Early the next morning, Lu Zheng, as usual, made an appearance at the Dajing Dynasty, practised a set of sabre techniques in the backyard, and ate millet porridge prepared by Aunt Liu.
“Young Master, not going out today?”
Lu Zheng thought for a moment, “Not this morning, but I’ll visit the sweet shop this afternoon.”
“Alright, I’ll have the wife prepare lunch for you,” Uncle Li replied, then added cautiously, “By the way, Miss Liu, the second daughter, came looking for you yesterday, but you weren’t here.”
“Oh?” Lu Zheng asked, “Do you know why?”
“I heard she wanted to invite you to join them for an outing in the countryside.”
“Today?”
“Seems so,” Uncle Li nodded.
“Got it.”
Lu Zheng nodded, returned to his room, and crossed back to the modern world.
“Hey, good morning, Mr. Du!”
“Mr. Lu, hello, hello!”
“Here’s the thing, Mr. Du, I’d like to order another sword from your shop, a sharpened one.”
“Great, any specific requirements, or shall I send you pictures of various swords?”
As the saying goes, familiarity breeds ease; having already sold a sharpened Xiuchun blade, Du Lin was straightforward this time.
“No need for an overly fancy scabbard, preferably with a Taoist style, or you can send me the photos.”
“For Taoist attire, right? Alright, I’ll check. If we don’t have it, no worries, we have a master craftsman who can hand-forge it, with brass decorations on the scabbard and hilt, and custom leather patterns.”
Impressive! High-end!
“Alright, send me the photos first. If there’s nothing suitable, I’ll order a custom one,” Lu Zheng replied, “Oh, and I bought two blades before, one unsharpened. Can you sharpen that one too?”
“Sure, bring it to the shop when you have time.”
Moments after the call ended, Lu Zheng received dozens of photos on his phone, already filtered by Du Lin to exclude overly ornate or unsharpenable swords.
Lu Zheng quickly browsed and soon settled on one.
A Longquan sword style, with a black buffalo leather scabbard, adorned with faint white cloud patterns and brass cloud-shaped fittings.
It matched Lu Zheng’s expectations.
So, he ordered the sword, transferring the payment via WeChat without hesitation.
Lu Zheng’s decisiveness pleased Du Lin, “Tomorrow afternoon, come by anytime to pick it up.”
“Alright, I may not be punctual, but I’ll call before heading over.”
“Great!”
After hanging up, Lu Zheng grabbed some snacks and returned to the ancient world.
“Is Young Master Lu home?” Liu Qingquan’s voice called from the gate.
“Here!” Lu Zheng replied, walking to the front yard, where he saw Uncle Li leading Liu Qingquan around the screen wall.
“Just call me Big Brother Lu, and I’ll call you Qingquan, alright?”
Lu Zheng couldn’t stand the term “Dalang”; it felt unlucky!
“Oh, sure,” Liu Qingquan didn’t object, as calling him “Big Brother” felt closer than “Dalang.”
That bag of fruit candies had already won her over, what if she didn’t listen and he stopped giving her sweets?
If they became big brother and little sister, wouldn’t it be only natural for a big brother to give his little sister candies?
“I heard you’re planning a countryside outing?”
“Yes, yes, Big Brother Lu, are you coming? My sister and I rented a carriage, and we’re about to set off!”
“Just you and your sister?” Lu Zheng asked, “Not Uncle Liu or Auntie?”
“Father’s busy with the clinic, and Mother’s not going,” Liu Qingquan shook her head.
Lu Zheng nodded. The Dajing Dynasty was relatively peaceful, though petty thieves and bandits existed, they were unlikely to appear openly near the county town in broad daylight.
“Where to?”
“Peach Blossom Plain, south of the city. They say there’s a ten-acre peach grove, with peach blossoms in full bloom, absolutely beautiful.”
“I heard there’s a Peach Blossom Fairy in the grove, seen by many.”
“There are also big peach trees, and sometimes little monkeys from the deep mountains come to play, it’s really fun.”
Talking about fun, Liu Qingquan’s eyes sparkled.
“Big Brother Lu, come with us?”
“Sure.”
Going out for fun was simple enough, so Lu Zheng agreed readily.
…
Seeing Liu Qingquan bring Lu Zheng, Liu Qingyan smiled gracefully, “Greetings, Master Lu.”
“Greetings, Miss Liu.”
Lu Zheng climbed into the carriage after Liu Qingquan, sitting properly to one side.
“The wine you brought the other day was excellent, my father slept until dawn,” Liu Qingyan said.
Lu Zheng smiled, “As long as Auntie doesn’t blame me for getting Uncle Liu drunk.”
“How could she? The fruit wine you brought was delicious too, I’ve never seen such clear, water-like wine in the market. Did you brew it yourself?”
“Yes,” Lu Zheng nodded, claiming it confidently.
“Then you shouldn’t open a sweet shop, a winery would be more profitable,” Liu Qingquan chimed in, “No, open both!”
Meeting Liu Qingyan’s clear gaze, Lu Zheng winked and explained to Liu Qingquan, “This wine is hard to brew, not suitable for selling in a shop.”
Liu Qingquan, half-understanding, was persuaded, but Liu Qingyan, catching Lu Zheng’s glance, understood.
“Master Lu thinks things through carefully, I was too hasty,” Liu Qingyan said.
With her sharp mind, Liu Qingyan realised Lu Zheng preferred earning less to avoid attracting greedy eyes.
She was both right and wrong. This was one reason Lu Zheng avoided selling wine early on, but his main goal was to use the high-proof liquor to connect with cultivators.
If such liquor were common, how could he stand out?
“Of course, if Uncle Liu wants to drink, I’ve got plenty,” Lu Zheng said with a smile.
It sounded normal, but Liu Qingyan noticed Lu Zheng’s appreciative glance, making her blush and lower her head.
“What about sweets? Can I eat them whenever I want?” Liu Qingquan eagerly broke the moment, looking at Lu Zheng.
Liu Qingyan sighed in relief, while Lu Zheng playfully ruffled her hair, “Of course, eat as much as you want, and tell me when you run out, I’ll restock.”
“Really!” Liu Qingquan’s eyes lit up, pulling a cloth bag from her pocket and popping a green hard candy into her mouth.
Apple-flavoured, so sweet!
Lu Zheng smiled, took out another cloth bag, and Liu Qingquan’s eyes brightened.
He poured out a few preserved plums, handing them to the Liu sisters, then said to Liu Qingquan, “Your sister can eat these, but you’re eating candy now, wait until you’re done, or you won’t taste the sweetness.”
Liu Qingquan nodded eagerly, while Liu Qingyan shyly accepted the plum, smiling as she ate it after hearing Lu Zheng’s words.
