The Taoist priest only opened two tables and told two fortunes in the whole afternoon, each fortune costing ten coins, so he made a total of twenty coins, not even a fraction of what the man in the bamboo hat made. Hearing this, he felt a little sad. After thinking for a while, he said, "Let's pack up and go eat some roasted chicken legs!"
The man in the bamboo hat's eyes lit up when he heard this, then he thought of something, lowered his head, and said weakly, "But second brother, we haven't sold any of our stuff yet..."
The Taoist priest smiled helplessly and said, "Then just buy it on credit first!"
The man in the bamboo hat was delighted when he heard this and said repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll sell it on credit first. Don't worry, second brother, I will definitely sell it well tomorrow!"
The two of them packed up their stall and went to a nearby restaurant, where they ordered a few side dishes, a pot of wine, and a large roasted chicken.
The man in the bamboo hat took off his hat and, ignoring the strange looks from others, picked up a chicken leg and started to eat it ravenously. The Taoist priest poured him a glass of wine.
The man in the bamboo hat said, "Second brother, the little yellow cat that lived at the door of my cave used to go down the mountain every day to steal other people's chickens. I never understood why, but now I understand. Chicken is the most delicious thing in the world!"
The Taoist priest laughed out loud upon hearing this, "Hahahaha...your neighbor Old Huang is a weasel demon, how could he not like to eat chicken?"
The man in the bamboo hat also found it funny and laughed, "It's true."
The two brothers enjoyed the meal very much. The man in the bamboo hat ordered two more chickens. The meal lasted for more than an hour. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they called the waiter to settle the bill.
"Ten taels?"
The Taoist priest was dumbfounded and pointed at the leftover soup on the table. "Just... just a few dishes, ten taels?"
The waiter was also good-tempered. He pointed to the pile of chicken bones in front of the man in the bamboo hat and explained, "This is our restaurant's signature roast chicken. It costs three taels each. You ate three..."
The man in the bamboo hat frowned. Prices in the capital are so high...
The Taoist priest had no choice but to take out all his belongings, count them, and found that he was still two taels short.
"Is it okay if I owe you two taels?"
When the waiter saw that the two of them were trying to dine and dash, his expression changed and his voice became cold, "We don't accept credit!"
The man in the bamboo hat said weakly, "It's just two taels. I'll return it to you tomorrow!"
"Even two cents won't do!"
The waiter's voice was loud, disturbing the other guests. They looked over curiously. Seeing this, the Taoist priest felt embarrassed and said angrily, "Why are you so stubborn, waiter? I didn't say I wouldn't give it to you. Can't I pay you tomorrow if you owe me money?"
The waiter said firmly, "No! Our store does not accept credit. If you don't have money, we'll go to the government..."
Hearing about going to the government office, the man in the bamboo hat was startled and quickly advised, "Don't worry, little brother. Listen to me, we two brothers are new here. This Taoist is my brother. He sympathized with me for the long journey, so he set up this table for me. I really didn't mean to buy on credit. I just don't know the ins and outs of this capital..."
As the three were arguing, Shangguan Zhu came down from the private room upstairs.
His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were cloudy, and his steps were not very steady. He looked like he was drunk.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper stepped forward to help, but was pushed away by Shangguan Zhu.
Shangguan Zhu stumbled away. When he passed the Taoist priest's table, he heard the waiter say sarcastically, "If you don't have money, don't treat us. You're also a brother, and you're cheating your brother like this..."
"How can you talk nonsense like this? My second brother never cheated me!"
When Shangguan Zhu heard this, a sudden surge of sadness rushed into his head, and his face looked like he was about to cry.
Being a brother’s pit against his younger brother…
These days, he has been drinking to drown his sorrows and living in a daze. It was nothing more than the exposure of his "flower and willow scandal" that trampled all his reputation underfoot. He really has no face to see anyone.
And who is the culprit for his miserable condition?
His own brother!
Shangguan Shu is too cruel!
He is his blood relative and they share the same blood, but he doesn't show any mercy to him!
Just because he has a crush on Zhao Ying, he has to expose such a huge scandal and completely kick him out?
He only dared to think about how hateful Shangguan Shu was, and didn't even dare to think about how Zhao Ying would view him after this happened.
He has absolutely no chance...
Shangguan Zhu was filled with hatred and depression. He had no place to vent his anger and grievances. He wanted to cry out to the sky, but was afraid of attracting the attention of acquaintances. He seemed to have become a shameful rat. No, he had always been a rat in a dark well, only daring to secretly peek at his moon.
It’s all Shangguan Shu’s fault!
Why is he so cruel?
He is his biological brother!
Humph! Since he is unkind, don't blame him for being unjust!
From today on, he no longer has a big brother like him!
Shangguan Zhu secretly hardened his heart, but he couldn't bear to take his eyes off the Taoist priest and the man in the bamboo hat. His eyes were red, as if he was looking at something through the scene in front of him.
Suddenly, a flood of grievances surged up from the bottom of my depressed heart.
My eldest brother used to love him very much...
Shangguan Zhu suddenly thought of the poem:
Look up at the curtains and look down at the tables.
The things remain the same, but the people are gone.
Things have changed, maybe this is the case...
Shangguan Zhu looked at the shopkeeper, threw out a gold ingot, and said, "I'll settle the bill for that table."
The shopkeeper took the gold ingot and was stunned. Before he could say anything, Shangguan Zhu had already left.
The night breeze blew away the smell of alcohol.
The carriage stopped at the door. Shangguan Zhu was about to get in when someone called him from behind.
"Warrior, please stay!"
Shangguan Zhu didn't expect that he was being called. With his appearance, he could not possibly be called a warrior. He raised his leg and stepped onto the servant's back. Just as he was about to get on the carriage, a strong force pulled his lapel from behind and pulled him down.
Shangguan Zhu looked back in surprise and saw that it was the Taoist priest, followed by a fair-faced man, who was the Taoist priest's younger brother.
The Taoist priest bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your help, brave man!"
The man in the bamboo hat also thanked him, his smile sweet and shy, with a hint of innocence, so beautiful that it was hard to tell whether he was male or female. "Thank you!"
Shangguan Zhu raised an eyebrow, wondering how the man in the bamboo hat could be so bald, without even eyelashes...
But he had already said, "Don't worry, it's just a small favor..."
The Taoist waved his hand and said, "If it weren't for the brave man's rescue today, I'm afraid we would have been humiliated to the core!"
"Where does the warrior live? My two brothers will pay you back the money you owe us someday!"
Shangguan Zhu's impression of the two men improved after hearing this. He smiled faintly, "You don't have to pay back the money. I'm hosting you today. Since you two aren't from the capital, I'll consider myself a good host!"
"How can that be?" The Taoist priest obviously did not like to owe anyone anything. He refused repeatedly and insisted on paying the money back.
Shangguan Zhu didn't care about these small amounts of money. He was helpless by the Taoist's persistence and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The servant next to him saw his master's helplessness and whispered in Shangguan Zhu's ear, "Master, isn't the Third Master looking for a Taoist to exorcise demons? Why don't you ask this Taoist about his skills?"
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