Chapter 134: Strange
After coming out of the dance hall, Su Yaoguang was in a very good mood.
Zhou Wangshu saw that she was in high spirits, and his expression was a bit strange.
She had lost one hundred taels of silver plus a bracelet—what exactly was she happy about?
“Su young lady…” A man in coarse cloth clothes blocked Su Yaoguang’s path, saluted her, and said constrainedly, “You’re Su young lady from Peach Blossom Workshop, right?”
Su Yaoguang looked at the man in front of her in confusion: “Sorry, who are you…”
The man in coarse cloth clothes saluted again, his face showing unease: “Young lady doesn’t recognize me, but I recognize young lady. I am Zhen Yuanfang, greetings.”
A figure emerged in Su Yaoguang’s mind—it was Zhen Yuanfang in official uniform, but when she had met him, he was already an impartial official of the Ministry of Justice, exuding immense dignity, nothing like his current thin and weak appearance. Now he was in his early twenties, with a fair face and white teeth, handsome features, a standard pretty young man. In her previous life, when she met him, he had grown a beard and commanded respect without anger.
Su Yaoguang discovered that after rebirth, many things had changed. The Jiang Jing in her memory, the Zhen Yuanfang in her memory—they both looked very easy to bully when young.
“Does Young Master Zhen have any business?”
“I… am ashamed.” Zhen Yuanfang took out a box from the bundle he carried, and said to Su Yaoguang, “This is my heirloom. I came fleeing famine, and passing through this place, I found that the local officials love the people like children, there are many benevolent merchants in the city aiding the world and saving the people, and the epidemic here is the lightest among all places, so I plan to settle here long-term. I am willing to become the counter shopkeeper of Peach Blossom Workshop, needing only two hundred copper coins per month, with food and lodging provided. Having come from afar, young lady doesn’t know my background, so I voluntarily pawn my heirloom, and when I leave, I will redeem it from young lady, to show sincerity.”
“You really know how to calculate nicely.” Zhou Wangshu snorted coldly, “Right now in the city, there’s no work to be found, no grain to buy—even a juren scholar may not have a way to make a living. It sounds like only two hundred copper coins a month is you taking a loss, but providing food and lodging already saves you a lot of trouble.”
“Yes, I understand that too. Actually, these past few days I’ve been wandering in the city, and I happened to see young lady feeding corn steamed buns to a mother and daughter who had been hungry for days under the eaves. I saw that young lady is kind-hearted, so I recommended myself.”
“I agree.” Su Yaoguang said, “Forget the heirloom, keep it yourself! I see you’re like a scholar, you must have an official position, right?”
“I am currently a juren scholar, but failed repeatedly afterward—please excuse the embarrassment.”
“Young Master Zhen will surely be a rare talent in the future. Fail once, try again; fail several times, there’s still opportunity. You’re still young, you have plenty of time, no need to be discouraged.”
“Thank you for young lady’s auspicious words. No, owner. Thank you, owner.” Zhen Yuanfang saluted again, “I… I also have a younger brother, ten years old this year…”
“Just bring him along.” Su Yaoguang thought his younger brother seemed to be a pitiful person too. After she got to know Zhen Yuanfang, she heard about his matters.
He had just obtained his official position not long ago, still a minor official, and his younger brother followed him to the capital city, the brothers depending on each other for years. Suddenly one day, his younger brother caught the eye of a powerful figure and was forcibly taken into the mansion. That child was stubborn too, preferring death over submission, and after attempting to assassinate that powerful figure, was hacked to death by random blades. From then on, Zhen Yuanfang hated evil like an enemy, becoming an impartial official of the Ministry of Justice, known as the soul-reaping King of Hell of noble families.
Su Yaoguang had ‘picked up’ such a future great figure halfway, changed her itinerary—originally planning to take Zhou Wangshu back to the academy, now taking Zhen Yuanfang to the ruined temple to find his younger brother.
She told Zhou Wangshu to go back first, only to receive a glare full of unhappiness from him. She treated it as the unpredictable heart of a youth, didn’t take it to heart, and chatted and laughed with Zhen Yuanfang, the two talking amiably.
“Please do a good deed… give some food…”
As soon as they entered the ruined temple, a group of people immediately surged over.
Zhou Wangshu blocked in front of Su Yaoguang, said fiercely: “Get lost, try touching her again, see if I don’t chop off your hands.”
The crowd saw Zhou Wangshu’s dangerous gaze and didn’t dare approach again.
Zhen Yuanfang carried out a sallow and emaciated little boy on his back.
Su Yaoguang looked and said to Zhen Yuanfang: “He looks like he’s been hungry for a long time. Doesn’t our Peach Blossom Workshop give out porridge every day? Why didn’t you take him to get some?”
“Before we came here, he was already sick and couldn’t eat. I only fed him a little bit each day, which didn’t help much.”
“When you recommended yourself earlier, you didn’t mention having a seriously ill younger brother. Now that everything’s settled, this sick younger brother suddenly appears. You’re really sly.”
“I know Peach Blossom Workshop has a very skilled female doctor. As long as she can cure my younger brother, I can use my wages to offset the medicine money.” Zhen Yuanfang looked at Su Yaoguang nervously, afraid she would change her mind.
Su Yaoguang said: “His illness doesn’t look like the epidemic, probably some other condition. In any case, we must save him first. Carry him and follow, we need to hurry back to find the doctor.”
“Thank you, owner.” Zhen Yuanfang was even more grateful. “Owner’s this kindness, Zhen Mou will surely repay in this lifetime.”
Su Yaoguang brought the Zhen brothers back to Peach Blossom Workshop. When this pair of unfamiliar brothers appeared, Zhang sisters and Wang Huanzhi all came out to greet them. Su Yaoguang explained the situation to them, then had Zhang Zhaodi arrange a room for the Zhen brothers.
They had previously built a few rooms as storerooms, and now one room had been vacated, just right for the brothers to live in.
“His illness is probably caused by eating something unclean on the road, resulting in worms growing in his abdomen. This is easy to fix, just need to expel those worms.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Zhen Yuanfang said.
“Yaoguang, Wangshu’s little face could drip ink, did you two have a falling out?” Zhang Zhaodi nodded toward the doorway.
“Childish temperament, just coax him and it’ll be fine.” Su Yaoguang said, “Leave this to you all, I’ll take him back to the academy. Oh right, mother, keep an eye on this pair of brothers. Though I don’t think they’re bad people, it’s always good to observe first.”
“You and Wangshu be careful.”
Su Yaoguang went out, dragging the grumbling Zhou Wangshu away.
“I saw the meat shop open earlier, later I’ll buy some pork intestine and make stir-fried pork intestine for you. Didn’t you say lately your mouth has no taste? I’ll make something flavorful for you.”
“Think one dish can send me off?” Zhou Wangshu’s expression improved a bit, “You gave a hundred-tael silver note to someone whose face you never saw, picked up these brothers of unknown origin just like that, even arranged a doctor for them, and I’m only worth one meal of pork intestine? But then again, who let me only be worth ten copper coins.”
Su Yaoguang: “…”
He was actually settling accounts later!
