Chapter 449: Lamb Soup Shop

“Dong dong dong~ dong dong dong~”

The woman in the white dress shook the rattle-drum in her hand, producing a rhythmic sound.

After distancing herself from the man in fine robes, it only took about the time of one incense stick for the once-bulging cloth pouch on her shoulder to become noticeably deflated.

All of a sudden, as she glanced across to the opposite end of the long street, the bored look on her face changed abruptly. “When did Lexiang County get such a handsome gentleman?”

As she spoke, she began to walk lightly in the direction of the man in white.

“Young master, care to buy a rattle-drum?” The woman in the white dress blocked Gu Ning’an’s path, shaking the rattle-drum in her hand as she smiled sweetly.

Gu Ning’an, stopped in his tracks, was momentarily stunned when he saw her. After giving her a once-over, his gaze eventually settled on the red string around her wrist.

Noticing this, the woman’s brow furrowed slightly.

Hmph, good-looking as he is, he’s just another shallow guy who only cares about appearances…

She grumbled inwardly, though none of it showed on her face. Instead, she kept smiling. “Young master, would you like one?”

Zheng De actually lets his daughter peddle wares on the street… Gu Ning’an casually took out ten copper coins. “I’ll take one.”

Huh?

How did he know the rattle-drum costs ten coins?

The woman hesitated a moment, then said a bit awkwardly, “Young master, this rattle-drum is ten taels of silver. Is that alright?”

“Hm?” Gu Ning’an stared at her for a moment, then tucked the money away and turned to leave. “Too expensive. Forget it.”

Seeing him turn to leave without a second thought, the woman quickly followed after him. “Five taels, then?”

When he didn’t even glance at her, she stopped where she stood. “Three taels!”

“One tael!”

“Ah! Fine! Ten copper coins it is!”

Seeing that he had no intention of stopping and had already walked quite a distance, she couldn’t help but chase after him again. She caught up to him and said, “Young master, I’ll give you the rattle-drum as a gift!”

“No need.”

“You must be from out of town, right?”

“What do you think?”

“I think you are!”

“Why do you think so?”

“I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never seen you before.”

“Maybe you have?”

“Impossible. I have a sharp memory. I definitely haven’t.”

“Mm. Why are you following me?”

“I want to give you the rattle-drum.”

“This Gu don’t want it.”

“So your surname is Gu, young master. Mine is Zheng.”

“I know. Can you stop following me now?”

Repeatedly rejected, a stubborn streak flared up in her heart.

So she quickly changed the topic. “Young Master Gu, have you eaten? I’d like to treat you to breakfast…”

“There’s a new shop in Lexiang County, really delicious!”

Upon hearing that, Gu Ning’an suddenly stopped. “That sounds acceptable.”

He agreed just like that?

Why does this feel a little strange… The woman gave a slight nod. “Then I’ll treat you to breakfast, and in exchange, you take the rattle-drum.”

Gu Ning’an waved a hand. “Lead the way. If it’s really good, then we’ll talk.”

That remark nearly made her laugh in disbelief, but she managed to keep a graceful smile. “Alright, this way, young master. That place is definitely delicious…”

…

Following Zheng De’s daughter through streets and alleys, they arrived at the entrance of a narrow lane. There, just as she’d said, was a shop famed for its delicious lamb soup.

It was still early, just a bit past 7 AM, yet the lamb soup shop was already bustling. With over ten tables set up inside, not a single seat was empty.

A line had even formed outside the door.

Looking at the shop, which had no signboard, Gu Ning’an asked, “When did this place open? I remember it used to be a rice store.”

“Eh?” Zheng De’s daughter blinked. “It opened half a year ago. You remember it was a rice shop before?”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Mm.”

Mm?

That’s it?

Zheng De’s daughter bit her lip in annoyance.

On the way over, she’d even taken the initiative to introduce herself fully—Zheng Hanrui.

Yet this Young Master Gu merely responded with a vague “mm” and said nothing more!

Isn’t this the kind of moment when one should at least respond with their own name?

Suppressing her irritation, Zheng Hanrui said, “Young Master Gu, today’s actually not too busy. If we came any later, the line would stretch to the end of the alley!”

“Also, this shop limits each person to just one portion—three flatbreads and a bowl of soup, no extras allowed!”

“But, you know, it’s really tasty, and the price is ridiculously cheap. Just twenty copper coins per set. Where else can you get lamb soup that cheap these days?”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “Twenty copper coins—that’s the price from twenty years ago.”

Pfft, and you know what prices were like twenty years ago? Are you even over twenty?

Grumbling silently to herself, Zheng Hanrui saw that Gu Ning’an had fallen silent again, so she gave up talking and quietly joined the queue.

They hadn’t waited long before they saw a young man at a corner table inside the shop waving to them and calling out, “Hanrui, there’s a spot here! Come sit with us!”

Looking over, Zheng Hanrui saw it was her childhood friend Liu Feng, and the two others at the table were acquaintances as well.

She turned to Gu Ning’an and said, “Young Master Gu, I know someone inside with a seat open. Let’s go sit with them.”

“There’s no one else sharing their table, so we’re not cutting in line.”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Alright.”

Again, just one word—would it kill him to say more? Zheng Hanrui turned away, annoyed, and walked into the shop.

The waiter at the entrance, hearing they were joining acquaintances, let them in.

When they reached the table, Liu Feng, her childhood friend who had called out to her, shifted over slightly. “Hanrui, sit next to me. Let this gentleman have his own seat.”

Gu Ning’an had already sat down and nodded politely to the three at the table, while Zheng Hanrui walked around and sat beside Gu Ning’an. “You sit there. I’ll sit with Young Master Gu. You take up too much space, and two people would be cramped next to you.”

“Ahem…” Liu Feng gave an awkward smile. “Alright, that works too.”

“By the way, this Young Master Gu looks unfamiliar. Is he from out of town?”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “I’m a local.”

“Here, let me make introductions,” Zheng Hanrui said. She pointed to Gu Ning’an. “This is Young Master Gu, a friend of mine.”

Then she gestured to a brawny young man across the table. “This is Qin Hao—his family runs a martial arts school.”

Next, she pointed to the scholarly man on the right. “This is Chen Ren, a private tutor.”

Finally, she gestured to the man on the left. “This is Liu Feng, my childhood friend.”

After the introductions, Gu Ning’an gave them another polite nod. “Greetings, everyone.”