In the early morning, the bustling ‘Mountain City’ finally quieted down.
People got up as usual and went to work.
For most, what happened last night was none of their concern.
They needed to run around for today’s livelihood.
Of course, so chatter over tea and als was inevitable.
At dawn, Zhao Laosi carried his wonton stand into Martial Arts Street.
Sa spot as usual, he put down his stand, set up the pole, and began to make a fire.
Whew!
A breath blew onto the already glowing charcoal, instantly sparking up and leaping upwards.
Monts later, the upper layer of charcoal was half red and half black.
Zhao Laosi glanced at the charcoal, set up the pot, poured water, all in one go.
After all, selling breakfast for ten years, these had beco his instincts.
Just like when he wielded a sword to kill.
Last night, soone at the ‘Yu Lai Gathering’ announced a hundred taels of gold bounty.
A hundred taels of gold!
Such bounties weren’t unheard of.
Moreover, even higher ones were common.
But, none Zhao Laosi could ever touch.
This one is different, an injured martial artist, still familiar, and his identity was just right—as the breakfast stall owner, he had seen Mu Bai, and Mu Bai had eaten breakfast here.
They were quite familiar.
Thus, taking action would be way too easy.
As for what would happen after killing Mu Bai?
That’s none of his business.
He would kill, take the bounty, and flee imdiately.
A hundred taels of gold, enough for a considerably wealthy life in Zhoufu.
If he chose a more remote countryside, that would make him a local tycoon.
Upon thinking this, Zhao Laosi felt a surge of heat in his heart.
But, he wasn’t impulsive.
He continued tending his breakfast stall, occasionally glancing at the tightly closed doors of the ‘Mu-style Martial Arts School’.
As a killer.
Zhao Laosi understood the importance of timing and patience.
There were still two days left.
No rush.
Patiently waiting.
Zhao Laosi told himself.
Step, step step.
Clear footsteps appeared.
"Boss, a bowl of wonton, with an egg.”
A voice spoke as the visitor ca forward.
With the sky lightening, Zhao Laosi saw the visitor clearly.
A young man, dium build, plain clothes, ordinary face, but clean, though unfamiliar, with shoes caked in mud, and pants stained as well.
On his back, a bundle.
‘This kind of mud is from outside the city, face clean but carries a trace of irrepressible tiredness, clearly having traveled overnight, washed his face at a roadside well before entering the city.’
‘A rural person coming to ‘Mountain City’ looking for work.’
With one sweep, Zhao Laosi determined the visitor’s origins.
He had seen countless like this over ten years.
Imdiately, he let down his guard.
"Two li and two.”
"Three li in banknotes.”
Zhao Laosi said.
Banknotes were currency the Empire introduced in recent years, but clearly, not very successful.
Compared to banknotes, people still preferred tallic coins.
Thus, under the sa price, banknotes cost more.
Though from the countryside, the young man understood this, and directly took out three-cent banknotes—normally read as ‘fen’, but people of the Empire inexplicably read as ‘li’.
Certainly not everyone.
But, most tis it’s like this.
Not a regional difference, even in the Northern Capital, so couldn’t differentiate.
A cognitive error.
Yet it didn’t affect life, as the face value on banknotes didn’t change, people just lived with it.
Taking the banknotes, Zhao Laosi placed them into the money box nearby.
Started boiling wontons.
Until the wontons neared readiness, then added an egg.
Not in the big pot, but the small pot within the big pot.
Knowing that if egg foam got into the big pot, the wonton soup wouldn’t be clear.
"Scallions and cilantro?”
"All of them.”
At the bottom of the bowl lay so seaweed, salt, without shrimp; recently not only pork prices rose, even fish and shrimp prices, Zhao Laosi removed shrimp a month ago, or his wontons would have to be priced higher.
"Vinegar and chili are there.”
Zhao Laosi handed the wontons to the young man, pointing to the corner of the stall where vinegar and chili lay, below were a few low stools.
There wasn’t a table.
Sitting on a stool, holding a bowl of wontons, was the greatest comfort.
If you arrived later, not even a stool would be available.
Then one could only eat standing.
The young man sat on a stool, first sipping the soup, then slowly savoring.
Unlike a man’s eating style.
A bit like a young woman.
This made Zhao Laosi look over at the young man once again.
A hint of red appeared on the young man’s face.
Maybe because of the hot wonton soup.
Maybe due to embarrassnt.
But inexplicably, with redness, the young man looked better, had an elegant feel, even with half the face hidden by the bowl, Zhao Laosi could confirm, this was a high-quality piece.
Imdiately, he sensed business coming.
"Young man, here in Mountain City looking for work?”
"Need , your older brother, to introduce you?”
Zhao Laosi spoke proficiently.
He had done this countless tis, already skilled.
"No need.”
The young man smiled subtly and waved his hand.
"No problem.”
"Young man out in the world, not easy.”
Zhao Laosi spoke as he circled the wonton stand, raising his hand toward the young man’s wrist.
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