Chapter 313
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This couldn’t really be blamed on him—after all, the robe belonged to the True Person Fire Dragon, a figure from ten thousand years ago. Of course his outfit looked old-fashioned! Besides, the robe protected against heat and cold, fit snugly, and didn’t even attract dust. It was clearly a treasured item. How could Zhang Xiaohua bear to take it off?
But thinking about how others might see him, Zhang Xiaohua started to feel uneasy. After all, public opinion could crush gold—he couldn’t afford to stand out that much. Just as he was caught up in thought, the shop-hand had already brewed the tea and was standing off to the side, eyes fixed eagerly on him. At first, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t understand, but when he reached out to lift the teacup for a sip, he suddenly realized—wasn’t the man waiting for a tip?
“All the fault of this robe! If not for it, I’d have just asked for a cup of plain hot water. Who asked for fancy Longjing tea? Hah… all for this robe, and now I’ve got to spend money!”
This fellow was so obsessed with money, he didn’t even think about the countless night-luminescent pearls in his pouch, not to mention the wealth he’d taken from the hidden chamber in West Cui Mountain. And yet here he was, fussing over a measly tip!
Zhang Xiaohua fumbled inside his robes for a long while, brows furrowed. Everything inside his money pouch was dangerous or eye-catching—he couldn’t take out a single item. What little actual money he had came from years ago, when Zhang Xiaohu had stuffed some broken silver and a few silver notes into his hands as he left Guo Village. As for copper coins—he had none.
After a moment’s thought, he turned to the hopeful shop-hand and asked: “Waiter, how much is the tea?”
“Silver? Young master must be joking—it’s just fourteen copper coins.”
Zhang Xiaohua had no choice but to pull out the smallest piece of silver he had—about two qian—and tossed it to the shop-hand. “Waiter, it’s not that I don’t want to tip you. I just don’t have any copper coins on me. So this silver covers the tea and your tip—call it twenty coins altogether. Just give me back the rest in change.”
The shop-hand’s cheerful expression instantly vanished. He had assumed this young master was generous, and that he’d get to keep the full two qian. Who would’ve thought…
He took the silver reluctantly, then handed it right back, grumbling: “Honored guest, our little tea shed barely makes a profit. Where would we get that much loose silver to give you change? Best give me copper coins instead.”
Zhang Xiaohua chuckled: “Waiter, if I had loose copper coins, wouldn’t I have given them to you already? Why would I bother with silver?”
The shop-hand gave him a look and said mockingly: “The smallest piece of silver young master carries is worth two qian? Why, you could almost buy our whole tea shed with that. Truly generous of you!”
Hearing that last line, especially the word “generous”, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly understood—this snobbish shop-hand was hoping he’d give up the change and let him keep the whole two qian.
How could that be possible? Never mind that his father and mother, as well as his elder brother and sister-in-law, worked all day in the fields and might not even earn a single qian in a day; even when he worked as a servant at Huanxi Villa, his monthly wage had only been three qian. How could he just throw away two qian like that?
After all, he was a genuine village youth—not some so-called pampered young master they spoke of.
Zhang Xiaohua looked at the shop-hand, then smiled and took the silver back. “No matter. I haven’t even taken a sip of this tea. You can just take it back—as if I never came in today.”
With that, he stood up, preparing to leave.
But the shop-hand wouldn’t have it. He quickly grabbed Zhang Xiaohua’s arm and protested: “You… you’re bullying honest folks just because you’ve got money? Trying to throw your weight around?”
“You!” Zhang Xiaohua was taken aback and a little angered by such words.
Just then, a bald-headed errand boy who had been tending to the kettle nearby rushed over and bowed. “Brother Yao, Young Master, please don’t get upset. Young Master, if you trust me, give me that piece of silver—I’ll go to the front and exchange it for copper coins. How about that?”
Zhang Xiaohua blinked in surprise, looking at the errand boy with the bald head and long trail of snot, dressed in threadbare rags. But those eyes of his were unexpectedly clear, unafraid, meeting Zhang Xiaohua’s gaze with calm assurance.
“Pah! Ji Xiaohua, you bald-headed little weed! Get back to tending the fire, or I’ll tell the boss on you!”
“Xiaohua!?”
A flicker of amusement flashed through Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes as he asked: “Your name is Ji Xiaohua? Little blooming flower?”
The scabby-headed boy blushed slightly. “Yes, Young Master. Just a little flower.”
“Why aren’t you surnamed Zhang then?” Zhang Xiaohua asked with interest.
Ji Xiaohua, seeing that the Young Master seemed friendly, answered respectfully: “My father’s surname is Ji, and my mother’s surname is Zhang. Of course I take my father’s surname. How could I take my mother’s?”
Zhang Xiaohua laughed heartily. “Xiaohua, how old are you?”
“Nine years old, Young Master.”
“Hmph, your father died when you were seven, and you even cursed your mother to death with illness too.” The shop-hand suddenly spat with venom. “In a few days you’ll have to change your surname to Zhang—be called Zhang Xiaohua instead. Heh, what a ridiculous name. From Ji Xiaohua to Zhang Xiaohua. How awful!”
Splash! Without hesitation, Zhang Xiaohua grabbed the teacup on the table and flung its contents straight into the shop-hand’s face, his own expression dark as iron. “Shut your mouth. Who said you could speak?”
Zhang Xiaohua’s anger carried an air of authority. The shop-hand was so startled he forgot to even wipe the tea off his face. Luckily, the tea had cooled by now—if it had still been hot…
At that moment, the tea shed’s boss heard the commotion and hurried in. Without even asking what had happened, he began apologizing profusely. Zhang Xiaohua paid him no mind. Smiling, he handed the silver over to Ji Xiaohua and said: “Alright then, take this and help me get some change.”
The boss quickly tried to smooth things over. “Young Master, no need. This tea is on me—you don’t have to pay.”
Zhang Xiaohua shook his head with a smile. “Running a business here can’t be easy. Of course you should be paid. But my silver isn’t something that blew in on the wind, either—I can’t just give it away for nothing.”
With that, he waved Ji Xiaohua off, letting him go.
Just then, a man at the neighboring table stood up and said: “Young Master, looks like you don’t get out much, do you?”
Zhang Xiaohua looked over and smiled. “That’s right. I’ve spent most of my time studying at home. Rarely go out.”
The man walked over and said: “There’s an old saying in the martial world—‘At home, rely on your parents; away from home, rely on friends.’ Since we’ve run into each other in such a remote place, I’d say it’s fate. How about this, little brother—let me pay for your tea. Come join me for a chat?”
Zhang Xiaohua gave the man a glance. He hadn’t planned on paying him any mind, but then thought better of it—after all, he still needed to find out the locations of Pingyang City and Lu Town. Perhaps this man might know something. So he smiled and said: “Gladly. I’ve always admired those of you who roam the martial world. I do have a few things I’d like to learn.”
With that, he invited the man to sit. The shopkeeper and the server, seeing they were no longer needed, quietly slipped away. With no one left to tend the fire, the server had no choice but to go do it himself.
The man sat down with Zhang Xiaohua and started chatting casually, boasting now and then about his experiences in the jianghu, occasionally showing off his muscles and bragging about his martial prowess. At the same time, he subtly tried to pry into Zhang Xiaohua’s background. But Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t so naïve—he smiled and responded vaguely, rambling on aimlessly, just waiting for Ji Xiaohua to return.
After a while, the man noticed the longsword at Zhang Xiaohua’s side and grinned. “Brother Wu, you into swordsmanship? If you’re interested, I could introduce you to a renowned swordsman of the martial world sometime. Maybe he’d even gift you a fine blade. This crude piece here? Not much to look at.” As he spoke, he nudged it with his foot.
Zhang Xiaohua casually pressed his foot down to hold the sword in place without leaving any trace and said: “Just something I picked up along the way. Oh right—Brother Xu, I had something to ask you.”
Just as he was about to speak, the bald-headed Ji Xiaohua came rushing back in, panting hard, both arms tightly cradling something against his chest. He ran all the way up to Zhang Xiaohua before finally catching his breath. From his arms, he took out a small piece of silver and a large pile of copper coins. Still gasping, he said: “Young Master, you’ve waited long enough. Here—one qian of silver, and one hundred copper coins.”
Zhang Xiaohua asked: “What took you so long? Didn’t you say the shop was just next door? I thought you’d run off with my money.”
Ji Xiaohua flushed bright red and replied anxiously: “No, never! The shops nearby only had copper. I thought it’d be hard for you to carry all that, so I ran to a few more places to find a single tael of silver. Please, Young Master, count it if you’d like.”
Zhang Xiaohua chuckled. He’d already swept his divine sense across the pile—exactly one hundred copper coins, not one missing.
He said: “No need. I trust you.”
Ji Xiaohua blushed even harder and gave an awkward grin before returning to the hearth to tend the fire.
Zhang Xiaohua gathered all the copper coins into his robe without leaving a single one behind, then turned back to the man. “Brother Xu, I wanted to ask—do you know Pingyang City?”
“Pingyang City?” The man paused, then quickly said, “Of course, of course! A few years back I used to escort goods there all the time. I know it well.”
“Oh? I’ve heard there’s a scenic spot in Pingyang City called ‘Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake.’ I’ve admired it for a long time—really want to see it with my own eyes. Do you happen to know the way?”
“Oh, that place? It’s down in the southern part of Pingyang City—really quite lovely. My brothers in the jianghu there have taken me to admire it more than once. As for how to get there, let’s see… from here, you follow this main road westward, pass through Songning Town, travel for another day, then head north—hmm, about seventeen or eighteen more days, and you’ll be there.”
“Heh, got it. Many thanks, Brother Xu. I’ve still got some matters to attend to, so I won’t take up more of your valuable time.”
With that, he cupped his hands in salute, grabbed the longsword at his feet, and called loudly to the shopkeeper: “Shopkeeper! My bill—Brother Xu here’s covering it!”
Then, with long strides, he marched straight out the door.
Behind him, the man still sitting at the rickety table raised his hand slightly, opened his mouth like he wanted to speak but couldn’t get a word out. He thought about calling out, but that didn’t feel right either. All he could do was sit there, awkward and speechless.
The shopkeeper came over and said with a smile: “Much obliged, Master Xu. That’ll be twenty wen.”
The man snapped: “What kind of crap Longjing tea is this? Tastes no different than plain water to me! Think I’m some stupid fat sheep, do you? Here—ten wen, take it or leave it.”
He begrudgingly pulled out a large copper coin and tossed it over.
As the shopkeeper bent down to collect the coin, the bald-headed errand boy warming water by the fire rubbed his hands together, gritted his teeth like he’d made a decision, and when the shopkeeper wasn’t looking—he darted out the door like a flash.
