Chapter 44: Encountering the Iron-blooded Tenderness of the Republic of China on the Street

Following the shopkeeper's shout, the workers in the shop quickly climbed up and down and started working.

Ah Cui came back to her senses and whispered in Rong Zhen's ear: "Miss, it seems that we have misunderstood our son-in-law. He came here specifically to buy shoes for you."

After the oppressive silence just now, she has become lively again. I guess she has adjusted her mood.

"Do you want one? Miss will buy you a pair too." Rong Zhen said seriously.

Ah Cui quickly shook her head. Her brother-in-law was buying shoes for the young lady, so why should she interfere?

Not only did she refuse, she also gave Rongzhen some advice: "Miss, you should buy it for your son-in-law. What does the book say? Give me a peach, and I will give you a papaya in return."

Rongzhen covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed, correcting her: "You gave me a peach, and I gave you a jade in return."

"Oh, that's what I mean. We don't have any Mu Tao Qiong Yao now. If your son-in-law buys you shoes, you should buy some for him and send them back."

Under Ah Cui's strong encouragement, Rong Zhen also asked the shopkeeper to bring out a few pairs of men's shoes.

The shopkeeper immediately asked, "Madam, are you buying this for your husband?"

Jiang Yu and others on the side looked over when they heard it.

Ah Cui flung her handkerchief and said matter-of-factly, "Who else could I buy this for? Of course it's for our son-in-law."

Rong Zhen nodded, pointed at Jiang Yu's big feet and said, "Just follow his size."

The shopkeeper understood, and while praising the couple for their good relationship, he ordered the worker to bring down a few more pairs of large-sized men's shoes.

The workers responded and searched up and down with sweat on their foreheads. Finally, they placed several rows of shoes in front of Rongzhen and the others for them to choose from.

Rongzhen waved to Jiang Yu, "Come, let's see what you like."

Among men's shoes, there are cloth shoes, leather shoes, thousand-layer soles, leather soles, etc. It depends on which one Jiang Yu likes.

Jiang Yu was pushed over and looked around. He didn't choose anything. He picked out a pair of thick-soled, soft and comfortable cotton boots from the women's shoes and gave them to Rong Zhen. "Buy yours first. Try these two on."

Rongzhen took it and picked out a pair of brown leather shoes for him. They were wrapped in leather on the outside and filled with rabbit fur on the inside. They were not only warm but also light and not cumbersome to wear. They should be a good choice to match with winter clothes.

She handed it to Jiang Yu, "Try it too. If it suits you, we can buy it together."

Seeing the opportunity, the shopkeeper immediately asked the shop assistant to come over and help them try on shoes.

"No need." Jiang Yu waved it away and asked Rongzhen to sit on the stool while he changed her.

Otherwise, if the braces are damaged, they will have to go back to the clinic to wear them again, which is troublesome.

This reason was so strong that Rongzhen couldn't refuse. She asked the shopkeeper to pull the curtain, took off her big cloth shoes, and revealed her feet that looked weird with braces on.

Jiang Yu had seen this before and didn't think it was unusual. He reached out and picked up a foot very naturally. His fingers touched the ankle outside the socks and felt it was cold. He then touched the foot and found that it was just as cold and without any warmth.

The cotton boots that had just been chosen were instantly discarded and replaced with another pair of velvet-added and thickened deerskin boots, the appearance and color of which looked a bit similar to the pair chosen by Rong Zhen.

Rongzhen looked between the two pairs again and again. If you didn't pay attention, you would think they were a pair of couple shoes.

"Why did you change to this pair?" Rong Zhen asked specifically.

Jiang Yu's reason was still simple and powerful, "It's thicker and warmer than that pair."

Okay, that’s a good explanation. Don’t explain it next time.

After putting on the deerskin boots, Rongzhen's feet quickly became warm, and her legs and hands were also affected, gaining a little more heat.

No wonder it is the most expensive of all the women's shoes taken out. It is true that you get what you pay for.

In addition to it, Jiang Yu also bought the cotton boots, and a few other pairs that he liked. The shopkeeper was so happy that he smiled and treated him even more attentively.

Rongzhen was not as wealthy as him, so she only chose the pair of leather shoes that he had chosen at the beginning, plus a pair of warm cotton shoes for him to wear at home.

Just as she made her choice and was about to pay, she heard a noise outside.

The team that had been marching silently before passed by the shoemaker's shop, raising their hands and shouting slogans such as "Drive out the Tartars, return China to us!" Their momentum was even greater than that time, attracting almost everyone's attention.

Rongzhen and the others stopped what they were doing and watched them walk from the front of the team to the back, and found that the team had become much longer.

When the team finally finished walking, someone came in quietly and whispered something to Mr. Li.

Rongzhen noticed it inadvertently and looked over, and was noticed by Mr. Li very keenly.

The latter looked up at her and smiled gently, then turned and walked over to Jiang Yu and said to him, "Shenzhi, a lot of the younger students have been caught up in this incident. The teacher is worried that they might cause too much trouble, so we need to go over and help look after them."

Jiang Yu understood his hint and nodded, "Wait a moment, I need to explain to Xizhen."

Rongzhen had already heard it, and came over to take a look at his head and legs, from which he had just removed the gauze. The meaning was self-evident.

You're already wrapped up like this, why are you still joining in the fun?

Jiang Yu thought she was worried about him, so he tried to pull her hand and patted it: "Don't worry, I'm just going over to make sure they don't make too much trouble. I'll be back soon."

"As long as you feel you can handle it, that's fine." Rong Zhen didn't try to stop him in an annoying way.

Before leaving, Jiang Yu paid for all the shoes he had chosen, including the two pairs that Rong Zhen had picked for him.

Seeing how much he had spent, Rong Zhen asked Mr. Li before leaving: "Please take good care of him. I'll invite you to my home for the wedding banquet later."

Mr. Li readily agreed and disappeared onto the street pushing Jiang Yu's wheelchair.

Ah Cui watched them leave and carefully advised Rong Zhen, "Miss, since my son-in-law survived a great disaster, he will surely be blessed in the future. He will definitely be fine."

Rongzhen smiled and said nothing more. She then picked out a pair of winter shoes for herself, Dazhu, and the housekeeper. She also bought some for Aunt Pang and the other two, which just used up the remaining money that Jiang Yu had paid.

The shopkeeper originally thought he could make money for free, but he didn't expect that the lady of the house was very frugal and refused to suffer any loss.

All the shoes were put into bags and put on the rickshaw, and Rongzhen instructed the driver to go for a ride on the street.

A Cui asked her what she wanted to buy, and Rong Zhen just said to look around first.

After driving them all the way, the driver realized that she was not really short of money, so he turned around and drove towards the busy streets.

Rong Zhen herself didn't know whether she was short of money or not. From the time she first came until now, she hadn't had time to sort out the original owner's dowry, and she didn't know how much money and things were in it.

No matter how much or how little, she couldn't just live off her savings and let her life get worse and worse like the original owner in the story.

In a short while, the driver took them to the next commercial street, where the parade happened to be.

When the two met, Rongzhen asked the driver to stop by the roadside to make way, intending to wait for the team to pass before moving on.

The driver was ordered to pull over and passed a man in a black gown and top hat on the sidewalk, almost hitting him. He apologized repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, are you okay?"

"It's okay, excuse me." The man's eyes swept over the people in the car under the brim of his hat, and he pressed his hat down and strode away.

Rongzhen didn't care at first, but when she heard the familiar voice, she subconsciously looked over, but she only saw a parade of people marching in rows.

The man had already disappeared into the crowd, and even his outstanding figure could not be easily found.

By the time the parade team had all walked past holding signs, there was no trace of the other team on the opposite street.

Rongzhen looked around but found nothing, so he had to put his curiosity aside for the time being.

Ah Cui followed her and looked around, then asked in confusion, "Miss, what are you looking for?"

"Nothing." Rong Zhen shook her head and saw a shop selling soy milk nearby. She simply waited for the rickshaw to stop and got out to order a cup of soy milk to quench her thirst.

Ah Cui was also thirsty, so she took the money and happily went to buy soy milk.

Rongzhen followed them and heard the shopkeeper weakly ask them whether they wanted sweet, salty, or original flavor.

Sweet flavors are the most expensive, salty flavors are the second most expensive, and original flavors are the cheapest.

Ah Cui asked Rong Zhen for her opinion, and they finally chose sweet drinks. They ordered three cups in total, and gave the extra cup to the driver.

The driver was very grateful, but he was reluctant to drink it.

Rongzhen didn't care. Her attention was attracted by the tender yellow tofu sold in the store. It was soft and springy and looked delicious.

The owner finally perked up after noticing their expressions and asked, "Would you like to have two plates of freshly cut food? My secret chili sauce is very flavorful."

Rongzhen smelled the aroma of spicy oil and asked him to prepare two small portions to try.

It turned out that the owner was not lying. The tender tofu mixed with green onions and chili sauce was so delicious that you could swallow it with your tongue.

The food was so delicious, but there were few customers during their visit. A Cui couldn't help but ask the owner the reason curiously.

The shop owner smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's not easy to live in a big city, and business is not good. I'm going to sell the remaining things in a few days and go back home."

"Selling the store? How much do you plan to get for it?" Rong Zhen asked casually.

The shop owner noticed she was a little interested and opened his mouth a few times, wanting to say something, but finally replied, "No more, no less, two thousand yuan."

He introduced that although his shop is not big, it has a good location. It is at the end of this prosperous commercial street. There is usually a large flow of people. Many people pass by to buy drinks, and tofu sells well.

If Rongzhen wanted to take it, he could give her the tools and methods for making tofu, and only asked her to keep the shop assistants working there.

They are all honest and capable people, and the monthly salary is not expensive, so it will definitely be worthwhile to employ them.

Rong Zhen didn't say anything after he finished speaking, so A Cui counted on her fingers and started to comment on what he said.

"You said there's a lot of traffic here and the tofu and jelly drinks usually sell well, but the truth is, there are hardly any people coming right now."

"You still want the original guys in the store to stay, saying they're honest and hardworking. Who knows if that's true or not?"

"Two thousand dollars can buy a big shop in our hometown. Even if your shop is in a good location, it won't cost that much, right?"

Ah Cui's chatter made the owner's face even more bitter. Seeing that Rong Zhen was just listening with a smile, he knew that she meant the same thing and thought the price was too expensive.

The shop owner had to explain that he did not deceive them, and that the bad business was because he had offended someone, and that everything would be fine if he changed the owner.

Also, don’t be fooled by the small size of their shop in front. The yard in the back is quite large. The house alone has three large rooms, and there are tofu-making sheds on the left and right. There are only two employees, both of whom are the pillars of their families, with wives, children and many elderly people. They will be very sad without this income.

He hoped that the successor would keep them out of compassion. An experienced person is always better than hiring new ones.

Rong Zhen nodded after hearing this. This was correct, but he didn't say who he had offended.

The owner reluctantly revealed, "It was the biggest restaurant on this street. They wanted to buy my chili sauce recipe at a low price, but I refused."

When Ah Cui found out, she looked surprised. With such a big store targeting her, there was no way his small shop could continue to operate.

Ah Cui: "But after you leave, they won't vent their anger on the new store owner, right?"

The owner said no, he would take care of the matter before he left.

Rongzhen wrote down the store location and the owner's contact address, but was not ready to buy it immediately. She planned to go back and think about it.

Even if there weren't those troubles, if she wanted to buy it, she would have to go back and see if she had enough money.

Two thousand oceans is not the same as two thousand yuan in later generations.

After Ah Cui got back into the car, she whispered to her, "Miss, the dowry that Master and Madam prepared for you is only two or three thousand, and we spent another five hundred at the Secret Service. Why don't we write back and ask them for more?"

Not to mention two or three thousand, at least give an integer. She knows how rich the master's private money is. If they don't ask for more now, who knows which concubine or illegitimate child will get it in the future.

Rongzhen thought it was a good idea, so she wrote it and asked the housekeeper to take it back when he left.

The two were discussing this matter and did not notice that someone was watching them leave in a rickshaw not far away.

After making sure they had left safely, this person quickly went back to report.

The man who had just received the intelligence and was about to go deep into the enemy's nest hummed, and half of his fair and handsome face was revealed under his black hat.