Chapter 137: Let it go or not?
Seeing Zhong Min's painful look, Luo Jiaxing didn't say anything. He just stretched out five fingers and waved them in front of Zhong Min. It was obvious that he didn't care about the money.
Five hundred taels? Seeing this, Zhong Min really didn't know what to say to him. This kid was really generous. It was obvious that he had never been poor. I wonder how many ordinary people could be supported by five hundred taels of silver!
"I don't have that much money to pay you back!" She managed to hold back her words for a long time, wanting to roll her eyes at Luo Jiaxing. She didn't even have that much money these days; saving money was difficult, and losing it was easy. She had no idea how much this thing would be worth if she took it to a pawnshop or sold it somewhere else.
"I didn't ask you to return it." Luo Jiaxing said with a smile: "After all, you call me Brother Luo, so I'll just consider it a gift to you. Anyway, I've known you for so long, and it seems like I've never given you anything before."
Zhong Min disapproved when she heard this, saying, "That won't work. This thing is so expensive, and it's not just a small gadget. How can I accept it from you for free? I'll calculate the total amount when we get back. If it's not enough, I'll return the rest to you later."
She was considering whether she should start looking for ways to increase her income, otherwise she would really have to beg for food after leaving Prince Mu's Mansion.
Luo Jiaxing said seriously, "If you say you're going to return it, that's too polite. Didn't you just say I was tall, rich, and handsome? This little bit of money is nothing to me. If you're calculating it so clearly with me, it makes me feel even more like I really have nothing but money. Even giving gifts to friends gets rejected. I'm such a failure as a human being."
Hearing this, Zhong Min was stunned for a moment, feeling that if he insisted on calculating everything, he would seem a bit too rigid. After a moment, he didn't mention the repayment again, but simply said, "Even so, you still have to bargain. Didn't you see the boss's expression just now? You can tell at a glance that he made a lot of money."
Seeing that Zhong Min didn't mention returning the money and looked like he was in pain, Luo Jiaxing smiled and said, "Actually, this thing is really good. He didn't ask for too high a price. If it were sold in the capital, it would cost at least eight or nine hundred taels."
"Really?" Zhong Min's heart immediately became excited when he heard it. If he was short of money in the future, he could earn more by selling it.
"Of course it's true. How could I lie to you?" Luo Jiaxing naturally didn't know what Zhong Min was thinking. If he knew that this girl had the idea of selling it now, he would probably want to vomit blood.
This time, Zhong Min finally stopped nagging about spending too much money. After a while, seeing that Xier and Zi Yan had already picked out the things they liked, they got up and left, continuing to shop elsewhere.
Seeing that Luo Jiaxing had already spent a lot of money, Zhong Min felt embarrassed to buy anything else. She just found a clothing store and asked the store to find two sets of men's clothes that fit her size according to her previous idea.
Seeing that Zhong Min chose men's clothing instead of women's, Xi'er casually asked her why she bought it. Zhong Min didn't explain, saying it would be useful in the future and that it was just a precaution. Luo Jiaxing didn't ask any further questions, but just watched with a smile. In fact, it didn't matter what Zhong Min bought or played with; as long as she was happy, it was enough.
After coming out of the clothing store, it was already late. Although they had eaten a lot along the way, they had consumed a lot of energy after shopping for an afternoon. Not to mention Xier and Zi Yan, even Zhong Min felt a little hungry.
Luo Jiaxing took them to a small tavern in a relatively quiet area, saying that although this tavern was not very famous, the food it made was very authentic, and the homemade osmanthus wine was even more unique. Luo Jiaxing was the one who came here the most on weekdays, so naturally he brought Zhong Min to try it as well.
The shop is run by a couple in their forties, along with their two teenage sons who serve as waiters. It's not a large space, but it's clean and comfortable, and most of the customers are regulars, so the atmosphere is quite welcoming.
Seeing Luo Jiaxing coming, the shop owner and his wife seemed very happy. They hadn't seen Mr. Luo for a long time. When they saw Luo Jiaxing with Zhong Min, they smiled especially happily for a moment and quickly cleared the table and asked them to sit down.
Xier and Ziyan naturally did not dare to sit at the same table with Luo Jiaxing. The shopkeeper was also very smart and quickly cleared out another table for Xier, Ziyan and the other two followers brought by Luo Jiaxing who were following behind from a distance.
"This is the first time Mr. Luo has brought friends to our restaurant for dinner." The owner quickly said to his wife, "Hurry up and dig out a jar of sweet-scented osmanthus from the backyard and treat Mr. Luo and this young lady well."
Seeing this, Zhong Min immediately understood that the couple must have misunderstood something, perhaps mistaking her for Luo Jiaxing's favorite. However, she didn't explain anything; the more she tried to explain, the more confusing it became. She was still going to get a piece of the pie, so she simply let them go.
Luo Jiaxing also seemed very happy, and it seemed that he had a very good relationship with the store owner. He did not order any special dishes, but let the store owner take care of it and serve more special dishes for Zhong Min to try.
While the owner was preparing the food and drinks, Zhong Min smiled and said to Luo Jiaxing, "Do you usually come here alone?"
Luo Jiaxing nodded, not knowing what Zhong Min meant by asking this. "I come more often when I have time. I've been so busy lately that I haven't been here in a while. The couple who own the shop are very nice people. I don't have many relatives, so it's nice to chat with them about family matters."
"No wonder. The way they looked at you just now told me you're an extremely enthusiastic person." Zhong Min said this, and suddenly remembered what Luo Jiaxing had said about not having many relatives. She became curious for a moment: "By the way, who are your other relatives? I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your family before."
Hearing Zhong Min's words, Luo Jiaxing was slightly stunned. After a moment, he looked at Zhong Min and said, "My parents passed away very early, and I don't have any other brothers or sisters. Over the years, I have always followed the prince in battle, and I have always regarded him as a family member."
Although Luo Jiaxing's reaction was relatively calm, Zhong Min still blamed herself for being reckless. Asking these questions to others for no reason would only bring up other people's sad memories.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that. I was so reckless." She said this with a hint of apology, but her heart suddenly empathized. Although her family was still alive, they were separated forever in two different time and space, and she feared they would never see each other again. So, she could naturally understand Luo Jiaxing's feelings. Even the strongest people always have a relatively fragile heart.
"There's nothing to be sorry about." Luo Jiaxing said frankly, "My father was also a general. He followed the prince when the prince was still a prince. Once, the Western Rong attacked the border, and the prince led the troops to counterattack, but he was betrayed by an internal traitor and was in dire straits. My father and the soldiers fought desperately to protect him, and only then did they fight their way out of the bloody battle to get the prince back to the camp. Unfortunately, my father died from his injuries. Before he died, he told me that the prince was the most promising commander-in-chief of the three armies in the history of our dynasty. As long as the prince is here, the northwest border will be impregnable, and foreign tribes will never dare to invade our Central Plains. My father asked me to continue his mission, to be loyal to the prince and follow him for the rest of my life. That's why I followed in his footsteps and followed the prince into the battlefield."
"After my father's death, my mother also passed away. The prince treated me very well. We've been like brothers for so many years. I know that this is not only due to the prince's gratitude to my father, but also due to the affection we've had for each other for so many years. The prince has a cold personality, and although he never said anything, I know he was truly kind to me, so I also treat him like a family member, not only because of my father's dying words, but also because of my sincere respect for the prince."
This was the first time Luo Jiaxing had spoken of these things to an outsider. He didn't know why he had brought this up to Zhong Min. It would have been fine if it was just about his parents, but he had even gone so far as to describe the relationship between him and the prince in such detail. In reality, he had seen through the prince's feelings for Zhong Min from the very beginning, and he should have been happy for him. After all, having someone he truly loved wasn't an easy feat for Xiao Mingzheng.
But to be honest, he was not really happy in his heart, because he knew his own heart better.
Originally, if Zhong Min had been willing to accept the prince, he wouldn't have entertained any other thoughts. However, Zhong Min refused to be one of the many women in Xiao Mingzheng's backyard. This naturally gave him a glimmer of relief and hope. Although he knew it wouldn't be easy, and that Zhong Min only considered him a good friend, with no romantic feelings between them, the feelings lurking deep within him still made him feel a happiness he had never experienced before.
After listening to Luo Jiaxing's story, Zhong Min finally understood why Xiao Mingzheng and Luo Jiaxing had such a close relationship. Recalling the time when she was caught and sent back by Luo Jiaxing, she pouted and said, "No wonder you wouldn't let me go after I escaped from Prince Mu's Mansion last time. If I had known that you and the prince were such close friends, I wouldn't have wasted so much time talking to you."
"I didn't expect you still remembered this. Are you still angry with me?" Luo Jiaxing said helplessly, "I was just following orders at the time. Although I really wanted to help you privately, I couldn't go against the prince's will."
"That's right. We weren't that familiar back then, so even a fool would have chosen." Zhong Min smiled nonchalantly, not really holding any grudge against Luo Jiaxing. "Actually, I was just saying it casually, so you don't have to take it to heart. But if it were now, with our close relationship, if I asked you again, would you let me go or not?"
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