Chapter 17 Jinling
Jinling is only about 200 miles away from Maoshan. After wandering for two days, Li Daoxuan finally saw the city gate of Jinling. It was a tall city wall, and because no one had cleaned it for a long time, the wall was already covered with moss and weeds.

The driver said that was the Hongwu Gate, and after passing it, one could reach the Ming Palace. He also boasted that there was dragon energy swirling around Nanjing, and if not for that, the Ming Emperor would not have chosen Nanjing as the capital.

In short, he is good at speaking, and I didn't feel lonely listening to his stand-up comedy on the way. As for whether it would be a big taboo, the driver said that at this age, no one cares about these things, everyone is rushing to make money. Those Eight Banners children shouted that they wanted to rebel every day, but few of them were punished.

Unless someone is secretly doing something bad, no one is willing to take care of these tedious matters. The foreign masters are almost unable to control them, so why should they care about what ordinary people do? Li Daoxuan also felt that it made sense.

Outside the city, there were many stalls, and many people were selling goods. Most of them were dark-skinned and wore patched gowns. It was rare to see young men and women from wealthy families coming out, and even if there were, they would pass by in a hurry in a carriage or sedan chair. The road leading out was paved with gravel and was flat, at least much better than the official road we came from. Even after the heavy snow melted, the road would not become muddy.

Driving across the moat and into the city gate, a row of black-tiled and white-walled houses formed a street market, with cattle pens built on both sides, and hay and feces everywhere. Chickens and dogs were running around on the street, and the shouting mixed with the fresh smell made Li Daoxuan feel that this world was very different.

After passing a few more streets, you can still see ponds, vegetable gardens and fields outside. If there is any difference between Jinling here and other places, it is probably that the houses are more complete and white, and there are more people.

But this scenery was a bit disappointing to Li Daoxuan. After all, he had been wondering what Jinling looked like on the way. Was it the grand scene of ten miles of bluestone roads and red silks winding around buildings? Or was it the romantic scene of small bridges and flowing water, and Qinhuai painted boats with blooming flowers? Or was it the ancient scene of red walls and green tiles, literati strolling in the streets and painted boats, and peach and apricot trees blooming over the walls of every house? But after thinking about it, he never thought it would be such a simple picture.

The carriage crossed the bridge and stopped in front of an abandoned town gate. The driver shouted that they had arrived.

Li Daoxuan jumped off the carriage with his package on his back, and looked at the endless city wall with many people. This is the city wall connecting Xihua Gate. Although it has been abandoned for many years, it still stands in its original place. There are more vendors coming and going, some carrying meat and ducks, some pushing carts and driving cattle, and even some selling dog meat under the guise of selling mutton. He took a few glances and stopped looking. After all, who would be willing to sell their children unless they really couldn't survive?

After packing his things, Li Daoxuan walked towards the city according to the address given by the Taoist priest.

After passing the small gate, you will see Dazhong Bridge. The water in Jinling River is turbid in winter. As it is used for daily life, it is normal that it is not clean.

There were many pedestrians on the bridge, and many of them looked at Li Daoxuan curiously. After all, he had fair skin and a cute and well-behaved appearance. Although this long hair comb was a turban, he looked better than ordinary girls.

People who are used to seeing dark skin naturally look at him with curiosity, which is also the common people's perception of beauty. People who come and go don't know who this boy is from. He is so handsome but has no one to accompany him. He is not afraid of being kidnapped and sold to the red kiln. Therefore, there are many people who have malicious intentions, but they are all waiting and watching.

Li Daoxuan tightened his clothes and didn't care about the looks from others. He had seen this kind of looks many times in the past few days and was really immune to it.

It was not his fault that he was fair and good-looking. Since he entered the right path, the warmth in his body had been circulating around the body. It was like a cleansing of the meridians and marrow, and he was much more energetic. Naturally, he was much more handsome than the children of ordinary people who could not even get enough to eat and had to work hard every day.

As long as they don't really have any ill intentions towards him, Li Daoxuan doesn't care what they think of him.

Looking at the map and walking through the water lane, the buildings here are much neater than those outside the city wall. Rows of buildings stand side by side, and between the black tiles and white walls are hung various colored flags. The names of various shops are written on them, filling the vision like colorful flags.

The road under my feet is no longer a dirt road, but a large piece of bluestone road. It is bumpy and rough, but it is also quite light to walk on.

There are many businesses here, and those who dress well are preferred. You can also see young masters in gorgeous clothes going out, swinging their braids and walking leisurely with several servants following them. Looking at the scenery of this city, Li Daoxuan felt that Jinling had a little bit of what Jinling should look like.

Li Daoxuan followed the map on paper to find his home, but he was a little dizzy after all the twists and turns. There were too many streets and alleys in this place, and he got lost when he first arrived. After wandering for a long time, he still returned to the original road, and his stomach was growling with hunger.

Feeling that there were still a few copper coins in his pocket, Li Daoxuan found a wonton stall on the street and sat down.

The stall owner was an old lady with many wrinkles on her face. She was wearing a headscarf and holding wontons in her hands. When she saw Li Daoxuan coming over, she greeted him with a smile: "Young Master, would you like some wontons?" "How much?"

The old woman held out five fingers, and Li Daoxuan counted them and took out five copper coins from his pocket. He placed them on the table, and the old woman took them with a smile. She warmly invited him to sit down, and then she started to boil water and cook wontons.

While the wontons were being cooked, Li Daoxuan started chatting with the old woman.

"Old lady, do you live in Jinling?"

"Yes, my house is just around the corner." said the old woman with a smile.

"Why are you setting up a stall here alone? Don't you have any family members to accompany you? What if something happens?" Li Daoxuan said worriedly.

"My son would come to visit on weekdays, but he is staying at home with my daughter-in-law because she is pregnant these days. Besides, I am old, who would bother me? I have been working here for almost ten years, and I have encountered all kinds of problems. These are just trivial matters." The old woman comforted Li Daoxuan. She opened the pot, poured water to blanch the seasonings, and then scooped up the wontons little by little.

Judging from the appearance, there were about 20 to 30 wontons in the bowl, and each one was quite plump. It was a good value for money to be able to eat such a bowl.

Li Daoxuan smelled the fragrance and asked the old woman for some hot water. He scalded his chopsticks with hot water and then slowly started to eat. While eating, he looked at the old woman and felt that her face looked a little strange.

Wontons were mostly vegetarian, and there wasn't much fat in them. But for Li Daoxuan, who had been hungry for almost a day, this meal was delicious.

Seeing that he was eating quickly, the old woman kindly consoled him, "Eat slowly, eat slowly. I'm afraid you must be starving on the way. If it's not enough, I'll give you some more, young master, and I'll make sure you're full."

"Thank you, old lady." Li Daoxuan replied politely, and the old lady smiled even more kindly.

While adding charcoal to the stove, he smiled and said, "My son used to be like the young master. He was handsome and was loved by the neighbors."

As the old woman spoke, a sigh came into her voice. She seemed to have thought of something and continued with some regret.

"But after I got married, I don't know why my appetite decreased. I don't eat much anymore and I lost a lot of weight. I am worried, but I don't know why."

Li Daoxuan looked up at the old woman, and as if remembering something, he took out a porcelain bottle from the package. He placed it on the table and opened it gently, then handed it to the old woman and said, "Old lady, why don't you pour some of the contents on your hands and rub them. Then hand your hands to me and let me see, maybe I can know why your son doesn't eat."

The old woman was also curious when she heard this, so she picked up the porcelain bottle and gently poured it out, and a drop of transparent thick water rolled out of the porcelain bottle. Although she didn't know what the young master meant, she looked like the son of a wealthy family, so maybe he knew something.

He rubbed the drop of thick water in the palm of his hand, then extended his hand towards Li Daoxuan.

Li Daoxuan looked at the old woman's palm and saw that the lines on her palm were black, as if stained with ink, spreading across the entire palm.

Seeing this, Li Daoxuan looked solemn. He looked at the black lines carefully, then looked at the old woman and said, "Old lady, there may be something ominous in your family."

(End of this chapter)