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墨書 Inktalez
In the evening, as the carriage traveled along the road to Lingjiang Province, the curtain was lifted, revealing the face of a young girl with fair skin. She blinked her large, watery eyes, a hint of astonishment flashing in their depths.
This was the ancient Provincial Capital, and Lingjiang Province was equivalent to a provincial capital in the Twenty-First Century, with counties and towns serving as administrative divisions below it.
Looking up, a city tower about thirty feet high appeared before her. Soldiers were stationed above, monitoring the situation. The city gate, built from Azure Brick, was solid and imposing, having withstood countless invasions over the centuries.
This was Liu Qingxi's first time witnessing an ancient city tower. Compared to modern tourist attractions, being immersed in this era made the towers here seem even more grand and magnificent.
The bustling crowd was far more vibrant than that of Linyi County. There were many carriages coming and going; even the merchants entering the city mostly pushed single-wheeled carts or two-wheeled carts instead of carrying goods on their shoulders.
As the carriage continued forward, Liu Qingxi hesitated to lower the curtain. In contrast to the desolation of post-earthquake Linyi County, the people of Lingjiang Province seemed unaffected by any disturbances; they had only felt tremors during the largest earthquake.
Indeed, compared to what she had seen in her past life, such as the Wenchuan Earthquake, the magnitude of this earthquake in Linyi County was clearly much less severe.
However, most structures in her past life were made of brick or reinforced concrete, which greatly enhanced their ability to withstand seismic damage. Therefore, this time, rural areas with earthen buildings—constructed from unbaked clay or straw—suffered significant destruction.
How long had it been since she had seen such a prosperous scene? How long since she had felt such a relaxed atmosphere?
Since the earthquake, Liu Qingxi had devoted herself entirely to post-disaster reconstruction work, not daring to slack off until the construction was nearly complete.
Her thoughts drifted as the carriage moved slowly along with the procession ahead. Compared to Linyi County, inspections here were stricter; without travel permits or household registration documents, entry was not allowed.
Fortunately, she had received a reminder from the Wen Family before departing, which helped her avoid any issues.
The procession moved steadily forward as people waiting to enter or exit the city appeared in various attire—some dressed lavishly while others wore simple clothing; some looked anxious while others remained calm.
As dusk fell, their task upon entering the city was to find an inn for lodging and then visit Elder Ying the next day.
After a moment, it was Liu Qingxi's turn. She passed through inspection smoothly as her carriage entered Lingjiang Provincial City.
At that moment, Liu Qingxi's astonishment was beyond words. From an external view, Lingjiang Province appeared ancient and grand; however, from within, "prosperous" hardly sufficed to describe it.
On either side of the wide Main Road stood neatly arranged three-story and two-story buildings. Compared to residences in Biqi Town, these structures were far more intricate.
Large doors and windows were adorned with elaborate carvings. Above the main entrance were sculptures of four auspicious beasts that worshipped the Wealth God, while decorative eaves hinted at aspirations for a better life.
On the upper part of the roof, symbols like Flying Fish, Immortals, and Qilin signify prosperous business and a happy, healthy family.
At the entrance of the shops, most are carved with the Wealth God, featuring a grand dark red color paired with Azure Brick textures, creating a beautiful landscape ink painting.
Looking at the pedestrians on the street, the sun has already set. The vendors by the roadside are not in a hurry to pack up and go home; this is the liveliest time of day.
People living in the city do not rise with the sun and rest at sunset; in the evening, they stroll out to digest their meals and conveniently buy some items.
In sight are women dressed in luxurious garments or adorned with cloud hairstyles, their fair skin glowing as they walk gracefully, distinctly different from those they usually encounter.
The carriage continues forward and stops in front of a three-story inn.
Two attendants greet them at the door: "How many rooms would you like to book, esteemed guests? We have rooms of high, medium, and low quality available. How many do you require?"
"Two high-quality rooms and two medium-quality rooms." Liu Qingxi and Yang Yichen each take one high-quality room. Accompanying them are a coachman, a servant, and two maidservants, with one room for each gender.
After dinner, Liu Qingxi and Yang Yichen feel exhausted from their journey and lack the energy to continue wandering, so they each return to their rooms to rest.
The next day, they wake up early. After a simple breakfast of congee and vegetables at the inn, they pack up their local specialties. Liu Qingxi heads out with her two maidservants to visit Elder Ying.
Originally, Liu Qingxi did not have maidservants—not due to a lack of financial means but because she often traveled alone and found it inconvenient to bring them along.
However, this time she was instructed by the Wen Family: "This trip is not just to the town but to Lingjiang Province. You must maintain appearances; these two maidservants will accompany you."
Liu Qingxi then accepted without further refusal since she frequently visited the Yang Family and was relatively familiar with these two maidservants. They were both around fourteen or fifteen years old—one named Yu and the other Summer Lotus.
"Let’s go; you two follow me."
The two maidservants quickly got up to carry gifts and respectfully followed behind Liu Qingxi.
The coachman had been waiting and had already inquired about the location of Ying Mansion.
The carriage moved slowly along the wide bluestone road of Lingjiang Provincial City, with the sound of wheels rumbling. Liu Qingxi may not realize that attending such a meeting would bring her significant benefits in her future career.
In front of the Ying Mansion, two towering Qilin statues stood majestically. The eaves of the building were adorned with flowing cloud patterns, and the edges of the azure Glazed Tiles were lined with red, creating a harmonious contrast.
Unlike ordinary doorman setups, the Ying Mansion's doorman had opened two openings in the eaves, resembling a modern security design, which was much more convenient as it eliminated the need for every visitor to have the door opened and questioned.
Since it was her first visit and she had only arrived in Lingjiang Province yesterday, Liu Qingxi did not send an advance greeting. Upon arrival, she presented her greeting card: "Hello, I am Liu Qingxi from Biqi Town, Linyi County, here to visit Elder Ying. This is my greeting card."
The doorman glanced down at the card. The large, bold characters on the bright red card indicated its significance, and he immediately became attentive: "Miss, please wait a moment."
He then quickly walked towards the study. For the past two days, Master Ying and several elders had been busy preparing for a seminar and had spent almost all their time in the study.
Initially thinking it was just an ordinary greeting card and that someone might be trying to take advantage of the opportunity without an invitation to gain access to Ying Mansion, Master Ying casually set the card aside: "No need to worry about it; let's continue with what we were discussing."
Elder Ying glanced at it unintentionally and was instantly captivated by the calligraphy on the cover of the greeting card. The strokes were powerful and fluid, clearly not something that could be achieved in a short time. He picked it up and opened it to take a look.
Curious about who could write with such style, he was suddenly stunned by the signature at the end.
"Someone come here! Who delivered this greeting card?"
The doorman happened to be nearby and heard the call. He quickly returned: "Reporting to you, Old Master, a girl around fourteen or fifteen brought it to the door. She came to visit you today without sending an advance greeting."
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