Chapter 39039 Unfeeling and Loyal
Chapter 39
When we arrived at the market, everyone was divided into several groups, assigned different shopping tasks, and then went their separate ways, just like last time.
But this time no one was left on hold, because Young Marquis Yu also got off the boat. Yu Yan ran happily around the market with his purse, paying bills everywhere.
Meng Yuning followed Mu Feng and his group and wandered around aimlessly, so Yu Xiao also followed them and wandered along the street aimlessly.
Meng Yuning didn't know which store would sell mirrors. Whenever she passed by a store on the street, she would quickly go in to take a look and ask, but they never sold any.
Seeing Meng Yuning had gone to several shops but returned empty-handed, Mu Feng asked curiously, "Miss Meng, what are you looking for?"
Meng Yuning made a circle with her hands: "I want to buy a mirror."
Mu Feng thought for a moment and said, "The grocery store should sell it."
So they asked a stall owner for directions and headed straight to the grocery store. They found out that the product was indeed for sale, but unfortunately, it was sold out and the new batch would not arrive for two days.
Meng Yuning was a little disappointed. "Boss, do you know where else to buy it? We have to hurry and can't wait two days."
The shopkeeper was also a kind person. He pointed to the right after we walked out the door and said, "Go to the end of this street in the market, turn right and go through two alleys. There is a grocery store there. Go there and take a look. Maybe you can find it."
Meng Yuning asked again: "How long will it take?"
The shopkeeper looked at Mu Shan and said, "Based on this strong man's pace, it will take him about two quarters of an hour to go there and back."
Without waiting for Meng Yuning to speak, Mu Shan looked at Miss Meng's head, which was still not even as high as his shoulder. He figured that if he walked for 25 minutes, then Miss Meng would have to walk for at least half an hour, so he volunteered: "Miss Meng, you guys continue shopping, I'll go buy it."
This is indeed a faster way. Meng Yuning reached into her purse and said, "Okay, then please help me make this trip. I'll give you the money."
Before she could take out the silver, Mu Shan said he had it, turned around and walked away in big strides.
After saying goodbye to the grocery store owner, Meng Yuning and the others continued shopping.
This town is further south than Hezhou where they docked last time. There are already fresh loquats for sale. Meng Yuning tasted one and found it very sweet, so she bought both baskets from the old man, including the loquats and the baskets.
Meng Yuning originally wanted to pay for it herself, but Yu Xiao took a look at the pair of cloth shoes with exposed toes on the old man's feet and directly gave him one or two taels of silver, telling him not to need the change, and said that he could just deliver the loquats to the carriage hired by the guards at the market entrance.
The old man took the silver, grinning from ear to ear, and kept saying, "Don't worry, this is a noble man!" Then he carried the silver on his shoulder and went to the market.
They continued walking, passing by a jewelry store. Yu Xiao took the initiative to ask, "Miss Meng, would you like to go in and take a look?"
Meng Yuning thought of the two boxes of jewelry and waved her hands awkwardly: "Thank you for your kindness, young marquis. I don't need jewelry, so I won't go looking."
Thinking of the delicious food he had eaten in the past few days, Yu Xiao sincerely wanted to thank her: "In Yun Zhou's words, my money is his money, so Miss Meng, please don't be so formal with me."
As he spoke, he winked at Mu Feng, who understood instantly. He tugged at Meng Yuning's sleeve with a smile and dragged her directly into the jewelry shop, whispering, "Ms. Meng, it's rare to get the young marquis to spend money so willingly. If we don't spend it, it will be a waste. If we spend it, we will earn money."
"I really don't need jewelry." Meng Yuning really didn't want to buy it. She pulled her sleeve back with force. There was a crackling sound and a small tear appeared on the sleeve. But Mu Feng, that silly kid, didn't let go and kept pulling it hard.
Meng Yuning had no choice. She didn't want to walk around the street with one arm bare, so she had to follow him in.
After entering, Yu Xiao waved his hand proudly: "Boss, take out all the best jewelry in your store."
When the shopkeeper saw the demeanor of the few people, he hurried out from behind the counter, warmly and attentively invited them to sit in the private room on the second floor, and ordered the waiter to bring all the good things in the store.
Due to Yu Xiao's enthusiasm, Meng Yuning had to pick a pair of gold earrings at random.
Seeing that the earrings she picked were made of pure gold, Yu Xiao thought he had figured out her preferences, so he pointed at the heavy and large pure gold bracelets, necklaces, hairpins, etc., and said, "This one, this one, this one, ..., and this one, pack them all up."
Seeing him pointing at a long list of things so arrogantly, Meng Yuning was frightened and waved her hands repeatedly, trying to stop him: "No, no, really no."
Yu Xiao ignored her: "Why not? I might not be there when you and Yun Zhou get married. If I can't make it, these will be considered as extra dowry."
Then he added, "Of course, if I catch up, I'll send it in addition."
Meng Yuning tried to persuade him again, but the ecstatic shopkeeper was afraid that the customer would go back on his word, so he called the waiter to bring the brocade box. The two of them packed all the jewelry in an extremely fast manner.
Seeing Meng Yuning's embarrassment, Mu Feng leaned over and whispered, "Miss Meng, just keep it. When you're short of money later, you can just pawn any one of them. It will last you a while."
Their Highness was currently short on cash and couldn't afford to give Miss Meng much. Miss Meng had left the Meng Mansion with only a small bag, clearly penniless, but as a lady of a wealthy family accustomed to finery, she couldn't bear to live in poverty. Anyway, there was no need for the Highness and the young Marquis to argue about this, so the young Marquis's gift was a good one.
Meng Yuning glanced at Mu Feng and instantly understood why Yu Xiao tried so hard to buy jewelry for her and why Mu Feng tried so hard to persuade her to accept it.
Yes, yes, when we return to Lingnan, Qi Jingyan will still recruit soldiers and horses, and these jewelry can be exchanged for a lot of silver.
Hey, this thing was not bought for her at all. Yu Xiao was using her name to give Qi Jingyan some private money. Why is she being so pretentious here?
After figuring out this key point, Meng Yuning's embarrassment immediately disappeared, and she decided to do a big favor for her good brothers Qi Jingyan and Yu Xiao.
She gave Yu Xiao and Mu Feng a look that said "I understand everything", sat down on a chair, and waved her hand: "Boss, in addition to the ones just now, pack ten more of the most valuable jewelry in your store."
Mu Feng: “…”
Mu Feng secretly clenched his fists. Although he didn't understand what Miss Meng meant by that look, he just wanted to say, "Miss Meng, you did a good job." His Highness was so lucky. His future princess had a pair of golden hands that could bring money home.
Yu Xiao: “…”
No, what does that look of hers mean?
He didn't know why the person who had just been trying to refuse suddenly changed her attitude. Was she trying to be willing to accept it before? Then she acted quite well.
But it doesn't matter. As the saying goes, it's easy to be soft-hearted when you take something from someone. If he gives her more now and comes to ask for food later, she won't be able to refuse.
Besides, if she felt uncomfortable staying with that cold Qi Yunzhou someday and wanted to move to another place, the first place she would think of would definitely be Yu Xiao's house. After all, he was so generous. Then, wouldn't he be able to eat delicious food every day?
With this in mind, he added, "Pack fifty of the most valuable items in your store."
"But let me be frank with you. If you dare to sell inferior products as good ones and deliberately raise the price, the knife in my hand will be used to make blood." He glanced at Mu Feng as he said this.
Mu Feng cooperated very well and took off the sword from his waist, slamming it on the table: "This is the sword."
This small county town is even smaller than the previous Hezhou, and the jewelry shop is not big either. With fifty pieces, they almost bought up all the decent jewelry in the store. If this deal is successful, the profit will be equivalent to a year's profit.
The shopkeeper was so happy that his legs felt light as he walked. He kept saying that his shop was honest and trustworthy. Then he ran to the backyard and called his wife who was cooking to help. Together with the waiter, the three of them wrote the bill and picked out fifty pieces of jewelry to put into boxes.
Seeing Yu Xiao like this, Meng Yuning became more and more certain that she had guessed correctly and that she was just a middleman.
The shopkeeper calculated the bill, adding the jewelry he had picked out earlier, and it came to a total of 875 taels. He glanced between Yu Xiao and Meng Yuning, then smiled and gave them a small gold locket, suitable for children. Yu Xiao took the bill, glanced at it for a few seconds, then took out his banknote and paid promptly.
After they left the jewelry shop with the shopkeeper's warm farewell, the guards' hands were already full of boxes. Yu Xiao asked them to go back first, and he and Mu Feng continued to accompany Meng Yuning for a stroll.
The owner of the jewelry shop stood at the door and watched the few people talking and laughing as they walked away, and waved enthusiastically: "Dear guests, please come again if you have the chance." But after everyone had gone far away, no one responded to him.
He didn't mind, smiled and waved again, then turned back to the store. As soon as he turned around, he saw a woman wearing a veil standing behind him. He was startled and took two steps back.
When I stepped back, I realized that the woman was tall and had a sword hanging around her waist.
He didn't know why the woman was standing there. Through the gauze on her veil, he could vaguely see that she was also looking at the guests who had just left.
Before he could ask the woman if she wanted to come into the store, she turned and walked into his shop. He hurriedly followed her and asked politely, "What would you like to buy, young lady?"
The girl stood in front of the counter and said, "Take out all the things those people just bought so I can see them."
When talking about this, the shopkeeper smiled from ear to ear: "Miss, I'm really sorry, that gentleman just now was so generous that he bought almost everything in the store. Only these are left on the counter. Do you like anything?"
The woman was shocked: "What? He bought her so many things?"
The shopkeeper had been doing business for many years and had met countless people. When he heard the strong anger in the woman's words, he immediately became alert. He thought that she might have some emotional entanglement with the couple of customers just now, so he just smiled and didn't say anything more.
But the woman was obviously unwilling to give up. She drew her sword and put it on the shopkeeper's neck, insisting on asking him what happened when they bought things just now.
Thinking of the generosity of the customer just now and the very beautiful girl who spoke politely from beginning to end, the shopkeeper had a good impression of them and did not want to make a big deal out of it.
Of course, he also thought of the tall and strong guards who followed the two guests just now. He knew that these people had extraordinary origins. He did not dare to make a big deal out of it, lest he become the innocent victim.
So the shopkeeper just said a few perfunctory words.
But the woman was obviously not so easy to fool. She increased the strength of her hand and pressed the sword down: "Speak."
The waiter standing by saw the cold flash of the sword, and his boss's legs trembled, but he was still hesitating. He was so scared that he knelt down and begged for mercy, telling the truth about what had happened in the store just now.
When she heard that the young man had bought so many things for the girl despite her refusal and obstruction, the woman was stunned for a moment, put away her sword, threw down a ten-liang silver ingot, said "medical expenses", then flicked her sleeves and left angrily with her sword.
The waiter helped the shopkeeper, whose legs were weak, to sit on a chair. He then picked up the silver ingots on the counter and handed them to the shopkeeper: "Boss, what does this girl want?"
The shopkeeper touched his neck and saw that not even the skin was broken. He felt like he had escaped a disaster. "How could we know what the nobles are doing?"
After a pause, he patted the waiter's shoulder, his face gratified. "You've been diligent and hardworking for so many years, and you've just devoted yourself to me. Take this money. Also, since we made a big deal today, I'll double your monthly salary later this month."
This was a windfall, and the waiter was overjoyed. He knelt down and kowtowed to the shopkeeper: "Thank you, boss, and thank you, uncle."
The shopkeeper held out his hand: "Alright, help me up. Let's close the shop early today. We have a day off tomorrow. You can go back and spend some time with your mother."
The waiter responded with a smile, helped the shopkeeper up, and the two of them closed the shops and went home.
---
The woman went out and walked quickly in the opposite direction. When she reached the entrance of an alley ahead, she saw a carriage waiting there.
A maidservant carrying a bow and arrow stood anxiously beside the carriage. When she saw her appear, she immediately came forward and said, "Miss, how is it? Did you see her?"
The woman nodded, then shook her head, then got into the carriage, took off her veil, revealing a delicate face as white as jade.
She leaned against the carriage, looking dejected: "Let's go home."
The coachman drove the carriage forward with a rumbling sound.
The maid followed her into the carriage, carrying a bow. Seeing her red eyes, she quickly put the bow aside, held her hand with a distressed look, and asked carefully, "Miss, did Prince Yu do anything to make you sad?"
The woman was silent for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes. "He left the capital in a mysterious manner without even saying a word. It turns out he has someone else in his heart."
The one he liked was actually her, the treacherous daughter of the Meng family.
Upon hearing this, the maid immediately flew into a rage and rushed out with her bow in hand: "What a heartless and ungrateful fellow! I will shoot him with an arrow and kill him to the bone."
The woman grabbed her and said, "Fudong, don't go."
After saying that, she turned her head away, tears streaming down her face, and she choked out a sob, "Don't mention him again in the future."
Fu Dong hurriedly held his daughter in his arms, gently stroking her back, his eyes reddening as he said, "Don't be sad, my daughter. When we return to the capital, we'll have Madam arrange a match for you. With her looks, family background, talent, and martial arts skills, she's sure to find someone she wants. Why bother hanging herself on a crooked tree like Prince Yu?"
The woman nodded and said, "Yes, I'll see you when I get back."
Then he asked again: "Where is Yuan Qing?"
Fu Dong shook his head: "He was here just now, who knows where he ran off to, but there's no need to wait for him, he can catch up."
---
Yu Xiao accompanied Meng Yuning out of the jewelry shop and continued shopping, but he would look back every few steps.
Mu Feng and Meng Yuning both asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Yu Xiao shook his head: "Nothing, I just feel like someone is watching me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a "whoosh" and a sharp sound of breaking through the air coming from behind.
Hearing the voice, Yu Xiao and Mu Feng's faces changed, and they both went to pull Meng Yuning. Yu Xiao was faster, and directly grabbed Meng Yuning's arm and swung her in the air, barely avoiding the arrow that was shot at her vest.
Before he could stand firm, another arrow came shooting from behind, but this time it was aimed at Yu Xiao.
Yu Xiao dragged Meng Yuning to another direction and leaped into the air. When the arrow landed, he threw Meng Yuning towards Mu Feng and said, "Hurry and take her back to the boat."
He then drew his sword and ran towards the direction where the arrow came from.
Meng Yuning didn't see that the arrow was heading towards her, so she wasn't that scared. However, she was first swung around by Yu Xiao on the spot, and then was forced to flip in the air with him. At this moment, her stomach was churning, she felt dizzy, her face was pale, and she couldn't even stand steadily. With the force of Yu Xiao's swing, she was about to fall to the ground face down.
"Miss Meng, be careful." Mu Feng hurriedly supported her and blew a whistle. Several guards who happened to be shopping nearby quickly gathered together. Together with Mu Feng, they carried weapons and protected Meng Yuning as they quickly left the market and ran towards the dock.
One of the guards did not forget to pick up the arrow that fell on the ground, and also pulled out the arrow that hit the sign of a tavern nearby, and took them away together.
On the way, they met Su Yang and Doctor Tang who were going to the clinic to buy medicine. Seeing that they looked alert and were in a hurry, they hurried forward to ask.
Upon hearing that Meng Yuning had nearly been shot by an arrow, Su Yang immediately ran after Yu Xiao: "A Feng, take Doctor Tang back with you. I'm going to help the young marquis."
Considering Su Yang's ability, no one stopped him.
---
When Meng Yuning and her group returned to the dock, they saw that Mu Shan had already returned. He was standing on the boat, smiling innocently and waving from a distance: "Miss Meng, I've sent the mirror I bought to your room."
Meng Yuning was dragged by Mu Feng and ran wildly all the way. At this moment, she could hardly breathe, let alone speak. She just nodded mechanically as a response.
After Mu Shan finished speaking, he realized that something was wrong with everyone, so he hurried over to ask what was going on.
Mu Feng walked without stopping, helping Meng Yuning onto the boat, and asked anxiously, "Where's His Highness? Are His Highness and the Little Princess okay?"
Mu Shan knew something was wrong, and the smile on his face immediately disappeared: "Your Highness and the Little Prince are both fine, and are currently on the third floor."
Mu Feng agreed and helped Meng Yuning go directly to the third floor.
Seeing Meng Yuning being half-supported and half-carried in by Mu Feng, with her mouth open and breathing heavily, and her hair disheveled, Qi Jingyan's face changed and he quickly reached out his hand: "What's wrong with An Ning?"
Mu Feng pushed Meng Yuning towards Qi Jingyan and then let go, his expression extremely grim. "Your Highness, we were attacked. I was useless and let Miss Meng get shot."
Mu Feng withdrew his hand from Meng Yuning's arm, and she lost her support and fell directly onto Qi Jingyan. Qi Jingyan caught her and naturally held her on his lap and sat her down.
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