Chapter 34 He and Xie Pei sold bags during this time...
He and Xie Pei had saved more than eleven taels of silver from selling steamed buns and braised pork, which they originally planned to use to buy land. However, the plan fell through, and they didn't spend a single tael.
Now, with Xie Pei's six taels, that's seventeen taels. It's definitely not enough to buy the shop all at once, but we can try contacting a few more shops to see if they can make an exception and let us pay half upfront, with the rest we can pay later!
Zhu Mingyue thought for a moment and felt that the method was feasible. Without hesitation, he ran out of the kitchen and returned shortly afterward with the money box in his arms.
The box contained a few pieces of silver, but mostly copper coins, which he strung together into neat rows, making a clattering sound as he ran.
Zhu Mingyue wiped the sweat from her forehead and opened the box in front of Xie Pei, counting the items carefully once more.
"Xie Pei, this is all the money we have on hand. After we sell the steamed buns tomorrow, let's go for a stroll on West Street."
The next day at noon, Zhu Mingyue sat in a noodle shop on the side of West Street, looking out the door with nothing to do.
There was still half a bowl of noodles left in the large bowl in front of him. In fact, Zhu Mingyue only ate two bites perfunctorily and then stopped eating. On the one hand, he hadn't found out anything about the shop and didn't have a good appetite. On the other hand, the noodles were just too damn bad.
The noodles looked like they'd been boiled all night; they broke in the mouth and had no chewiness. He'd ordered pork noodles, and when they were served, he thought they'd made a mistake. The fourteen-coin noodles contained only a few thin slices of pork. Even some ramen shops in his previous life would have to admit defeat. Not only was there no meat, but they couldn't even spare the oil. The soup was just a few drops of oil floating on the surface, clear and watery, and yet it was ridiculously expensive.
Shady businessman! Absolutely a shady businessman!
This was the first time he and Xie Pei had eaten out. After a long day of work, no matter how well things had gone, they couldn't skimp on their food. He specially chose a large noodle shop and they each ordered a bowl of meat noodles.
Not long after they sat down, several more groups of people arrived, making the noodle shop much busier. Zhu Mingyue was quite pleased with herself, thinking she must have chosen the right place, but she was dumbfounded as soon as the noodles were served.
In addition to noodles, he also ordered a plate of braised beef. The sauce wasn't very strong, but it was quite fragrant. However, the portion was small and not very cost-effective.
Xie Pei, adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, finished the noodles in his bowl, ate the remaining slices of beef, and then turned his gaze to Zhu Mingyue's bowl of leftover noodles, but it was only a brief glance that Zhu Mingyue noticed.
"I'll order you another bowl." Zhu Mingyue figured he probably wasn't full, which made sense. At home, he usually ate at least three bowls of rice packed tightly in a large bowl, so how could a bowl of noodles with soup be enough to fill him up?
Xie Pei refused: "No need, let's go."
"If you don't mind, why don't you eat my noodles?" Zhu Mingyue hesitated for a moment, then said tentatively, "I really can't eat anymore, it would be such a waste."
Xie Pei's brows finally relaxed, and under his gaze, he nodded without hesitation, poured the noodles from his bowl into his own, and finished eating in a few bites.
Zhu Mingyue, resting her chin on her hands, couldn't help but chuckle. She thought Xie Pei was really awkward. He couldn't stand her wasting food and wanted to help her finish her noodles, so why didn't he just say so? They were both grown men, not men and women. Besides, eating from the same bowl wasn't like kissing; why all the awkwardness? He should just eat what he wanted. Why did she have to bring it up? He was such a picky eater! If they went out to eat together, wouldn't Xie Pei suffocate if she didn't ask?
He suddenly thought of Xu Linguang. That guy's personality was completely different from Xie Pei's. Xie Pei was unwilling to say anything, like a silent gourd, looking gloomy and lacking the vitality of a young man. Xu Linguang, on the other hand, was always smiling and talking like an old lady spinning yarn, going on and on, and his mouth was sharp, mean, and extremely venomous; he could poison himself with just a lick of his lips.
He had been sold here by Big Yellow Teeth for some time now. He was tired every day, but he felt at ease and had hope. He wondered how Xu Linguang was doing at the South Wind Pavilion, and when those days would end.
Tsk, let's wait a while! Once he's set up the shop, I'll take a day to visit him in the county town, and bring him some stewed beef tendon or mutton to nourish him. After all, Xu Linguang's business is such that if he's not careful, he might die from exhaustion.
Zhu Mingyue took out her purse to pay the bill and was about to leave when she bumped into a woman walking hurriedly. The woman was coming from the side and collided with Zhu Mingyue, who had just stepped out of the door and wasn't looking where she was going.
Zhu Mingyue wanted to apologize, but the woman ignored him and strode over to the table where they had been sitting. She grabbed one of the men by the shoulder and tried to drag him away while yelling, "I knew you were out here fooling around again! You're never home, always out drinking and eating at restaurants. Dalang is at the county academy preparing for next year's imperial examination. All that stuff costs money, right? And you, you're just loafing around, emptying the family's savings. How are we supposed to live now?!" The woman cried as she spoke.
"You bitch, get your hands off me!" The man, clearly quite drunk, impatiently flung the woman's hand away and made a move to get up and hit her.
Zhu Mingyue frowned, unable to bear it any longer, and rushed forward to push the man back, causing him to stagger a few steps.
He'd seen plenty of drunken, womanizers, and many of them squandered their entire fortunes. These kinds of people would destroy their families for a few base desires without ever realizing their own wrongdoing. He felt contempt for such men and sorrow for the women they dragged down.
The man grimaced, rubbing his lower back where he had been hit by the sharp corner of the table. The pain sobered him up a bit. He looked closely and saw that it was some meddlesome kid who had appeared out of nowhere, causing him to lose face in front of his brothers. He was immediately filled with rage and his eyes turned red as he was about to punch the kid.
But Xie Pei was much faster than him. The man's fleshy arm had just been raised when it was slammed onto the table and he was unable to move.
The man, with his legs bent and upper body pressed against the table, his pig-like face distorted by the pressure, could only manage to squeeze out a few words of pleading through gritted teeth: "You damned woman, are you just going to stand by and watch me get beaten?"
After all, he was her husband. The woman hesitated for a few steps before stepping forward, wanting to rescue him. In ancient times, it was said that a woman should follow her husband wherever he went, whether he was a chicken or a dog; she had to accept whatever kind of person she married, whether her life was good or bad. The feudal ethical concepts of "Three Constant Virtues and Five Cardinal Guides" that have been passed down to this day seem to be engraved in the genes of every woman, deeply rooted and difficult to change.
The woman pleaded, "Young gentlemen, could you please release my husband?"
"Why are you wasting your breath talking to them? You idiots! Utterly stupid!" Even at this point, the man still spoke harshly to his wife, even though his so-called brothers had already run away when they saw things were going wrong, and only his wife was left to save him.
Upon hearing this, the woman stopped in her tracks, clearly heartbroken and disheartened.
Seeing her like this, the man threatened, "If you dare not save me, I'll beat you to death when we get back!"
The woman's flames, which had been extinguished, were reignited. As if remembering her purpose, she not only refused to save him, but also rushed up and slapped him several times.
The man's greasy face, pale and ruddy, looked almost like a pig. Zhu Mingyue secretly thought the woman had done a good job hitting him, and almost burst out laughing as she pursed her lips.
The commotion was so loud that the shopkeeper, the waiter, the diners, and even passersby all gathered around to watch. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the woman took the initiative to tear off her veil and cried her heart out, tearing open and tearing out all the suffering and grievances she had endured over the years.
The man didn't think he had done anything wrong; he only felt that his wife had embarrassed him in front of everyone and was simply asking for trouble.
He struggled to get up and teach his wife a lesson, cursing and swearing under his breath. He looked like a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.
Fortunately, Xie Pei was strong and had experience catching two pigs with his bare hands, so he was able to control the situation.
“Originally, the family had some savings, but now he has squandered everything. My son still has his studies to attend, and now we have no way to support him.”
Some people were astonished and felt sorry for the situation, while others, standing on their own laurels, wanted to act as peacemakers.
The noodle shop owner, heavily pregnant, feigned concern, saying, "You have to think more positively!" Then, changing the subject, he continued, "As the saying goes, a foolish man fears his wife, while a virtuous woman respects her husband. But then again, your actions are truly inconsiderate, and you can't blame your husband for becoming increasingly addicted to wine and women."
Zhu Mingyue rolled her eyes at the shopkeeper, thinking that this was utter nonsense. He had done something wrong, but instead of reflecting on his own actions, he was shifting the blame onto others. It was utterly absurd!
He tried to persuade the woman to stop listening to the man's nonsense, but she completely ignored what he was saying. After venting her anger, she calmed down, gave Zhu Mingyue and Xie Pei a grateful smile, then covered her face and ran out the door.
Zhu Mingyue chased after her and called out, "Auntie!"
The woman stopped and turned to look at him.
Zhu Mingyue opened his palm, revealing two pieces of silver. He handed the silver to the woman and explained, "I saw it fall from your husband with my own eyes. Keep it safe and don't let him steal it again."
The woman said gratefully, "Thank you so much for your help, young man." She was about to leave after thanking him, but for some reason, seeing that Zhu Mingyue was about the same age as her child, she wanted to chat a little longer.
"To be honest, Auntie will never fall for that man's tricks again. Once I sell the shop at home, I'll go to the county town and leave him there to fend for himself!"
Zhu Mingyue had a sudden thought: a shop?
He tried hard to suppress his eagerness and asked casually, "May I ask where the shop that you want to sell is, Auntie?"
“Right here on West Street,” the woman replied, “the shopkeeper who sells noodles wanted to buy my shop through my husband to start a business, but I refused. He has been complaining about me ever since. He doesn’t know that the shop was part of my dowry and I had complete control over it. Even if I took it to the authorities, no one else could do anything about it.”
"Then..." Zhu Mingyue coughed twice and then asked, "How much silver do you plan to sell this shop for?"
"What? Does the young master want to buy it?" The woman realized Zhu Mingyue's intention and asked in return.
Having said her piece, Zhu Mingyue stopped hiding her true feelings. "To be honest, I have been looking for a shop recently. I have looked at several shops on West Street, but they are either too small or too far back, and the prices are all over thirty-seven taels, which I can't afford."
The woman smiled: "Young man, you probably don't know, but that's how prices are in this area. Anything slightly larger sells for this price." She thought for a moment, then asked, "What kind of business do you intend to do with this shop?"
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