Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Tang Yushu exposes his skills in an urgent situation; the Lin TingZi comes down with a cold

TL: Kirie

PR: Riri/Sf

QC: Ishi/Maggs

When Lin Lang woke up, he was still trembling, but he withstood the fatigue and let out a weak shout, ”Shun er! Pour me a cup of hot tea——” In the end, he had only received the cold responses from the crow from outside the window.

　　Remembering his current situation, Lin Lang rubbed his temples, trying to forget the discomfort of the dizziness and light-headedness he felt.

Rushing to Chen Tan yesterday had already left him exhausted, but he’d also tormented himself with his trip to the magistrate’s office. When he’d returned to the house, it was already late into the night. Unexpectedly, he also had to clean the east wing room——although it seemed like there were traces of Tang Yushu cleaning up, the germaphobic Lin Lang had to personally clean and wash the room three times before he could rest with some peace of mind.

   ——”How could I expect anything from that crude person?”

　　When he cursed the word “crude”, Lin Lang thought of some uncomforting details and couldn’t resist rolling his eyes.

When he walked out of the yard, the sun was right overhead, it was probably just past noon, but the temperature was frighteningly cold. 

Yesterday when he’d arrived, the autumn chill hadn’t gotten strong. Just one day later, it was as if the weather had done a one-eighty.

——”This damned place really can’t tolerate me.” Lin Lang mumbled angrily.

So what if it couldn’t tolerate him? He’d drawn himself the idea of an ideal “Rich young master who was unwilling to live off of his parents to make shocking accomplishments” in his mind hundreds of times. But who’d have imagined that unexpectedly, he’d encounter obstacles on his first step to his path of success?

　　Since he had to spend these two months here anyway…

　　Pinching his pouch, Lin Lang decided to go buy some daily necessities. 

He couldn’t get rid of this irritating feeling, but just as he pushed open the main gate, he saw a bustling crowd of vendors blocking the area in front of the gate.

As the involved party in the recently popular incident——Lin Lang himself, who was stepping out of the house——quickly was the center of attention of all the vendors and passersby at the God of Wealth’s manor.

Getting stared at by hundreds of eyes, Lin Lang felt his irritation rapidly increase. As he pointed at the crowd, he angrily mooted, “Didn’t I say this yesterday? Don’t block the gate of my house!”

“Lord Tang allowed it!” The fat aunt shrieked in rebuttal at Lin Lang.

　 “This house is mine, what he says doesn’t matter!” Lin Lang got annoyed by just hearing of “Lord Tang”.

　 “We don’t know whose house it is yet...” Only to hear the fat aunt speak in a peculiar tone, “We’ll have to wait until my dad slams the gavel two months later before deciding whose statement matters!”

Receiving such a heavy blow from the fat aunt, Lin Lang was just about to burst until he heard a middle-aged man who was the vendor of a noodle stall say, “Young master Lin, we only took this space for some sales. We aren’t loud, nor do we block your path. Besides, this God of Wealth market place has been here for ten years or so. In the end, this space is commonly owned by the people of Chen Tan and it’s not just yours, so it isn’t right for you to throw us out.”

　　The middle-aged man’s words were reasonable, receiving agreement from the crowd. 

　　Lin Lang himself knew his reasoning was lacking and convinced himself that it was difficult for even powerful outsiders to deal with local bullies, and could only duck out through the crowd. 

It was only after asking around for quite a while that he found a tailor shop. After he walked in, he saw an old lady walk in front of him before looking him over from head to toe. “Young Master Lin, what do you want to buy?”

He’d become a well-known figure in Chen Tan, as expected. “...A blanket.”

“This is a tailor shop. We don’t sell blankets.” The old lady’s attention was clearly not on the sales, as she squatted down and pinched Lin Lang’s black suede boots, saying, “This pair of boots is crafted quite exquisitely. As expected of the craftsmanship of large cities!”

“Where are blankets sold?” Lin Lang asked as he retreated a few steps back.

“None within ten miles——but if you insist on buying it, you’d probably have to go to Jinling Province.” After answering Lin Lang’s questions, the old lady held up Lin Lang’s hand, turning his sleeve this way and that, her attention clearly on his clothes. “Tsk tsk——this stitching, this tailoring, this fabric——how much do these clothes cost?”

“My mother made it for me...” Lin Lang pulled back his hand, forcibly turning her attention back to him. “There isn’t a single shop that sells blankets?”

　　“Of course… it wouldn’t be profitable even if someone did. Blankets? Who would buy them? Every household in Chen Tan has women skilled at sewing. With them married into the family, there’d already be a warm and steady supply.” Done speaking, the old lady stood on her tiptoes to try to touch the vermilion-cherry colored velvet hairpin on Lin Lang’s head.

Lin Lang summarized it into one line of reasoning: Even though Chen Tan was affluent, one, its population wasn’t vast, creating a low demand for blankets. Two, blankets weren’t consumables, and in a limited market, the supply and demand wouldn’t stay balanced for very long. These were all principles he’d learned from his uncle as they traveled the Silk Road, and now they were proven true one by one in his mundane, daily life.

　　Due to his background as a descendant of a family of merchants, Lin Lang would unconsciously analyze the logic behind all commercial practices.

“Anyway... thanks.”

　Lin Lang turned away disappointed, and as he was about to leave, he was pinched in the butt by the reluctant old lady. “The contours of your pants...Oh! Your mother is really an expert!”

Walking out of the tailor shop, he raised his head and was blinded by the bright sun. “Ugh——”

　　——Seriously, in a damn place like this, even the sun is so annoying.

The workday’s end was a little past 7 pm, and by then, smoke had already been drifting out from the kitchens of the households in Chen Tan. 

Tang Yushu untied the shirt at his waist, wiping the sweat on his face.

Getting over the exhaustion of the work he just finished, Tang Yushu got up and walked towards his boss. He was still a few steps away when his boss caught a glimpse of Tang Yushu and said, “I’ll give you your salary tomorrow, okay?”

Tang Yushu hesitated before leaving the dock, stretching his sore arms and legs.

Seeing the irritating red door of the house appear in the distance, Tang Yushu frowned.

This old house was overwhelmingly large, especially since clearing the weeds and cleaning up by himself took him a shocking twenty days. He’d thought he could finally settle down in comfort, but yesterday, an unwelcome person intruded, claiming he was the true owner of the house. 

Tang Yushu was a gentle person who couldn’t adapt to changing circumstances. Encountering this series of events, he didn’t know what to do and was helpless, only able to quietly await the county magistrate’s response.

Three months ago, the war ended in Chengdu. That night, that person walked into the military barracks, happily telling him, “News from the capital——His Majesty permitted me to stay in City Jin for half a year and complete some errands to tie up any loose ends. You will become my deputy and return to the capital with me after half a year...” 

The other excitedly told him the plan he hadn’t finished describing, but was rejected politely but coldly by Tang Yushu. “I thank your goodwill, General. But...I don’t wish to complete errands and even more so stay in Chengdu...”

The smile on that person’s face disappeared in a moment. Against the faint yellow light of the oil lamp, his expression was hidden by the shadows cast by his brow bones, his emotions incomprehensible. “...Then where are you going?”

Tang Yushu’s left arm was wrapped with bandages, his right hand resting on his knees, an embroidered flower showing through the gaps between his fingers. “I promised someone...to go to Jiangnan.”

“...You stubborn brat.” That person raised his head again. His smile had reappeared. “Whatever, do what you want.”

Ten days later, during the reward banquet, that person stood grandly in front of the barracks, the new deputy reading out his rewards. “The leader of the scouting team battalion of Jinyang Army, Tang Yushu, who made great contributions and killed numerous enemies, will be rewarded with a house in Chen Tan of the Jinling province.”

“Many thanks to the General.” Tang Yushu lowered his head and saluted, purposely avoiding the disappointment in that person’s expression. 　　

Pulling himself out of his memoires, Tang Yushu immediately took a seat at the noodle stall. “Uncle Wang, the usual Yangchun noodles.”

The stall owner Uncle Wang was extremely familiar with his frequent customers. “Spicy, right?”

Tang Yushu smiled while nodding.

“Just now... Young master Lin also came to eat noodles.” Uncle Wang made light talk. “He was carrying a pile of newly bought daily necessities...but he didn’t look very well. He was completely pale. Did you guys fight?”

“No...”

“It’s good that you didn’t. That way you won’t be disadvantaged. But try to avoid trouble… After all, he has the land and house contracts.” Uncle Wang stretched the noodles while sighing, “This is truly a strange case.”

　　“……”

         “...”

            “What are your plans?”

Tang Yushu rubbed his eyes. “If it’s decided in my favor, I’ll stay. If not, the imperial court will make other arrangements for me.”

“You’ve really worked hard.——Is the work on the dock okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“Don’t treat this as nonsense. That boss has a bad reputation and no one dares to work under him. When I advised you then, you refused to listen. If you’d worked under me instead, I’d pass my craft onto you, and you’d at least be able to make a living...”

The Uncle Wang of this noodle stall was a childless/sonless widower. He probably wanted to take a disciple and pass on his craft to have someone take care of him in his old age. Tang Yushu smiled. “Thank you for your care, Uncle Wang. But now there’s that situation with my house. If I have to leave Chen Tan one day, wouldn’t that be a waste of your efforts? Let’s wait for two months...and as for the situation on the dock, I’ll take care of it myself.”

When the piping hot Chunyang noodles were brought to the table, there was an additional pot of wine by its side.

Tang Yushu didn’t understand. “Uncle Wang, I didn’t order wine.”

Uncle Wang smiled, his head unmoving, only winking at him in signal, quietly saying, “Ah Ci said to give it to you.”

Following Uncle Wang’s gaze, Tang Yushu turned his head. Across the noodle stall was the wine stall, and the Ah Ci who was selling wine was hiding behind a wine jar, sneaking peeks over at them. Meeting Tang Yushu’s eyes, she blushed while hurriedly hiding her head and scooping wine with a ladle, accidentally spilling the wine all over the ground.

Seeing this Uncle Wang chucked. “She likes you, silly boy!”

“Ptui...” Tang Yushu spit out his mouthful of noodles.

“What, do you not like Ah Ci?” Uncle Wang laughed. “Keep acting! If you don’t like her, then why’d you help her？”

——The so-called help was in reference to him encountering a small incident on his way home from work a few days ago: At that time, Ah Ci was walking ahead and was almost tripped by a collapsed stand while walking past a house in yard repair. At that time, Tang Yushu, upon seeing it, rushed up and caught her shoulders before rolling onto the ground.

“Whoever saw it would save her! Besides, I thought Ah Ci was a man at that time, so what’s this about ‘like’ or whatnot.” Tang Yushu looked at the noodles he spit out in pity.

To the side, Uncle Wang’s laughter sounded like the hum of water boiling.

After eating and drinking his fill, he was going to walk into his house, when Tang Yushu was stopped by the fat aunt, who shoved him a grilled fish.

Tang Yushu repeatedly refused it. “Ever since I came to Chen Tan, I’ve already eaten three or four of your grilled fish for free. I can’t accept them anymore.”

Only to see the fat aunt squeezing out tears. “Young master Lin troubled us today, saying he wouldn’t let us open our stalls here.”

Tang Yushu frowned, saying, “How nice it is to have all of you open your stalls here, one can eat delicious food as long as they walk out their door...Why wouldn’t he allow it?”

Fat aunt rubbed the back of her hand against the tears and makeup on her face. “How could anyone tolerate him with his demanding personality? Lin Lang probably troubles you as well, right?”

Tang Yushu laughed bitterly. “Just do what you always have been doing, I’ll talk to him when I get back...”

After saying that, he pushed the door but realized that the door was locked from the inside.

After Tang Yushu knocked a few times, he vaguely heard the sound of a porcelain cup falling to the ground. Knowing that someone was inside, Tang Yushu knocked another few times.

But there was still no response.

“He’s doing it on purpose!” Fat aunt, her makeup ruined, added fuel to the fire. 

Tang Yushu was still smiling, but he started feeling unhappy. After standing like that for a moment, seeing no one come to open the door, Tang Yushu knocked heavily another few times, this time expressing his anger.

Everyone noticed the change in Tang Yushu’s emotions, staring but not daring to make a sound.

——”Lin Lang!”

Tang Yushu yelled loudly.

——”Open the door!”

Silence is still eminent.

Tang Yushu was really infuriated now.

Only to see him retreat a few steps and then charge towards the door, borrowing a few steps to get to the top of the door that was the height of two people before doing a somersault into the yard.

Leaving behind the crowd with their shocked expressions and bulging eyes to look at each other, not daring to make a sound.

Only to hear the steady sounds of him landing on the ground, the sound of sprinting, and the sound of a door being kicked open.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the sound of fighting that was about to happen, but instead heard heavy footsteps getting closer to them. The bolt on the door was lifted in a panic, the door opened from the inside as Tang Yushu, breathing heavily and carrying Lin Lang, who had fainted.

——“Hurry——Where can we find a doctor?”

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