Жизнь сельских жителей в городе во времена династии Сун

Глава 16

The shopkeeper glanced at the person on the ground, paused for a moment, his lips twitched slightly, and then he regained his composure. "It seems that these items were not damaged by you alone, young master. You took full responsibility for them. I truly admire your character. You are a man of noble bearing, so you need not continue this job. This shop is short of a manager. Would you be interested?"

"I am very grateful for your kindness, sir. However, I am about to return to my hometown and will no longer be able to serve you."

"Oh? Well, that's unfortunate. Men, tidy this place up." The shopkeeper turned and gave an order, then turned to Wei Zijun, "I won't see you off, young master." He was essentially telling him to leave. What's the point of keeping someone who can't be of use to me?

"You're too kind, shopkeeper. I'll take my leave now." Wei Zijun helped the frail old man up, and the group walked out.

"Now you're penniless!" The man in black looked at Wei Zijun with schadenfreude.

Wei Zijun glanced coldly at the man in black and ignored him. After taking a few steps, she stopped and said to the group, "I'll leave this old man to you. Help him heal his internal injuries and give them some extra help."

"Why should we take it over? Wait, are you ordering us around?!" The man in black pondered her tone; she was indeed giving them orders.

"You know why!" Wei Zijun gave him a cold look, then turned and walked forward.

She suppressed her anger, asking why. If it weren't for his words, things wouldn't have turned out this way. She really wanted to cut open his heart to see what kind of heart he had.

"Young master, please wait!" The man in white flashed and blocked Wei Zijun's path.

"Here, take this and use it first!" He reached into his sleeve and pulled out two large silver ingots.

"Excuse me, esteemed guest, is this money for a tip?" Wei Zijun asked sarcastically.

"Young master, you misunderstand. That's not what we meant. Just now... it was our mistake. We apologize." Apologize? He actually apologized to someone! Not only was he surprised, but the two men beside him also stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

"What is there to apologize for, esteemed guest?! You didn't cause this, and failing to help someone in distress isn't against the law, is it?" The sarcasm intensified.

"But you're still blaming us!?" A smile played on the lips of the man in white.

"Why should I blame you? What does it have to do with you!" With that, he pushed the man's chest aside and strode away.

"Wait!" The man in white leaped in front of Wei Zijun again.

"What else do you want?" Wei Zijun frowned impatiently.

"Take this." Without saying another word, he stuffed the two silver ingots into her hands.

Wei Zijun looked at his actions with disgust and said coldly, "Are you pitying me for being poor?"

This act truly hurt her; how is it any different from giving alms?

"No...no...Young master, please don't misunderstand. I had no intention of offending or humiliating you." He hated himself for stuttering. He just...just what? Anyway, he didn't want to see him in any trouble; he just wanted to help him.

Wei Zijun continued to gaze at him indifferently. After a moment, as if remembering something, her clear eyes narrowed slightly, and then she smiled faintly at the corner of her mouth. That expression was mischievous with a hint of wickedness. The man in white was stunned, thinking to himself, "This man really has the ability to be a femme fatale."

Wei Zijun smiled and looked at the silver in her hand, "How much is this?"

"Twenty taels!"

Wei Zijun laughed again. "That's all!?"

"Hey! Yes! There's more!" The man in white sighed with relief and frantically reached into his robes. He then pulled out three large silver ingots and placed them in Wei Zijun's hand.

"Is there anything else?" I asked again.

"Shangzhen, Zhenzhi, hand over the silver!" The man in white looked like a robber, stretching out his hand to the two men. The two men, as if possessed, took out all the silver they had and offered it to them.

Wei Zijun held the twelve silver ingots that the three of them had pooled together, a satisfied smile on her face.

The old man next to him was so shocked by the scene that his beard twitched. This young master's ability to ask for money was truly astonishing!

"No silver notes?" Wei Zijun continued with her astonishing question.

All three people were stunned by the shock.

"I didn't bring any today. What do you need so much silver for? This should last you a while," the man in white asked, puzzled.

"How much would it cost to open a restaurant like that?" Wei Zijun, who had no hands free, gestured with her mouth towards Danhelou.

"I want one thousand taels of silver."

"A thousand taels! Not enough!" He looked down at the silver in his arms and muttered to himself.

Only then did the group realize his intention.

"Give me a thousand taels. Don't worry, it's all a loan. I'll pay you back as soon as I make money," Wei Zijun said confidently.

She asked a stranger for money without even considering whether the stranger would agree, as if she wanted her own money.

"Alright, if you need money, go to General Chen who is guarding the city, and I will make the arrangements."

"Well, this beating wasn't for nothing," Wei Zijun muttered to himself, picking up two silver ingots. "Uncle, here you go."

The old man had never seen so much silver before and refused to accept it. Wei Zijun looked at the simple old man and felt a pang of sadness for no reason. "Uncle, listen to me, take this silver and use it to treat your illness. Die'er is still so young. You need to see her get married. Remember, I also need to find Die'er a good family. You have to oversee all of this, so don't worry about the money. You must use it to treat your illness, understand?"

The old man nodded with tears in his eyes and accepted the silver with trembling hands.

"Once my restaurant opens, you can find me there." With that, he stuffed the silver into his purse. But the purse was too small and obviously not enough.

The man in white saw this and tore off his own purse, handing it over. Since it was all emptied anyway, there was no point in keeping it.

It was a light lotus-colored satin purse, embroidered with auspicious dragon and phoenix designs. A corundum stone was attached to each end of the strap, and an oval, openwork jade pendant hung from the tassel. The exquisite craftsmanship indicated the purse's value. Wei Zijun admired it greatly, stroking the satin surface with her hands. She exclaimed, "How beautiful!"

After putting the silver away, he bowed to the group and said goodbye: "Wei Zijun thanks you all. I will repay the money."

After taking a few steps, she turned back and said, "By the way, my restaurant might be called Juyunlou." With that, a hearty smile bloomed on her jade-like face.

That smile was as clean and refreshing as a child's, as bright and radiant as a hundred flowers in bloom, and even the sky behind her was illuminated by that smile.