Chapter 45: The Bell of Blessings Rings Again

"It was Aunt Zhen who insisted that I come."

With half a rice dumpling still stuffed in his mouth, Ouyang Rong blankly raised his head and rolled his eyes at the purse-lipped young lady who was blocking the sunlight.

Just a moment ago, his junior sister had marched right up onto the platform and delivered this abrupt, out-of-context remark, leaving him frowning in bewilderment.

What was that supposed to mean? She didn't want to come find him of her own accord, but was forced by others?

Besides, his junior sister was indeed quite tall, but she had a bit of a sharp tongue and a penchant for talking back to her senior brother.

Right now, that pair of slender, shapely legs standing straight and graceful instantly blocked his entire view. Especially when looking up from below, he could barely see her proud little face... This truly was the "Eye-Blocking Pavilion"; that so-called pavilion halfway up Mount Dagu was a fake, nothing compared to the scale of this one—no wait, Eye-Blocking indeed.

The aggrieved senior brother put down his chopsticks, stood up, and his very first question was: "Salty rice dumpling, or sweet?"

Xie Lingjiang turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Fixing her gaze on the racing dragon boats contesting on the river, she curled her lip:

"I have plenty of dumplings to eat, hmph. I'm just here to pass along a message from Aunt Zhen..."

She paused, and seeing out of the corner of her eye that the person in question had already buried his head and started unwrapping a dumpling without a second word, she quickly added: "Salty dumpling, dipped in white sugar."

As soon as the words left her mouth, however, the noble daughter of the Xie family instantly regretted it, a flash of annoyance crossing her delicate face.

She looked as if she were exasperated by her own lack of self-restraint.

Ouyang Rong was looking down and missed all of this. Hearing her reply, his hand gave a slight twitch.

What kind of bizarre cult had she joined? Once dipped in sugar, was it considered a salty dumpling or a sweet one?

Silently muttering to himself, Ouyang Rong handed the rice dumpling to Xie Lingjiang and turned to call a nearby waiter to fetch some white sugar.

After the waiter left, leaving only Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang behind, the atmosphere suddenly cooled down a bit.

They hadn't seen each other for many days, ever since their argument last time.

Xie Lingjiang's men's attire today was quite eye-catching; her pure white robe made her look like a jade-like young gentleman, but she wore a scarlet floral-patterned satin belt that accentuated her slender waist, and the exposed inner collar and sleeve cuffs of her undergarment were also scarlet.

A touch of scarlet embellishing a suit of white—the junior sister certainly understood fashion.

Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze and spoke first: "What message did my aunt ask the junior sister to bring?"

Xie Lingjiang's chopsticks unconsciously and gently prodded the snow-white salty dumpling in her bowl:

"Your aunt wants you to come over and choose a maidservant."

"Choose a maidservant?"

She nodded in explanation:

"Aunt Zhen dragged me around the markets early this morning, saying that the Fifth of the Fifth is a lively day, and there are many foreign Hu merchants selling slaves at the West Market horse market. Since you hold a seventh-rank official post and don't even have a single maidservant in your quarters, it's quite unseemly, and she insists on picking a personal maid for you.

"When we got there, we found too many choices, all dazzling and overwhelming: Goguryeo maidens, Silla bondwomen, Pusa Man, Eastern Island slaves, and even blonde and blue-eyed Western Hu lasses... But since she didn't know which kind you preferred, and I happened to not feel like shopping anymore, Aunt Zhen entrusted me to bring you the message to go over and pick one out yourself after you finish your work."

Ouyang Rong was speechless, words hanging on his lips.

Xie Lingjiang's expression remained as usual as she lowered her head and took a small bite of the dumpling's tip. It tasted salty. Suddenly, she said:

"I know what you're thinking. When I was little, I also disliked this sort of practice of treating human beings like livestock. But has Senior Brother ever considered that rather than leaving them in the hands of black-hearted Hu merchants only to be bought by cruel masters and face a desolate old age, wouldn't it be better to redeem them, treat them a bit better, and do a tiny bit to help? Who knows, if the opportunity arises, you might even be able to send them back home."

Ouyang Rong fell silent.

After a moment, the waiter returned with the white sugar. Ouyang Rong casually handed it to Xie Lingjiang, opening his mouth to speak, when a short young man trotted up the steps from below and familiarly sidled close:

"Oh, Sister Lingjiang, you're here to watch the dragon boats and eat dumplings too!"

With that, Wang Caozhi immediately turned his gaze to Ouyang Rong, looking astonished: "Could this be... Magistrate Lord?! I've heard so much about you! Such an honor, such an honor!"

The short young man wore an expression of long-held admiration and deep regret at not having met him sooner.

Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow, glanced at his slightly frowning junior sister, and solemnly cupped his hands: "May I ask your esteemed surname..."

"I am Caozhi, with the unblemished surname Wang—yes, that time-worn Wang clan of Langya, a family friend of Sister Lingjiang's household."

Ouyang Rong had a sudden realization: "So it is Brother Caozhi, I am truly honored."

"It is this younger brother who has long admired the Magistrate's great name and never had the chance to pay a visit. I've long heard that the Magistrate of Longcheng loves the people like his own children and radiates an aura of noble righteousness. Seeing you today, it's even truer than rumored! You are even more spirited and dashing than I imagined!"

"Not at all, not at all. Spirited is fine, dashing is hardly the word... Brother Caozhi truly lives up to his name, a dragon and phoenix among men. Since you've come from afar, please sit, please sit! Does Caozhi eat salty or sweet dumplings? Would you like some white sugar?"

"It has to be sweet dumplings! What, white sugar? Who with any decency dips rice dumplings in sugar? Do you?"

"I don't. And you?"

"I don't either."

"Dipping them in sugar is a void sweetness, devoid of a soul," sighed a certain someone.

"..." Xie Lingjiang.

You two... Xie Lingjiang looked between these two fast-bonding characters with a mix of amusement and exasperation. Before she even had a chance to introduce them, their eyes had already locked, and they had directly expelled her from the dumpling fraternity... Well, neither of you dips a speck of sugar, but you both clearly dip your brains in it.

"Calling a salty dumpling dipped in sugar a..." Wang Caozhi was full of enthusiasm and wanted to say more, but a split second later, a sharp instinct for self-preservation made him dart a sideways glance at the bowl of sugar held in the hands of the expressionless Xie family sister beside them. With a completely solemn face, he said to Ouyang Rong:

"Magistrate Lord, I feel that dipping salty dumplings in sugar is also nothing short of a wise choice!"

Ouyang Rong smiled and nodded. Xie Lingjiang couldn't help chiming in: "Wang Caozhi, aren't you busy speculating on grain? Still have time to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?"

Wang Caozhi scratched his head:

"Ahem, this younger brother is merely trailing behind those major grain merchants to sell a little; I don't have the guts to speculate. Sister Xie gives me far too much credit, hahaha."

Inwardly, he felt a twinge of regret. When they first met, he had candidly told her about coming to Longcheng to sell grain, but he hadn't expected this Xie family sister to have such a rigid temperament, her face chilling the moment she heard it back then...

This young proprietor of the Qingliang Studio glanced out of the corner of his eye at Ouyang Rong. The latter's expression was calm, devoid of any anger, and he even looked a bit naive and slow-witted as he harmlessly peeled the bamboo leaves off his dumpling.

This Ouyang Lianghan really was just like the rumors said—an upright, bookish scholar. Of course, otherwise, this noble daughter of the Xie family wouldn't have gotten so close to a commoner scholar from a humble background; their personalities must simply match. Looked at this way, being a bookish scholar wasn't half bad... Wang Caozhi shook his head with an internal chuckle.

Externally, he sighed:

"Magistrate... Ah, let's not be so formal. Since we're all close with Sister Lingjiang, allow this younger brother to boldly address you as Brother Lianghan."

"Very well, by all means," Ouyang smiled and nodded.

Yet Lang Liu, standing not far behind, frowned upon hearing Wang Caozhi's words... So presumptuous, a mere profiteering merchant daring to exchange brotherly addresses with the Prefect? He certainly had a fat set of guts.

Wang Caozhi's smile grew even wider:

"Brother Lianghan, this younger brother heard that Longcheng suffered from floods and the people are suffering from a grain shortage, so I specially transported some grain here, hoping to contribute a tiny fraction of effort.

"Presumably, when Brother Lianghan rescinded the price ceiling a few days ago, it was also out of anxiety over the grain shortage, hoping to attract more merchants to Longcheng. Who could have imagined the current grain prices...

"Ah, to think they've been driven up so high by those black-hearted senior peers in the trade. This younger brother wanted to help, but an arm can't twist a thigh... Brother Lianghan, how about this? Over the next few days, this younger brother will unite a few conscience-driven grain merchants who share my views, and we'll set up a porridge stall in the southern part of the city to distribute relief. When the time comes, Brother Lianghan, you can come over and cut the ribbon for the opening. How does that sound?"

The young magistrate's expression looked somewhat melancholic. He gazed at Wang Caozhi for a moment, his eyes filled with a moving, speechless gratitude, before finally letting out a sigh and firmly patting the shoulder of this conscientious and responsible young grain merchant, as if everything was left unsaid.

"Ah, since you've come from afar, please sit, please sit," Ouyang Rong repeated.

Wang Caozhi smiled brightly and waved his hand. "I won't disturb you any longer; I still have friends down below. Sister Lingjiang, let's gather another day."

Xie Lingjiang had barely nodded or spoken throughout the entire exchange. Together with Ouyang Rong, she watched the short young man's figure depart.

Silence hung between the two of them for a moment.

"This martial brother of yours is quite cute," he praised.

"I can't even be bothered with him," she lightly bit her lower lip.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the sky, pondered for a moment, and turned to say: "Perhaps Junior Sister should go talk to him and tell him to leave Longcheng quickly."

A look of apology crossed Xie Lingjiang's face. "I'm sorry, I can only compel the Xie family's commercial houses not to come, but as for the Wang family..."

Ouyang Rong shook his head, interrupting her: "No, I mean tell him to run for his life."

"..."

The noble daughter of the Xie family froze, turned her head, and stared fixedly at Ouyang Rong for a moment.

At a certain second, the lips she liked to lightly bite into suddenly curved upward at the corners.

"I won't go."

She smiled, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at him.

"Why? Aren't you family friends?"

"We're not close."

"Then who are you close with..." The casually speaking man caught himself, changed tack, and asked instead: "Still angry with Senior Brother?"

"Still a little bit."

"Then once today's business is settled, I'll take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"Somewhere a certain righteous female knight went feeling sad, and left feeling happy."

"Female knight... you mean me?" Xie Lingjiang crinkled her nose. "No, I am an adviser well-versed in both literary and martial arts, not some brawling female knight."

"Then... female military counselor?"

"Hmph~" She raised her chin and gave a crisp, bright response.

Ouyang Rong smiled slightly, recalled something he had delayed just moments before, and added:

"Then, Military Counselor, please help me stall my aunt first and tell her I'll go over once I'm done here."

"Alright," Xie Lingjiang nodded.

Ouyang Rong watched her departing figure and muttered softly, "I'll make sure to pick a cheaper maidservant later."

The moment the words left his mouth, Ouyang Rong felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his entire body trembling as the faint chime of an ancient bronze bell echoed in his ears!

"This..."

He immediately sat back down in his original spot as if nothing had happened, though his lowered face was filled with utter astonishment.

For deep within the merit tower of his mind, the primordial, silent bell of good fortune was vibrating!

A brand-new blessing.