TSWPF -Chapter 223 Momentum

After Li Qingling and the old man finished their little quarrel, they slowly walked into the room.

The old man held Li Qingning’s hand with one hand and Liu Zhirou’s with the other, smiling warmly as he followed them in.

He sat in his chair and looked at Liu Zhimou, patting his shoulder with a satisfied smile. “Good boy, you didn’t disappoint your grandpa.” When he received Li Qingling’s letter and learned about Liu Zhimou’s results, he had been so happy that he hadn’t slept all night.

As long as Liu Zhimou performed normally in this spring imperial examination, he would surely pass the jinshi level.

Imagine if others found out he had such an accomplished grandson-in-law—how jealous they would be!

Especially in front of those old acquaintances, it gave him even more face.

Liu Zhimou smiled modestly and said it was just luck.

There’s always someone better; he wouldn’t let a small achievement make him slack off in his studies.

There’s still so much for him to learn!

Seeing that Liu Zhimou showed no trace of pride or complacency, the old man nodded in approval. “Prepare yourself over the next couple of days. Grandpa will take you to visit Mr. Luo.” If it weren’t for the fact that he had treated Mr. Luo before and had a slight connection with him, meeting Mr. Luo would be nearly impossible.

“Grandpa, are you talking about Mr. Luo Bin, Mr. Luo?” Liu Zhimou asked, his face full of excitement. Mr. Luo was famous across the nation. Even if he couldn’t become his disciple, getting some guidance from him would be invaluable.

The old man nodded. “Yes, that very Mr. Luo, world-renowned.”

Seeing Liu Zhimou so excited, the old man gave him a warning first. “Mr. Luo is very strict about taking disciples. Many princes wanted to become his students, but he refused them outright. Zhimou, you need to be prepared mentally.” Mr. Luo wasn’t afraid of power. Anyone who didn’t meet his standards—even the emperor—couldn’t force him to accept them.

It was said that if the crown prince weren’t exceptionally talented, Mr. Luo wouldn’t have accepted him either.

Liu Zhimou smiled calmly. “I understand. I just want to meet Mr. Luo. I won’t insist on anything else.”

“Good. Later, Grandpa will send a formal invitation to Mr. Luo and see if he’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

The old man waved his hand. “No need to be so polite with Grandpa. We’re family.” Then he heard a gurgling sound. Following the sound, he saw Li Qingning clutching her stomach and looking at him shyly. He laughed heartily and patted her head. “Ah, our little Ning Ning is hungry. Silly Grandpa forgot. Hold on a bit longer; I’ll have someone bring the food over.”

Li Qingning’s cheeks flushed, and her little hands scratched her head as she giggled. She hadn’t eaten much all day and was already quite hungry.

The old man raised his voice and instructed the steward to bring in the dishes. His precious little granddaughter was hungry.

“Xiaoling, I told the steward to have some people from the trade guild come by tomorrow so you can choose. Earlier, I didn’t arrange it because you hadn’t arrived yet. I didn’t want you to end up picking someone unsuitable.” Before, it was just him and Dahe at home, so he didn’t want to hire many servants—it would be a waste. Now that Li Qingling and the others were here, this wasn’t a place to cut costs.

No matter the expense, he wouldn’t let his grandchildren suffer.

Li Qingling nodded without objection. “Alright.”

When in Rome, one must adapt. Even if she didn’t like being waited on, she had to slowly get used to it.

“Old man, could you tell me about the capital? I want to familiarize myself with it. In a couple of days, I’ll go check out some shops and prepare to open one.”

In this unfamiliar capital, she needed to scout ahead.

Upon hearing this, the old man asked what kind of shop she intended to open.

“I originally thought of opening a roast duck shop, but after arriving here, I think I should first do some market research before deciding what kind of store to open.”

The capital was more prosperous than she imagined. She had to slow down and investigate first.

The old man frowned, tapping his hand on the table unconsciously.

Li Qingling noticed and asked, “Old man, what’s wrong? Is there a difficulty? Is opening a shop restricted here?”

The old man stroked his beard and glanced at Li Qingling, clearing his throat embarrassedly. “Actually… I’m not very familiar with this area. After dinner, I’ll have the steward explain it to you.” As an imperial physician, he was either in the Imperial Medical Institute or treating someone. How could he have the time to understand the capital’s market?

If you asked him about gossip, though, he could talk for three days straight.

Ahem… He couldn’t help it. Even if he didn’t want to hear it, when he visited households to treat them, the gossip inevitably reached his ears. There was no avoiding it.

He glanced at Li Qingling again, thinking about whether he should warn her about the private affairs of the inner residence so she could be cautious when socializing.

Li Qingling twitched her mouth in silent disbelief. He thought the old man would know, yet he didn’t?

“Old man, you’ve been in the capital so long, surely not for nothing?”

“I’ve been very busy. Who has time to look into all this?” The old man glared at Li Qingling mockingly. She shouldn’t expect any compliments from him. “If you had told me earlier, I could have helped you inquire.”

Well, that was her own oversight.

“Alright, alright, my fault for not telling you sooner.”

“Hmph… that’s better.”

Li Qingling: “…”

At that moment, the steward arrived with the dishes, calling respectfully, “Master, the food is ready.”

The old man flicked his sleeves, instantly shedding his previous proud demeanor. In a calm voice, he said, “Bring it in.”

Seeing the old man’s sudden change, Li Qingling smirked slightly. He sure knew how to put on a show—it could be intimidating when he wanted it to be.

If the steward had seen him acting so childishly earlier, he might have dropped his jaw in shock.

Once the ten dishes and a soup were set, the steward stepped aside, ready to serve Li Qingling and the others.

The old man waved the servants away, knowing Li Qingling and the others might feel uncomfortable.

Once the servants left, Li Qingling teased him, “Old man, I didn’t expect you to be so extravagant.” They were only a few people! How could they finish ten dishes and a soup?

The old man knew they were worried about waste, so he explained with a smile, “Not usually, but today you’re here. Grandpa is happy and wants to celebrate.” He normally ate with just two dishes, never making extra. “In the future, if there’s anything you like, tell the kitchen to make it, understand?”

Hearing this, warmth flowed through Li Qingling. She shrugged and said, “Thank you, old man.” She and the old man shared some dishes. “There are so many dishes; eat more yourself, don’t waste.”

Seeing the bowls piled high like a small mountain, the old man indulged himself, laughing heartily. “Good, eat more, and so should you. Don’t hold back.” Then he buried his head in the food.

He didn’t want Li Qingling to see his reddened eyes. He had thought he would live and die alone, but meeting Li Qingling and the others allowed him to enjoy the blessings of children and grandchildren in his old age.

Heaven had been kind to him after all.

Seeing the old man eat so happily, Li Qingling and the others also bowed their heads and ate.

They truly were hungry. The ten dishes and soup were quickly finished.

When the servants came to clear the table, they were shocked. They hadn’t expected the new young lady and her companions to have such appetites. All the dishes were gone.

The old man sank back in his chair, rubbing his full belly and letting out a soft sigh. He had overeaten.

Being with the children, his heart was so happy that he had eaten too much without realizing it.

Looking around, he saw that Li Qingling and the others were also slumped in their chairs. It wasn’t just him who had overeaten—the children had too.

“Come on, come on. I need to lie down in my chair. Let’s go out for a walk to digest.”

The old man stood, pulled Li Qingning and Liu Zhirou up, and led them outside.

Li Qingling and the others quickly followed, heading to stroll through the garden.

“Ah Yan, explain to the young lady about the capital,” the old man said as he saw the steward outside, waving to him.

The steward responded respectfully, approaching Li Qingling from behind. “Young lady, which aspects of the capital would you like to know?”

Li Qingling didn’t hold back and asked directly what she wanted to know.

True to form, the steward could explain everything thoroughly.

After two laps around the garden, Li Qingling had a rough understanding of the capital. She thanked the steward with a smile.

The steward slightly bowed. “Young lady, if there’s anything else you’d like to know, just ask me. Whatever I know, I will tell you truthfully.” From their conversation, he realized that Li Qingling was far from a naive country girl. Her insight and demeanor even impressed him.

Moreover, the old man valued her greatly. For that alone, he couldn’t treat her with disdain.

“Alright, thank you, Steward.” Li Qingling keenly sensed the steward’s respectful attitude. She smiled slightly, knowing that to establish herself quickly, she had to show some ability. Otherwise, people would think she was easy to bully!

The steward replied humbly and left.

Li Qingling tapped her chin, deciding to take Zeng Tietou out early the next morning to personally survey the city.

Information from others differed from firsthand experience. If she didn’t investigate herself, she couldn’t properly open her shop.