Chapter 39: Shi Yan
Pei Qinghe silently sized up this Young Master Shi.
The youth was sixteen or seventeen years old, with thick eyebrows and long eyes, a straight nose and thin lips, a slightly slender build, and skin somewhat pale.
The Shi Family had few descendants, and in this generation, there was only this one precious sole heir. This Young Master Shi had been physically weak since childhood. Even when coming from his own grain store, he had seven or eight sturdy retainers with him.
“Thank you for helping me just now, miss.” Young Master Shi cupped his hands in thanks.
Pei Qinghe calmly returned the salute with clasped fists: “It was a small effort, Young Master Shi is too polite.”
Young Master Shi took a deep look at Pei Qinghe, then called over the shopkeeper and instructed: “For the things this miss buys today, charge only cost price.”
A chance encounter, a small kindness of lending a hand, was worth just such a return.
This Young Master Shi was very shrewd.
Pei Qinghe gladly accepted: “Thank you, Young Master Shi. I came today to buy seeds. Here are twenty taels of silver; please calculate, shopkeeper, how many seeds that can buy.”
The Northern Lands were cold and dry, generally planting wheat, millet, beans, and the like.
Twenty taels of seeds was a big deal for the grain store. The grain store shopkeeper immediately responded, took out the abacus, his fingers flying, and quickly calculated a number. Wheat seeds, millet seeds, and bean seeds together were enough for five or six hundred mu.
With the Pei Family’s current manpower, being able to reclaim a few hundred mu of wasteland this season would be good; these seeds were sufficient.
Pei Qinghe paid the silver readily: “Deliver the seeds outside the city gate; someone is waiting there.”
Two clerks busily carried out over ten bags of seeds and piled them on the wooden cart. Pei Qinghe gave a look, and Pei Yun and Pei Yan placed the iron plows they were carrying onto the cart as well; Pei Yun led the way in front.
Pei Yan eyed the motionless Young Master Shi, muttering inwardly with suspicion, standing vigilantly by Pei Qinghe’s side. Just like a cub tiger eager to pounce, ready to bare its fangs and claws at any moment.
Young Master Shi smiled at Pei Yan, sending a friendly signal: “Meeting you two misses at this grain store today is quite fateful. My surname is Shi, single name Yan. May I know the two misses’ honorable names?”
The words were directed at Pei Yan, but his gaze stayed on Pei Qinghe.
Pei Yan didn’t want to respond.
Pei Qinghe was more patient than usual, smiling as she replied: “My surname is Pei, I am the sixth in the family. This is my cousin sister.”
“They’re right in the grain store.”
“Brothers, get them for me. After we deal with that little wench, I’ll treat everyone to drinks.”
Noisy footsteps and loud shouting intertwined, and soon seven or eight figures appeared at the grain store door. Leading them were the three ruffians who had gotten beaten earlier.
Zhao Da’s legs were still shaking as he walked, the two beside him one with bloodstains not yet wiped from his face, the other clutching his stomach. All wore faces full of anger. The several idlers called over held wooden sticks, looking fierce.
The group of ruffians stood at the grain store door, cursing loudly with filthy language nonstop.
The reason they didn’t charge straight into the grain store was because of the sturdy retainers behind Young Master Shi. Otherwise, they would have rushed in and started fighting long ago.
Shi Yan’s expression darkened slightly as he looked at Pei Qinghe: “They’re here to make trouble for Miss Pei. Does Miss Pei need me to help?”
Pei Qinghe tugged at the corner of her mouth and crisply replied with two words: “No need.”
A figure flashed, drifting past like light smoke.
Shi Yan didn’t even clearly see how Pei Qinghe moved. In the blink of an eye, several idlers were kicked rolling on the ground, crying for father and mother.
Pei Yan was a step slower, her strength and accuracy also lacking, but when swinging fists to beat people, she was exceptionally ferocious.
The grain store shopkeeper drew in a cold breath.
Several retainers were all stunned: “This Miss Pei is so powerful!”
“Not to mention these ruffians, even if we all went at once, we wouldn’t be opponents!”
In remote and desolate Changping County, where did such top masters come from?
Pei Qinghe kicked Zhao Da flying again. Zhao Da flew several meters like a kite, crashed heavily to the ground with a crack, probably his leg broken. He let out a miserable cry and fainted again.
The remaining idlers, tears and snot streaming, scrambled and crawled away. Rather loyally, they dragged the dead-pig-like fainted Zhao Da with them.
“Remember, I am Pei Qinghe. If you want to seek revenge, come find me in Pei Family Village.” Sixth Sister Pei dusted off her sleeves, straightened her slightly dirtied hem, poised and elegant.
Young Master Shi’s breathing nearly stopped, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter. The way he looked at Sixth Sister Pei was like seeing a rare treasure.
The Shi Family was wealthy and powerful, prosperous in one region, supporting dozens of retainers for guarding the home and courtyard, and secretly gathering some masters.
He was physically weak and unable to practice martial arts, but his eyesight was extremely sharp.
The Sixth Sister Pei before his eyes was a true master!
“Does Sixth Sister Pei have interest in coming to the Shi Family as a retainer?” Young Master Shi’s gaze burned as he made the offer: “One hundred taels of silver a year, how about it?”
Pei Yan curled her lip, her tone sharp: “If our family hadn’t met with disaster, we wouldn’t come to a ghost place like this. You, a merchant, what qualification do you have to recruit Cousin Sister Qinghe!”
Pei Yan had no idea of the Shi Family’s reputation in the Northern Lands, thinking the youth before her was just an ordinary merchant’s son, her tone full of disdain.
“Pei Yan, do not be rude to Young Master Shi.” Pei Qinghe reproved her, then apologetically said to Shi Yan: “My cousin sister is young and reckless, outspoken; please forgive her, Young Master Shi.”
Shi Yan didn’t mind at all: “It was I who spoke too abruptly and rudely just now. With Sixth Sister Pei’s martial arts skill, one hundred taels a year truly belittles and wrongs her. Like this, triple it for a year—would Sixth Sister Pei be willing to work for the Shi Family?”
Pei Yan: “…”
This merchant’s son was quite generous.
Three hundred taels of silver a year! Converted to grain, enough to feed the Pei Family old and young for half a year. Earning silver to support the family wasn’t impossible.
Pei Yan quietly swallowed, tugging at Pei Qinghe’s sleeve.
Pei Qinghe didn’t look at her gold-eyed cousin sister, smiling at the lavish Young Master Shi: “Three hundred taels of silver is indeed a high price. Unfortunately, Pei Family Village has over two hundred people waiting for me, so I can only thank Young Master Shi for his kindness.”
“In the future, if Young Master Shi needs my help, send someone to Pei Family Village with a letter. As long as the young master can pay the price, I will resolve his troubles.”
In other words, three hundred taels for a year’s buyout was too low. For her to exert effort, it would be by her rules—one deal, one price.
This tone was really bold.
Shi Yan had been running east and west managing the family business since age ten. Often looked down on for being young. Precisely because of this, he knew well that a person’s capability and skill had little to do with age. Confused fools who lived decades were everywhere; a clear-headed youth with ruthless methods must not be underestimated.
“Good,” Shi Yan nodded crisply in agreement: “In the future, if there’s a place needing Sixth Sister Pei, I will certainly pay a high price.”
