Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Under the Mask (Edited) Crane-Patterned Face...
Being able to pay 1,500 taels is already Mother Yan's bottom line. If Manager Yu refuses to agree to offset the amount with Liu Yingying's redemption money, she will have to find another way.
Fortunately, she guessed the man's thoughts correctly. Look, Manager Yu has agreed!
As soon as Manager Yu said the word "OK", Mother Yan couldn't wait to call someone to bring Liu Yingying's indenture contract and 1,500 taels of silver, as if she was afraid that the other party would go back on their word if she was a step late.
"I've got the indenture and the money. Let's sign the agreement now and we'll be done with both you and the goods!"
"Okay!" Shopkeeper Yu smiled and accepted the thin indenture and the thick stack of banknotes.
This made Shi Shao, who was standing by, so anxious that he stared blankly and wanted to stop him, but the other party was his master, so he couldn't say anything back and just looked like he wanted to say something but stopped.
Originally owed 5,500 taels of silver, she was reduced to just 1,500, and even avoided a problem. She was overjoyed. Although she found it incredibly smooth, Mother Yan didn't dwell on it. After signing and securing the agreement, she finally felt relieved.
"I think Manager Yu is a wealthy man. Yingying, you will enjoy a good life in the future. Don't forget how kind I am to you, your mother!" Mother Yan's face wrinkled as she congratulated insincerely.
Liu Yingying sneered, "Of course I won't forget Mother Yan's kindness."
She will never forget the kindness of Yan's mother in her life!
Mother Yan ignored the sarcasm in her words, flicked her handkerchief and left with a twist of her waist.
She stepped out of the shop, feeling relieved but also a little annoyed. Why hadn't she agreed when Liu Yingying offered a thousand taels of silver to redeem her? Now, she had gotten into trouble with her friends, and she couldn't get a penny. She even had to pay more money for nothing!
After seeing off Yan Mama and her group, Liu Yingying, who was abandoned in the drugstore, breathed a sigh of relief.
Has she finally waited for this day?
She couldn't believe it was all real. Had she really escaped from Yanliu Pavilion? Was she finally free?
"Master! Why did you agree to their unreasonable conditions?"
Seeing that those people had left and the crowd of onlookers had dispersed, Shi Shao, who had been patient, finally expressed his doubts.
"You are like this, Master's wife... Master's wife..."
If my master's wife knew that I accepted this woman from Yanliu Pavilion, how sad she would be!
During the time Shi Shao worked in the pharmacy, he met his master's wife several times. She was a very gentle person. Sometimes, when his master was busy in the pharmacy until late and had no time to go home for dinner, she would personally bring food to urge him to eat on time. He also benefited from this and tasted a lot of his master's wife's cooking.
I heard that when the pharmacy business was not good in recent years, she stayed by her master's side and raised a son and a daughter, both of whom are very smart and lovely.
"I asked Manager Yu to do this." A pleasant girl's voice suddenly sounded in the pharmacy.
Shi Shao looked up in surprise: "Sister Zhao?"
Zhao Mingsheng and his companions had been hiding in the crowd until they finished watching the farce. After the crowd dispersed, they walked in.
"Yingying thanks the young lady from the Zhao family for your help. I have no way to repay your kindness." Liu Yingying, who had been silent all this time, suddenly became excited when she saw Zhao Mingsheng, and she knelt down straight after she finished speaking.
When he knelt, before his knees touched the ground, they were lifted up by the girl's slender and strong hands.
"No need for such a grand gesture." Zhao Mingsheng was also happy for her and said with a smile, "Actually, the person you should thank the most is yourself."
"Myself?" Liu Yingying was a little dazed.
"Yes, because you never give up, others have the chance to save you." Zhao Mingsheng looked into her eyes and said every word seriously.
At this time, Manager Yu also handed over the indenture contract and three thousand five hundred taels of silver to Liu Yingying.
After receiving the indenture contract, Liu Yingying was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't believe that all this was true. Had she really escaped from Yanliu Pavilion? Was she finally free?
The thin piece of paper in her hand told her that all of this was true, and she had finally waited for this day!
She was even more moved by the thick stack of banknotes. In addition to the 1,500 taels that Yan Mama gave her today, Manager Yu also gave her the 2,000 taels that she used to buy ointment. She was touched but felt very sorry about it.
In order to make the trick more complete, the people she brought with her actually smashed the pharmacy to pieces.
"I don't want this silver. Please use it to renovate the pharmacy. This is my way of thanking you for your help." Liu Yingying left her indenture contract and pushed the remaining stack of banknotes back intact.
"There are no valuable items in my shop. Just smash it. It's a good opportunity to renovate it." Shopkeeper Yu did not take it. He stroked his beard and said with a smile.
Seeing this, Zhao Mingsheng stuffed the banknotes back into Liu Yingying's arms and said, "Take it. You need money even more now that you've left Yanliu Pavilion."
Liu Yingying had no choice but to accept it.
"Yanliu Pavilion should send someone to watch over us. I'll have to ask you to stay in the medicine shop for a while."
Zhao Mingsheng guessed that when Yan's mother went back today and thought carefully, she would definitely find something strange, so letting Liu Yingying stay in the pharmacy was also for her own good.
"After this period of time is over, you can leave and go wherever you want."
Shopkeeper Yu also agreed, "Yes, you can stay in the pharmacy for the time being. If you are willing to learn some knowledge about medicinal herbs, I can teach you."
"Of course I am willing." Liu Yingying nodded with tears in her eyes and said gratefully.
In the joyful atmosphere, Shi Shao was the only one who was dumbfounded.
"W-What on earth is going on?"
How come the bad woman who smashed the pharmacy yesterday became his senior sister today?
Shopkeeper Yu smiled, patted his head, and told him everything.
It turned out that all of this had been planned in advance by Zhao Mingsheng and Shopkeeper Yu. From Liu Yingying's group smashing the pharmacy to Yan Mama's compensation, everything was part of their plan. Even if Yan Mama hadn't offered Liu Yingying's indenture as compensation, they would have spoken up.
Unexpectedly, Mother Yan took the initiative to offer to sell her body as compensation, which saved them a lot of trouble. If Mother Yan found anything wrong in the future, they would have no one to blame, after all, it was she who took the initiative.
Zhao Mingsheng and the others did not tell Shi Shao about these things. This kid was too honest and they were afraid that if they told him, the play would not be true.
"So that's how it is!" Shi Shao suddenly realized and smiled foolishly with some embarrassment. It turned out that he had misunderstood his master.
He looked down at the mess on the ground and said with heartache: "It's a pity to waste these pills..."
"Silly boy, take a good look at what these are." Shopkeeper Yu picked up a crushed pill from the ground and handed it to Shi Shao.
Shi Shao carefully looked at the pill in his master's hand, his eyes widened in surprise: "This is..."
"Don't feel sorry, it's just an ordinary flour ball." Zhao Mingsheng also picked up one from the ground, and with a light pinch of her hand, the flour ball changed shape at her fingertips.
Since everything was planned in advance, how could she waste the pills in the store? The real pills had already been collected by Manager Yu, and the broken porcelain bottles contained ordinary flour balls.
"I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier."
Shi Shao was originally furious at Liu Yingying for bringing people to smash up the shop, so he naturally didn't treat her well. But now that he realized it was all a misunderstanding, his tone was a little apologetic.
Liu Yingying shook her head and felt a little more favorable towards this honest young man. She bowed slightly.
"It's okay, I'll trouble you from now on."
"No, it's not a problem."
Shi Shao blushed and waved his hand.
Since Liu Yingying was unable to go out during this period, she was settled in the backyard of the pharmacy.
Seeing that it would take some time to clean up the messy front hall and that the door might not be open for a few days, Manager Yu simply locked the door and gave Shi Shao a day off so that he could go to the temple fair.
Although this temple fair during the Great Heat is not as large as the large temple fairs in the first month of the lunar year, it is also interesting in its own way.
Before leaving, Zhao's father specifically instructed Zhao Mingsheng and others to burn incense on his behalf, so they first came to the altar.
Several gods are enshrined on the altar here.
In the center is the God of Grain, dressed in a golden robe and holding a golden ear of wheat, with a kind smile on his face, symbolizing a good harvest. To his left and right are the God of Rain and the God of Wind, each holding a magical instrument, symbolizing favorable weather and good harvests.
Zhao Mingsheng was amazed by the lifelike clay sculptures.
After worshipping the gods, they came to the busiest street in Qingkang Town. The already bustling street was now filled with stalls, among which the stalls selling food were the most popular.
The adorable sugar figures are so cute that you can’t bear to eat them; the sugar cakes are fried to a crispy exterior and the sugar juice overflows with every bite.
Zhao Mingsheng was enjoying her meal when she suddenly felt a chill between her eyebrows. Cui Cen had come to her side at some point and placed a small gadget on her head.
"What did you put on me?" Zhao Mingsheng shook his head slightly and wanted to take it off, but he couldn't give up the pastries in his hands.
Cui Cen spoke casually, "It's just a little thing I bought on the street, a brow pendant."
"Don't move, it's all shaking." He reached out and adjusted the eyebrow pendant on Zhao Mingsheng's forehead.
Several thin silver chains were dangling from their ends with thin leaf-shaped silver pieces, forming a brow pendant. Although the material wasn't expensive, it was exquisitely crafted.
When Cui Cen first saw the eyebrow pendant, he felt that it was a perfect match for Zhao Mingsheng, so he bought it eagerly.
Now that I wear it, it really complements me.
The silver chain fell neatly on the girl's round forehead, making her skin look even whiter, and the slightly swaying pendant made her eyes look even more lively.
Zhao Mingsheng looked at himself in the bronze mirror beside him and found that he looked pretty good, so he just let it go.
In addition to stalls selling jewelry, there are also stalls selling clay sculptures, windmills, and masks. These are all inexpensive little gadgets that you can pick up for just three or five cents.
Most people around were wearing a painted mask on their faces, so Zhao Mingsheng and the others followed the local customs and each chose a mask.
Zhao Mingsheng ate the last bite of the cake, wiped the sugar residue from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, and put on a mask with a cloud pattern of Epiphyllum.
Cui Cen was wearing a black robe today, which matched the crane-patterned mask on half of his face perfectly.
As soon as they were brought up, they heard someone shouting.
"The Water God is coming! The Water God is coming!"
Zhao Mingsheng looked up and saw that leading the performance were two dancing lions covered in golden colors, dancing with great vigor and power.
Behind the two dancing lions followed an extended cart, which carried a clay sculpture that was much larger than the clay statues seen during previous worship.
The crowd rushed in the direction of the sound and soon dispersed Zhao Mingsheng and the others.
Zhao Mingsheng tried hard to break free from the crowd but to no avail, and had to be pushed forward by the crowded crowd.
When she reached the next street corner, she suddenly saw Cui Ergou, who was wearing a black robe and a mask with a crane pattern on his head.
She quickly squeezed through the crowd and grabbed his sleeve.
Her action seemed to make the man slightly stunned.
"There are too many people here. I don't know where my brother and Shi Shao have gone. Let's find a place with fewer people and then look for them." Zhao Mingsheng took off the mask on his face while speaking. It was really stuffy in such a hot day.
As soon as the girl's pretty face was revealed, the man who was about to shake off her hand stopped.
Zhao Mingsheng found it a little strange that Cui Ergou didn't respond, but she didn't think much about it. She chose a place with few people and pulled him out of the crowd.
Zhao Mingsheng pulled the person beside him and squeezed out of the crowd with great effort, and came to a relatively quiet alley.
She looked around for a long time in the bustling crowd, but couldn't find her brother and the others. She simply gave up the search and turned her head and said:
"Why don't we go back to the pharmacy first? They won't be able to find us for a while, so we'll naturally meet back at the pharmacy later."
The person opposite nodded slightly.
After turning around and taking only two steps, Zhao Mingsheng suddenly heard someone calling her name. She quickly turned her head to look and was stunned. It was another person wearing a mask with a crane pattern, rushing towards her.
Zhao Mingsheng suddenly turned his head to look at the people around him, and then looked at the person who was chasing him.
Did she recognize the wrong person?
It's no wonder she was like that, the two of them were wearing the same color clothes and were about the same height.
Just as she was looking carefully and trying to tell the difference between the two, the person who came later had already caught up with her.
"Who are you?" the two men under the masks asked in unison.
The man on the left has a steady voice, while the boy on the right has a slightly more childish voice.
As soon as the two of them started talking, Zhao Mingsheng realized that he had mistaken the person. The person who caught up with him was Cui Ergou.
Cui Cen pulled off the mask on his face and stared at the sleeves of their clothes with a sharp gaze, as if he wanted to stare a hole in it.
The other man wearing a mask was about to say something, but he was stunned when he saw the face under the mask.
Under this gaze that seemed to be turning into a physical entity, Zhao Mingsheng loosened his fingertips awkwardly.
Cui Cen came to Zhao Mingsheng and pulled her behind him with a vigilant look on his face.
He was wary of the man in front of him who was wearing the same mask as him, and he didn't know what his purpose was.
"I'm sorry, I recognized the wrong person." Zhao Mingsheng said to the man with a hint of apology, turned around and pulled Cui Ergou's sleeve to leave, "Cui Ergou, let's go."
This pull didn't move.
The boy stood there, his thin lips slightly pursed under the mask.
But we can't let him go like this. Although Zhao Mingsheng recognized the wrong person first, this person didn't tell the difference and just let himself be dragged away. It's really suspicious!
Thinking of this, Cui Cen looked at the man opposite with a slightly sharper look.
"Who are you? What is your purpose for doing this today? Tell the truth now, or I will definitely accuse you of kidnapping a woman."
Having been a teacher for so long, he now speaks with a serious tone.
The man opposite was not in a hurry in such a situation. The corners of his lips under the mask even curled up slightly. He raised his hand and slowly took off the mask on his face.
"Your uncle."
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