Chapter 22 Slip away
The next morning, Ou Zanghua quietly woke up Qu Feiyan. The girl had a long chat with the guy next door across the mud wall last night, and finally the two reached a consensus:
Fahai failed to become a Buddha, and Xu Shilin married Hu Meiniang.

So now the little girl is still confused and is completely led by Ou Zanghua.

The two men opened the door like thieves and woke up Qu Yang.

Old Qu took a look and saw that it was only five quarters past the morning.
A little bit early.

"Ahem. If you don't leave early, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave later." Ou Zanghua said in a low voice.

Qu Yang thought of the grand occasion last night and felt that what Ou Zanghua said made sense.

He immediately took over Qu Feiyan and followed his young master out.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw a person standing outside.

Ou Zanghua subconsciously wanted to draw his sword, and reached to the side.

Oops, I forgot to bring Da Nian!
The man bowed slightly and said, "Don't panic, Mr. Ou. My name is Li Erniang, and I am your servant."

"Miss Cheng?"

"Exactly!"

Li Erniang walked closer and continued, "Last night, the young lady noticed that Mr. Ou didn't like being watched by others, and guessed that you might leave early this morning, so she specially asked me to wait here."

"Miss Cheng is thoughtful." Ou Zanghua relaxed. As long as she wasn't a fanatical fan, it would be fine.

"Please follow me, Mr. Ou. The young lady has already instructed you to prepare breakfast last night."

After obtaining Ou Zanghua's permission, Li Erniang walked in front to lead the way.

After passing a pond, the four of them came to a water pavilion, with West Lake in the distance.

The pavilion is sheltered from the wind and there is a charcoal fire burning inside, so it doesn't feel cold even in late December.

On the table were various pastries and delicacies, as well as peeled chestnuts and sugarcane cut into small pieces.

Eating sugarcane after the beginning of winter can not only protect your teeth but also has a nourishing function. In the Chaoshan area, there is a saying that eating sugarcane at the beginning of winter will not cause toothache.

But this thing was a luxury in ancient times and ordinary people could not afford it.

However, for a local tycoon like Lao Liu, it is still a common item. At the end of the year, he can always bring back a few trucks for his family and apprentices to enjoy.

Seeing Qu Feiyan wanting to eat but being too embarrassed to take it, Ou Zanghua inexplicably thought of his junior sister Liu Qing.

When she was a child, she couldn't bite open sugarcane, so Ou Zanghua peeled the skin and cut it into pieces for her.

Thinking of this, Ou Zanghua moved the sugar cane in front of Qu Feiyan and said gently, "Eat it!"

"Thank you, sir!"

Qu Feiyan's eyes lit up, and after saying thank you, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. His whole face looked like a hamster, so cute.

When Ou Zanghua had almost finished eating, Cheng Zhirou hurried over accompanied by Zhang's mother.

She was relieved to see Ou Zanghua was still there.

"Mr. Ou!"

This sound echoes with deep meaning in people's hearts.

"Miss Cheng."

Ou Zanghua sat in the waterside pavilion and said with a smile: "Thank you for the hospitality. This meal allowed me to taste the delicious food of Hangzhou."

"Mr. Ou, you are too polite," Cheng Zhirou walked closer and invited happily, "I think the restaurant will be very lively today. Mr. Ou doesn't like to be surrounded by people, so why don't you go to the West Lake with me and visit the Leifeng Pagoda?"

"Thank you Miss Cheng for your hospitality, but I still have to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination, and my boat is waiting at the dock. I will come to visit West Lake again next time I have the chance." Ou Zanghua waved his hand and politely declined.

"Mr. Ou, are you going to take part in the Spring Examination in February? The time is too tight! If you rush to the capital at this time, I'm afraid you won't be able to get enough rest!" Cheng Zhirou said with some concern.

Ou Zanghua smiled and said nonchalantly: "It doesn't matter, I am a martial artist and I am strong and healthy."

Seeing Ou Zanghua was so determined, Cheng Zhirou didn't dare to say anything else.

She thought for a moment, then whispered to Mother Zhang behind her, "Go get the key to the mansion in the capital and the sandalwood treasure box."

"Yes."

Mother Zhang glanced at Ou Zanghua with a puzzled look in her eyes, then responded and turned away.

Then, Cheng Zhirou looked at Ou Zanghua and said with some reluctance in her eyes: "Since Mr. Ou has made up his mind, I wish you success in your first battle and success in the imperial examination."

"Thank you for your good wishes, Miss Cheng! It's getting late, and we should set off." Ou Zanghua stood up and bowed, saying, "Miss Cheng, see you later."

"Mr. Ou, please wait a moment." Cheng Zhirou had just finished speaking when Mother Zhang came back. She took a small wooden box, handed it to Ou Zanghua, and said softly, "This is part of Mr. Ou's writing fee. The Legend of White Snake is worth a thousand taels of gold. There are only five hundred taels here. I will make up the remaining five hundred taels later."

"Also, it will be difficult for Mr. Ou to find a place to stay if he goes to the capital at this time. I once had a yard on Chongwenmenli Street in the capital. If Mr. Ou doesn't mind, you can stay there temporarily. Here is the key and this is the token."

As she spoke, Cheng Zhirou handed Ou Zanghua a key and a chipped iron plate with the word "Cheng" engraved on it.

"Thank you Miss Cheng."

Ou Zanghua did not refuse and handed the token and key to Qu Feiyan.

Vote me for peaches, and repay me for plums.

So after Ou Zanghua accepted the box, he smiled and said, "I would like to ask Miss Cheng to do me a favor. The remaining five hundred taels will be my reward for your hard work."

But Cheng Zhirou shook her head and said, "It is my honor to help Mr. Ou. How can I ask for hard work money?"

"If Miss Cheng says so, I can only take the gold and look for someone else."

When Cheng Zhirou saw Ou Zanghua's serious expression, she was afraid that he would really go find someone else. Wouldn't she have no chance to talk to him again?
He immediately said, "I'll take it, I'll take it."

"This is right!"

Ou Zanghua smiled and told Cheng Zhirou that he hoped she could help promote The Legend of White Snake in Nanzhili as far as possible, and his name as the original author should also be spread.

"Mr. Ou, are you saying this because you think that my spending a huge sum of money will affect other businesses? You are truly a sincere gentleman!"

Cheng Zhirou thought in her heart, her eyes as gentle as water.

She would have done this even if Ou Zanghua hadn't told her, after all, she really likes "The Legend of White Snake"!

"Please rest assured, Mr. Ou. I will do my best."

Ou Zanghua smiled happily, "Then I'll trouble you, Miss Cheng. This matter is very important to me."

The two chatted for a few more sentences. As Ou Zanghua saw that it was getting light, he was worried about being bothered by the guests in the restaurant, so he said goodbye to Cheng Zhirou again.

Cheng Zhirou said that she had prepared a carriage to take them to the dock.

Ou Zanghua naturally would not refuse such a good thing and immediately agreed.

The skilled coachman controlled the carriage, and the three people sitting inside didn't even feel any bumps.

When they arrived at the place, Ou Zanghua and the other two got off the carriage. They thanked the driver and were about to leave when they heard a melodious voice from behind: "Mr. Ou, the road ahead is long and difficult. How can we meet again?"

Ou Zanghua looked back and saw that it was Cheng Zhirou who came to see him off in another carriage.

"Miss Cheng, after sending you thousands of miles away, we must eventually say goodbye. Don't bother traveling so far, we'll meet again later." Ou Zanghua smiled brightly, waved at Cheng Zhirou, and turned away with Qu Yang and Qu Feiyan.

Cheng Zhirou looked at Ou Zanghua's back and murmured:

"My body is like floating clouds, my heart is like flying catkins, and my breath is like floating silk.

There is a scent of emptiness here, hoping for a daughter-in-law.

When will the syndrome come?

When the lamp is half dim, when the moon is half bright.

I have never felt lovesickness in my life. Now that I have, I feel the pain of lovesickness."

When we returned to the boat, it was already bright and all kinds of shouting could be heard on the dock.

As soon as the three of them got on the boat, Xiang Danian rushed out with a sword in his hand, his eyes wide open and bloodshot.

Xiang Danian finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Ou Zanghua was safe and sound.

Then he roared angrily:
"Big Brother!"

"Eh."

"You, you've gone too far! I haven't slept all night, I've been worried about you, I've been waiting on the boat for you to come back! If you can't come back, how can I explain to Master, Master's Wife, and Junior Sister?!"

"I'm sorry, this time it's Qu Bo and my brother's fault."

Qu Yang was confused: What did I do wrong?

Seeing Ou Zanghua's good attitude in admitting his mistake, Xiang Danian's anger was like a balloon, and it all deflated with a whoosh.

He wiped his eyes and warned, "Don't do this next time! Uncle Qu, I will explain the situation to Master truthfully when I return."

"I will definitely change next time, right, Uncle Qu?"

Qu Yang opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
(End of this chapter)