These people even collect tolls just for passing through. A few books, once in their hands—even if they can’t read them themselves, they can give them to relatives. If they can’t give them away, they can still sell them for a few coins. When they flipped further and saw the illustrated albums, their smiles became genuinely sincere. They only gave the goods a cursory inspection and didn’t make things difficult at all.
Xie Yan shot Lu Yang a look, eyebrows dancing, clearly asking for praise. Lu Yang, of course, praised him enthusiastically.
Once inside the city gate, the group of burly men who made a living delivering letters still refused to miss out on business. Some followed them for quite a distance, offering to guide them or deliver visiting cards to acquaintances.
They truly had no need for such services. Only then did those men turn back toward the city gate to wait for the next opportunity.
Shun Ge’er sat on the carriage, watching the entire scene of entering the city.
Very soon, he had no time to dwell on it. Once inside, they were in a place of true bustle.
The streets here were wider than those in the county town, and there were far more people—so many they could only be described as dense.
The city gates had just opened, and already the city was boiling with human activity. Hawkers’ cries packed both ears.
It truly was business after business lining the streets. Stalls selling the same foods sat right next to one another, yet no one seemed bothered.
Shun Ge’er said, “Everyone’s going to the inns later anyway—why are there still so many people buying food here?”
Lu Yang answered him with actions.
Because it was cold. Because they were hungry. Because they had money in hand and wanted to show it off.
They had been traveling for days, then waited outside the city for more than an hour. The cold wind blew until people were nearly frozen stiff.
They were sick of dry rations and didn’t want to drink cold water anymore. They needed something hot—only then did it feel like being alive.
A bowl of hot soup, a hot flatbread, could bring them back to life in an instant.
Most of the common folk entering the city were reluctant to spend money on food or drink. Those who ate their fill looked at the people with pale, dry lips and felt a sense of superiority.
After entering the city, they could still hear people discussing the new regulations.
They talked about whose son was impressive, how many households he had delivered messages for, competing over who earned more money.
Lu Yang bit into his flatbread, chewing on the cabbage-and-glass-noodle filling, and said bluntly, “This is really awful. This can still make money?”
There wasn’t the slightest hint of meat in the filling. Oil and salt were used so sparingly they might as well not exist. Soy sauce was only used to give it color—at first glance it looked appetizing, but once it hit the mouth, you realized the cabbage hadn’t even been stir-fried. The stems were hard as wood, worse than grass. Only the flatbread skin itself was edible.
Xie Yan also thought it tasted bad. “I think I could come out and set up a stall myself.”
Lu Yang said, “If you set up a stall and someone says your flatbreads taste bad, you just tell them you’re a xiucai. If they ask what being a xiucai has to do with it, you say: I’m a xiucai gentleman and I’m already making flatbreads for you—what more do you want?”
Xie Yan couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, laughing so hard he started coughing.
Lu Yang patted his back and continued, “Actually, this kind of business really can be done. It’s a gimmick, and people are easily drawn in.”
Xie Yan asked, “Then if you went to sell flatbreads, what would you say?”
“Does that even need thinking?” Lu Yang said smugly. “I’ve got a whole pitch that works anywhere. I spent a hundred taels of silver in the capital to learn this craft—no risk, no loss. For just a few copper coins, you can eat stuffed flatbreads made by a master chef!”
Xie Yan laughed out loud again. He asked once more, “What if someone says it tastes bad?”
Lu Yang laughed. “Everyone’s tastes are different. If he’s not used to it, that’s fine—but how can he say it’s bad?”
Xie Yan pointed at the cabbage-and-glass-noodle flatbread in Lu Yang’s hand. Lu Yang looked and laughed. He stopped eating and handed it to Xie Yan.
“I don’t like it.”
Xie Yan took it and gnawed on it. “No wonder they make it so small. If it were any bigger, how would anyone eat it?”
After another street, they split into two groups.
Li Feng and the others went to the docks. Lu Yang’s family took Shun Ge’er to stay with the Wu family. They would lodge temporarily at Wu Pingzhi’s home and slowly look for a house.
It was Shun Ge’er’s first time entering the home of a wealthy family. He noticed that the Wu family’s gate wasn’t very tall, and even the threshold was low.
Three steps inside the gate stood a small screen wall. Beyond it was the front courtyard. Connected to the front courtyard was a small dye workshop, where cloth was hung to dry. Only after passing the second gate did one reach the living quarters.
They stayed in the guest courtyard—the same one they had used previously when coming for the prefectural examinations.
Shun Ge’er had just left the elders at home and had already grown close to Zhao Peilan. That evening, the two of them shared a room.
The steward led them to the guest courtyard and arranged a table of dishes to welcome them and wash away the dust of travel.
Lu Yang wanted to ask about recent events in the prefectural city, and the steward explained in detail.
The requirement that merchant caravans entering the city needed a guarantor sounded serious, but in reality it wasn’t enforced strictly—it was mostly a formality.
The prefectural city relied on itinerant merchants coming and going to make money. They brought in a steady stream of wealth. Doing a bit of surface-level show was enough; they weren’t going to clamp down harshly.
This answer made Xie Yan glance sideways.
He had thought there might be collective punishment involved. Turns out it was just superficial window dressing.
Besides that, the matter of catching bandits was also strange—much thunder, little rain.
It was loudly proclaimed to everyone, yet no real action seemed to be taken.
“I’ve heard some itinerant merchants say that the other docks are fine and peaceful. It seems the problem is that the people on the water got too greedy and negotiations with the Hong family broke down. I don’t know the specifics,” the steward said.
After the steward left and closed the door, Lu Yang turned and asked Xie Yan, “What do you think?”
Xie Yan said, “There’s no such thing as ‘people of the water.’ They all come ashore eventually. Once ashore, they’re people of the land. A power as large as the Hong family isn’t something ordinary water bandits would dare provoke. I’ve heard Li Feng say that each time it’s only small groups, just a few people. Either they’re real water bandits who’ve been fed too long, grown greedy, and forgotten their place—or they’re fake water bandits, meaning infighting within the Hong family.”
This was the sort of thing Lu Yang needed to learn. He’d never thought about matters at this level before.
After listening, he asked, “If they’re real water bandits, would their power be large?”
Xie Yan shook his head. “It wouldn’t be large. There are naval troops along the riverbanks. Once water bandits become a real menace, their end isn’t far. I said before—if these people can come ashore, someone is supporting them. True water bandits are that type: each household gives them benefits, they take money and do dirty work. Fake water bandits, on the other hand, are groups secretly raised by major families. From time to time they sail out to rob cargo, eating from both ends. The water bandits do the dirty work; their own people pick on the soft targets.”
Lu Yang listened, eyes lighting up brighter and brighter. “Now I also want to go study at the Prefectural Academy.”
Xie Yan couldn’t handle praise—once praised, he grinned like a fool.
“These things aren’t written in books. If you like hearing about them, I’ll read more in the future. When classmates debate, I often go listen.”
Lu Yang wasn’t in a hurry about that. He told Xie Yan to stick to his original study plan.
Knowing the difference between real and fake water bandits, and understanding the scope of the matter, was enough.
This year was about putting down roots—and those roots needed to be steady.
Lu Yang wouldn’t arrive and immediately launch into grand undertakings. This year, his main focus was accompanying Xie Yan for the examinations.
There were still half a year until the provincial examination. In these six months, nothing was more important than Xie Yan’s studies.
He would go to the docks, but their business wouldn’t expand outward in haste. They would maintain their current scale, nurture their connections, and slowly gather information, collecting clues—so that if the Hong family truly fell into internal strife, they could make the right decisions and avoid being dragged down.
On the other side, at the docks—
As soon as Li Feng and the others arrived, they found Steward Xiao Hong and asked about the shopfronts.
It was already February. This year they planned to rent a shop. From now on, every time they came, they would have a place to stay and operate.
Hong Laowu had already given instructions. Around this time, the shopfronts would be cleared out. The stalls in front were rented out day by day, but the shops themselves were left vacant.
They had arrived, but couldn’t set up a stall that day. They would have to wait until others finished selling their goods before taking over.
Steward Xiao Hong chuckled. “Now that you’ve got a shop, there’s no need to rush over a day or two. At the docks, you’re the only ones selling mountain fungi. You haven’t come for months—restaurants in the city are about to run out. I’ve heard my uncles say that many restaurants have no fungus dishes left and are telling customers it’s not the season yet. Only Denggao Tower is flying the banner of its signature dishes, raking it in. During the New Year, our family head held a banquet and served several fungus dishes. The vegetarian soup they make is something the old madam likes—this winter her complexion has been better than in previous years. Fifth Uncle said that now you’re here, he wants me to set aside some fungi. The family wants to buy.”
He was beaming, showing not the slightest trace of anger over having ships robbed.
They delivered the goods, took payment, then paid to rent the shopfront. Both matters were handled smoothly, yet they still didn’t manage to see Hong Laowu.
