Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 381: Just to buy silk?
He wiped his face three times under Liu's command, and then looked in the mirror at his hair, which was usually combed into a bun, and was neatly combed into two pigtails under Liu's hands. Peanut was so stunned that he couldn't even speak. Even his uncle quietly told Liu, who was very good at combing hair? Oh my God, he felt like the four great guards of the Buddhist temple suddenly collapsed!
However, Ah Liu didn't care what Xiao Huasheng thought. After combing the pair of pigtails, he took a look at the bronze mirror and was satisfied. He patted Xiao Huasheng's head and signaled him to stand up.
When the man stood up in front of him in a daze, he pointed to a set of clothes on the hanger next to him and said simply, "Put it on."
Peanut was sharp-eyed. He saw that the clothes were made of fine silk. He was immediately frightened. He was about to ask something, but Ah Liu disliked his slowness and came up to him and took out a silk shirt, saying, "If you delay any longer, I will put it on you." He dared not be stubborn anymore. He quickly took the clothes and hid behind the screen to change.
After a while of rustling, when he came out from behind the screen again, he was a handsome boy with red lips and white teeth, wearing a white silk undershirt, a light brown silk round-necked shirt, and a pair of blue cloth shoes with white soles. Even he himself could not recognize the image in the mirror.
Although Emperor Taizu had scoffed at the calls of some court officials to ban common people from wearing silk clothes and to ban wealthy people and merchants from wearing satin, and had ordered that except for the red, yellow, vermilion, and purple colors of clothing for royal nobles and high-ranking officials, which could be used in common people's weddings, the rest of the colors of clothing could be worn by the common people at will, however, for common people who were struggling to make ends meet, silk was still an unaffordable material.
Peanut remembered that the last time he wore silk was when Old Salty Fish specially cut off three feet of silk to make him a robe on his tenth birthday. He was reluctant to wear it at first, but because he grew too fast, he couldn't wear it anymore, and he cried for it.
Ah Liu was also very satisfied with Peanut's outfit. He nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "When it's time to talk, you go first. When it's not time to talk, stand behind the young master. Do you understand?"
Seeing that Xiaohuasheng nodded repeatedly and then seemed to be hesitant to speak, Liu added: "Remember to call me young master. Don't panic at any time. I'm here when you need to fight." After saying this, he didn't care about Xiaohuasheng's dazed expression and dragged him out.
When Zhang Shou saw Xiao Huasheng again, he saw him walking side by side with Ah Liu. They were wearing the same clothes and were the same height. If it weren't for their different looks, he might have thought they were brothers. Seeing Xiao Huasheng still pulling at his sleeves and clothes a little awkwardly, he smiled and said, "The first time is strange, the second time is familiar, you will get used to it after wearing it more. Go prepare the horses, we are going out."
Peanut wanted to ask where he was going, but when he saw Ah Liu nod and walk out, he could only hurry up and chase him. When they got to the stable, he helped Ah Liu lead out a horse. He thought that was enough, but Ah Liu handed him the reins, and then Ah Liu led two more horses! When he followed Ah Liu out of the county government gate in a daze, he suddenly woke up.
"Sixth...Sixth Brother, you...want me...to ride..."
Seeing that Peanut couldn't even speak clearly, Ah Liu sneered and repeated what Zhang Shou had said before: "Once is new, twice is familiar. Didn't you ride it last time?"
When Zhang Shou went out and saw the three horses, and then saw Peanut hanging his head as if he was about to cry, he knew what kind of problem Ah Liu had given him. He himself had learned riding skills through emergency training in the capital over the past few months, and he knew how much psychological pressure it would take for someone who had never ridden a horse to learn riding skills. He glanced at Ah Liu, and finally smiled and stepped forward to rub Peanut's head.
"Don't be afraid. With Ah Liu here, you won't fall. When I was practicing horse riding, he was by my side."
Seeing Ah Liu standing there coolly, Xiao Huasheng hesitated for a while, but finally went to the horse that Ah Liu was leading. It was his first time riding a horse and Ah Liu was leading him, so he had no choice but to trust him. When he stepped on the stirrup and Ah Liu lifted his butt hard, he took advantage of the situation and sat on the horse's back. He felt that the view was high and wide, but his heart was in turmoil.
When he saw Zhang Shou mount his horse, Ah Liu also jumped on the horse easily and rode over to follow Zhang Shou side by side. He couldn't help but whispered, "Sixth Brother, don't we need to assign one person to lead the way?"
Ah Liu's answer was simple: "Are you going or am I going?"
Peanut was speechless. If he went, he would be embarrassed if he fell off his horse. As for Ah Liu, who would save him if he lost control of his horse? Thinking of how he thought he was smart but now he had become a burden, he immediately lowered his head, but then he heard a loud noise.
When he came to his senses and found that it was the whip in Ah Liu's hand that brushed his nose, he was immediately frightened, but then he heard Ah Liu's ruthless warning: "What does it mean to be dejected? Keep your head up, chest up, and squeeze the horse's belly. Yes, don't use too much force, and don't keep your butt so tight! Cheer up, you are a royal horse, very docile, and will definitely listen to you!"
Peanut didn't notice that these words were only ringing in his ears, and he didn't have time to think about why Liu suddenly said so many words at once. He sat up straight with a start, but then he couldn't help but lower his head to look at the color and mane of the horse under him. He was in awe, but he also perked up unconsciously, his heart was filled with emotion.
How could he still ride the imperial horse in his life?
Although Zhang Shou, who was walking in front, did not hear what Ah Liu and Xiao Huasheng said, he remembered that when he and Zhu Ying were learning horse riding, Ah Liu was always following them. He knew that the young man must be encouraging Xiao Huasheng in various ways at this moment.
Of course, if he knew that Ah Liu casually gave the title of royal horse to the horse that Peanut rode, he would definitely be amused and confused.
Peanut was tense all the way, but it was not until he had walked for a while that he realized he didn't know where he was going. He asked Ah Liu again, and this time he finally got a clear answer: "Go to Jile Street, Hua's Silk Shop. When you get there, just tell people that my young master wants to see your boss, and that's all."
Are you going to buy silk? That's not right. If you're just buying silk, the clerk or the shopkeeper can make the decision. Why do you have to see the one who's really in charge?
After every failure, Xiao Huasheng would never dare to ask questions again. Although he was a local tyrant in Cangzhou, he was not familiar with Jile Street, a place that only rich people with spare money would visit.
Therefore, when he turned into this prosperous place, his buttocks, which had gradually relaxed, tensed up again, especially when Ah Liu signaled to rein in the horse. He almost pulled the rope hard until a hand reached out from the side and pulled for him. Only then did he come to his senses. When he looked again, the horse under him had stopped steadily.
His face flushed red, and he didn't know how he got off the horse. When he saw a young man approaching him with enthusiasm, he saw that Ah Liu was already standing beside Zhang Shou's mount, helping him get off the horse. He then tried to calm down, raised his chin slightly, and said in the nonchalant tone of Ah Liu, "My young master wants to see your boss."
He originally thought that the waiter would ask a few more questions, but he didn't expect that he would smile and bow to Zhang Shou who was getting off his horse and said, "My head shopkeeper heard that you had patronized our shop before, and he always blamed me for not entertaining you well. If he knew that you were coming again today, he would be so happy! Please come in!"
Peanut then realized that Zhang Shou had been here once before. Seeing two strong men coming out to lead the horses, Ah Liu accompanied Zhang Shou inside. He glanced at his mount reluctantly, forcing himself not to think about the horse being lost or injured, and so on, and quickly followed.
As soon as he entered the store, he saw gorgeous brocades displayed everywhere, with patterns and colors that were dazzling, but in the huge store, there was only a middle-aged man in bright clothes talking to a short and fat man. But when he saw that the young man leading the way in front did not stop at all and actually led them straight to the back door, he was a little unsure.
After passing through the back door of the shop, he entered a courtyard that was twice as big as the old salted fish shop on Shuishi Street. He followed the three people in front of him into a hall. The three small halls were not partitioned, and no one was seen at this time.
Seeing that the waiter welcomed Zhang Shou to the seat of honor, and then hurried out, he brought tea over after a while. He stood on Zhang Shou's left and right according to what Ah Liu had said before. After seeing that someone brought Zhang Shou a cup of tea, he actually smiled and held the tea tray and brought another two simple white porcelain tea cups to them. He was immediately caught off guard.
This... should I accept it or reject it?
Next, Ah Liu gave him a demonstration. After the young man took the teacup, he opened the lid and smelled it. Seeing Zhang Shou admiring the exquisite patterns on the glaze in his hand, he looked at the white porcelain teacup in his hand and asked the waiter directly, "Do you want me to test the poison?"
The waiter was almost choked by what Ah Liu said. When he heard Zhang Shou laughing, he apologized with an awkward smile, "No, no, no, this is for you two to quench your thirst. Doctor Zhang, this tea is the favorite of Emperor Taizu, who personally named it Taihu Biluochun. Because it is produced in Wuzhong, Suzhou, my boss likes it the most, and he specially ordered me to brew it for you, Doctor Zhang, to taste."
Emperor Taizu, you even want to steal the name of Biluochun given by Kangxi! Zhang Shou complained in his heart, and then he heard the waiter say: "The two brothers have West Lake Longjing in their hands, but the tea before the Qingming Festival is rare, most of them are tributes, this is the pre-rain tea."
Zhang Shou immediately laughed and said, "You are quite elegant in distributing tea to different people. Biluochun and Longjing are indeed equally good. It all depends on the preference of the tea drinker. Ah Liu, stop teasing me. What's the point of testing the poison? Since I'm asking you to quench your thirst, just drink it."
When Xiao Huasheng saw that Ah Liu took a sip first and then gulped down the whole thing, he was stunned and took the other teacup from the waiter's tray with some hesitation. Then he imitated the tea drinking posture that Lao Xianyu had taught him and carefully took two sips.
However, he was not keen on this unseasoned, bitter tea. In addition, he had to hold his urine last time, so he didn't dare to drink more this time. He immediately put the cup back on the tea tray and whispered, "Thank you."
The young man was relieved. Fortunately, not all the people around Dr. Zhang have such unexpected and eccentric personalities!
Zhang Shou saw the waiter carrying the tea tray and about to leave, so he suddenly asked, "You just said that your shopkeeper would be happy to hear that I'm here, so where is he now? Could it be that the two people outside are not all guests, and one of them is the shopkeeper?"
The young man suddenly became embarrassed, and nodded after a long while: "That's right... The man outside is Mr. Bi, the magistrate of Hejian Huang. He is buying materials for the magistrate's wife on behalf of his eldest son. The head shopkeeper has to be perfunctory for a while."
As he spoke, he stole a glance at Zhang Shou, then whispered, "That guy is so arrogant, but he's just a legal advisor. He's far from being as humble and generous as you, Doctor Zhang."
You said you were buying silk, but you lowered the price to 10% right away... Even though Cangzhou is under the jurisdiction of Hejian Prefecture, this small shop of theirs is not a prefecture or county government office, so why should they give you such a big profit? This is not buying things, it's basically robbing you!
The waiter thought this in his heart, but he didn't dare to say it out loud, for fear of being annoying. Seeing that Zhang Shou just smiled and didn't say anything, he quickly explained: "I'll go out and check, the shopkeeper will be here soon!"
Seeing that everyone was leaving quickly, Xiao Huasheng stole a glance at Zhang Shou, thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "How about I go and take a look too?"
Seeing that the little guy was trying to make amends for his crime - although not knowing how to ride a horse was not a crime - Zhang Shou smiled and agreed: "Then you can go and take a look. Remember, no matter what others say, don't show up. Just come back and tell me."
After agreeing, Peanut went out in a flash. When he reached the back door of the shop he had just passed, he heard a cold snort: "The Hua family is very wealthy in Suzhou. I heard that they are also related to the Jiang family in Cangzhou. I think the head shopkeeper should have heard about the Jiang family's current conviction. Although the two people in the county government gave the Jiang family a lighter sentence, there may be people in the court who disagree!"
"They say that a county magistrate will destroy a family, and a governor will wipe out a clan. You better not make the mistake!"
Although Xiaohuasheng only knew how to read and had not read many profound books, he still understood such a simple threatening idiom and cursed in his heart. No wonder Xu Cheng, the magistrate of Changlu County, was able to sit firmly in the position of magistrate. It turned out that his superior, the prefect of Hejian, was just the same as him!
Is it necessary to threaten people like this just to buy silk?
