Chapter 002: Ancient Street Scene

On the third day after arriving in this world, Wang Bo, attended by two obedient maidservants, changed into a set of complicated ancient attire and had his hair styled into a topknot.

Interestingly enough, Wang Bo was a modern man with very short hair.

But ever since he replaced Wang Shao'ai, his hair had grown very long, as long as the men here.

Clearly, this was a hidden little perk that came with the identity swap.

If it weren't for the two maids at home who knew how to style hair into buns, Wang Bo would have been tempted to simply cut his long hair short, for this long hair was troublesome whether it came to combing or maintaining.

The maidservant combed all of Wang Bo's long hair back, gathering the front strands at the crown of his head and coiling them into a tall bun. The ends were secured with an exquisite hair crown, while the rest of his hair cascaded down his back, fully revealing his handsome features.

But unfortunately, Wang Bo himself had no good looks.

He was not handsome, nor could he be called distinguished; at best, he was ordinary.

The kind that would be completely unnoticeable if thrown into a crowd.

But ever since he acquired superhuman strength and the Ripple Breathing Technique, Wang Bo's appearance and temperament suddenly became sunny, giving people a feeling of abundant masculine energy and robust vitality.

Though not handsome, he had a certain bearing.

The two well-behaved maidservants saw Wang Bo's appearance and couldn't help but be attracted.

Standing to Wang Bo's left was a young girl with her hair in double flat buns, dressed in a red garment.

Her name was Liu'er, a maidservant bought by Wang Shao'ai's parents for him, who had served him since childhood.

The other was called Yu'er, dressed in a green outfit with her hair in a hanging bun, and her background was the same as Liu'er's.

These two were the people closest to Wang Shao'ai, having already shared intimate physical contact with him.

After all, with Wang Shao'ai's dissolute nature, how could he possibly resist having two beautiful maidservants attending him? He had long since devoured the two young maids countless times.

Logically speaking, since the two little maids were so familiar with Wang Shao'ai, Wang Bo should have transferred them away to prevent them from seeing through his identity.

But in reality, there was no need for that.

Because he is now Wang Shao'ai.

Whether in the eyes of the two maids or in the eyes of the world, he was Wang Shao'ai.

Even if his behavior differed from the real Wang Shao'ai, the two young maids would not suspect that Wang Shao'ai had been impersonated; they would only suspect that Wang Shao'ai had been stimulated by something, causing his temperament to change drastically.

It was precisely for this reason that Wang Bocai allowed the two young maids to attend to him.

The two maids tidied up Wang Bo's clothes and hair, and Liu'er said, "Master, have you encountered some good fortune these past two days?"

"Good news? Why would you think that I, your master, have encountered some good news?" Wang Bo retorted.

Liu'er said with a smile, "You have been full of yang energy and spirited these past two days. If not for encountering some great fortune, how could you be so radiant?"

Yu'er couldn't help nodding and said, "Sister Liu'er is right. A few days ago, the master was listless, but these days he has been getting better day by day, full of energy. He must have encountered some tremendous good fortune."

Wang Bo said calmly, 'You two are right. Your master has indeed encountered a tremendous stroke of good fortune.'

Liu'er asked curiously, 'I wonder what great fortune the master has encountered.'

Wang Bo said, "This good thing is called... Heaven's secrets must not be revealed."

Liu'er had been brimming with interest, but upon hearing Wang Bo's words, her beautiful willow-leaf eyebrows immediately drooped.

Seeing this, Yu'er couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Wang Bo stood up, flicked his clothes with a flourish, and said, "You two stay at home. Your master is going to Tai'an Tavern today."

"Yes, master!"

The two maids bowed simultaneously and slowly withdrew.

Wang Bo left the room, passed through the rockery garden in the courtyard, crossed a lotus pond, and walked along the corridor at a leisurely pace. It took him a full seven or eight minutes before he finally left his own residence.

From this, it can be seen that the Wang family's residence was by no means small in area.

Although it could not compare to the mansions of high officials and nobles, among merchant families, it was considered one of the finest.

The Wang family estate was located in a remote area; after turning a corner, one finally arrived at the main street of Luoyang.

At that time, Luoyang was called the Divine Capital, with a population of no less than a million, and the daily flow of people in and out was even more staggering. This led to a phenomenon: the city was overcrowded.

Wherever one went, one could see vast numbers of people and buildings.

After all, this was ancient times, with no towering buildings reaching into the clouds, let alone steel skyscrapers, so this million-strong population seemed particularly crowded.

Although the authentic ancient buildings on both sides of the street broadened Wang Bo's horizons.

But the dense crowd completely ruined Wang Bo's mood for appreciating the ancient scenery.

Even so, Wang Bo could not stop marveling at the bustling prosperity of the divine capital Luoyang, which was in no way inferior to the overcrowded scenic spots of later generations.

Before his time travel, Wang Bo had been astonished to see the bustling scenes of ancient streets on television.

But only after Wang Bo truly entered the ancient world did he realize that what was shown on TV dramas was far too fake, utterly failing to capture the true splendor of antiquity.

Wang Bo looked up and saw the flowing crowds, the carved beams and painted rafters of the eaves, the flags dancing in the wind, and the myriad brilliant peonies in full bloom.

The rising and falling cries of vendors, the aroma of wine wafting for miles, the refreshing fragrance, the majestic and unique architecture—all of these together formed a street scene in Luoyang, the divine capital of the ancient Tang dynasty.

Wang Bo moved along with the crowd, and after a full hour, he finally arrived at his own Tai'an Restaurant.

As soon as Wang Bo entered the building, a young man dressed in coarse linen clothes came over. Seeing Wang Bo, his face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly called out, "Manager, Manager, the owner is here, the owner is here."

A middle-aged man in a brown round-collar garment was bowing his head over his accounts. Hearing the shop assistant's call, he looked up and quickly came out from behind the liquor cabinet. 'Zhang Dong greets the proprietor. May I ask what instructions you have for today?'

"No need to be polite, Uncle Zhang!" Wang Bo waved his hand and said, "I came today just to take a look."

Zhang Dong was the manager of Tai'an Tavern, promoted by Wang Shao'ai's parents. He was utterly loyal to them and also held great respect for Wang Shao'ai.

Wang Shao'ai was a profligate who knew nothing about business. That Tai'an Restaurant had not yet gone bankrupt was largely due to the efforts of this Zhang Dong.

And Wang Shao'ai was also very polite to Zhang Dong, because he himself was well aware that he could live the life of a libertine only because Zhang Dong managed the business for him.

If it were him, he would probably have already run Tai'an Restaurant into bankruptcy.