Chapter 108 (1/2)

Chang'an was a perfect city, except for its summer.

Entering June, the sun became brighter and brighter, and the temperature became higher and higher. Every street and alley was full of summer heat, and the occasional breeze also brought the tiresome hot heat, causing the green and full leaves to wither and the grapes on trellis to turn purple. What was more, the n.o.ble families had to take out their ice cube and the commons opened their doors and windows.

The doors and windows of all shops at Lin 47th Street were open.

Compared to the risk of being stolen, dying of stroke was obviously more terrible. The toilsome manservants and labors just sat down on the stone steps and looked around languidly to guard against thieves, who actually also stayed at home for coolness. What was more, the shopkeepers and masters were sitting in the alleyway on bamboo chairs with their water buckets.

With trees blocking the sun at daytime, the narrow and quiet alleyway was a suitable place for them. In addition, the night wind became cooler while pa.s.sing through the narrow way, and thus people would feel more comfortable.

All kinds of bamboo beds and small square tables had totally blocked the narrow alleyway. The residents chatted while lying on the bamboo beds, snacking on cold fruit and nuts on the small square tables beside them.

For someone who was used to seeking happiness in difficulty, he even gobbled down a bowl of spicy Youpo noodle. The sweat triggered by the pepper and the sweat stimulated by the heat mingled together, as if telling himself that the night was not so hot.

A clear ”Pa” sound would occasionally appear in the alley. It sounded like an adult beating a naughty child, but in fact, it came from people flapping their sweaty backs with soaked towels.

”I say no! You still want to find a concubine to warm your bed in such hot weather?”

The couple at the fake antique shop quarreled about the concubine issue every day. The people at Lin 47th Street were already used to it, and even wondered if it was a special way of for the couple.

There was also a back door to the alleyway at the Old Brush Pen Shop. It was useless in the past several months until now. Ning Que lay on the bamboo chair and accepted the wet towel Sangsang handed him He rubbed his naked upper body with a sigh. Listening to the quarrel from the bamboo beds near them, he thought that there indeed was not any fun in the town life written by scholars.

Since it was boring, Ning Que stood up sulkily and left with his wet towel on his shoulder after greeting the neighbors beside him. Sangsang followed him with difficulty, holding a bucket in one hand and dragging the bamboo chair with another.

The handmaiden was in a thin blue s.h.i.+rt today, with her little arms and legs naked and her black face flushed red. Though she usually would not sweat due to a deficiency-cold syndrome, it did not mean that she could not feel the extreme heat in the air. Contrary to that, it would make her feel even more stifled. Looking at Ning Que beside the well, she asked, ”Young master, can I take off my outer s.h.i.+rt?”

Ning Que had just gotten a bucket of fresh cool water from the well and intended to pour it over his head. He became more annoyed and reprimanded her without turning around when he heard that. ”You might be young, but you're still a girl. You shouldn't take off your clothes in front of a man. You aren't three or four years old when I could rub or take a shower for you. You're already a young woman, please be aware of that.”

Sangsang stared at Ning Que irritably and replied, ”Young master, you haven't answered my previous question! Is it so interesting to take revenge? You aren't bored of it even though you've killed a person every few days.”

”This killing business has nothing to with interest.”

Ning Que replied, ”Now we eat leftover food and go to toilet to s.h.i.+t every day. Isn't it repet.i.tive and boring? No matter what, you have to do these things, because you'll starve to death if don't eat food and you also will die if you don't s.h.i.+t. As for the killing, we have no choice but to complete it for a more peaceful life, even if it's boring.”

After finis.h.i.+ng the sentence, he raised his hands with the bucket and then turned it over. The whole bucket of cool well water splashed on his body with a ”Hua la” sound, and then flowed around the stone floor of the courtyard. Ning Que quickly felt refreshed, but his lower body also felt cooler. He looked down confusedly and realized that his cotton shorts had been pushed down away some distance by the well water.

Sangsang, looking at his half-naked b.u.t.t and the waistband tightly around his b.u.t.t, let loose a rare giggle, failing to conceal her happiness through her hand covered her lips.

Ning Que quickly pulled up his shorts and then angrily rebuked as he turned his head back. ”What're you looking at? Killing people is more interesting than this kind of thing after all.”

Sangsang put down her hand and looked at Ning Que. She answered carefully, ”I'll make a bowl of fatty intestine noodles later.”

In summer of Chang'an, the time before dawn was both the darkest and the coolest. The residents, who had to sleep on the street and count on the alleyway wind due to the long hot night, went back to their houses. They wanted to have the most wonderful and comfortable sleep during this short cool time, hoping to make up for the time they lost in the day.

No one slept at the Old Brush Pen Shop.