Chapter 43 Night Talk
When the sun shone on his face, Xu Luo rubbed his sleepy eyes and found that Li Shimin and his companions had disappeared. "These guys just left without even saying hello. Let's see if I can let them drink to their heart's content next time!"

He muttered as he staggered out of the house.

In the yard, Xu Xier was bending over, the clothes in her hands swaying gently in the water. The sunlight shone on her delicate neck and faintly visible collarbone, reflecting an alluring arc.

Hearing Xu Luo's complaint, she raised her head, a mischievous light flashed in her eyes, the corners of her mouth turned up, and she said in a crisp voice: "Brother, Mr. Li and the others may be in urgent need of something, why do you care so much?"

Xu Luo scratched his head sheepishly, with an awkward smile on his face, "I just said it casually, they helped us a lot, I can't thank them enough!"

"Well, they didn't leave any message, but..." Xu Xier's eyes suddenly lit up, and she stood up hurriedly, with water drops sliding down her fair arms. She trotted to the side,
After a while, she came back with an exquisite cloth bag in her hand. The bag was embroidered with beautiful patterns, which made people happy at the sight.

Xu Luo knew clearly that the money was probably secretly left by Old Li. Xu Xier hurried over and said, "Brother, I just found out this morning that this was secretly given to us by Mr. Li."

When Xu Luo heard this, the corner of his mouth slightly raised, and he shook his purse lightly at his fingertips, thinking: This Old Li is really polite. He clearly said that I would treat him, but he still left some money secretly.

"Come on, they are kind-hearted, we can't lose face, we still have to return the money, and be polite."

After Xu Luo finished speaking, Xu Xier pursed her lips, seemed to want to say something several times, and finally just nodded slightly. Her bright eyes were full of confusion, but she still turned around obediently, swayed her waist slightly, and put the purse away properly.

"Brother, the sun is getting high. Are you still planning to go into the city today?" Xu Xier asked.

While arranging the banners, Xu Luo replied, "In, of course, I still need to make some money, points."

Xu Xier was stunned for a moment, frowned slightly, and asked in confusion: "What are points?" Xu Luo just smiled and shook his head, then hurried into the house.

With the banner in hand, Xu Luo set out on the road to Chang'an City. On the way, he greeted acquaintances one after another, and unexpectedly discovered that his reputation as a "divine fortune teller" had spread widely in the village. This made him secretly happy, and his steps became lighter.

In less than half an hour, Xu Luo appeared outside the city gate.

In front of the Suzaku Gate, people were coming and going, and it was very lively. Xu Luo was mixed in the crowd and walked into the noisy city. On both sides of the street, the hawkers' cries came one after another, a scene of market life.

He was walking and enjoying the excitement around him, in a good mood. He was strolling leisurely when suddenly a noise attracted his attention.

There was a commotion in front of a rice shop, and two waiters were seen rudely pushing a man in plain clothes.

"Go away, go away, stop being an eyesore!" the guy shouted.

The man fell to the ground, looking embarrassed, but he still remained polite. He got up, brushed the dust off his body, and saluted the people around him one by one.

He looks like a poor scholar with a scholarly temperament.

"Hey, have you ever seen people being bullied like this?" Some onlookers were filled with indignation.

"Yeah, if they see that he's honest, they just step on him hard." Another person echoed.

As everyone was whispering, the scholar-like man staggered towards Xu Luo. The crowd was talking even louder: "I heard he came to Shemi, and he asked for a stone right away. Isn't this looking for trouble?"

"Heh, it seems like he has it all his own way this time!" someone sneered.

When the scholar came closer, Xu Luo saw that although he was dressed in rags, there was an unyielding look in his eyes, and he couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

Especially his skin covered with dust and his waist that was still straight despite being in a mess, people couldn't help but guess the story behind him. "My dear brother, I'm so sorry to make you laugh."

The scholar-looking man spoke to Xu Luo, gently brushing off the dust on his shoulders with his hand. The elegance unintentionally revealed in his action formed a sharp contrast with his current situation.

Xu Luo nodded slightly, looking at his tanned skin and his hands which were rough but had clear lines, and secretly sighed in his heart: How could such a person end up in such a situation?

"Hey, is that brother the legendary fortune teller Xu Luo?"

"Yes, it's him. Didn't you see the sign hanging on his shoulder?"

"Haha, I can tell from the looks of it that you're from out of town. Mr. Xu made a fool of himself yesterday..."

"Oh? Is there really such a miraculous thing? Is his divination really that accurate?"

"How can this be false? Come on, I need to find Mr. Xu to tell our fortune!"

"Me too. I've been feeling uneasy lately. It would be good to get rid of the bad luck."

"Come on, let's go together!"

"Mr. Xu, wait for me..."

A group of people chased Xu Luo with great interest.

At this time, Lin Jingzhi was walking slowly out of Chang'an City.

He was hunched over, with his head down, looking a little listless. This former wealthy young man, the Lin and Qian families, were once prominent families in Chang'an City.

He and Miss Qian had been engaged since childhood. However, a sudden accident destroyed the Lin family overnight and his parents also passed away.

Lin Jingzhi, who was originally weak, was forced to move out of the prosperous urban area and found a dilapidated house outside the city to live in.

During the past three years, he devoted himself to studying poetry and literature, dreaming of one day passing the imperial examination, restoring his family's reputation, and marrying the young lady from the Qian family in a grand ceremony.

Miss Qian was a pretty girl, with eyes like autumn water and lips as delicate as flower petals. Whenever Lin Jingzhi thought of her slightly trembling earlobes and straight nose, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

In his imagination, her chest was heaving, her neck was slender, her skin was as white as jade, and her collarbone was delicate. She was like the brightest star in the night sky, guiding him in the direction of progress.

He longed for the day when he could touch her slender fingers with his own hands and spend the rest of his life with her.

Things are unpredictable.

A few days ago, Lin Jingzhi was still at ease, but suddenly he was shocked to hear that the beautiful young lady of the Qian family had been engaged to another family. This news made him anxious like an ant on a hot pot, and his heart was so anxious that it was burning more than fire.

After several nights at home, he tossed and turned, and finally mustered up the courage to decide to bite the bullet and go to the Qian family in person to propose marriage.

Little did he know that the gate of Qian's family was even harder for him to enter than the South Gate of Heaven. Before he could even touch the threshold, he was driven out by the servants like a duck.

I remember that in the past, he often recited poems and composed couplets with Miss Qian here. Now, alas, there is no sign of him anymore.
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(End of this chapter)