The gambling god's wife in the Duke's Mansion is getting divorced again

Sang Wan had no way of responding to this, so she could only take a few quick steps and pretend she didn't hear it.

Baili Xi sneered with her tongue against her cheek. After all, she was a girl and was thin-skinned.

He hurried to catch up: "Why are you walking so fast? I'm not going to eat you."

"If you don't walk quickly, I'm afraid I'll vomit the food I ate the night before."

Sang Wan covered her mouth with her hands and smiled, looking at the embroidery stall in front of her. She picked up a double-sided fan and took a look at it: "This craftsmanship is really good."

A piece of base material, but the patterns on both sides are different. One side has goldfish playing in the water; the other side has birds playing with spring plums. The stitches are fine and the embroidery is amazing.

"Did you embroider this?" Sang Wan asked the stall owner who was concentrating on embroidering.

The stall owner also wore a black clay mask, revealing only a pair of eyes. The voice sounded like a woman:

"Yes, my lord. A round fan costs five taels each; an embroidered handkerchief costs one tael each."

Baili Xi also came over. He was a rough man and just thought it was pretty but couldn't figure out the trick.

It's okay if you don't understand, he has money. Baili Xi touched the silver in his pocket and said: "Whichever one you like, I will buy it for you."

"From Jiangnan? In the whole of Daxia, only the embroiderers in Suzhou can embroider double-sided embroidery." Sang Wan shook her head, feeling rather regretful. "There are only a handful of people who can embroider as exquisitely as you. It's a shame to sell embroidery here with such skills."

"It's not a pity. I've met a noble man like you who has a discerning eye for talent." The woman's voice was gentle, neither humble nor arrogant.

Thinking of what Baili Xi said, that everyone who ends up in the ghost market has their own difficulties, and this woman must be no exception. Sang Wan gestured for him to take out the money: "Buy a round fan. Give her ten taels."

The woman refused, "The ghost market has its rules. Prices are clearly marked, and everyone is fair. If we agree on a price, it's what we pay."

Sang Wan had no choice but to give up. She held her round fan and whispered to Baili Xi:

"A fan like this would cost at least a hundred taels of silver in Jiangnan, and it might not even be as skillfully embroidered as hers. Look at the intricate arrangement of the cloud lines. Such skill and insight are definitely not from ordinary families. Now I believe it. The Ghost Market is truly home to hidden talents."

"Yes, you know how to embroider. Hey, the handkerchief you gave me is lost. Why don't you embroider another one for me as a gift?"

Baili Xi remembered.

He treasured that handkerchief very much, and he didn't know if it was lost by one of the maids while washing clothes. He got very angry at that time.

"Hey, watch your wording. I'm selling it to you, not giving it to you as a gift."

Sang Wan raised her round fan and gently tapped his forehead. "I'm lazy now and don't like embroidering anymore. If you like handkerchiefs, I'll buy one for you. How about that?"

Seeing her turn around and try to go back to the embroidery stall, Baili Xi stopped her and said, "Come on, no matter how beautiful someone else's embroidery is, I don't want it."

Sang Wan hid her fan and smiled secretly: "Let's go."

The two walked forward through the crowd, and after a few steps they saw a group of people surrounding a stall.

Sang Wan squeezed in curiously and found four ghost market guests sitting in the four directions, rubbing dominoes.

"This is a modified version of the leaf cards passed down from the previous dynasty. They're made from animal bones and carved with different patterns. It's simple to play."

Baili Xi was quite knowledgeable about this and introduced the rules of the game to Sang Wan.

"Sitting around and drawing and discarding cards, isn't that just a waste of time?" Sang Wan muttered. "What's so fun about this?"

The ghost market patron who was sitting and shuffling cards raised his head and heard the voice sounded a bit old:

"You don't know how it feels to play dominoes. Some people love to go to brothels and touch girls. As for me, I love playing dominoes. If I get a winning hand, my day will not be wasted."

"Hey, old man, your spear is too blunt to touch the girl. Haha!" The onlookers started to make noises.

Sang Wan smiled along. She was wearing a mask and men's clothing, so no one knew she was a girl. The ghost market was peaceful and cozy, no wonder it attracted so many customers.

She turned to ask Baili Xi, "If you're so excited, do you have dominoes in your Baili family's gambling house?"

Baili Xi nodded. "Not really. This was a pastime enjoyed by the nobles of the previous dynasty. Few people in the common people would do it."

He stood aside with his arms crossed and watched for a while, then leaned close to Sang Wan's ear and said,

"I think this old man is probably a remnant of the previous dynasty. You see, their playing style is basically similar to leaf cards. The children of the aristocratic families of this dynasty also play, but they have improved some of the winning methods. Oh, by the way, my two sisters-in-law usually like to play cards for fun. Do you want to learn?"

"No more. Bai Shi is keeping a close eye on me, and I'm studying medicine and archery now, so I don't have time to sit around and play dominoes."

Sang Wan has a natural aversion to gambling. Sang Daqing is her nightmare, and he has forced her to the gambling table time and time again. She doesn't touch anything related to gambling.

The air was filled with the alluring aroma of mutton soup. Sang Wan's stomach growled.

"Are you hungry? Chang Yu didn't let you eat enough?" Baili Xi pulled her forward. "Come on, this mutton soup is amazing."

"Is the mutton soup sold in the ghost market also different from the one sold on the ground?"

These days, she and Bai Shi were trying out herbs, and in order to maintain her sense of smell and taste, she had been eating bland food. Suddenly, when she smelled the mutton soup, she felt a little greedy.

Baili Xi pulled her to sit down confidently, raised his hand to ask for two bowls, and then asked, "Do you want some bread?"

"My dear, this mutton soup with mutton flatbread will warm you from head to toe. Add some coriander for a more fragrant taste."

Although the stall owner was speaking with a mask on, one could still feel his enthusiasm from his words, which made people feel like they were basking in the spring breeze. Even without tasting the mutton soup, one could feel the warmth.

"Just as the boss said, one for each."

Baili Xi made the decision, took the chopsticks, wiped them with a handkerchief, and then handed them to Sang Wan:

"Yesterday I told Changwei that when it gets colder, he should find some time to come to my house so we can roast some mutton in the yard and have a few drinks.

I sent someone to bring me a few jars of Jiutanchun from Jiangnan. Bai Shi said your shoulder injury is healed now, so it's fine to drink a little.

How about I take a day off tomorrow and pick you up in the afternoon?"

Listening to Jiutanchun, Sang Wanxin was like a tea whisk whisking the tea soup, and the endless past emerged in layers of small bubbles in the silence.

The countless times of intimate lip-to-lip contact were wrapped in the rich aroma of wine, which seemed to float from all directions, making her whole body hot.

She suppressed her emotions and took a sip of the mutton soup: "That wine is too mellow, I'll have more fun with Shaodao."

"Oh, when did you become so thirsty?" Baili Xi sipped his soup and smacked his lips. "I've discovered that you're incredibly adaptable. You've only been here a month or so, and you've already gotten around the capital better than I do."

"That's all thanks to you. Tomorrow I'll make you some secret seasoning. It's my own secret recipe."

Sang Wan took a bite of the biscuit, chewed it, and her eyes lit up with surprise:

"This mutton pie is so delicious. The mutton is tender and juicy, and the pie crust is crispy."

She shouted to the stall owner, "Boss, your pancake and soup are a perfect match!"

"I hope I didn't lie to you. If these mutton patties are to be delicious, the meat must be good.

Our lamb comes from Tanchi in the northwest. It's so tender and smooth, with no smell of mutton at all. Plus, this sauce is a secret recipe passed down from my ancestors.

I'm not exaggerating, but all the delicacies from restaurants and bars all over the capital can't compare to this old man's cake."

"Northwest... a great place." Sang Wan was stunned for a moment, then quickly took out some silver. "Give me two more. No, five."

Baili Xi almost spit out: "You still have to carry it around after eating."

"It's so delicious." She looked at the cloth cover of the stall. "Hu Laosan's mutton, I remember it."

"There's only one of ours, no other." The stall owner laughed, waving his blue towel.

"You're bringing home something with your mouth full of grease. Your brother would know by the smell, wouldn't he?" Baili Xi pulled her sleeve. "Are you stupid?"

"Hey, do you really think he doesn't know? He just turned a blind eye." Sang Wan pouted and said, "Shun'er will definitely follow us. We have to give him some warning. It's not easy for him to follow us in such a cold day."

"You are quite considerate." Baili Xi smiled, "I like considerate people who care about others."

"Third cousin, could you please stop grinning like an idiot? There's no chance for us two, so don't even look at me. Sister Yue said she'd take me to a plum blossom viewing banquet in a few days to see the world. There will be many noble ladies there, and I'll pick out a good cousin-in-law for you. How about that?"

"Go away, go away. I know all those ladies. None of them are as good as you. I'm attracted to you."

Baili Xi openly revealed his true feelings, but he didn't believe it. In terms of family background, status, wealth and ability, there was no one more worthy of Sang Wan than him.

"I told my brother that I haven't had enough fun yet and I won't get married." Sang Wan didn't bother to pay attention to him.

"Then I will play with you. When you have had enough fun and don't want to toss around anymore, come into your brother's arms."

He opened his arms and heart wide and laughed heartily.

"Then you wait." Sang Wan had no choice but to pick up the cake and stuff it into his mouth. "Eat it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

The two were eating bread and soup when they suddenly heard faint crying.

Sang Wan looked up and saw heads and masks everywhere, making it difficult to tell where he was.

"What's wrong?" She took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth, then stood up: "Let's go and see what's going on."

Baili Xi turned towards her back and quickly swallowed the cake whole:

"Wait for me, you haven't taken the pancakes you packed yet."

"You take it. Quick."

Sang Wan was short in stature and moved nimbly through the crowd, and soon arrived at the place where the crowd was watching.

A ragged woman was locked in an iron cage and hung high in the air.

The stall owner waved his whip and shouted, "Good goods from Yangzhou!"

The whip was raised upwards, and the woman in the cage was whipped across by it, leaving a red mark on her exposed body.

The black-haired girl was terrified, and her voice was so delicate that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it. In an instant, the crowd became even more crowded.

"Don't miss it if you're passing by. Ten taels of silver per game, and if you win, you can take it away!"

Sang Wan asked the onlookers beside him, "What's going on?"

"Shoot a sheep through a hundred paces."