A narrow alley opened its gate, and a wobbly unicycle was pushed out.
"Slow down, slow down."
The creaking of the cart accompanied Seventh Chen's voice.
"Can you handle it?"
The unicycle, laden with a rack full of sugar figures, was pushed out not by Seventh Chen, but by Fang Jinxiu herself, as Seventh Chen nervously opened his hands to guard it.
"Left, left, to the right, to the right," he kept saying.
Fang Jinxiu set the cart down, causing the sugar figures to shake violently.
Seventh Chen also started to shout and holler.
"Shut up," Fang Jinxiu commanded.
Seventh Chen quickly shut his mouth.
"I've practiced a long time; I can push it," Fang Jinxiu said, glaring at him, and pushed the cart again.
Though she was slender and the cart wobbled, it did not fall, and the sugar figures did not drop.
"It's not that you can't do it—I'm here, let me do it," Seventh Chen said with a smile. "After all, I'm a partner too."
"Your part was providing the sugar figure molds and materials; I'm responsible for selling," Fang Jinxiu said, focusing ahead. "I didn't hire you to assist."
"So, I don't need to follow you then?" Seventh Chen asked.
"No need," Fang Jinxiu replied.
Seventh Chen indeed stopped walking and watched Fang Jinxiu push the cart out of the alley.
Exiting the narrow alley, the street suddenly crowded, with more running children appearing at the street corner. Seeing the cart with sugar figures, they immediately gathered around.
Fang Jinxiu panicked inside, her steps became disorderly, and she nearly fell.
Behind her, Seventh Chen seemed unable to watch and covered his eyes with his hands, but no scream from a girl or the sound of the cart falling was heard. He opened his hands and peeked through the gap to see Fang Jinxiu had propped the cart up on the ground.
Fang Jinxiu couldn't help but wipe the sweat off her forehead, her heart nearly leaping out of her throat.
Looking at the unicycle in front of her, she felt somewhat amused.
It's just a cart; could it be scarier than a horse that could buck, jump, and kick a person to death?
She hadn't been this scared when she first learned to ride a horse.
Her smile faded away.
Back then, when learning to ride as the precious daughter of the Fang Family, countless people crowded around to protect her, making everything entirely worry-free.
Now it was different; now she was alone.
Fang Jinxiu straightened up, looking at the approaching children and the curious glances from the street.
She opened her mouth and emitted a dry, indistinct sound.
"Is this for sale?" a child who had crowded around asked.
"Yes," Fang Jinxiu quickly nodded. "Do you, do you want one?"
The child bit his finger, his eyes glowing as he looked at the sugar figure.
"I want one," he said loudly.
Fang Jinxiu was overjoyed; business had started right after she stepped out, a good omen.
She quickly handed a sugar figure to the child. Seventh Chen started to say something but was too late; the child immediately licked it, and other children swarmed up in a rush.
"I want one too."
"I want one too."
The children nearly knocked the cart over, and Fang Jinxiu, busy protecting the cart and fending off the children, was flustered.
"The money," she finally remembered, shouting at the child holding the sugar figure.
The child heard her, turned his head, and ran away.
Fang Jinxiu was stunned.
"Money!" she shouted.
The child had already run to the opposite alley. Fang Jinxiu wanted to chase him but dared not leave the cart behind, nor could she bear the thought of the stolen sugar figure.
"Seventh Chen," she had to call out.
Seventh Chen sighed and hurried over, while Fang Jinxiu did not look back but chased after the child.
The child had already stationed himself behind a stout woman.
"What's going on?" the stout woman glared at the approaching Fang Jinxiu.
"He bought my sugar figure and didn't pay," Fang Jinxiu said, pointing at the child.
The child stuffed the sugar figure into his mouth, his hands all slobbery.
"Bought? I didn't agree to buy anything, you're dealing with a child," the woman said, her voice rising sharply. "Are you trying to scam us?"
Fang Jinxiu took a step back from being yelled at.
"I'm not scamming anyone; he said he wanted to buy so I gave it to him," she said.
The stout woman spat.
"He's just a child; is what he says always right?" she said, pointing aggressively at Fang Jinxiu.
Fang Jinxiu had to step back again.
The stout woman withdrew her hand and gave Fang Jinxiu a smile.
"He said he would buy you, would you sell yourself too?" she said.
Fang Jinxiu's face instantly turned red.
"How dare you insult me!" She too had a fiery temper and immediately glared back as she retorted.
But having only spoken once, the fat woman slapped her own thigh and shouted.
"I am insulting you, you little whore! Someone come quick, she's using sugar figurines to lure kids and swindle money."
The people on the street instantly turned to look.
Fang Jinxiu bit her lower lip, holding back the urge to fight the woman as she turned and ran away.
Seventh Chen stood in front of the sugar figurine cart watching her.
Fang Jinxiu clenched her fists and without a word, pushed the cart away, the woman's curses still echoing behind her.
"That's how street women are..." Seventh Chen said cautiously from behind her, "Don't..."
"I know, I'm not upset," Fang Jinxiu interrupted him.
Seventh Chen made a noise of acknowledgment and fell silent for a moment.
"Missing one sugar figurine means today's earnings will be halved," he couldn't help but say.
Fang Jinxiu turned her head and glared fiercely at him.
"I know," she said. "It was my mistake, it won't happen again."
She paused.
"Take it out of my share."
Seventh Chen laughed.
"No need, no need," he laughed, "it was just a reminder, you need to remember the mistakes. Then you won't make them again."
Fang Jinxiu averted her gaze and continued looking forward. By the road, there was a sign hanging for the Shanxi Yiyouxing Troop; cries could be heard from inside the courtyard and Fang Jinxiu stopped to look.
Inside the gate, a group of children of varied ages was practicing boxing, squatting in unison in horse stance, accompanying each punch with a shout.
Lei Zhonglian walked among them with a wooden stick, giving occasional pointers.
She had decided to stay in Yangcheng because of Lei Zhonglian.
A man who had stayed with the Fang Family for eighteen years, fulfilled his wish, and then abandoned the generous sum of money and comfortable life offered by the Fang Family to start the bodyguard business anew with his disabled body.
If he could do it, why couldn't she, so young and healthy, start over again?
Isn't every family business started from scratch?
Concubine Yuan was right, she was young, had learned many things, and had her own wings. Even if she fell to the ground, she could fly up again.
Fang Jinxiu took a deep breath, seeing the street becoming more crowded, and pushed the cart forward with large strides.
"Selling sugar figurines!" she shouted loudly.
She wasn't new to speaking in front of crowds; in the past at the money business, she even lectured a group of shopkeepers while being revered and flattered. Now, however, she needed to please others, shouting to exchange goods for money.
Yet shouting out wasn't as hard as she had imagined; indeed, the most challenging step is the first one.
A smile appeared on Fang Jinxiu's face.
"Selling sugar figurines!" she called out again, her voice crisp, brisk, and pleasant, drawing the attention of many on the street.
Fang Jinxiu pushed the cart without any fear, facing the crowd.
"Try the sugar figurines, delicious and rich."
Seventh Chen followed behind at a slower pace, relieved, and with a slightly proud smile; suddenly, he seemed to hear something and turned his head—the fat woman and the child were still at the corner of the alley, the child drooling over the sugar figurine.
"Is it tasty?" the fat woman asked. "Let mom taste them."
The child unwillingly twisted his head to dodge.
"You child, why didn't you pick more?" the fat woman scolded and poked the child's head.
The child's head tilted, and suddenly there was a 'snap;' the sugar figurine in his hand dropped to the ground.
The child immediately burst out crying.
The fat woman was also startled.
"You careless child, how could you not hold it properly?" she yelled, distressedly going to pick up the sugar figurine from the ground, but just as she bent down, a soft 'poof' sounded, followed by numbness in her legs, and she fell kneeling to the ground.
Her face smashed right onto the sugar figurine, smearing her face with spit and dirt mixed sugar.
The fat woman screamed.
The child laughed out loud beside her.
Laughter erupted in the street.
Seeing this scene, Seventh Chen also laughed out loud and looked towards the street corner; while everyone was laughing at the scene, three idly standing men on the side seemed unconcerned.
Seventh Chen chuckled, redirected his gaze, and chased after the loudly shouting girl weaving through the crowds on the street.
............
At this time, on the streets of the capital, the summer's heat made the lively streets much quieter.
Miss Jun sat leisurely in a tall building, gently fanning herself. Her gaze, as usual, swept across the far-off Imperial City and the residences of the relatives of the royal families, seemingly lost in thought yet perhaps thinking of nothing.
Suddenly, a clear chime of bells sounded from below.
Bells?
Miss Jun's gaze instinctively turned downward, seeing Liu'er with a string of copper bells fashioned into a wind chime, moving back and forth in the courtyard.
The crisp sound of the bells echoed.
Miss Jun closed her fan, straightened her posture, her once lax gaze sharpening, her eyes regaining their bright luster.
She thought of how to solve her current trouble.