Chapter 45, The 45th Inn: Song Shi Receives the News
Yunyin safely escorted Luoman home, then rode in Zhao Qian's carriage back to the restaurant. By this time, Fu Wang had already subdued the group of people, who were making mud bricks, and Fu Wang was keeping watch from the side.
When Qian Si saw Yun Yin return, he immediately ran over and said, "Miss Yun, what are you doing bringing these people back? I can't manage them well, and how are you going to solve their food and drink problems?"
Yunyin comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, I'll handle it. These people need labor reform. They'll sober up after doing more work. You don't need to worry about them; they won't cause you any trouble."
If she weren't confident, why would she have brought these people back? She said to Qian Si, who was still worried, "Go and do your work, leave this to me."
Taking advantage of the situation, Fu Wang said, "Madam Yun, you're busy here too. Why don't you leave these people to me? I have plenty of ways to deal with disobedient people."
Yunyin: "Wouldn't this be too much trouble for you? After all, it's something I took on."
Fu Wang: "How could that be? I'd be happy to help." He hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "I just wonder if I could spar with Lady Yun. I really want to experience your martial arts up close."
Yunyin was surprised that Fu Wang was so interested in her martial arts. After a moment's thought, she agreed, "Let's do it in a couple of days. I'm busy with something these two days."
Upon hearing this, Fu Wang suppressed his excitement and said, "Okay, you go ahead and do your thing, I'm not in a hurry."
The next day, instead of Wan Leqiao arriving, someone they hadn't seen in a long time showed up. Yunyin looked at the tired-looking Song Shi and asked, "Young Master Song, what's wrong? You look so haggard after not seeing you for so long."
Song Shi rushed over, looking anxious, and asked, "Miss Yun, I heard you saved Miss Luo yesterday. What exactly happened?"
His voice was urgent. He grabbed Yunyin and started chattering away, not giving her a chance to speak. Just as Yunyin was about to pull his hand away, Fu Wang acted first. He glared at Song Shi and said, "Young Master Song, speak properly. I was there yesterday too."
Song Shi glanced at Yun Yin and then at Fu Wang, adjusting his mood and speaking in a gentle tone: "Madam Yun, I heard that Madam Luo had an accident yesterday. Could you tell me the details? I tried to talk to Madam Luo, but she wouldn't let me get involved, so I had no choice but to come to you."
Yunyin raised an eyebrow and said, "Why do you always come to me?" Seeing Song Shi's pleading expression, she still said what she could, "I only know that it was done by someone from Luo Niangzi's clan, and I don't know anything else."
"Since Madam Luo said she would handle it herself, you should let her resolve it. After all, it's not appropriate to interfere in her family affairs."
Song Shi gritted his teeth and said, "I knew her clansmen weren't giving up. I warned them before, but they've gone even further. I think they're tired of living."
Yunyin: "Don't do anything rash or cause any more trouble. I think Madam Luo's intention is to use this matter to negotiate with them. As long as they still care about their reputation, they will definitely agree. They won't bother Madam Luo anymore, and she can live in peace. If you do something unnecessary and make things worse, that won't be good."
Song Shi said bitterly, "Are we just going to let it go like this? That would be too easy on them. They were trying to rob and kill us."
Yunyin said helplessly, "Then what do you want to do? Put them in jail? They'll just be puppets. I think Madam Luo handled it well. She has leverage over them. As long as someone in their clan wants to rise above others in the future, this matter will be resolved properly."
"Bearing a grudge for a moment will bring more benefits. This deal is not a loss. Although it is a bit frustrating, as Madam Luo said, she is alone and weak. It is already excellent that she can control them."
Song Shi said sullenly, "From today onwards, I will study hard. When I pass the imperial examination, I will definitely be able to rely on Lady Luo and not let anyone bully her."
Yunyin said, "It's good that you think that way. Why don't you have a meal here before you leave?"
Song Shi shook his head: "No need. Since there's nothing for me to do anymore, I'd better go back to school. I sneaked out today, so I should go back early."
Yunyin waved her hand and said, "Then I won't keep you. Take care."
After seeing Song Shi off, Yun Yin let out a long sigh. Fu Wang looked at her and said, "So that's what you think."
Yunyin looked at Fu Wang, shrugged and said, "What else can we do? Making a big fuss won't be good for Madam Luo either. People won't think she's in the right; they'll just say she's ungrateful. The clan protects her, but she doesn't know how to repay them. There are too many cases like this."
Fu Wang said, word by word, "I will not let anyone bully you."
Yunyin pointed to the whip at her waist and said, "If anyone dares to bully me, I'll let them taste my whip skills."
Fu Wang smiled and said, "You're fine the way you are."
"Yes, I think it's great too." Yunyin only realized how important it was to learn martial arts after coming to Dazhao. At least it could protect her. Even in this unfamiliar dynasty, she didn't have to worry about being bullied. Perhaps her father's idea of revitalizing the martial arts school was right, but times have changed.
In a strong and stable country, where everyone lives a happy and peaceful life without worrying about their safety, there is naturally no urgency to learn martial arts. Only those with a special interest might try it once or twice, and they may not necessarily continue afterward.
However, in Dazhao, she discovered that women who knew martial arts could really avoid many things. In the future, she could pass on this martial art to other women. She turned to look at Fang He, who was learning to chop vegetables with her mother, wondering if she was willing to learn.
After finishing lunch, Yunyin stewed some of the leftover ingredients and gave them to the group of people who came to help. Because Fu Wang was watching over them and Yunyin didn't skimp on their food, the group of people stayed and helped with the work with peace of mind. With their help, Yunyin's inn was built even faster.
Yunyin held a multigrain steamed bun and stared at the burly man in the lead, asking, "Are you servants of the Luo family?"
The burly man shook his head and said, "We're just idle villagers. The Luo family gave each of us a hundred coins to help ask Miss Luo for a favor."
"You think you can get a hundred coins per person to help you rob and kill people?"
The burly man shook his head and protested, "Madam, you've gone too far. We had no intention of taking Madam Luo's life; we were just inviting her to be our guest."
"Ask yourself if you believe that. Do you think Lady Luo would have a good ending if she went with you?" Yunyin said disdainfully. "Now that you've been captured, what are your plans?"
"What can we do?" the burly man said dejectedly. "We don't know if Madam Luo will report us to the authorities. If we had known, we wouldn't have listened to Roger. He said he just wanted to talk to Madam Luo about something, and that he only resorted to this because she wouldn't see him. But after we said a few words to Madam Luo, she wouldn't agree, and that's how the fight started."
"I never expected that he would be after Madam Luo's property. We were so badly deceived by him."
Yunyin said in surprise, "Then you are quite skilled. You are actually on par with the guards kept by Lady Luo."
The burly man chuckled and said, "I once learned a few moves from a wandering swordsman, but I've never fought anyone except in the village. All the people who followed me lost to me. I only taught them what I knew, and I didn't expect that the little bit they learned would be so impressive."
There are always some talented people in this world who can do well with just a little learning. This strong man is one of them. He may not be at the top level yet, but he is still very good compared to the average person. If such a talented person goes astray, how much trouble will he cause others? Isn't Luo Man one of them?
Thinking of this, Yunyin said, "If Madam Luo doesn't intend to send you to see the authorities, would you like to stay here with me and help me guard the restaurant? You can also do some farm work in your spare time. You should all know how to farm, right?"
The other men who were eating looked up at Yunyin, and one of them said, "Really, Madam Yun, you want to hire us?"
Yunyin: "Let's see how Madam Luo plans to deal with you first. If you have nowhere to go afterward, you can come and work for me."
The burly man leading the group stopped eating his steamed bun and knelt down in front of Yunyin, saying, "Thank you, Madam Yun. If we can really work for Madam Yun, we will give all our wages for the year to Madam Luo."
Seeing that he understood, Yunyin said with satisfaction, "Get up. I only know your name, not theirs."
"My name is Luo Tian." Luo Tian sat up and pointed to the four people behind him. "These people are from the same village as me. Their names are Luo Da, Luo Er, Luo San, and Luo Si."
Yunyin nodded to indicate that she understood. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Would you be willing to come with me to Pingxi Town to act as a witness for Madam Luo and let the Luo family know the cause of this matter?"
Luo Tian said, "Of course there's no problem. I haven't even settled accounts with Roger yet, and he dared to lie to me."
After arranging things for this group of people, Yunyin didn't disturb their meal. She got up and walked towards the restaurant. Fu Wang followed behind her and said, "Why did you keep him here? He has four people with him. Aren't you worried they might cause trouble later?"
"He can be deceived by Roger today, and he may be deceived by others in the future. It is not safe to keep such a person around."
Fu Wang was a cautious man, and he would never keep such a potential danger by his side. Yun Yin, however, was different from him. She was much bolder, as evidenced by her previous daring to investigate bandits alone. She smiled and said, "That's exactly why we should keep him by our side. Don't you think he's very capable? It would be really unsettling not to keep someone as simple-minded and skilled in martial arts by our side."
Fu Wang disagreed, saying, "Wouldn't that leave danger with us? I still think it's inappropriate. If you're really worried about them harming the village, I suggest you recommend them to the army. That would be a good place for them too."
Yunyin: "Whether or not to stay depends on their wishes. If they want to go to the military camp, then you can recommend them. As for my safety, you don't need to worry too much. Don't forget, I know martial arts. Why don't you try my martial arts skills and see if I can protect myself?"
Fu Wang said with great interest, "Alright, let me see how good your martial arts are." He pointed in a direction and said, "Let's go there and have a match."
Yunyin looked at the open space, raised her eyebrows and said, "Then let me show you what I've accomplished after more than ten years of study."
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