Chapter 87: The Poor Child

The courtyard was in an extremely dilapidated state, with weeds growing everywhere and broken tiles and walls.

But the courtyard covers a huge area. In Kyoto, where every inch of land is valuable, how could someone who owns such a house be so poor?

This is clearly not right!

She followed behind Old Man Hu warily and tremblingly.

At that time, I don’t know if it was because I urgently needed a place to stay, but I followed Mr. Hu into this courtyard for some unknown reason.

Halfway through the walk, there was finally a hint of human presence.

Another old man who was about the same age as Mr. Hu came out of the yard and spoke respectfully.

"Master, why did you come back so late? The meal is ready and waiting for you."

After saying this, he looked back and was very surprised.

"Why, do you have guests today?"

"Well, Lao Jin, find a yard that looks decent and let her live there."

The servant named Lao Jin didn't know how to handle this matter. After all, it was the first time he heard that the master wanted to arrange for someone to move in, and it was a girl...

"Okay, young lady, I'll go clean up and you can have dinner here first."

Chen Shiyi held the package in his hand and looked carefully at the vast courtyard.

The courtyard where they lived now was very clean and tidy. The bluestone slabs on the ground seemed to have been carefully wiped and were shiny. In some places, the sky could be dimly reflected.

By the side of the road, there is a persimmon tree with outstretched branches. There are only a few green leaves on the inky black branches. I guess it is as old as the old people here.

There is a sunken section in the middle of the threshold of the main courtyard. Over the years, it has been brushed by clothes and stepped on by shoes, and it has carried with it the traces of history.

The doors and windows were patched, the wooden beams were rotten, and even the old man sitting at the main table eating was covered in patches.

On the dining table, there were two small bowls of porridge, a plate of tender white tofu, a bowl of green vegetables, and a portion of black pickled vegetables.

Refreshing and simple.

This is suitable for breakfast, but it is rare to use it as dinner.

"Are there only two of you living in such a big yard?"

"What do we need so many people for? It's so noisy."

Whether it's because of the noise or because they can't afford to support the child, everyone knows it.

Chen Shiyi sat on the dining stool, picked up one of the bowls of porridge and started to eat.

Mr. Hu next to him quickly stopped him.

"Who told you to eat it?"

Chen Shiyi didn't care.

"I spent more than three hundred taels of silver, and I can't even have a bowl of porridge?"

"Isn't that giving you a place to live? If you want porridge, that's another price."

"With three hundred taels, I can almost buy a small house. Why do I have to live in this shabby place?"

"This is a different time now. What you need now is a place where you can hide. It's very risky for me to take you in. Three hundred taels is a bargain for you."

Chen Shiyi remained silent. He was right. She urgently needed a place to stay, and she couldn't be easily found by Wen Zhiheng.

At this time, the servant Lao Jin came over.

"Miss, the Liluo Courtyard not far to the right has been cleaned up a bit, you can stay there for the time being."

Chen Shiyi smiled and nodded.

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Jin, but I have one more thing to trouble you with."

Chen Shiyi took out a ten-liang silver note from his sleeve pocket.

"I can't go out during this period, so Uncle Jin has taken the trouble to buy me some simple bedding, tea sets, and some simple food."

The servant Lao Jin took it, smiled and nodded.

Old Man Hu, who was drinking porridge, immediately shouted to Old Jin who was walking out of the yard.

"Bring some duck from Ming Kee."

Chen Shiyi looked up at the sky in silence, picked up the package and walked towards Li Luoyuan.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the shabby door creaked, and a bluestone road, winding and twisting, led to a black house.

Next to it, there are weeds and it looks extremely desolate.

At the end of the weeds, there is a pear tree.

Chen Shiyi suddenly remembered that year, in the courtyard of Pei Luoshu's neighbor, there stretched out a branch of pure white flowers, the fallen petals looked like snow, dancing in the wind.

If we are still here next spring, the old scenery can be reproduced.

It's the most wonderful thing.

The house in Liluoyuan was as dilapidated as the one they lived in, and it seemed that it had not been repaired for a long time. However, the two poor old people naturally had no money to repair it.

The servant Uncle Jin was kind enough to clean the main house carefully inside and out. However, the large carved bed and the round table were shabby, but one could still tell that they had been painted with expensive red paint. With a little scrubbing, they became gorgeous.

There are only two usable things in the room. The windows should be repaired properly, otherwise it will be uninhabitable when it rains or blows.

Uncle Jin worked very quickly and prepared everything she needed in no time.

"Thank you, Uncle Jin."

The servants Uncle Jin and Uncle Xi laughed.

"You're welcome. Come see me if you need anything."

Chen Shiyi thought of something and asked quickly.

"Uncle Jin, I want to ask, have you seen anyone looking for someone on the street?"

When Uncle Jin heard this, he smiled in understanding.

"No, don't worry, just stay here. The master promised to let you hide here, so naturally no one will come to find you."

"Why did you take me in without even asking who I am? Aren't you afraid of causing disaster?"

"Ah, this is something that Master should consider. I will do whatever he says."

Chen Shiyi smiled awkwardly.

Uncle Jin walked back slowly and saw Mr. Hu gnawing on Ming Kee's dried duck, shaking his head helplessly.

"Master, it's inappropriate of you to bring a girl home for no reason. If other people saw it, I don't know what they would say."

Mr. Hu said as he tore the duck's legs.

"I saw that girl on the road before she entered the clothing store. Guess what? Behind her, at the corner, four or five strong men followed her from a distance."

Uncle Jin was shocked.

"Then just remind her, why bring her back?"

"I was short of money recently, and it just so happened that I provided a place to stay and she provided money. I also paid off my debts and she found a place to stay. We both got the best of both worlds."

Uncle Jin looked a little embarrassed.

"But it's too much money to ask people to come back in that way."

"If I don't do that, will she follow me back?"

"That's true."

"This little girl is a kind-hearted person. She has tolerated me for so long, but the dagger hidden in her sleeve pocket has never been unsheathed."

"A woman travels alone in Kyoto, and doesn't want anyone to know..."

Mr. Hu nodded.

"Before, she was wearing a gorgeous dress. She must be the daughter of a wealthy family."

"Then we need to contact..."

Mr. Hu waved his hands quickly.

"It's none of our business. I just provide accommodation. We don't ask about anything else."

"yes."

Uncle Jin thought of something and asked again.

"The tailoring side?"

"Tell him to keep his mouth shut."