Chapter 322
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And now, right before their eyes, someone had suddenly thrown out so much money for no reason at all, merely saying it was for them, without asking for the slightest return. How could she possibly refuse? In truth, even if this person had some ulterior motive, she would still… give it serious consideration.
But the young man in front of her—this really was a free meal. Madam Zhang felt as if a meat pie had fallen from the sky and hit her square on the head. Mm, she was dazed and dizzy.
She did her best to suppress her cough, staring directly at the young man who was more than a head taller than she was, gazing into those pure, clear eyes. After quite a while, her expression drooped slightly. Those pure eyes were like a spotless blue sky—no, even clearer than the sky. Within that purity, she could even see the blazing fire of the young man’s righteous heart. This time, Madam Zhang truly started to believe—believe that this young man was offering help without expecting anything in return.
Only somewhat believed, though!
Beside her, Ji Xiaohua was on the verge of tears, his voice choked with emotion as he asked again: “Young Master, are you really giving all this money to me? Really?”
Zhang Xiaohua turned to look at the short-haired boy, smiling as he replied: “Of course it’s true. I already decided back when you walked into the teahouse to eat those pastries.”
Hearing this, Ji Xiaohua leapt up at once, shouting: “Young Master, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was wrong, I misunderstood you. Just wait—I mean it—just wait!”
With that, he flung off his mother’s grasping hand and bolted out of the courtyard like a streak of wind.
“Xiaohua~” Madam Zhang called out at the top of her voice, not knowing what her son had done wrong or what he was rushing off to do now.
Zhang Xiaohua was initially surprised too. But after all, he had divine sense. With a slight sweep, a faint smile curled at the corners of his lips.
Seeing her son run off, Madam Zhang coughed a few more times before asking again: “Young Master, there’s no such thing as a free meal in this world. Are you truly giving us all this silver for no reason at all?”
“Ah~” Zhang Xiaohua sighed and said: “I know that no matter what I say, you probably won’t believe me. Even I—if someone suddenly handed me this much money for no reason—I’d hesitate. Maybe only the me from a few years ago, the one who hadn’t yet stepped out of the farmland, would have foolishly believed in such a good thing.”
“Young Master, go ahead and tell me anyway. Who knows, maybe I’ll believe you?”
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Xiaohua said: “Actually, it’s quite simple. I’m not the young master of some wealthy household like you imagined. I’m just like you all—no, even worse off than you. You live in the city, but my home is out in the countryside. I haven’t seen my mother in many years. Seeing how close Ji Xiaohua is to you, how deeply he cares for you, it made me think of my own mother. Putting myself in his shoes, if I were Ji Xiaohua, I too would hope that my family could live in peace and prosperity. And besides, this silver—while meaningless to me now—can be of great help to you. If a simple gesture from me can ease your burdens, then why wouldn’t I do it?”
Madam Zhang listened in thoughtful silence.
Zhang Xiaohua continued: “Moreover, Ji Xiaohua really did help me in a great way. He probably doesn’t even realize it himself, but it was a tremendous help. I honestly don’t know how to express my gratitude. If I had some rare pills or miraculous medicine, I would let you take them without the slightest hesitation. But I don’t. All I have is some silver. Even so, I don’t dare give you too much, so I’ve only brought this little bit.”
“Ah? Just this morning, my Xiaohua helped you that much?”
Madam Zhang couldn’t quite believe it. Wasn’t it just a matter of pointing out a route earlier? Could something like that really warrant such a grand gesture?
Zhang Xiaohua chuckled and said: “Yes, it’s exactly as I say. If you don’t accept my thanks, it will affect me greatly. So, Auntie, for my sake, please accept this token of gratitude.”
Of course, Madam Zhang didn’t believe a word of it, taking it as mere polite words and excuses. But she didn’t know—this time, Zhang Xiaohua was speaking the absolute truth, without even the slightest exaggeration.
“Of course, there’s one more reason…” Zhang Xiaohua was just about to continue when a smile surfaced at the corners of his lips. “It seems Ji Xiaohua truly is a good child.”
Just as Madam Zhang was feeling puzzled, Ji Xiaohua appeared at the entrance, leading Huanhuan by the hand.
He left Huanhuan outside the door, his face still streaked with tears as he walked in. The moment he saw Zhang Xiaohua, his sorrow deepened. Choking on his sobs, he said: “Young Master, I didn’t know you were treating me with such kindness. You’ve been so good to me, and yet I was still hiding things from you. I truly don’t deserve it.”
Zhang Xiaohua patted Ji Xiaohua on the shoulder and said gently: “Ji Xiaohua, don’t be like this. What I need is a horse, not a beast of burden. Huanhuan may be able to carry loads, but it might not be able to bear what I intend to take with me. And besides, it doesn’t run very fast. Furthermore, a gentleman does not take what others cherish—Huanhuan should stay with you.”
“No, Young Master! Huanhuan can run—truly—it’s very fast!”
“Oh?” Zhang Xiaohua looked toward the just-washed Huanhuan outside the courtyard, a little skeptical. “Really?”
“It’s true! Last year, when I was outside the city with Huanhuan, a wild dog came out of nowhere and tried to bite me. Huanhuan carried me all the way back—it ran so fast, even the wild dog couldn’t catch up! It’s really quick!” Seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s doubtful expression, Ji Xiaohua tugged at his sleeve. “Young Master, if you don’t believe it, try riding it yourself!”
Hearing that, Zhang Xiaohua immediately grew interested. Truthfully, he had been hoping for a proper means of travel. If this odd little beast could actually serve, then it would solve quite a troublesome issue for him.
He walked up to Huanhuan. The creature, as though it sensed Ji Xiaohua’s intent, opened its eyes wide and affectionately sniffed at Zhang Xiaohua. Zhang Xiaohua glanced at its broad back, placed both hands on it, and pressed down with a bit of strength. Huanhuan didn’t react at all, and Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed. Looking at it, he smiled. “Huanhuan, I’m going to use some force now—can you handle it?”
Huanhuan seemed to understand Zhang Xiaohua’s words, blinking its eyes. Zhang Xiaohua burst out laughing and pushed down with real strength. As his force pressed down, Huanhuan’s legs did give a slight buckling tremble, but then it immediately stood firm again. In its bright eyes, there was even a flash of stubbornness—and grievance.
Zhang Xiaohua was even more delighted. Just now, he hadn’t held back much—his arms carried the strength of ten thousand catties. Yet this odd beast, this half-horse, half-donkey creature, had only staggered slightly. That was far beyond his expectations. And judging from the look in its eyes, even that momentary stumble seemed like a matter of humiliation to it.
Thinking about it, it made sense—living at Grandpa Hao’s place, what kind of treatment could it possibly have gotten? Just being able to eat sour, stinking slop was already a blessing. Right after, Zhang Xiaohua picked up the longsword placed in the courtyard and casually set it on Huanhuan’s back. The beast only sank slightly under the weight, its four legs still firmly planted. With a light step, Zhang Xiaohua leapt onto its back. Huanhuan’s legs began to move, and it dashed straight toward the mouth of the street. Though it couldn’t match the speed of a true warhorse, the swiftness was still more than respectable.
“I’ve really struck gold.” Zhang Xiaohua muttered to himself as he rode Huanhuan back toward the courtyard.
At the entrance, Ji Xiaohua, still with tear-streaked cheeks, and Madam Zhang, her face filled with cheerful contentment, stood waiting for his return.
Zhang Xiaohua jumped down from Huanhuan’s back, walked into the courtyard, and laughed. “Ji Xiaohua, it seems there’s real fate between us. This odd creature of yours might actually be of great help to me.”
Ji Xiaohua said sheepishly: “Young Master, please don’t praise me. Actually, the moment you left to buy a horse, I had already thought of Huanhuan. But I didn’t dare trust you, and I couldn’t bear to part with it. Even up to the end, I still harbored selfish thoughts. Yet even so, Young Master, you’ve treated me so kindly—I truly feel ashamed.”
Zhang Xiaohua waved his hand and said: “To harm others is wrong, but to guard against others is right—there’s nothing wrong in that saying. How could I blame you? But now that you’ve given Huanhuan to me, you’ve actually given me a new problem.”
Ji Xiaohua was surprised. “Why is that?”
Zhang Xiaohua replied, “Originally, giving you a bit of silver would’ve been enough to repay your help. But now you’ve given me Huanhuan too—doesn’t that mean I owe you even more? Yet if I give you more money, wouldn’t that cause even greater trouble for you?”
Ji Xiaohua was utterly confused. “Young Master, I don’t understand what you mean. Isn’t more silver always a good thing? Oh, no—Young Master, I didn’t mean to ask you for more money. You’ve already given us so much. Just treat Huanhuan as a gift from me.”
Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment, then pulled two banknotes from his robe and handed them to Ji Xiaohua. “One shouldn’t receive a reward without merit. Let me exchange these banknotes for your Huanhuan, then.”
But Ji Xiaohua didn’t dare accept them, and waved his hands repeatedly in refusal. Even Madam Zhang coughed while trying her utmost to stop him. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes lit up with an idea. He pulled one of the notes back and said: “Since it’s like this, I won’t give you the money directly. This note—please help me take it to the livestock market and buy Old Man Hao a cow or a mule or something. Didn’t you say so yourself? Old Man Hao depends on Huanhuan to get by. If I take Huanhuan away, how is he supposed to live?”
“This…” Ji Xiaohua hesitated. At the time, he had only felt guilty and hadn’t thought that far ahead. Now that Zhang Xiaohua mentioned it, it was indeed an issue. But he glanced at the large hemp sack on the ground and said: “Didn’t Young Master already give so much money? That’s more than enough to buy a draft animal.”
Zhang Xiaohua shook his head. “That’s for you two. If you use that copper to buy a mule, you wouldn’t even be able to carry it all the way there. Just find a safe place to store it and use it for your daily needs. As for this banknote, consider it a trade for Huanhuan—go straight to buy the animal and just say it was in exchange. That should avoid any trouble.”
Ji Xiaohua still glanced over at his mother, who hadn’t stopped coughing. Madam Zhang sighed and said: “Young Master, you’ve given us far too much.”
Zhang Xiaohua smiled. “If you don’t take the banknote, then I’m not taking Huanhuan.”
Seeing his mother tacitly agree with a silent nod, Ji Xiaohua finally raised his hand and accepted it.
Then Zhang Xiaohua said: “Auntie, do you have an empty room at home?”
Madam Zhang was taken aback. She pointed to a run-down shed beside them and said: “Young Master, how about that one? It’s where we do our cooking—just a hearth.”
Zhang Xiaohua laughed. “That’ll do. Please wait a moment.”
With that, Zhang Xiaohua strode quickly into the shed, leaving the mother and son standing in the courtyard with utterly baffled expressions.
