Lu Chen finished searching the bodies and found only a few taels of silver and some odds and ends.
The roadblock was cleared. Everyone scrambled onto the carriage in a panic. Lu Chen casually tied the three fake constables' horses to the back. Fine beasts like these could fetch a good price; they couldn't just be thrown away. Then he drove off.
After traveling for a while, they finally began to calm down.
Mei Ying lifted the carriage curtain. Color had returned to her porcelain-doll face, and her voice was sweet as honey. "Senior Brother Lu, we really have you to thank for what happened just now. You took those bad men down in a few moves!"
She blinked, her cheeks faintly red. "Do you live in East City or West City? My sister and I could visit you sometime. Would you like that?"
Mei Dai glanced at her sister and said coolly, "Go if you want. I'm not joining in on this."
Mei Ying pressed her lips together in a smile. "Listen, Senior Brother Lu? My sister won't go, so I'll come visit you by myself! Hurry up and tell me where you live."
"South City," Lu Chen replied flatly.
The bright, eager smile on Mei Ying's face faded in an instant.
She gave a soft "Oh," then lowered the curtain. Turning back, she put on a sweet smile and spoke gently to the three dejected young masters in the carriage. "Brother Zhang, does your arm still hurt? Brother Lei, is your leg badly injured? Brother Wen, your face is all bruised... We were lucky to have you with us today."
The little interest and gratitude Mei Ying had shown Lu Chen moments ago had been like a passing breeze; it had vanished as quickly as it came.
Wen'an County had long been known for the saying: the west was for the nobles, the east for the wealthy, the south for the poor, and the north for the lowborn.
Officials and aristocrats lived in West City, while merchants lived in East City. Both were respectable neighborhoods.
South City was a chaotic place, crowded with laborers and peddlers.
With a single word—"South City"—Lu Chen had revealed his origins and social standing.
The three young masters in the carriage were all injured, and the three of them together hadn't been able to defeat a single dwarf. They felt they had lost face, and their spirits were low.
But after Mei Ying soothed them with her charming smile, it took only a moment for their expressions to ease. Soon they were laughing and joking again, as though their earlier humiliation had been no more than an insignificant interruption.
Mei Ying was only thirteen, but her words and gestures already carried a precocious, foxlike charm.
Every frown and smile made young men's hearts itch and left them unable to sit still.
The carriage sped through the wind and snow.
At last, just before nightfall, they returned to Wen'an County.
Young Masters Zhang and Lei lived in East City and West City, respectively, and both came from respectable families.
Young Master Wen was from another county. He had come to Wen'an County for the New Year at Mei Dai's invitation and was staying at an inn in East City.
Anyone with eyes could see that Mei Dai liked the refined, quiet Young Master Wen.
Unfortunately, Young Master Wen had his eyes on her younger sister.
Mei Dai wasn't as beautiful as her sister, and her cool temperament and tall stature made her seem less delicate and feminine.
By comparison, the petite and sweet Mei Ying, lively and always smiling, was far more popular.
When they got home, Master's Wife was waiting in the courtyard.
The moment Mei Ying got off the carriage, she threw herself into her mother's arms and began acting spoiled. Mei Dai stood quietly to one side.
"Why are you so much later than usual?" Master's Wife asked.
Mei Dai briefly and clearly recounted how they'd encountered fake constables on the road, how bandits had laid an ambush, and how Lu Chen had stepped in.
The gentle smile on Master's Wife's face gradually faded. "The bandits outside the city have grown so brazen they even dare to impersonate constables!"
Mei Ying rubbed against her mother and grumbled, "That was terrifying, Mother. I don't dare go to the academy anymore."
Master's Wife affectionately stroked her daughter's hair, then looked up at Lu Chen and said softly, "We owe you for what happened today. It's already late. Stay and have a simple meal with us."
Lu Chen shook his head. "It was my duty. I wouldn't want to impose on you, Master's Wife."
Master's Wife raised her delicate brows and pretended to be displeased. "If I tell you to stay, then stay. Why are you being so formal? Or is the food at my martial arts school not to your taste?"
Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then cupped his fists. "Yes. Thank you, Master's Wife."
Only then did Master's Wife relax. She gave a light nod, one arm around Mei Ying, who was still clinging to her, and motioned for Mei Dai to come inside with them.
When Shuan Hu heard that Lu Chen would be joining them for dinner, he went straight to the kitchen and added two hearty dishes to the meal.
Master's Wife also brought her two daughters to sit beneath the lamplight and make a great many dumplings.
In the north, rich and poor alike considered dumplings a delicacy.
They were an indispensable part of the longing for reunion during the festive season.
The southern provinces were abundant in produce, so dumplings were merely one ordinary dish among countless delicacies, nowhere near as revered as they were in the Northern Lands, where they took center stage at the feast.
At the dinner table, Lu Chen noticed Master Deng was absent and casually asked about him.
Master's Wife's expression remained unchanged. "With the year's end approaching, many people have invited him out for drinks and socializing. He's busy."
Mei Ying burst into giggles and said brightly, "Father's making excuses again. I think he's gone off somewhere to enjoy himself!"
Master's Wife frowned and lightly tapped her daughter on the head. "Lu Chen is still here. Don't talk nonsense."
After marrying, Deng Yan had come to feel that his wife was too cold and that there was too little affection between them. When they made love, she lay stiff as a board and never even let out a soft moan, leaving him unsatisfied.
On top of that, being a live-in son-in-law had always made him feel inferior.
His wife often tried to keep him in line, and all the resentment in his heart had turned into irritation.
After their two daughters were born, the affection between them dwindled like embers on the verge of going out, leaving only a faint warmth as they barely maintained appearances.
Deng Yan had spent years carousing in brothels and opera houses. His daughters had long known about it.
Only Master's Wife still held on to a thread of pitiful hope for her husband. She didn't want to speak of it, nor would she let herself think too deeply about it.
There was a saying in the Northern Lands: nothing tasted better than dumplings, and nothing felt better than lying down.
The pork-and-cabbage dumplings Master's Wife had made herself were hearty and delicious.
Lu Chen tucked into them, eating seventy or eighty in one go, then drank a bowl of hot soup before setting down his chopsticks.
That night, he went home and rested.
Early the next morning, Jin Ming sent a servant to fetch Lu Chen, asking him to come to the Daxing Rice Shop. There was an urgent matter.
When Lu Chen arrived, he saw Jin Ming dressed smartly, looking like a man ready to travel far.
According to the Jin Family's rules, once a young man turned twenty, he could gradually take over the family business. Jin Ming would reach that age after the New Year.
So the master of the Jin Family had specifically assigned him the task of buying grain in Jiaoguo Trading Port before the New Year.
The place was only two or three days' journey from Wen'an County.
This time, Jin Ming was determined to go in person.
"Brother Lu, you've come at just the right time!"
Jin Ming came to greet him, smiling, though his eyes were anxious.
"This came up suddenly. I only heard about it yesterday. In previous years, we bought grain after the start of spring, but for some reason, they've released a batch of excellent old grain in Jiaoguo before the New Year this time, and the price is right. Several families have their eyes on it. If we arrive late, we won't get so much as a sip of the soup."
Lu Chen nodded without saying much.
Jin Ming continued, "This is my first time handling something like this, and I won't feel at ease without someone capable by my side. Brother Lu, sorry for the trouble, but I'll need you to come with me. We'll meet outside East City Gate in an hour and set off immediately. The pay will be the ten taels of silver we agreed on, plus extra for the trouble this trip brings!"
As he spoke, he beckoned, and the servant waiting nearby immediately brought over a bundle.
Jin Ming took it and handed it to Lu Chen with a smile. "You can't travel looking shabby. I had these clothes and boots prepared for you. They aren't made of anything fancy, but they're warm and durable, and will be handy on the road. Go get ready, change into these, and we'll leave on time."
Lu Chen took the bundle. It felt heavy in his hands. He didn't ask any questions, only saying, "All right. Outside the east gate in an hour."
He returned to Sheep Dung Alley and told Blind Man, "I'm heading out for two or three days to buy grain in Jiaoguo."
Blind Man's single eye shifted. "Young Master of the Jin Family?"
"Mm."
"Be careful."
Before you continue