Chapter 506: Chapter 181 Fengle Building_3
It was a decent place, yet not extravagant, frequented by wealthy merchants in the city who often came here for leisure. As night fell, it became very lively.
At night, the river breeze struck head-on along both banks. Along the riverside stood a row of exquisite and petite wooden buildings. The entire wine house was constructed of wood, nestled among dense bamboo, making for a quite charming and delightful sight.
Shen Fengying yawned as he passed in front of a row of houses by the river, stopping in front of a food cart.
Hanging in front of the cart was a small lantern with plum-red and gold trim. Its red glow shone brightly on a large jar with its lid open, which contained various foods like fried snacks, lamb tripe, and spicy chicken feet.
Rouge Lane was unlike Qinghe Street in South City, where there were restaurants and eateries everywhere, mostly riverside houses and tea pavilions. Except for Fengle Building, where the drinks were expensive, the delicacies in the neighborhood’s tea pavilions were refined but somewhat lacking in flavor.
That’s why, when summer came around, many street vendors with carts would come to sell a variety of hot and cold snacks by the riverside. Customers from the tea houses and pavilions, often sending their maids and servants here to buy plenty to take back, enjoyed the river breeze and flower-viewing at night. Though not as grand and opulent as Yuxian Tower, this had its own unique charm.
However...
While it was convenient for patrons, it was truly a nuisance for the patrol officers from the Patrol House.
Shen Fengying glanced at the stove fire beginning to blaze next to the cart head—vendors often fried and cooked right there. He tapped on the cart and bellowed, "Who allowed you to light fires here? Haven’t you heard that kindling fires here is forbidden?"
During the deep winter and summer solstice, the workload for the Patrol House was typically increased by half. Just this month, the Firewatch Tower had already reported six or seven fire incidents. In the city, theft and fire prevention were under the jurisdiction of the military patrol shops; if the number of fires exceeded a certain amount, they would all have to pay fines in silver!
He pulled out a booklet irritably from his chest: "Lighting a stove and starting a fire here violates the orders. Your fine is ten silver coins!"
The owners of the food cart were a middle-aged couple. The husband was only muttering responses, but the wife hurriedly stepped forward ingratiatingly, scooping a bag of pork rind meat into Shen Fengying’s embrace, and said with a smile, "It’s truly a mistake, sir. We’re from out of town and didn’t know the rules when we first arrived. Now we’ve realized our error."
"We’re just a small business, ten silver coins... we’ve only made less than ten silver coins in total today! We have the elderly to take care of and children waiting for the copper coins to buy rice for the pot!"
The wife pleaded, "Please spare us this once, sir. Isn’t it tough patrolling around in such hot weather?" She then handed him a cup of sugar, mung bean, and licorice iced water, "Have some iced water to soothe your throat; we’ll be on our way immediately."
The cold touch in his hand made the summer heat dissipate a bit. Shen Fengying looked down at the bamboo cup in his hand, then at the woman’s flattering face, and finally heaved a sigh, pointing with the hand holding the pork rind meat bag—
"You see that Fengle Building? "
He said, "It’s all made of wood, nice to look at, but if your sparks were to catch it, once that building catches fire, not to mention ten silver coins, even if you sold your entire family, you wouldn’t be able to cover the losses!"
"Hurry up and leave." He waved his hand, out of sight out of mind, no longer mentioning the fine.
The couple hastily pushed the cart away. Shen Fengying held the bag of pork rind meat in one hand and the tube of iced water in the other, took a sip with his head bowed—the mung bean drink was ice-cold and pleasantly sweet, very refreshing. He strolled forward with the river breeze, coming across the wooden buildings of Fengle Building, when he noticed a carriage parked in front.
The carriage looked spacious but not particularly luxurious. However, the two horses pulling the carriage were noticeably outstanding, their tall and valiant stature indicating their noble breed. The horses were adorned with gold saddles and silver bridles, and their bridle heads were inlaid with tiny pearls, twinkling under the lantern light in front of the pavilion.
At first glance, they belonged to a wealthy family’s young master.
And probably not just a wealthy family’s young master—anyone bold enough to openly display such a large amount of gold and silver in front without fear of theft must be the son of an official of at least the sixth rank or higher.
Shen Fengying looked down at his worn leather strap.
Sometimes, the gap between people, or even between people and animals, seemed as vast as that between heaven and earth.
He spat disdainfully.
So wealthy, and yet you come to Fengle Building. Why not go to Qinghe Street in South City? It surely stirs unwarranted envy. Detestable.
Jealousy burning in his eyes, he stood beneath Fengle Building, and almost spitefully slurped the iced water down to the last drop, not stopping until not a trickle remained. He then tossed the empty bamboo tube into the waste bin by the door.
Forget it, such wealth, it’s probably ill-gotten gains anyway. It’s better not to take their money.
He comforted himself for a while and felt slightly better as a result. Only then did he turn and leave.