Chapter 2: The First Snow (Grade 6, Volume 1)

  "It's going to be a great day!" Yu Laosan, the supplier of Chenji Jewelry Store, patted his waist and yawned.

  The sky outside was still a brilliant blue, the autumn wind had a hint of coolness, but it was far from piercing. However, all the clerks in the store were oblivious to the clear sky outside and nodded in agreement with Old Fourth's words, "Yes, yes, goods have been selling very slowly recently!"

  "Yes, yes, many families have gone to the Wei River bank for the autumn harvest, and the goods will be delayed, won't they?"

  "What a waste of time!"

  "What can we do? We live at the foot of the emperor's city after all!"

  The people of the capital, since they learned to speak, have been subject to the same influence. Therefore, they are more sensitive to the wind and grass movements above their heads. At this moment, the change in the weather they mention refers not only to the real weather but also to every move made by the Zhuque Avenue just north of the city gate of Zhao Yang Men.

  It's not that the common people under the emperor's feet are poor at speaking. As the saying goes, when dragons fight, the shrimp suffer. Every time there is a major change in the imperial court, the first to be affected are always the ordinary people in the capital. Not to mention the empress dowager's reign, every three to five years, heads would roll. Just look at the recent changes in the situation, with each redistribution of power, the streets and alleys would be deserted for a while. Often, before the gods have even determined victory or defeat, the common people's families are already without rice to cook.

  The recent omens are not very good. Those princesses, county ladies, and young masters of the imperial clan have gone to the Wei River in groups, saying they are going to inspect the autumn harvest in the countryside, but they have packed all the boxes and trunks from their homes onto horse-drawn carriages. It seems that they do not plan to return for a year or two. Following this, those young nobles who used to swagger around town have also disappeared, reportedly being confined at home by their elders to reflect on their mistakes, with no one knowing when they will be allowed out again.

  These two kinds of people are usually the main customers of the jewelry store. Without them, the whole shop immediately becomes deserted. No wonder Yu Daxiang thought of his old waist again, rubbing and hitting it all day, complaining non-stop.

  If all the shops on the entire street were equally depressed, people might feel a little better in their hearts. People do not suffer from poverty, only from inequality. Seeing others being as unlucky as oneself would naturally make one feel that heaven is fair. Right across from Chen's Jewelry Store, however, Zhu's Southern Goods Store was always packed with all sorts of horse-drawn carriages, as if the turmoil and changes in the capital had nothing to do with them. Every noble guest who came out of Zhu's store had their servants carrying large bags and small packages behind them.

  "People are envious to death, there's no way!" Yu Lao Si narrowed his eyes, staring at Zhu Ji with a gaze full of jealousy, "When the moon is full, it will wane; when the water is full, it will overflow. Sooner or later, that day will come..."

  Suddenly, he stopped cursing and his eyes widened instantly. The companions who were enduring Old Yu's endless chatter suddenly lost the noise in their ears, and they all paused for a moment before putting their heads out of the window, staring at the same spot that Old Yu was staring at.

  That person absolutely wasn't going to Zhuji South Store to buy things, just looking at his simple and shabby attire, Yu Laosi believed that even if they put out any item in the Zhuji South Store, this person wouldn't be able to afford it. But on that person's body, there was an air of unspoken pride and self-confidence, as if the contemptuous glances from the customers coming and going at the entrance of Zhuji didn't exist, he walked in with a calm stride.

  "Good show!" Yu Lao Si thought with a mixture of schadenfreude and intuition. In the capital city, there was a type of hoodlum who made a living by extorting money from businessmen. Once they set their sights on someone, they would either shout in the store that they had lost their wallet or claim that the uneven pavement had injured their ankle. In short, the businessman would have to hand over some money to avoid trouble, otherwise, the matter would never be settled.

  However, in the past decade or so, there has been no one who dared to knock on the bamboo tube at Zhuji Nanhuopu. Today is the first time that Old Fourth Yu has seen it. In the capital city, who doesn't know about Zhu Qigui, the owner of Zhuji Nanhuopu? He was a good brother who grew up playing with Prince Yang from a young age. What's called Zhuji is actually Yangji. It's just that they hung a sign saying "Pig Head" at the entrance to avoid going against the imperial family's rule of not engaging in business, which was passed down from their ancestors.

  More than a decade ago, Yang Guozhong hadn't yet become the Jiedushi through his sister's connections, but he dared to break the legs of several thugs who had extorted money from Zhuji and throw them into Qujiang Pool to feed the turtles. Now that the Yang family is at the height of their power in the capital, there are still people who dare to bully Zhuji - either this person has lived too long or they're a country bumpkin from outside who doesn't understand the depth of the waters in the capital.

  The shop assistant at Zhuji's door, who was also probably thinking the same way, stretched out his arm and stopped him before he could enter, "What are you doing? Take a look at the sign above the door before coming in!"

  "Ah!" The plainly dressed but extremely neat guest took a few steps back, looked up at the golden sign of Zhuji, and then walked back with the same speed, "Isn't this Zhuji? Did I go to the wrong place?"

  "That's right, this is indeed Zhu Ji, the only one in the capital!" The doorman stretched out his toes to block the customer's path. He pressed his fingers on his chin and mouth, and with a cold smile, he said: "Judging from your accent, brother, you're not from around here, are you? Our Zhu Ji specializes in selling goods from Guangzhou harbor, but they're quite expensive!"

  "Oh! I know this. I've already asked around before coming here!" The plainly dressed guest nodded, not minding the contemptuous gaze of the shop assistants at all. "I'm not here to buy anything either, move your feet away. Be careful, don't trip yourself!"

  After that, he continued to walk slowly inside. The two doormen were so angry that their noses were crooked, and they stretched out their hands to push the customer's shoulder, "If you don't buy anything, what are you... Ah, ah..."

  No one knows what kind of trick the guest used, but before the two men's hands could even touch each other's sleeves, they both rolled out like gourds. And strangely, they fell in opposite directions, one towards the inside of the house and one towards the outside, "thud" "thud", as if it had been rehearsed beforehand.

  "What kind of person is this!" In an instant, four burly men rushed out from behind the counter, stretching out their large palms and grabbing at the customer's hands and feet. Before they could react, the customer lightly turned around, and the four burly men fell to the ground in unison. Each person's knee had a footprint with mud on it, as clear as if it had been printed there beforehand.

  "Heavens! Quick, shut the door and pull down the window!" Yu Laosan shouted loudly, dashing towards the entrance with a certain agility that belied his age. "Don't look, don't look, beware of being cursed like the fish in the pond!"

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!" Half the shops on the street took the same action in an instant. Anyone who can open a shop on this street is not a fool, and they can all see that the person is absolutely not just a hooligan hitting bamboo clappers. And under broad daylight, there are only two or three households in the entire capital who dare to find trouble with Zhu's family so brazenly.

  Note 1: Zhao Yang Gate, an inner gate of the imperial city during the Tang Dynasty.