Chapter 20: The Mischievous Girl

  "Some people from Chang'an have arrived." The scholar didn't speak, and the master-like person took a step forward with a slightly arrogant gaze, saying: "Please inform your esteemed master that the Lin family from Chang'an has come to visit." He had sharp eyesight, and at a glance, he could tell that most of the people present were just shopkeepers or apprentices. The old man (old gentleman) seemed to have some temperament, but another old man looked like just a shopkeeper. Unfortunately, they were dressed too shabbily, and it was impossible for them to be the master. What surprised him was that Wang Kuang, a child of around ten years old, could sit and eat with the shopkeepers. If he were the master's child, he would have been seated at a separate table; if not, he should have been eating in the corner of the kitchen. This showed that the master's family education was also lacking, after all, it had only been a few years since they entered the Central Plains from the southern wilderness. Therefore, he also held some contemptuous thoughts.

  Sun Zhanggui nodded to Sun Er, who immediately rushed out the door to call Dongjia. Since Youfen's reputation spread, people would come from time to time to buy goods, and some shrewd ones even asked to see Dongjia in person to discuss monopolizing the business. Originally, according to Sun Ming's previous instructions, these matters could be handled by Wang himself, but now that the visitor had not stated his intention, although it was likely related to Youfen, the opponent came from Chang'an and the young man behind him, whom Sun Zhanggui and several small seconds recognized, was the only son of Lin Zhubu, the county magistrate of Jian'an. To be on the safe side, it's better to ask Dongjia to come over.

  "Please, everyone, take a seat for a moment. My master will be here shortly." After sending Sun Er to call the master, Sun Zhanggui stood up and invited the guests to sit down. It's strange to say that since Wang Kuang arrived, the business of the inn has been getting better and better every day, and Sun Zhanggui's ears have also become more useful, no longer as deaf as before, and even his originally slightly hunched back has straightened up a lot. After learning from Wang Kuang that eating loach is beneficial, he started to eat mud loach every meal. Seeing the effect on Sun Zhanggui, the people in the inn also followed suit, although they were already tired of eating loach, but for the sake of their bodies, they also had to eat it every meal. And after this spread out, the inn's sale of mud loach has reached the point where reservations are required, and it often takes two or three days to get a table.

  No one noticed Wang Kuang, which made him completely at ease. He didn't say much either and moved to another table to continue eating his meal. Lin Zhu's only son he also knew, but the other was a talented scholar in the state school, how could he be someone he could associate with in his current status?

  It was that little girl who remembered the conversation with Wang Kuang earlier. After the adults sat down, she also stood neatly beside the scholar, but from time to time, she would take a peek at Wang Kuang.

  Three cups of tea were presented, and Sun Mingqian also rushed to the scene after hearing the news. He heard that Lin Zhubu's only son had come together with him, and he felt a bit uneasy. The one standing behind was indeed Master Zhubu, not someone this small merchant could compare to. To say that ordinary clerks and yamen runners, considering they usually showed respect, might give him some face in case of something, but the person who came now represented Master Zhubu himself, so he mustn't come up with any tricks.

  As soon as he stepped into the hall, Sun Ming quickly apologized: "Honorable guest arrived at my humble abode, I was unable to greet you in person, instead making you wait for a long time, it's all my fault." After arriving at the front of the hall, he bowed repeatedly and then said to Lin Zhongbo's son: "If there is anything that needs to be done by this old man, Young Master, you only need to send someone to summon me with a word, how dare I trouble your esteemed presence to come in person."

  Since the rich inn has been continuously introducing new dishes, Lin's son is also familiar with Sun Mingqian. He whispered a few words in the middle-aged scholar's ear. The middle-aged scholar nodded and stood up to bow: "Is it Sun Sanlang? I am Lin Hanlin from Chang'an, and I came to visit without permission, please forgive me." He pointed to the young man: "This is my second son Lin Quanmiao, Sun Sanlang must be familiar with him. I also run a small business in Chang'an, this is Manager Guo Guoshijiu." He pointed to the teacher-like person. Sun Mingqian was originally the third child at home, but due to war, he was now the only one left. Wang Kuang already knew these circumstances and didn't find it strange. However, Sun Mingqian rarely talked about his past, and people in Jian'an City usually called him Sun Dongjia. Lin Quanmiao surprisingly knew that Sun Mingqian was the third child, which must have been told to him by his father, Lin Zhongshu. Wang Kuang couldn't help but take another look at him: it seemed that Lin Zhongshu was quite capable.

  "Someone came today for..." Lin hadn't finished speaking when the little girl next to him became impatient, looked up at him and stomped her foot: "Big brother, what about me? Why didn't you introduce me?"

  "Stop being naughty, you're always spoiled by your father. It's already improper for you to come to Jiangnan with me, just come and have fun, that's all. Big brother is here to discuss business, why do you need to follow? This is a matter for adults, what does it have to do with you, a young lady? I'll tell your mother when we get back!" Lin Da felt very embarrassed.

  "What about that Lin Xuan? I'm still his aunt! He's introduced us, why did he leave me out?!" The little girl was furious now, her small face red with anger, one hand tightly grasping Lin Da's robe, the other pointing at Lin Xuan.

  This has made Lin Da Cai Zi's face turn into a big Guan Gong, in front of so many people, being called Xiao Huan Huan, where can he put his face? It just so happens that he is the most beloved little sister of his grandfather and father's generation, no one dares to say a word against her. If you offend Little Sister, as long as she makes a slight noise, won't Father beat himself to death when he gets home? Now he regrets it to death, originally Father was in charge of managing the household, but he just had to indulge in the food at Fuluai Inn, and insisted on inviting his uncle, now look, he hasn't even gotten to eat yet, but has already lost face completely.

  The little girl was still being stubborn: "Xiao Miao is my nephew, he's younger than me, isn't he? Why can he come and I can't? Why did you introduce him but not me? When we get back, I'll tell Father about it, and say that you're bullying me. If you dare to tell Mother, I'll tell Sister-in-law that you've been going out drinking every day for several months." It turned out that this little girl was afraid of her mother but not her father, and Lin Da was a henpecked husband.

  Lin Han's face also turned bright red: "What nonsense are you talking about, in front of so many people, what kind of behavior is this? Besides, I only drink occasionally, how can you say I drink every day?"

  On this side, Sun Mingqian and several others including Sun Zhanggui were already stunned, but since it was someone else's family affair, they couldn't say anything. They could only turn their faces away, pretending not to have seen anything.

  Sun Mingqian, after all, had been through a few years of turmoil, and after a brief pause, seeing that the other side was still making a fuss, he quickly intervened: "The young lady looks very pretty and must be the one Lin Dalang loves dearly, is she the young lady of the Lin family?" The name of the woman couldn't be asked casually, although at this time the Confucian classics had not yet become a real school, and during the Tang Dynasty, there were not so many rules about etiquette, but after all, it was the young lady of a strange family, especially since she looked like she came from a wealthy family. Sun Mingqian couldn't afford to offend her.

  Lin Han finally waited for a chance to speak, and with gratitude looked at Sun Ming in front of him: "It's indeed the young lady from our family, the only daughter of my Lin family. Since childhood, she has been doted on by her father, so she is a bit spoiled and will make Third Brother laugh."

  On the other side, Wang Kuang couldn't help but burst out laughing. In his more than a year in the Tang Dynasty, this was the first time he had seen such a bold and daring little girl. For ordinary people's daughters, unless they were from poor families, after the age of ten or so, it was rare for them to go out and meet strangers. Even if they did, they would be shy and cover their faces with their hands, unlike this little girl who acted as if she had known him all along.

  "What are you laughing at? It's you, isn't it! What's so funny?" The laughter was heard by the little girl, probably knowing that it wasn't suitable to make a fuss with her big brother at this time, and was looking for an excuse to get down. Wang Ke couldn't help but laugh, good, here comes the excuse, let's quickly shift the battlefield!

  This made Wang Kuang so angry that he was at his wit's end. He quickly shifted the blame: "How dare I laugh at the young lady? I'm laughing at myself."

  "Laugh at yourself? What are you laughing at?" The little girl didn't believe it, obviously she was being laughed at. Don't think that Miss is so easy to deceive.

  This made Wang Kun speechless, laughing at himself. He hummed and hawed for half a day but couldn't say anything.

  "Hum! I knew you were cheating, now you have nothing to say for yourself? You're penalized!"

  "The young master accepts the punishment, so what is the young lady going to punish him with? As long as it's not excessive, the young master will accept it." Wang Kuang also knew that the little girl was thinking of a way to punish him after saying "punish you", and seeing her tilting her head in thought, he knew she probably hadn't come up with anything yet. Seeing the people standing on the side, who were smiling secretly while covering their mouths, he guessed that although the little girl was saucy, she wasn't a spoiled mistress, so he felt at ease accepting the punishment."

  "What should I punish you with?" The little girl was indeed at a loss, thinking for half a day without coming up with anything. She then remembered the snowman in front of the inn and said: "I'll just punish you by having you help me build another one."

  At this time, apart from the snow in Wang Kuang's own courtyard, there was no other place with snow nearby. The snow on the street had been swept away, and the snow at the entrance of the inn had already been piled up into a snowman. It was impossible to run to someone else's door to pile it up. The snow in his own courtyard was meant to be kept for Wang Cai to pile up together, not for Xiao Yatou to join in. This made Wang Kuang somewhat perplexed.

  Division

  This article was written by Grey Sparrow while watching Li Na win the French Open Grand Slam title. More than a decade ago, Grey Sparrow never thought that the Five-star Red Flag would be raised at Roland Garros and the national anthem played there. It was unthinkable for Chinese people back then. Cheers for Li Na!!

  Dear book friends, your recommendations and collections are a great encouragement and support for Grey Sparrow, thank you!!