Chapter 12 Going the wrong way again

With a plan in mind, Qi Yunshu took the opportunity while cooking at Benwei Ge to casually inquire about the whereabouts of Lu Yin.

She first asked Tian Shi, but saw her shake her head, lost in thought. "I've never seen Lu Yin, being just a woman of the household, but I know that Zhao Wenda has dealt with it!"

Qi Yunshu knew that her son was named Zhao Wenda, and everything she was doing was to support him in taking the imperial examination.

And now it was the triennial township examination, and at this moment, he was already in the prefectural capital!

Because she was so worried about his situation, it also led to Tian Shi being somewhat distracted recently.

"Can't we find someone to inquire?" Qi Yunshu was a little anxious. She really wanted to find Liang Tian.

But Tian Shi expressed her lack of understanding, "How could a woman like you think of doing such laborious work!"

Qi Yunshu shook her head. She wanted to leave and find the person she was looking for, but she couldn't say it like that. "The world is so big, I want to go and see!"

After saying that, her eyes narrowed, and she saw Zhao Jing standing outside the door.

Seeing his calm expression and indifferent demeanor, she didn't know if he had heard or not.

"Who is this..." Tian Shi looked at Zhao Jing, dressed in a washed-out blue Confucian robe, with a refined and scholarly demeanor.

For a moment, Qi Yunshu didn't react, and Zhao Jing stepped forward and shook her hand. "I am Yunniang's husband!"

Tian Shi looked at him, his rough clothes and slightly pale skin, his appearance handsome, but his back seemed unable to straighten up, and his body was not well, even panting when speaking.

She remembered who he was and moved her lips, "Mr. Zhao, I have heard about you from Wenda, and I greatly admire your knowledge!"

Zhao Jing was the best at writing articles in the town's school, but unfortunately, his luck was not good. He had failed the township examination three times and was still an unmarried scholar!

It was really unfortunate for Zhao Jing. He had all the literary talent, and the articles he wrote even made the dean of the academy give him a thumbs up.

But every time it came to the imperial examination, he encountered various problems. The first time, he fell into the river on the way and almost drowned, and when he was rescued, he fell ill and missed the exam. The second time, the carriage he was riding in broke down, and he didn't even make it to the city. The third time, he went to live in the county a month in advance, but on the day of the exam, he drank a cup of tea and had stomach troubles for a whole day...

He was really unlucky!

These things about Zhao Jing were not a secret, and Qi Yunshu found them in Yunniang's memories, but she didn't expect Tian Shi to have heard about them as well.

Seemingly used to being looked at by others, Zhao Jing's expression did not change in the face of Tian Shi's inquiring gaze, but it was Tian Shi herself who felt embarrassed.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward, and suddenly someone outside the door said, "Is this Benwei Ge? We are looking for the shopkeeper Tian!"

"That's me!" Tian Shi hurried out to meet the person, who was a servant in a blue robe.

"We are from the Huang family in Zhendong. Tomorrow, our old lady will be seventy years old, and the master wants to hold a banquet. He wants to hire your head chef to take charge!"

Living to seventy years old was rare, and it was a tradition in Nan Cheng Town that when someone in the family reached seventy, they would celebrate lavishly.

Upon hearing about such a big business, Tian Shi naturally wanted to take it, but she was afraid she couldn't handle it, so she looked at Qi Yunshu.

She was the only one she could rely on now.

With business coming in, there was no reason to turn it away, and doing a banquet usually meant good money and a chance to build a reputation.

Tian Shi led the servant inside to negotiate the price and menu, and then came out to discuss the menu with Qi Yunshu.

"The master personally mentioned your name and asked us to come up with a menu first. Time is tight, so we have to hurry to the East Market before it closes to buy the ingredients for the trial dishes!"

There were still two tables of customers eating, so Tian Shi had to stay and manage them, leaving the task of buying the ingredients to Qi Yunshu.

Looking at the gray sky, Qi Yunshu hesitated, but still took on the responsibility of carrying the basket.

"I'll go with you!" Zhao Jing suddenly grabbed her.

Qi Yunshu was taken aback. "Ah, there's no need. You still have to copy books. I'll clean a spot by the window for you to write!"

"You don't know the way. What if you get lost?" Zhao Jing took the basket from her and walked out the door.

Tian Shi looked at the back of the young couple. The woman was delicate and beautiful, and the man was tall, but he always seemed to be slightly hunched over, as if he couldn't stand up straight.

It was a pity for Qi Yunshu... No wonder Zhao Shusheng was so protective of her, not even letting her take a step alone.

She sighed and turned back inside to attend to her own business!

The eateries in Nan Cheng Town were distributed along the Qing Shui River. Heading out from Chongyang Restaurant, one would reach the West Market, where bustling business was being conducted.

Qi Yunshu bought the ingredients according to the menu and piled them onto the back basket that Zhao Jing was carrying.

Despite looking as if a gust of wind could blow him over, he had a certain air of masculinity, and he didn't utter a word even with thirty pounds on his back.

Seeing his slender figure, Qi Yunshu felt a bit embarrassed and caught up to suggest sharing the load.

Zhao Jing shook his head. "No need, I'm not as fragile as you think!"

Thinking of the strength he had exerted when he occasionally grabbed her wrist, it seemed that he was indeed not as weak as he appeared, so Qi Yunshu gave up.

Unconsciously, they arrived at a wide road lined with weeping willows, where many people were gathered, forming a queue. It was the first time Qi Yunshu had seen such a sight, so she went up to take a look.

In front of the long dragon-like queue was a notice written in traditional Chinese characters. Fortunately, Qi Yunshu had studied traditional Chinese medicine before and was able to recognize the characters, although it was difficult without punctuation. She stood in front of it for a while before she could barely make out what it said.

It seemed to be about travel guidance.

She had been struggling to understand what she had heard at the Tian family's place, and now, at a glance, she broke out in a cold sweat and her heart sank halfway.

It turned out that the Great Liang Dynasty was very similar to the historical Ming Dynasty, especially in its emphasis on travel guidance.

Whenever common people left their homes, they had to inform their nearby neighbors. If they wanted to leave their permanent residence and go to another state capital, they had to carry travel guidance. Otherwise, they would be treated as refugees.

"What happens to refugees? How are they usually treated?" Qi Yunshu was not very clear about the laws of the Great Liang, so she looked at Zhao Jing.

Zhao Jing had already had a meaningful look on his face when she stood in front of the notice. His voice was low and calm as he replied, "They may be made into government slaves or exiled to the border with a branded punishment."

Qi Yunshu shrank back nervously, realizing how severe the consequences were!

Once again, she reminded herself that before leaving this place, she must obtain travel guidance, otherwise, it would be difficult to move an inch!

"How can I obtain travel guidance?" Qi Yunshu pretended to casually ask.

Zhao Jing, with a meaningful look in his eyes, asked, "Why does the lady want to know?"

Surprisingly, Qi Yunshu didn't fall for it and forced a smile, "Just out of curiosity!"

After saying that, she was afraid that Zhao Jing would ask further questions, so she turned around in a panic, but unexpectedly, Zhao Jing pulled her back.