Bai Sheng and the other two directly hired a carriage and sped towards the county town.
It was still dark when they left Hongshu Slope that morning, but this was precisely the critical moment Lu Dagang was watching. After all, Lu Ye was originally from Huangsha Village, and he still retained some of the village’s habits, such as departing before dawn if heading to town.
Lu Dagang wore a worn straw hat to shield his face, then pretended to be a market-goer and followed Bai Sheng and Lu Ye’s camel cart from a distance.
Upon reaching the town, the two first went into a rather secluded alley. Since Lu Ye had his back to the alley entrance and faced the street, Lu Dagang dared not approach him directly. He hid behind a corner of a wall, observing secretly.
To his immense surprise, moments later, when Lu Ye’s wife emerged from the alley entrance, the camel cart had vanished.
In the blink of an eye, where could she have taken the camel cart?
Lu Dagang really wanted to investigate the alley to see what magical properties it held, but he was afraid of losing sight of the couple. After some thought, he decided to continue following them until they reached the town yamen.
Lu Dagang didn’t have money to enter the town yamen, so he had to wait outside.
Not long after, Lu Ye and his wife came out, accompanied by a man surnamed Ji. Lu Dagang heard Lu Ye call him Brother Ji.
The three then hired a carriage and headed towards the county town.
Lu Dagang felt this must be significant news. He quickly went to inspect the alley and discovered that the alley ended in a wall, and the sides of the alley were also the side walls of other people’s houses. There was absolutely no place to store a camel cart.
Where on earth did that camel cart go?
Lu Dagang’s worldview was shattered. His eyes widened like bronze bells, his heart pounded, and his feet felt as if they couldn’t grip the ground.
Was Lu Ye’s wife… a demon or an immortal?
But whether she was either, could he, Lu Dagang, afford to offend her? She had the ability to crush him with just two little fingers.
No wonder Lu Ye’s family had prospered so quickly, not only building a palace-like new house but also digging a well.
So it turned out all of this was because of his wife.
Lu Dagang returned to Huangsha Village with a heavy heart.
When reporting to Zhang Lanlan, he deliberately concealed the matter of the camel cart, as it was too bizarre. If he told anyone, they might not believe him and might even think he was crazy.
He planned to investigate thoroughly before saying anything.
Zhang Lanlan frowned and muttered to herself, “Why would Lu Ye and that lowly slave be so close to Ji Cao?”
Lu Dagang, with a fawning smile, replied, “Well, I… I don’t know.”
Zhang Lanlan continued to mutter, “And why are they going to the county town?”
“I also… don’t know, hehe.”
Zhang Lanlan shot him a look of disgust. “I wasn’t asking you, so you don’t need to speak!”
“Alright, alright, yes.” Lu Dagang took a few steps back and cowered to the side, his gaze secretly glancing at Zhang Lanlan.
Her mouth was so pretty; it would be nice to kiss her. And her chest… although far from as large as Lu Ye’s wife’s, it would surely feel great to touch. He hadn’t experienced intimacy in his life.
Zhang Lanlan smiled smugly. “However, it’s quite a coincidence. My cousin is also taking me to the county town today. Tomorrow, the County Magistrate is celebrating his birthday, and my cousin will take me to the banquet.”
She looked at Lu Dagang. “Lu Dagang, you follow me and act as my attendant. Once we reach the county town, find a way to inquire at a jewelry store or pawn shop if Lu Ye and the others have sold any jade pendants or stones.”
“Alright, alright, yes.” Lu Dagang nodded repeatedly, feeling quite pleased.
On the way to the county town.
Bai Sheng kept thinking about Hongshu Slope, so he urged the carriage driver to hurry. The driver, wanting to complete more trips, drove the carriage quite fast.
Before noon, the three arrived at Xinghua Street.
Upon learning that the clean and tidy courtyard before them was the property Bai Sheng and Lu Ye had purchased in the county town, Ji Chenghe was astonished.
After such a long drought, most people were focused on survival, yet they managed to build houses, dig wells, and acquire property. Truly… unusual people emerged in troubled times.
Meeting them was his greatest fortune.
However, Ji Chenghe was preoccupied with advising the County Magistrate and immediately sat by the table to write a memorial.
Bai Sheng and Lu Ye went out to buy some food for lunch. Before leaving, they quietly filled the large water缸.
On Xinghua Street, the old trees that Bai Sheng had secretly watered looked very vigorous and were clearly growing better than the trees elsewhere. Bai Sheng planned to water them again secretly that night.
The couple planned to release the grain after Ji Chenghe went to the county yamen in the afternoon, so they found a young street beggar to deliver a message to Wen Zhimo.
Considering Ji Chenghe’s clothes were patched and washed until they were faded, Bai Sheng bought him two sets of better quality clothes. After all, going to see the County Magistrate, appearing too shabby would lead to being looked down upon.
Ji Chenghe probably hadn’t bathed properly in a long time either. Bai Sheng also bought a washbasin and soap beans for him to take a good bath later.
Seeing his wife making arrangements for another man, Lu Ye felt a bit jealous. He insisted that Bai Sheng kiss him in the street before he would let her go.
Bai Sheng kissed him on the cheek, but he insisted it wasn’t a real kiss, so it didn’t count.
Bai Sheng had no choice but to openly kiss his lips. As a result, he held her head and gave her a deep French kiss.
Although it didn’t last long, it was enough to shock the passersby. People who walked by were stunned.
By the time they came to their senses, the couple had already vanished.
Then, the sound of shouting and scolding erupted from behind them.
“Truly shameless!”
“Lewd and immodest!”
“The times are degenerate, a disgrace to propriety!”
…
Lu Ye, as a genuine ancient person, shouldn’t have been so shocking. But the moment Bai Sheng kissed him, he couldn’t help himself. He just couldn’t control himself.
After the kiss, he realized he had done something so bold.
With their hearts pounding like drums, they fled the scene and then bought two more steamed buns before returning to Xinghua Street.
Looking at the two new sets of clothes Bai Sheng had bought for him, Ji Chenghe, a burly man of six feet tall,’s eyes directly welled up with tears. He said that in his life, besides his mother, only Bai Sheng and Lu Ye had treated him so well.
Lu Ye patted his shoulder and teased, “Brother Ji, take a bath at noon and change into new clothes before going to the yamen, lest you offend the County Magistrate and he refuses to see you.”
Bai Sheng chuckled, and Ji Chenghe wiped the corner of his eyes, smiling, “I must definitely wash thoroughly. Offending the County Magistrate is a small matter; spoiling such good clothes would be a big one.”
After a simple lunch of steamed buns, Ji Chenghe, having made his preparations, rented a carriage to go to the county yamen.
The guards at the county yamen, upon hearing that Ji Chenghe was a Cao from Tianshui Town, were a bit arrogant but didn’t make things too difficult for him. However, after the guards reported, the County Magistrate directly stated that he was busy with official duties and had no time to meet him.
Ji Chenghe had no choice but to hand his memorial to the guard, asking him to forward it.
The guard made various excuses, so Ji Chenghe had to take out the last piece of broken silver he had and slip it into his hand.
Only then did the guard reluctantly accept the memorial.
It was as difficult as ascending to heaven for a Cao of the town yamen with an urgent matter to see the County Magistrate. How easy was it to gain the County Magistrate’s recognition and achieve something?
Ji Chenghe, with a dejected expression, prepared to turn back. Just then, a carriage passed by him. Sitting on the right side of the carriage, Zhang Lanlan, who was lifting the carriage window curtain to look at the street scenery, suddenly froze.
Ji Cao? Wasn’t he coming to the county town with Lu Ye and the others? Where was Lu Ye?
Zhang Lanlan hurriedly called for the driver to stop, then beckoned Lu Dagang, who was sitting outside the carriage, to come to her. She asked him to follow Ji Cao.
Zhang Lanlan told Lu Dagang that she and her cousin were staying at the Dongfu Inn opposite the county yamen, and he should come find her immediately after he gathered any news.
Lu Dagang responded and followed.
On the way back, Ji Chenghe decided not to rent a carriage anymore. Since the matter was not resolved, he felt too ashamed to waste money.