Chapter 123 Playing the Concubine
On this side, Pei Xingju took Zhuang Wan back to the inn. No one knew what Zhuang Wan had done to offend this old man, as he had a cold face all the way.
After lunch, he left without saying a word.
After that, Pei Xingju settled down in Liuli City. He was so wealthy that he booked the entire inn and gave the guest room next to it to Zhuang Wan.
Zhuang Wan didn't mind. Liuli City was bustling, so it wouldn't hurt for her to stay longer. It was just that Pei Xingju seemed to be busier after the boat trip, and sometimes she wouldn't be seen for days at a time.
Occasionally, he would receive a message from Miss Ningyan. Perhaps Pei Xingju felt that it would be troublesome to bring Zhuang Wan along, so he simply went alone when he went to the appointment.
Zhuang Wan curled her lips and went out shopping with Jingzhe all day.
Liuli City's prosperity rivaled that of the capital, but unlike the capital, it was built only a few years ago. The city itself wasn't large; walking from the west to the east took only a quarter of an hour, yet it was bustling with shops, restaurants, teahouses, and clothing shops lining the streets. Furthermore, there were numerous entertainment venues to satisfy people's daily needs, reminding Zhuang Wan of the large resorts built with capital in her past life.
In the past few days, she visited all the snack shops in Liuli City and saw that there were also seafood snacks in Liuli City, but there were not many varieties, and most of them were pickled fresh food, which could not be considered snacks. Many people ate them as a side dish with alcohol.
Furthermore, Zhuang Wan discovered that Liuli City was bustling with merchants, with wealthy businessmen from all over the world converging here, making it a thriving commercial hub. Opening her seafood shop there would surely be a better opportunity to expand her market.
To Zhuang Wan's surprise, however, Liuli City seemed detached from the world, beyond the reach of government. Money allowed for anything, including drinking, prostitution, and gambling. The city had no soldiers, only a single lord. It was said that over half of the city's properties belonged to this lord, and anyone wishing to trade in Liuli City had to pay taxes to him.
But this city lord is extremely mysterious. Some say he is over sixty years old, some say he is a young man, and some say he is disabled but looks like Pan An.
However, compared to these, the most talked about topic was the Liuli City Lord's banquet for heroes.
The so-called hero banquet is an invitation sent by the city lord himself to the most powerful merchants in Liuli City.
How to demonstrate strength? Of course, it is to spend money in Liuli City. It is said that some people even spent tens of thousands of taels at Zuishenglou just to attend the Heroes' Banquet.
Hearing this, Zhuang Wan was shocked. Is it necessary?
"Young lady, you don't know," someone in the restaurant said after hearing her question, "Most people who come to Liuli City are merchants from all over the world, who come here to do business. But how easy is it to do business in Liuli City? The first thing you have to do is to catch the eye of the city lord."
Zhuang Wan understood that spending money was the best way to attract attention.
She shook her head and said to Jingzhe, "I'll bet a bag of spicy noodles that this city lord is an ugly old man."
Jingzhe asked: "Why are you so sure, girl?"
"It's simple. Anyone who manages more than half of the city's businesses must be quite old. Also, look at Liuli City, where brothels and gambling dens abound. Those involved in such dealings are not good people. They're either greedy for money or lustful. According to the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, appearances are determined by the heart, so those with ugly hearts won't be much better on the outside."
Jingzhe's mouth twitched when he heard her nonsense.
At this time, a young man nearby said, "Excuse me, young lady, what are spicy strips?"
Zhuang Wan turned her head.
Hoo! I didn't expect there was a handsome guy hiding in the crowd. He was dressed in white and had a jade crown. He was very graceful, and his pair of gentle eyes looked at me with a smile, as pure as a lotus on a snowy mountain.
"Latiao...it's a spicy snack. I guess you haven't tried it, young master."
"Oh." The man nodded, then asked, "I just heard your analysis, young lady, and it makes a lot of sense. However, I've always been a rebel, so how about a bet with you?"
"What's the bet?"
"Let's bet on the spicy noodles you just mentioned. If you lose, you have to give me a taste of them."
"What if what I said is right?"
The young man slowly untied a piece of jade from his waist and placed it on the table: "Take this jade, young lady. If I lose, the jade will be yours."
"How can I take your jade before the winner is revealed? And if you win, how can I return the jade to you?"
The young master smiled and said, "Miss, maybe we are destined to meet again?"
His words were quite mysterious, and Zhuang Wan was confused. Just as she was about to say something, she saw him call out to the servant and then be pushed away by the servant.
Only then did Zhuang Wan see clearly that his legs were disabled and he came in a wheelchair.
"Hey...you didn't take the jade." Zhuang Wan called him.
However, the man seemed not to hear and quickly disappeared outside the door.
.
Zhuang Wan took Jingzhe to the theater to listen to a play for the whole afternoon. They spent a relaxing and pleasant day like this and did not return until the evening.
After returning, she made some crayfish and then sat under the osmanthus tree with Jingzhe to enjoy it.
She concentrated on peeling the shrimp shells while giving Jingzhe some scientific knowledge about shrimps.
"Shrimp are divided into river shrimp and sea shrimp. River shrimp are mostly found in rivers, lakes, and ponds, and their meat is tender and delicious. Sea shrimp, on the other hand, are large, have hard shells, and a slightly dry taste. For example, the kind we eat is..."
"Huh?" She looked up, but saw that the person sitting opposite her was not Jingzhe, but Pei Xingju, whom she hadn't seen for half a month.
The candlelight was dim, and Pei Xingju's face seemed real and illusory.
She thought she was hallucinating, so she reached out and touched it: "It's real."
"......" Pei Xingju seemed to have just come back from a busy job, his voice a little tired: "What are you doing?"
"Look, as you can see, I'm peeling shrimp." Zhuang Wan peeled a shrimp and was about to put it into her mouth, but unexpectedly, it was snatched away by someone just as she dipped it in sauce.
"It tastes good," Pei Xingju ordered like a master: "Continue."
"...You don't have any hands yourself?"
Pei Xingju narrowed his eyes and said, "Zhuang Wan, you seem to be taking me less and less seriously now. Do you know whose monthly allowance you are receiving?"
"Be reasonable," Zhuang Wan retorted, "I was paid ten taels a month and only provided for your meals. I didn't say I had to peel shrimp for you and feed you."
“…”
"Besides," he said, getting angry at the mention of Zhuang Wan, "even though I got ten taels of silver a month, didn't it all go into your pocket? Have I ever seen a single ingot of silver?"
Pei Xingju said in a gloomy tone: "You owe me five thousand taels and you still want to see the silver?"
"..." Zhuang Wan swallowed hard. "Okay, let's try a different approach. Let's consider this five thousand taels as a share of the company, okay? I won't be a chef anymore. When I make money from business, I'll pay you back with interest."
"Yes," Pei Xingju nodded, "In that case, you should first settle the bill for the ground floor room you've been staying in."
“…”
Easily controlled.
fall!
The maid Zhuang Wan peeled the shrimps resignedly, and did so carefully and cleanly.
Pei Xingju ate and drank his fill, then drank a cup of tea and asked someone to bring up a box.
"This is for you," he said. "Open it and see if you like it."
"What is it?" Zhuang Wan opened the box suspiciously.
Wow! A box of clothes and jewelry sparkled so brightly that it almost blinded her.
She looked at Pei Xingju as if she had seen a ghost, and felt that he seemed to have some strange disease recently. Sometimes he was nice to her, and sometimes he was nitpicking with her like before.
"Why did you give me clothes and jewelry?" she asked.
"dislike?"
"I like it, but..." Zhuang Wan was uneasy. "No reward without merit. There must be a reason."
Pei Xingju chuckled and said, "Just accept it. I need you to do something for me tomorrow."
"What's up?"
"I need you to play me..." Pei Xingju said uncomfortably, "Play the role of my concubine and attend the banquet."
puff--
Zhuang Wan spat out a mouthful of tea.
"What? Concubine?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
