The waiter at the bun shop did not treat the customer differently because he was a beggar. He collected the penny, took a hot bun, wrapped it and handed it over.
The little beggar held the bun in his arms and did not eat it immediately. He turned around and disappeared into the crowded crowd.
When Tang Ning walked back to Hongxiu Pavilion, she hadn't finished eating the buns in her hand. He actually didn't like buns stuffed with cabbage. He only knew that buns stuffed with cabbage were the cheapest, and you could buy one for a penny.
For other fillings, at least two liters are required.
He returned to the room, closed the door, and walked to the window. When he was about to close the window, he hesitated for a moment, but still left a gap.
Although the probability of Su Mei running over to sleep with him at night is too small, this possibility cannot be completely ruled out. If she just wants to play cards, that's okay. If she wants to sleep with him, he will definitely refuse.
There is no room for negotiation.
It was still quite a while before dark, and it was still very early to go to bed. Tang Ning planned to take a nap first and then get up to read.
He lay on the bed and smelled a faint aroma.
The aroma filled this small space, especially the quilt. Thinking that Su Mei was wrapped in this quilt not long ago, Tang Ning always felt strange.
More importantly, he planned to sleep, but when he closed his eyes and smelled the fragrance, he would have the illusion that Su Mei was sleeping next to him. How could he sleep?
Tangning had no choice but to fold the quilt and put it in the cabinet, then took out a new quilt.
Although I can still smell Su Mei's scent, it is much lighter than before.
He closed his eyes, and the next moment he heard a knock on the door.
In desperation, Tang Ning had to get out of bed again, opened the door, and saw Xiao Jue standing at the door.
Xiao Jue finally knew that there was a knock on the door this time. He glanced into the room and asked, "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
"I'm the only one in the room."
"She's gone?" Xiao Jue looked at him, shook his head and said, "Although young people are full of energy, they still need to pay attention to moderation and take care of themselves."
Tangning looked at him and said, "If you have nothing to do, I will go back to the room and sleep."
"Why should I sleep when it's not dark yet?" Xiao Jue glanced at him and said, "I will take you to a place and introduce you to some new friends."
"Not going."
Tang Ning turned around and planned to go back to sleep. Xiao Jue squeezed in before he closed the door and said, "You lock yourself in the room all day reading... and playing with Miss Su is not a long-term solution, even if you don't do it for
For the sake of your health, you must also make plans for the future.”
"What's the plan?"
"If you want to gain a foothold in the capital, you don't think you can just rely on studying, do you?" Xiao Jue glanced at him and said: "In a place like the capital, the most important thing is to make friends. You can't move alone, so make more friends.
A few friends will do you a lot of good."
Making friends does not mean telling each other names, just calling each other "brother". Only those who have equal status, are in the same circle, or have certain common characteristics can become friends. Not everyone in the capital is like Xiao Jue.
Can't get hard.
Of course, this is what Xiao Jue thinks.
Tang Ning knew that he had good intentions, but at least so far, he did not want to get involved in the circles of the powerful people in the capital.
He shook his head and said, "I'm a little tired today, so I won't go."
Xiao Jue seemed a little angry and said angrily: "Don't you regard me as a friend?"
If someone else said this to him, Tang Ning wouldn't take it to heart. He didn't have many friends in the first place, except for Tang Yaojing, Li Tianlan, and Su Mei, who could barely count... As for Peng Chen, he couldn't beat one with three sticks.
Come on, he usually doesn’t have anything to say. If you think about it carefully, why are all his friends women?
Although he and Xiao Jue are not close friends, there is no denying that he is a dandy worthy of close friendship, and he is a breath of fresh air among the dandies in the capital.
After all, no dandy would spend the night in a brothel with ten girls just to feed the mosquitoes.
It's such a waste. There are ten girls. If you call one more, you can have three tables of mahjong together with yourself.
Tangning thought for a while and asked, "Where to go?"
Xiao Jue showed a smile on his face and said: "There is a private garden in the city. The owner tonight is Princess Anyang. A lot of people have been invited. There will definitely be many ladies and daughters present. It will be a feast for the eyes. Maybe your Su Mei
Girls will also go..."
Tangning shook her head, "They didn't invite me..."
Xiao Jue handed over an invitation and said: "She sent the invitation directly to me. Not only you, but also Jieyuan from various prefectures have been invited this time. A large number of you have passed the imperial examination.
You have to stay in the capital. This is the custom in every imperial examination year, and it also allows you to get to know each other..."
Xiao Jue had already said that, and he couldn't refuse anymore. Tangning nodded and said, "I'll change my clothes."
Xiao Jue looked at him, shook his head, and said, "Miss Su is more proud..."
Tang Ning changed her mind. Firstly, she didn't want to offend Xiao Jue's face. Secondly, she thought this was a good opportunity for Xiao Jue to introduce the situation of the powerful circles in the capital.
There are many gardens outside the capital, and anyone with money can buy one. But if you want to buy a garden in the city, you need more than just money. There is only one restaurant like Tianranju that occupies an entire garden in the entire capital.
.
It is said that Tian Tianju has a profound background, but Tang Ning did not see this from Su Mei. There were still many things about Su Mei that he could not see through, but as a poker player, what he knew was enough for now.
Tang Ning and Xiao Jue handed over the invitations and just walked in when a surprised voice came from behind them.
"Brother Tang, is that you?"
Tang Ning turned around and saw Xu Qingyang and Zhang Yansheng walking in side by side.
"Sure enough, it's Brother Tang. We haven't seen him for a long time." Xu Qingyang bowed his hands to him and said, "I knew that Brother Tang had come to the capital a few days ago. I wanted to visit him, but I didn't know where Brother Tang was staying. I thought about this tonight.
I'm afraid Brother Tang won't miss this kind of occasion, and as expected, I met him here."
Tang Ning looked at Xu Qingyang, then at Zhang Yansheng, and couldn't help but ask: "Brother Xu, Brother Zhang, why do you two... always appear together?"
Xu Qingyang didn't expect that Tang Ning's first question after meeting them would be this question. After being stunned, he explained: "Yansheng and I came to Beijing together and stayed at the same inn. We were invited at the same time this time."
…”
It is still very satisfying to meet someone who has died in a foreign country. Tangning looked at them and said, "Let's go in together."
Although Xu Qingyang and Zhang Yansheng are not Jieyuan, they came to Beijing earlier and attended many gatherings. They gradually became famous and were invited this time.
Xiao Jue led them through the garden, to an attic, and walked towards a table.
There were people waiting at the table. When they saw him coming, they all stood up. The person in front looked at him and asked: "I went to the Xiao family before I came here. The servants of the Xiao family said that you left long ago. Why did you arrive before us?"
Is it too late?"
"Some things have been delayed." Xiao Jue looked at Tang Ning and introduced, "This is what I mentioned to you, Tang Ning."
He pointed at the three people again and said to Tang Ning: "This is Liu Jun, this is Mu Yu, and this is Huang Yulong."
"Is this the poetry madman?"
"The guy who spent an hour alone with Miss Su Mei?"
"Did you break Xu Shou's legs? I admire you. I've wanted to do it for you for a long time, but unfortunately I never got the chance..."
Birds of a feather flock together.
Tang Ning felt a little regretful because the friends introduced by Xiao Jue all had the same moral character as him and seemed very unreliable.
There are two floors in the attic, one for men and one for women. When Tang Ning was surrounded by the three people asking questions, there were countless eyes scanning the floor below.
"Hey, did you see that the person who just walked in is Jiangzhou Jieyuan!"
"The person next to him is Mingzhou Jieyuan."
"Jiangzhou, Mingzhou... are all from Jiangnan. Do you think this year's top pick will go to Jiangnan or the capital?"
"Why are you asking this? Could it be that you want to catch your son-in-law?"
"Bah, I think you have such a plan!"
…
The famous ladies of the capital gathered together. They no longer looked dignified and virtuous in front of others. They looked down from time to time and whispered.
At a table somewhere, a young woman poured a cup of tea and glanced down casually.
When she saw a certain figure below, her hand movements stopped and she could no longer look away.
A woman next to her looked at her and asked doubtfully: "Sister Shui'er, what's wrong with you?"
She didn't respond, her eyes still looking in that direction.
When the woman saw this, a strange look appeared on her face, and she looked over.
