The sunset glow gradually faded, and countless lights quietly supported the prosperity of the capital. Although the Flower Festival was only three days away, the people of the capital could no longer hold back and went out for a walk. At this time, tourists returning from spring viewing flocked into teahouses, wine shops, and brothels, ready to rest their tired legs and feet after a day of work. The streets of the capital were bustling with people, and the teahouses and wine shops were crowded. The sound of laughter in the house, accompanied by the beautiful and graceful music of the geishas, lingered in the air. The sound of drinking and punching in the wine shop was endless, and various talents were performed in the brothels, and cheers came one after another.
The night was getting darker, and the team waiting to enter the city outside the South City Gate was winding like a long dragon.
"Sir, we can enter the city in about a quarter of an hour." Cheng Yuan drove the carriage and turned to the carriage and said in a deep voice.
"It's still in time." A steady male voice came from the carriage. As he spoke, a large hand with distinct joints pushed open the window, revealing half of his face. The face was as cold as a sculpture, and he looked like a nobleman. The thin layer of stubble on the corners of his lips revealed the fatigue of walking early in the morning and sleeping late at night, but his eyes were still bright and there was no sign of fatigue.
Ouyang looked at the towering city tower with a firm look, and his sword-like eyebrows were slightly frowned. The eve of New Year's Eve two years ago was the day he left the capital. It was snowing heavily that day, and it was impossible to see the person coming one foot away. The cold wind was unscrupulously wrapped in ice and snow, piercing his face like dense needles, and his breath was frozen so hard that he could hardly breathe. He would never forget that bone-chilling coldness in his life.
He thought that time had passed and he could face everything calmly. But until today, the round jade pendant in his left hand that was about to be crushed betrayed him.
As the team slowly moved forward, the guards at the city gate checked Ouyang's official seal, and the two of them entered the capital smoothly.
The lights were on, and the city was bustling. Ouyang sighed inwardly that the prosperity of the capital was no different from when he was the top scholar two years ago, but after a closer look, he found that many shops had changed again.
The roads in the inner city of the capital were crisscrossed and there were many bridges, which made it inconvenient to travel by carriage. Ouyang and his partner found an inn to settle down as soon as possible, and then hurriedly walked into the noisy night.
Ouyang was tall and straight, with a dignified demeanor. Even in a dark gray plain brocade casual dress, he could not hide his elegant demeanor, which attracted the attention of countless young ladies. The bright lights shone on his three-dimensional facial features, and even his cold eyes were infected, revealing a hint of warmth. Cheng Yuan was only half a head shorter than him, wearing a black casual dress, with a bronze dark skin and thick eyebrows and big eyes, full of abundant vitality. Cheng Yuan's hometown is in Dali. When he was seven years old, there was a famine in his hometown, so his parents brought him to Shu.
"Sir, the capital is still better! I almost miss the food in Wangxianglou!" Cheng Yuan looked yearning. He was already 18 years old this year, but he still couldn't hide his childishness.
"After I finish my work, I will allow you to take two days off so that you can eat as much as you want." Ouyang regarded him as his closest brother.
"But Mingzhou is not bad either. Once Mingzhou Port is opened, foreign new things are dazzling, especially the specialties from Japan and Goryeo, which can always be seen in Mingzhou first." Cheng Yuan comforted Ouyang for fear that he would recall sad things. Moreover, in the past two years in Mingzhou, he has made many good friends in Japan and Goryeo, and learned some foreign languages, but compared with Ouyang's photographic memory, he is far behind. Just one year after arriving in Mingzhou, Ouyang learned Japanese, Goryeo, and Dashi.
Unconsciously, the two came to the West Lake. Ouyang remembered that this place was originally the Wangjing Tower, where he had climbed up with his classmates to enjoy the view. Dongpo Jushi's poem says "The wind blows away the wind, and the water under the Wanghu Tower is like the sky", which describes this place. Now it has been converted into a teahouse, and the plaque is written in the thin gold script "Ye Jiayuan". The teahouse is very impressive, and it is full of men, women, and children drinking tea. Beautiful scenery and tea, so happy.
"There is a thief, my jade pendant has been stolen!" A middle-aged male tea drinker on the street side of the first floor of the teahouse shouted. For a moment, the tea drinkers were like hot porridge on a raging fire, boiling in an instant. I saw a thin man in a brown short shirt running quickly towards the window in the teahouse with a panicked look, trying to step on a tea table and turn over the teahouse. Before the tea drinkers nearby could react, the seasonal fruits on the tea table that the thief passed by rolled to the ground like falling flowers, and the strong tea soup was spilled wantonly, causing the scalded tea drinkers to hiss and scream.
"Stop him! He's a thief!" Dr. Tea shouted, but the thief was agile and flipped out of the teahouse directly.
A white-haired old woman on the street was frightened and stumbled in an instant, knocking over the jewelry stall next to her. The dazzling pearl hairpins, bracelets, and earrings scattered on the ground like meteors and were crushed to the ground by the crowd. Cheng Yuan reacted quickly, squeezed past two children with double buns in one step, and held up the old woman who was about to fall to the ground facing the stone road.
There were many pedestrians, and the thief was panicked and rushed into Ouyang. The thief was not willing to be outdone, and showed the short dagger hidden in the cuff of his right hand and cut Ouyang's cuff. Ouyang took the thief's right hand and twisted it gently. With the thief's scream of pain, the dagger in his hand fell instantly. Ouyang grabbed his left arm without hesitation, put it together behind the thief, and kicked the thief's knee flexibly, and the thief fell to the ground.
"Thank you, little brother, otherwise I don't know what would happen to me today." The old woman kept thanking her. The two children with double buns next to her tightly grasped the old woman's trouser legs. They should be her grandchildren. At this time, they were also frightened and pale, and their faces had not yet recovered.
The jewelry stall owner was anxious and scolded, "Why are you so blind? The treasures I have worked so hard to save!" He opened his arms and wanted to hug the jewelry that was trampled into pieces by pedestrians.
Seeing this, Yunong immediately ordered Dr. Cha to comfort the old woman. The tea master found a corner for them to rest in the crowded teahouse, and because there were no extra tables, they only found a temporary seat.
"And this uncle, I will buy all your jewelry, what do you think?" Yunong turned to the vendor and negotiated in a friendly manner. Seeing that the young lady was so generous, the vendor naturally said yes.
"Come on, report to the police, send this thief to the government for punishment." A group of guards also came out and arrested the thief.
"Thank you, gentlemen." Yunong looked up and found that the other party was more than a head taller than her, so she hurriedly stepped back so that she could see his full appearance. She couldn't help but secretly marvel that this man had a slender figure and extraordinary temperament, which was really different from the common men in the south.
Yunong pretended to look at the face of the young man casually, but saw that although his three-dimensional facial features looked serious, there was a sense of elegance between his eyebrows. Yunong's heart was moved, and her cheeks became slightly hot, and then a shy blush appeared. She secretly thanked that it was night time, and the light made people's faces a little hazy, otherwise it would be embarrassing.
In order to hide the embarrassment, Yunong turned his eyes to the attendant beside him. The attendant was also handsome and extraordinary. Yunong calmed down, bowed to them again, and said: "Two young masters, I am really sorry tonight. If you are free tomorrow, welcome to our teahouse again, I will definitely entertain the two distinguished guests." After speaking, Yunong's eyes unconsciously fell on the young master, looking forward to his response.
"No need." Ouyang finished speaking, and calmly signaled to the attendant next to him, and the two were about to start to leave.
"Young master, please stay, Tea Doctor, quickly give the deed to the two young masters." The deed stated that with this deed, you can enjoy the lakeside room for free and watch the tea-fighting performance.
"Sir, please accept it." Yunong insisted on putting the deed into Ouyang's hand, "Just consider it as compensation for your clothes." Yunong pointed at Ouyang's torn cuffs. Ouyang was startled, raised his hand to straighten his sleeves, and found a tear as long as a palm.
"Thank you." Ouyang had no intention of staying, so he had to accept the deed, and a smile appeared on his face to show his gratitude.
Yunong stood in the crowd and watched the two people leave. When he thought about not being able to talk more, he felt a little regretful.