The most pleasant and delightful sound

  The middle-aged man who was teasing Zhang's wife also took the opportunity to find an excuse to step down, and coldly snorted: "Today I'll spare you because of Old Man Song's face, but next time you won't be so lucky!"

  He said, turning his head to the white-haired old man standing aside: "Old Song, I'll give you a few more days to consider. In a few days, I'll come find you again. Offending Lord Feng won't do you any good, let's go!

  "Are you adults no longer drinking bowls?" The old man asked with a smile on his face.

  The middle-aged man who was blocking the way impatiently pushed him aside and a group of people walked away quickly.

  The old man smiled and saw them off, then immediately turned around, his face sinking as he shouted at Zhang: "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and pour a bowl of soy milk for Mr. Yang to thank him for helping you out of this predicament!"

  Zhang's whole body trembled, and he hastily turned around to walk to the stove, poured a bowl of soy milk, and handed it over to Young Master Yang.

  Watching the young man sneakily touch Zhang's hand while handing her soy milk, Fei Long couldn't help but mutter under his breath: "This little scoundrel! He hasn't even grown out of his baby fat and he's already learning to flirt with women!"

  All of this, Zhenming's bitter fate was clear to see, especially when he heard the old man scolding Zhangshi, his brow furrowed.

  He turned around: "Fei Long, didn't you say that old man was her father-in-law? Why does it look like they have a grudge against each other?"

  Fei Long said, "This old Song used to be a soldier too. Ever since his son became the top martial arts graduate, he's been bragging about his own martial arts skills everywhere he goes, saying how heroic and brave he was when serving under Emperor Wen, who died many years ago. Who knows if what he says is true or not? Even if it were true, now that he's old and half in the coffin, who still cares?"

  His tone became somewhat indignant: "If it weren't for this daughter-in-law who grinds beans and sells soy milk every day to support him, he would have starved to death on the streets long ago. I heard that since his son died in battle, this old man has been taking out his frustrations on her every day, saying she was born with a bad fate that brings misfortune to her husband, and whenever something doesn't go his way, he beats and scolds her, treating her as if she were not human. Sometimes when I pass by their house, I hear that this old man has lost at gambling and is taking it out on her, and I feel like rushing in to give him a good beating..."

  Zhen Ming bitterly listened to it all, silently picked up two empty bowls and walked towards the tofu stall.

  "Bring two more bowls here!"

  That tofu vendor was being pestered by that Young Master Yang, saying some nonsense. Upon hearing this, he turned around as if rescued and returned to the stall, scooping two bowls of tofu for Zhen Ming to pass over.

  That old man was standing in front of Yang Gongzi, thanking him and bowing his head to express gratitude for his timely rescue and generous reward. Seeing Zhen Mingsu had already drunk two bowls earlier and now wanted to drink another two, his face sank, and he stormed over to Zhen Mingsu, grabbing his hand: "Didn't you just have two bowls? Why are you drinking again? Did you pay?"

  "Didn't I just give you money?"

  "What I gave you just now is only enough for two bowls, let's go!"

  "Isn't it? Your tofu soup isn't five copper coins a bowl, I just gave you forty copper coins, the money is still in your pocket, and there are red apricot courtyard marks on them, don't believe me, take them out and show everyone?"

  The old man was suddenly speechless, staring at Zhen Mingxiu with a fierce gaze, and finally said: "Finish the last two bowls, then get out!"

  After finishing speaking, he turned around and returned to the big tree, plopped himself down in a rocking chair, and began puffing away at his water pipe with great urgency. Perhaps it was because he had inhaled too hastily, but he suddenly found himself coughing violently, almost tumbling out of the rocking chair, which caused those young masters to burst into loud laughter.

  "I'll leave these two bowls for now and come back next time to drink them. Thank you, the clothes fit well and are very warm."

  The inexplicable second half of the sentence made that tofu western finally unable to bear it, lifted her head, took a quick glance at him, and was stunned for a moment before quickly lowering her head.

  It wasn't until then that he got a clear look at her face, which was exquisitely delicate and flawless, with skin as tender as jade, although she wore no makeup, it still glowed with a soft radiance, her small mouth was a deep red, as tender as a gelatin dessert, her tiny nose was dainty and elegant, but what really caught his attention were her eyes, which shone like a dream, pure and captivating.

  Although she only took a fleeting glance at him, Zhen Mingxi still managed to catch the faint surprise that flashed across her eyes in time, and he knew she had recognized him.

  She then said in a voice that only he and she could hear, "You're fine."

  ……

  In the ruined temple.

  Zhen Ming sat on the steps of the broken temple, staring blankly at the big and small boats coming and going in the distance, while Fei Long was patrolling around the broken temple.

  "Zhen Ge, you're living in a place like this? Why don't you come live with me instead? At least my place has a roof to keep out the wind and rain. Look at your place, it doesn't even have a complete roof! If it rains, won't you get soaked?"

  Fei Long walked over to Zhen Mingshu and sat down beside him. He found it strange that from the time they had returned from the tofu stall, Zhen Mingshu had been like this - not responding when he spoke to him, remaining silent all along, with an expression on his face that was different from usual.

  Fei Long patted his shoulder sympathetically and said, "I was just like you when I first saw her. For several days, I couldn't calm down, and every day I would think about going to the tofu stall to catch a glimpse of her from afar. The whole day would be filled with good vibes."

  "What's her name?" Zhen Ming asked, turning his head back.

  "Zhang's."

  "Isn't there a name?"

  "This I'm not clear about, probably only her dead husband and that old man Song know. Zhen Ge, don't think about it, even if you do think about it, it's useless. Don't mention that she still has a living father-in-law now, even if her father-in-law were to die, the people who want to marry her would line up in a queue that could circle around Luoyang City. Not to mention others, just those people from earlier, do you know who they are?"

  "Who?" Zhen Ming bitterly asked.

  "They were the guests of Lord Feng, the Minister of the Board of War, and Lord Feng was a high-ranking official in the imperial court. He had real power in Luoyang City, with over 300 guests in his mansion alone, and his estate in the north of the city covered tens of hectares. Inside, he kept hundreds of concubines, and any woman who caught his eye rarely escaped his grasp. If it weren't for the fact that there were too many powerful people in Luoyang City with their eyes on her, Lord Feng's people would have probably taken her back to the manor as a concubine long ago."

  Zhen Ming sighed bitterly: "Robbery? Is there no one in charge of this kind of thing?" "Who dares to intervene? The officials protect each other, the Feng Mansion has many people and is very powerful. Lord Feng is also a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and the yamen is full of people from the Feng Mansion. For people like us, going to the yamen to report them would be nothing but seeking death."

  Fei Long said indignantly, "You also saw those young masters sitting at the tofu stall today. Which family doesn't have a fortune of millions and tens of thousands of acres of good land? Even they don't dare to provoke the people of Feng Fu easily. Luoyang City has many rich people, but it's hard to find someone like Feng Fu who has both wealth and power. That dead husband of Zhang Shi was the first martial arts champion in the imperial examination since Emperor Wen's time. If he hadn't died, he would probably be a high-ranking general by now. Zhang Shi wouldn't have fallen to the point where she had to rely on selling tofu for a living. Alas, as the saying goes, beautiful women often have tragic fates. Who made her a born seductress?"

  Zhen Ming listened with a bitter expression, remained silent for a while, then suddenly turned his head to look at Fei Long and said: "Fei Long, there's something I need your help with."