The sky was dark, and the people walking on the street at this time were either running errands or going out to drink.
The night breeze was blowing, and there was no one on the riverbank.
Yu Shu stood by the river, looking at the black flowing river. Her mouth moved, and she bit off the dry skin on her lower lip. She tasted a little blood. She breathed in and out to calm her restless heart. But in front of her eyes, Zhao Hui's face was covered with blood, and Yu Lei was crying bitterly in the wheelchair. Her stomach turned, and she bent down to vomit on the grass by the river.
There was a rhythmic beating on her back. She didn't turn around and simply squatted down. She vomited everything in her stomach in one go before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She took two steps back and sat down on the grass. She said softly, "Thank you."
Jing Chen lowered his hand and looked down at Yu Shu, who was in a sorry state. He frowned and asked, "Did something happen?"
Yu Shu patted the grass beside her, and Jing Chen obediently sat down beside her, cross-legged. The Taoist robe he was wearing was clean and spotless, and there were still some water droplets on the back of his neck. He had just come back from bathing in the river outside the city.
Yu Shu sniffed, and the smell was suppressed by the person next to her.
"Something happened in the family, and he injured his head. The treatment will cost a lot of money, and I can't find a place to prepare." Jing Chen said: "Is it your brother?"
Yu Shu shook her head. "She's an elder. She usually takes good care of me. I've told you before that I was beaten up by my family. It was Auntie Hui who took me in and let me stay at her house. When I was recuperating, she was the one who took care of me. Think about it, when I went out in the morning, she was still fine. Yesterday, we went to the gathering together. But in just one day, the doctor said that she won't live long. Ah, it's a blessing in disguise. "
Yu Shu wiped her face and turned to look at Jing Chen. She pursed her lips and said: "Hero, do you still have money?"
Jing Chen reached into his pocket and took out the money bag for her.
Yu Shu held it in her hand and smiled bitterly. Last time, Jing Chen's jade pendant had been pawned for fifty taels. She had exchanged it for four banknotes and a small bag of silver. Now, there was only a thin piece of banknote left in the bag, along with a few crumbs.
"I really don't know where you spend all your money. Are all Daoist priests as good at spending as you?" Yu Shu opened the money pouch and took out the ten taels banknote from it. She handed the remaining bits and pieces back to him. "Lend me these ten taels." Jing Chen raised his hand and gently blocked the money pouch she handed over. "Take it all."
Yu Shu didn't refuse. She put away the money bag and asked: "Do you still have jade?"
When she spoke, she stared at the two swords on his back. When she thought of the five hundred taels, her eyes were red. She wanted to sell herself.
"No, that's the last one." Jing Chen followed her gaze and looked at the hilt of the sword on his shoulder. As if he could see through Yu Shu's thoughts, he said bluntly: "My sword can't be used as a pawn."
Yu Shu was seen through by him. She awkwardly turned her head and reached out to grab a handful of grass. Suddenly, she thought of something and touched her body. Her face changed. She stood up from the grass and turned around. She almost took off her shoes to check.
"What are you looking for?"
Yu Shu said gloomily: "The stone you gave me is missing."
Jing Chen's eyes darkened and his eyebrows knitted: "No wonder …"
Yu Shu heard him whisper, but she didn't hear it clearly: "What did you say?" Jing Chen stood up from the grass and looked at her with a complicated expression. He looked away and had a premonition. The next moment, he turned around and walked into the forest.
"Eh? Where are you going? "
"You go back."
Yu Shu saw that he was leaving just like that and was stunned for a moment. Then, she quickly chased after him and muttered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose that stone. Ai! I don't know when I lost it. I was carrying it with me a few days ago. It just disappeared … "
While she was muttering incoherently, Jing Chen turned around. Yu Shu quickly stopped and looked up. She saw Jing Chen saying coldly: "You go back. Don't come looking for me again."
After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave. When he lifted his leg, someone grabbed his sleeve from behind. He pulled it twice, but he couldn't pull it back.
Yu Shu lowered her head and held onto his sleeve tightly, refusing to let go. She had come to the riverside, not to wander around aimlessly. She knew that at this time, she needed help. She needed to raise money to save Zhao Hui, and it was not something that she could achieve by herself. In fact, she had a way to get the money, but she couldn't do it alone. She needed Jing Chen's help, and he was the only one she could ask for help now.
Jing Chen helplessly turned around and looked at Yu Shu's black head. He seemed to be able to sense her thoughts and said in a low voice: "Xiaoyu, I can't help you."
"You can." Yu Shu said in a muffled voice. If she knew that Jing Chen would be angry if she lost the stone, she would definitely hide the small stone in the box and never take it out.
Jing Chen shook his head. He couldn't help her. The opportunity that they met on the other side of the river had already been formed. If he got involved again, he would hurt her and hurt his Taoist heart.
"You can."
“.....”
"You can!"
Yu Shu tugged at the soft sleeves in her hands, forcing Jing Chen to lower his head. She raised her head and stared at him. There was no weakness in her eyes as she begged for help. Instead, it was filled with a heart-shaking ruthlessness.
However, Jing Chen's eyes were as clear as ever. He was unmoved, and what he was thinking in his heart was insignificant. Looking at such clear eyes, Yu Shu felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured on her head, and she gradually calmed down.
"I'm sorry." Yu Shu's fingers loosened, and the soft material slipped out of her hand. She scratched her head in frustration and apologized for losing her composure just now. Then, she gave Jing Chen a smile that was uglier than crying. "I'm leaving now. I'll come see you in two days."
It was still the same words she said every time she said goodbye to him, but she didn't get the same response.
Jing Chen quietly watched her back as she walked away. He turned around and walked into the forest. When he got to the bridgehead, he inadvertently glanced at his sleeve and saw a line on it. He touched it with his fingers and found that it was a sewing mark. It was rough and abrasive.
His Taoist heart moved, and he silently recited a few calming mantras, but he couldn't calm down. His eyes flashed with annoyance. He pulled up his sleeve, turned his toes, stepped over the bridgehead, and rushed to the other side of the river. In a few blinks of an eye, he caught up with the figure in front of him.
"Xiaoyu, wait." The biggest gambling place in the east of the city was the "Baoren Gambling House" on Wanxiang Street. In a day, they gambled with Pai Gow, and their accounts were thousands of taels. It was said that the host of this gambling house was one of the three families in the city, Kong, Liu, and Ji. However, no one was clear about which family it was.
One morning in the middle of April, nothing different than usual, the gambling house that had been gambling for a night had changed a group of workers to serve the guests. A rough servant cleaned the front door and rolled up the curtain. While there weren't many guests, he took advantage of the fact that there weren't many guests. Suddenly, a pair of feet entered his eyes. It was a pair of black shoes, and the tips of the shoes were torn. At first glance, he knew that it was a poor customer who came to try his luck. Just as he was cursing in his heart, he saw another pair of boots.
The boots were made of green silk, with silver thread at the sides. The heel was completely covered, and not a single thread could be found. Half of it was hidden in the soft white robe.
The two pairs of shoes, one in front and one at the back, made the rough servant raise his head. He saw a white robe with black and white patterns on it. When he looked up, he saw two swords on the back of the robe. His eyes widened. It wasn't that there weren't any Jianghu people who passed by the gambling house every day, but this person was clearly dressed like a Daoist master!
By the time the rough servant remembered to greet him, the person had already walked far away. He stretched his neck to look inside and saw that the Daoist master, who was wearing a bamboo hat, had indeed gone to the Yi District at the top of the eastern wall.
When he looked, he saw that the Daoist master was led by a young boy. He was short, dressed in a blue shirt, and his hair was tied up. When he turned his head, he saw that his face was covered in dirt, with a streak of yellow across and a streak of black across. He was clearly a little beggar!
As soon as the two of them stood in the Yi District, they attracted a lot of attention. But because of the Daoist master, no one dared to say anything. They only whispered to each other. The originally quiet gambling house in the early morning suddenly became lively.
The Daoist master and the beggar were Jing Chen and Yu Shu.
Yu Shu turned her head and whispered to Jing Chen, asking him to wait in front of the counter. She went to the west side of the gambling house and bought a ten-tael banknote. She said, "Bring me fifty pairs of gambling house."
This gambling house was bigger than the one opposite the Kong family's gambling house. A pair of gambling house sold for two taels of silver.
The gambling house was open for business, and there was no restriction on meat or vegetables. Even if Yu Shu came in with a Daoist master, even if no one followed her, they wouldn't refuse her if she took the money.
On the spot, they counted fifty pairs of gambling house and gave them to Yu Shu with a string of ropes.
Jing Chen was looking at the questions on the wall when he heard a 'clatter' sound. He turned his head and saw Yu Shu carrying a large string of wooden gambling house. She probably felt tired, so she lowered her head and hung the large string of gambling house on her neck. She tilted her head and struggled to pick out the tangled hair. She looked so silly. Jing Chen's mouth twitched and he almost laughed.
Yu Shu adjusted the sign properly before raising her head to look at the questions on the wall. Then, she turned her head and looked around. She counted about twenty to thirty customers. After making a rough estimate, she leaned on the counter and turned her head to Jing Chen. She whispered, "There's no hurry. Let's wait for more people. I'll read the questions first."
As she spoke, she took off the abacus hanging on her waist, moved her fingers, and made a few gestures. Her fingers were like clockwork, fast and accurate. Jing Chen watched from the side, and his eyes were a little surprised. A few guests also heard the sound and turned their heads, but they only had time to see Yu Shu's last few moves, and did not feel that she was powerful.
"Ding, ding, dang, dang." The staff on the high counter rang the bell. Jing Chen turned his head and asked Yu Shu, "You're not buying?"
Yu Shu stared at the scattered gambling house on the wall. She squinted her eyes and softly said, "There's no hurry. Let's wait."
Five hundred taels is not an easy job.
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