Chapter 120
After escaping from prison, he no longer had to choose to join the Tiger and Wolf Army or to go to Burning Chai Mountain, which was a good thing. However, he had no food or water, no rest, and the wound on his back was not properly treated during the escape, which was very troublesome. Not long after, Jiaming fell into coma in a secluded place and thought he had fallen asleep.
When I woke up, it was already dark. As there was no calendar and no one else around, I had no idea how much time had passed. I looked at the leaves around me, they were still as lush and green as before, so beautiful. But the sky was getting darker and darker, so pitch black that it felt a little eerie when I looked at things. Jiaming rubbed his eyes and decided not to sleep for the time being and continued on his way.
He couldn't say where he could go, but it was better than standing still and waiting to be caught or killed by wild animals. Although he knew in his heart that night was not a good time to travel, if he fell asleep this time, he really didn't know when he could get up.
He patted his clothes, stood up and hurried on. Because he couldn't see the road clearly, he walked with a limp. When he walked, the wound on his back was almost stuck to his clothes. It felt like the muscles in his back were pulled and painful every time he moved. He had to grit his teeth all the way, otherwise he was afraid of accidentally biting his tongue.
After walking for a while, the sky gradually looked like it was getting brighter, so Jiaming slowed down his pace. He thought that since he had been walking for so long, it would not hurt to take a short break. Anyway, he did not stop completely, so he could not be considered tired or lazy.
After making up his mind, Jiaming brushed his hair, grabbed a bug that had just fallen from a tree, threw it far away, and then took his hand back. He was about to sit down to rest, but when he almost sat down, he immediately stood up, patted his chest, and said with a smile, "That was a close call."
Just as he was congratulating himself, his foot suddenly slipped, as if he had stepped on something soft. Feeling strange, Jiaming closed his eyes and tried to look, and found that there really seemed to be a hole under his feet. He lowered his head and observed carefully. Without waiting for a wild boar, black bear or poisonous snake to emerge from it, he gradually bent down, reached out his hand little by little, and began to grope.
He felt as if there was a passage here.
He touched a door, which was very simple but could be opened and closed. Jiaming was shocked, but couldn't help thinking, if this is my luck, I can't just leave like this. If it is someone else's thing, there is no one around here. Either the person who put the thing has died long ago, or can't find the place, or forgot about it. It is impossible that he is hiding nearby, otherwise, he will catch me as soon as I appear.
Fortunately, he was not arrested again just after being released from prison.
Jiaming was delighted for a moment and forgot everything else. He was about to open the door and go into the passage to see what was inside. The door was very simple and he opened it easily. A thin layer of yellow soil rustled down from above. As the door moved, more soil fell down as if to fill a hole.
Jiaming was not afraid of being buried by the soil after he went in, and he walked in happily. When he looked inside, it was pitch black, even darker than outside. He could not see clearly for a moment, so he could only stand at the entrance. He paused for a while, and when he looked again, he suddenly realized that he had found a treasure worth a mountain of gold and silver.
Gold and silver are piled up in it, pearls, agates and jade are scattered among them, and white skeletons are lying on the side. There is a lamp high up, and under the lamp is a small box. When the box is opened, there is a piece of paper inside, and on the paper it is written, "To tell the truth, I am a prince of the previous dynasty here. Time has passed, things have changed and people have changed. I have no relatives at home anymore, and I don't want to live alone. I have stored the treasures collected by the dynasty for hundreds of years here, and whoever comes can take it away."
This is a great bargain!
Jiaming was even happier. He packed up his things and caught a rabbit that had made a hole in it. He held the rabbit's ear and went out. He planned to pick up some branches, make a fire, find a stream, wash the rabbit with the water in the stream, and eat it.
It was just a little difficult to start a fire. After thinking about it, Jiaming used the method of drilling wood to make fire. After a long time, a dent appeared on the wood and it turned slightly black. A little burnt smoke came out, but there was no flame. Jiaming accidentally saw a burning stone nearby. He hit it twice and lit the wood.
Because he was arrested and put into prison, he did not have a knife with him, but he found a knife that was barely usable in the treasure pile just now. The reason why I say it is barely usable is that this knife looks too gorgeous, inlaid with gems and gold and silver. It is very beautiful, but it also looks like a beautiful waste. People are reluctant to use it but are worried that they will not be able to use it.
Fortunately, the knife can still be used after being sharpened, so Jiaming used the knife to sharpen it slightly and then processed the rabbit. He first peeled the skin and then washed away the blood to prevent the blood smell from being too strong and making the food taste meaty and not tasty. Some people would think that the blood smell was meat, but Jiaming did not think so, so he had to process this part in advance.
After washing the skin lightly, put it aside to dry the water stains inside and outside. The meat should be cut and the bones removed to make rabbit meat cubes. It can be eaten cold, smoked or spicy. However, there are not many ingredients on hand, so it is not easy to operate. Jiaming thought about it, picked some snake berry and mint leaves from the side, rubbed them and stuffed them into the meat cubes for marinating.
After slightly removing the fishy smell from the meat, I washed it again and used the fire lit by plants to cook the rabbit. It's not that I didn't want to find other things, but I couldn't find anything suitable for the time being. It would be better not to look for it and eat something first. If I don't eat anything, I will starve to death.
The water here looked very clear. While roasting the rabbit, Jiaming looked at the water and felt very thirsty. Thinking that he would have to eat dry rabbit meat in the future and was afraid that there would be no water to drink, he took out a small water bottle from the treasure, scooped some water from it, and roasted it over the fire. When the water in the bottle began to bubble, he could take it out and wait for it to cool.
After the water has cooled, you can drink it. Jiaming took a big sip without hesitation and sighed with emotion. He felt much better than before. The rabbit meat was almost ready to be roasted.
"Who is it!?"
Jiaming shouted loudly at the black shadow that escaped.
"I, I am a hunter who came into the mountains to hunt. I smelled the smell of food and saw the smell of smoke, so I came over to take a look. I thought someone was lighting a fire or eating. I thought, if someone is eating, I will eat with them. If someone is lighting a fire, I will put it out to prevent it from burning."
The hunter turned around and said to Jiaming cautiously.
"Are you really a hunter?"
Jiaming looked at him suspiciously, afraid that he was lying, but judging by his dress, speech and behavior, he didn't seem like a fake hunter.
"I am a hunter. I live at the foot of this mountain. There is a town at the foot of this mountain. My home is at the edge of this town. I am not the only one in my home. If you go there, I can ask my daughter to entertain you. Please don't kill me."
"Do you have tea at home?"
"some."
"Do you have any condiments with you?"
"To be honest, I brought some salt candy."
"Only these two?"
"There is no more left. If you need it, you can actually look for it in the mountains. You can find it. If I didn't always look for some seasonings in the mountains to sell, I don't know how my family would survive."
"Strange, didn't you say you were a hunter? How can a hunter find seasoning if he doesn't hunt to survive?"
"Oh, you don't know. You can make a living by hunting, but it's impossible to sell it for a high price. Often, there may be no prey at all. No matter how frugal our family is, we can't go without food. We can't just wait to starve to death, right? We have to find some other ways to survive. Although I usually hunt, I also look for condiments, which is not contradictory.
My daughter grows some green onions, ginger, garlic and leeks in the small yard at home. When she has free time, she fetches water, chops wood, carries things on her back and weaves cloth to sell. She is very sensible.”
"oh."
Jiaming walked back and sat down. The question had already come to this point, so there was no need to continue the discussion. He just didn't know whether the hunter knew the location of the treasure. If he knew, he was afraid that he would be tempted by the money and want to kill him. He invited him home to trick him into coming home and kill him so that he could clean up the body and steal the things. If he didn't know, he couldn't let him stay here for long.
Otherwise, if this person finds out something is wrong, he will inevitably become suspicious, and then nothing good will happen.
Seeing that Jiaming had no ill will towards him and had no intention of killing him, the hunter approached Jiaming cautiously and asked with a smile, "Can I have a bite of your rabbit meat?"
Jiaming glanced at him and asked, "Can your condiments be used together?"
The hunter nodded and said with a smile, "Of course! Of course! Isn't it because of the seasoning that I dare to come over to see it? If not, what would I eat! I eat these things when I hunt in the mountains. Without salt, the food will taste much better. Don't be polite with me. I will only eat a little bit and won't snatch a lot from you. I still have some dried food at home. If you don't mind, you can come home with me."
As he spoke, seeing that Jiaming's expression did not change, he sat down not far from Jiaming.
"Hey, can I have some?"
The hunter asked tentatively.
Jiaming glanced at him and said with a smile, "Why not?"
The hunter happily washed his hands and began to take out a bag from his clothes. Inside the bag was salt and sugar. He pinched a little bit and sprinkled it on the surface of the rabbit meat. The tip of the flame burned it and he cried out, quickly retracted his hand, and asked Jiaming with a smile: "Excuse me, can I have a meal?"
Jiaming nodded.
The hunter happily stretched out his hand and tore off most of the rabbit meat that was still roasting on the flames. He stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it twice, and said with a happy smile, "Delicious, delicious. It is indeed a good rabbit."
Jiaming asked with a smile: "Haven't you ever eaten rabbit meat before?"
The hunter shook his head and said, "I have eaten rabbits before, but rabbits are hard to catch. They run around everywhere and are very fast. In this kind of mountain forest, I can't compete with most people who use traps. However, traps take time to set up and wait. I never know when I can catch one. At home, I only eat them to satisfy my hunger. After all, one rabbit is not enough for a group of people to eat as much as they want.
They could only share the food, but even then they felt unsatisfied, as if they were never full. Although they all thought rabbit meat was delicious, they couldn't eat enough meat. If it was placed in front of them, they would feel it was a pity if they ate it too often, but if they ate it less often, they would be unable to resist eating it again. If they ate too much, they would feel sick of it. It was only when they were not sick of it that they felt it was a hassle. If this continued, they didn't know when they would be able to eat it again.
You can only eat it once, and don’t worry about the rest.”
Jiaming smiled and said, "Oh, that's quite interesting."
The hunter smiled bitterly and said, "It would be boring if we were full one meal and hungry the next."
Jiaming nodded and said, "But it's better than having no meal at all."
The hunter looked at him curiously and said, "I see that the knife in your hand is very beautiful. It is not something that ordinary people can get. Why are you wearing such shabby clothes and still talking like this? I thought someone like you would not feel depressed."
Jiaming said: "What kind of person am I? Everyone has their mood swings, and it's not determined by whether you are rich or poor. It's just that poor people are always more likely to be sad. Rich people are a little better in this regard and are a little happier, but that's it. If you really compare them, I'm afraid they are no exception."
The hunter nodded, not quite understanding: "Oh."
After they ate the rabbit meat, the hunter looked at the rabbit skin beside it, examined it and asked, "I wonder what use you have for this skin?"
Jiaming asked, "Are you useful?"
The hunter nodded and said, "I am a hunter, and I have a channel to sell furs. I see that you don't live near here. If you take it away, it will be a waste. Unless you have other uses for it, it doesn't count. Just pretend I didn't say anything."
Jiaming said, "It's not particularly useful. Since you want it, please take it away."
The hunter smiled and said, "Well, I won't be polite with you. I'll eat your rabbit meat, and we'll be acquainted. I'll split the price and give you the money for the rabbit skin. You can come down the mountain with me and get it from my house. How about that? If you need anything, you can take it from my house. As long as you remember me and come back to chat from time to time, I won't lose money."
Jiaming was a little curious: "Your family is not rich, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have to go to the mountains to hunt. But, you said I can take what I need from your house. What if I empty your house?"
The hunter smiled and said, "I know you won't do that. The knife in your hand is worth my entire fortune. If you really want my whole family, I only want your knife. What do you think? Will you be at a disadvantage? I think someone like you will not torture someone like me over such a trivial matter."
Jiaming asked again: "A person like me? Do you think I am a rich man?"
The hunter was a little surprised and asked, "Isn't it? You look very rich."
Jiaming was silent for a moment: "I don't have much money."
He smiled and said, "Maybe there will be more in the future."
The hunter smiled and said, "That's it, isn't it?"
He thought Jiaming wanted to hide his wealth for fear of being targeted, so he went along with Jiaming's idea and said with a smile, "Even if you don't have a lot of money now, people like you will definitely be rich and powerful in the near future. No one can compare to you. You are destined to rise to the top! I am optimistic about you. Don't let me down. Hahaha! Hahaha!"
He was a straightforward person and didn't like beating around the bush. Coincidentally, Jiaming didn't like it either, so the two talked more. The hunter took out a water bottle from his waist and said to Jiaming, "This is filled with my good wine! It's very expensive, and I usually don't want to drink it, so I hide it and put it here. I carry it with me, and drink it when I want to, and take it out and smell it when I want to.
The smell is nice too. I think it smells much better than the powder scent of those so-called noble ladies, at least a hundred times better! Although there are differences between men and women, it is not quite appropriate to compare with them, but I can't think of anything better at the moment. Hahaha! Do you want to try it?"
Jiaming took a curious look, smelled the aroma of wine, and asked hesitantly, "Can I really drink it?"
The hunter nodded.
Jiaming said, "But, after I drink your wine, I don't have any extra money to give you."
The hunter smiled and said, "I see you are a rich man, otherwise I wouldn't approach you like this. Don't be afraid, just drink it. I still have some here. If you think it's good, bring this kind of wine to me in the future! It will make our meeting today worthwhile."
Jiaming was skeptical: "Okay then."
He still drank a little wine. It tasted spicy at first, and he felt that it was like a stream of bright red chili juice, going straight up his throat, and then like boiling water, falling into his stomach, as if he had obtained a golden pill.
His whole body became hot, his cheeks quickly turned red, and his lips became moist, as if covered with honey.
"It seems like you're not very good at drinking, hahaha! No wonder, you're not used to it, right? Hahaha!"
The hunter took back the pot, drank it himself, and said with a smile: "Okay, good wine, I'm finally here today!"
Jiaming narrowed his eyes, scooped a spoonful of water from the side to wash his face, then washed his hands and said, "I've drunk the wine, eaten the rabbit, and taken the skin. It's time to go."
The hunter nodded and said, "Yes, yes."
He stood up, tidied himself up, walked in front, led Jiaming, walked all the way to the foot of the mountain, and came to a small house. This small house was his small house. He pushed the door open, and there was no one inside. He asked Jiaming to sit down, and he went to hang up the rabbit skin. He came back with some money in his hand and handed it to Jiaming: "Your rabbit skin belongs to me, and this money is yours."
He sat down and said with a smile, "I wonder if you think this little money is worth it?"
Jiaming glanced at him, stood up and said politely: "Of course I like it. I'm leaving now. I'll give you the things and give me the money. I have something else to do, so you don't have to see me off."
As he was about to leave, the hunter quickly stopped him and asked, "Are you leaving now? Did I make you angry?"
Jiaming shook his head: "No. I just have something to do and can't stay here any longer."
The hunter asked, "Did I delay you?"
Jiaming smiled and said, "I'm in a hurry to get on the road, and I don't dare to distinguish between things that can be delayed or not. Please let me go as soon as possible."
He said this and continued walking towards the door.
The hunter said, "Don't worry. After all, you can wait until my little daughter comes home. It won't be too late for you to leave! Why don't you go meet her?"
Jiaming shook his head: "No, no, I have something else to do."
A real man should not be tempted by beauty, that's the way it should be.
The hunter repeatedly asked him to stay, but to no avail. He could only let go of his hand in dismay, touched his nose, lowered his head, and said with downcast eyes: "Well, all right. I tried to persuade you to stay, but I couldn't persuade you. If you don't want to stay, it's my little daughter's bad luck. If you want to leave, then go!"
After he said that, Jiaming didn't hesitate, turned around, opened the door and went out.
He opened the door and walked on the road, and saw a young girl carrying a basket and going home. Jiaming walked away without looking at her. He only felt that the girl he saw on the road was somewhat similar to the hunter, but he did not look back or ask, and continued to walk away.
Jiaming walked on the road, found a stream, and sat down nearby. He thought that he couldn't just go back like this. If he used this face to meet people, he would definitely be caught and thrown into prison. If he was locked up again, he would not be able to go to Kyoto. It would be better to change his identity.
Just say that you are the only son of a wealthy family and that your parents died early, so you go out alone to travel and experience the local customs and culture. If you can go to Kyoto, it would be great. If someone asks you about it, just say that you heard that Kyoto is very prosperous and you want to go and see it, so that you can be considered an experienced person.
I believe that most people would not be suspicious of rich people. Moreover, this is not a wild idea that will be discovered as soon as you meet and open your mouth.
Money can be taken from the mountains, clothes can be bought on the street, and after styling your hair, you should look different from before. Your skin color will also be different from before because you were in prison for a period of time. As long as your identity is confirmed, disguising yourself is not a difficult thing. However, when you are on the road, you need to prepare more than just clothes and food.
If possible, it is best to buy a certificate for yourself as a backup. It is more valuable than gold, silver and other valuables.
If you want to pretend to be a rich man and just act like a nouveau riche, you will surely be looked down upon by the royals and nobles. You also need to learn some skills while walking. I heard that rich people are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and they are also good at riding, shooting and wrestling. You also need to learn poetry, books, etiquette and the Book of Changes. It is extremely troublesome and I don't know if you can succeed in a short time.
After much thought, Jiaming used his money to ask for a room at the inn. After washing up, he bought new clothes on the street, changed into a new pair of shoes, and even found a hairdressing shop. He walked into the alley, which was pitch black and winding. If you didn't know, you would think it was a kidnapper's territory. Fortunately, this was an old master with superb skills, who was hiding here because he was afraid of being questioned.
Before the old master took action, he repeatedly asked Jiaming for his opinion and asked him to promise not to say anything nonsense after leaving.
Jiaming nodded in agreement, and the old master changed his hairstyle and helped wash it. He said to him, "It will definitely keep its shape in three to five days. After a while, even if you don't touch your hair, you should take it apart and wash it. Then, you can come back or do it yourself."
Jiaming asked: "How can I handle this myself?"
The old teacher smiled and said, "It depends on how you want your hair to look."
Jiaming felt that he could not get any more questions and wanted to leave. Before leaving, he looked at his appearance on the water and suddenly wanted to learn the skill of cutting hair. He looked at the old master and asked, "Can you teach me? I want to learn. I don't need advanced skills. As long as I can live on my own in the future, that's enough. I probably won't open a shop to do other people's hair for a while."
The old teacher didn't agree at first, but Jiaming gave him a lot of money, so the old teacher agreed after some hesitation. Jiaming studied here. After more than half a month, the old teacher said to him, "It's almost done. You said that the level of your study was just to take care of your own hair. Now it's enough, you can leave."
Jiaming nodded, thanked the old teacher, turned around and left. He went to a store on the street to buy clothes. He heard someone say that a local house was for sale at a very low price. However, no matter how cheap a house is, it is not as cheap as buying vegetables. Most people think it is very good and are envious, but at the same time they can only sigh in despair. Therefore, this house has been very popular recently.
Everyone was guessing who would be able to buy the house in the end, and they were planning to go and congratulate each other together.
It is understandable for the host to hold a grand banquet to celebrate Qiao Qian's wedding.
Jiaming bought a new set of clothes and asked the owner if he could teach him how to select fabrics and make clothes. The owner almost thought he was joking, but seeing that he was serious and generous, he hesitantly agreed and told him to come and learn tomorrow. He could work part-time in the store for a month and maybe he could become a master. Anyway, Jiaming's requirements were not strict.
Jiaming agreed, calculated the time, and asked about the house. The shop owner also knew about it. Seeing that he was curious about it, and considering that he had just given a large sum of money, he thought that he might be able to buy the house, so he said to him: "It has been in disrepair for many years, no one lives in it, and it has some leaks. If you buy it, you need to repair it, but no one is willing to spend such a lot of money."
Jiaming asked: "Why? I heard them talk about it differently."
The shop owner laughed and said, "Of course they are different. They only know one of them, but not the other. I know more than them, so it's different."
Jiaming asked: "Why is this happening?"
The boss said, "They are just trying to cheat the poor. The rich people would be unhappy if they knew the situation. I advise you not to take this risk."
Jiaming asked hesitantly, "Speaking of which, I heard that the government recently issued a notice saying that anyone who buys a house can be considered a resident here, is that right?"
The boss looked at Jiaming in surprise, nodded, and smiled, "Of course, didn't you see the notice when it was posted? Someone read it out loud, even people who can't read would know it. But some people can't read, and they don't have the money to buy a house, let alone have a household registration here. Without a household registration, they are not human, and it doesn't matter when they die.
I thought you wouldn't worry about such a small matter as you are such a rich man. You don't seem to be in a hurry, or you have already made up your mind. I didn't expect you were waiting for this? Do you have relatives or friends who are officials in Kyoto? Otherwise, you knew the news a long time ago and waited until today to ask me? You are amazing!
I wish I had known you earlier. My family is not as rich as you, and I don’t have any relatives or friends in Kyoto to rely on, not to mention that you can thrive in a strange place without a household registration, and you know the content of the government notice in advance. You are really an incredible person! "
Jiaming smiled and said, "I'm not."
The shop owner waved his hand and said, "You don't have to hide in front of me. People like you are indeed rich. Wherever you go, you are like a pearl and no one can mistake you. Even if you want to hide, you should be more careful. Look, you just bought a new dress, you are wearing silk and satin, and you have gold and silver jewelry in your hands. You just came back from somewhere, right?
You don't need to work, nor do you farm, and there's no one else at home. You still have enough money to walk around the streets every day without worrying about yourself. If you see something you like, you buy it and take it home. But you still don't have a house and you keep a lot of your stuff in a hotel. Either you are very talented and brave, or you have a strong background and you are not afraid of being set up or robbed!
Am I right?"
Jiaming sighed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "I don't think so, but what you said makes sense, and you can't say it's wrong. That's it. I'll stop here today, I have other things to do. I want to take a look at the house. If it's good, I'll register here and consider other things later."
The shop owner nodded: "Okay, see you tomorrow."
Jiaming nodded.
He went to see the house and thought it didn't look that great on the surface. The further he went inside, the more spooky it became. However, he was surprised by the furnishings in the house, and the orientation and width of the house were good. He bought it without hesitation. The owner was very happy and said with a smile, "We can actually help the next owner deal with small problems such as leaks and weeds on the ground."
Jiaming said, "Okay, please help me deal with it, and then notify me to come and live here when it's done."
The former owner nodded: "Okay, okay. I'll do it as soon as possible."
Jiaming nodded, returned to the hotel, washed up, and rested for a night. The next day, he reported to the owner of the clothing store and began to learn how to select fabrics and cut clothes and shoes. He learned it in more than half a month. The owner was amazed and praised him, saying, "It's amazing. When I first learned from my master, I couldn't finish it in a month. But you learned it in a short time.
You are such a gifted person. If you were a little poorer, I would have thought of asking you to run the shop here with me. Unfortunately, you are so rich that you don't look down on my shop. I can find children from poor families to be apprentices and servants, but I can't ask you to do these things. To be honest, I am scared when I see you busying around in my shop every day.
I was afraid that you would suddenly come to me at night and tell me that you were not coming, that you were angry, and that you wanted to smash my store. Fortunately, you didn't do that.
I also want to thank you. You learned so quickly, I can rest assured, if you just make two pieces of clothing, you have learned enough. If you want to study how to make clothes carefully, I can't teach you. If you are willing, go to Kyoto, find the best embroiderer in the world, and learn more, maybe you can become a world-famous tailor.
But if someone like you really did something like that, it would inevitably make people feel that it was a waste. Forget it, I am just your master. People like you are destined not to have only one master. It is up to you to choose any path you want to take. It is up to you to learn anything you want to learn. You are also a person who likes to learn, which is a good thing. I wish you a smooth journey and a bright future! "
Jiaming nodded, thanked the master, walked out of the shop and went to look at his own house. It had been basically cleaned up. The previous owner was working on the house late at night and when he saw him coming, he smiled and invited him to go next door for some tea before leaving.
Jiaming shook his head, looked at the people busy on the roof and on the ground and said, "I want to learn their skills. Can you recommend someone for me?"
The former owner was stunned for a moment: "Ah? What did you say?"
He suspected that he had not heard clearly, and also suspected that his old eyesight had affected his brain and ears. Now he didn't know what the rich people meant.
Jiaming smiled at him and said, "I want to learn how to repair roofs and weed. Aren't they a team that specializes in dealing with damaged houses? I want to learn from them for a week. If I can simply learn a little bit of their skills, then if something happens to the house in the future, I won't have to run back and forth for them, and it can save me time and money."
The previous owner listened to what he said, reacted for a moment, and said with a smile: "Oh, so this is what you mean, no wonder you are rich. Do rich people save money like this? If I were you, I would not save money on this, no matter how much I save, I would not be willing to do so.
However, since you have this idea and are eager to learn, I will ask them. In fact, if someone like you wants to ask them to do something, they will never refuse.
But if I tell them, they probably won't believe it. You can go with me and tell them. When they see you, they will know that I am not lying and believe what I say. Then things will be easier. To tell the truth, they will come to my house to deal with the house. If you follow them to learn, a week is just the time to deal with my house.
Have you thought it through? Don't regret it halfway."
The previous owner stared at Jiaming closely.
Jiaming smiled and said, "I know what you mean. If I give up halfway, I will be sorry to everyone and myself. I won't do that. Moreover, there is only one week left. It will be too late to regret it. I don't think there is anything to regret. Do you think I won't give them money? I'm not asking them to take me with them for nothing. I don't believe that there is anyone in the world who can't get along with money."
When the former owner heard the word "money", he couldn't help but smile with his eyes shining, "Oh, so that's your plan. If that's the case, then it's easier to talk to them. Originally, your status meant that they didn't dare to go against your wishes. If you give them money, they will be even happier. If they don't want to teach you all the skills they know, they will be worried when they go home to sleep! Hahaha!"
He patted his clothes and said, "Very good, I will go tell them right away, they will definitely be happier than me."
As they were talking, the former owner took Jiaming and told the workers who were still working what had happened.
When the workers heard this, they were stunned for a moment, thinking they were joking and burst into laughter. But then they noticed that there was something wrong with their expressions. Realizing they were not joking, their expressions gradually froze. The former owner quickly seized the opportunity and told them the whole story from beginning to end while they were stunned, and even emphasized it at the end.
"He will give you a large sum of money. Aren't you short of money? We all work for money, right? Why would you be so hard on money? It doesn't take long, just a week or seven days to make a fortune. After you divide it, that sum is enough for each of you to eat for a month! What's wrong with that?"
The previous owner of the house mentioned the advantages in a provocative manner, and his cheeks turned red.
The workers looked at each other, thought about it, nodded, and agreed to their request: "If that's the case, then fine, but you have to pay us first and follow us for a week. He has to do whatever we do and listen to whatever we say. He can't quarrel with us, fight with us, do things to us, or interfere with our work."
The former owner frowned: "Why do you ask for so much? People who don't know would think you are the ones who pay! Don't push your luck! We are not easy to bully. At worst, we can go to the government and you can see who is right! Besides, there are two of us here. If he is the only one here, wouldn't you kill him? This is too much! Don't be arrogant.
You guys should hold back! Think about it carefully. If there weren't people like us willing to help you, give you a job, and feed you, you would have starved to death. You are a bit capable, but there are many capable people in the world, and not all of them are like you, arrogant, complacent, and self-satisfied! If you continue to be like this, you will have no way out."
The workers looked at each other and said, "Okay."
In a week, they had almost finished repairing the house, and Jiaming had also learned a lot. At least he could check and fix the problems himself when there were any. After collecting the money, they left. The former owner wanted to comfort Jiaming, but he didn't find anyone in the house. Confused, he muttered at the door: "It's weird. It would be fine if the house wasn't repaired, but why is he still not here after it's repaired?"
Having said this, he turned around and went back to his residence to rest.
Little did she know that Jiaming had already gone to the shoe store, wanting to learn how to make shoes and embroider.
The shoe store owner was shocked and asked quickly, "Are you serious? How much do you want to pay? How long do you want to learn? Do you want to be like me or my apprentice? Do you want to fix your own damaged shoes after learning, or do you want to open a store selling shoes after learning? If you want to open a store, forget it. I'm already an old store, you can't compare to me.
You will only lose money.”
As he spoke, he began to give Jiaming some earnest advice.
Jiaming said, "I don't want to open a shop, I just want to learn some skills. This way, if my shoes are broken, I don't have to wait for others to help me. If someone wants to use my shoes to get money from me, I can also tell whether the other party is sincere or false, and whether they want my money or my life. Isn't this a good thing?"
The shop owner was skeptical: "How long will it take you to learn?"
Jiaming said, "I will come here to start learning tomorrow. It will take at least a week. If I don't have other things to do, I will continue to learn here. When I can learn to the level of the store owner's apprentice, I will be almost there. It will take at most a month. I have other things to do and cannot stay here forever."
The shoe store owner nodded and said, "If that's the case, then of course it's fine. Just get ready and give me the money tomorrow. I will arrange for an apprentice to take care of you. How much you can learn depends on yourself. Don't blame me for not telling you in advance."
Jiaming nodded, indicating his agreement, and the matter was settled.
In fourteen days, Jiaming had almost learned everything. One evening, the shoe store owner checked Jiaming's homework, which was the homework assigned by his apprentice the day before. He asked Jiaming to go home, pick up a piece of cloth and use the soles in the store to make a cloth shoe. If there was time, he could use wool and soles to make a woolen shoe. Everything was done.
Whether you look at it under the lamplight or in the daylight, it looks good. There are no flaws, no needles hidden inside the shoes, no damage, no missing threads, and no embroidery that is out of shape. Because this time the material is for practice, the shop owner said: "Use good material to make another pair of shoes. If this shoe is well made, then you can be a master. If it is not made well, it can only be said that you have not learned well."
Jiaming nodded.
The next day, he brought new things. The shop owner opened the shop early in the morning. When he saw Jiaming coming, he came out to take a look. He saw the things in Jiaming's hand, took them, opened his pocket and found that there were indeed shoes. He glanced at Jiaming and saw that his eyes were red and there were some dark circles under his eyes. He knew that he had stayed up late to make these things. He felt a little angry and wanted to blame him for not conserving his energy and only caring about rushing.
But, he thought again, it would be bad to scold someone without even looking at the things, so he sat down, took out the things in his pocket and looked at them. He found that his craftsmanship was better than yesterday, which meant he had made progress. He blushed and stopped thinking about scolding him. He checked carefully and couldn't help but sigh. He patted his hand and said, "You did a great job. If you are poor, you can sell shoes to make a living."
Jiaming smiled.
The boss said, "Okay, you can go home now, and take the things home with you. You have done a great job, and you have already graduated."
Jiaming nodded and picked up his bag to go home. The boss asked, "Hey, what are your plans for the future?"
Jiaming thought about it and sighed. In fact, he had wanted to leave here for a long time and was extremely anxious. However, he always felt that he was still a little short of it, so he said, "I want to find some more teachers to teach me to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
The shoe store owner stood up and said, "Although I don't know what you said, there is a classroom in the east of the town. Every day, teachers and students go there to learn about the Book of Songs, the Analects, Zuo Zhuan, Mencius, Confucius, Laozi, and the Doctrine of the Mean. If you are interested, you can go and see it. There is a young man in my brother's family who has learned the art of playing the zither. I heard that he wanted to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination. Unfortunately, he was weak and was always blocked by his family and never went. However, his teacher was famous and taught him for many years. He just left recently. Maybe he had something to do and can't come back for a while. If you don't mind, go find my brother's young relative and he can help you learn the zither."
Jiaming hesitated for a moment, nodded and said, "Okay, thank you very much, but I wonder if it will be expensive for him to teach others? He is a student, and he has never taught others before, right? What if he doesn't know how to do this?"
The shoe store owner thought for a moment and said, "That's right. I'll ask you. If you are free tomorrow, you can go with me to visit relatives. It's a good opportunity for you to meet. If it works out, we can talk about it in person. If not, you don't have to think about going again and waste your time with them. Just find someone else."
Jiaming nodded: "Okay."
The next day, the boss took Jiaming on a bullock cart to meet his relatives. The relative's house was in a large house in the countryside. When they knocked on the door, the person who opened the door was the doorman. The doorman saw that it was a relative and happily opened the door and said to them, "I will go and inform them. Please come in and wait for a moment."
The boss nodded, and the doorman trotted in to call the relatives.
The doorman came back soon and led them to a small room to sit down, and asked them to wait a moment. The doorman went back to guard the door. A servant came in from the door. He was wearing gold and silver jewelry. He looked quite beautiful. He was very beautiful with colorful embroidery and richness. He was covered in jewels, and the silk and satin shone slightly, which made him even more eye-catching. The servant was very proud. He sat beside them and looked at them.
"Oh, it's been a while. You're my brother. What brings you here?"
the servant asked.
"We came here because we heard that my brother has a young man who has studied the art of playing the qin for many years and wants to become his disciple."
"Give me money?"
"Of course."
"Who?"
“It’s the one next to me.”
"Do you know who our guy is?"
"Who?"
"Old man, you should also be courteous. He is not from our family, but came from Kyoto. You must know what Kyoto is like. One brick can hit three people in official uniforms, and two stones can hit five princes and nobles. You can't provoke him easily. Although it is prosperous, it is also dangerous and very troublesome. I can't go into details about what happened there."
"If you can't elaborate, then what are you going to say? To keep people on suspense?"
The shoe store owner was not used to the appearance of this servant, so he raised his eyebrows, squinted his eyes, and asked with his body tilted.
This look can't be said to be looking for trouble, but it's not very formal either.
The servant was a little angry: "What's wrong with you? I was talking to you. No wonder you answered like that. We don't have any contact anymore. It's really shameful to have such a relative."
A voice came from outside the door: "When will it be your turn to point fingers at my relatives?"
The servant knelt down in panic and said, "I am talking nonsense. How dare I say anything about my master's affairs?"
The man walked up to them, a magnificent figure, very bright, as if just by standing there, the room would be three times brighter, so that Jiaming, who was standing nearby, could not help but squint his eyes, thinking that this man was a little difficult to deal with, and seemed like someone from another world.
If the shoe store owner wasn't here, Jiaming would definitely not be here.
Now we can only hope that the shoe store owner can say a few more words to tell this person not to pay attention to Jiaming.
Otherwise, Jiaming really doesn’t know how to speak better.
He never likes to hang out with people he has nothing to do with, let alone have a serious conversation with them.
Fortunately, the man didn't say much after letting the servant go. He looked at the owner of the shoe store and said with a smile: "Brother, how come you have time to come to see me today? I thought you wouldn't come! Now is not the New Year or a festival. Do you have something to talk to me about? Just tell me. What is it?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Jiaming beside him. Apparently, he had already guessed three-quarters of the answer.
The shoe store owner laughed and said, "Since you have seen it, why are you pretending to be blind? He is standing right here, and you still can't see it? I am looking for the young man in your family who can play the piano to be my teacher."
The boss brother blinked and asked, "Is he here to learn to play the piano? But most people don't have the money to learn that. He doesn't look like someone who has money or free time. Isn't it inappropriate for him to learn this?"
The shoe store owner waved his hand and said, "What's the use of suitable or not! He has plenty of money, time, and is willing to learn, so I thought of bringing him here. If you are willing to let someone teach him, then teach him. If not, forget it. I will take him home instead of embarrassing him in front of a wealthy family like you. What do you think? Give me a definite answer!"
The boss brother frowned and said, "It's not that I don't want to agree to you. It's just that the relationship between that person and me is not particularly good. We don't have any blood relationship. As for friends, we don't usually meet. He is just living in my house temporarily. Before he came, he told me that my family would provide him with food, clothing, housing and transportation, and he would not go out. As long as he is kept alive, I will naturally give him money when the time comes.
If the money is to be given to me, it is to be returned to me. It is so clear, what is there to be unclear about? He wanted to draw a clear line between us.
Although I don't know exactly what family he came from, but his clothes were very rich and beautiful at the time, and I can't compare to them now. All his expenses for eating, drinking and having fun in my place over the years came from Kyoto. People in Kyoto sent him money and sent letters back to him. It seemed that they were very familiar with each other and knew how to go, which road to take, what to say and what to do.
That’s all. I’ll tell you a guess. I’m not sure, but looking at his appearance, I think it’s very likely.
Could it be that his ancestors were very prominent, but the main line of his family did something wrong and was demoted, so he could not return to Kyoto. He was weak and his movements were restricted, but he was not short of money. He could only drink and have fun every day to amuse himself. If he had free time, he would read books and play the piano to satiate his ambitions, so as not to be impatient and want to return to Kyoto immediately. To be honest, he has never given up for so many years.
But I haven't really been there for so many years. Don't you think it's strange? Do you think he really has a background? His money has made my family rich. I can't give you the money, and I don't want to get you involved. I know you feel that I have distanced myself from you, so you don't come here often, but in my heart I really treat you as a brother and look forward to your coming.
We are relatives, we hang out together from time to time, no one cares, and we are happy, what's wrong with that? Please don't misunderstand me."
The shoe store owner didn't listen to him and just laughed: "Since you speak so sincerely, I will reluctantly believe you. Now quickly ask someone to call that young man over. In terms of age, status and seniority, he is the eldest and second son in the family, and he shouldn't be so arrogant. You are afraid of him, but I am not. You live here and you can't get away. I'll do it!
I have work to do today. How can I do it without seeing others? Just call someone. I am too lazy to leave."
The boss brother tried to persuade her, "Don't do that! Don't do that! A man like him must have a bad temper. If you boss him around like this, even if he comes, he won't be in a good mood. How can you let him teach you? If you want to be a disciple, you still have to go in person to show your sincerity. Then he will be more kind after seeing this, and if he can teach you, he will teach you.
If you can't, forget it. It's not easy for us, a small family, to win when fighting against those big families!"
The shoe store owner reluctantly gave up the idea of asking people to come over, and stood up and said, "Okay, since it has come to this, it would be a shame for me to walk all the way if I don't take a look. Follow me!"
He was addressing Jiaming.
Jiaming stood up quickly, and they went out. The boss's brother walked in front all the way. When they reached the gate of a small courtyard, he whispered to the shoe store owner, "That man is inside. You must not make any noise. He is in poor health. It would be fine if we speak in a low voice. If we suddenly go in and scare him, it's fine. But if he gets sick from being scared, even if he agrees to help, he won't be able to go to school right away, and he will still be a burden to you. If you can help not to be angry with him, be more tolerant."
The shoe store owner nodded and said, "I see, I see. People who don't know would think you two are a family. Oh, I forgot about that. You have lived together for so long, and you even took his money. How can you not be considered a family? By the way, I am away from you. I don't take his money, I don't live with you, and I don't come here often. We are already estranged. How can I compare?"
He said this, smiled, and went to knock on the door.
The boss brother said quickly: "Brother, brother, don't misunderstand me! We are from the same mother, how could I alienate you? It's not that you won't come, and I don't know what you mean. Isn't it difficult to find you? You are over there, so far away. I am afraid that if I find you, you will be scared, which is not a good thing. Instead of meeting you and making you angry, it is better to wait until you calm down.
"That's what I think, it's true, don't get me wrong, I don't mean anything else, he and I have no blood relationship after all. No matter how close we are, we can't be closer than you, right? Don't say such things in front of him, I know you are straightforward, but if you say that, you will definitely not have a teacher. You don't want to be without a teacher, right? Listen to me!"
The boss nodded reluctantly: "Okay, come in with us."
The boss brother quickly shook his head: "I don't want to go in. I haven't been in there for ten days or half a month. What's the point of me going in now? If others don't know, they might think I'm going in to cause trouble on purpose."
The boss laughed and said, "You went in to cause trouble, so what's the point of us going in? Do you think we went in to cause trouble? Or do you think you went in with us to cause trouble? He lives in your house, not you in his. I really don't know why you are like this. What's the point of backing out again and again? You don't have any leverage in Kyoto!"
As he spoke, he shook his head, somewhat angrily.
The boss brother said, "Okay, since you are like this, then I will go in with you, but I have to tell you that I will not say much. When the time comes, you can do whatever you want. You can handle it yourselves."
The boss nodded: "I see. I really can't rely on you at critical moments."
The boss brother laughed and said, "If you don't rely on me, you can't see this person, and you can't enter this room. How can it not be considered relying on me? Don't think of taking the credit for yourself."
The shoe store owner thought so and nodded: "Okay."
The door opened.
There was a young child inside, who looked at them and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Although he was talking, he looked alert and didn't look like he was going to open the door. The shoe store owner glanced at him unhappily and said, "It's really funny. You live in someone else's house, what's the point of asking someone to come in? What else can you mean? Just take a few steps? What do you think?"
The child was stunned for a moment, feeling ashamed and angry: "What's wrong with you? It's so rude! How did I offend you that you talk like that?"
The shoe store owner had already walked in, stepped over the threshold, and said without turning his head: "What are you talking about? I don't understand you. If you want to talk, just say it directly. If someone doesn't know, they would think we are here to rob you. Why don't you open your eyes and see who your master is."
The boy's face flushed red, and he ran over and asked, "What did you say? What master? Of course I have a master, so you don't need to worry about him. If you want to cause trouble, I advise you to leave now, otherwise don't blame me for being rude."
The shoe store owner asked, "What can you do to me? Are you going to kick me out of my brother's house? I really don't know whose house this is. You are so arrogant. Did you learn this from your master? What a bully."
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