The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 48: The Street-Performing Siblings

Upon entering the West Market, Li Xuanba felt as if he had stepped into a steaming hot steamer—not only because the sun was high in the sky and the temperature was rising, but also because of the crowds inside the West Market. If the East Market was gloomy and listless, the West Market was brimming with vitality. On this street, over ten meters wide, pedestrians came and went like a river of people crossing a river—so crowded that they were practically shoulder to shoulder. On both sides of the street, vendors sold all manner of food, fruit, and beverages, as well as stationery, books, flowers, pipas, and clothing. The constant stream of people and the cries of the vendors painted a lively picture of the West Market. Seated atop the “Chasing Wind Ten Thousand Li Cloud,” Li Xuanba made no move to urge it on. He didn’t even need Cheng Huai Mo and the others to clear a path through the crowd; the common folk automatically parted to the sides, allowing the “Chasing Wind Ten Thousand Li Cloud” to carry Li Xuanba leisurely forward, giving him the chance to take in the sights of the West Market at his leisure. He looked at the rouge and powder, the hemp garments, the firewood vendors, and the buyers of Hu bing—he even cast a couple of glances at the middle-aged woman playing the pipa in the tavern. As for why the common folk automatically parted and gave him those strange looks, Li Xuanba naturally paid no mind to it—it was simply the West Market, a place only peasants would come to; when would the sons of nobles ever set foot here? Li Xuanba scoffed at this notion—the East Market wasn’t nearly as lively as this place, and nowhere was as much fun as here. As he walked, Li Xuanba reached the liveliest part of the West Market—its very center. This area was even larger, and naturally, the crowd was denser. Poor people eking out a living—whether with spear-to-throat stunts, acrobatic somersaults, or street performances—had all gathered here. “Ding-ding-ding!” Li Xuanba was watching the commotion when he suddenly heard the crisp sound of a gong. He looked up and saw a bare-chested man striking the gong to draw a crowd. The man was tall and burly, with a square face, dark, shining eyes, and thick eyebrows. His upper body was bare, and he wore a hemp tunic, giving him the appearance of a true man. Standing beside him was his younger sister, a young girl with a delicate and lovely appearance. She appeared to be about 1. 6 meters tall, with an oval face and fine, delicate features. Two long braids hung down the back of her head; judging by her age, she must have been around fifteen or sixteen. Just as Li Xuanba was taking them in, the burly man called out loudly, ““My name is Xue Fangui, a native of Lantian. This is my younger sister. Fellow villagers, brothers, and sisters, I have just arrived in your fine land today. As I have no money left, I am here to perform. I hope those of you with money will support me financially, and those without will support me with your presence. As the saying goes, ‘At home, one relies on parents; away from home, one relies on friends.’ Standing on your soil and facing strangers, even if the city walls are ten thousand zhang high, I rely entirely on the help of friends.” “Xue Fangui will now put on a performance for everyone, young and old alike. I hope those with money will support me financially, and those without will support me with your presence…” As soon as this man—Xue Fangui—spoke, Li Xuanba ignored the rest of his street performer’s jargon and immediately caught the mention of “a native of Lantian” at the beginning. Since his fiefdom was Lantian County, didn’t that mean this man was a subject under his rule? Moreover, Xue Fangui—that name sounds just like Xue Pinggui! At this thought, Li Xuanba’s eyes lit up, and he fixed his gaze on the man. Name: Xue Fangui Gender: Male Age: 22 Status: Subject of the Tang Dynasty Rank: Level 10 Status: None Personality: Magnanimous, brave, filial, loyal [Base Attributes]: Strength: 120 Intelligence: 10 Leadership: 10 Political: 5 Name: Xue Yingying Gender: Female Age: 16 Status: Subject of the Tang Dynasty Rank: Level 5 Status: None Personality: Resolute, loyal, filial, and level-headed [Base Attributes]: Strength: 60 Intelligence: 12 Leadership: 2 Political: 1 Just as Li Xuanba was looking at the information on the Xue siblings, he saw Xue Yingying struggling to steady herself against a wooden pillar three zhang tall and as thick as a bowl, a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead. “Lift it!” Xue Fangui cupped the lower end of the wooden pillar with both hands, lowered his center of gravity, and braced his stance. Then, with a powerful push from his arms, he lifted the pillar—weighing forty to fifty jin—high into the air. After steadying it, he bowed once more to Li Xuanba, still looking completely bewildered, then picked up the twenty or thirty wen coins and the ten taels of silver ingots Li Xuanba had given him, and walked toward his older brother, Xue Fangui, with a beaming smile. After Xue Yingying left, the onlookers stared in astonishment at Li Xuanba, who seemed deep in thought, and began to whisper among themselves. “Wow! That young master sure is generous—ten taels of silver! That’s enough to cover my family’s expenses for three years.” “Tsk, tsk, tsk! That’s rare! Those young masters hardly ever come to our West Market, and they’re always the ones beating and berating us—no one ever shows us any sympathy!” “That young man looks truly imposing. His horse is magnificent too—he must be a wealthy young gentleman of both virtue and character.” “Heh!” Hearing the murmurs behind him, Li Xuanba shook his head indifferently. Just moments ago, these people had been calling him a spoiled rich kid, but now that he’d handed over those ten taels of patterned silver, they’d suddenly turned him into a wealthy young master of both virtue and character.