Chapter 20 Chapter 20 She... She is such a good person...
The East Market was particularly lively that day.
Just after noon, vendors set up their stalls and shops opened their doors.
The East Market is a place in Jiankang City where nobles, wealthy businessmen and others can buy luxury goods. Among them are famous horses, glass, coral, South China Sea pearls, and precious spices such as tulips. At a glance, it is a dazzling array of goods.
The streets were bustling with people, with Hu merchants weaving in and out of the crowd, and young Lithuanian boys soliciting customers with glass boxes filled with spices.
A young man with a slender body and a gauze face was walking slowly in the East Market, leading a black-haired Teler horse. The jade pendant hanging on his waist jingled with the horse's steps, and the word "King" could be vaguely seen flashing on the jade pendant.
He looked melancholy as he passed by the shelves and stalls, muttering softly, "Her birthday is coming soon. What should I get her this time?"
He looked at this, looked at that, and shook his head, "This won't work."
"My dear, my dear..." someone was calling him.
Wang Qiwu turned his head and saw a broker who was a matchmaker for distinguished guests.
When the man saw Wang Qiwu's attire, the mutton-fat jade around his waist, and the horse in his hand, he immediately knew that this man was definitely from a top family.
The broker smiled flatteringly and bowed: "I see that you look worried, sir. What are you looking for?"
Wang Qiwu walked over, leading his horse. "Then tell me what rare things you have here?"
The dealer's eyes rolled, and he gestured to lead the way. "A new batch of glassware has arrived recently. Sir, why don't you come and take a look?"
For the noble sons from the Wang family of Langya, colored glazes were the most common things. They saw them every day, such as the colored glaze screen with a picture of birds paying homage to the phoenix in their homes, the colored glaze bowls used for meals, and so on.
Wang Qiwu immediately lost interest, curled his lips, turned his head and walked away.
The broker blocked Wang Qiwu's way with both hands and said, "Sir, I have a rare item here. Please follow me."
Wang Qiwu followed the broker half-believingly and turned into a shop on the left, and was amazed at the first sight.
A sandalwood box was placed on the table, and in the box lay a three-inch long short knife made of green jade. The lines of the blade were smooth, and there were faint landscape patterns on it. Although there was no blade, the jade color was warm and it was a rare treasure.
The broker rubbed his hands and explained, "This is green jade produced in Kuaiji County. My dear, don't miss it."
Wang Qiwu chuckled, and immediately felt that it would be best to place this treasure in front of her tomb. He immediately took off the brocade bag at his waist and poured out five gold cakes.
He was smiling happily, holding the box in his hand. He had just stepped out of the doorway and had taken less than five steps when he suddenly heard a loud noise above his head.
A basket of dried flower petals slanted down from the second floor, showering him with vibrant red petals. He instinctively raised his sleeve to block the impact, but felt a sudden numbness in his right wrist, which was holding the basket, as if struck by something hard.
A few tiny petals were wedged in Wang Qiwu's hair, but he was oblivious, his eyes fixed on the emptiness of his palms. Ten steps away, a thin, brown-clad figure, carrying a box, slipped into the crowd, his movements as sleek as a swimming fish.
Wang Qiwu was so angry that he stamped his feet and shouted "Stop!". He was about to go look for the horse he had just tied in front of the shop, but he found that the horse was gone, with only half of the cut reins hanging on the hitching post.
A surge of anger shot straight to Wang Qiwu's head, and his elder sister's whispers echoed in his ears, "The East Market is full of good and bad people. If you go out alone, you, a young man, must be careful not to run into thieves. Don't let yourself get away with not only buying the treasure, but also losing your horse."
...Now, what he said came true! He was about to be laughed to death by his sister.
Wang Qiwu immediately disregarded the etiquette of a noble man and used his lightness skills to catch up. Unfortunately, the market was crowded with people. He stumbled through three streets and finally turned into a fork in the canal, where he saw dozens of small boats parked.
The corner of his eye suddenly jumped. The curtain of the green-sailed boat in the middle moved without wind. He thought the thief had hidden there.
Wang Qiwu stepped lightly over the adjacent boat awning, opened the bamboo curtain, and shouted indignantly, "You big bad guy!", but his foot was tripped by the rope.
“Crash!”
Wang Qiwu fell into the boat and landed squarely on a girl who was taking a nap with a large lotus leaf covering her face.
Xie Tingyu felt her chest suddenly sink, as if a mountain had come down on her out of nowhere.
She lifted the lotus leaf and, raising herself slightly, saw a pair of wide-open eyes. The person's veil had fallen halfway, revealing a small mole on the tip of her nose. Her nose trembled slightly with her rapid breathing, and there were a few flower petals in her hair. She looked pitiful, cute, and lively.
The boat was shaken by the sudden collision, and the rope tied to the shore creaked.
Plop, plop.
Wang Qiwu looked at the strange woman before him, bewildered and embarrassed, his heart pounding. He hurried to stand up, but he knocked over the wine cup on the small table, spilling the half-finished green fruit wine all over Xie Tingyu's crimson gauze crotch.
He stammered, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, I'm sorry! I was chasing a thief... the one in brown... she stole my..."
Those almond-shaped eyes were still like when he was a child. When he was anxious or panicked, they began to mist up, just like a poor puppy caught in the rain.
Xie Tingyu stared at the small mole on the tip of Wang Qiwu's nose.
We met again after twelve years, and the chubby little crybaby had lost a lot of weight.
Back then, Wang Qiwu loved to eat all kinds of snacks and cakes, such as pine nut candy and apricot yogurt porridge. As expected, Wang Qiwu became fat as a ball amidst such unrestrained feeding.
Being fat wasn't a bad thing, but kids would always bully him for being fat and weak, openly snatching candy from him and laughing at him. Every time he came home, the first thing he'd say was, "Sister Xuanji, another shameless bad guy stole my food," crying and clinging to her legs. Afterward, she'd pay for it herself and take him to the bakery to get half a pound of candy.
"Um...this...Mr. Wang..." Xie Tingyu pointed at the hem of her skirt, which was wrinkled by Wang Qiwu, "May I have the permission to stand up?"
"Ah...yes, yes, yes, I'm sorry!" Wang Qiwu blushed. He hurriedly got up and sat down with his knees hugged. He looked curious, "How did you know my last name is Wang?"
He looked down and found that his veil had fallen off. He hurriedly grabbed the falling veil and tied it around his face, blinking his eyes as he looked at Xie Tingyu.
Xie Tingyu pointed at the jade pendant on Wang Qiwu's body and said, "The jade pendant on you has the word 'Wang' engraved on it."
She turned around, picked up the horn bow that had been placed beside her, and asked, "Did someone steal anything from you?"
Wang Qiwu nodded obediently and told the whole story in a succinct manner, muttering with a flat mouth, "How wicked! That group must have been targeting me for a long time."
Xie Tingyu neatly untied the hemp rope tied to the shore and handed the oar to Wang Qiwu. "Then I'll have to trouble you to row the boat, Young Master Wang."
She said to herself, "This canal is full of twists and turns. The only way to catch him is by water. If we're lucky, we might be able to catch that thief on the boat."
Wang Qiwu hurriedly caught the oar, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, his voice as light as a feather: "Ah... do you want to help me?" She actually offered to help him, she... she is such a good person.
A series of ripples spread out on the water surface, and the boat moved forward crookedly.
Xie Tingyu stood at the bow, gazing into the distance, her whole attention focused on the movement of the water and the reeds. "You look like you're about to cry. If I don't help you, you might jump into the river out of anger."
Wang Qiwu looked embarrassed. "I... wouldn't do that. It's just that I want to give the jade knife to someone. I spent a long time choosing it."
The boat moved slowly forward in the canal, but the water was calm and no trace of any human figure was found.
It seems that this little thief is also an expert at holding his breath and swimming.
As they swayed along, they were getting closer and closer to where Xie Tingyu had tied his horse. Cen Xiu had been waiting on the shore, with two horses standing beside him, their hooves galloping in the wind.
These are the fine horses from the Western Regions that Xie Tingyu acquired today. They are all very beautiful mares.
The horse on the left, Stepping Moon, is jet black except for its four snow-white hooves, which have sharp bones near their hind hooves. According to Narit Sabo, this horse can leap over three thresholds without stumbling.
The snow-white horse on the right was grazing on the green grass on the shore with its head lowered.
Xie Tingyu jumped and landed safely on the shore. She turned around and stretched out her hand to Wang Qiwu.
Wang Qiwu hesitated for a moment before putting his hand on her.
At this moment, Xie Tingyu caught a glimpse of a wet figure holding a sandalwood box in the deep reeds on the opposite bank, moving stealthily towards an old willow tree.
Her pupils suddenly shrank, and she saw a dark shadow swaying behind the willow tree, and another person came out leading a black horse with smooth fur.
"You are riding a dark horse today?" Xie Tingyu suddenly asked.
Wang Qiwu was startled, "How come..."
Before she had finished her words, Xie Tingyu had already leaped onto Step Moon. The horse reared up excitedly, its front hooves pounding the air a few times, but she sat firmly on the saddle, unfazed.
"You ride on this snow-white horse and follow me closely." She threw the reins to Wang Qiwu with her backhand, her tone leaving no room for questioning.
Before anyone could react, Stepping Moon Pier had already shot out like an arrow.
"Yeah, wait for me."
Although Wang Qiwu usually looked mild and indifferent, he was, after all, a son of the Wang family of Langya. He pulled the reins and stepped on the stirrups swiftly, and the snow-white horse docilely carried him away at a gallop.
"Hey! Young master, how could you forget me!" Cen Xiu quickly untied the other horse tied under the tree and hurriedly followed.
Let’s talk about the other side.
The man in brown was wiping the water stains off the sandalwood box with his sleeve, smacking his lips complacently. "Today is the day we're supposed to make a fortune. That handsome young man is a real sheep. Look at his quality."
She opened the sandalwood box in her hand. The white jade sword inside was soaked in water and shone brightly in the sunlight, making it look even more gorgeous.
Another person couldn't help but reach out to touch it: "I got a BMW and a treasure. This deal is really worth it!"
The two of them laughed again, and suddenly heard a burst of rapid horse hooves in the distance. Looking up, they saw -
Atop the stone bridge, a horse came galloping, and on the horse was a woman with a horn bow on her back.
"Listen up, little thief!" Xie Tingyu's clear and beautiful voice pierced through. "If you don't want to feel an arrow piercing your heart, just hand over your things."
Their faces paled. The one holding the box scrambled onto the terrier, while the other threw himself directly onto the horse's back. With a sharp lash of the whip, the steed, in pain, broke into a gallop.
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