Chapter 5: Night at the Restaurant
Coming out of the mansion on the south bank of Wende Bridge, Zuo Lingquan held an oil-paper umbrella and stood in the streets and alleys of the bustling capital, looking around, looking for a place to drink to relieve his slightly depressed mood.
There are many people in the capital, but no acquaintances. The second uncle also told me not to drink flower wine.
Zuo Lingquan thought for a moment, walked towards the outside of the capital, and according to his memory, came to Linhefang near Shuimen.
Watergate is the place where ships entering and exiting the capital load and unload cargo. Most of the people gathered there are from all walks of life, among which the porters who rely on their strength to earn a living are the most numerous.
It was already late at night, and most of the shops in the small market near the pier were closed, and the area near the house destroyed by the beast was deserted. Only gambling houses and small alleys in the distance were left, and the sound of mirth could still be heard.
Zuo Lingquan walked along the street and came to the wine shop in the middle of the street.
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The wine shop was dark and silent, and the banner with the word "Soup" on it was swaying in the night wind.
Dong Dong——
Zuo Lingquan stood at the door of the wine shop, raised his hand and knocked twice on the locked door. When there was no response, he raised his hand and knocked twice more.
After a while, the door opened in the backyard of the wine shop, and the woman's sleepy voice came:
"Blind? Didn't you see it was closing? You want to drink and come tomorrow morning..."
"It's me."
"Who are you? Tell me clearly and let the neighbors hear it. You think I am stealing a man, so I went to the alley in front to find a concubine..."
"I'm Xiao Zuo."
"Zuo, Zuo, I don't know you, get out of here, my man will be back soon..."
"..."
Seeing that the other party could not recognize his voice, Zuo Lingquan thought for a while and said:
"I came to your shop for a drink this morning. I called you Auntie, a tall and handsome young man."
"Um?"
The proprietress obviously still remembered this, and said nothing more, instead the sound of footsteps coming in and out could be heard.
After a while, the door bolt of the hotel lobby was opened, Tang Jingxuan took a look from inside, and immediately revealed a bit of surprise:
"Master Zuo, why are you here? You weren't injured during the day, were you?"
The door opened, revealing half of Tang Jingxun's body. Her long hair was draped over her shoulders like a waterfall. She was wearing a tight dress, but it could not hide the majesty of her clothes. There was no makeup on her face. Under the shining of the bright white moonlight, her face was white. Like mutton-fat nephrite, a pair of plump lips adds a touch of softness in the hot weather.
Zuo Lingquan raised the corner of his mouth: "I'm not hurt. I'm done with my work. I want to find a place to have a drink. I wonder if it's inconvenient for Sister Tang?"
Tang Jingxun had just gotten up from the bed, and her clothes were not neatly dressed. It was definitely inconvenient, but it was not easy to refuse directly.
She looked at the sky outside, feeling a little embarrassed:
"Well... I just went to bed, and the food and drinks are gone..."
Zuo Lingquan didn't force anyone to do anything, so he stretched out his hand:
"Okay, Sister Tang, give me the money and I'll drink it elsewhere."
Tang Jingxuan was stunned for a moment, then his eyes became cautious, and he glanced up and down:
"What money do you want, Master?"
"It was an urgent matter during the day, so I gave Sister Tang one hundred taels, but I didn't have time to make change. A pot of wine and two dishes of side dishes add up to three taels of silver at most. Sister Tang has to ask me for ninety-nine taels."
?
Isn't that a reward?
Tang Jingxuan blinked his eyes, and saw that Zuo Lingquan's expression was serious and not fake. His eyes were tangled, his hands were covering his clothes, and his lips were pursed. He was obviously embarrassed and was embarrassed, but he was also a little reluctant. He thought for a while and murmured in a low voice:
"Yes, I thought it was the young master's reward."
Zuo Lingquan grinned: "Sister Tang is doing a serious business. I tipped you a hundred taels for my reckless reward. Not only will you not accept it, but you will also beat me out as a prodigal, don't you think so?"
It’s a hammer, I’m happy before it’s too late...
After all, Tang Jingxun was not a black-hearted woman. After struggling for a while, she turned around and took out the warm banknotes from her clothes. She gritted her teeth and handed it to Zuo Lingquan, making a generous appearance:
"Thank you very much, Mr. Bai Tian, for your generous help. Let me treat you as my sister's treat for that drink."
This seemingly generous but extremely painful look made Zuo Lingquan quite interesting. He took the banknote and looked around:
"Then thank you Sister Tang for your hospitality. All the shops on the street are closed. If Sister Tang doesn't introduce me to a store that can open at night, I can use these one hundred taels as wine money."
What?
Tang Jingxun was not a stupid woman, so she naturally understood what Zuo Lingquan meant when she heard these words.
Although she was a little dissatisfied with Zuo Lingquan's teasing, she couldn't get into trouble with Yinzi. She hesitated for a moment, then turned slightly to make way, and said with a smile:
"It's late at night and there don't seem to be any wine shops open on the street. If you really want to drink, my sister will be woken up by you anyway..."
Zuo Lingquan entered the wine shop and curled up his lips:
"Then I'll bother Sister Tang."
"Hey, we're open for business, why bother? Sir, please sit down."
Tang Jingxuan went back and forth, but felt a little embarrassed. He turned around and lit the oil lamp, opened the window, poured a pot of wine from the wine jar, and came to the wine table:
"The wine is cold, but the weather is not cold either. The food and drinks are gone. I will prepare them for you."
Zuo Lingquan simply wanted to drink and had no other requirements. He shook his head and said:
"It's getting late, so there's no need to go to such trouble. I'll just have a couple of drinks myself."
There were no fresh vegetables in the backyard, and it was hard to prepare the soup. Seeing this, I naturally nodded.
There was a steady drizzle outside the window, and the hall was empty except for a pair of men and women.
Tang Jingyan stood in the shop and did not prepare food. She could not just watch Zuo Lingquan drinking, let alone drink with him. She thought for a while, took a small stool, sat at the door of the wine shop, and asked softly:
"During the day, the young master seemed to be from Zuo Shilang's family. Why did he come to Linhefang to drink at night?"
Linhefang is located near the pier, where all kinds of people are mixed. It is not a good location. Under normal circumstances, no rich kid would come here to be free and easy.
Zuo Lingquan took a sip from the wine bowl and shook his head:
"The selection of a consort will be in a few days. My family is urging me to stay in a quiet place for a while."
Tang Jingxun was surprised:
"It's a good thing for the princess to select a consort. So many people are vying for it. Why are you drinking to relieve your worries? Are you afraid that you won't be selected?"
Zuo Lingquan was a little helpless: "Didn't Sister Tang say that if I go, the princess will definitely choose me?"
Tang Jingxun actually thought so in her heart, especially after Zuo Lingquan drew his sword to help her during the day, she felt that the princess was blind if she didn't choose this chivalrous and brave young man.
"So you don't want to be a consort?"
"What's so good about being a consort? Sister Tang has lived in the capital for a long time. Don't you know what a consort looks like?"
"..."
Tang Jingxun frowned and thought about it. The consorts she had seen had very high status. They were surrounded by people when they went out, and everyone had to greet them politely.
However, Zuo Lingquan seemed to have a very high status. There were many followers who came here today, and the elders were senior officials of the third rank.
Although Tang Jingxuan did not know the life of the prince consort, she could still imagine the relationship between husband and wife.
The princess was in a high position and had great power. She would definitely not follow the secular rules of male superiority and female inferiority. The wife was strong and the husband was weak. The natal family was strong and the in-laws were weak. The husband would inevitably be humiliated. Putting aside the respected status of the prince consort, it seemed that there was not much difference from marrying into the family.
Thinking of this, Tang Jingxuan understood a little. She stood up, walked to the opposite side of the wine table and sat down. She supported her cheek with her hand and sighed:
"That's right. You are young, handsome, and good at martial arts. Your elders are also in important positions. If you were in other places, you would definitely be successful. Going to be a prince consort, even the prince consort of the eldest princess, is too aggrieved."
Zuo Lingquan finally heard a heartwarming word, but this matter was a foregone conclusion. He had to go. It was not good to drag someone to complain. He chuckled, changed the subject, and talked about something else:
"Sister Tang, you are too kind. You may not be selected even if you want to be one. By the way, why is Sister Tang opening a shop here alone?"
Hearing this, Tang Jingxun shook her head and smiled:
"What else can I do? My parents died a long time ago, and I am the only one left. I don't feel safe asking for help, and there is no place for help."
Zuo Lingquan's smile faded, and he apologized a little:
"Sorry, I said too much."
"It's nothing. Everyone in the street knows that my relatives used to make things difficult for me. Thanks to Lao Zhang's warm-heartedness, he scolded those people and I settled down later."
Tang Jingxun smiled and raised her hand to point to a building in the distance:
"Lao Zhang lives over there. Don't look at his frivolous words. He is actually a good person. I almost got into trouble on the street today. Thanks to the young master for saving his life. "
Zuo Lingquan was just helping within his ability, there was nothing to be proud of, he just smiled and asked:
"Sister Tang should be older than me, why don't you find a reliable husband?"
Tang Jingxuan frowned, and seeing that Zuo Lingquan didn't have any intention of flirting with Tao Kan, he said in a joking tone:
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you, a teenager, to ask your sister if she is married?"
Zuo Lingquan was simply curious, and really had no other intentions. Seeing this, he raised his hand:
"I am guilty, but Sister Tang doesn't look like she can't get married, I'm just curious."
Tang Jingxuan showed a little smug look, raised her eyebrows, stood up, and sat back at the door, looking like she didn't want to talk anymore.
Zuo Lingquan knew that he had accidentally killed the conversation, so he didn't want to say anything more. He prepared to finish the pot of wine and stood up to say goodbye.
It was just that Tang Jingxun was sitting at the door of the tavern, looking at the street in the rain, and suddenly found a dark shadow moving beside the ruins where the beast had caused chaos during the day.
! !
Tang Jingxun was terribly frightened during the day, and was still in shock. He stood up quickly, his face pale, and ran to Zuo Lingquan, raising his hand to point outside. He didn't even dare to make a sound, but just winked and signaled, almost pulling Zuo Lingquan up to block in front of him.
Zuo Lingquan's face changed slightly, thinking that there was another beast causing chaos, so he grabbed the sword on the table and carefully stuck his head out of the window.
The rain was quite heavy on the small street, and the place where the incident happened during the day was a little far away, so it was hard to see clearly. He could only see a dark shadow outside the house destroyed by the beast, moving slowly along the trace. From the outline, it was not a beast, but more like a person walking slowly.
Zuo Lingquan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. To be on the safe side, he asked Tang Jingyan to turn off the lights and lock the door, then he silently jumped out of the window and walked towards the figure...