When Shen Luo arrived outside Songfan County Town, it was past Xu hour and the city gate had been closed.
Seeing that he could not enter the city, he immediately rode towards a small town to the east of the city.
Songfan County Business is prosperous. This town is located on the main road out of the city. There are many shops in the town, forming a large-scale market. Most of them are inns, which provide accommodation for merchants who come and go.
There is a waiter guarding the door of these inns, shouting one after another, soliciting business.
"Does this guest want to stay? Our store has hot water, freshly braised beef shank, which is very delicious. There is also stewed goose in the pot. I guarantee your satisfaction."
"Guest, please come to our Moon-Gazing Residence. The 'Daylight Fragrance' wine brewed by our shop is even more famous. I guarantee you will taste it once and think twice. Come and stay."
Seeing Shen Luo approaching, the clerks from several nearby stores swarmed around and rushed to say hello.
Shen Luo ignored these waiters, glanced at the surrounding inns, and drove his horse towards a small inn with ordinary decoration and relatively hidden location, which greatly disappointed the waiters. After all, Shen Luo was dressed in gorgeous clothes and the horse he was riding was also a good horse. He was obviously a wealthy guest.
There was also a young waiter guarding the door of the small inn. He looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. He had a pair of big eyes that moved around and looked very smart.
"Sir, do you want to stay in a hotel? Although the store is not big, it is quiet and the price is very reasonable." Seeing Shen Luo approaching, the young waiter greeted him with a smile on his face.
"Give me a quiet room and some rich meals." Shen Luo spent most of the day swimming in the river and was already hungry.
"Okay." The young waiter showed an excited smile, held the horse's reins diligently, and walked into the inn.
When the waiters from other nearby inns saw him, they all looked at her with a mixture of envy and jealousy.
Shen Luo turned over and dismounted, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, his whole body suddenly became weak and weak. It was as if a hole appeared in his body, sucking all the energy out of his body.
There was a roaring in his ears, and his eyesight turned black. He fell to the ground with a plop.
"Sir, are you okay?" The young clerk was startled and hurriedly came over to help Shen Luo.
Shen Luo glanced at the waiter with difficulty, opened his mouth and wanted to speak, but he didn't even have the strength to speak, not a single word came out, and his face quickly turned pale.
"What happened? Did you fall off the horse?"
"No, I just saw the man get off his horse and suddenly fainted on the ground. He must have been seriously ill."
"Little Third, the customer you recruited this time looks like trouble."
People outside seemed to have noticed the movement here, gathered around, and started talking. Waiters from other inns also gathered around, making sarcastic remarks, and some of the people who had been rejected by Shen Luo showed a bit of gloating.
Seeing more and more people gathering around him, the young waiter was sweating profusely and hurriedly called for help in the store.
There were no customers in the store at the moment. There were only two waiters and a thin middle-aged man wearing an employee's hat, who was looking through the account books at the counter.
The three of them also noticed the situation outside and hurriedly walked out. They were all surprised when they saw the situation in front of them.
"Little Third, what's going on?" the thin middle-aged man asked in a low voice.
"Shopkeeper, what should we do?" Little Third quickly explained the situation and said with a sad face.
"Oh, this guest must have fainted from the long journey, so there is no need to make a fuss. You two, carry him in first. Little Third, you go to Liu's Pharmacy and invite Dr. Liu over." The shopkeeper changed his mind and immediately raised his voice, so that everyone nearby could hear clearly.
The two waiters beside him heard this and quickly carried Shen Luo in, while Little Third ran outside.
"Everyone, it's just that the guests are overtired and have nothing to do. Let's all leave." The shopkeeper took off a baggage Shen Luo hung on the saddle, clasped his fists and looked around at the people at the door, then turned and walked into the inn.
Seeing that there was no more excitement to see, everyone nearby slowly dispersed.
Two waiters carried Shen Luo to a guest room in the backyard and carefully placed it on the bed.
Shen Luo Although it is not heavy, the two guys were very tired after carrying it for so long.
"Shopkeeper, this man doesn't look like he's fainted from exertion. You see, his eyes are still open, and his body seems to be very cold. Is it a serious illness?" A short, fat boy wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.
"Stop chewing your tongue, wait until Dr. Liu comes over to see it." The shopkeeper scolded with a frown on his straight, thick brows.
"Yes." The short, fat boy knew he was too talkative and agreed hastily.
"There was so much noise outside just now, what happened?" A voice came from outside, and along with heavy footsteps, a middle-aged woman walked in.
This man was obese, with the fat on his face squeezing his eyes into slits, and his complexion was quite dark. He was wearing a bright red silk shirt and a gold hairpin, and he was dressed up in a fancy way, which made people look very awkward at first sight.
"Lady boss." The two waiters called out hurriedly, seeming to be quite afraid of the woman in red shirt.
"You're not in the kitchen, why are you here?" The shopkeeper glanced at the woman and said somewhat unhappily.
"What, you own this inn alone? I can't come to the front?" the woman in red shirt raised her eyebrows and shouted with her hands on her hips.
"There are guests here, what are you yelling about?" The shopkeeper's expression paused slightly and he lowered his voice and said.
Only then did the woman in red shirt notice Shen Luo on the bed, and her expression calmed down a little.
"What's going on with this person? Why is he lying still?" she looked at Shen Luo and asked.
The short and fat boy hurriedly stepped forward and briefly explained what had just happened.
"What! How did you carry such a sick man into the store! Why don't you carry him out through the back door!" After hearing this, the woman in red shirt immediately gave sharp instructions to the two waiters.
The two of them looked at the middle-aged shopkeeper with hesitant expressions on their faces.
"Nonsense! This young man came to stay in our inn and fainted in front of the inn. How could we just let him go? Once the reputation of this slow guest spreads, will this inn be opened?" the middle-aged shopkeeper said with a frown.
"I think you are talking nonsense. If he dies here, will anyone dare to come to the inn?" the woman in red shirt retorted, her voice a little louder.
"I have asked Little Third to invite Doctor Liu. I will take care of the matter myself. Don't make trouble for me here!" The middle-aged shopkeeper looked impatient and his voice became colder.
"Hou Liangcai, you want to rebel! Don't forget that without the money I borrowed from my mother's family, you, a poor fellow from the countryside, could afford to open this inn!" The woman in red shirt became furious and roared like a lion from Hedong.
"You..." The shopkeeper surnamed Hou was furious for a moment.
"Shopkeeper, Doctor Liu is here." Just at this moment, Little Third's voice came from outside.
Before the voice fell, two figures walked in. Little Third led the way, followed by a man in white robes.
This man looked to be in his forties, with a slender appearance and a several-inch-long black beard under his chin, giving him a sense of elegance.
"Shopkeeper Hou, where is the patient?" The man in white robe was startled when he saw the situation in the room, and asked hesitantly.
"Doctor Liu is here. We'll talk about it later. Don't embarrass yourself here!" A trace of embarrassment flashed across the shopkeeper's face. He whispered to the woman in red, and then quickly walked towards the man in white robe.
The woman in red shirt looked at the shopkeeper's back, didn't make any more fuss, and kept silent.