Chapter 42:
“Little sister, elder sister here has the thing you want, do you want to buy it?”
The young maid looked at her suspiciously, this suspicious-looking fat woman.
Seeing her wearing patched hemp cloth clothes, she has bird’s nest?
Doubting in her heart, was the conversation she just had with the waiter overheard by someone!
Xiu Xiu had stayed in the courtyard house for too long, forming habits, suspecting everything, analyzing, thinking twice…
If she really had bird’s nest, why didn’t she sell it directly to the apothecary just now? The waiter didn’t look like he wouldn’t take it…
She had to wait until she urgently needed to buy it to come tell her? Maybe she wanted to cheat her out of her silver…
She gripped the banknote in her hand from pawning the young lady’s only jade hairpin.
Her young lady had a hard enough life, this silver was still from a bit of jewelry the young lady kept before marriage, as private savings for emergencies…
To preserve the pregnancy, all the belongings were left with just this little bit.
“Elder sister, don’t joke with Xiu Xiu, Xiu Xiu is very busy… no time to play with you!”
Xiu Xiu said angrily.
After speaking, she ignored her, anxiously looking at the pedestrians coming in from the door…
Or perhaps, this fat woman had some mental issues…
“Sigh, you little girl, what I’m telling you is true.”
Xiu Xiu turned her head and ignored her.
“Look… what is this?”
Luo Zhi’er took out the bag of bird’s nest she had kept hidden in her bosom, shook it, luckily she was fat and it couldn’t be seen!
This thing actually didn’t look like much in total, just a small bag.
When soaked, it would expand, and expanded it was still a lot…
Xiu Xiu’s attention was drawn back again, what was she doing?
“What is this? Could it be… you really have it?”
Seeing her take out the cloth bag and shake it.
Seeing her doubtful gaze, Luo Zhi’er helplessly, this young maid was really vigilant, she opened a small opening for her to glance inside.
There was indeed a milky white substance inside.
It really was bird’s nest.
Excitement showed in Xiu Xiu’s eyes, even more curiously leaning in wanting to take it to look closely!
Luo Zhi’er immediately closed the bag mouth, looked around.
She seemed to have just seen Gou Sheng’s mother pass by, then disappear in a blink.
Perhaps she was seeing things, anyway she was afraid the apothecary had acquaintances from Zhao Li Village… being seen would cause more trouble!
“I didn’t cheat you, right?”
“Follow me to the latrine area behind to find a hidden spot, cash on delivery! How about it?”
“It’s really bird’s nest? This… it’s not fake, is it?”
“Little sister, truer than real gold, and it’s top-quality premium bird’s nest, high price in the market and still can’t buy it!”
“Then… alright!”
Xiu Xiu bit her back teeth, steeled her heart, followed her one in front and one behind through the back door passage to the latrine direction…
Walking to a secluded spot behind with no people, at the alley corner, behind a big tree, “Alright, right here!”
“Here, this is all the bird’s nest, I weighed it at home this morning, total two jin two liang!”
She gave her a piece, Xiu Xiu took it and looked, the texture was particularly good.
After inspecting the goods, to be safe, she wrapped the bag up again!
“Little sister, give me sixty-six taels of silver and it’s good!”
“What? Sixty-six taels? Are you crazy? So expensive?” Xiu Xiu looked like she wanted to cry but had no tears…
“What? Aren’t you a maid from some mansion? Don’t you know the price of bird’s nest? Can’t even take out sixty-six taels?”
She had deliberately inquired about the price at the market this morning, it was said this stuff was too scarce in town, to buy real goods had to go to the apothecary…
“No, elder sister, could you do a good deed and sell me this bird’s nest cheaper?”
Xiu Xiu awkwardly bit her lip and said.
“How could that work, this is what I nearly lost my life to harvest… this is top-grade bird’s nest, could sell for over two hundred taels…”
“How about, how about you give sixty taels, one-time price deal!”
Suddenly six taels less, she gritted her teeth, mainly too lazy to argue with her… seeing she was also struggling…
“Elder sister, I don’t have that much silver…”
Luo Zhi’er quickly said,
“Little sister, ordinary bird’s nest is three hundred wen per gram, mine is top-quality, only charging you sixty taels, very reasonable!”
Xiu Xiu’s face paled, “I know, but…”
“Forget it, since you’re not buying, I’ll go sell to another apothecary…”
“I don’t worry about selling this, just today I came at a bad time, I’m fat and tired lazy to run around, otherwise where would be your share?”
Luo Zhi’er said with dominance.
The young maid saw her resolute, immediately panicked, at a loss, when she wasn’t guarded, she knelt down in a tumble, hugging her leg,
“Elder sister, I beg you… I have no choice…”
As she spoke, she started crying aggrievedly, as if she had bullied her…
“Ah, this, little sister, no deal but humanity remains, why kneel to me, I Luo Zhi’er can’t accept it!”
“Get up quick!”
“…sell me all the bird’s nest in your hand, Xiu Xiu only has thirty taels, Xiu Xiu is willing to be ox or horse.”
“I beg you, just consider it your great kindness…”
Then she kowtowed heavily, one after another… forehead bruised black and blue, scaring her to pull away her hand and retreat, “What? Thirty taels? No, no, this stuff is quite expensive…”
Luo Zhi’er immediately shook her head refusing, this thing wasn’t worth that price! She’d lose big!
“Luo Zhi’er, you’re still this wild and domineering, look at you, bullying this young woman into what state?”
A questioning voice, full of incredulity and utmost contempt, a man’s voice sounded from behind…
Hm?
Who disliked her so much?
Luo Zhi’er turned back, saw a young man who looked human but dog-like walking over from the men’s latrine direction.
He was slim, handsome features, white teeth red lips, quite handsome, just not her type…
He was looking at her with utter disgust…
“You are…”
The man spat with contempt,
“Heh, Luo Zhi’er, you’re really laughable! Now pretending pure and innocent, I… who am I?”
“Who do you say I am? If you want to use this trick to attract me, heh, I advise you to save it…”
Continuing to size her up with disgust.
A name flashed in Luo Zhi’er’s mind, Luo Wenzhou…
Scenes from the past flashed through her mind…
“Hua’er, just give up, Gou Sheng and Wenzhou Gege are about to get engaged!”
“Zhi’er, something got in my eye, help me blow!”
“Oh!”
Plop!
“Hm? Hua’er…”
Luo Zhi’er panicked…
“Luo Zhi’er, you ugly fat bad woman, how dare you push Hua’er into the pond?”
Luo Zhi’er turned back, “No, it’s not, Wenzhou Gege, I just… I just came to tell Hua’er about our marriage, I, she… how did she suddenly slip and fall?”
“Scram!”
Luo Wenzhou took off his outer garment, plunged in with a splash, held up the drenched Hua’er…
“You filthy-minded rotten ugly woman, I clearly saw you push her with your own hand, using my dad’s debt to your family ten years ago to force me to marry you!”
“Wenzhou Gege, what are you saying? Zhi’er doesn’t understand?”
“Don’t understand? At this point still pretending innocent, wasn’t it you who had your dad pressure my dad?”
“Now, are you satisfied?”
He had another sentence unsaid, indeed Old Man Luo had the face to beg, to make up for them, he Old Man Luo was willing to give them a hefty dowry…
Therefore, Old Man Luo went to the mountains early in the morning to dig mountain goods, to gather silver…
“Didn’t I tell you clearly, I don’t like you, hate you, despise you… don’t follow me anymore? Can’t you understand words?”
“Wenzhou Gege…”
“Shut up! Don’t call me that again, it disgusts me, makes me want to vomit! Listen well, even if you Luo Wenzhou were ox or horse for me, I wouldn’t glance at you!”
“Look at your bear appearance, not even fit to carry Hua’er’s shoes! Best not appear before us again…”
Tears filled Luo Zhi’er’s eyes, wanting to go forward to see the unconscious Hua’er.
Because she was at the pond edge, just stepping forward, was pushed into the pond by Luo Wenzhou’s palm.
Luckily the surroundings were shallow, she was too heavy almost couldn’t stand steady falling in the water… whole body soaked through…
Eyewitnessed Luo Wenzhou giving mouth-to-mouth to Hua’er in front of the villagers who came to watch!
Just what he had always dreamed of…
Luo Zhi’er wiped tears all the way, when she ran home lost and dejected, an even bigger bolt from the blue awaited her…
Old Man Luo had fallen from the cliff face, severely injured in a coma…
Luo Zhi’er saw Old Man Luo in a pool of blood, legs nearly giving out… supporting her body, crying and stumbling all the way not knowing pain… called the village doctor…
When Li Sanmao of Zhao Li Village heard, he hurriedly ran over…
Just in time to catch Old Man Luo waking up and taking his last breath,
“San Mao ah, Zhi’er this girl is simple-minded good girl, I entrust her to you… only you I can trust…”
Li Sanmao eyes deep, nodded heavily: “Good!”
Old Man Luo closed his eyes, even the funeral arrangements were handled by Li Sanmao…
