Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 47 Life is like a guest
The next morning, after the rain.

It was another busy day at Song's Snack Shop.

However, every customer who walked into Song’s Snack Shop today felt a different atmosphere.

Yang Yuan, who walked into the kitchen with firewood in his arms, always grinned, revealing his eight standard big white teeth, and never closed his mouth.

The girl from Luxi, wearing a small apron, had a look of joy in her eyes and eyebrows, and her whole body seemed to be glowing.

Old Man Song, who is always smiling and amiable, had a stern face today and rolled his eyes frequently.

Yang Che was just promoted yesterday, so it doesn't make sense for him to not show up on the first day.

So, he went to the Imperial City Office early in the morning, and after checking in, he immediately found Kou Heiyi to ask for leave.

When Kou Heiyi heard that he was going to ask someone to find a matchmaker for his brother, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "How can I not agree to this? But I'm wondering, as the elder brother, you haven't even married yet, but you want to find a wife for your brother first, what's the logic of this?"

Yang Che said, "What's the reason? Just because my brother has been stranded in the Northern Country for so many years, and I, as the eldest brother, have not fulfilled my responsibility to take care of him, is this reason enough?"

Kou Heiyi shook his head and smiled, "Ever since you found your brothers, you have really changed.

You haven’t been to Chunfeng Tower in Jinzi Lane for more than a year, right?
I stayed at Chunfeng Tower last night and met Miss Chanyi. She even scolded you for being an unfaithful person. "

Yang Che curled his lips and said, "Who would take this as a casual affair in a romantic place seriously?"

Kou Heiyi laughed and said, "I heard that Chunfenglou now has a Jade Waist Slave, who is already the top girl. She is also a prostitute. Do you want to go and see her?"

"No! I want to save money. Oh, don't spend all your money, I might have to borrow some from you later."

Kou Heiyi said proudly: "How did I spend money? I never spend money when I visit brothels. It's always the girls who pay for me, okay?"

Sisters love to be pretty, and Kou Heiyi is very pretty.

There are indeed quite a few girls in the entertainment industry, who earn money from men here and spend money on men there.

Yang Che smiled and said, "Okay, save it for me. I'll go to Taipingfang to find Mama Liu first."

At this point, Yang Che lowered his voice and added, "When I come back, I will discuss an important matter with you."

Kou Heiyi's expression straightened up, and he whispered, "Official business?"

Yang Che smiled mysteriously: "Don't worry, I'll tell you when I come back. Anyway, if we can fix it, it will be a great achievement for both of us!"

……

Yang Yuan seemed particularly energetic while chopping wood this morning, as if his eight extraordinary meridians were opened up.

When he finished washing up and arrived at the front hall, as soon as he sat on the stool, Luxi brought breakfast to him.

But before Yang Yuan started, Old Man Song floated over like a ghost.

Old Man Song had a sullen face and said stiffly, "Eat quickly, and then go to work! As an apprentice, you should be more attentive and sweet in front of your master, otherwise no one will be willing to teach you the real skills."

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "Song Lao... Dad, don't worry, I'm very sweet-mouthed, and I can make Master happy with just a little coaxing."

How could Lu Xi not hear that Yang Yuan was deliberately punctuating the sentence like that?

She burst out laughing, but was afraid that her father would scold her, so she quickly straightened her face and ran back to the kitchen.

Old Man Song snorted and limped away.

However, a sense of sadness quietly rose in his heart.

It’s not that I’m reluctant to marry off my daughter. She will get married sooner or later, and there’s nothing wrong with her marrying the person she likes.

Yang Yuan is learning embroidery. Once he becomes an embroidery master, his income will be extremely high, and he won't have to worry about his daughter suffering in the future.

But if you want to marry off your daughter, you have to prepare a dowry!

In the Song Dynasty, it was popular to give lavish dowries. If a girl's dowry was not lavish enough, she would be laughed at by her neighbors.

Old Man Song has this house passed down from his ancestors, so the expenses are not high.

He opened a snack shop in Qingshi Lane and made a good income.

Moreover, his family is not large and the burden is not heavy.

To be honest, preparing a generous dowry for his daughter should be an easy task for him.

But, Old Man Song didn't save any money.

He, Lao Ji, Xiao Gou, and Qu Dazui, four retired veterans, took all the money they earned...

Oh! Otherwise, I can just use the wing where the Yang Che brothers live now as a dowry. Anyway, I can’t let my daughter suffer.

Old Man Song quietly began to think about raising money for his daughter's dowry.

……

After Yang Yuan finished his breakfast, before he could say a few words to Lu Xi, he was kicked out of the snack bar by Old Man Song.

Old Man Song was afraid that he was not diligent enough, and if he failed to learn any skills, his daughter would suffer in the future.

Yang Yuan had no choice but to leave Qingshi Lane. Even when Uncle Gou was nailing the Nth Bagua mirror on the door frame, he didn't dare to stop and take a look.

Because Old Man Song was standing at the door of the store staring at him.

Only after leaving Qingshi Lane did Yang Yuan slow down his pace.

It's still early, but the streets are already crowded with people.

Yang Yuan thought about it and then walked towards the street behind the market.

Now, he has another motivation to start a business: he has to make money to support his family.

At this time, his elder brother Yang Che also rushed to Taipingfang and found Mother Liu.

Mother Liu is one of the matchmakers in this area.

As soon as Yang Che explained his purpose, Matchmaker Liu naturally agreed.

Two months ago, Mother Liu arranged a marriage for Mr. Fang, who ran a restaurant near the West Lake.

As a result, on the night of the wedding, Mr. Fang accidentally drowned, which affected her reputation as a matchmaker.

Mother Liu is anxious to find a happy marriage to restore her reputation.

However, arranging a marriage is not an easy task.

She has to fully consider the situation of the matchmaker's family and think about which family has a daughter of the right age.

She would go to people's homes and use her eloquence, running around all day long, but she couldn't always succeed in matchmaking.

Now the couple is in love, and all they need to do is find a matchmaker to go through the formalities. There is no reason for her to refuse.

Mother Liu and Yang Che hit it off immediately and quickly finalized the matchmaking.

After sending Yang Che away, Mother Liu began to think about it seriously.

Even though it's just a formal matchmaking, it should be done in a serious manner, right?

……

Yang Che took the whole morning off. He communicated very smoothly with Liu's mother, and it was still early when he left Liu's house.

Yang Che thought about it and decided to go to the "Moshanghua" embroidery workshop.

At the beginning, he just met the girl from the Fei family in the palace and said that casually, and she did the job for him.

This kindness is so heavy that I should personally go to his house to express my gratitude.

So he turned to Houshi Street first, hoping to buy some gifts as a thank-you.

Yang Che walked into a store and had just said a few words to the shopkeeper when he felt a very familiar figure walking past the store.

Yang Che looked back and saw that it was his brother who should have already started working...

Yang Che was surprised and immediately apologized to the shopkeeper and hurriedly followed.

Houshi Street is adjacent to Zhongwazi, so Houshi Street has become a supporting service street for Zhongwazi.

Zhongwazi is a high-end consumption place, while Houshi Street is home to all kinds of shops, brokerage houses, brothels, and carriage and horse trading companies.

Scholars and literati who come from other places to study like elegant and quiet environment. Here there are elegant houses with bright windows, clean tables, bamboo couches, tea stoves, zithers hanging between the beds, and paintings hanging on the walls.

Workers and waitresses in the shops of Zhongwazi were looking for cheap accommodation, so there were simple guesthouses available here for either sharing or individual rent.

At the intersection of Houshi Street and Qingshi Lane is the Cen family herbal medicine store, and further ahead is the Yu family toothbrush shop, which specializes in selling tooth tools and tooth powder.

Going further forward, there is a very simple storefront with only a signboard of "Lu's Mule and Horse Shop" hanging on it.

After walking in, there is a long passage formed by the high walls of shops on both sides.

Because the walls on both sides are too high, the passage is very cool.

After walking a few dozen steps forward, the view suddenly becomes clear.

First, there was the sound of rushing water. It was a small waterfall formed by the drop of a river in the city.

Then you can see a large courtyard. It is irregular in shape but not small in size.

This is Lu’s Mule and Horse Shop.

The Lu Family Mule and Horse Company not only rented out mules and horses, but also received merchants from other places who drove mule and horse carts.

When Yang Yuan walked into the yard, he saw an old dog lying lazily under the wall, basking in the sun. There was a hemp rope tied around its neck, tied to a tree beside the wall.

Yang Yuan greeted the old dog: "Morning, Master Dog."

The old dog slowly raised his eyelids, and when he saw that it was a familiar person, he lazily wagged his tail at him.

"Second brother, are you here to look for my eldest brother?" A childish voice suddenly came from the side.

Yang Yuan turned his head and saw a little kid in open-crotch pants squatting and pooping at the foot of the opposite wall.

She looked to be only five or six years old, with pigtails.

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "It's Cheng'an, good morning."

The little boy pouted and said, "Second brother only remembers my second brother. I am Chengqing."

Yang Yuan said, "Ah, it's Xiao Chengqing, good morning to you too. Is your elder brother here?"

Chengqing grabbed a few fat grass leaves to wipe his butt and said loudly: "I didn't see him when I woke up. Big brother went out early in the morning."

As he was speaking, a middle-aged woman in a light blue jacket with narrow sleeves came over, holding a wooden carved food bowl.

Behind her was a little boy who looked exactly like the little boy squatting in the grass and pooping.

When Yang Yuan saw her, he greeted the woman, "Good morning, Aunt Xue. Why did you tie up the dog today? Did it bite a guest?"

Aunt Xue was the manager of the Lu family mule and horse shop. When she saw the visitor was Yang Yuan, a good friend of her eldest son Lu Ya, she smiled.

"Don't talk nonsense, you little brat. My dog ​​is very human. He has caught countless birds, but he has never frightened any guest."

She walked to the old dog, put down the food bowl, kicked the old dog again, and cursed: "You dog, you have escaped. This is a reward for you. Come on and eat it."

Seeing the old dog slowly getting up to eat, Aunt Xue turned around and spoke to Yang Yuan.

"This dog has grown old and always wants to run away to find a place to die. It ran away again yesterday, and my family and I spent a long time looking for it before we found it. I was afraid it would run away again, so I tied it under a tree."

Yang Yuan saw that the hemp rope was quite long, and it did not affect the old dog's large range of activities.

The old dog's food bowl was filled with overcooked food, and there was even a piece of pork bone with meat on it.

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "Wow, Auntie, you are really willing to give it up. There is still so much meat on the bones. Just give it to Lord Dog to eat."

Aunt Xue said with a smile, "This dog saved my eldest son's life, so we deserve to raise it to a ripe old age. It's old now, and its teeth are not good, so it must eat good food."

At this time, Yang Che had quietly followed to the gate of Lu's carriage and horse business...

(End of this chapter)