Chapter 208 1/3

Li Qingzhi and the others went into a shop that sold steamed buns. The buns were quite large, bigger than a strong man’s fist, and the outer dough was especially chewy…

Jin Xiaoye had a good appetite, but even she was full after eating just one.

Li Laogen had a small appetite and shared a bun with Zhao Xiaodou. Li Damao and Li Ermao did the same.

Even Mrs. Qian’s two maids shared one bun between them.

Mrs. Qian, who was pregnant, ate a whole bun. Zhang Zao and the others, although young, had the hearty appetite of growing boys and could eat a whole bun and still drink a big bowl of soybean milk.

Only Li Qingzhi… ate four buns by himself.

Everyone was used to this by now. Mrs. Qian even asked, “Ah Zhi, are you full? Do you want to buy two more?”

“Auntie, I’m full,” Li Qingzhi smiled at Mrs. Qian.

Both he and Jin Xiaoye had always called Mrs. Qian “Auntie.” After Jin Xiaoye formally acknowledged Mrs. Qian as her godmother, she continued to use the same term.

“Good, as long as you’re full. You’re too skinny,” Mrs. Qian said.

Li Qingzhi helplessly touched his face.

He wasn’t skinny anymore. He looked quite normal, and the appearance he had “tweaked” for himself was quite handsome.

He thought he looked pretty good now and that gaining more weight wouldn’t look good: “Auntie, I’m not skinny.”

Mrs. Qian said, “Your legs aren’t even as thick as mine.”

Li Qingzhi: “…” Mrs. Qian was naturally plump, and being pregnant had made her gain a bit more weight, so her legs were indeed thicker than his.

After they finished eating, Li Qingzhi and the others returned to the inn to rest.

The inn’s superior room wasn’t very luxurious; it was just more spacious than a regular room. For example, their room wasn’t crowded even after adding an extra bed. Additionally, there was a bathtub in the room, and the inn’s staff could bring water up for bathing.

But Li Qingzhi didn’t use it.

The bathtub had probably been used by many people and looked quite dirty… he would rather go without bathing for a few more days than use it.

Jin Xiaoye felt the same. After putting the two children to sleep, she simply wiped herself down as she had done before.

Lying on the bed, Jin Xiaoye talked about meeting Eunuch Lu’s subordinates with the caravan the next day: “Ah Qing, they say that Shopkeeper Mu is extremely beautiful. I wonder if that’s true.”

Jin Xiaoye had inquired about Lü Qingxi’s subordinates and knew that the leading Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper Mu, was said to be a stunning beauty.

She was quite curious about this person.

“It should be true.”

“They say she is Lü Qingxi’s woman… do you think that’s true?”

“It doesn’t concern us much.”

…

The next day, Li Qingzhi got up early.

While traveling, Jin Xiaoye didn’t dress up, but today was different.

She picked out an outfit made for her by Fang Jin, and after some thought, she also picked out a set of jewelry to wear.

Mrs. Qian had given Jin Xiaoye many pieces of jewelry, all very expensive, but Jin Xiaoye chose not to wear those.

She wore a set of jewelry made of glass.

The green glass was very bright and was set into her hairpins, necklace, and bracelet.

In modern times, glass jewelry wouldn’t be worth much, but in Da Qi… no one had seen glass before!

Naturally, Jin Xiaoye’s set of jewelry stood out.

After dressing, Jin Xiaoye didn’t put on any makeup, only applying some lipstick.

For some reason, her skin had become exceptionally fine, so she didn’t think she needed any powder.

All dressed up, Jin Xiaoye looked at Li Qingzhi: “Ah Qing, do I look okay?”

“Of course, you look beautiful,” Li Qingzhi smiled, picking out a nice set of clothes for himself as well.

Clothes make the man. Since he was going out to rent a house today, he should dress nicely too.

When Li Qingzhi and the others got up, Fan Weiyan and the other two scholars were already up.

They had been exhausted from the boat trip and had gone straight to sleep after checking in the day before, so they were up early today.

The three of them went downstairs and asked the innkeeper to bring them hot water and some food.

The inn didn’t have much to offer, just porridge, steamed buns, and eggs. They found this unsatisfactory and sent their servants to buy better food elsewhere.

While waiting for their servants to return, they chatted about Li Qingzhi.

Fan Weiyan said, “He asked for a superior room to show off. Judging by his clothes, he’s just a poor scholar.”

The other two scholars didn’t quite agree, but since Fan Weiyan had said so… they nodded in agreement.

“The women with him, the pregnant one looks older, and the other one is so dark. It’s really shameful to take them out in public,” Fan Weiyan said in a low voice, referring to Jin Xiaoye and Mrs. Qian.

The two scholars felt a bit awkward.

They were also dissatisfied with Li Qingzhi for not giving up his room, but speaking ill of someone’s womenfolk was too much for them.

Fan Weiyan really… If it weren’t for his father-in-law’s recent rehabilitation, no one would want to associate with him!

Unaware of their thoughts, Fan Weiyan continued to vent his dissatisfaction: “Those women don’t wear any jewelry, they must be poor…”

At that moment, Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye came downstairs.

Jin Xiaoye’s hair was done up by Li Qingzhi in a newly popular southern style, which was still rarely seen in the north, adorned with several pieces of jewelry.

She also wore earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet.

The gems in her jewelry were all of one color, crystal clear, and obviously valuable.

Fan Weiyan’s voice caught in his throat.

The two scholars beside him felt a sense of vindication.

Anyone who could bring their whole family to the capital surely wasn’t poor!

Jin Xiaoye didn’t hear what Fan Weiyan had said earlier, but Li Qingzhi, with his sharp ears, heard every word. He glanced at Fan Weiyan and sat down with the also newly-dressed Li Damao and Li Ermao.

As soon as he sat down, Chang Zhan’s two apprentices brought out the food prepared for Li Qingzhi.

Chang Zhan’s two apprentices were picked from the elementary school in Chongcheng, just like Zhang Zao. They were young boys around thirteen or fourteen.

They had been learning from Chang Zhan for over half a year. While they weren’t master chefs yet, they were competent at making basic dishes.

Often, the quality of a dish depended heavily on the seasoning. Chang Zhan had prepared various seasonings for them and taught them how to use them…

Naturally, the dishes they made were very fragrant!

The inn’s food was quite basic, but guests could pay a fee to use the kitchen. These two boys had been up early, working for half an hour to make a spread of delicious dishes.

In the winter, fresh ingredients were scarce. They made preserved egg and lean meat porridge, stir-fried pork, steamed cabbage hearts with ham, and scrambled eggs with green onions. They also prepared a dish of minced meat and egg sauce and toasted the buns.

Toasted buns dipped in sauce, along with preserved egg and lean meat porridge, were exceptionally tasty!

Having eaten poorly on the boat, Fan Weiyan and his companions couldn’t help but salivate at the sight of this meal. Just then, their servants returned with only buns and deep-fried dough sticks.

“Why didn’t you think to rent the kitchen and cook us a proper meal?” Fan Weiyan complained.

The servants bowed their heads in apology but were inwardly frustrated—they weren’t cooks!

Jin Xiaoye, eager to meet Wu Baichuan and the others, quickly finished her meal and informed Li Qingzhi before leaving with Zhang Zao.

Li Qingzhi and Mrs. Qian, however, leisurely finished their meal.

By that time, the carriage Wu Baichuan had arranged for Li Qingzhi had arrived. Wu Baichuan had also found a local familiar with the capital to accompany them.