Chapter 613: Chapter 284: Four Directions Copper Coin

A chilling dream struck him, yet Zhou Xuan did not wake up. He continued watching the clerks in his dream, their abacuses clicking rhythmically.

And he could only silently observe in the dream, unable to move his hands or feet.

When he gradually woke the next morning, he discovered that the bedsheets and blanket on his bed were drenched with sweat.

Zhou Xuan went to the wardrobe, fetched a fresh set of cotton bedding and blankets, replaced them, and brought the soaked sheets and duvet covers downstairs to wash.

As for the sweat-drenched cotton bedding, he could only wait for Fuzi to hang them out in the backyard to dry, once the sun was high.

While Zhou Xuan was happily scrubbing away at the laundry, Zhao Wuya’s voice wafted over, carrying with it the aroma of fried dough cakes.

“Brother Xuan, we’ve got to hit the streets today for a little shirt fortune-telling. Don’t stand them up.”

Zhou Xuan raised his head to glance at Zhao Wuya and nearly burst out laughing.

Zhao Wuya was wearing two robes—a Buddhist cassock underneath and a Daoist robe layered over it.

The cassock was oversized, with long sleeves, sticking awkwardly out from under the Daoist robe’s cuffs.

“You’ve mixed up all the beliefs now—Buddhist and Daoist—what’s next? Are you taking up a ‘Buddha is the Tao’ philosophy with me now?”

Zhou Xuan reached out to tug at Zhao Wuya’s collar, but Zhao Wuya gently swatted his hand away.

“Layman, keep your hands to yourself. We monks abstain from desires.”

“Abstain from your uncle! If Lao Yun overheard you, he’d whip your plump backside with the little leather whip again.”

Zhou Xuan grabbed a bar of soap and vigorously scrubbed the sheet, then commenced a rhythmic session of rubbing.

“You, a spoiled young master, are doing your own laundry?”

“Use your eyes—this is a sheet!”

“And you’re scrubbing sheets yourself?”

“Mm-hmm. If I didn’t do my own chores, I’d have to hire someone just to pull my pants down whenever I head out to the latrine… You’re spouting nonsense. Manual labor is the most honorable work.”

As Zhou Xuan rubbed the sheet with sarcastic remarks, he felt it was cleaned enough, fetched two more basins of water, rinsed the sheet twice over, and motioned to Zhao Wuya, “Come here, Wuya. You’re just idling around anyway—help me wring this sheet.”

Zhao Wuya and Zhou Xuan each grabbed an end of the sheet and twisted it in opposite directions until it resembled a twisted rope. Both men, seasoned folks who roamed the shadowy lanes, possessed far greater strength than the average person. Water streamed down through the folds.

“Hold it steady. I’ll pour the water out.”

Zhou Xuan poured out the water from the basin, rinsed the sheet two more times, and placed the wrung sheet into a clean basin.

“Once Fuzi wakes up later, she can help hang it to dry.”

Zhou Xuan wiped his hands clean with a towel, tidied up slightly, and headed to the lobby of the shop.

Zhao Wuya trailed behind, saying, “Sister Cui slaughtered a sheep last night. She’s starting to serve sheep broth today. When I bought fried cakes earlier, I could smell it—it’s so fragrant.”

“What are you trying to imply with that?”

“I was hoping you’d treat me to some sheep broth.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan turned his head, tugged at Zhao Wuya’s cassock, and remarked, “You’re halfway into Buddhism already. How about abstaining from meat as well?”

“I’m a fake monk; what’s there to fear?”

Zhao Wuya’s shameless demeanor made Zhou Xuan feel like even the cassock he was wearing was utterly redundant.

Meanwhile, Lv Mingkun was busy helping Yun Ziliang replace the gramophone wires. When he saw Zhou Xuan, the fifth senior brother greeted him warmly, “Little junior brother, you made quite the name for yourself yesterday. People at the medical academy are all talking about how you broke through eight Incenses and cut down the Three-headed Stone Buddha with one strike.”

“How does your medical academy receive news so quickly?”

“It’s all Bone Elder’s doing. The minute something happens right in front of us, the word spreads like wildfire.”

Lv Mingkun gave Zhou Xuan a thumbs-up and praised, “The Zhou Family’s Troupe has always carried the reputation of being descendants of the Nuo God,

but it’s always been just a name—a hollow reputation that outsiders ridiculed. Yesterday’s battle, however, you and the Class Leader achieved victory with one blade. From now on, no one will dare look down on the Zhou Family’s Troupe.”

The fifth senior brother might work in the forensic examination circle, but he grew up with the Zhou Family’s Troupe since childhood and had always considered it his home.

Now that the Zhou Family’s Troupe rose to prominence, he felt deeply proud and gratified.

While praising Zhou Xuan, he cut off a section of scorched wire, then connected a new piece of wire.

“Lao Yun, this gramophone is no different from people—it also needs rest. Running it non-stop all day long—never mind how the people in the shop can tolerate it—these wires can’t. Look at this machine; it hasn’t been used long, and the wires are already burnt out.”

Lv Mingkun wrapped the wire with tape, sealed the gramophone cabinet, and advised Yun Ziliang—no matter how good a gramophone is, one must take care not to overuse it.

“That’s fine. As long as you’re here, next time the wire burns out, I’ll just call you to fix it again.”

“You’re as stubborn as a rock.”

Lv Mingkun chuckled and went over to the copper basin to wash his hands.

Zhou Xuan invited him to breakfast.

“Fifth senior brother, want to grab a bowl of sheep broth?”

“I have to head to work. I bought a portion of fried dough cakes; they’ll do just fine.”

Lv Mingkun finished washing his hands, dried them off, grabbed his fried cakes, exchanged a brief farewell with Zhou Xuan, and strode out of the door.

Yun Ziliang, grinning, started playing music again, but Zhou Xuan pulled him aside.

“Lao Yun, stop fiddling with your gramophone. Come on, let’s go grab some sheep broth.”

“Alright, alright.”

Yun Ziliang reluctantly placed the vinyl record sleeve down, joining Zhou Xuan and Zhao Wuya as they headed to Sister Cui’s stall.

“Sister Cui, two bowls of sheep broth.”

“Got it! You want sheep meat or the offal?”

“Sheep meat.”

After Zhou Xuan spoke, Sister Cui filled the bowls with a handful of sheep meat and ladled the steaming, milky-white broth over it.

In a short while, three bowls of sheep broth and two baskets of sugar cakes were brought to the table.

The weather in Mingjiang Prefecture had turned chilly, and the hazy, misty streets felt damp and cold. But as soon as the sheep broth went down, Zhou Xuan felt a wave of warmth.

Holding a bowl in one hand and a sugar cake in the other, he asked Yun Ziliang, “Lao Yun, do you know how to interpret dreams?”