Gu Moran said, "No, don't rush."
Half an hour later, a gray-blue figure emerged from the Shun'an Lane.
Ye Qingyun has arrived.
His cuffs were faded from washing, and the bamboo tube at his waist was pressed against the side of his clothes. His fingers pressed against the edge of the bamboo tube, as if pressing down on the last bit of his strength.
He did not go to the martial arts school.
They didn't leave.
Gu Moran looked over through the brim of her straw hat.
Ye Qingyun looked at the group of porters at the door, at Ma Liu's punches, and at the bucket of meat porridge in front of the martial arts school.
His face remained expressionless, but his toes veered half an inch toward the martial arts gym.
Shuhe caught up with him, his chest heaving as he ran, clutching half a dusty sesame seed cake in his hand.
"Young Master."
Ye Qingyun didn't look at him.
Shuhe hid the sesame seed cake behind his back, but then felt it was too deliberate, so he simply covered it with his sleeve.
"See, I wasn't kidding you, they really do provide the meat porridge."
Ye Qingyun said, "Did you go and ask?"
Shuhe shook his head hurriedly.
"I didn't ask, I just stood there and listened for a couple of sentences."
Ye Qingyun asked, "What else did you hear?"
Shuhe glanced at the martial arts hall, and his lips moved.
"There is a boxing instructor."
Ye Qingyun said, "This counts as boxing?"
Shuhe immediately took over.
"Then it's definitely not as good as yours, young master."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at the porridge bucket again.
Ye Qingyun did not respond.
At the entrance of the martial arts school, the boy carrying water was pressed back onto the stake by Liu Laosan. His legs were shaking violently, and he refused to sit down.
Liu Laosan cursed, "Stop wiggling your knees! If you want more porridge, stand still!"
Upon hearing the words "drink more porridge," Shuhe's throat tightened, and she moved closer to Ye Qingyun.
"Young master, the instructor said it's okay if you can't stand steadily on the first day; being able to stand steadily by tomorrow will be considered progress."
Ye Qingyun tightened his grip on the bamboo tube.
Shuhe lowered the voice of the second half of the sentence.
"Stop right there, you can have two bowls of meat porridge tomorrow."
Ye Qingyun finally turned to look at him.
"You envy me."
Shuhe shook his head rapidly.
I'm not envious.
His stomach growled at that very moment.
Someone was laughing on the street.
Shuhe blushed to the roots of her ears and quickly covered herself with a sesame seed cake.
"I'm just... a little hungry. A sesame flatbread isn't as filling as a meat bun."
The tea stall owner peeked out and said, "Young man, there's still half a bucket of porridge left at Dragon Abyss. If you go now, you can still find some minced meat."
Shuhe looked at Ye Qingyun.
Ye Qingyun could not bear such humiliation. He snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Suddenly someone shouted in the martial arts school.
"Instructor, is that young man in the blue robe also here to register?"
Ye Qingyun stopped in his tracks.
The boys at the door all looked over.
Ma Liu slung the wooden boxing gloves over his shoulder, then picked up the grass stalk and put it back in his mouth.
"If you're registering, just queue up. If you're just watching, stand back and don't block the door."
Shuhe grew anxious.
"My young master is quite capable."
Liu Laosan, leaning on his wooden cane, looked up at Ye Qingyun.
"Are they here to challenge us?"
The entrance fell silent.
Ye Qingyun looked at Liu Laosan.
Liu Laosan also looked at him and tapped the ground with his wooden stick.
Ma Liu laughed and said, "Challenging them is fine, but first make sure you're firmly on your feet."
Several porters couldn't help but burst into laughter again.
Ye Qingyun pressed his fingers tightly against the bamboo tube, unable to suppress his anger.
Shuhe tugged at his sleeve.
"Young master, there are too many uncouth people around here. Why don't we go back first?"
Ye Qingyun did not move.
Liu Laosan said, "Kid, if you stand at the door and don't say anything, the porridge won't just magically appear in your mouth."
Ma Liu added a comment.
"A fist won't magically slip into your sleeve."
Sun Kui walked out of the courtyard, carrying a wooden stick.
"If you want to learn, line up; if you want to compete, come in."
Shuhe stamped his feet in frustration.
"My young master is none other than the renowned scholar from Jizhou."
Ma Liu blinked.
"Does the talented scholar know how to hold a horse stance?"
A group of teenagers laughed again at the doorway.
Ye Qingyun finally spoke.
"Is this how your Dragon Abyss Martial Arts School treats its guests?"
Liu Laosan said, "We're accepting apprentices here, not throwing a banquet."
Gu Moran finished the last sip of coarse tea and chuckled to himself.
Boss Zhao asked from the side, "Your Highness, should we ask Liu Laosan to tone down his temper?"
Gu Moran's eyebrows and eyes were covered by a bamboo hat.
"No need."
Boss Zhao said, "What if we really push them too far?"
Gu Moran looked at the entrance of the martial arts school.
"You only reach out when you're desperate, like asking the third brother to add more meat to his meat porridge tomorrow."
Boss Zhao nodded, then asked, "Is it for Ye Qingyun?"
Gu Moran said, "Give it to those who really come to learn boxing."
Boss Zhao was taken aback.
Gu Moran pulled the brim of his hat down.
" Zhao Si, if you want to catch a big fish, you have to be willing to use the bait."
Boss Zhao bowed his head and said, "I understand."
At the entrance of the martial arts school, Sun Kui slammed a wooden stick into the ground.
"Next."
Shuhe's eyes drifted back to the porridge bucket.
Ye Qingyun was still standing on the street corner.
He didn't go in.
They didn't leave.
Ye Qingyun placed his hand on the bamboo tube, his fingertips feeling the warmth through his clothes, which suppressed half of the fire in his chest.
Ma Liu was still standing at the door, the grass stalk between his teeth shifting to the other side.
"Young master in blue, would you like to take a number?"
Shuhe panicked first, squeezing half a sesame seed cake until it crumbled.
"My young master is a guest of honor in distinguished families; why would he need to wait in line at a place like yours?"
Ma Liu glanced at the sesame seed cake in his hand, then at the porridge bucket.
"So you'll eat sesame cakes with the honored guests?"
"The rules of Dragon Abyss Martial Arts School are clear: even the most talented have to wait in line for porridge."
The porters at the door suppressed their laughter, afraid that Liu Laosan's wooden stick would hit their legs, so they could only keep their mouths shut.
Ye Qingyun looked at the wooden plaque.
We don't care about background, we only care about qualifications.
These eight characters hung in the south of the city, above a group of water carriers, making his presence seem somewhat superfluous.
He had just lost at a poetry competition.
She lost to the women of Prince Yi's Residence.
Now, standing in front of the porridge bucket again, being told to line up for a bowl of meat porridge and a rough punch, how will the capital city view him?
How will those in Jizhou who praised his three masterpieces view him?
Several images flashed through my mind.
Someone in the teahouse laughed, and the people from the Chancellor's Residence avoided him. Su Yao sat in the women's section, too lazy to even look at the old marriage certificate.
Ye Qingyun's throat tightened. The dry smell of the sesame seed cake wafted from Shuhe's hand, mixed with the aroma of porridge, making it even more irritating.
"Walk."
He turned around, the hem of his gray-blue robe sweeping across the mud and grime on the ground.
Ma Liu saw it, but didn't chase after it.
Liu Laosan, leaning on his wooden stick, called for the next apprentice.
"When practicing standing meditation, first focus your mind. If your legs are weak, you can still practice; if your mind is weak, go home and hug your blanket."
A boy quickly stood in front of the wooden stake.
"Coach, I'm not going home."
"Then press your waist down."
Ye Qingyun didn't stop walking.
Shuhe followed behind, took a bite of the sesame seed cake, and almost choked on it.
"Young master, they are teaching quite diligently."
Ye Qingyun stopped at the alley entrance.
Shuhe immediately hid the sesame seed cake behind his back.
"I'm not saying they're good, I'm just saying it casually, just saying it casually."
Ye Qingyun looked at him.
"Not full?"
The Shuhe lowered its head.
"Good."
My stomach growled a second time at that moment.
This time it called for an even longer time than before.
Shuhe blushed even more, and lowered her head to pat her stomach, as if trying to shut it up.
Ye Qingyun stared at him for a long time, then took out two copper coins from his sleeve and stuffed them into his hand.
Go buy some hot soup.
Shuhe held the copper coin, without moving.
"Young master, we don't have much money left."
Ye Qingyun said, "Buy."
Shuhe whispered, "How about I go to the entrance of Dragon Abyss and get a bowl? They said it's free for the first thirty days."