Chapter 17

Apart from Hao Cheng, those who had dismounted from the caravan were also covered in dust, and the hot tempered ones among them immediately began cursing, with phrases like ^[1]“your dad” (你爹) and “your uncle” (你舅爷爷) are colloquial exclamations used to express anger or frustration. They are part of a rough, informal way of cursing, … Continue reading”your dad” and “your uncle.”

However, despite receiving more than twenty years of education, and being a scholar, Hao Cheng didn’t curse back. Instead, she just gave them a middle finger behind their backs and silently cursed them in her heart.

After all, this feeling was like when she went happily to report to the university campus in her previous life, only to be splashed with mud by a passing car, ruining her mood.

When she give them a middle finger, the group on horseback heard the cursing and turned their heads to look at them. They were all young noblewomen dressed in luxurious clothes, and one particularly handsome one happened to meet Hao Cheng’s eyes.

Although people in this world didn’t understand the meaning of her gesture, Hao Cheng still quietly withdrew her middle finger. Originally, one of the noblewomen wanted to cause trouble, but the exceptionally handsome noblewoman said, “Don’t bother with these country bumpkins.” Her horse, with its snowy mane, snorted arrogantly and trotted away.

The other noblewomen, seemingly led by her, also left when they saw her leaving, shouting, “Wait for me!” as they rode off.

The caravan followed suit, leaving Hao Cheng, who only relied on her own two feet, behind. Hao Cheng took a deep breath, cursed silently in her heart, and felt a bit better before entering the city with her small package.

She found an inn that wasn’t too expensive but still clean and tidy, intending to freshen up and change out of her dusty old coat.

Hao Cheng was somewhat fated with the caravan. The caravan had arrived early, and by the time she entered, they had already settled in. The stout middle-aged woman leading them was called Wang Xin. When Hao Cheng arrived, they had already unpacked and were drinking and eating on the first floor.

Seeing the innkeeper lead the equally dusty Hao Cheng upstairs, a thin-eyed, sneering waiter said, “Although this inn isn’t the best, it’s not something just anyone can afford.”

Wang Xin was straightforward and had a bad temper. She was not fond of dealing with scholarly types who were full of themselves, and she especially despised those scholars who acted high and mighty but were actually poor.

Although Hao Cheng didn’t look like a scholar, compared to the muscular, dark-skinned women around Wang Xin, she was just a powerless white-faced scholar. And although this inn wasn’t top-notch in Mingzhou, it still cost twelve taels of silver to stay for a month, or half a tael for just one day. Hao Cheng didn’t look wealthy, so the waiter couldn’t help but comment.

Wang Xin wasn’t malicious; she had taken care of Hao Cheng along the way. It was just her sharp tongue. The people around her pulled her, indicating that she should stop talking, but Hao Cheng ignored her and handed over the silver before following the waiter upstairs.

The inn was bustling with people coming and going, representing all walks of life. Hao Cheng chose to stay at the inn for a month as a newcomer rather than renting a house, in order to better familiarize herself with the local environment, find suitable means of livelihood as soon as possible, and integrate into life in Mingzhou more quickly.

After bathing and changing her dirty clothes, Hao Cheng went downstairs and had the waiter bring her two plates of side dishes and a large bowl of white rice porridge. She ate slowly, listening to the conversations of the people around her.

The guests coming and going were just talking about what they had seen on the road and the characteristic foods of Mingzhou, as well as some interesting places. After listening, Hao Cheng quietly noted down useful information in her mind.

There were people in the east of the city looking to rent houses, so Hao Cheng planned to go check it out when she rested enough tomorrow.

There was a vendor selling rice cakes in the city, which were delicious and fragrant. Hao Cheng also made a mental note of it, planning to visit the place and try the food. Generally, cities like Mingzhou had food streets where she could find fresh food and try her luck at making money.

She ate slowly, but after listening to idle talk for so long, the food in front of her was almost gone. Hao Cheng yawned and was about to go upstairs to rest when there was a commotion outside because it started raining. And because it was evening, people came into the inn to take shelter from the rain.

There wasn’t anything particularly exciting about this, but the people who came in were a group of elegantly dressed noblewomen who wouldn’t usually go in such relatively cheap inns.

The waiter and the innkeeper warmly greeted the distinguished guests, but the noblewomen all showed disdain on their faces. Their verbal expressions of dissatisfaction also aroused the annoyance of the other guests in the inn.

Hao Cheng curiously glanced over and saw the exceptionally handsome noblewoman she had encountered at the city gate earlier. She couldn’t help but lower her face when she heard the commotion, and someone restrained their companion from standing up and causing trouble, whispering, “Don’t make a scene. We’re outsiders. Didn’t you see that person with the red cloak? That’s the young master of the city lord’s family.”

Only then did Hao Cheng realize that the particularly handsome noblewoman was actually a young, handsome man. It was unclear who had slandered the young master of the city lord’s family, but it was just idle gossip about a man not keeping his marital vows and casually wandering around.

People with loose lips were inevitably meant to be made an example of. The sound of a whip cracking suddenly rang out, silencing the lively inn.

Although the young master of the city lord’s family was young, his martial skills were not bad. When the whip landed on the person, it was pulled back with a twist, and it landed directly on the wooden table nearby.

Hao Cheng looked at the table in front of her, which had been split in half by the whip, and her face cracked along with it.