You've Got Mail: Cautionary Tale (YGMCT)

Chapter 80 - Showdown

Qingzhu Lane was in a slightly more remote location. It was near the old town, and many workshops and old shops were gathered in the nearby streets. It was not a quiet and tranquil place.

Most of the people living along this lane were bamboo craftsmen. The street was narrow and long, only able to accommodate two handcarts pressed side by side against one another. It was impossible for a carriage to go through it, as it would block the street entirely as well as obstruct the craftsmen from their work. Most of the houses in the old town also had long and narrow structures. Even when their main doors were fully open, the entrances were still cramped and small. Looking through the entrances, the houses seemed dim and gloomy. Each house was built right next to each other, and the windows were only found at the back of the houses.

As such, the craftsmen all worked right by their doors, some even outside their houses.

Many people had speculated over why the Bai family would settle down in a place like this, and why they never thought about moving to somewhere more spacious and serene. However, no one came to a conclusion. People who wanted to visit the Bai family would have to get off their carriages at the entrance of the lane and make the rest of the journey on their feet. After a half an hour’s walk, they would reach the end of the lane, and on the left would be the Bai family’s residence.

Compared to the rest of the houses in this alley, the Bai residence was a lot more spacious. It was about six to seven times the size of the narrow houses along the lane, and a small yet exquisite courtyard surrounded the house on its side and front. Clusters of bamboo grew around randomly, and next to the door, welcoming guests, was not an old pine tree but an old osmanthus tree. In the autumn, it would be entirely covered in osmanthus blossoms, and the scent of osmanthus would waft down the whole Qingzhu Lane.

In people’s haunt I built my cot; of wheels’ and hooves’ noises I hear not1.

Ever since that time when the son of the Defender Duke snatched Bai Shaochang off the streets, in the past two years, other than the qin session every ten days, the Bai family had declined to receive all but their most intimate friends. Wu Xingzi could not help exclaiming over his good fortune, to be able to receive this opportunity that everyone yearned for.

Ping Yifan had mentioned that this time, Young Master Bai had invited three guests, and he was not clear on who the other two guests were. Bai Shaochang was aloof and unapproachable, but it did not necessarily mean that he would only invite people from rich and powerful families. Instead, it was more likely that he would invite musicians from various troupes, or even female entertainers of Nanfeng Pavilion.

When the two people arrived at the Bai residence, the other two had yet to reach. There was still half an hour left to the agreed-upon time. The steward of the Bai residence was a young man, yet to reach thirty. He looked honest and placid, but his eyes were shrewd. Respectfully, he led the two people into the drawing room for tea. Despite giving Wu Xingzi a couple of looks, he did not direct any questions in particular at him, and he quickly withdrew from the room, allowing the two to rest there at ease.