"Hey! Look over there! Is that Du Chengping?" Luo Ping pointed at a figure in the distance and asked the people beside him.
"It really is!" Tao Yong said with a smile, then called to Luo Ping and headed over.
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaofan couldn't very well slip away just then, so he tugged Luo Yunji along after them.
"Chengping!" Tao Yong went up to Du Chengping, lightly patted him on the back, and called out.
Du Chengping turned around. Seeing them, he looked a little surprised. "How did you all end up together?"
"We just happened to run into each other! What about you? What are you buying?" Tao Yong leaned over to look at the stall Du Chengping was browsing.
"How did you—" Tao Yong had just started to speak when Luo Ping discreetly jabbed him with an elbow.
"I was just about to buy some paper and ink, too. How's the stuff here?" Luo Ping stepped up beside Du Chengping, and the two of them began looking over the goods on the stall.
"I nearly said the wrong thing!" Tao Yong muttered as he rubbed the spot Luo Ping had jabbed, coming over to Zhang Xiaofan.
Zhang Xiaofan was a little curious. He hadn't noticed what had happened between the three of them earlier.
"Chengping and Qingzhi both come from poor families. Their families can't afford much, and the expenses of studying in the Imperial City are a huge burden for them. So they're rather frugal with food, clothing, and other necessities," Tao Yong explained quietly.
Zhang Xiaofan nodded. Luo Yunji, beside him, hadn't paid any attention to what was happening over here. He was standing by the Sedan Chair, on tiptoe as he teased Liao Xing, who glared at him and made strange sounds.
"What's going