Chapter 388 - 388 Preposterous (1)
388 Preposterous (1)
Shen Yijia was thinking about finding a house. In addition, it was too hot to sleep, so she woke up early.
Unexpectedly, Song Jingchen woke up earlier than her. Shen Yijia suspected that he had not slept the entire night.
The breakfast was laid out in Madam Li’s room. Song Jingchen had gone out to buy it.
There were more than ten meat buns and pickled vegetables. In addition, the inn cooked a pot of porridge.
Madam Li picked up a bun and took a small bite. She paused. “Did you buy it from the shop in Cat’s Alley?”
Song Jingchen nodded indifferently and picked a meat bun for Shen Yijia. “I think Jiajia will like it.”
“It still tastes the same.” Madam Li asked Shen Yijia to try it quickly. Cat Alley was in the south of the city, far from this area.
Shen Yijia looked at Madam Li and then at Song Jingchen. She picked up the bun and took a big bite. The soft filling inside flowed into her hand.
However, she couldn’t care less. Her eyes lit up and she said in a muffled voice, “It’s delicious!”
The meat was fresh and juicy, not dry at all.
The corners of Song Jingchen’s mouth curled up slightly. He remembered that the first time he ate it, it was also like this.
Seeing her like this, the children laughed impolitely and reached out to take it themselves.
With Shen Yijia’s example, they ate much more carefully.
Brother Hao and Sister Huan’s movements were unprecedentedly consistent. It was as if they had practiced it countless times. They first took a small bite of the bun. After finishing the filling inside, they opened the bun and finished the meat inside in small bites. They habitually held the crust before them, intending to pass it to Madam Li.
Madam Li was sitting opposite them. The three of them were stunned.
Madam Li reached out with a trembling hand, but a hand grabbed it faster than her.
Song Jingchen placed the crust in his bowl and looked at the two of them in disdain. “Eat the crust yourself in the future.”
Brother Hao and Sister Huan looked at each other and quickly went to Song Jingchen’s bowl to bring back the crust.
This small episode passed just like that. No one took it to heart. Shen Yijia roughly guessed something, but she did not ask further.
After breakfast, she packed up and prepared to go house hunting. Shen Yijia still had 2,000 taels of silver on her. Madam Li took out the 50 taels of silver she had saved.
Rooster and Mo Yuan stayed back to guard the kids. Unexpectedly, the three of them did not need to leave the inn.
Eunuch Deng arrived and said with a fake smile, “Young Master Song, why did you move to a different inn? It wasn’t easy to find you.”
Shen Yijia rolled her eyes. This person was really stubborn. She sneered. “Why? Is Eunuch Deng here to return the money?”
Eunuch Deng choked and glanced at the people he had brought. He coughed dryly and said, “His Majesty specially rewarded you with a residence because he thought that you had nowhere to stay.”
“So you’re not going to return my money?” Was he afraid that others would find out? Shen Yijia brought it up on purpose.
Eunuch Deng prided himself on being someone close to Emperor Chong’an, and he usually cared about his reputation. He was so angry that his chest heaved. He waved his hand to get the people behind him to retreat.
She leaned in front of Shen Yijia and said with a bitter expression, “Madam, can you spare a thought for my reputation? I brought the money today. I’ll return it to you later, okay?”
“Sure.” Shen Yijia stopped while she was ahead.
Song Jingchen looked at her in amusement and asked, “His Majesty rewarded us with a residence?”
Eunuch Deng subconsciously wanted to raise his chin, but Shen Yijia glanced at him and he immediately shrank back. He smiled until his face was covered in wrinkles. “Yes, it’s at Liu’er Street. It’s the residence of the former Minister of Revenue, Lord Hong.”
“Which Lord Hong? Hong Jianzhang?” Shen Yijia frowned.
Wasn’t that the dog official who had appeared to testify against Shangguan Han and was killed by his beautiful husband in Anyang County?
Eunuch Deng also remembered the grudge between the two families. He smiled awkwardly and nodded. He said weakly, “Coincidentally, that place is empty. This…”
“Then let’s go,” Song Jingchen interrupted him.
Shen Yijia felt a little unlucky. She puffed up her cheeks and looked unwilling.
Song Jingchen could tell what she was thinking and whispered, “It’s free. It’s a waste not to stay there.”
Shen Yijia was stunned. That made sense!
There was no need to look for a house anymore. Brother Hao and the others did not have to wait here. They checked out of the inn and hired a carriage to go to Liu’er Street.
Liu’er Street was also called Official Street because most of the imperial officials lived in this area.
It was divided into front alleys and back alleys. The two residences in front and behind were back to back, the kind that opened doors in two different directions.
In the capital, if one wanted to know if an official held a high position, they could basically guess based on the location of their residence.
For example, the Grand Duke’s residence was on Xuanwu Street, while the royal family was on Vermillion Bird Street, which was closer to the palace.