Chapter 1057 Losing Everything

Lin Yuesha took the note, which had the words "a set of bowls and chopsticks" written on it in crooked handwriting. The characters for "bowls and chopsticks" were missing some strokes, but Lin Yuesha still recognized it.

"I told you, it's actually easy to pitch if you figure out the pattern, but if I make every pitch, I'll be losing out big time."

As the vendor spoke, he took out two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks from his basket and tried to entice the onlookers, saying, "Let me show you the prizes. They're all good stuff, not rough porcelain bowls with flaws. They even have blue and white decorations on them!"

After Lin Yuesha hit the target, the onlookers were eager to try their luck. Two coins could buy two sets of bowls and chopsticks, making it a very worthwhile deal.

"Sister Lin, I can't read."

Tiger lowered his head, looking somewhat dejected.

Not far from the entrance of his alley, there was a school. Tiger would go outside every day to eavesdrop, but the teacher would always chase him away as if he were a thief.

His family was poor; it was already difficult enough for them to have enough to eat. His grandparents wouldn't have the extra money to send him to school to learn to read.

"Tiger, do you want to learn to read?"

Lin Yuesha threw two more balls, but with too much force, and unfortunately, the balls bounced off the bowl after landing.

"think."

Tiger nodded firmly. If he could read, he could write to his parents and tell them that he was doing well and that they didn't need to worry about him when they found out where he was.

He's grown up and can share household chores; he's a little man and can also take care of his grandparents.

"Okay, I'll teach you to read."

Lin Yuesha felt a pang of tenderness; she was utterly powerless against such an obedient and sensible child.

The two huddled together and threw several more times, but still missed.

"Tiger, you didn't win any more prizes. Aren't you disappointed?"

Lin Yuesha realized she had a strong competitive spirit, so she decided to hand the two remaining balls to Qi Heng, since Qi Heng never disappointed her.

"A little, but acceptable."

Tiger watched others throw the ball and realized that the probability of making it was not high; otherwise, the vendors wouldn't have been able to keep setting up their stalls all this time, they would have been crying from losses long ago.

He was a little frustrated. He had wanted to throw a small screen to give to Sister Lin, but he didn't have the ability to do so.

Tiger's thoughts were clear, and he spoke in a serious manner, which made Lin Yuesha laugh. She couldn't help but want to kiss his little face.

However, she held back because she felt Qi Heng's watchful gaze beside her.

In the Great Qi Dynasty, boys and girls are not allowed to sit together after the age of seven. Although Hu Zi is not yet seven years old, he understands etiquette and rules, so Lin Yuesha did not do anything too outrageous.

"Tiger, is there anything you want?"

Qi Heng will give special care to the little baby his wife likes.

If the two have their own children in the future, I believe Lin Yuesha will definitely treat them very gently.

However, if he had a naughty son, Qi Heng planned to learn from Madam Xu and teach him that discipline comes from strict rules.

If it's a daughter, she must be pampered and cherished.

Qi Heng and Lin Yuesha had already reached a consensus on this point: the older brother should protect the younger sister, and the younger brother should protect the older sister; their family favored girls over boys.

"I want a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

Tiger accidentally blurted out what he wanted to say, and quickly lowered his head.

Writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were things only scholars could own. His grandmother said that even the cheapest set cost several tens of coins.

His family didn't have the means, so he learned to write from Sister Lin, where he could dip his brush in water and write on the table.

Is there such a prize involved?

Qi Heng asked the stall owner.

"Yes, it's the leftmost bowl in the third row from the bottom."

The stall owner, still puzzled, cautiously stepped forward to confirm, and finally pointed it out to Qi Heng.

Qi Heng toyed with the small ball, and before anyone could react, he casually tossed it, and the ball landed steadily in the bowl.

Before the onlookers could even react, the ball went in.

"They're inside?"

Then, the scene erupted in uproar.

They threw the balls by chance, unable to hit each bowl accurately, while the person in front of them could throw whatever he wanted, which amazed everyone.

Upon seeing this, the stall owner quickly took out his writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace, and said, "You still have a small ball in your hand, you won't buy it again, will you?"

Don't buy them anymore, they're only two coins each, he'll definitely lose money.

"I won't try to kill you, don't worry."

Lin Yuesha quickly assured her that the items on the stall held no appeal for her.

"So, do you have pork?"

I just passed by the pork stall, and all the juicy pork was already sold out.

Tiger's family doesn't have much money to spare throughout the year, so Lin Yuesha prefers to buy some fatty meat, and even better if there's lard.

Cut the pork fat into small pieces, render the lard, and use the lard to stir-fry and stew dishes. This will keep you going for a while, and you'll also get fragrant pork cracklings.

"No, but I bought ten catties of fatty pork at the market this morning."

As the stall owner spoke, he took out a package of oiled paper and said calculatingly, "If you can throw the smallest bowl in the last row, ten pounds of fatty pork will be yours."

The smallest bowl contained a silver bracelet. If you exchanged the silver bracelet for fatty pork, the vendor would only lose a few hundred coins; otherwise, he would lose two taels of silver.

Of course, if the shot misses, the vendor suffers no loss.

"good."

As soon as Qi Heng finished speaking, the ball landed steadily in the smallest bowl, leaving everyone around speechless.

A moment later, everyone realized what was happening and burst into applause.

"Amazing, absolutely amazing!"

No wonder this person didn't want the silver bracelet; he's clearly not short of money. If he keeps playing like this, he'll definitely buy up all the vendor's goods.

"Don't miss out! Two coins for good luck, you won't lose out!"

Although the vendor was heartbroken, he was a smart man and was grateful that the other party had let him off the hook. He took this opportunity to quickly launch a marketing campaign and try to make back the money he had lost.

Lin Yuesha was quite satisfied with the heavy pork she had received. She then bought some food, fruits, and other New Year's goods with Hu Zi and took him home.

"Sister Lin, here you go."

Tiger touched the jade pendant on his chest, then reluctantly took it off; it was the first gift he had ever received.

"You and I are destined to meet. This is a gift I gave you, a New Year's gift, so please don't return it."

Just keep it safe and store it carefully.

Lin Yuesha took Hu Zi home. Hu Zi's grandmother was brewing medicine. When she saw the three of them enter, she smiled and said, "The neighbor just came by and said that Hu Zi met a human trafficker, but I didn't take it to heart at all."

He helped her up on a snowy day, unafraid of being scammed. How could someone so kind-hearted be a human trafficker?

There wasn't much good food at home, so Tiger's grandma fried a salted fish and warmly invited Qi Heng and Lin Yuesha to stay for dinner.

"Auntie, you can keep this pork for yourself."

Lin Yuesha placed the New Year's goods in the kitchen; these were a small token of her affection.

"No way! We're not related, how could I take advantage of you like that!"

Tiger's grandmother was startled and quickly refused. She had only given twenty coins, and only a little bit of meat was needed; she couldn't accept anything more, as she wouldn't feel at ease taking it.