party there."