Chapter 34
Chapter 34:
The beggar finished his wonton soup and looked longingly at Yu Wan.
"I'd like another bowl, is that okay? If there are no wontons, soup will do too."
Ignoring He Jing's advice, Yu Wan decided to talk to the beggar and stay if he was willing to work.
"You've been hungry for a long time, and your body can't handle eating too much all at once. Take it easy before you eat again."
The beggar nodded obediently, "Okay, I'll do as the landlady says."
Anything is acceptable as long as he can stay.
Yu Wan sat opposite him and looked him over carefully. Although his face was dirty, his facial features were so outstanding that he was clearly a handsome man.
It would look even better if it were washed clean.
His build was similar to He Suzhi's, only a head shorter.
How old are you?
The beggar glanced at He Jing and said, "Twenty..."
Yu Wan raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"What? You can't even remember your own age?"
The girl's gentle and pure eyes held a maturity and wisdom beyond her years, mixed with a scrutinizing quality akin to that of a superior, possessing a powerful penetrating quality as if she could see through all the hidden thoughts of the target.
The beggar immediately cowered and confessed honestly: "I am twenty years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, and nineteen by the Western age reckoning. My surname is Xue, and my given name is Xiujun."
Yu Wan glanced at the dark-faced boy beside her, who pursed his lips.
He Su later accidentally let slip that he was eighteen, even though his birthday should be a little younger, but he was a head taller than Xue Xiujun.
I understand. So both boys are actually twenty years old in the traditional Chinese age reckoning, one is one year old and the other is two years old.
Xue Xiujun looked at her pitifully, "Boss lady, please let me stay. I'm willing to do anything. I can wash dishes and clean bowls. I can learn what I don't know. I can endure any hardship. I just want a place to live with enough to eat and wear."
Yu Wan asked, "What special skills do you have? Besides being good with words, what else do you have?"
"..." Xue Xiujun's lips twitched twice. "Combing hair, drawing eyebrows, does that count? I'm alright at reciting poems, I can also paint portraits of beauties, I studied music for a while, I'm good at a few musical instruments... and... I also know a little bit about needlework, and..."
He had to stay here today, carefully listing all the skills he had learned, hoping that the girl would be attracted to one of his qualities and stay with him.
Yu Wan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "You really know all of that?"
Xue Xiujun answered without much confidence, "I know a little bit, but if the boss lady needs it, I can try my best to learn until you are satisfied."
You absolutely must stay!
He Jing glared at him, wishing he could kick him away.
Yu Wan wanted to test whether what he said was true, so she said:
"Then comb my hair."
"No problem, I really can." Xue Xiujun got up and came behind the girl. Just as he was about to touch the girl's soft hair, he was kicked away hard.
He clutched his lower back and cried out in pain, "Ouch—it hurts!"
Yu Wan, not understanding why, scolded:
Why did you kick him? He's injured.
He Jing's face was ashen, his hands crossed in front of his chest.
"His hands are dirty."
Yu Wan looked over and saw that it was indeed not very clean.
Anyway, we're planning to keep some people here, so let's observe and see how things go for now.
"Take him to wash up and find him a clean set of clothes to change into. By the way, let him sleep in the same room with you tonight. Old Master Rong is sleeping in the study; there are no other rooms available."
He Jing wanted to refuse, but didn't say it, and finally gave a sullen reply.
"knew."
Xue Xiujun bowed to Yu Wan several times with great emotion, thanking her repeatedly, showing both politeness and enthusiasm.
"Thank you so much, boss lady! You're sure to make a fortune in the future!"
He reached out to put his arm around He Jing's shoulder, but was ruthlessly dodged.
"Then I'll trouble this young master to show me the way. Thank you."
He Jing walked toward the stairs with a look of disgust, his high ponytail swaying in the air showing how angry he was.
Xue Xiujun bowed to Yu Wan before following her, saying, "Wait for me."
Yu Wan smiled, opened the ledger, and continued to ponder.
The two teenagers going upstairs were not getting along well; one punched the other, and the other kicked him.
"Hey, what month were you born, Mr. He?"
He Jing retorted coldly, "None of your business."
Xue Xiujun said, "We're both twenty years old (by Chinese reckoning). I was born in February, what about you? If you were born after me, then you'll have to call me 'brother,' haha!"
He Jing glared at him: "Get lost!"
Before long, it got dark.
While Yu Wan was making dinner, the two boys came into the kitchen at the same time, or rather, they rushed in one after the other.
Her eyes lit up immediately; what a handsome young man!
Those beautiful peach blossom eyes, paired with a youthful and radiant smile, must be very attractive.
She simply couldn't reconcile the boy in front of her with the beggar she had seen before; the change was too drastic.
Suddenly, her view was blocked by a dark-faced boy. Yu Wan pushed him away and continued to carefully examine Xue Xiujun.
He Jing stood to the side, fuming, his eyes glaring at Xue Xiujun as if he wanted to devour him.
Xue Xiujun asked with a grin, "Boss lady, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
Yu Wan laughed and said, "From what you've seen, you're actually quite good-looking."
She had a bold idea in her mind, but she wanted to continue to observe and see.
Xue Xiujun stared at the braised pork in the pot, next to which were cooked braised eggplant, green vegetables and tofu, and steamed fish. He swallowed hard and boasted to himself,
"I am indeed quite good-looking. Wow, boss lady, your cooking is amazing! It smells so delicious, it's making my mouth water."
During the meal, Yu Wan introduced the new member, and everyone immediately accepted him. The atmosphere was joyful, warm, and comfortable, which moved Xue Xiujun to tears.
"Boss lady, your whole family is so kind. I've never experienced this kind of family warmth before. What kind of life did I live before? Waaah..."
Yu's mother then asked about his background, and he told her the story again, which made Yu's mother sigh with emotion.
"Poor kid, it's really tough for you. Work hard here from now on. My Awan is very kind and won't treat you badly."
Yu Cheng asked, "Brother A-Xiu, do you know martial arts?"
Xue Xiujun glanced at He Jing and laughed, "You need to know a little martial arts, otherwise you wouldn't have survived to this day as a beggar. Little Acheng, you must cherish your current happiness and not run away by yourself. If you get kidnapped, you might be forced to become a beggar. The outside world is dangerous, and there are all kinds of bad people. I've seen many."
Yu Cheng nodded emphatically, "I understand."
After finishing a bowl of rice, Xue Xiujun cautiously asked, "May I have another bowl?"
Yu's mother looked at him with loving eyes, "Here, let your auntie give you some more."
After finishing their meal, Xue Xiujun volunteered to wash the dishes, which was originally He Jing's daily task. Now, neither of them would give in, and they were vying for the task in the kitchen.
Yu Wan was afraid they would break the plates, so she had to give them a warning.
After Xue Xiujun arrived, He Suzhi became more lively, perhaps because they were the same age.
After a day of activities, everyone returned to their rooms to prepare for sleep. Yu Wan then heard a rather loud noise coming from He Suzhi's room.
It sounds like they're fighting.
Every table and chair in this room is worth money; we can't let them smash it.
She listened for a while and realized that it hadn't stopped, so she quickly went over and knocked on the door.
"What are you two doing making a racket in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
The door opened from the inside, and Xue Xiujun rushed to complain.
"Boss lady, he made me sleep on the floor!"
He Jing's face darkened, and he glared at him angrily: "You wicked dog, you're the one who started this!"
Xue Xiujun pointed at his nose, "Look, boss lady, he even called me a dog!"
Yu Wan was at her wits' end. "How come you two got into a fight after only one day together? I'm starting to suspect you've been enemies for a long time."
The two boys fell silent at the same time and glanced at each other.
Yu Wan didn't want to get involved in this mess; she wasn't a nanny. "My house is only so big, there are no spare rooms. If you really don't want to sleep together, let's decide by rock-paper-scissors."
She turned and left as soon as she finished speaking, so as not to get caught in the crossfire.
Thinking of this, he added, "If you damage anything in my house, whoever did it will have to pay for it together, fifty-fifty!"
Then the two of them quieted down, and there was no more noise coming from their room.
The next day.
Before the restaurant opened, Xue Xiujun saw that everyone was busy with their own work, but he was the only one left who looked like a headless fly, not knowing what to do.
"Boss lady, what am I responsible for?"
Yu Wan had already found him a job: "You'll open the door, then go outside and hand out numbers, and chat with everyone. There are a lot of customers queuing up lately, so you'll be responsible for keeping them company and passing the time."
"Okay!" Xue Xiujun replied happily, "I'll make sure they're all entertained, and none of them will be able to escape."
Seeing that the person had opened the door and left, He Jing leaned close to Yu Wan and whispered:
"Are you really planning to keep him?"
Yu Wan countered, "Is there any reason why I can't stay?"
He Jing pursed his lips. "His background is unknown."
Yu Wan laughed and said, "So you're also unaware of my background? Didn't I keep you here anyway?"
He Jing added, "I don't like him."
Yu Wan laughed out loud: "You have a gloomy face all day long, who do you think you're entertaining?"
He Jing was speechless.
Yu Wan patted his shoulder, "What I lack right now is someone as eloquent as Xue Xiujun, but don't worry, he's not going to replace you. Just do your job well."
It was Xue Xiujun's first day at work, but he was very comfortable with it. He could easily become friends with the diners in just a few words, and they could chat about anything and everything. Whether they were male or female diners or children, they were all very happy with him.
He also has an exceptionally strong memory. He can remember people he has only talked to for a few minutes, and he can even call them by name, such as Brother Song or Uncle Li. Within a few days, he becomes close friends with his regular customers.
Yu Wan observed for several days and became increasingly satisfied with what she saw.
It was another day off when the county government suddenly sent a carriage to the restaurant, saying that the magistrate had invited Yu Wan to come over.
Having learned from her previous experience, Yu's mother was immediately frightened. "Sir, has something happened to Miss Zhu again? She hasn't come to buy kebabs these past two days."
The constable said with a stern face, "I don't know the specifics of the matter. We'll have to wait for the magistrate to speak with Madam Yu in detail."
Yu's mother looked worried, fearing that her daughter would be thrown into jail again. She held her daughter's hand tightly, refusing to let go no matter what.
A series of rapid hoofbeats.
The handsome young man on horseback dismounted and quickly approached Yu Wan.
Jin Yifei explained with a smile:
“Aunt, my aunt was worried that inviting Madam Yu over abruptly might frighten you, so she sent me along to explain the situation. This isn't about a case; my uncle has some issues he wants to discuss with Madam Yu. It's not about making things difficult for her.”
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