juvenile
"What?"
The fat shopkeeper held his chest and gasped for breath, not hearing Su Xi's words clearly.
"What did you say?"
"I say, shopkeeper, you overcharged me by thirty-five taels. You wrote that some of the wood was damaged by insects and broken after we received it, so we returned a batch. You forgot to deduct this when you calculated it, so you overcharged me by thirty-five taels."
The shopkeeper was startled and hurriedly took two steps forward to grab the account book and examine it carefully. After a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up and he slapped his forehead, "Yes, it's this extra thirty-five taels that I couldn't figure out no matter how I calculated it, but you, little girl, figured it out at a glance. You're really amazing!"
The shopkeeper showed admiration on his face, but after carefully examining Suxi's clothing, he frowned and said, "Miss, are you a maid in someone else's house?"
Suxi nodded.
"What a shame! You're so good at math, why don't you come to my shop and work as a cashier? It's easy work, and you don't have to grovel and be bullied by your boss."
Hearing this, Su Xi subconsciously turned around to look at Chen Yunqiu. He looked at him strangely, as if he was listening intently, waiting for her reply. Their eyes met, and Su Xi suddenly turned around as if she had received an electric shock. She replied:
"I'm so sorry, boss. We maids have our indentures in the hands of our master, and we can't get out until the time comes."
"Is that so..." The shopkeeper sighed, as if he was really regretful, and Suxi couldn't help feeling melancholy for a moment.
Yes, if it weren't for revenge and to bring the Shen family to justice, she should have helped her parents run the shop, inherited the Su's business, and built a big career with her own hands, instead of selling herself into a slave, living under someone else's roof, and depending on others for everything.
Afterwards, because it was inconvenient for Shen Yunqiu to go upstairs, Su Xi followed the shopkeeper to select a sturdy and lightweight wheelchair and brought it downstairs. The two of them worked together to lift Shen Yunqiu and sit him on the wheelchair painted with dark pine green paint.
"How about this, is it okay?"
Under Suxi's expectant gaze, Shen Yunqiu shook the wheelchair handle and pushed the two wheels. It was indeed much lighter than the previous one.
Su Xi noticed that Chen Yunqiu seemed satisfied, so he asked:
"Okay, this is it. Boss, how much is it?"
"Twelve taels," the shopkeeper said, "but young lady, your father's wheelchair looked quite nice. If you keep it, I'll give you ten taels."
For a moment, Su Xi looked at Shen Yunqiu's expression, which was as dark as the bottom of a pot but he couldn't vent his anger, and he forced himself to hold back his laughter.
"Okay, ten taels then."
As she spoke, she gave the silver, but saw the shopkeeper put the silver on the table, squatted down and rummaged through the cabinets looking for something. After a while, he stood up with a thin gray blanket in his hand.
Su Xi was stunned.
Isn’t this blanket the one that Shen Yunqiu used in his previous life?
Before Suxi could calm down, the fat shopkeeper squatted down and covered Shen Yunqiu's knees with a blanket.
"Little girl, this old man has problems with his legs and feet, and he hates getting cold. Since you helped me solve a big problem today, I'll give you this wool blanket as a thank you."
"Thank you very much."
Su Xi thought it was just a coincidence that the styles happened to be the same, so he thanked her and pushed Shen Yunqiu out the door.
"Hey, Xiaoxi, why didn't you agree to work here? You are my maid, so you don't need to worry about the contract."
After walking a few steps outside and confirming that the shop owner could not hear the sound, Shen Yunqiu asked.
Suxi suddenly stopped and asked:
"So, do you want me to work here?"
After she finished speaking, she didn't know why she asked that, nor why she suddenly became dazed, as if she wanted to hear some answer from him.
"I don't know either."
Chen Yunqiu wanted to say no, but for some reason, he felt that saying so seemed a bit selfish. He couldn't say yes either. After all, he was used to the little girl's chatter, and he really didn't want to go back to his previous life of loneliness and waiting for death. After careful consideration, he simply threw the conversation back to her and let her make her own decision.
"But you have good mobility, so if you want to leave, I can't stop you."
Hearing these words that were obviously full of anger, Suxi's heart inexplicably settled down. She smiled and couldn't help feeling happy.
"I said I'm not leaving, and didn't I also say that even if I leave, I'll remember to take you with me."
As she finished speaking, she saw the corners of the boy's mouth clearly turned up beneath his mask. He continued pushing his wheelchair forward when suddenly a thud came from the end of the alley behind him, as if something heavy had hit the ground. Curious, Su Xi wheeled Shen Yunqiu around and saw a young man in coarse linen clothes lying on the ground, clutching his chest in pain, under an old locust tree at the end of the alley. Several tall, muscular men emerged from behind the half-wall connecting to South Street, iron bars in hand, advancing on the young man.
Knowing that there was a huge disparity in power and that everyone had their own destiny, Suxi wanted to leave this dangerous place, but for some reason, he couldn't move at all.
Because the boy's face was so familiar, even though he was halfway across the alley, he could still recognize him at a glance. That was—
Silver needle.
In a moment, the iron rod hit the boy's head, accompanied by the boy's painful wails, which made people feel terrified.
"Xiaoxi, stop minding your own business and go away."
Suxi pretended not to notice Shen Yunqiu's tugging at her sleeve, picked up a rock, and threw it at the other side, hitting a tall, muscular man in the back of the head. Suddenly, the punches and kicks directed at the young man stopped, and they turned to look at a scarred woman and a masked old man in a wheelchair halfway across the alley.
"Hey, what are you guys doing? Why are you hitting people?!"
Suxi saw the men approaching and retreated in panic, only finally feeling relieved when he reached the alley entrance, where voices could be heard. The other strong men also stopped moving forward, as the clatter of armored soldiers patrolling the alley was too jarring. After all, it would be unwise to cause trouble with their bare hands.
"Get out of here, you stinky bitch! Do you want to die?"
A burly man rubbed the stinging back of his head and shouted.
"Then tell me why you hit me! The soldiers are patrolling East Street. If you don't tell me, I'm going to report it to the police right now!"
"It's only natural to pay back a debt! His father is a gambler who owed us thirty taels of silver and ran away. Now this guy was caught by us to work to pay off his debt and he's running away again within two days. Do you think we, the underground gambling den, are vegetarians?"
"Boss, why are you still talking to them?" Another man with a rat-like face glanced at Su Xi and dragged the leader back. "That kid is unruly. Why don't you just break his legs? Let's see how he can get away!"
"Get out of here, don't meddle in other people's business! Otherwise I'll teach you a lesson too!"
The few minions following behind him uttered threats and turned to the end of the alley, surrounding the young man like a human wall. The leading strong man weighed the iron rod in his palm, raised his hand high and was about to bring it down on the young man's curled knees.
“Wait!”
This time, before Su Xi could stop him, Shen Yunqiu took the initiative to speak.
The burly man paused, as if doubting his ears, and walked straight over to pull off the mask on Shen Yunqiu's head.
"Hey, it's not an old man, it's a handsome young man!"
For a moment, several men turned around and laughed.
"Young Master, you are so handsome. Our gambling house is in need of a young prostitute with delicate skin, tender flesh and soft bones. It's better than you..."
Shen Yunqiu ignored the teasing and humiliation of these people and directly pulled off the jade pendant from his waist and placed it in the hands of the strong man.
"This is made of fine green jade, worth at least fifty taels. Take it and go, and consider it as my purchase of the man."
"Fifty taels?"
The strong man was suspicious. He weighed the heavy emerald green jade in his hand, carefully examined the auspicious beast pattern on it for a while, squinted his eyes in the sunlight, and looked at the green lines inside, muttering,
“It’s really a good thing.”
As if afraid that Shen Yunqiu would change his mind, the strong man quickly put the jade pendant into his pocket and waved his hand. Several of his followers followed him and left. Before leaving, he did not forget to kick the young man who had just struggled to stand up under the locust tree. But he saw the young man limping and stumbling towards him, and immediately fell to his knees with a thud.
"My benefactor, my name is Tiezhu. My mother is dead and my father ran away. You saved my life today. From now on, my life belongs to you! From now on, I am willing to go through fire and water for you..."
"No need, go ahead. I saved you on impulse and didn't want to leave you as a nuisance."
Shen Yunqiu interrupted the young man's impassioned speech and waved his hand.
"No, benefactor, I won't leave! I must stay and serve you! If you insist on driving me away, then I will stay at the door of the Shen Mansion!"
Shen Yunqiu paused.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Of course I know!" The young man grinned when he mentioned this, revealing two rows of white teeth.
"A few years ago, my mother was seriously ill. My father didn't care and only cared about gambling. I was too young to work at the time, so I had to beg on the street. The other beggars were afraid that I would steal their business, so they spread rumors that I was a swindler and bullied me. You happened to see me, jumped off your horse, handed me a gold ingot, and chased the beggars away. Thanks to you, my mother lived for several more years. I'm not running away today, but I'm going to visit her grave on the 57th day of her death."
The young man kept speaking in vernacular with a local accent.
"Master Shen, I was originally thinking that I would go and serve you after I buried my mother, but the people from the gambling house captured me. I thought I would never be able to repay you in this life and could only wait for the next. But who knew that you would save my life today? It is truly a great fate!"
Shen Yunqiu didn't remember this happening, but now that it was mentioned, he remembered it. But...
"I don't need a servant," Shen Yunqiu said firmly. "Even if I did, I'm already terminally ill and won't live much longer. You're in good hands and feet, so what can you do that's better than serving others? Let's go."
"Master, don't talk nonsense!" The young man still knelt on the ground and refused to get up, his voice choked with sobs. "You are a good person, you will live a long life! Besides, I am good at taking care of people. My mother said that I am more considerate than women! With me to take care of you, you will definitely get better!"
"Good man?" Chen Yunqiu murmured, his lips curled up in self-mockery. "A gold ingot is nothing to me. You really don't have to be grateful for other people's charity. As for today, it's just..."
It was just a momentary memory of the time when my father broke my legs and I could never stand up again, and I felt a little sentimental.
"Anyway, you don't have to worry about my kindness. The Shen family won't keep you..."
"I won't keep you as a servant, but I can keep you as a guard! Brother, do you know any martial arts?"
Su Xi hurriedly interrupted Shen Yunqiu, seemingly unaware of the gloomy look in the wheelchair.
"Of course I can!" The young man stood up quickly and threw a punch. "How about it, can I do it?"
"Yes, yes, of course!"
Su Xi spoke before Shen Yunqiu could, "Then little brother, go back and pack your things first, and come directly to the Shen Mansion tomorrow. If anyone tries to stop you, you..."
Su Xi thought for a moment, then immediately took out the jade hairpin that half-tied up Shen Yunqiu's hair and handed it to the young man.
"Just show this to him and tell him that the young master wants you to serve him personally."
"Okay, I'll come tomorrow!" The young man smiled and bowed repeatedly, "Thank you, young master, thank you, young mistress!"
"Missing...what?"
Before Suxi could react, the skinny young man had already disappeared down the alley. She scratched her head awkwardly, but through a mirror stuck on the wall at the alley entrance, she caught a glimpse of the faint smile on Chen Yunqiu's lips.
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