Chapter 143:
“Miaomiao, Mother is going to Chunxi Road to buy a knife. You stay here and watch the stall obediently. Don’t run around.”
Miaomiao nodded.
“Mother will be back soon.”
Before leaving, Luo Zhi’er greeted Granny Xie who was selling garlic nearby, asking her to help watch Miaomiao, as she would be back soon.
To get to Chunxi Road, she had to go around half a circle from here. Luo Zhi’er followed the crowd ahead, walking slowly since she was quite fat herself, blocking those behind.
She finally made it out and arrived at the knife shop, Wang Mazi Knife Shop. Luo Zhi’er breathed a sigh of relief.
“This young woman, what knife do you want to buy?”
That boss must be Wang Mazi, with a pockmarked face, greeting her!
“Hehe, Boss, I want a kitchen knife.”
Thinking about it, for slicing bread, she added: “Boss, best if it’s long and thin!”
Wang Mazi frowned.
He turned to find the kind of knife she wanted.
Luo Zhi’er looked around the knife shop. Besides the wooden board on the counter holding knives of all sizes, wooden strips on the wall held a row of knives.
There were also hooks with various knives hanging on them.
What caught her eye was that Turkic Curved Knife, over a foot long, with a steel hilt and sheath featuring exquisite patterns, filled with enamel, inlaid with gems.
The sharp blade looked quite frightening.
Wang Mazi searched for half a quarter-hour before finding one that matched her request. Luo Zhi’er took it and looked, “Boss, this knife seems a bit thick?”
She needed one a bit thinner for slicing bread.
“You’re really something, women are such trouble. You want a kitchen knife that’s long—this is it, no others. Or get one for killing, those are thinner!”
His eyes gestured to that Turkic Curved Knife. Luo Zhi’er shuddered!
“If you don’t want it? Go check other shops?”
His eyes gleamed with cold intent.
“Never mind, this one then!”
“You don’t know what you’re doing, fussing around. This knife needs to be thick and solid to be sharp.”
“Oh!”
Luo Zhi’er paid twenty-five copper coins and took the thick, relatively long knife in hand.
It was actually a bit like the ones butchers in the rural area use—one slash and it’s fatal!
Long, pointed, thick-bodied—perfect for skinning and deboning, very sharp!
She should have just bought an ordinary kitchen knife earlier.
Never mind, that Wang Mazi, maybe because he sells knives, always seemed sinister, quick to flare up.
Probably got impatient searching for the knife.
After walking a few steps out, she felt something off—someone was watching her.
She looked up at the person, who immediately panicked and fled!
Was she that scary?
Whatever, remembering Miaomiao watching the stall alone, she hurried to other shops for plates and bamboo skewers.
The dish and chopstick seller was also startled by her.
Seeing her big burly self with a face full of fierce flesh, muttering unhappily, rushing over with a cleaver, he thought she was up to something!
Luckily, she just asked: “Boss, how much for these plates?”
Maybe a butchering woman!
After buying her things, Luo Zhi’er saw the road crowded with people and grew anxious.
Planning a shortcut, she looked around—there was an alley to her left.
Straight through here should lead to the marketplace side.
Entering the small alley, the deeper she went, the narrower it got, houses clamping her between, with vague small courtyards on both sides.
Walking along, she somehow reached the back door of a brothel. What did ancient brothels look like?
Luo Zhi’er got curious and pressed her ear to the door to listen for a bit.
It seemed to be the outermost room.
“Ouch, Old Man Wang, you’re too hasty, you hurt Little Red!”
Luo Zhi’er’s ears turned red. This Old Man Wang was something, old as he was, still acting like a young buck!
Heartbreaking,
Old Man Wang? Not that knife seller Wang Mazi from earlier, right?
Muttering, probably not.
Just about to leave when she heard someone in the backyard guiding: “Suo Ye, please come in! Take it slow.”
Suo Ye? Which Suo Ye?
Suo Ye dawdled half a while, shuffling in, then a young woman rushed out, muttering lowly,
“Hmph! Why’d you bring him in again?”
“This Liu Suozi, legs no good and always shuttling to Hong Hua Yuan!”
“Exactly! You don’t know men yet? Once they taste it here after coming back from up north, they can’t control themselves—been here several times!”
“As long as there’s silver to earn!”
“Not for me, seeing him makes me sick!”
“No choice, who told him to fancy you, Yu Lan!”
“Really embarrassing, next time I’ll tell Mama not to let him in!”
“Impossible, we’re open for business—who can refuse a customer? Hurry inside!”
“So annoying!”
Suo Ye? Liu Suozi? Shuttling around? Could it be Liu Suozi from Zhao Li Village?
No way?
Oh my god!
Luo Zhi’er was shocked, patted her chest, and hurried away!
Walking on, why was someone crying?
Hm?
Was there a fight up ahead?
Should she go around?
“Old Man, please, this is all the silver I have. Give me back my granddaughter!”
“Give her back? Old Thing! You bumped into me earlier, and a few copper coins to send off a beggar?”
That man looked ferocious, kicking the old woman away.
“Grandmother, are you okay!”
The old grandmother lay on the ground, spitting blood.
The young maid cried in panic, trying to help her grandmother up, but the man grabbed her neck, “Where you going, come back!!!”
The old woman propped herself up, trembling, “Old Man! I just wanted to hurry to a spot to sell scallions, didn’t mean to bump you, really not on purpose!”
The mother-in-law hurriedly bowed,
“Please, let my granddaughter go, she’s innocent and still young! Take this hen to eat! It’s the only valuable belonging in my home!”
Scallions scattered on the ground, nearby a hen with bound legs, eyes showing fear, scallions already trampled beyond recognition.
“Pah! Who wants your junk!”
He kicked the chicken flying, feathers off its butt, spinning in air, the hen screeching in pain!
“No silver today, this young maid is mine! Hehe, send her to Hong Hua Yuan, at least three taels of silver!”
“What?”
The old woman was terrified!
She knelt immediately: “Old Man, please, I beg you, my granddaughter is young, she can’t go to a place like that!”
“Get lost! You!”
The man raised his foot to kick the mother-in-law again.
“What? Extorting people?”
A sharp roar pierced the man’s ear!
Grandma bear! Knife slung over shoulder, Luo Zhi’er fumed red-faced.
The man turned to see, not far off, a three-hundred-jin fat woman shouldering a cleaver, face full of fierce flesh, snarling ferociously, “Damn it, I told you to stop, hear me?”
The man froze!
Where’d this hulking figure come from? Even more overbearing than him!
“Where’d this fat woman come from? Daring to meddle in my business? Don’t you know who your grandpa is?”
Luo Zhi’er rubbed her nose, achoo! Sneezed!
Damn, rhinitis acting up again!
“Vagabond! This baby don’t change name standing, don’t change surname sitting, butcher, cough, surname Zhao!”
“Butcher?”
Oh, butchering woman!
Uh, butcher, this woman looks pretty fierce!
“Who are you?”
“Your grandpa, cough! Wang Wu!”
Hearing Wang Wu, the old woman trembled in fear—this was a local thug.
“Wang Wu?”
“That’s right!”
Wang Wu watched her with a gleeful look, the fat woman rubbed her nose, astonished, “Wang Wu?”
“Don’t know you!”
“Pah! Stinking woman! Playing me?”
Luo Zhi’er rubbed her nose, eyes flashing killing intent, expression turning fierce.
She picked up the cleaver and unconsciously performed a few moves from the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Styles,
Step forward, raise knife to listen to wind.
White snake spits letter, thrust to chest,
Scraping knife chops head, hard to dodge,
Step forward thrust and flick merciless, golden rooster stands alone reverse chop, turn to bewilder demons and alarm ghosts.
