Chapter 4 Apologize! If you're a man, apologize!
Li Chengyi, carrying the medicinal herbs, caught up with Lin Yanshu in a few steps, forcefully grabbed her wrist, and pulled her along quickly.
Lin Yanshu raised her hand, trying to shake off Li Chengyi, but Li Chengyi held on tightly.
He's clearly the one who's stupid, but she secretly cursed him a couple of times, and he got angry?
On what grounds?
Lin Yanshu had this thought in her mind, so she raised her hand and bit Li Chengyi's arm.
Through his sleeve, Lin Yanshu's sharp teeth pierced Li Chengyi's skin, and the pain was amplified in Li Chengyi's brain.
Along with that came the warm touch of Lin Yanshu's lips.
Li Chengyi's eyes widened, his grip on Lin Yanshu didn't loosen at all, and he stared at Lin Yanshu with a cold smile:
"You're the first woman who dared to bite me like that."
"Believe it or not, I'll throw away this pile of worthless herbs! I'll even throw you into the ravine with me!"
Li Chengyi just wanted to scare Lin Yanshu, since she was so disobedient and always got angry.
Lin Yanshu felt a surge of grievance. She had come out to buy herbs to treat his illness, and she even thought that the dagger looked good on him, this idiot. She hadn't bought anything for herself.
But he didn't appreciate it at all; he not only bullied her but also threatened her.
Thinking of this, Lin Yanshu's eyes reddened with grievance, her brows furrowed, and tears welled up in her eyes. She stared stubbornly at Li Chengyi like a bullied little rabbit.
Li Chengyi thought Lin Yanshu would argue with him, so he stomped his feet angrily and cursed at himself in sign language.
But now she remains silent, looking at him with such pitiful resentment.
The girl pursed her lips tightly, her eyes filled with grievance.
He was puzzled. Before Li Chengyi could react, Lin Yanshu's tears fell like a broken string of pearls, landing on the back of his hand, which felt somewhat hot.
Li Chengyi panicked. He released Lin Yanshu's hand and raised his hand to wipe away her tears.
Lin Yanshu turned her head slightly away, took a deep breath with her nose red, and walked forward angrily, not even giving him a glance.
Li Chengyi didn't know what he had done wrong. He had only scared her with a joke, so how did it turn out like this?
How come she's less easily frightened than those young ladies in the capital?
Li Chengyi followed behind Lin Yanshu, feeling lost and anxious, calling her name in his heart.
But Lin Yanshu acted as if she hadn't heard him at all, ignoring him completely.
This situation continued until they returned home.
Lin Yanshu acted as if she didn't see him at all, and apart from the medicine she took three times a day by her bedside, she didn't have any further interaction with him.
Li Chengyi felt somewhat uneasy being ignored like this, especially since it was Lin Yanshu. He had a feeling that Lin Yanshu would throw him out at any moment.
He thought about it for a long time. Although he didn't know what he had done wrong, his sister had told him that if he angered a woman, he should apologize.
Li Chengyi tucked a piece of white jade into his pocket, hitched a ride with a fellow villager, and sneaked out.
He bumped along the way, taking the white jade to the pawnshop.
He glanced indifferently at the pawnshop clerk:
"Call your manager out here."
Before long, the pawnshop manager came out. Li Chengyi placed the white jade in his hand on the table and said coldly:
"I'm here to pawn something, shopkeeper, please give me an estimate."
The shopkeeper picked up the white jade and examined it carefully. This was a fine piece; it was pure white and flawless, without a single flaw, and even the carving was top-notch. Even high-ranking officials and nobles might not be able to find something like it.
If he resells it again, he'll definitely make a fortune.
The shopkeeper sized up Li Chengyi. He had an extraordinary air about him, but he was dressed in coarse linen clothes, which made him unremarkable.
He placed the white jade on the table, frowned, and sighed dramatically.
"Young master, this jade is quite nice, but it has too many flaws."
Even if you pawn it, you can't get a high price.
Li Chengyi sneered, his cold gaze sweeping over the other person.
This was the first time someone had ever told him that his stuff was rotten.
The shopkeeper felt a chill run down his spine from Li Chengyi's gaze, and even the well-rehearsed words he was about to say stuck in his throat.
Li Chengyi toyed with the jade in his hand, his eyes full of mockery:
"Shopkeeper, you must have a conscience when doing business."
"I know what you think of this jade, and you should know as well."
These words, as cold as a gust of wind, blew into the shopkeeper's ears. He was momentarily embarrassed.
He hadn't expected the other party to fall for his trap so easily, seeing through his scheme so readily. Moreover, people who are desperate and pawn their belongings are usually extremely impatient for their money. But this young master remained calm and composed.
He flattered her respectfully:
"Young master has good taste. Why don't you name a price?"
Li Chengyi gestured with his hand to indicate the price, and finally left the pawnshop with a large sum of money in his pocket.
He returned to the blacksmith's shop.
The dagger still lay in the distance, untouched by anyone.
When the middle-aged man saw Li Chengyi, he looked at him with a smile and wiped the sweat from his cheeks.
Li Chengyi thought to himself, since Lin Yanshu likes that short blade, he will buy it for her.
He pointed to the short blade and asked:
Is this still for sale?
The middle-aged man glanced behind Li Chengyi and saw that he was alone.
"Hey bro, where's your wife?"
"Did your wife scold you when you went back last time?"
The blacksmith had a gloating look on his face.
Li Chengyi frowned, his voice deepening:
"How did you know? Were you following us?"
The blacksmith burst into laughter:
"Do we even need to track this?"
“Brother, to tell you the truth, last time the young lady asked about this short blade, I quoted a high price, but this dagger is only worth one tael.”
"I saw that the young lady didn't buy anything except a bunch of medicinal herbs and a dagger for you. I guessed that the medicine was also for you. She's so good to you."
Li Chengyi's eyes turned cold; it turned out it was because of this unscrupulous merchant!
Lin Yanshu wanted him to bargain, but he actually thought it was too cheap.
She was so poor, and she spent all her money on herself. Yet he still scared her.
Li Chengyi suddenly felt like he wasn't human!
Why should a grown man like him argue with a young girl?
narrow!
Thinking this through, he felt apologetic and guilty, and looked at the blacksmith impatiently:
"Sell it to me for four coins."
The blacksmith's eyes widened, and he began haggling in a rough voice:
"No, no! One tael is already the lowest price I've given you since you've come again."
Li Chengyi took a deep breath. After so many years of self-discipline and adherence to propriety, he was about to start acting like a rogue with someone else.
He slammed his hand on the table, feigning arrogance, and raised his voice:
"You won't sell? Then I'll smash up your shop!"
“I’ll come and smash this place every day, and see if you can still keep your business going.”
"Anyway, I have plenty of time to waste on you!"
After saying that, he leaned against the stall frame, crossed his arms over his chest, looking determined to achieve his goal.
The blacksmith was sweating profusely with anxiety. How could this young man be so unreasonable? Even if he had cheated him before, he couldn't just say that he had ruined his own business!
Despite his aggressive demeanor, Li Chengyi was already filled with remorse and anxiety.
If his teachers, father, and mother knew how domineering he was outside, they would surely give him a lecture from the sages.
The blacksmith gritted his teeth and tossed the dagger to Li Chengyi:
"Fine, fine, take it!"
Li Chengyi didn't expect his trickery to work so quickly. He put the money on the stall, put away the dagger, and went elsewhere.
He thought that to apologize to Lin Yanshu, he should at least buy her something she liked.
He wandered around the market for a while, and finally went into a jewelry shop. Girls probably all like pretty jewelry.
He was dazzled by the variety of hairpins and ornaments in front of him.
The moment Li Chengyi stepped into the store, the owner noticed him. He was over eight feet tall with sharp features, and it was clear that he was there to pick out jewelry for his sweetheart.
The boss walked over enthusiastically and stopped in front of Li Chengyi:
"Is the young master looking to buy something as a gift?"
Lee Seung-ik looked at her and nodded:
"Give this to a woman."
The boss smiled knowingly and couldn't help but sigh, "These young men nowadays are more thoughtful than they were back then. I wonder whose daughter she is."
The shop owner led Li Chengyi to a new product section, filled with all sorts of jewelry—jade, wood, tassels…
Li Chengyi felt they were all pretty much the same, and frowned in annoyance.
"I wonder what the young master wishes to give to the recipient?"
Li Chengyi couldn't help but recall the image of him styling Lin Yanshu's hair. If Lin Yanshu wore a hairpin, she would definitely look beautiful.
"I want to buy a hairpin, do you have any recommendations?"
The shopkeeper took out a drawer full of hairpins, showing them different colors to Li Chengyi:
"I wonder what kind of girl the young master is talking about likes?"
"If she's a lively young girl, this one with tassels would suit her perfectly!"
As Li Chengyi listened to her words, his gaze settled on the emerald green jade hairpin, which was decorated with orchids.
Li Chengyi felt that although Lin Yanshu looked quiet, she was always easily angered. Wearing an elegant hairpin might make her temper a little better.
He pointed to the hairpin, and the shopkeeper, with great insight, wrapped it up.
She thought the boy would find the hairpin too expensive, but after hearing the price, he paid for it without batting an eye.
The shopkeeper couldn't help but click his tongue a few times. Despite the young master's simple attire, he was truly willing to spend money on his sweetheart.
Li Chengyi, with the hairpin tucked into his pocket, rushed back impatiently. He was inexplicably looking forward to seeing what Lin Yanshu would think of the gift he had given her.
Lin Yanshu hadn't seen Li Chengyi all day, and she noticed that the medicine she had given him was still in the same place, untouched.
She thought Li Chengyi didn't want to stay there, so she secretly slipped away.
Although she had long been prepared for Li Chengyi to leave sooner or later, she didn't expect him to slip away without even saying goodbye. Besides, he remembers nothing, is so stupid, and can't endure hardship; how will he survive out there?
She was both angry and worried. She was angry that he was a shameless ingrate, and worried about where Li Chengyi could have gone, since he hadn't done anything all day.
As evening approached and darkness fell, Lin Yanshu still hadn't seen anyone.
She scoffed at herself inwardly, realizing she had waited all day.
Lin Yanshu got up to close the door, but just as the wooden door was about to close, a large hand gripped the crack in the door.
Lee Seung-ik poked his head out.
A note from the author:
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