xymnovel Chapter 34 Wu Dalang's Pancakes
Chapter 34 Wu Dalang's Pancakes
Wang Lun and his group arrived in Yanggu County at dusk.
On the way, they passed Jingyanggang, and Wang Lun stood at the foot of Jingyanggang for a long time, feeling sentimental.
Then they found the tavern where Wu Song drank, with a large banner that read "Three bowls and you can't cross the hill" fluttering in the wind.
Wang Lun really wanted to take out his phone to take a picture, check in, and post it on his WeChat Moments, but after searching his body for a long time, he couldn't find anything and felt disappointed.
He asked Zhao Si to buy several gourds of wine, about forty or fifty catties, before continuing his journey and arriving at Yanggu County.
Yanggu County wasn't very big. Just as Zhao Si was about to look for an inn, Wang Lun stopped him, saying, "Let's go straight to Zishi Street."
Huh? Purple Stone Street?
Zhao Si hurriedly went to ask for directions.
The four men led their horses to Zishi Street, which appeared quite peaceful and quiet, and not very crowded.
There was a small inn at the street corner, so Wang Lun and his group stayed there.
After a long and tiring day, everyone felt exhausted. When they woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.
Wang Lun's room was by the window. He was lying on the bed lamenting that he had no phone to play with when he heard a voice in his ear.
"Steamed buns—"
"Freshly baked flatbread—"
Wang Lun sat up in surprise and quickly opened the window to look down. He saw a man carrying a shoulder pole on the street, hawking his steamed buns.
He was short in stature and ugly in appearance, just as described in the original work, described as "a man of short stature and ugly appearance".
A boy followed behind Wu Dalang, carrying a basket filled with pears, and also called out, "Crispy pears—"
Wang Lun was overjoyed. It felt great to be transported into a novel. He could meet and interact with the people from the book. It was an amazing feeling.
He shouted, "Hey, Wu Da, how much are your steamed buns?"
When Wu Dalang heard someone calling him, he quickly put down his carrying pole, looked up and saw Wang Lun peeking out from the second-floor window. He bowed to Wang Lun and said, "Sir, a steamed bun costs five coins."
The boy behind him quickly said, "Buy a few of my crisp pears to try too, they're sweet and crisp."
Wang Lun knew that this poor boy was Yun Ge, who often followed Wu Dalang, and was a child with a tragic fate.
He smiled and said, "Okay, wait a moment, I'll come down and buy it right away."
Wang Lun closed the window, went next door to call Zhao Si, and they went down to the inn together.
Wu Dalang and Yun Ge were already waiting at the door.
Wang Lun carefully examined Wu Dalang and found that he was not even as tall as the boy Yun Ge beside him. His appearance could indeed be described as "ugly," and he exuded the air of an honest man.
Wu Dalang respectfully handed over a steamed bun, saying, "Please try it, sir."
Wang Lun took the steamed bun and laughed, "Don't call me 'sir.' I'm a Taoist priest. Just call me Daoist Wuchenzi. If you call me 'sir,' I'll think you're calling Ximen Qing 'Master Ximen.'"
Wu Dalang chuckled, "Does the Taoist priest also recognize Master Ximen?"
Wang Lun took a bite of the steamed bun; it was crispy and refreshing, with some sesame seeds on the surface. It tasted really good. Hearing Wu Dalang speak, he replied, "Who doesn't know the name of Master Ximen? How has Second Brother Wu been lately?"
Wu Dalang was both surprised and delighted: "Taoist priest, you recognize my second son?"
Wang Lun said, "Yes, I've known him for a while."
Wu Dalang said, "Oh dear, then we're family. Wu Er recently took up a post in Tokyo and has been gone for a while. I estimate he'll be back in five or six days."
Wang Lun's smile froze, and his heart skipped a beat. If Wu Song had gone to Tokyo, then Wu Dalang's death was imminent.
Zhao Si paid for about ten steamed buns. Wu Dalang eagerly handed a few more to Zhao Si, saying, "Since you know Erlang, you're one of us now. Here are a few more for you."
Wang Lun nodded secretly, thinking that Wu Dalang had a good heart.
He then looked at Yun Ge, this impoverished boy, whose eyes also revealed the purity of youth.
He asked Zhao Si to buy some pears and gave Yun Ge a silver ingot.
Yun Ge was shocked and quickly said, "I...I can't find that much money to replenish the Taoist priest's funds."
Wang Lun laughed and said, "I heard your father is sick. Take this money to pay for his medical treatment. You don't need to give me change."
Yun Ge was both surprised and delighted; the sudden stroke of good luck left him at a loss.
Wu Dalang bowed repeatedly, saying, "Oh dear, we've met a good person, Brother Yun! Why don't you kowtow to the Taoist priest?"
Yun Ge immediately knelt down and kowtowed, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Taoist priest, thank you, Taoist priest."
Wang Lun smiled and said, "You all continue with your business."
Seeing Wu Dalang and his companion leave, Wang Lun called out again, "Wu Dalang."
Wu Dalang quickly turned around and asked, "What are your orders, Taoist priest?"
Wang Lun smiled and said, "I will be staying here for the next few days. If you need my help with anything, just come and find me here."
Wu Dalang was taken aback and quickly thanked him, but in his heart he wondered what he could possibly need the Taoist priest's help with.
But this Taoist priest is truly a good person. When Wu Erlang returns, I will definitely ask him when he met such a good person.
Wang Lun returned to his guest room, where Yang Zhi and Gongsun Sheng had also arrived and were eating the steamed buns that Zhao Si had brought.
Seeing that Wang Lun seemed distracted, Gongsun Sheng asked, "Brother, what's on your mind?"
Wang Lun smiled and said, "It's nothing serious, it's just that there's an ordinary person, an extremely ordinary person, and I know he's in danger. Should I save him or not?"
Yang Zhi said, "Save them."
Wang Lun asked curiously, "Didn't you even ask if rescuing him would cause trouble?"
Yang Zhi said, "If we can save them, we will. If we can't, we should at least try to find a way."
Wang Lun nodded: "Good! Yang Zhi has a kind heart!"
In the original story, Yang Zhi was arrogant and self-willed, and he would beat and scold his subordinates when escorting the birthday tribute, so he was not so kind. But on second thought, Yang Zhi was eager to make a name for himself at the time, and escorting the birthday tribute was a big deal. He was under a lot of pressure, so it was normal for him to do some extreme things.
Having gotten to know Yang Zhi, I've come to realize that he's actually a very kind-hearted person.
He then said, "Then let's save them and turn the world upside down."
It must be said that Wu Dalang's pancakes were indeed delicious. Wang Lun ate two in a row and then ate a pear sold by Yun Ge.
In those days, there were no pesticides, and you could find insects in a pear after just a few bites.
He munched on a pear, leaned against the window and looked down, watching the passersby come and go. It felt like strolling through an ancient city. He had been in this world for more than half a month and had not yet fully adapted.
After watching for a while, I saw a man in fine clothes stroll over slowly, his hands behind his back, his eyes looking around, looking very dignified.
This person was also very tall, and his every move suggested he was skilled in martial arts.
Wang Lun suddenly remembered someone and whispered, "Brother Yang, why don't you take a look at this man's martial arts skills?"
Yang Zhi's martial arts skills were high, so his eyesight was naturally excellent as well.
Yang Zhi leaned closer and examined him for a moment, then shook his head and said, "He does seem to know martial arts, but his steps are unsteady and his face is slightly swollen, which is due to insufficient yang energy and excessive indulgence in sexual activity."
Wang Lun was overjoyed and said, "Oh, I know who he is! Let's go, let's follow him."
He got up to leave, then turned back and said, "There's no need for all four to go; Gongsun will come with me."
He led Gongsun Sheng down and followed the man at a distance. After a while, they heard someone talking to the man.
"Oh, Master Ximen is here!"