Chapter 54 A casual trip
The next morning, Zhao Yushu knocked on the door of Tianxiang Tower. The servant yawned as he opened the door. He thought that this gentleman was too impatient and should at least wait until sunset. However, Nanny Liu had told him that Young Master Zhao would be there to serve him whenever he wanted, so he hurriedly squeezed out a bit of flattery and welcomed Old Zhao in.
Still in Rulan's old residence, Yun Gu brewed a pot of tea and asked: "Master Zhao is leaving Dongdu?"
"It's just a trip, maybe I'll be back soon," Lao Zhao drank a sip of tea. He still had a very good impression of Yun Gu, so he thought he should say hello before leaving.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for Rulan to come back." Old Zhao took out a silver note of 1,000 taels from his pocket and said, "I don't know if the houses in Dongdu are expensive. If they are cheap, you can buy one for Rulan. It will be simple and clean. If they are expensive, you can rent one. You can decide how to spend this money. If it's convenient for you, please help me with the placement of my servant."
Yun Gu took the money and covered her mouth with her hands, laughing: "Just from the time, you spent several thousand taels of silver in just a few days. I have only seen such generosity when the courtesan got married. It stands to reason that we shouldn't accept money for our friendship, but as a business, I still have to follow the rules. Please don't blame me, young master."
It's rare for Yun Gu to call herself sister, which proves that she really treats Lao Zhao as her own.
Zhao Yushu smiled and nodded: "The Shen family's matter is settled. I wonder if Sister Yun is satisfied with the result?"
Yun Gu smiled slightly: "Of course I am satisfied. To be honest, sir, I did almost nothing, but Boss Shen gave me an extra gift. In addition, Wen Jijiu invited me yesterday and gave me another gift. All in all, I am afraid I got the biggest advantage, all thanks to you, sir."
Zhao Yushu waved his hands hurriedly: "No, no, without Miss Mo'er's help, this may not be accomplished. To me, she is the biggest contributor."
Yun Gu looked at Lao Zhao meaningfully and said, "Then I will give Mo'er a big gift and say that it was specially asked by the young master."
Lao Zhao blushed and said a few "hmm"s without saying anything.
Yun Gu stopped teasing him and asked, "Sir, are you going to take Mo'er with you on this trip?"
"what?"
"I said before that Mo'er will be yours from now on. Could it be that you don't like her?"
"No way! It's just that I'm not going out for a simple trip this time. Meng Yan asked me to go to the southeast. I'm afraid I have some things to do. It's a bit inconvenient for a man and a woman to travel alone."
Aunt Yun sighed: "What a pity, let's wait until you come back. I will use tea instead of wine to wish you a smooth sailing."
Zhao Yushu left Tianxianglou and felt vaguely that someone was watching him. He turned around and saw that the doors and windows of Tianxianglou were closed. It was probably an illusion.
Aunt Yun was still drinking tea: "Look, I told him, but he is shy, and there is nothing I can do."
Moer walked out from behind a screen, slowly walked to the window, opened the window a crack, and looked at Old Zhao who walked downstairs with a swagger and had no literary temperament at all: "Mr. Zhao is a good man"
Yun Gu walked over and patted her head: "You are also a good girl, don't worry, he will come back"
After thinking about it, it seemed that there was no one in Dongdu that he needed to see again, so Lao Zhao went back to the academy to say goodbye to Wen Jijiu and Liu Jijiu, picked up a small package, and left the academy that day.
Zhao Yushu didn't know that after he left, Wang Yuan and Ouyang Wen were "run into" by a woman named A Rui almost every day. Every time they ran into them, she would ask, "Hey, where is the classmate you were with before?"
This trip was not aimless. The eldest brother saw them off in person. The two squatted at the city gate and smoked a pack of cigarettes. Then the eldest brother stuffed a bunch of things into him.
"Take this map and try to pass through the places on it. You can reveal the identity of the academy, but don't reveal the identity of the Tianji Pavilion."
Zhao Yushu took the sheepskin map and looked at the winding mountains and rivers on it. The names of several cities and sects were clearly visible on it.
"Your cultivation is low, so you should keep a low profile when you go out. I see that you don't have any weapons, so I'll give you this for self-defense." The eldest brother took out a horizontal sword and said, "The things given by Shen Dabao were put into the warehouse of the academy. I exchanged a few things and distributed them to various families in Dongdu. This is your share, but I don't know how your swordsmanship is."
Zhao Yushu drew out his horizontal sword. The straight blade was three feet and two inches long, with overlapping cloud patterns on it. It looked like a divine weapon that had been tempered a thousand times. Under the setting sun, there was a faint glow of fire flowing on the blade.
"I haven't learned sword techniques or knife techniques yet," Zhao Yushu was a little embarrassed, but he definitely wouldn't give the things back after getting them, so he quickly hung the horizontal sword on his waist.
"It doesn't matter. There are plenty of opportunities to learn along the way. And this." The eldest brother counted a few silver notes and said, "The carpet and the short spear you used to drag Shen Qixing back are tributes. Although they are valuable, they are not something that can be sold openly. So after deducting the academy's handling fee, this is your 2,600 taels."
Hey, this is really a pleasant surprise. I was just worried that my precious sister had lost half of the Jade Rat's inheritance in just a few days. Now I can finally relax.
Then Zhao Yushu looked at the eldest senior brother expectantly, and the meaning was very clear: is there anything else?
"That's all. Go away. Oh, yes, there is one more thing. Miss Moer asked Aunt Yun to send it to me. Sigh, women are troublesome. Can't I send them all by myself?" The eldest brother took out a piece of silk thread from his arms: "Heavenly silk, which can withstand swords and guns, and is invulnerable to water and fire. You can figure out how to use it yourself. Now I'm leaving." The eldest brother left as soon as he said he would, without any hesitation.
You should at least give it ten miles. Zhao Yushu scolded his senior brother for being dishonest while taking a closer look at the silk. Why did Moer give it to him? It's so little, not even enough to weave a pair of gloves.
Scratching his head, Zhao Yushu got on his horse and headed south. After walking a few miles, he suddenly turned back and looked at the empty road with a feeling of loss.
"Who do you think he is waiting for?" Second Senior Sister A Li and Senior Senior Brother stood on the tower, looking at Zhao Yushu who was no longer visible to ordinary people.
"It's not you anyway," the eldest brother said without hesitation
"Not necessarily. It's not you, it's not the fourth brother, it can't be the uncle or Brother Liu."
"If you've been to Tianxianglou, you might know who you're waiting for." The eldest brother acted like we men understand men better, which really deserves a beating.
"Oh, you've been to Tianxiang Tower. I'll go tell Xiaoyin." The second sister jumped down from the tower, mounted her red horse and disappeared into the street.
The eldest brother's face changed drastically. He wanted to take off the red flower on his head several times, but finally put it down, stood on the tower with his pipe in hand and looked into the distance for a long time until dusk fell completely.
Dozens of miles away, looking at the starry sky and listening to the chirping of insects in the spring night, Zhao Yushu shuddered unconsciously.
There is no village in front of me and no shop behind me. I can't even find a place to sleep. I said goodbye in the morning and left in the afternoon. It was so cool. But now, it seems that it is time to pay the price for my coolness.
Patting the restless old horse under him, Zhao Yushu smiled awkwardly: "Brother, please help me. We have to walk another ten miles. If we still have nowhere to rest, how about we sleep on the ground?"