Before they knew it, the day of departure arrived. Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci wanted to bring gifts for their families, so the three of them drove an oxcart around the prefectural city.
Qing He and Qing Yang like sweets, so Meng Anzhi specially bought pastries from the prefectural city. Lu Chi likes reading, so Meng Anci bought several books on military strategy.
The two little ones bought Lu Chi wristbands and thumb rings... several items in total, which made Jin Shanyao feel a little jealous.
The oxcart swayed and rattled out of Qingzhou Prefecture, its wooden wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs onto the bumpy dirt road. Without Su Wenqian's horse-drawn carriage to lead the way, the oxcart sped along at breakneck speed.
Meng Anzhi leaned against Jin Shanyao's side, already asleep. Meng Anci, however, remained upright, gazing silently at the horizon.
This trip had a significant impact on him; he seemed to have discovered the true purpose of reading.
Magistrate Yang was terrified of Lord Su, and the madam only dared to act arrogantly because she had the support of the Assistant Magistrate, but the Assistant Magistrate didn't even dare to breathe loudly in front of Lord Su.
In other words, the higher the official rank and the greater the power, the fewer people can bully them.
Meng Anci understood...
The oxcart arrived in Willow and Poplar County before sunset, and after a short while, they reached Anzhi Hall. The two little ones exclaimed excitedly, "Master, Qing He and Qing Yang, we're back!"
The clear, childlike voice had barely faded when hurried footsteps echoed from the courtyard. Then the gate opened, revealing Qing Yang's smiling face.
"Is it Master who has returned?"
Qing He ran out of the kitchen with a spatula in her hand. Upon seeing Jin Shanyao and the others, she exclaimed excitedly, "Master, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, we would have been bullied to death by Lu Chi!"
"Nonsense! When did I bully you? You're here to complain!" Lu Chi came out of the woodshed carrying a piece of wood. When he saw Jin Shanyao and the others, a look of joy flashed in his eyes.
He put the wood in the kitchen, wiped his hands, walked to the oxcart, and very naturally lifted Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci off the oxcart.
Meng Anci took the opportunity to hug Lu Chi's leg, looked up and said, "Master, I bought you books, wristbands, and thumb rings..." As he spoke, he went to overturn the oxcart.
"Alright, alright, I know," Lu Chi, trying his best to suppress the corners of his mouth from turning up. He placed his large hand on Lu Chi's head, not allowing him to move. Boys who act cute all the time, what will they be like when they grow up?
Qing He and Qing Yang's eyes held envy, but the next moment they heard Meng Anzhi say, " Qing He and Qing Yang, I brought you pastries from the prefectural city."
Qing He and Qing Yang looked surprised. "I... we have that too?"
"Of course," Meng Anzhi said with a smile, taking four oil paper packages from the oxcart and handing them to the two of them.
Qing He and Qing Yang exchanged a glance, and their eyes welled up with tears. They hadn't expected their host family to bring them gifts. Qing Yang wiped her hands vigorously on her clothes and accepted the gifts.
"Thank you, Master."
Jin Shanyao felt unworthy of the thanks, as she had never thought of bringing gifts for anyone.
Jin Shanyao said earnestly, "These were prepared by the two children. If you like them, I'll bring you more next time I go to the prefectural city."
Qing He waved her hand hastily, but when she saw the spatula in her hand, she exclaimed and ran to the kitchen. She still had vegetables cooking in the pan, which Lu Chi had specially ordered.
Since their master left, Lu Chi has begun to enslave them.
Serving him tea and water, doing laundry and cooking, and even expecting them to massage his shoulders and back—truly shameless... Pshaw... When the tiger is away, the monkeys rule.
Now that the master is back, let's see how he tries to cause trouble.
Because Jin Shanyao and the others returned suddenly, there wasn't enough food prepared, so Qing He added a few more dishes. By the time everything was on the table, it was already quite dark.
Qing Yang placed the three oil lamps in the middle of the table and said with a smile, "I don't know why, but after Master left, I felt that the lamps stopped working."
Qing He chimed in, "Absolutely! The same food tastes especially delicious when it's with Master, but it doesn't taste the same to us."
Jin Shanyao and said, "You've all worked hard at home."
"Don't mention it, Master left some money when he left," Qing He said, picking up some food for Meng Anzhi. "Miss, try this meat, doesn't it taste better than usual?"
Meng Anzhi smiled and said, " Qing He's cooking is the most delicious; it's even better than the chefs in the prefectural city."
Speaking of the prefectural city, Qing He and Qing Yang became interested, "Miss, is the prefectural city fun?"
"It's fun. There are so many people on the street. Some people can breathe fire out of their mouths, and others can stand on poles with bowls on their heads."
Qing He and Qing Yang listened in a daze. If someone were to breathe fire, their mouths would surely get scalded. They were so engrossed in listening that they forgot to eat. Meng Anzhi was speaking with great enthusiasm.
Her little mouth chattered incessantly, and she gestured with her hands, "This bun is so big, guess how much it costs?"
Qing He guessed, "Two for one coin?"
Meng Anzhi couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Don't let its small size fool you, it's expensive, two coins for a vegetarian one."
"What? This is way too expensive!" Qing He exclaimed in disbelief.
Qing Yang stopped eating. If a single steamed bun costs two coins, how expensive must her and her sister's pastries be?
Lu Chi smiled. If they knew that there were still buns in the capital that cost ten taels each, they would be shocked.
He picked up some food with his chopsticks and put it into Meng Anci's bowl. "Not having fun?"
Meng Anci was trying her best to maintain a quiet and reserved demeanor, but Lu Chi's words completely broke down her defenses.
He laughed, "I'm so happy, the restaurant my aunt took us to is really big."
He put down his chopsticks and gestured with his hands, "The stair railings are gleaming, and the carpets inside... do you know what carpets are? They're soft, fluffy fabrics laid on the floor with patterns on them."
Qing He and Qing Yang's eyes widened in disbelief. This was just too wasteful of them, spreading the cloth on the ground and stepping on it.
Lu Chi chuckled, and seeing Meng Anci looking over, quickly said, "You go on."
Meng Anci was bewildered by the laughter, then turned and continued, "The room we stayed in had a lake outside the window. You couldn't see much of it during the day, but it was especially beautiful at night."
While eating, Qing He asked curiously, "How is it beautiful?"
Meng Anci took a sip of soup, her eyes sparkling, and said, "There are painted boats and brothels in the evening, all brightly lit."
Lu Chi paused, his hand holding the chopsticks still. "You went to a brothel?"
Meng Anci hummed in agreement, then seemed to remember something and stopped talking. Qing He, wanting to hear more, pressed on, "Anything else?"
Qing Yang picked up some food with her chopsticks and put it in her bowl. "Also, if you don't eat, we'll clear the table."
Lu Chi remained silent; he needed to find time to have a proper talk with Jin Shanyao about the child.
After dinner, the adults and two children took a hot bath and lay comfortably on the kang (heated brick bed). As the saying goes, there's no place like home, and for the first time, Jin Shanyao felt like he was at home.
Nothing more was said that night.
The following day, Anzhi Hall opened its doors.
Meng Anzhi was grinding medicine at the counter when she caught a glimpse of someone standing at the door. Looking up, she saw a simply dressed old woman with her trousers rolled up to her calves and her worn-out shoes covered in a thick layer of mud.
She stood awkwardly at the door, hesitant to come in.
Meng Anzhi, "Is Auntie seeing a doctor?"
The old woman blinked her dry eyes twice and said hoarsely, "I want to have my fortune told."
Originally looking for her aunt, Meng Anzhi put down the medicine grinder and smiled, "You sit there first, I'll go get someone for you." She walked to the back door and said to Qing He in the courtyard, "Please call my aunt for me, someone wants her to do divination."
Qing He responded, and soon after, Jin Shanyao walked into the shop.