The old man was not from Yizhang. Just looking at his appearance, he was just a farmer whose family was not very well-off. He seemed to have traveled a long way and climbed many mountains, so his clothes were disheveled and had many broken parts. However, It was not repaired, which was probably why the woman disliked it.
They are all young women in their prime. Their faces, without makeup, can rival the prosperity of the waterside. Who wouldn't want to be greeted by a handsome young man? Seeing this old man in tattered clothes, he would naturally feel quite unlucky. .
Seeing the woman pinching her waist walking away, the old man turned his eyes away with a flat mouth. He hunched over his waist and walked tremblingly to the shop on the street, not forgetting to take a closer look. Whether the fish basket in his arms is strong or not, he looks like an old fisherman who came from a desolate land.
The beauty of tea in Tratang County can be said to be one of the best, but there are also many begonias in the county. The begonias are awakening under the eyes, and the petals of the begonias are beginning to bloom. The red and pink flowers are overlapping and charming, and the fragrance of the flowers is overflowing, making the streets gusts of wind. , it also carries the strong fragrance of flowers. If you don't drink a glass of wine, you will be drunk after smelling it.
The old man walked slowly to the street and saw a shop facing him. The plaque read "Ji Qingzhai" and the decoration was extremely luxurious. Not to mention the two doormen at the door, both wearing satin and embroidered silver, with red lips and white teeth. The shops are extraordinary.
"Two young men, may I ask what is sold in this shop?" The two young doormen had seen this old man with a rather vulgar behavior early on, so when they heard that the old man came up to ask, they naturally Not very angry, the doorman on the right curled his lips and said, "Sir, there is no one in a hundred miles around who doesn't know the reputation of Ji Qingzhai? Since we are foreigners, if we don't have any money in our sleeves, we might as well leave on our own to save money." It’s stained our family’s appearance.”
The old man still looked honest and honest, "I just want to see what is sold inside. After all, it is my first time to go to a big place, so I always have to bring something new. If it is not too expensive, I will bring some for my wife and children to save money." It’s a waste of time to come to Chatang County.”
As he was talking, more and more people were gathering on the streets around him. Firstly, it was the time when there were the most tourists. Secondly, this Jiqingzhai shop had always been visited by noble people. Now this old man in ragged clothes wanted to enter the shop. It was a new thing, so many pedestrians stopped and watched what the two parties said.
"Old man, you're dressed like this. It's hard for you to pay ten taels of silver. Since you can't pay the price, you don't have to stand in front of the store. There are people coming and going on the street, and people are watching. Aren't you asking for trouble? Go farther away." Seeing the crowds of people around him, another doorman didn't care about anything else. He quickly waved his hands to chase people away, and his words became more disrespectful.
The expressions of the people watching around him were also different. Some looked disdainful, some frowned and whispered, and some looked slightly sullen.
But no one took a step to say a kind word for the dying old man.
"Hey, the guard dog still dares to bark? Don't worry, your master is not here. You are not pretending to be loyal to his duties. I just want to go in and take a look at the things inside. Since your shop is open, There is a reason why people are not allowed to enter the business, so do you really regard this as a palace road? Even if it is a palace road, it is not the turn of two boys who have not fully grown hair to guard it. "
A few children emerged from the sparse crowd. They looked similar in age to the two doormen. However, if you were careful, you could notice that the material of their clothes was much different from those of the two doormen.
Seeing that the doorman was embarrassed, the leading boy continued to sarcastically say, "Speaking of it, there is no difference between you two and us. The doorman's job is just because your two relatives have some friendship with Ji Qingzhai. This To ask for such a favor, it is obviously a humble job, but yet you are bossing around all the time, what the hell is that?"
The two doormen also became angry and quarreled with the extremely articulate child, which made passers-by stop and laugh.
Taking advantage of this moment, the taller one among the children quietly walked up behind the old man, touched his lower back and whispered softly.
The old man understood the idea and took the opportunity to walk around to the side of the Jiqingzhai gate, then stepped into the shop.
His skills are nothing like those of a waning old man.
After the two parties stopped arguing, a doorman realized that the old man at the door had disappeared. He slapped his thigh and was about to go back to the shop to report the news. However, he almost bumped into the old man who walked out of the shop. He cursed, "I'm so shameless! I just confronted those little thugs, and you actually entered my Ji Qingzhai without permission. Are you really not afraid of being beaten?"
The doorman still wanted to say something, but he saw that the old man was holding a delicate cloth bag, and there were traces of sweet smell coming out of the cloth bag. He couldn't help but stay there, and let another doorman drink behind him. Even though he scolded me, he never moved his feet.
The doorman murmured, "Mingyue, this old man, no, this master, bought two full stacks of lotus balls."
Ji Qingzhai specializes in making pastries for wealthy businessmen. All wealthy families who come to Chatang County to take concubines and maids will always buy some pastries at Ji Qingzhai. Since then, the price of pastries has skyrocketed, and a piece of it is worth a gold ingot. mean. Among them, the Zhenpu technique is made by wrapping lotus buds that have not yet bloomed with aged crab apples, and adding dozens of precious seasonings. The process is complicated, and the price is naturally high.
The old man walked around the two stunned doormen, still stumbling, and walked slowly to the children who had just offered help. In full view of everyone, he took out a stack of lotus balls and handed them to the leading child.
"I'm old, and I can't get used to the sweet taste. If my old wife is still here, my son will probably be a little older than you. Don't refuse, just think of it as a thank you gift for what I just did."
The leading child still wanted to refuse, but there was a growling sound in his stomach. He couldn't help but blush his cheeks, but he still managed to say, "My father, this gift is too precious. We are poor boys. If it goes well, My mouth, I'm afraid it's hard to swallow the food on weekdays, so you'd better keep these pastries."
"Then take it home and give it to your parents to try. Although the cakes are expensive, they are made for people to eat. Why are you so polite?" The old man touched the child's forehead, "If you really feel sorry for me, I will ask you something." It’s worth it.”
The old man who walked out of the crowd looked at the blooming crabapples on the street, smelled the fragrance of the flowers, and left slowly.
Previously, everyone was disgusted with him along the way, but after what happened just now, many people who were traveling together looked at the old man with full respect.
Even many women with peach-faced faces had their eyes filled with color, and they took steps forward, wishing they could show off more of their soft and jade legs.
The old man shook his head, took out a cake and put it in his mouth, then took out two more and threw them into the fish basket.
It turns out that Nangong Mountain is not far away.
It's just that there is a difference in human eyes.
It turns out that every time a dog is slaughtered for justice, it is always true.
It turns out that the Jiqingzhai lotus ball, which is equivalent to a snake orchid, tastes mediocre.
