Chapter 38: Table Friends

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  Porridge, fragrant and sweet, fills the mouth with a rich sweetness, with a special flavor that can't be described, leaving an aftertaste that is endless. Pancake, crispy on the outside, one bite breaks through layers of thin skin, wine fragrance and savory sweetness, meat and bean paste mixed together, flavors on the tongue are also layered and different, wonderful beyond words.

  Lan Sheng suddenly realized he was wrong.

  She is not only a good cook, but also a food god, with extraordinary craftsmanship. No wonder she can say with confidence that she will not remarry, and no wonder her son can help his widowed mother to pick out the best. Not relying on appearance, but on skill, with the ability to support herself for life, men naturally become dispensable.

  The bowl is empty, the plate is empty, her view of Feng's mother has changed, this is the meaning of "since you are here, then be at ease".

  "Check, please." From now on, I've found a great place to have breakfast. Don't look at these men as rough and loud, but once they see a young woman, they become gentle and respectful, not flirtatious or obscene, more respectful of women than the nobles.

  Madam Feng came over to calculate the bill, "Two customers ordered two bowls of red glutinous rice porridge and five pieces of wine lees bean pancake. The porridge is two cents per bowl, the bean pancake is five cents per piece, totaling twenty-nine cents."

  Seven cents was what she ate, twenty-two cents was what the poor boy who was growing up eating. Lan Sheng looked around in vain.

  "Miss, I'm very good at fighting," Wu Guo said immediately.

  This young man's future is boundless, Lan Sheng but smiled, not acknowledging the idea that it was too expensive to raise him had just flashed through his mind like a shooting star, "Who blames you for eating too much? Let you pay the bill."

  "...". In vain, she was stunned for a moment, "My monthly allowance has all been given to Hua."

  Lan Sheng heard the crow's cry, an omen of bad luck, because she was also penniless. Especially today, without Hua by her side to chatter, not even a sachet or perfume pouch on her body, only a peach wood hairpin on her head. Peach wood is worthless, but the craftsmanship is valuable, yet it's unknown whether Madame Feng can appreciate its value.

  Miss Feng heard that the guest couldn't take out the twenty-nine cents, and she frowned involuntarily. The porridge shop had been open for many years, especially after its reputation spread, and it had seen many kinds of deadbeat customers, but this was the first time a girl from a good family had come to welch on a debt. Although she was dressed simply, the material was obviously high-quality, but you can't judge people by their appearance.

  Lan Sheng then decided to try using the peach wood hairpin, plucking it out and disregarding her disheveled black hair which drew attention from every table. "Madam Feng, I rushed out today and forgot to bring silver coins. This hairpin is definitely worth more than 29 copper coins. Can I use it as payment?"

  Miss Feng sighed, her gaze shifting from the hairpin to Lan Sheng's face, her tone softening. "Miss, it's not that I'm intentionally making things difficult for you, but in the past, I've been taken advantage of and learned my lesson. Now, this shop has a rule that can't be broken: no credit, no exchange, only silver money is accepted. If this rule is broken, from now on everyone will bring goods to exchange, and my shop won't be able to operate anymore."

  Although Feng Niangzi had already made it clear that it was impossible, she still brought a group of brothers to show their support. "In this era, there are too many people who look like humans but are actually dogs. Miss, if you take out a wooden stick, it's better to find out if there's any gold or silver. Don't think everyone is a fool, just because you're with a young servant, it's clear that you're the miss of a wealthy family. Whatever you give, they'll think it's valuable. This is the imperial capital of Jin Yang, if you want to eat the food of a tyrant and pretend to be a swindler, you need someone to support you from behind. Tell me, whose miss are you? Whose daughter are you? We'll send someone to your house to collect the meal expenses."

  Arrived in Wen City, where people are deceived from dawn till dusk. Is everyone in this city brought up by being deceived? Lan Sheng couldn't help but laugh.

  "Miss, shall I go back and get it?"

  The whiskers are not finished yet, "This is not a place where you can pawn a girl as treasure. One of them ran away, leaving the big girl crying and wailing, Mrs. Feng could only let her go, in the end it was still the kind-hearted person who suffered losses. No way!"

  Wu Guo wouldn't speak up for himself, but he would for Lan Sheng. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, "What did you just say?!"

  "This tender-skinned and delicate-fleshed young fellow doesn't even know how to scold people, now he should be told that his mouth is full of nonsense." The man with the whiskers burst out laughing.

  "Boss, it seems like these two are really well-matched." A man followed with a laugh, and everyone else joined in.

  Lan Sheng also smiled, but only slightly, looking at Feng's wife, "I really don't want to ruin your rules, but just being stiff like this won't solve anything either. I wonder what you think, Madame Feng?"

  "How dare you! You've been eating my family's congee and buns for free, I'm going to report you to the authorities!" San Bao jumped out, looking not at all like he was filled with righteous indignation, but rather very excited.

  "Three treasures, stop causing trouble." Feng's wife turned around and scolded her son.

  "Miss, the bill."

  In the midst of the bustle, the master and servant were about to leave. The servant turned his head around, but he was almost as young as nothing, with big round eyes, a small nose and mouth, and a red mole under his left cheek, clearly a young servant boy in uniform. No wonder his voice was so clear when he called out "settle the bill".

  Madam Feng hurried over, "Something like this happened in our shop, disturbing the guests, we're really sorry. This table is fifteen cents."

  The boy in disguise put down the small hand, and on the table appeared a beautiful silver ingot weighing about one or two taels. In a delicate voice, he said, "My young master has a particularly good appetite today, so there's no need to look for change; consider the extra as a tip."

  Madam Feng thanked him repeatedly and was just about to take Yuanbao's hand.

  "This young master, I'm a fellow diner with you, what's your decision?" After holding his breath for long enough, Lan Sheng found a solution.

  Everyone followed the sound and looked for Orchid's birth, but only that young master did not move.

  "What's a table friend?" The little girl looked cute, blinking her big eyes in confusion.

  "Fellow diner and friend." Feng Mou stared at him, Lan Sheng followed Yuan Bao's master and said, "Young Master understands my meaning, right? Just by looking at the back of your head, I can tell you're a clever person."

  Luo Yanhu touched his own occipital bone and thought to himself, "I've seen fortune tellers all over the streets, but I've never heard of one who claims to be able to tell intelligence just by looking at the back of someone's head."

  The little girl burst out laughing, "My young master is the smartest person in the world, but I didn't know he had such a good back of his head."

  "Peas, returned." The master finally spoke, saying two words and coughing twice, his voice hoarse and weak.

  The little girl covered her mouth with one hand and beckoned to the outside with the other. Then two big men carrying bamboo poles walked into the shop, turned the young master's chair around, inserted the pole under the legs of the chair, lifted it up along with the person sitting on it, and carried them out.

  Lan Sheng only then realized why that person's chair was different from the ones in the room, but some people like to walk and others like to ride a sedan chair, she didn't mind it, knowing things hadn't been fully discussed yet, so she waved her hand.

  Without a sound, he jumped over the railing and landed in the sunny area outside. With another jump, he made a beautiful turn and landed in front of the gate, his hands each holding a bamboo board, blocking it just right.

  "Good job!" The men cheered.

  "Three Treasures, this isn't a performance of juggling tricks! No matter how skilled you are, you're still eating the food from my household! Whose side are you on, anyway?"

  The sun is shining brightly, the sky is a deeper blue, the grass is greener, and the two jade tablets are dazzlingly bright. But when the man on the chair turns his head, everything suddenly becomes dull and pale.

  His face was pale and sunken, his eyes drooping, and he wore a white silk robe that looked like a large sack, unable to hold up even half of his skeletal frame. He seemed to be seventeen or eighteen years old, but also looked like twenty-three or thirty, an age that was hard to determine. He appeared to have glanced in Ah Lan's direction, but then closed his eyes again due to the brightness.

  This illness is like a chronic disease, making everyone fall silent.