Five Blessings at the Door · Chat

The passenger cart bumped along all the way to the gates of Bianjing, and Fifth Daughter Leshan's rear was already half numb. She lifted the curtain to look outside. Good heavens! The queue of people waiting to enter the city was longer than the Luoyang temple fair. In front of them, an ox cart was hauling a load of large clay vats. The vats sloshed with vinegar, and as the sour scent wafted over, everyone in their cart sneezed in unison. Fourth Daughter Haode rubbed her nose and said, "Even the vinegar in Bianjing is punchier than ours." Lady Li rolled her eyes at her. "If the vinegar in Bianjing is punchy, the people here are punchier. When we get to your second sister's place later, you keep your mouth shut." Leshan pulled out another dry flatbread from who-knows-where and munched on it with loud crunches, crumbs falling onto Shouhua's skirt. Shouhua kept her head down, picking them off one by one. She wasn't annoyed when she finished, but wiped her skirt with a handkerchief and said softly, "Fifth Sister, eat slower." Leshan nodded with her cheeks bulging, her mouth never stopping. Third Daughter Kangning, who had been leaning against the cart window looking at the streets, suddenly turned around and said, "Mother, on the street right outside Second Sister's house, there are at least seven or eight restaurants alone." Lady Li snorted. "That's because your brother-in-law's family is wealthy. The whole street is their property." Kangning didn't reply, her eyes already back to counting the shop signs. The passenger cart finally inched its way to the front of the Fan Estate. Lady Li supported herself on the cart shaft and hopped down. As her feet touched the ground, she first stretched, her spine cracking with a loud pop. She patted down the creases on her clothes and stepped forward to knock on the door. The door creaked open a crack, revealing the butler's face. His eyes scanned them up and down, as if appraising how many copper coins a cart of cabbages was worth. "Who are you looking for?" Lady Li smiled as sweet as honey. "My daughter Fuhui, she married into the family the year before last—" Before she could finish, the door slammed shut. "Not in. She went out." Leshan stopped munching her flatbread, the bite she had just swallowed getting stuck in her throat. Haode opened her mouth to say something, but Shouhua gently tugged her sleeve. Kangning didn't move. She just stared at the door for three breaths, then said, "Mother, the door knockers of this mansion are made of brass and polished to a shine. The people inside must have sharp ears too. We were speaking so loudly just now; there's no way they didn't hear us." The smile was still plastered on Lady Li's face, but the corners of her mouth sagged a fraction. She raised her hand and banged on the door again, much harder this time. The door knocker slammed against the wood with a heavy thud. "Not in, is that so?" She jerked her chin toward her four daughters. "Let's go. We'll find an inn to stay at first. Since she's not here, we'll tour Bianjing ourselves. Who cares about this lousy door?" Turning around, she muttered under her breath, "Polishing those knockers so bright when there's not a soul inside to show for it. What a waste of wax." <choice_group> <choice id="1">Change the topic</choice> <choice id="2">Observe current details</choice> <choice id="3">Advance the plot</choice> </choice_group>