Chapter 19: The Mountain Rain is Coming, the Wind is Full of the Building (Part 1)

  The sun rises three poles high, but Tang Gun still sleeps soundly with his head covered. Unlike others who rise with the sun and rest with its setting, he is not active at sunrise and does not rest at sunset.

  After going out for a walk, Tang Guan discovered a truth that remains the same in any era: the world is bustling with people all striving for profit.

  It's just that most people in this era are simple-minded, with a reverence for ghosts and gods, and a bit more thickness.

  Two days passed peacefully, but strangely, Mrs. Tang became more and more protective of Lin Yuhuan, who also got used to accompanying her every day. Occasionally, Mrs. Tang would take Lin Yuhuan out for a walk. Tang Guan didn't find this strange, thinking that it was only right to take care of his foster parents. What he didn't know was that his parents were constrained by the last words of Lin's wife, and also because Tang Wei Xi himself attached great importance to the word "righteousness".

  In fact, thinking about it, this kind of small wealth and peace, and peaceful days without incident are what most people yearn for. It's just that everyone has ambitions, and this is a pyramid-shaped society, so sometimes things you can't anticipate will happen.

  "Ah! Slept till I woke up naturally, refreshing!" Tang Guan stretched his waist and as soon as he opened his eyes, a warm smile fell into his sight.

  "Xun'er! You scared me to death!"

  "The lady said that excessive sleep is an illness and a doctor should be invited." Lin Yuxun didn't know when he arrived at Tang Guan's room, waiting in front of the bed.

  "No, I must give up treatment!" Tang Guan heard this and laughed, even his drowsiness had become an illness.

  "You think I'm that eager to see you? Just one day apart and I'd rush over myself." Tang Guan teased Lin Yuxin without even lifting his covers, just lying there.

  After being with him for several months, Lin Yuxun also knew that he was talented but had a foul mouth, and would often utter nonsense without taking it seriously.

  "There is someone outside the government office waiting for you, saying they know you and have been waiting for a whole incense stick."

  Tang Guan was taken aback by his words, "Know me?"

  Suddenly, his spirits lifted, and he thought of the trip to the broken temple two days ago. The only people he knew outside were Niu Lang and Xiao Qi.

  "You go out and wait for a moment, I'll get dressed, and then I'll introduce you to two new friends."

  "Let Xiaolangjun's friends recognize him themselves, I still have to go to Madame's place to pick up Nü Hong."

  "No wonder she's my daughter-in-law, indeed virtuous and kind, taking such good care of her mother-in-law." Tang Guan's teasing left Lin Yuhui blushing, they say that childhood sweethearts are like this.

  But it's not that the fallen flowers are ruthless, it's just a matter of time. However, when it comes to Nu Hong, Tang Guan feels a little guilty when speaking, as he had given the wallet personally knitted by Lin Yuhong to Xiao Qi and Niu Lang.

  "All right, you go first, I'll see who it is"

  As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly lifted the quilt, Lin Yuxun was startled and immediately retreated, but Tang Guan didn't think much of it and continued to get dressed and wash up.

  Brushing teeth with fingers is indeed disgusting. Tang Guan put his clean hands into his mouth, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it, despite it being the quickest way to clean up.

  With a swift movement, Tang Guan tidied up and immediately stepped out of the room.

  At this time, there were two figures waiting anxiously outside the door. The smaller one was stomping his feet from time to time. It was cold and they were dressed in tattered clothes, especially the small shoes that exposed their toes, which had turned red from the cold.

  It was indeed the Cowherd and Weaving Maiden from that broken temple.

  "The Young Master's family is really impressive, it's truly a wealthy household." Little Seven said with a hint of envy as she gazed at the majestic Tang Manor.

  In fact, this merchant's mansion also employs servants. In Yuhang, the Tang family is considered unique. Tang Weixi was a government-licensed merchant and a scholar who had registered with the Ministry of War; otherwise, ordinary merchants would not have dared to do so even if they had the money.

  The "Dang" sound echoed as the gate of the mansion swung open wide. Tang Guan walked out and the two men rushed forward with great joy upon seeing him.

  "Haha, it's really you two!" Tang Guan was delighted to see the two of them. He had been bored out of his mind and now that he saw two people around his age coming to find him, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

  The cowherd felt around in his bosom for a while, took out a cloth bag and handed it to Tang Guandao: "Great kindness and great virtue of the gentleman, I will definitely repay you from now on"

  Tang Guan saw that they had limited ink in their belly, going back and forth with just a few words. He directly took over the cloth bag and found that the money inside hadn't been used up yet, which made his eyebrows furrow involuntarily.

  Xiao Qi and Niu Lang were shocked, thinking that Tang Guan was blaming them for spending too much money. Xiao Qi anxiously said: "Young master, the doctor thinks we are too young..."

  Tang Guan waved his hand to interrupt Xiao Qi's words, furrowed his brow and said: "You guys are looking down on me, leaving so much behind. What I want is fabric, not money."

  "Ah" Niu Lang Xiao Qi let out a warm breath, they looked at each other in confusion, as if they had misheard. Tang Guan saw the two of them and burst out laughing, pouring out money into his hands and saying: "It's cold outside, take this to buy some clothes, look at Xiao Qi's red feet"

  Niulang's eyes reddened as he heard this, and for the first time, he felt a warmth as he gazed at Tangguan's smiling face.

  "If it's not enough, come find me again," he said as he handed the money over to Niu Lang.

  The cowherd was too shy to take it over, and Tang Er, the protector of the courtyard, saw Tang Guan outside the door with two little beggars pulling and pulling, and couldn't help but be curious.

  These two little beggars were knocking on the door early in the morning, claiming to know the young master of the house. They thought it was just a game for children to play with fallen lotus flowers during festivals and holidays, but they couldn't avoid coming here to put on this act.

  It can be seen that the current situation is quite familiar, but it's unexpected that the young master of our house rarely goes out and still knows this beggar child, which is really rare.

  "How's little sister?" Tang Guan asked while grabbing Cowherd's large hand and forcibly stuffing the money into it.

  "It's better... it's better..." Niu Lang replied, still at a loss for words, clutching the stack of copper coins in his hand. Xiao Qi, standing beside him, had tears welling up in her eyes.

  As the saying goes, "lowering one's posture and humbling oneself", Tang Guan had not a hint of condescension in his demeanor, and his tone was also that of equals interacting with each other, which deeply moved him.

  "That's still not good" Tang Guan furrowed his brow slightly, knowing the principle that illness comes like a mountain and goes like a thread.

  "Little Lord, you go back, I can't take this money." The Cowherd finally came to his senses, his thick eyebrows and big eyes filled with a hard expression, wanting to return the money.

  "You guys are looking down on me!?" Tang Guan's eyebrows rose, to be honest, since he came to this era until now, the concept of money was still vague to him. This is the big nerve of a traverser, because Tang Guan himself didn't fit in with this era, just like how people from later generations wouldn't be interested in the shells used by primitive humans.

  Of course, this is not to say that Tang Guan does not love money. On the contrary, he loves it very much. It's just that according to his theory: "Anyway, this money isn't mine, I'll use it to do good deeds, and the virtue will be mine."

  Seeing Tang Guan so serious, Niu Lang was stunned on the spot.

  "I'll go play with you guys"

  The Cowherd was shocked by the words. The previous search for Tang Guan's procession they had seen, it can be seen that his family's elders were loved and protected. This time again, it is inevitable to give rise to unexpectedness.

  "No, no, I still have to herd cattle."

  "Niu Lang, you're cheating! What kind of cow are you raising this winter?" Xiao Qi was quick-witted and lively, but felt constrained in front of the mansion. Hearing that Tang Guan had gone to his own place, he excitedly exposed Niu Lang's lie.

  At this moment, Niu Lang's face turned red and he fell silent, while Tang Guan smiled slightly and didn't mind.

  "Let's go," said Tang Guan, and was about to proceed forward. The two of them saw that it was pointless to argue, Xiao Qi excitedly caught up from behind, while Niu Lang silently followed.

  "Little master, where are you going?"

  Several people had just taken a few steps when Tang Er immediately chased after them and grabbed Tang Guan.

  "Go out and have some fun, it's none of your business!" Tang Guan turned around, his face showing displeasure.

  "No, Master has given orders..."

  Tang Guan immediately interrupted: "Am I still a young master or not?"

  "Of course"

  "So you're an old master"

  "Of course not," Tang Er immediately waved his hand.

  "What else can be said?" Tang Guanyi was stunned for a moment, and Tang Er stood still in his tracks.

  It wasn't until a moment later that he came back to his senses and saw several people walking a few steps further away, at which point he hastily caught up.

  "Little master, no way!"

  "Oh dear, are you annoying? Tang Guanxiang rarely comes out for nothing and can't help but feel impatient."

  "No, Master said Young Master is going out and someone must follow him"

  Tang Guan heard this and felt a pang of anger in his stomach, then looked at Tang Er's anxious face and said: "Then you're not human!"

  "Of course!" Tang Er thought that his young master was clever and had skillfully diverted the conversation with just a few words, but he didn't know what this question implied.

  "You can just follow him then." Tang Guan lightly shook his head. Having the guard follow was much better than having Old Wang from next door follow, as not only could Old Wang read and write, but he was also an old servant of the family who had followed Tang Wei Xi for many years and had seen some things, making it much more difficult to deal with him compared to this rough guard.

  After finishing speaking, Tang Guan and Niu Lang continued to walk forward together. Although Niu Lang seemed rough, he actually had a meticulous side as well. Seeing that Tang Guan's family teachings were so strict, he was surprised and also felt a hint of admiration.

  Tang Er saw that they were already approaching the market, and Tang Guan steeled himself, reluctantly following closely behind.

  "Wow, this smell is amazing!" On his way to the market, Tang Guan was stopped by a delicious aroma and saw someone selling roasted chicken.

  "Brother Guan, that's a dish of stir-fried chicken with spices, it tastes great!" Xia Qi said to Tang Guan, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

  The cowherd also secretly swallowed his saliva, touched the copper coins in his sleeve, saw Tang Guan and Xiao Qi staring straight at him, gritted his teeth and wanted to go forward to buy one. Tang Guan noticed it and pulled him back with a slight smile.

  Second Uncle

  "Ah," Tang Er saw Tang Guan and the two beggar children staring at the roasted chicken, thinking they were just greedy kids, so he responded with a single sound.

  Tang Guan playfully glanced at Tang Er, then pointed at the merchant and said: "I want to eat this"

  Tang Er was taken aback by his words, and thought to himself "what's the point", so he said: "Young master do as you please"

  "Second Uncle, I haven't received my monthly allowance, I have no money." Tang Guan spread his hands and looked like a rogue.

  Tang Er's face turned red with embarrassment, knowing that Tang Guan was letting him buy it. The chicken could be worth two days' wages, and he only bought one occasionally to make a show of his wealth.

  "Second Uncle, you don't have any money either, do you?" Tang Guan saw that Tang Er was hesitating on the spot and his playful expression became even more exaggerated. "I'll let you follow me, I'll let you follow me to your heart's content."

  "Tang Er took a loss and walked forward to haggle with the vendor, Tang Guan smiled as he watched, before long Tang Er had managed to get his hands on a roasted chicken."

  "Haha" Tang Guan saw Tang Er's awkward appearance and couldn't help but smile slightly before continuing on his way.

  "Second uncle, I want to eat this..."

  "Second uncle, I want to eat that..."

  "Second Uncle, I..."

  Niulang Xiaoqi stared blankly at Tang Guan, who was pointing left and right all the way up to the mountain slope. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, Tang Er had already filled his hands with roasted chicken, braised duck, and pig's trotters.

  At this time, Tang Er's face was full of bitter melon, but he had a hard time speaking out, and this batch of reckless purchases had already spent half a month's salary.

  Fortunately, Tang Guan also knew when to stop while he was ahead. It wasn't until they left the market and reached the foot of the mountain that Tang Er finally let out a sigh of relief.

  Second Uncle

  Tang Er's heart skipped a beat at this title, and he almost reflexively looked around, but there were no merchants nearby. Could it be that this young master had some unusual requests?

  "Thank you so much, Master Tang's orders are correct, indeed someone has to follow him." Tang Guan was smiling at Tang Er, this expression that had reached a certain level of shamelessness made him even more embarrassed.

  "Little young master, it's only right...it's only right..." Tang Er responded while climbing the mountain, if not for their master-servant relationship and Tang Guan's youth, he really wanted to slap him.

  The hill wasn't high, and soon several people arrived at the broken temple. Tang Er looked around and said, "Dào Wáng Temple, I used to play here when I was young, didn't expect it to be in such a state of disrepair."

  "Is this the Dao Wang Temple?" Tang Guan asked, seeing that Tang Er seemed to recognize the temple.

  "Well, young master may not know, but decades ago a great general came out of this temple"

  The Cowherd and Weaving Maiden also became interested upon hearing this, and they too lived in the broken temple for several years, but knew nothing of their origins.

  Wei Chi Jing De's soldiers avoided the Wang Temple, and some storytellers are still talking about it now. Tang Er seemed to be lost in thought, recalling childhood rumors.

  "Yu Zhi Jing De?" Tang Guan's eyes twitched at the mention of this name, which was not unfamiliar to him. In later generations, he was also a figure who had been greatly dramatized, and his image was even used as a door god.

  Among the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion was this Wei Rang, and Tang Guan slightly shook his head. Local rumors said that it was not true, and he immediately entered the temple with several people.

  "Niu Lang Ge, Xiao Qi Ge, you're back!" A soft whisper drew the attention of several people as they entered the temple.

  Only a little girl was seen sitting by the fire, warming her palms. Seeing several people coming in, she called out and turned to Tang Guan and Tang Er with a start: "Young Master!"