Chapter 119 Are We Going to Starve?
"Thank you, sir!"
Sanwa was so excited that he jumped off the donkey cart and ran blankly to Xie Zheng.
"Is it really Lord Xie? I never expected to see you again."
The fourth brother ran up to him carrying a jar and bowed to him excitedly.
Upon seeing them, Lord Xie stopped in his tracks.
With one hand behind his back and the other holding his sleeve, he nodded to them with an air of righteousness.
"You've come to the county too, are you here to make some purchases?"
His gaze fell on the fourth brother's arms, and he frowned, "What is this?"
“My mother found this on the road. We don’t know what it is. We plan to go to the pawn shop to ask if we can sell it for a few coins.”
The fourth brother scratched the back of his head shyly, "We were just trying our luck, it's probably not worth much."
Lord Xie watched as he casually held the jar with one hand, and couldn't help but stretch out both hands.
Can I take a look?
"Of course, of course." The fourth brother quickly handed it over with both hands.
Looking at his solemn expression, Song Chunxue felt a little uneasy.
Could it really be an ancient chamber pot?
Xie Zheng's gaze fell on Song Chunxue. "Where did you find her, sister-in-law?"
"..." Song Chunxue didn't want to say.
“My mother went to relieve herself on the way and found it near the dilapidated kiln in the grove,” the fourth brother explained for her. “Sir, could this thing already have an owner?”
Xie Zheng examined the object in front of him. "Judging from the patterns, it's at least five hundred years old."
"Huh?" The third brother and the fourth brother were shocked. "Five hundred years?"
“If you take it to a pawnshop, it will fetch at most one tael of silver.” Xie Zheng looked at Song Chunxue. “If you trust me, you can sell it to me first. If you send someone to the capital, I can get a better price for it.”
Song Chunxue nodded immediately. This was Lord Xie. Even if she didn't trust God, she could trust this man.
"Of course I trust you. You are a rare and good official. I heard that the new grain measure has been completed. You must be having a headache lately."
Song Chunxue looked at him gratefully, "Sir, you disregarded offending your colleagues and reduced our grain taxes by a lot. If we don't trust you, there is no one in the world we can trust."
Xie Zheng smiled, his clear and bright eyes curving into a smile, adding a touch of warmth to his expression.
He shook his head at Song Chunxue, "You flatter me. I was just doing my duty."
“Sister-in-law, you’re lucky. Something this valuable shouldn’t be out in the wild.” Xie Zheng turned around and pointed to the noodle shop across the street. “Come sit down over there and let’s talk. I’ll treat you to a bowl of noodles.”
"No need, no need," the fourth brother shook his head repeatedly, "We can't let the adults spend money."
"No need to spend money. If this item is genuine, I don't have enough money to buy it right now. Let me treat you to a meal first so we can discuss it further."
He looked at the mother and her two children with a gentle smile, "Please, don't refuse."
The mother and her two children were somewhat surprised by Lord Xie's frankness.
Song Chunxue smiled and said, "Then let's go, since Lord Xie has already said so."
She's lived several decades longer than others, so what's there to be nervous about besides having a meal with a high-ranking official?
"Shopkeeper, seven bowls of noodles, please." With that, Lord Xie turned to Song Chunxue and said, "If it's not enough, we'll add more. Don't be shy."
Song Chunxue was flattered and said, "Thank you, sir. Actually, one bowl is enough."
Xie Zheng smiled without saying a word. He clearly remembered that day at the Li family's house, when everyone said that the people in the village ate three bowls of noodles at every meal.
Song Chunxue, who is both a father and a mother, can sometimes eat four bowls of rice.
Smelling the rich aroma of the white flour, Song Chunxue felt both hungry and craving, and involuntarily swallowed her saliva.
Sanwa and Lao Si, too, couldn't help but glance at the noodle server as they smelled the tempting sauce.
"Sir, aren't you going to Magistrate Liang's house?"
The attendant beside him couldn't help but remind him.
"It's alright, I can go after I finish my noodles." Xie Zheng said calmly. "County Magistrate Liang will surely be waiting for me with good wine and food. It would be bad if I didn't eat when I got there, because I would be at his mercy after that meal."
As he spoke, he pushed the bowl of noodles that had just been placed on the table in front of Song Chunxue, saying, "Sister-in-law, you eat first."
"Please eat first, sir." Song Chunxue quickly pushed the noodles in front of Xie Zheng.
"Here it is." The waiter brought two more bowls of noodles and placed them on the table.
"Eat it while it's hot, it'll get cold soon." Xie Zheng pushed the bowl in front of Sanwa and Lao Si. "The other bowl will be ready soon."
The third child and the fourth child smiled and thanked him, "Thank you, sir."
The mother and her two children glanced at the man with smiles, thinking that this official was too approachable and had no airs at all.
Xie Zheng looked at his attendant beside him and said, "Manager, give him a bowl too."
"Okay, sure."
The attendant sat at a table nearby, and couldn't help but secretly observe the mother and her two children in front of him.
His gaze fell on Song Chunxue, and he wondered why the master was treating this person so politely.
Large chunks of fresh minced meat, paired with evenly cut, chewy long noodles, made Song Chunxue so engrossed in the delicious food that she didn't even have time to speak.
Soon, the bowl of noodles was empty.
Xie Zheng picked up the noodles that had just been served and poured them directly into her bowl.
"Eat up, don't be shy."
Song Chunxue looked up, her cheeks flushing slightly, because the man in front of her had just eaten half a bowl.
"Brothers, don't be shy. When you treat someone to a meal, there's no reason why they won't be full."
The third child and the fourth child were a little reserved, but they ordered a second bowl.
"Shopkeeper, three more bowls, please," Xie Zheng called out to the shopkeeper again.
"No need, no need, two bowls are enough," Song Chunxue quickly stopped her. "We're going to eat something else later. It's a rare trip, so we want to satisfy our cravings and try a variety of different things."
Each person eats three bowls of noodles, so the mother and her two children would eat nine bowls of noodles. Each bowl of noodles with meat sauce costs at least eight copper coins, so they would have to make Lord Xie spend a lot of money.
Moreover, Xie Zheng was known for his integrity and frugality, and he must have lived frugally, otherwise he wouldn't have been wearing patched clothes.
She had just caught a glimpse of Xie Zheng's inner garment, noticing that the collar was patched and that he had been wearing it for many years.
If one doesn't embezzle funds, the meager salary paid by the government is indeed not much for an ordinary official.
Although Song Chunxue remembered that Lord Xie was from a wealthy family, it was said that he was a very particular person and would definitely not want to be supported by his family.
"Xiao Wu, go to the post station and bring all that silver back."
"grown ups?"
The attendant, who had just finished eating noodles and was wiping his mouth, was stunned. He couldn't help but look at the broken jar in the middle of their table, thinking that it must be meant to help the mother and her two children.
In the past, it was one thing to see homeless people and beggars emptying their pockets, but this mother and child didn't seem to be in dire need of food, so how could the adult take out all of their money?
It's still a long time before we receive our money. Is the master trying to starve himself?
"What are you standing there for? Go now!" Xie Zheng emphasized. "Are you trying to rebel?"
"Yes." Xiao Wu looked at Song Chunxue with an unfriendly gaze.
"..." Song Chunxue felt somewhat wronged. Had the attendant misunderstood something?
“Sister-in-law, I’ll take this item. Here’s ten taels of silver for you. I’ll give it back to you after I sell it to someone who knows its value.”
Song Chunxue lost her grip on the bowl, and it slipped and fell to the table with a clatter.
"Ten taels of silver?" Song Chunxue was overwhelmed with emotion.
"Sir, you don't need to help us like this. This jar is worth at most one tael of silver. Besides, you already gave us five taels last time. Are you going to starve for the rest of the year?"
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