Chapter 209 2/3

Jin Xiaoye was already hungry, so she agreed immediately. Soon, her noodles were brought out.

The noodles were in a chicken broth and included meatballs, tofu skin, dried tofu sheets, wood ear mushrooms, and cabbage, not to mention chicken meat.

The rich ingredients made the noodles look very appetizing and were also warm and comforting to eat.

Jin Xiaoye and Zhang Zao quickly finished their noodles, drinking the broth clean. Meanwhile, Li Laogen was still eating slowly, proudly glancing around at others.

He had no other intention but to eat and show off!

Look at those staying in the regular rooms who could only have steamed buns and egg soup, and those in the common dormitories were eating dark, coarse pancakes… But he got to eat fine noodles, how wonderful!

He even asked the cook to add extra meatballs and a big piece of chicken breast for him!

Jin Xiaoye spoke in dialect, “Dad, this is the capital, not our Chongcheng County. I saw someone getting beaten today. Be careful when you talk to people, don’t offend anyone. If someone hits you, I can’t help.”

Li Laogen was shocked, “Even a scholar can be beaten?”

“In the capital, what’s a scholar? There are so many officials here, and even royal relatives!”

Li Laogen immediately shrank back, “I won’t talk recklessly.”

He had planned to show off after finishing his noodles, but now… he reconsidered.

Li Laogen silently sped up his eating.

Jin Xiaoye then went to find Madam Qian and told her about Fan Weiyan getting beaten up.

“He deserves it!” Madam Qian was in a good mood after hearing this.

Jin Xiaoye also thought he deserved it and covered her mouth, laughing.

When Li Qingzhi returned with Li Damao and Li Ermao, it was already mid-afternoon.

The distance from the dock to the capital was quite far, and even by carriage, it was slow.

However, while in the capital, he bought some meat pies and shared them with Li Damao, Li Ermao, and their companions, so they were not hungry.

Of course, even if he wasn’t hungry, he could still eat three big bowls of noodles.

Chang Zhan’s apprentices brought out three bowls of noodles. Li Damao and Li Ermao drank some soup and ate some toppings, leaving the rest for Li Qingzhi.

As he was eating, he saw Fan Weiyan returning with a bruised and swollen face.

After visiting the clinic, Fan Weiyan urged the officers to catch the man who beat him.

But he didn’t know the man, and neither did anyone at the scene, so the officers didn’t know who to arrest!

In other words, he took that beating for nothing!

Fan Weiyan couldn’t suppress his anger. Seeing Li Qingzhi, he wore a scowl.

It was bad enough this man took his room; his wife even watched him get beaten today!

Fan Weiyan glared fiercely at Li Qingzhi.

Li Qingzhi ignored him.

Yesterday, Fan Weiyan was too lazy to find another place to stay, so he stayed in a regular room at this inn, but today he was unwilling.

He had his servant pack up their luggage, and they moved to a different inn farther from the dock.

They originally planned to rest this morning and go into the city after lunch, but due to the beating, they had to postpone until tomorrow.

Back in their room, Li Qingzhi learned from Jin Xiaoye about Fan Weiyan’s beating. After listening, he said, “Someone must be deliberately causing him trouble.”

Fan Weiyan had just arrived in the capital and couldn’t have seduced that man’s wife, yet the man was convinced it was him, even attacking him knowing he was a scholar.

This seemed like someone was intentionally targeting Fan Weiyan.

As for why… Although his father Li Zhao was exonerated, Prince Jin still hated his father and might be taking it out on Fan Weiyan!

Li Qingzhi detested how Prince Jin used his power to oppress others, but this time… he hoped Prince Jin would continue to trouble Fan Weiyan.

After discussing Fan Weiyan, Jin Xiaoye began talking about how beautiful Shopkeeper Mu was.

Li Qingzhi responded with “uh-huh,” secretly sighing.

He should have realized earlier that Jin Xiaoye was a sucker for good looks!

The next day, Li Qingzhi hired two carriages to take his family into the capital.

Ordinary one-horse carriages were quite small, and to lighten the load, the carriages were typically simple and lightweight.

Of course, the kind of luxurious carriages pulled by several horses, like those used by princesses, could be as extravagant as one could imagine.

Li Qingzhi carried Li Damao and Li Ermao onto the carriage, then noticed that today’s carriage, like yesterday’s, had a thin floorboard and thin walls.

The carriage was also small, and with several people inside, it would be very cramped.

Seeing this, he put down the two children and said to Jin Xiaoye, “Xiaoye, I’ll walk.”

In addition to the carriages, Li Qingzhi hired over a dozen porters to carry their belongings.

They left the goods for Jin Ye Embroidery Workshop at the dock, but kept the glassware and soap with them, carried by the porters.

The carriages would move slowly, and the porters would follow behind… Since it was a slow pace, Li Qingzhi decided to walk.

Jin Xiaoye didn’t stop him and got into the carriage with Li Laogen and the three children. The other carriage carried Madam Qian and her two maids.

Madam Qian could barely walk now, and her seasick maids were also weak after spending over half a month on a boat.

The group slowly moved forward, taking an hour to reach the city gate. After entering the city, it took another hour to reach the house Li Qingzhi had scouted yesterday.

The steward of the Minister’s residence and the agent Li Qingzhi met yesterday were already waiting. Li Qingzhi paid a year’s rent and signed the contract, securing the courtyard house.

The courtyard wasn’t one of those huge residences with multiple sections but had a single courtyard with over ten rooms in total, enough for them.

Li Qingzhi made arrangements, planning to settle in first and gradually set up the place.

After a busy day, cooking themselves was too much trouble, so Li Qingzhi gave Zhang Zao some money to buy food. Madam Qian’s two maids were still weak, but they could handle simple tasks like boiling water, which Li Qingzhi assigned to them.

Zhang Zao returned with some buns and meat pies, and they made a soup at home. After eating, everyone lay down to sleep.

While Li Qingzhi and his family were comfortable, Lu Mingshan, who came to the capital to make a fortune with his young apprentice, missed Du Yongning.

Traveling to the capital with Du Yongning had been luxurious, with good food and drink every day.

But now in the capital…

Lu Mingshan had some silver, but after buying clothes, he had little left.

He was bad with money, and after treating his apprentice to a big meal, he had only one tael of silver left.

He needed to find a way to make money, or they would go hungry!

After being caught by Li Qingzhi and hearing his words, Lu Mingshan had many thoughts, like sending his apprentice to school to become a scholar.

That’s why he boarded Du Yongning’s boat.

But after a few days, those thoughts vanished, and he preferred his current lifestyle. Cheat a bit to get money, then spend it… How nice!

“Good apprentice, let’s gather some information and go big tomorrow!” Lu Mingshan patted his apprentice’s head.