At dusk, She Shu was carrying a kilo of meat and a few packets of pastry under her armpit. On her way back, when she passed by a secluded alley, she found that someone was following her. She remembered Pei Jing's warning in the Kong's Yi House and became vigilant. Why was there still someone following her? Could it be that they did not give up when they saw her and Pei Jing together?
The footsteps behind her suddenly became hurried. Seeing that the alley was in front of her and the bustling market outside, Yu Shu who was walking slowly suddenly ran forward with a piece of raw meat in her hand. There was also a series of footsteps behind her. Someone was indeed chasing her! Thump, thump, thump!
Thump, thump, thump. Her eyes lit up. She ran out of the alley, ignoring the soft groans behind her. Like a fish, she slipped into the crowd and ran towards the bustling Changmenpu Street. She did not even dare to look back, so she did not see that a moment after she ran out, a tall figure wearing a bamboo hat strolled out of the alley and quietly watched the direction in which she disappeared.
In the alley, beside a muddy ditch, there were two people lying motionless in a puddle of water. A rough dagger fell beside the wall.
In the Mianzhai, Cao Zixin was sorting out the papers on the bookshelf that were messed up by the customers. He saw a figure rushing in from the corner of his eyes. He turned his head and saw Yu Shu in a blue shirt with a headband on her forehead leaning on the counter and panting.
He quickly put down the things in his hand and walked over to ask: "What happened? Why did you run in such a hurry?"
Yu Shu swallowed her saliva and handed over the raw meat in her hand to him. She said with uneven breath: "Just, just now someone chased me. Fortunately, I, I ran fast. Phew!"
Cao Zixin frowned and said in a low voice: "Who was chasing you?"
Yu Shu put the pastry under her armpit on the counter and sat on the high stool behind the counter. She poured herself a cup of tea and drank it in one gulp. She wiped her mouth and waved her hand: "It's okay, just a few thieves. Oh, by the way, Brother Cao, have you heard of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce?"
Cao Zixin was still thinking about who was chasing her. When she asked about the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce, he did not have much reaction. He just casually said: "It is the largest chamber of commerce in Yiyang City. Several big commercial firms in the city have a part in it. It has a good reputation."
Yu Shu turned the cup in her hand and asked: "Have you heard of a deputy manager called Pei Jing? He is a bit older than 40 years old and is very good at calculating. "
"You are talking about Mr. Pei?" Cao Zixin was attracted by her words. He went behind the counter and put the meat on the nail on the table. He said: "There are only five Great Fortune Tellers in Yiyang City. Pei Jing is one of them." "What is that?" Yu Shu heard a new word.
Cao Zixin explained: "In order to select talents from the field of Yi, the imperial court holds a Da Yan examination every three years in the capital. Among the subjects of Yi, there is the field of Mathematics. Those who rank in the top one hundred will be crowned as the Great Master of Arithmetics. Those who rank in the top three will be crowned as the Master of Arithmetics. There is also the field of Astrology and Feng Shui. Those who rank in the top two will be crowned as the Great Master of Arithmetics."
"That impressive?" It was not the first time Yu Shu heard of the Imperial Court's Great Yan Examination. But it was the first time she knew that there were so many subjects involved.
"There is something even more impressive." Cao Zixin's eyes brightened. He said with admiration: "If someone can pass the top three in all three subjects, he will be respectfully called 'Fortune Teller'. The name will be added by the Emperor himself. However, it is very rare to pass the top three in all three subjects. In the past 100 years, there have only been two people. One was Qingyang Fortune Teller sixty years ago, and the other was Yunhua Fortune Teller twenty years ago. These two people are outstanding in the field of Yi. They are really able to judge life and death and determine fortune and misfortune. It is a pity that they are short-lived and gone with the passing of time."
Yu Shu listened attentively. She could not help but ask curiously: "Why do you say they are short-lived?"
Cao Zixin sighed and said: "Back then, Yunhua Fortune Teller and the late Imperial Princess Royal were fated to be together. However, not even two years after their marriage, the Imperial Princess Royal died of illness. Yunhua Fortune Teller actually died together with her. Their story is sighed by future generations."
There is even a touching love story here. Yu Shu smacked her lips and said: "This Yunhua Fortune Teller is a person who values relationships."
Cao Zixin nodded. He probably felt that the atmosphere was a little heavy. He laughed and said: "I have told you so much, but you still haven't told me why you want to ask about Pei Jing of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce?"
Yu Shu scratched her chin: "I met him today. He invited me to the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce to help him with the accounts."
Cao Zixin said in surprise: "He asked you to help him with the accounts?"
Yu Shu could hear the disbelief in his words. She pretended to be displeased and said: "Can't he look for me like this?"
Cao Zixin shook his head: "I mean, why did he invite you? Do you know him?"
"I just met him today." Yu Shu thought for a moment. She told him about the gambling in the morning and how she got to know Pei Jing. When she finished, she noticed that Cao Zixin's expression was not good.
"Brother Cao?"
Cao Zixin endured it, but in the end, he could not help but scold: "You are a girl, why did you go to that kind of place?"
This was the first time she saw the good-tempered Cao Zixin angry, so Yu Shu shrunk her neck. She knew that she was rash today, so she said in a weak voice: "How would I know that it was a gambling house? I only found out after I went in. I saw people gambling, and I know how to solve the questions, so I gambled a few times. I didn't dare to win too much, but I didn't expect that I would be targeted."
If someone else was angry with her, she might not care, but Cao Zixin was different. This person helped her when she was in the most difficult time. He helped her time and time again. She did not say much, but her heart was full of gratitude. She called him Brother Cao with sincerity. Cao Zixin frowned. He remembered that she ran back in a hurry: "You said that there were people chasing you because of this?"
Yu Shu nodded and said with dissatisfaction: "That Mr. Pei said that if I was with him, those rascals would not make things difficult for me. Who would have thought that they would still target me? It seems that he does not have that big of a face."
Seeing that she did not reflect on herself and blamed others, Cao Zixin said impatiently: "Don't go to that kind of place in the future. Next time you go to Wanxiang Street, call me."
"Oh." Yu Shu agreed on the surface, but no one knew what she was thinking in her heart.
"I am going to clean up the shop and close the shop. I will take you to Aunt Huei's place to eat wonton later." Cao Zixin said. Since Yu Shu began to call Zhao Hui Aunt Huei, he also followed suit. He had just turned 20 this year, and Zhao Hui was 12 years older than him, so it was not wrong to call her that.
"Let me help you." Yu Shu jumped down from the stool, but she did not expect that her legs would soften, and she fell forward. She hurriedly reached out and grabbed Cao Zixin's waist from behind and hit her forehead on his waist.
"Ah!"
The weather in April was very warm. Cao Zixin only wore two unlined clothes, and two slender arms were hanging on his waist. That soft moan and scorching breath blew on his back through his clothes, as if something was scraping his heart, causing his body to stiffen. He lowered his head and reached for his waist. When he was about to touch the two slender white wrists that were exposed from the sleeves, the person behind him pulled away first. Hearing Yu Shu's moan, he then realized that he had lost his composure just now.
"Brother Cao, is your back made of stone? I almost died from the impact."
Yu Shu held the counter and straightened her back. She lowered her head and rubbed her forehead, complaining in a low voice. Cao Zixin coughed and said, "Sit down and wait for me."
"Okay." Yu Shu responded. After waiting for Cao Zixin to go around and put up the door, she put down her hand on her forehead and revealed a hot red face. She turned her head and peeked at Cao Zixin's straight back. She secretly scolded herself for her embarrassing behavior just now.
After closing the shop, it was just getting dark. Cao Zixin and Yu Shu went to Zhao Hui's wonton stall for dinner. Without needing to be told, Zhao Hui brought them a bowl of wonton soup with chicken soup.
Yu Shu opened the paper bag of the pastry, took out a piece and handed it to Cao Zixin. She broke off another piece and fed it to Zhao Hui, who was boiling in the pot. "Aunt Huei, try it. This is the pastry sold on the street in Vientiane. It is still crispy after being kept for a long time."
Zhao Hui smiled and looked at her. She turned her head and took a bite. The crunching sound in her mouth made her heart feel sweet. She had been alone for a long time. Ever since she had this child as a companion, the tiring days became interesting again. She had someone to accompany her when she went out in the morning and night. She was there when it was rainy or windy. She didn't mind her nagging and often made her happy. It was as if she really had a daughter by her side, obedient and sensible. "Aunt Huei, I bought some meat. It happens to be raining tomorrow. If you don't go out, I will call Xiaoxiu to come. Let's eat at home, okay?"
Zhao Hui asked curiously, "Where did you get the money to buy meat?"
Although most of the wonton that Zhao Hui bought was filled with meat, she didn't often eat meat. The chickens that she raised at home were all used to make soup stock. She didn't really eat meat very often.
Yu Shu suddenly stuttered. She didn't want to lie to her, but she was afraid that she would worry if she told others that she gambled.
"I gave her a salary," Cao Zixin said. "She often comes to the shop to help me. I can't ask her to do it for free."
"Yes, Brother Cao gave me a salary," Yu Shu quickly said. She secretly gave Cao Zixin a look of praise.
Cao Zixin glanced at her with a smile. He pointed at her bowl of wonton with his spoon and said, "Hurry up and eat it. It's going to get cold."
"Okay," Yu Shu was afraid that Zhao Hui would ask again. She returned to the table and said to Zhao Hui, who was sitting next to the stove, "Aunt Huei, I will help you wash the dishes after eating."
Zhao Hui nodded. Although she was somewhat confused, she didn't ask again.
While eating, Yu Shu asked Cao Zixin about the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce. She told him about Pei Jing's invitation in detail and asked for his opinion.
Cao Zixin thought for a while and said, "If you really want to learn, the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce is a good place to go. However, I'm afraid that he has other intentions when he suddenly asked you to do the accounts. How about this, tomorrow I will accompany you to see Mr. Pei and help you find out the depth of the water."
Yu Shu was more than happy that he was willing to help. Cao Zixin knew a lot and knew a lot. With him there, she shouldn't be at a disadvantage. However, he didn't have a waiter in the shop. If he went with her, how could he open the shop?
Yu Shu hesitated and said, "Then you won't open the shop tomorrow?"
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