The weather was getting colder. On the tenth day after Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an entered Qushui City, light snow began to fall from the sky.
"Winter has arrived," Liu Ming'an said as he opened the window and reached out to catch the willow-like snowflakes.
The light and pure snow melted instantly upon touching his palm, leaving only a cool, damp trace.
Jiang Ning asked the Shop Assistant to bring up a stove and a copper pot. When it snows, hot pot with lamb is the best meal.
Jiang Ning ordered three large plates of lamb. The meat was freshly cut, so it couldn't be rolled like in modern times. Instead, it was laid out in large, flat pieces on the plates. She also ordered a portion of braised lamb trotters, a plate of shrimp, and some side dishes.
"Come and eat quickly. This meal costs half a tael of silver," Jiang Ning urged, having prepared bowls of chive flower sauce and sesame sauce.
Liu Ming'an smiled softly and accepted the bowl Jiang Ning handed him. As he took a bite of the fresh lamb wrapped in rich sesame sauce, with the unique fragrance of chive flowers lingering in his mouth, he instantly felt a warmth spreading through his body. The cold outside the window seemed to disappear.
"This half tael of silver is well worth it!" Liu Ming'an exclaimed. In the past, he would have certainly been upset about spending so much money, but after being with Jiang Ning for a while, he had been imperceptibly influenced by her carefree attitude. Now he also felt that money should be spent when necessary!
Hearing this, Jiang Ning scooped up another pair of chopsticks full of lamb for Liu Ming'an and said, "If we keep eating like this, we might be penniless by the time we leave Qushui City, so..."
Jiang Ning paused, her delicate and sharp features revealing a feminine gentleness in the steamy atmosphere. Her usually cool voice sounded incredibly tender to Liu Ming'an's ears.
"Young Master Liu, would you mind going out to perform and earn money after the snow stops? It's almost New Year's, and couplets, fu characters, and door god paintings should fetch a good price!"
Jiang Ning teased with a smile, the dimple on her right cheek appearing faintly. Liu Ming'an felt his heart flutter at the sight. He put down his chopsticks and reached out to poke her cheek.
"Of course, I love nothing more than providing for our little family," Liu Ming'an agreed eagerly, his bright black eyes reflecting Jiang Ning's face, filled with mirth.
Outside the window, snowflakes danced in the air, while inside, the two ate steaming hot pot and chatted casually, creating a moment of infinite warmth.
This first snow of the season was light and stopped falling by evening. There were no traces of snow on the ground, only damp patches reminding everyone that the year's first snow had indeed fallen.
The next day, Jiang Ning led Liu Ming'an, carrying the paintings he had made over the past few days, to a familiar destination.
In just a few days, Jiang Ning had already memorized the layout and buildings of Qushui City.
"Universal Blessing Temple?" Liu Ming'an looked at the temple before them, somewhat surprised.
"Yes, this is the place," Jiang Ning confirmed, then briefly shared what she knew: "Universal Blessing Temple was built during the previous dynasty, over three hundred years ago. It's said to be very effective for praying for children, wealth, and marriage. Many people travel long distances to come here, making it a popular pilgrimage site."
Looking at the steady stream of carriages and people at the entrance, Liu Ming'an had no doubt about the temple's fame.
But still...
"Ning, is it appropriate to set up a stall here? Aren't we competing with the temple's business?" Liu Ming'an worried.
"It's fine, look over there," Jiang Ning pointed to a specific area.
Liu Ming'an followed her direction and saw a row of neatly arranged vendors near the side entrance of Universal Blessing Temple. The vendors' tables all seemed to be uniform, about waist-high, covered with yellow cloth similar to monks' robes, and densely inscribed with what appeared to be Buddhist scriptures.
"What's this?" Liu Ming'an was shocked, as he had never seen such an orderly market before.
"If you pay 100 copper coins as an oil offering, the Monks of Universal Blessing Temple will provide you with a table like this. It's basically a stall fee, and it seems quite reasonable," Jiang Ning explained. In fact, when she first came to this place, she was also surprised to find such a "scenic area management" model in ancient times. These monks, supposedly detached from worldly affairs, were quite business-savvy.
The two walked to the side entrance, paid 100 copper coins, and two monks brought out a table and set it up for them. Then, with palms pressed together, they said, "Amitabha, benefactors, you may use this table until midnight tonight."
Liu Ming'an also pressed his palms together and replied "Amitabha." After the two monks left, he took a quick look at the vendors in the area. There were about fifty stalls selling various items: pastries, jewelry, sugar figurines, clay figurines...
Some stalls weren't selling anything at all, just displaying a Tai Chi bagua diagram and offering fortune-telling services. As they had walked by earlier, every few steps they heard calls from the side: "Young master, I see you have an extraordinary appearance. I'd like to offer you a free divination..."
"One table for 100 copper coins, that's at least five taels of silver a day, over a hundred taels a month, and more than a thousand taels a year," Liu Ming'an calculated, and after a moment, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Universal Blessing Temple really knows how to make money!"
Jiang Ning chuckled lightly and said, "Well, even living Buddhas need to eat. Don't waste time now, quickly set up the paintings. Every moment wasted is several copper coins lost."
Hearing this, Liu Ming'an agreed and hurriedly untied his bundle, laying out the paintings of immortals one by one on the table, waiting for passing customers to make their selections.
Jiang Ning had inquired about the local prices, which were considerably higher than in Lingshan Town, so she had Liu Ming'an price each painting at 150 copper coins.
Not long after they set up, a Middle-aged Woman came to buy a painting of Guanyin.
"Oh, it's painted so well! The great merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva, truly well-painted!" the woman murmured, holding the painting and bowing towards the temple with a devout expression.
After the woman left, Liu Ming'an said with some regret, "If I had known you were bringing me to a temple, I would have painted more Bodhisattvas."
Jiang Ning pocketed the money and said with a slight smile, "It's fine, at least we don't have to worry about losing money."
When lunchtime came, since they had to watch the stall, Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an bought some osmanthus cakes from the neighboring stall to stave off hunger.
The osmanthus cake seller was a woman who looked to be in her thirties. Her clothes were neat and clean, her hair was meticulously combed, and her face was friendly, though for some reason, a faint sadness seemed to linger in her eyes.
The two continued selling until it was almost dark. They had sold most of the paintings, earning about six taels of silver. After deducting the cost of materials, they had made a profit of over four taels.
"Let's go back to the inn for dinner," Liu Ming'an said as he packed up the few unsold paintings and returned the table to Universal Blessing Temple. Then he led Jiang Ning back to their inn.
"Next time, I should paint other Bodhisattvas instead of the God of Literature. When the twelfth lunar month comes, I'll bring couplets and door god paintings to sell..."
Since the paintings took time to create, they couldn't go selling every day. The couple would visit Universal Blessing Temple every four or five days, earning a few taels of silver each time.
Days passed leisurely. They were waiting for the New Year, and also waiting for Blind Yang to return.