Lucky Farmer Girl: I rely on metaphysics to support my family

Shi Lei went downstairs, while Tang Wan stood upstairs without moving, looking around and thinking about the renovation.

She wanted to provide facial treatments upstairs, just like she did in the northern desert, so she needed to partition the space into small private rooms for better privacy.

After all, those who can afford to come here for treatment are all from wealthy and influential families. Such people value privacy; otherwise, it would be inappropriate for them to be seen lying there by others.

Zhu Xi saw Shi Lei come downstairs, so she came up with the blueprints.

Zhu Xi came up with some questions she wanted to confirm with Tang Wan. She had originally planned to talk to her mistress when she got back that night, but she didn't expect her mistress to come to the shop. She could ask directly and make plans earlier.

Zhu Xi pointed to several places and asked questions, including the style of the stair railing and whether the partitions in the small rooms on the second floor should be screens or solid walls.

Tang Wan gave her opinion directly: the partition should naturally be made of stone wall, which would be more troublesome but would provide better privacy. As for the stair railing, Tang Wan also described what she wanted.

Finally, Tang Wan instructed, "Keep a close eye on things, make sure the quality and the schedule are right. If you run out of money, just let us know."

Zhu Xi agreed and escorted Tang Wan downstairs.

The sun was shining brightly when I stepped out of the shop.

Tang Wan and Er Ya hadn't walked far when they arrived at the teahouse called Tianxianglou, where her sister had gone.

This teahouse is considered one of the better ones in Beijing, but I haven't been there yet.

The teahouse has a simple and unadorned facade, but the second-floor window seats offer a view of half the street.

Tang Jing was sitting by the window, holding a cup of tea in her hands, with two plates of snacks in front of her.

When Tang Wan went up to the second floor, she saw the old woman who had come out with her sister. The old woman opened the door for Tang Wan, and Tang Wan went straight in, greeting her with a smile: "Sister."

As she spoke, she sat down opposite Tang Jing and even picked up the teapot to pour herself a cup of tea.

Tang Jing said reproachfully, "Why did it take so long? I've almost finished eating my snacks."

Tang Wan took a sip of tea, then picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and took a bite, saying, "I talked to Zhu Xi for a few more minutes."

She originally thought she would just say a few words to Shi Lei and then come to find her sister soon, but she ended up discussing the renovation with Zhu Xi for a long time, which took up a lot of her time.

So he changed the subject, saying, "The shop is progressing well, it should open in another month or so."

Tang Jing nodded, then looked out the window at the bustling street scene. She realized that she hadn't had a proper shopping trip in a long time, so she smiled and said, "It's a rare opportunity to come out, so let's have a good look around later."

Seeing her enthusiastic expression, Tang Wan put down her teacup and asked, "Where would you like to go, sister?"

"Let's go to the silk shop. I want to pick out some fabric to make clothes," Tang Jing said, getting up to call her maid to settle the bill.

The two sisters went downstairs and strolled slowly along the street.

There were many pedestrians on the street, and shop assistants on both sides were calling out to attract customers, creating a lively scene.

Tang Wan linked arms with her sister and walked beside her, occasionally whispering a few words of idle chatter.

Tang Jing pointed to the fabric hanging at the entrance of a silk shop and said the color was nice, so the two went into the shop.

When the shopkeeper saw two well-dressed young women arrive, he quickly came forward and brought out bolts of the newest silk fabrics for them to see.

Tang Jing was very careful in her selection, touching the texture of one piece, comparing the color of another, and asking Tang Wan for her opinion.

Tang Wan didn't care much about these things, but when her sister asked, she earnestly helped her look and choose.

In the end, Tang Jing picked out three pieces of fabric, and then insisted that Tang Wan also choose two pieces, saying, "My sister should also have some new clothes made."

Tang Wan didn't refuse and chose two pieces of fabric she liked. After leaving the silk shop, the two of them browsed the jewelry shop, and each of them chose a new style of beaded flower.

After leaving the jewelry shop, Tang Wan saw the bookstore. She originally intended to choose two books for leisure, but after looking for a while, she couldn't find any she liked.

Finally, Tang Wan chose a copy of "The Customs and Scenery of the Nine Provinces" and was about to pay when she caught a glimpse of someone entering the bookstore.

The man was wearing a moon-white long robe; it was none other than Wang Fu, whom we hadn't seen in a long time.

He was probably a regular here; he went straight to the bookshelves at the back as soon as he entered, without noticing the two sisters by the counter.

Tang Wan calmly withdrew her gaze, handed the silver to the shopkeeper, and said in a low voice to Tang Jing, "Sister, look over there."

Tang Jing was looking down at a book of poems in her hand when she heard this. She looked up and followed Tang Wan's gaze. In just one glance, her face turned red.

Wang Fu was standing in front of the bookshelf, looking focused, but it was unclear what book he was reading.

He looked thinner than when he was in the northern desert, but he appeared more composed, and his every move was more relaxed.

Tang Jing hurriedly lowered her head, almost dropping the poetry collection in her hand, and muttered to herself, "What's he doing here?"

Tang Wan smiled slightly as she looked at her sister's embarrassed state.

Instead of leaving, she put the calligraphy practice book she had casually picked up from the counter back on the shelf and picked up another one to browse through, killing time.

After a while, Wang Fu selected his books and turned to walk towards the counter.

This time, he saw them.

Wang Fu paused slightly, somewhat surprised to encounter these two people.

He walked to the counter, placed the book he was holding on the table, and bowed to Tang Wan and Tang Jing, saying, "Miss Tang, Miss Tang, it's been a long time."

Tang Wan returned the greeting and said generously, "Young Master Wang, what a coincidence. Are you also here to buy books?"

Wang Fu nodded slightly and said, "Yes. I often come to this bookstore to look for some obscure classics."

While Wang Fu was speaking, Tang Jing kept her head down, clutching the poetry collection in her hand. After composing herself, she bowed and said softly, "Young Master Wang."

She hadn't seen him for a long time, and when she saw him again, she was a little excited, but thankfully she didn't act rudely. However, she didn't know how to get closer to him.

Tang Wan knew what her older sister was thinking, and calmly took over the conversation, saying, "Sister was just saying that she wanted to find a collection of landscape poems from a previous dynasty, but the shopkeeper said he didn't have any. Young Master Wang comes here often, do you know which bookstore nearby has one?"

Wang Fu thought for a moment and replied, "There is a secondhand bookstore at the east end of the street. Although the storefront is inconspicuous, it has a rich collection of books, including landscape poetry collections from previous dynasties. If Miss Tang doesn't mind, I can..." take you there to find it.

Before Wang Fu could speak, he suddenly stopped talking, realizing that his words had been somewhat presumptuous.

Tang Wan smiled slightly and said, "Sister, why don't we have Young Master Wang write down the address for us, and then we can have our servants look for it?"

Tang Jing glanced quickly at Wang Fu, then lowered her eyes and softly hummed in agreement.

Wang Fu borrowed paper and pen from the shopkeeper, wrote a few lines, and handed them to Tang Wan, whom he knew better.

After all, she was his savior, and he had more dealings with her.

Tang Wan took the paper, glanced at it, thanked her, and then folded it up and handed it to Tang Jing.

Tang Jing took the paper, feeling somewhat excited.

In stark contrast to Tang Jing, Wang Fu paid the money, said goodbye, and left without any further pleasantries. (End of Chapter)