Wang Er and Xu Shiyou had only met and clashed once, but already viewed one another as arch-rivals.
Xu Shiyou was the top scholar in Yizhou Prefecture, but after being crushed by Wang Er at a poetry gathering, their superficial smiles now concealed provocative undertones when they met again.
"Brother Wang Er, I thought you wouldn't arrive for several more days."
"No affairs at home, so I came early."
"Did you get your admission ticket?"
"What admission ticket?"
"So Brother Wang Er doesn't know," said Xu Shiyou. "This year, the Prince of Yizhou issued new rules for the county exam. All candidates must first obtain admission tickets from Yizhou Academy. I also heard the exam format itself will change. Oh right, does Brother Wang Er know the Prince of Yizhou?"
Wang Er thought to himself, I was calling that Prince of Yizhou brother just two days ago.
"I know of him."
"Heh heh, I thought with Baichuan County being so remote, Brother Wang Er wouldn't know yet." Xu Shiyou said, "But anyway, no matter how it changes, the basics remain the same. I'm confident Brother Wang Er and I will both earn high marks this year."
"I appreciate your blessing."
Just then the shopkeeper finished calculating.
"The total is four hundred and twenty-five taels," he cheerfully said. "May I ask which noble house's young master you might be? So I can have someone deliver the goods."
"Heh heh, Shopkeeper Hong, this is Brother Wang Er from Baichuan County."
"Ah?"
The shopkeeper was stunned. Seeing Wang Er spend money so freely, buying four hundred taels' worth no less, he assumed this was some wealthy Yizhou noble's son!
Turns out he's just some country bumpkin?
"Then should I have someone send this to your inn?"
"No need. Leave it here for today," said Wang Er. "We're buying an estate tomorrow. I'll collect it then."
"Oh, very well."
"I'll pay you now."
Du Xiao Hui spoke while taking some banknotes from her purse.
Shopkeeper Hong examined them. Real money! He was even more shocked. This young lass didn't seem like nobility, yet carried so much cash?
Could she be from the Li family in Baichuan County?
"Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to be Master Li's second son?"
"That's right."
"Oh heavens, forgive these blind eyes for failing to recognize you!" The shopkeeper's face lit up with smiles as he loudly proclaimed, "Master Wang Er, you're quite famous here in Yizhou Prefecture!"
Wang Er wondered, I've never even been to Yizhou before, how could I be famous?
"You flatter me, shopkeeper."
"No no, it's true!" he insisted. "Every scholar in Yizhou knows how you bested our prefecture's top scholar at Baichuan County's Tanabata poetry gathering!"
As the victim in that incident, Xu Shiyou seethed with humiliation and desperately wanted to stuff several smelly socks down that loudmouth shopkeeper's throat.
But Shopkeeper Hong only knew Wang Er by reputation and didn't recognize Xu in person. Nor did he notice his changing expression as he continued boasting loudly, "That poem was sublime! Soaring aloft with the Great Peng, ten thousand li in a single day! Just the first line alone was peerless in history!"
Having someone praise him to his face like that made Wang Er feel rather embarrassed, especially since his mother actually wrote that poem. So this was even more awkward.
He could only force an uncomfortable smile and turn to Xu Shiyou, "Brother Xu, we'll see each other again at the county exam in several days."
"Yes yes, don't forget to collect your admission ticket, Brother Wang Er."
After Wang Er's group left, Xu Shiyou's formerly smiling face darkened considerably.
"Sorry for the neglect, young master. May I get you anything else?" the shopkeeper asked.
"No!"
Xu Shiyou flung his sleeve and stormed out the door, leaving the confused shopkeeper behind.
"Why the sudden temper? Was it because I didn't praise him too?"
...
On the way back, Du Xiao Hui whispered, "Brother Wang Er, I feel that man doesn't like you."
Wang Er could only wryly smile at that.
After an incident like before, most people probably wouldn't like him.
This Brother Xu was already not bad, at least behaving politely on the surface. If it were someone with a worse temper, they might have openly made things difficult.
"Brother Wang Er, do you think he'll try to secretly harm you?" Du Xiao Hui asked in a low voice.
"Probably not right?" Wang Er said. "It's common for scholars to feud or even have loud fights, but they'd never resort to underhanded methods."
"I hope that's the case..."
As they walked the bustling streets, Du Xiao Hui said, "Let's not talk about it anymore. Take this chance while you have some free time to look around."
"Alright, pick out some things you like as gifts for your parents and granny."
"Okay!"
...
Li Yao and the county magistrate's wife wandered the lively alley, filled with all kinds of snacks not just native to Yizhou, but also specialties from the capital and Jiangnan region.
Along the street were many peddlers with carts or tricycles, selling various goods.
The scene reminded Li Yao of a night fair street. She didn't expect to see something like this in this world too.
"Only Yizhou and Jiangnan have places like this," said the county mistress. "Being relatively prosperous and stable, people's lives here tend to be more colorful."
"There's no night fair in the capital?"
"As an important strategic location, the entire capital enforces curfew after the fourth night watch. Commoners cannot wander without reason."
So people had to go home to sleep by 8 PM?
Who knows what the emperor was so afraid of? If only he knew the common folk were busy all day and just wanted some leisure time at night, which also stimulated the economy.
With an 8 PM curfew, what joy could life hold?
Li Yao looked all around before finally buying some osmanthus glutinous rice balls and magnolia cakes since she was still full. She also got a bowl of stinky tofu to eat right there.
The county mistress couldn't bring herself to eat something with such a peculiar smell for a long time, but seeing Li Yao eat it with more relish than meat, she finally mustered some courage to try a piece.
It was very stinky, but the taste was actually quite delicious, even more so the more she chewed. She wondered how this dish was made to end up like this.
Just as the two were happily eating, Da Zhuang and his group arrived. He Xiao Yi immediately ordered a bowl of stinky tofu and started munching away, ignoring Da Zhuang's objections.
"Oh, it's the madame and her company."
Eventually Wang Er and Du Xiao Hui also came by. They too bought many things, little gifts Du Xiao Hui planned to bring back for her mother.
"Hurry it up if you don't wanna get beaten!"
A extremely nasty voice called out from behind them. Li Yao looked back to see a boy of around ten alongside two girls of seven or eight, each carrying a large basket on their backs.
She didn't know what was inside, but it looked very heavy. Both girls' legs trembled as they walked.
The one yelling at them was a man in his twenties, tall and slender with beady eyes and a thin mustache that made him look rather vicious.
At his shout, the three children hurriedly moved faster, but one little girl likely lacked the strength and stumbled.
The other quickly put down her basket to help her up.
Seeing the spilled contents, the mustached man's face darkened further. He viciously kicked the boy's belly.
"Useless mutts! I feed you so I can exploit your labor!"
He cursed while wildly swinging a thin branch, continuously striking the three children who dared not even whimper and could only huddle together to shield their heads, though they clearly suffered.
"What are you doing?" Du Xiao Hui finally couldn't stand it anymore and shouted, "You're a grown man beating little kids so violently! How can you?!"
The mustached man glared. "What's it to you?"
