It had rained the day before, and the road was muddy. Peddler carrying loads of paper windmills on their shoulders hurried by. Outlaws holding swords squatted on the roadside, holding wheat ears in their mouths, grinning or watching the people entering the city in silence. Only when patrolling soldiers came over did they restrain themselves a little.
After entering the city, it was a bustling scene. The teahouse was bustling with people, and the waiter carrying the teapot was loudly soliciting customers. People who had time to stop for a while went in to sit for a while. The steamers at the street stalls on both sides were unwrapped, and the steaming hot meat patties gave off an enticing aroma. A fat boy in brocade clothes held the housekeeper's hand, stood there greedily, and shouted that he wanted to buy some.
Occasionally, shrill screams broke out on the streets. From a distance, a group of people seemed to be crowded there, as if a group of gangsters had a dispute and started fighting. The sound of swords and weapons caused a riot. The nearby stalls were overturned, and the soup, pots and bowls were in a mess.
Someone shouted, "The soldiers are coming."
The group of people scattered like birds and beasts.
Lu Liangsheng stood far away and watched for a while, then was pulled away by Lu Laoshi, "Don't watch it, and don't learn it. It's fatal."
Soon, the father and son walked into the shop with paper fans hanging on it. The scent of ink filled their noses. Lu Liangsheng stepped over the threshold and took a deep breath. The shopkeeper at the counter opposite heard the footsteps, put down the account book and looked up, "You two are welcome to look at it."
On both sides of the store, there are teak bookshelves, with white linen paper and jute paper stacked in batches and arranged neatly. There are also printed blank books piled there for people to choose from.
"Boss, we want to pick out a pen." Lu Laoshi looked through it and said slowly, "A cheap one, it doesn't matter if it's a little smaller. Please recommend one to us."
The shopkeeper looked at the two men's clothes, but he didn't look down on them. A small profit is still a profit after all.
He nodded to the father and son. Behind him was a pen stand filled with all kinds of brushes that had not yet been stained with ink. "Don't worry, brother. Businessmen value honesty. Even if it is a cheap pen, we will not sell you a bad one."
The brushes hung above are of various sizes, from regular script to small regular script, from long-tipped to short-tipped, and are also arranged according to the materials used for the brush tips.
"Pig hair is the cheapest, but it tends to split after a while... Rabbit hair, goat hair, and wolf hair are the best. Rabbit hair is the cheapest of the three. How about this one, bro?"
"How much is this?"
"Ten cents." The shopkeeper took down the rabbit-hair brush and made a gesture.
He put it on the table for Lu Liangsheng to see. The pen barrel was made of bamboo and looked quite green and jade-like. Lu Laoshi counted the money in his pocket, looked at his son, gritted his teeth and prepared to buy it.
"Hey! There's something to see!"
There was a noise outside and footsteps suddenly sounded, followed by the sound of suona and gongs, which drowned out Lu Laoshi's words. The father and son walked to the door curiously. The pedestrians on the long street separated and stood at the edge of the street, looking at the end of the street. The dragon and lion dance team came towards this side. Several people on stilts were wearing funny costumes, waving their long sleeves, swaying and singing songs, and passed by with the sound of clanging.
The atmosphere on the street was extremely lively. Lu Laoshi rarely saw such a scene. He couldn't help but ask the old man selling vegetables on the street: "Old man, what's the happy event in this city?"
"You're from outside, right? This is the Fushui County Chen Yuanwai's birthday party, and they invited a troupe to perform."
After thanking the old man, the dragon and lion dance team had already passed. When I returned to the store and bought the pen, the shopkeeper bowed awkwardly and said, "My dear brother, I am really sorry. I suddenly remembered that I forgot to add a sum when I bought the pen. I have to add this amount before I can sell it to you. The new guy is sloppy in his work. I will scold him later. I am really sorry. I am sorry."
As he spoke, he calculated the price.
"Fifteen cents!"
"You..." Lu Laoshi clenched his fists, his face turned red, and he kept saying "you" for a long time before he uttered, "You are not trustworthy. You promised ten cents, how can you change your mind? You are not trustworthy."
"But it is indeed this price." The shopkeeper spread his hands and pointed at the brush on the table: "I can't let me sell it to you at a loss, I'm sorry."
"It's a bully. I won't buy it."
Lu Laoshi couldn't think of any reason, so he turned around and walked to the door. However, Lu Liangsheng was still standing in front of the counter, with no intention of leaving. He looked at the brushes on the table for a while, and suddenly glanced at the shopkeeper with a smile. He looked at the inkstone, paper and the hands hanging by his legs, and quietly made some finger gestures.
Behind the counter, the shopkeeper stroked the cockscomb hat on his head. Seeing that Lu Liangsheng was still there, he didn't care. He smiled and said to himself, "I have to sell it, but I can't make a loss."
He shook his wide sleeves and reached for the pen, but his expression suddenly changed. He exerted force with his hands, but the pen did not move at all.
"What's going on..."
The shopkeeper used both hands to pull hard, and his whole body leaned outward, his face flushed red.
He turned around and shouted, "Someone come."
The shop assistant came out from the back hall upon hearing the noise, and seeing the shopkeeper's appearance, he stepped forward to help. Two adults could at least move something weighing two hundred pounds, but now, their faces turned red, and they didn't move the pen at all.
Then he remembered that there was another person in the store. He looked at the young man who was touching and looking around over there and spoke hesitantly.
"You... you know magic?"
Lu Liangsheng did not answer, but took out ten copper coins and put them on the counter, "It's mine."
He reached out and easily picked up the pen, waved it in front of the two of them, then went to the bookshelf and took out a blank booklet and an ink stick.
"How much are these two?"
The shopkeeper wiped the sweat off his face, swallowed his saliva, and waved his hand: "I'll send you off, little brother. You should... leave quickly."
"Thank you for your generosity, boss, but I won't take advantage of you."
Lu Liangsheng put the last few coins he had saved on the counter, thanked everyone, and then left the store. His father Lu Laoshi was sitting on the street and was angry about what happened.
"The city people are too bullying..."
When he saw his son coming out and the writing brush and book in his hand, he stood up quickly and asked, "Did he sell it to you?"
"I explained some reasons, and the shopkeeper was kind enough to sell it."
"That's good of him."
He said this as he walked, and when he left the street and headed towards the city gate, he passed by a stall. Suddenly, a voice called the father and son. Turning back, they saw a small white flag with a black border, and an old man with a goatee sitting under it, pinching the tip of his beard, staring at Lu Laoshi with cloudy eyes.
"Hey, old man, don't you want to buy a piece of talisman paper to ward off evil spirits?"
"How dare you, fortune teller..." Lu Laoshi was fed up and pulled his son to leave, "Who would buy your cheating stuff for no reason? Liangsheng, let's go."
The fortune-teller smiled awkwardly, put down the horoscope, and sometimes opened his mouth abruptly to scare passers-by, saying that a blind cat will catch a dead mouse, and there will always be people with guilty consciences who will be fooled. Of course, the most important thing is to look at the other person's clothes. If they are from the village, most of them are superstitious in this regard. There are many people from various towns and villages who come to the market outside, and several deals have been made today.
When he turned around, he suddenly met the eyes of the young man next to the farmer. He trembled violently, and quickly lowered his head, not daring to raise it.
"Such a strong evil spirit..."
The old man didn't dare to raise his face until the person walked away. His departing back also showed some confusion.
“… How strange! It’s clearly a person.”