Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 111 Madam, please squat down
Yang Yuan arrived at the "Shuiyunjian" restaurant and tied the donkey under the big peach tree in front of the door.

He looked up at the door lintel of "Shuiyunjian", untied the white belt around his waist, and put it in his arms.

As he walked through the door, Yang Yuan discovered that the restaurant's business today was surprisingly good.

There were a lot of customers in the store, similar to the usual peak evening hours.

Over at the counter, Xiao Qingtang was sitting there, holding a pencil in one hand and an abacus in the other, checking accounts, collecting payments, and keeping accounts in a very professional manner, which was quite interesting.

Yang Yuan was a frequent visitor here, but seeing that she was busy, he didn't say hello to her and went straight to the backyard.

He has been busy with his eldest brother's funeral these days. On the "Shuiyunjian" side, only Brother Ya came to report the news, saying that he had some household chores to take care of.

Several days have passed, so Wanyan Quxing should have come to the restaurant.

However, he had just looked at the carriages and sedan chairs parked in front of the door, and they were not of particularly grand specifications. The young prince of the Jin Kingdom should not have come today.

……

"Erlang!"

As soon as Dan Niang opened the door, she saw Yang Yuan coming towards her.

He had a slender figure, and the sunlight shone on him from between the pillars of the building, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

Seeing Yang Yuan, who was dressed in black and had a handsome personality, Dan Niang felt happy for no reason.

She had never experienced the taste of longing.

When she was with her master, Aunt Rao, what she feared most was hearing, "Dan Niang, your parents are here to see you."

Every time after seeing her parents off, the first thing she did was to quickly run to pee.

Because from the moment she heard her parents coming to see her, she was in extreme panic.

The rapid heart rate and strong physical reactions lead to unspeakable reactions.

How could she possibly miss such a family?

But after not seeing Yang Yuan for only three or five days, she became upset and restless.

As soon as she happily rushed to Yang Yuan's side, Dan Niang discovered that he seemed to have some indescribable changes: "Erlang..., are you worried about something?"

"Oh? Nothing."

Yang Yuan smiled faintly: "Has Wanyan Quxing been here?"

Dan Niang was such a smart woman that she could naturally see that Yang Yuan was not being sincere.

However, Yang Yuan didn't want to say it, so she didn't ask any further questions.

Dan Niang replied, "He has been here. I never thought that he would come here in the afternoon on the day of Tianshen Festival when he was attending the grand court meeting.

“He came again the next day, and this time I invited him to sit in the tea room.

"This man is indeed knowledgeable. As soon as he entered the tea room, he became interested in the toys that Erlang brought back.

"Later, I pretended to be careless and let him see the poem written by Li Houzhu himself."

"Oh? So, he should know that you are the descendant of 'Emperor Li Houzhu' now?"

Yang Yuan said as he walked into the tea room.

This tea room was also specially set up to "entertain" Wanyan Quxing.

It was renovated from a vacant room on the third floor, so it is divided into two rooms, inside and outside.

The outer room was used as a tea room, and the inner room was smaller, so it was used as a place to store tea boxes and other items, separated by two antique shelves.

Dan Niang chuckled and said: "Yes, when Wanyan Quxing heard this, he almost lost half his soul."

Yang Yuan sat down in the tea room, and Dan Niang immediately walked around to the opposite side and started to make tea for him.

There is a small red clay stove next to it. The fire is burning and you can immediately add water after lighting the fire.

Yang Yuan said: "The 'Tian Shen Festival' has passed, Wanyan Quxing will not stay in the Song Dynasty for too long. So, if he has fallen in love with you, he will definitely confess his love to you in the near future. We have dug a hole, and we must prepare to bury him."

Dan Niang snickered and said, "There are so many scholars in the store now. If Wanyan Quxing gets into any scandal, I can already foresee his pitiful end."

Yang Yuan said, "I was just about to ask, are there many customers in the store recently?"

Dan Niang said: "A lot, more than twice as many as usual. Normally, when there is a big exam, candidates from all over the country gather in Lin'an City.

"All the hotels, restaurants, brothels and theaters are more prosperous than usual.

"Now, the most popular singing girl in Lin'an, Yuyaonu, is singing for me in 'Between Water and Clouds'. Aren't those scholars flocking to this place?"

At this point, Dan Niang stole a glance at Yang Yuan and asked tentatively, "To make Yu Yao Nu praise the 'Shui Yun Jian' restaurant so hard, could it be that she is your confidante?"

Yang Yuan shook his head: "Yuyaonu, I have only met her once, and I don't even remember her appearance. She just owes me a favor. Besides, I didn't ask her to promote the 'Shuiyunjian' restaurant.

"The 'Shuiyunjian' restaurant will wait for the candidates whose poems are hung in the hall to pass the imperial examination. Then, without anyone advertising, scholars will come to 'Shuiyunjian' when they come to Lin'an. For them, Lin'an at that time is 'Shuiyunjian', and 'Shuiyunjian' is Lin'an."

"Now, those scholars are actually coming here for the eleventh scene of West Lake, right?"

Dan Niang's face turned red, and the flames from the stove rolled up, making her face look rosy, like a newly blooming peach blossom.

She lowered her head, put the kettle on the stove, and said shyly, "My lord, you are really something. I... I am not that beautiful. How can I be worthy of being a scene of West Lake?"

Yang Yuan said, "A scene that is pleasing to the eyes is a scene, how can it be inappropriate? The ten scenes of West Lake are all objects, but there are only eleven pretty ladies. You say, can those poets not come?"

Dan Niang was both shy and happy. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

At this moment, the door opened and a voice came in. "Dan Niang, I have packed my things, I will be here soon..."

The voice stopped abruptly, and Mrs. Li, who pushed the door open, asked in surprise, "Erlang is here?"

Yang Yuan quickly stood up and said, "Madam Li."

Li Shishi said: "Erlang has come at the right time. I have already finished teaching Danniang what I should teach her, and now I am moving my luggage to the new house.

Yang Yuan was surprised and asked, "Madam, are you going to move to a new house now?"

Madam Li said, "In fact, I have already moved a few days ago. Today, I only have some trivial things left. After I take them away, I will not come tomorrow.

Dan Niang is a smart, virtuous, and good woman who is good at managing the household. I wish you two lovers to be together soon.”

Dan Niang glanced at Yang Yuan shyly and happily, and lowered her beautiful neck slightly.

At this time, a voice came from outside the door: "Dan Niang, I, the uninvited guest, am here to bother you again, haha..."

Because the door was not closed when Li Shishi came in, even though the sound was still at the stairs, she could hear it clearly inside.

Dan Niang's face changed: "Oh no, Wanyan Quxing is here, why didn't Qingtang report it first?"

Yang Yuan's face also changed. If he was blocked in the house by Wanyan Quxing, wouldn't all his efforts be wasted?
Wanyan Quxing took Deputy Envoy Han and went upstairs with a smile.

When he first saw Dan Niang in Wanghai Tower, he was struck by her beauty.

When he unexpectedly learned that Dan Niang was the descendant of the King of Jiangnan, he became even more obsessed.

This "Shuiyunjian" restaurant became a place he must visit every day.

Deputy Envoy Han initially disapproved, but due to his duties, he had to keep an eye on Wanyan Quxing, and he felt extremely annoyed.

However, he gradually discovered that candidates going to take imperial examinations often lingered in the "Shuiyunjian" restaurant.

When candidates getting together to discuss the imperial examinations, their favorite topic is current political affairs.

There are four compulsory subjects for candidates to pass the imperial examination: classics, history, literature and political commentary.

Which subject can exist independently from serving as an official and governing the country?
After discovering this feature, Deputy Envoy Han became keen to come to "Shuiyunjian".

In order to facilitate communication with scholars and literati, Deputy Envoy Han also changed into Han Confucian robes.

Every time he came, he would sit for a while in the tea room on the third floor and then find an excuse to go downstairs.

Wanyan Quxing thought that he was creating opportunities for himself and Dan Niang, and he was secretly grateful in his heart.

There are especially many guests today, and Qingtang is so busy that he doesn't even raise his head or open his eyes.

Wanyan Quxing wanted to give Dan Niang another "little surprise", so he came upstairs by himself.

In the tea room, Dan Niang subconsciously grabbed the corner of Yang Yuan's clothes: "Sir, what should we do?"

Mrs. Li was a little confused. What kind of visitor could make Dan Niang so frightened?
Hearing the footsteps getting closer, Yang Yuan immediately said to Madam Li: "Excuse me, please follow me!"

After saying this, he reached out and took Madam Li's hand and walked towards the inner room.

The partition between the inner and outer rooms is not a wall or a door, but two antique shelves.

The upper half of the antique display cabinet is in the shape of a grid, with some artifacts placed on it. If you stand behind it, you can see it at a glance.

However, the lower half of the antique display cabinet is a cabinet. If you squat underneath, no one will notice it unless someone from outside comes in.

Yang Yuan dragged Madam Li up, quickly went into the inner room, and immediately squatted under an antique display cabinet.

When Mrs. Li was caught by his hand, she felt secretly annoyed.

But before she could react, Yang Yuan had already dragged her into the inner room.

Yang Yuan squatted down under the cabinet and saw Li Shishi still standing, so he hurriedly said, "Hurry up and squat."

Without saying anything, Yang Yuan reached out with both hands, grabbed Li Shishi's wrists, and pulled her down with him.

Not only were the two of them squatting face to face, but Yang Yuan's hands were also holding Li Shishi's hands, and their eyes were looking at each other. If they were just a young couple, it would be fine, but their situation made Li Shishi feel very embarrassed.

Madam Li glared at Yang Yuan, and two blushes appeared on her jade-like cheeks.

At this moment, the door that was originally open was knocked twice, and Wanyan Quxing walked in with a smile.

This is just a tea room, not a woman's boudoir.

Wanyan Quxing felt that he was very familiar with Dan Niang and there was no need to be formal with each other, so he walked in confidently.

"Hahaha, Dan Niang, this prince is here to disturb you again."

In the inner room, Li Shishi was startled when she suddenly heard the words "this prince".

Is Yang Yuan hiding here because he's afraid of being seen by that prince?
Which king’s son is this?
You know, only a hereditary prince can have a crown prince.

There is only one hereditary king in the Song Dynasty, and that is Prince Pu. Could it be that the prince who succeeded Prince Pu has arrived?

"Oh, Little Prince Wanyan, General Han, you are here."

Dan Niang hurriedly suppressed her panicked expression, suppressed her pounding heartbeat, and faced the two men with forced calmness.

Because she was too nervous, her cheeks flushed.

That familiar reaction she would have every time she was found by her parents who "showed concern for her well-being" came again...

(End of this chapter)