The wealthy man was very generous.
No sooner had the old housekeeper, who was on the verge of tears, left than a woman emerged from the crowd to greet them.
She wore a light blue headscarf, her long hair tucked inside and simply tied into a flower shape, light yet graceful. Her dress had several patches, the colors carefully chosen, not at all jarring, but even adding a unique style.
This style looks familiar; I think I last saw it on a little girl's gray dress.
"mother!"
The little girl ran towards the woman, and the mother and daughter embraced in the crowd.
Someone recognized them and whispered to their friend next door, "Isn't that the seamstress from West Street? I heard she's been distracted while sewing lately, and now her daughter is lost."
My friend exclaimed, "Luckily, a kind person took him home. My wife has been paying extra attention to children on the street lately, so I guess she asked me to keep an eye out for them."
The woman's hand moved from her head to her back, checking her daughter carefully to see if she was injured. Only after confirming that she was alright did she reluctantly let go of her, straighten up and bow to Meng Yan and her senior brother. "Thank you both for taking care of my daughter these past few days. It rained that night, and I didn't see her come back. I guessed that she had gone to another house to take shelter from the rain. But I didn't expect that she would still be gone even after the weather cleared up."
“She was sensible from a young age and would help me with my work. She never caused any trouble. I was weak and powerless, so I could only search for her while weaving, hoping that she would be safe and sound.”
The little girl leaned against her mother's lap, grabbed her hand and shook it, saying, "The older brothers and sisters in the valley are very kind. Every day, besides eating and drinking, they also take time to teach us new things. They know so many things. Mother, look, this new dress of mine was given to me by the older sisters in the valley."
Seeing this, the chubby boy also came over and showed off his clothes, "Mine too, it's so much more comfortable than the usual ones, I don't even need to bring a belt when I eat!"
He disrupted the mother-daughter's tender moment, causing even the onlookers to burst into laughter.
As Meng Yan's only designated spokesperson, the senior brother stared intently at her hand as he replied to the woman, "The little girl is well-behaved and eager to learn. Their arrival has made the valley much more lively. Many children are making friends with normal children for the first time, which makes us very happy."
The crowd noticed something unusual in her words, and the voices that had been defending the artifacts fell much quieter.
"So, everyone in Peace Valley is really disabled?"
Meng Yan nodded, and his senior brother said directly, "In the entire valley, there are 180 people, from the old to the young, all of whom are ill."
“My heart is not broken,” she added.
Meng Yan selected a small, carved furnace from the ice furnace. His senior brother offered to help, but Meng Yan waved his hand and refused.
She lifted the slightly shorter stove with one hand and placed it steadily in front of the mother and daughter who had only recently reunited. "Little girl, you're so good. This specially made ice stove is a gift for you. It's not as big as the others, but it serves the same purpose. She participated in its entire production process, so it can be considered a creation she made herself. Please accept it without worry."
After the senior brother finished conveying the message, he realized Meng Yan's intention. No wonder she brought her child with her to rush the work, and no wonder she personally checked the number of ice furnaces before taking off. It was all for today's gift.
"This..." The woman hesitated. She had heard about this multi-purpose ice furnace a few days ago, which was beneficial for her sewing and for her daughter to sleep in. However, she did not have enough money. Although she could afford it, she did not plan to buy it. Today, she passed by and saw that there were many people, so she decided to try her luck. Unexpectedly, she found her daughter and met a kind person.
The little girl had used an ice furnace before, and now she began to tell her mother about its convenience and many functions. Merchants may lie when selling goods, but a child's introduction to their mother is much more believable.
After a few words, several more people emerged from the crowd to make reservations.
The woman was persuaded by her daughter. She glanced back and noticed Meng Yan's subtle movements. She understood what was going on, thanked him, and decided to take the stove and go home with the girl.
The senior apprentice was busy collecting and counting money when a sudden sharp pain in his shoulder snapped him back to reality. He looked blankly at his junior apprentice who had slapped him hard, only to see her point her thumb in a certain direction, "Go help her, I'll do this."
He knew the weight of a regular ice furnace, and thought that this specially made little guy would be smaller and lighter, but he didn't expect it to be just as good as the ordinary one that was half a head taller than him.
He recalled how Meng Yan had carried it with one hand earlier, and a sense of respect welled up within him.
.
After seeing off the mother and daughter and the laborer, only Meng Yan and the chubby boy remained by the wooden sign, surrounded by a large crowd.
Meng Yan leaned over the table, picked up his pen to sign his name, made a couple of strokes, and collected a handful of money; the chubby boy used both hands and feet, shouting at the top of his lungs as he explained the manufacturing process of the ice furnace to everyone, his face turning red but that did not diminish his imposing manner.
After noting down the guest at the end of the line, Meng Yan stretched and loosened his limbs. He walked leisurely into the group of stoves, casually opened the copper lid of an ice stove, took out a nectarine, and tossed it to the chubby boy.
"Thank you, sister!" He took the peach and put it in his pocket, wiped the frost off the peach with his sleeve, and was about to put it in his mouth when he caught a glimpse of the bustling crowd on the bridge.
He swallowed hard, put the peach back in his hand, and took a few steps to squat down in the middle of the furnace.
"You brat, get out here right now!"
At first, everyone wondered what he was hiding from, but after hearing his shout, their expressions changed, and they watched the old fat man catching the little fat man with great interest.
"I'm not going out, I want to buy an ice furnace!" The chubby boy's voice was muffled, and it was impossible to tell where he was hiding.
His father was so angry that his beard stood on end. He rolled up his sleeves and yelled at the stoves, "You don't have a single penny, what can you buy!"
“If you have one, then you buy an ice heater!” The chubby boy said defiantly. “If you buy one, I’ll leave. If you don’t, I’ll just stay in there. Anyway, it’s cool inside. It’s you who’s hot, not me.”
Everyone laughed and hurriedly tried to persuade the boy on behalf of his father, while naturally there were also some who didn't mind stirring things up.
It was midday, and the weather was already extremely hot. After being annoyed by the little fat boy, the old man waved his hand and made a decision: "I'm taking all the stoves in this area. Old Wang, you go pay the bill. Everyone else, come over here and surround these stoves. I'll catch you, you little brat!"
The expressions of the onlookers, including Meng Yan, froze on their faces, even more rigid than the ice blocks on the signboard, their gazes dull as they looked at the rather chaotic furnace area.
Is this... the source of their confidence?
Meng Yan was stunned for a moment. The gold and silver on the table clattered, the heavy and happy sound of their collision mingling with the wails of the chubby boy next door.
In less than fifteen minutes, the chubby boy was successfully caught by his father, who grabbed him by the ear, and he returned to everyone with a groan.
Meng Yan silently took a bowl of water with icy shavings but not frozen from the stove and handed it to his senior brother, who had just returned and was standing there with sweat dripping down his forehead. The senior brother took it, thanked him, and gulped it down.
Meng Yan handed over another bowl, but her senior brother waved his hand repeatedly, saying, "I can't drink anymore, Junior Sister Yan. Drinking too much ice water is bad for your health."
“For a big client who’s in a fit of rage.” She nodded toward her wealthy, chubby father behind her. “In a fit of anger, he bought up all the finished stoves in our store. I’ve never seen so much money before.”
Although the senior brother didn't say anything after reading it, the trembling in his hands, with only half a bowl of water left, silently told of his excitement.
"Brother, calm down. It's dry and hot outside. Getting angry will make you feel unwell. Have some ice water to calm down."
The wealthy man wanted to refuse, but when he saw the hand missing a finger, he suddenly couldn't say anything. He let go of his restless son, took the porcelain bowl with both hands, and drank it all in one gulp.
Little Fatty wasn't idle either. Prompted by Meng Yan, he took the opportunity to retrieve a bunch of grapes from the ice furnace, along with the peaches he hadn't been able to eat, and offered them to his father: "It's too hot, Dad. Impulsiveness can ruin your mind. There's food and drink here, so you should rest first. Uncle Wang, you should rest too. Little Liu, you should rest too..."
He took everyone who participated in the encirclement and those who watched it off the field to rest. Everyone had a small but cold grape in their hand. He even distinguished between the few who tried to mediate or add fuel to the fire during the beating. The first few had crisp peaches in their hands, while the last few simply stuffed ice cubes into their hands and ran away.
Seeing that the time was right, Meng Yan and his senior brother began to offer everyone ice water to cool them off, and the effect was most obvious on the wealthy man himself.
"This stove is indeed a good thing." He had already pulled out a chair from somewhere and lay down. Beside him was a fruit plate that Little Fatty had dug out from all over the place. Above his head was a parasol that a servant had opened. Behind him stood Little Fatty, whose hands had been massaging him non-stop.
"Master, two mechanics from Ping'an Valley are looking for you." Butler Wang's voice was no longer hoarse.
It was so comfortable that the wealthy man had already closed his eyes and was half asleep. Only when he heard his words did he suddenly remember that he was sleeping on the street. He struggled a couple of times and sat up straight in the chair.
"Please speak, both of you."
Whether it was my imagination or not, this wealthy man seemed to treat Meng Yan and his senior brother very well.
"Thank you for your trust. Ping An Valley hereby promises that if the ice furnace malfunctions or its mechanisms break down in the future, you may write a letter to summon us to your residence for inspection and repair. Within two days of receiving the letter, we will complete the repair or replacement of the malfunctioning mechanism. When we create a mechanism more suitable for the current season, we will send someone to deliver it to your residence first. If you or your family members have any other mechanical desires, you may also inform our disciples who are temporarily residing in various places, and we will design and make them according to your needs."
"Not only that, all the ice furnaces you purchased this time will be sold at half price. Any excess gold and silver will be settled and returned after the furnaces are delivered to your residence. From now on, all your expenses at the disciples' residences in Ping'an Valley will be half price. In a short time, we will compile a book on the skills and crafts of the disciples in the valley and the places where they stay, and send it to your residence along with other creations."
The two stood upright in the sun, solemnly making their promise, so that no one around them spoke for a long time, and only the sound of the wind could be heard.
The wealthy man stood up as soon as they uttered their first words, stepped out from the shade laid out by the servants, and stood facing them under the same sun.
After a moment, he raised his hand, paused in the air for a moment, and then landed on his senior brother's right hand. That hand had three fingers, and he clenched it tightly, so that only two clasped hands could be seen.
"Many years ago, someone helped me out like this. I never thought that at this age, I would still have the opportunity to reach out my hand."
The wealthy man seemed to have something to say, but in the end he just let out a breath, patted his senior brother and Meng Yan on the shoulder, and led the large crowd onto the stone bridge.
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