Chapter 484 - 184: Year’s End, Part 2
Chapter 484: Chapter 184: Year’s End, Part 2
It dawned on Xiang’er. She quickly took the broken silver from her purse and tucked it into her sleeve.
But De’an said, "I didn’t pack silver. I brought this... Ta-da!"
He opened his purse, revealing bright orange tangerines inside. It was hard not to laugh.
"There’s food in the carriage. You didn’t need to bring any."
"Brother De’an, there will be tons of food stalls at the temple fair. Why did you bring these? Hurry up and leave them at home."
De’an wore an all-knowing expression. "You don’t understand. These are for motion sickness. Haven’t you heard? The road from the city gate to the City God Temple is completely gridlocked. It’s the kind of traffic where you move one step and then wait for an eternity. I brought some tangerines just in case all the starting and stopping makes me dizzy."
"..."
There were no words.
They decided to just drop it.
The group then tried to persuade Mrs. Zhao to come with them.
Mrs. Zhao had been in the Prefecture for several months but had only left the house a total of two times.
The first time was to a paper offering shop to order a model of a courtyard house for Zhao Jing’s late father.
The second time was on the designated day of the ritual, when she went to an open field to burn the paper courtyard house for him. Afterward, she stopped by a nearby temple to light an ever-burning lamp in his name.
Those were her only two outings. The rest of the time, Mrs. Zhao stayed home, a perfect embodiment of the phrase "a woman who never leaves her home."
Even Chen Wanqing thought Mrs. Zhao must be bored staying home all the time, but Mrs. Zhao herself was quite content.
"Our house is half the size of the entire Zhao Village. Back in the village, I never even had the chance to stroll through it. Now that we’re in the Prefecture, I get to live in such a large house with such beautiful scenery. I’m more than content."
No matter what they said, she refused to go out and be a bother.
As if on cue, Zhaocai and Jinbao, perhaps sensing the group was about to leave, ran over, tails wagging furiously. Well, it was mostly Jinbao wagging his tail; Zhaocai stood aloof to the side, watching her son make a fool of himself.
After the people from Qingshui County arrived at the Prefecture and were settled into the rear residence, Zhaocai and Jinbao had moved to the front courtyard.
Zhaocai was remarkably perceptive and showed no signs of distress during the move. It could also be that she had found living with her masters to be quite pleasant lately and didn’t want to move just yet, so she was content to stay.
And just like that, by "making do," the mother and son had integrated into the family, becoming true members of the household.
Mrs. Zhao coaxed Jinbao back to her courtyard, while De’an grabbed Xiang’er and hurried out the door.
The group boarded a horse-drawn carriage and headed for the city gate.
On the way, they saw that the streets were filled with countless carriages, all heading out of the city as well.
Unsurprisingly, they were all heading to the City God Temple for the fair.
De’an lifted the carriage curtain for a peek outside, then quickly lowered it again. "It’s so crowded."
Xiang’er leaned over. "Brother De’an, lift the curtain so I can have a look too."
"There’s nothing to see. It’s just people, people, and more people. It’s boring."
"You’re lying! The streets are clearly full of vendors. I saw them! There were people selling flower lanterns, couplets, candy, clothes..."
"How many times have we been out and about these last couple of days? You already know what they’re selling on the street and where all the stalls are. What’s left to see?"
After being teased like that, Xiang’er pouted. "You’re so mean, Brother De’an!"
Zhao Jing handed Chen Wanqing a peeled tangerine. "Here, have a sweet one."
"It’s a little cold."
"Shall I warm it on the stove?"
"You can. Just two is fine; I don’t want any more than that. I just had breakfast, so I’m not hungry at all."
"They’re not to keep you from getting hungry," he said. "They’re to give you something to do."
"But I’m not bored," she replied. "Watching De’an and Xiang’er bicker is quite amusing."
"..."
Everyone in the carriage looked at Chen Wanqing. With a small smile, she urged De’an and Xiang’er, "Don’t stop. You two keep arguing. I’ll just pretend you’re putting on a show for me. It’s very entertaining."
"..."
The carriage passed through the city gates, and just a short distance beyond, they spotted the Wang family’s carriage.
There wasn’t just one, but two.
Wang Jun and Wang Xiao were in one carriage, while Wang Zhen, Sheng Saya, and Zhang Lingxin were in the other.
No sooner had Chen Wanqing’s carriage stopped than the curtains on the other two carriages were thrown open.
"Jing! De’an! Come over here and ride with us!"
"Wanqing! Come over to my carriage! I have some friends here I’d like you to meet. Hurry, come on over!"
With such a warm invitation from the Wang siblings, Chen Wanqing and her companions couldn’t possibly refuse. They all disembarked, split into two groups, and boarded the other carriages.
Once they were all aboard and settled, the carriages began to move, and lively chatter broke out in both.
Wang Zhen, chirping like an excited sparrow, made the introductions. Finally, she said happily, "The fragrances you make are simply wonderful, Wanqing! That Dream Spirit Fragrance... I recommended it to my father, and he recommended it to all the instructors at the prefectural academy. I hear they’re all using it now! The only problem is you’re so busy these days you rarely make it for sale. Oh, by the way, you’ve been in the Prefecture for a while now. Are you planning on reopening Qingxiang House? I really want to buy more of your Dream Spirit Fragrance!"