Chapter 109 — An Old Friend at Every Gate

CHAPTER 109

An Old Friend at Every Gate

“Young Master Shi, surely you remember me!” Bao Shun called through the gate.

Shi Feng looked at the steaming supper, then at Ling Qingzhu. She lifted her bowl with an expression that clearly told him this was his problem.

He opened the gate a hand's width.

Bao Shun leaned forward immediately. Behind the broker waited a thin merchant with a wooden gift box and a plump man carrying a jar of wine.

“I've come to congratulate you!” Bao Shun said.

“Done,” Shi Feng replied, and began closing the gate.

Bao Shun caught the edge before it shut.

“Wait! I've also brought two friends,” Bao Shun said.

“I’m eating,” Shi Feng replied. “Speak from there.”

The thin merchant, Luo Fang, coughed. His Qi Condensation cultivation barely showed beneath his fine clothes. He lifted the box quickly.

“Young Master Shi, a small gift,” Luo Fang said. “My shop sells excellent sword cloths.”

Shi Feng glanced at the box. A folded strip of silk rested inside. It was good silk, but hardly worth visiting someone's home over supper.

“What do you want?” Shi Feng asked.

Luo Fang looked relieved. He preferred someone who understood the purpose of a gift.

“My nephew hopes to serve a promising cultivator,” Luo Fang said. “Just a little guidance. He's hardworking.”

“No,” Shi Feng replied.

“You haven't met him,” Luo Fang protested.

“I'm not looking for a nephew,” Shi Feng said.

The plump man, Peng Lu, pushed forward before Luo Fang could continue. He wore a Bone Refinement waist token and smelled faintly of the wine he carried.

“I don't have a nephew,” Peng Lu announced.

“Congratulations,” Shi Feng said.

Bao Shun pressed his lips together. He couldn't decide whether laughing would improve his chances or ruin them.

Peng Lu lifted the wine jar.

“I run a small guard business,” Peng Lu said. “We could use your name. Nothing more! You won't need to fight. We'll pay a little every month.”

“And if your guards rob someone?” Shi Feng asked.

Peng Lu's smile stiffened.

“We wouldn't,” Peng Lu said.

“Then you don't need my name,” Shi Feng replied.

He closed the gate. Bao Shun removed his fingers just in time. Inside the courtyard, Ling Qingzhu was laughing into her sleeve.

“No nephew?” Ling Qingzhu asked.

“An excellent qualification,” Shi Feng replied.

He sat down and found his bowl covered with another plate to keep it warm. Ling Qingzhu pretended not to notice his glance.

The next morning brought three more old friends. Shi Feng recognised none of them.

One claimed to remember his father. Another announced that their grandfathers once drank together. The third waited until the other two left before admitting he only wanted to buy medicine.

That one got a price instead of a closed gate.

“Can I have a discount?” Wu Gan asked.

The man was a Qi Condensation cultivator with thick hands and an honest expression. Shi Feng had already learned that an honest expression didn't prevent bargaining.

“For what?” Shi Feng asked.

“Being direct,” Wu Gan replied.

“The price is direct too,” Shi Feng said.

Wu Gan scratched his head, paid for the jar, and left. Shi Feng liked the transaction more than the previous visitors' speeches. At least he knew what the man wanted.

A familiar food seller arrived after Wu Gan left. He Shun carried a covered bowl and looked almost as nervous as the men with expensive gift boxes.

“Two portions,” He Shun said. “For you and your wife.”

Shi Feng recognised the sesame scent.

“What do you want?” Shi Feng asked.

He Shun scratched his ear.

“Could I say you ate at my stall?” He Shun asked.

“I did,” Shi Feng replied.

“And liked it?” He Shun added hopefully.

“My wife liked it,” Shi Feng said. “Don't turn it into medicine for reaching Foundation Establishment.”

He Shun looked horrified.

“They're dumplings!” He Shun said.

“Then we agree,” Shi Feng replied.

He paid for both portions before accepting them. He Shun tried to refuse, but the spirit stones were already in his hand. He left pleased enough with an honest claim to make outside his stall.

Shi Feng carried the bowl inside. Ling Qingzhu immediately put her book down.

She remembered the evening too.

Then Jiang Meilan appeared with a broom and an empty basket.

“The neighbours are asking whether you'll hold a celebration,” Jiang Meilan said.

“No,” Shi Feng replied.

“They'd all come,” Jiang Meilan added.

“That's why,” Shi Feng said.

The landlady sighed. She looked toward the medicine trays and lowered her voice.

“You won't leave immediately, will you?” Jiang Meilan asked.

Shi Feng glanced at her.

“The regional registration isn't tomorrow,” Shi Feng said.

“I meant the courtyard,” Jiang Meilan explained. “A Foundation Establishment cultivator usually wants more space.”

“And pays more rent,” Shi Feng replied.

Jiang Meilan's expression became innocent.

“The roof's fixed,” Jiang Meilan said.

“I remember paying rent before it was fixed,” Shi Feng replied.

She lifted the broom and discovered something urgent to sweep beside the gate. Shi Feng watched her for a moment, amused. His cultivation apparently made the courtyard better without moving a single wall.

Ling Qingzhu returned from the cloth shop before noon carrying a small parcel and a look of restrained annoyance. She tied her veil before answering another knock. A woman with a gift box asked whether Shi Feng received visitors who weren't customers.

“Madam Shi,” Luo Fang said quickly, arriving behind the caller, “we only hoped for a proper introduction.”

“Then ask him at the stall,” Ling Qingzhu said. “He decides whom he sees.”

The visitors left. She shut the gate, removed her veil and looked at Shi Feng over the parcel.

“Some of your old friends haven't met you yet,” Ling Qingzhu said.

“Those are my favourite,” Shi Feng said.

She laughed despite herself. Then she pushed back her hair to show him the finished cloth, and he lost track of the explanation halfway through.

“Did you hear the price?” Ling Qingzhu asked.

“No,” Shi Feng admitted.

She tapped his forehead with the folded silk. He caught her wrist, grinning, and she let him hold it for a moment before drawing away.

At the furnace yard later, he changed into Shen Mo's covered robe before entering by the side lane. Gao Yuan saw the familiar hood and asked about the next booking. He did not greet Great Liang's third representative, because Shi Feng hadn't given him the connection yet.

Inside, the copper furnace waited in its ordinary place. Neither the charcoal nor the medicine needed an old friendship to work. Shi Feng lit the fire and was glad of that.