Chapter 187 Friends
Song Chunxue took the last bite of meat and loosened her grip on the skewer.
I thought it was some chivalrous hero who had intervened in the injustice, but when I turned around, I realized it was Xie's attendant shouting.
The person who shouted walked straight up to the person who had spoken rudely, holding a long knife in his hand. "It's you again. Do you want to spend another few months in jail?"
"Misunderstanding, sir, you've misunderstood. This widow and I are old acquaintances. We were just joking around. Please understand, sir." With that, the sleazy-looking man, sporting a disgusting smile, looked at Song Chunxue. "Isn't that right?"
He even winked and made faces, trying to get Song Chunxue to help him out of the predicament.
“Sir, I have never met him before. He was rude and even physically assaulted me. Since you know him, then please arrest him.”
Song Chunxue thought to herself, "So he's an official. Unlike the young servant from last time, this man is upright and righteous, much like Lord Xie."
The officer grabbed the man's shoulder and said, "We were just about to look for you. Someone has accused you of stealing mutton that was hanging under someone's eaves. Come with me to the government office so that the county magistrate can investigate and prove the case."
“Song Chunxue, how could you be so heartless? We’ve met before, we…”
“You know my name, so you do know me, but I don’t know you,” Song Chunxue said calmly. “If the officials hadn’t come, I would have broken your hand today and let you harass people on the street.”
"You widow..."
"Bang!"
Before he could finish speaking, Song Chunxue punched him squarely in the nose.
The man winced in pain, covered his nose, and cursed. If the officials hadn't been pushing him away, he would have argued with Song Chunxue.
The person was taken away, and Xie Zheng came over.
"Did you come here about buying the yard, sister-in-law?"
He was wearing a dark blue quilted long gown. He was tall and slender. Because he had shaved his beard cleanly, his face looked much fairer, and his smile was clean and pure.
If it weren't for his outstanding and unique temperament, Song Chunxue would have almost thought she had mistaken him for someone else.
"Yes, I want to buy it sooner so I can feel more at ease. If the adults haven't..."
"Let's talk somewhere else; my courtyard is just ahead."
As they walked and talked, Song Chunxue noticed that many passersby were looking at her.
She shouldn't cause him any more trouble in the future; there should be some distance between officials and ordinary people.
Moreover, she is a widow, and if more people know her, it will cause trouble for Lord Xie.
He interrupted her and led her into a narrow alley.
Xie Zheng stopped in front of the innermost courtyard gate, with Song Chunxue leading the donkey.
"Tie the donkey at the gate and come inside for a cup of tea. The matter of the yard has been taken care of." Xie Zheng said with a smile, "There's something I need to thank you for. How about we have a simple meal and then go take another look at the yard?"
"..." He wanted to personally take her to see the courtyard?
It was probably just polite talk; officials are all busy, so it's fine for her to go with her attendants.
As Song Chunxue stepped into the courtyard, the donkey bit her sleeve.
Upon seeing this, Lord Xie smiled and instructed the people in the courtyard, "Chunshu, give this donkey some fodder."
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you, sir." Song Chunxue did not refuse. The fact that the man noticed the donkey needed to eat grass showed that he was understanding.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it was exquisite. The ground was paved with blue bricks and swept clean, making it very bright.
There weren't many people serving Xie Zheng; just a few servants, but no maids in sight.
In the kitchen, you can see elderly cooks kneading noodles with their backs to them.
As Song Chunxue entered the reception hall, she felt slightly nervous.
However, the thought that I would be able to afford to live in such a courtyard in the future made that unease and anxiety disappear.
Soon, a young servant brought over hot tea.
"You must have traveled a long way. Sister-in-law should have just arrived. Have a cup of tea first." Xie Zheng pushed the snacks on the table towards her. "Have something to eat first, then we'll have noodles later."
Thank you.
Song Chunxue didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up the tea and took two sips. It was light and slightly bitter. Looking at the tea leaves in the bowl, she saw that the tea buds were very tender, quite different from the old tea that farmers drank.
I took a pastry; it was a mixed nuts pastry, and it tasted really good.
"Chunshu has looked at several courtyards recently, and two of them are very good. Their location, layout, and price are all very suitable. The Taoist priest also went to see them in person and said that both are good. He told my sister-in-law to choose one."
As they were talking, Chunshu came in from outside carrying a bag of silver.
“Sir, here is forty taels of silver.” As he spoke, Chunshu looked at Song Chunxue. “After we finish eating, we’ll go and take a look at the courtyards. If you have any more silver, you can add a little more and buy both of them.”
Song Chunxue nodded to him, "Thank you for your help."
Chunshu looked to be about the same age as Sanwa, and his calm and composed demeanor made people feel good about him.
"Of course, of course. Auntie has helped our adults a lot. This is just a small matter." Chunshu bowed to Song Chunxue, not expecting that the adult's friend would be so polite and courteous.
"Alright, go ahead and get busy." Xie Zheng put down his teacup. "He's right, I really wanted to thank my sister-in-law properly today."
As he spoke, he stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply to Song Chunxue.
Song Chunxue quickly stood up, "No, you mustn't. I'm just a country woman, I'm only causing you trouble. How have I helped you at all?"
She gently lifted his wrist, "Sit down and talk, sir. Why don't you tell me what happened?"
Could it be that he's made a fortune too?
"Last time, my sister-in-law reminded me that I was being harassed by some villains. So when I went out, I took two extra people with me. At night, I encountered a group of thugs and was almost dragged away and beaten to death."
"I later found out that someone had hired someone to kill me. If I had been alone as usual, I probably would be in grave danger now."
"And that lucky charm my sister-in-law gave me, it's really amazing. I've been getting a lot of windfall money lately, all from legitimate sources, which has solved my immediate problems. A classmate of mine is seriously ill, and this money has come in very handy."
"I should be the one to thank you handsomely, sister-in-law."
As he spoke, he stood up again to express his gratitude.
Song Chunxue smiled and waved her hand, "You flatter me, sir. It was just a coincidence. Besides, my senior brother sold me that talisman. If he hadn't reminded you that day, you probably wouldn't have taken it to heart."
"If you wish to express your gratitude, please thank Master Zhang next time."
Xie Zheng sat down. "I have already thanked you. The Taoist priest said that my sister-in-law is my benefactor."
At this point, he said, "We've known each other for so long, calling me 'sir' is too formal. I'm new here and don't know anyone. If it weren't for your help several times, I would know my current situation better than anyone else."
He sighed, “Although it’s not entirely appropriate, the local people here are generally fierce. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so officials protect each other and don’t take the imperial officials seriously at all. Recently, I’ve been seriously harmed by some old cases here. If I weren’t so lucky, I would have died hundreds of times over.”
Song Chunxue understood that he must have been having a rough time lately and had offended a lot of people.
Her actions were a timely help.
But Lord Xie was also her benefactor.
If it weren't for Lord Xie, how could that inconspicuous jar have sold for a hundred taels of silver?
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