My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 27 Ronghua Pavilion

The two horses rode side by side, a little slower than when they went back to Baihua Valley. Along the way, Li Bailong chatted with his junior sister about some stories in the martial arts world and also listened to some anecdotes about the capital from her.

The conversation was enjoyable.

Judging from Mu Qingge's eyes, body movements and tone, his favorability has increased from 60 to 72, and his character evaluation has roughly become "a good senior brother who is humorous, considerate, reliable and trustworthy."

But don't get me wrong, although Li Bailong was born in a sect like Baihua Valley, he himself is not a romantic sea king who travels among flowers, has experienced many battles, and is good at speaking.

After all, with Ao Bao, an extremely misogynistic Guo Nan, by his side, and being constantly bullied by Second Uncle, a chaotic, evil loser, he hardly has a chance to exercise, you know.

The reason why he was able to quickly win Mu Qingge's favor through words in a short period of time was because he was using a new and flexible communication skill between the sexes, the principle of which was...

——When you fight against arrogance, things will be accomplished!

That is, in terms of communicating and getting along with the opposite sex, if Ao Bao forbids you to do something, then just do it, and if Ao Bao encourages you to do something, then just do the opposite...

When Li Bailong realized this and tried it a little, amazing results kept emerging.

It’s just that Second Uncle’s Death Man Condensation was really scary, and he didn’t have anyone he really liked. After Ao Bao discovered his little trick, he made a big fuss, so this unique skill didn’t have much use.

However, sometimes he felt annoyed by Second Uncle Lian Yueyao's suspicion of yin and yang and his comments on men, and he would have some gnashing thoughts - damn, should he practice Aozi's male boxing skills in reverse and use them on Second Uncle to see what effect he could get?
As soon as this thought came into mind, it was extinguished.

——Second Master is indeed a beauty, and in terms of appearance he ranks among the top three in the entire sect, but he is too crazy, so I dare not rush into him.

However, today, this method worked again, and in a short period of time, I increased my favorability through conversation!

And it was completed under the active guidance of Ao Bao!
"This is all to punish the bad woman!" Long Aotian shouted in his mind, "Playing tricks with her, pretending to be nice to her! And then ruthlessly controlling her! Ruthlessly plotting against her!"

After Aozi finished speaking, he could not help but remind her again: "You have to remember, this is just a show! Don't take it seriously! I can tell you, many things in this world are bad because they are just a show, like pretending to be a lover, pretending to be a fiancé, pretending to be a husband, and people take it seriously while pretending! And it was you who took it seriously, but the bad woman didn't! Damn it! I was hiding under the bed at the time, she didn't know, and she just..."

...Stop talking. Stop talking.

And who is the bad woman?

——Of course it’s Junior Sister Mu Qingge!

This was not just Long Aotian's conclusion based on the principle of equal hatred for every female baby, even Li Bailong felt that this inexplicable little bitch needed to suffer a little.

There is no objective truth to support this, nor is there any legal provision. It is just because they don’t like the content of a book and feel that the ideas in the book are problematic. They even open the book box to check the author’s background and prejudge that this person may be related to the Demon Cult...

Such insects that hinder the flourishing of the cultural market must certainly be severely punished by the iron fist of the people!

As for Aozi's previous assertion...

"How do I know she lied? I just know she lied!"

Long Aotian rambled on and on: "Bad women don't need a reason to lie. Judging from the situations my friends have encountered, they can be roughly divided into several categories. Sometimes bad women lie habitually, sometimes they hide part of the facts and lying is beneficial to them, and sometimes they haven't made a decision yet..."

Li Bailong listened to his lecture which was full of nonsense and had no substance, then glanced at the smiling girl beside him and smiled sinisterly in his heart.

No matter if you are a second-generation gilded person who comes to embarrass innocent writers and pillars of the literary world for no reason, or a black-striped person who has ulterior motives and lies to his dear senior, since you have come to Lin County, you have no choice...

At this moment, the cheerful voice of the junior sister rang out.

"Brother, we can see the city wall! We are almost there!"

He came to his senses.

This place is indeed on the outskirts of Lin County. In recent years, the county has developed rapidly, and many residential houses have appeared outside the city walls. The houses are also spreading to the outer circle, and two large-scale communities have been formed.

At this time, there were already many pedestrians on the road. There were many shops on both sides of the avenue leading to the county town. There were people soliciting customers on the roadside. Primary commercial activities had already taken shape here.

Looking into the distance, there are rows of residential houses a little further away, and cloths of various colors are drying on the open space in front of the houses. From a distance, they look like one piece, swaying in the wind, which is also a scene.

However, most of these were coarse cloth with poor printing and weaving, and could not be compared with those produced by weavers in the city. But the advantage was that the price was cheap, and the purchase could be made immediately after negotiation, and the large quantity was very cost-effective. Those who would buy cloth from such private households outside the city were either villagers from remote countryside or small profiteers from other places. The sounds of their bargaining could be heard all the way to the main street.

Amidst all the mixed noises, Li Bailong and Mu Qingge jumped off their horses and walked slowly in the market, holding each other's reins.

The roadside was bustling with carts and porters transporting goods, such as raw silk, mulberry leaves, cloth, dyes, and firewood. Common people and pedestrians were among them, and the air was filled with the fresh flavor of the market.

——The smell is mainly the aroma of fresh food, mixed with the stench leaking from the cargo livestock dung bags, the pungent smell of dyes from the private textile and dyeing workshops in the distance, the unique fragrance of the mulberry trees by the roadside, and the smoke from the firewood burned in each household. After a whole morning of mixed fermentation, it is so authentic.

As a noble lady in Beijing, Mu Qingge was not only spoiled, but also well-dressed. Li Bailong was a modern person on Earth in his previous life. He had traveled through time for more than ten years, and the novelty had long passed. He really couldn't stand this overly lively market smell. The two held their breath and walked quickly for a while until the smell dissipated a little, and then they let out a breath.

The gate of Lin County is within sight.

There was a long queue at the gate, with people and vehicles flowing in and out in an orderly manner. Four county soldiers maintained order and guided the people. The people in the queue were walking or leading donkeys, carrying bundles and bags, looking around with a calm expression, or chatting and laughing with the people around them.

The gate of Lin County was very wide. According to the standards for large counties stipulated by the imperial court, it could accommodate up to four large carts driving side by side. However, the carriages and horses of the common people only occupied the two middle lanes for entry and exit.

The two wide paths on the left and right were empty, with no citizen occupying them. It was as if an invisible fence had drawn a separation line, preventing those people who despised the rules and feared power from taking a single step beyond the line.

The crisp sound of horse hooves rang out, and Li Bailong and Mu Qingge walked one after the other, passed the long queue, walked across the empty aisle, and headed towards the city gate.

The eyes of the people queuing showed neither envy nor awe, only natural indifference.

There was a table at the city gate, and a clerk from the county government was standing behind the table, talking to a middle-aged warrior with gray hair and wearing a black short-sleeved shirt.

When the county clerk saw Li Bailong, he wanted to leave the warrior and come over to greet him, but when he saw Li Bailong signaling with his eyes, he understood and quickened his speech.

He shook the pass in his hand and said, "Sir, the national laws and county rules cannot be ignored. Let me confirm again - your surname is Qin, and you are from Bingshan. I have just come to Lin County to visit relatives and friends. My age..."

The warrior nodded in response to every word he said. After the clerk asked for personal information, he continued to preach as usual: "Your Excellency, please know that any warrior from outside the county who first comes to this county must bring this certificate to the county government, listen to the county lieutenant's explanation of the county's laws, sign a statement of knowledge, and then affix the seal before they can move freely in this county."

"In addition, the county government also distributes a handbook for warriors in the county, which lists basic information about the county, including official shops, medical shops, pharmacies, post stations, blacksmith shops and many other shops, as well as the recruitment, recruitment and business development of large and small sects. If you need one, please get one. The handbook is free, but you have to pay a deposit of 100 coins. When you return it, if it is intact, the deposit will be fully refunded."

These words were all implied in the topic. All prefectures, counties and districts in this dynasty had similar regulations. The warrior knew the rules and had no objection, he just listened patiently.

"In addition, this county is famous for weaving. The county lords of all generations have encouraged weaving. Now is the peak season for recruitment. The county weaving headquarters sincerely recruits capable warriors to guide production. If you have sons, nephews, or younger generations with promising futures and are free, please send them to apply. There will be rebates for each person recruited, and the treatment will be excellent. The county government will also provide daily food subsidies..."

Hearing this, the warrior who had been patient and polite at first looked a little upset, and subconsciously asked, "Rations?"

"Rations."

The clerk's tone became heavier, and he repeated, "The subsidy is determined by each person's cultivation level and the results of their work. The county magistrate personally guarantees that the recruitment of warriors has been going on in Lin County for eight years. The rules are complete and fair. If you want to find a short-term job for your nephew, please go to the county government's agricultural and mulberry room for details."

When the warrior heard this, his expression remained unchanged and he nodded reluctantly, but his hands trembled slightly.

The yamen clerk said this and asked, "I have finished speaking. Do you know what I am talking about?"

The warrior was a little absent-minded: "I have learned everything. Thank you for your explanation, sir."

"I dare not. Here is the certificate. Please review it and use your seal if it is correct."

The middle-aged warrior took a quick look around, then pulled out the iron pendant hanging on his body from his collar, carefully printed the pendant on the signature, and using his internal force, he left the seal on the paper.

"Okay." After checking the documents and finding no errors, he handed the certificate over with both hands and said politely, "Please listen."

"Don't dare."

The middle-aged warrior put away the pass, but turned around and bowed to Li Bailong first: "Brother, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Li Bailong returned the greeting and said, "Take care, senior."

The warrior only took a glance and saw the proper manners from Li Bailong's demeanor and Mu Qingge's clothes. He didn't even dare to talk to them any more. He just bowed again politely and hurried into the city.

"Mr. Li, please come back early today."

The clerk quickly filed the record of the middle-aged warrior's entry into the city, and then walked around the table to greet him. His face no longer had the businesslike smile as before, but was much more enthusiastic.

"Master has something to ask you to do." Li Bailong introduced to Mu Qingge with a smile, "This is Li Yasi from this county."

"Don't dare."

Li Bailong lives in Lin County. Mu Qingge is the sir of Liushenmen, and the procedures for entering the city are fast and easy.

When they led the horse into the city, Mu Qingge looked back and could still see Li Yasi standing at the city gate with his hands in his pockets, looking out and watching them with a smile.

She was a noble lady from a prominent family in the capital and had long been accustomed to other people's kindness and enthusiasm. Instead, she found the formal questions and answers between Li Yashi and the middle-aged warrior more interesting.

Sister Mu recalled the details she had overheard before and could not help asking, "Brother, the bailiff said before that the textile headquarters was recruiting people. What does the so-called 'guiding production' mean?"

Li Bailong looked around and lowered his voice: "It's just a part-time job."

"work to earn a living?"

"Work." Li Bailong explained, "In recent years, the number of special orders for Baihua Valley has increased sharply. Some simple production and quality inspection links require the in-depth participation of warriors. The sect is too busy to handle it, so we have to recruit workers from the outside world..."

"How can that be called guiding production..."

"It was my idea." Li Bailong sighed upon hearing this. "After ten years of training his body, ten years of practicing Qi, and ten years of wandering in the martial arts world, he gained the strength of a diamond and finally got a job as a flower picker in a factory. Although he earns a lot, it sounds too embarrassing. People can't bring themselves to do it. If you put it another way, they will feel much better. Including asking him to introduce 'promising nephews and nieces' instead of 'come if you want to earn money', it's all to give them face."

Mu Qingge suddenly realized: "Senior Brother is really kind-hearted."

"It's just putting yourself in their shoes." Li Bailong said calmly, "Most people who practice martial arts are limited by their talents, teachers and food resources, so they can't achieve anything great. What they want is just to live a better life."

He led Mu Qingge to another street: "Let's go, let's go to Huaxin Tower to settle down first."

They saw some scenery of the county along the way and soon arrived at Huaxin Tower. A servant put the horse away, and Li Bailong took Mu Qingge on a tour and finally took her to the second floor.

"Junior sister, please stay here for the next few days."

He pointed to one of the guest rooms. A rattan plaque hung on the side of the door with the three characters "Ronghua Pavilion" written on it in beautiful handwriting. "The room is separated from the inside and outside. There is a small hall, bedroom and study. Usually only the elders of our sect will come to stay for a short time. Occasionally, it will be used to entertain distinguished guests from Baihua Valley. They are all famous chivalrous women in the martial arts world. They are very neat and elegant."

Mu Qingge thanked him and went in with her luggage to settle down. Not long after she entered the room, she exclaimed, and then half of her head stuck out of the door, revealing a bright smile: "Thank you for your kindness, senior brother!"

Li Bailong smiled and said, "You should thank Sister Song for tidying up the room so well."

"Thank you, Mrs. Song!"

Mrs. Song, as the manager of Huaxin Tower, stood by. Upon hearing this, she just smiled and lowered her head in response.

When Mu Qingge's joyful jumping and running sounded in the room, Li Bailong showed a triumphant smile on his face. He turned to look at Mrs. Song, and Mrs. Song also looked at him indifferently.

"My dear," she asked calmly, "Is it still the same old rules?"

Li Bailong's eyes were pure and his expression was kind: "This is my Third Uncle's niece, my dear sister who is as close to me as a sister. Of course I have to treat her well like I treat those famous chivalrous ladies."

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(End of this chapter)