Looking at the five copper coins she had managed to find, the beggar girl's dirty, tear-stained face finally broke into a long-lost smile.
She excitedly kowtowed to Tian Sangui and Zhang Shi, then got up, clutching the coins in her hands, and ran outside.
Watching her stumble away, Zhang felt a sense of relief; a mother can never bear to see her child suffer.
Tian Sangui helped Zhang Shi sit down again: "Mother, we have done everything we could. Let fate decide. Stop thinking about it!"
There are countless pitiful people like this in the world; one cannot be so worried and distressed upon seeing just one that one suffers.
Zhang, with her arm raised and the hem of her dress in her hand, listened to Tian Sangui's advice and gently wiped the corner of her eye.
The waiter strode over with the dishes they had ordered, a smile on his face as he set them out for them.
"Please enjoy your meal, esteemed guests!"
Tian Sangui picked up the chopsticks and handed them to Zhang Shi: "Mother, let's eat!"
Only after Zhang took the chopsticks did he begin to eat.
A plate of stir-fried pork with scallions and garlic, a plate of stir-fried taro, and a dish of broad beans in front of me are considered appetizers?
After tasting both dishes, the pork was full of garlic flavor, and it was the best-tasting dish that Tian Sangui had eaten in the county town so far.
Taro, when you eat it, the clear oil combined with the taro's own soft and glutinous texture makes it slippery and oily. But after a second bite, it becomes greasy and you can't eat anymore.
Regardless of whether the food tastes good or not, Zhang would eat every last bit of anything that cost money, no matter how hard it was to swallow.
Tian Sangui couldn't manage, but he managed to eat a small bowl of pork stir-fried with scallions.
Zhang was so full that she couldn't eat anymore. Before leaving, she put the uneaten broad beans into her bag to take home and eat slowly!
"Waiter, the bill!"
"Here I am!"
The waiter wiped his hands clean on the white cloth on his shoulders, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
He glanced at the table and blurted out the account: "Sixty coins in total!"
"What?" Zhang was stunned, her eyes widened as she pointed at the pork and asked the waiter.
"How much do you think this dish costs?"
Xiao Er had seen all sorts of people, and when Zhang asked him about it, his face remained calm and his smile didn't fade.
"Madam, stir-fried pork with garlic, forty coins; vegetarian taro, twenty coins!"
"Sixty coins in total, that's right!"
Zhang couldn't believe it: "Pork only costs seven coins a pound, but it becomes forty coins at your place! You must be driving a black market car!"
The waiter was startled by the voice and his expression changed slightly: "Madam, you said the meat price is in a township, but we are in a county town."
A pound of pork costs fifteen coins, and with the addition of oil, salt, and our secret seasonings, plus the cook's fees, I'll charge you forty coins. That's already cheap. How dare you accuse us of being a shady business?
Could it be...?
"You country bumpkin, broke?"
Tian Sangui's voice trembled: "How dare you speak like that?"
"Smack!"
With a loud thud, a tael of silver stood firmly on the corner of the table!
The waiter, who was about to lose his temper, was caught in a flash of silver light, and his temper subsided.
He put on his greedy, sycophantic face and was about to reach for the silver when Tian Sangui snatched it away first.
The waiter, though disappointed, dared not show his dissatisfaction on his face.
"Look at my mouth, I can't keep my mouth shut. Please don't take offense, madam."
The waiter reached out and pretended to slap himself across the face, apologizing to Zhang.
Zhang was too lazy to pay attention to him at the moment, and sat in the chair with her face turned to the side.
Tian Sangui wouldn't let this go so easily: "In such a big restaurant, the waiter has a temper even bigger than the manager. Go and call your manager over. I want to hear how he's going to explain himself to me."
The waiter panicked immediately. If the manager found out about his rudeness, he would definitely not be employed again.
"Hehe, don't be angry, miss. How about I give you a discount as an apology to you!"
"Fifty coins will suffice!"
"What, you think you can get rid of me with just ten coins after you've insulted me?"
Tian Sangui had a slight smile on his lips, which made Xiao Er's scalp tingle.
He was blind today and kicked a hard board. To keep his job, he has to endure the pain.
"Then how much would be appropriate?"
That's exactly what I was waiting for. My family runs a restaurant, and the prices of the dishes are clear at a glance. Even in the county town, there's no pork that costs fifteen coins a pound.
This waiter is clearly ripping people off. Two dishes should cost at most forty coins; he probably wants to keep the extra for himself.
“We are all honest and hardworking farmers. We understand that it is not easy for you to be a servant. Since you sincerely apologized, we adults will not hold it against you.”
"Thirty coins, the rest is your apology!"
"ah?"
Thirty coins aren't enough. Forget it, I'll just spend some money to keep my job. This girl in front of me looks shrewd; she's not someone who can be easily fooled.
Consider it a blessing in disguise, and get rid of it as soon as possible.
Seeing that the waiter had given in, Tian Sangui paid thirty coins and then pulled Zhang Shi away.
The waiter looked at the copper coin in his hand with a bitter expression, and listlessly took out ten coins from his pocket to make up the difference.
He will be brooding over this for the next few days.
As they stepped out of the gate and onto the main road, the mother and daughter were bumped from behind by Meng, causing them to stumble forward a few steps uncontrollably.
After regaining his balance, Tian Sangui glared back and saw that the person who had bumped into him was the girl who had been begging for food earlier.
At the same time, she also recognized Tian Sangui and Zhang Shi. She was holding a little boy in her arms who was the same color as her and about the same age as Tian Sangui.
He was weak and powerless in her arms, looking as if he was on the verge of death.
The beggar girl knelt down in front of them apologetically, repeatedly apologizing.
This immediately attracted a large crowd to come and watch.
Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of many eyes, Zhang frowned and went to help her up.
"My benefactor, please, save my brother! He...he's dying..."
Before Zhang could ask any questions, the girl spoke first, pleading with Zhang.
Upon hearing her words and seeing the baby boy in her arms, who was indeed on the verge of death, Zhang's heart immediately clenched.
"San Gui, let's help her!"
Tian Sangui watched from the side, and from the moment the girl spoke, she guessed that Zhang would soften her heart.
Unfortunately, they couldn't very well let Zhang, as the mother, drop her words on the ground in front of everyone in the street.
"Let's go see a doctor first!"
Tian Sangui's brows remained furrowed, but he still led the way.
Zhang helped the girl and followed along.
If they were in Jizhen, she could take him to Doctor Jiang. Considering their past relationship, at least he wouldn't mislead her and could give her a clear diagnosis.
In the county, prices are skyrocketing; you might end up spending all your money without even getting your patient treated.
My heart is bleeding just thinking about it.
He warned himself that this was a one-time thing, and that he must give Zhang a proper explanation when he got back, and not to be so kind as to help everyone he met.
Their money didn't come from thin air; they work hard from dawn till dusk, and they can't resist such kindness.
It's not too difficult to find a clinic on the main street.
Fortunately, it was hot at noon, and there weren't many patients in the hall.
They waited for two people nearby. The doctor beckoned to them, and the beggar girl hurriedly stepped forward, placing her younger brother's wrist on the doctor's table.
Tian Sangui and Zhang stood on either side, their eyes fixed on the doctor's expression.
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