When the sky was about to brighten, Yu Shu was woken up by the crowing of the rooster. She yawned and opened her eyes. She immediately realized that something was wrong. She sat up from the bed and took a look. She was lying on the bamboo bed that Qing Zheng usually slept on. Oh no!
I got drunk last night and didn't go back home!
Yu Shu wiped her face and hurriedly picked up her shoes to get off the bed. She made a mess of her blanket and walked out of the room to take a look. Qing Zheng had already left and there was only an empty wine jar on the stone table in the courtyard.
"I didn't expect this wine to have such a strong aftereffect even though it doesn't taste that good." Yu Shu picked up the cushion on the floor and threw it on the rattan chair. She tied up her hair as she walked out of the room. It was still early and the alley was empty. She ran all the way home and pushed the door open. It must have been left open by Yu Xiaoxiu last night.
The courtyard was quiet and the hens and chicks in the chicken coop had not woken up yet. Yu Shu gently pushed open the door to the central room. When she saw the bulging figure on the bed leaning against the wall, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she didn't return home last night. Zhao Hui and Yu Xiaoxiu did not realize it. Otherwise, how could Xiaoxiu sleep so peacefully on the bed? He would have long been looking for her on the streets.
"… Big Sister?" Although the sound of Yu Shu opening the door was soft, it still woke Yu Xiaoxiu up. He turned around and poked his head out from under the blanket. He rubbed his eyes and asked, "What time is it?"
"It's still early. Sleep a little longer. I'll wake you up later."
Yu Shu had a hangover all night. Fortunately, she didn't have a headache or hoarse throat. She opened the bedroom door and looked at Zhao Hui. Then she went out to the kitchen to make breakfast. While adding firewood, she recalled what Qing Zheng said to her yesterday.
She had previously guessed that the item that Daoist Qing Zheng wanted her to find would not be easy to obtain. She did not expect that Qing Zheng would actually ask her to snatch something from the hands of the Imperial Astronomer. Wasn't this like plucking the hair from the tiger's mouth? The "Book of Mystic Maiden of the Six Rens" was a one-of-a-kind item in the world. It was difficult to obtain it. She had to first have a thorough plan.
To find the Book of Mystic Fairy, she had to go to the capital. Zhao Hui had not recovered yet, so she could not leave just like that. And there was also Yu Xiaoxiu. She was worried about leaving him alone in the Ji family. But she was afraid that she would not be able to take care of him if she went to the capital with him.
"I know nothing about the capital now. I'll go back and discuss with my master at night. He hasn't told me what the book looks like." Yu Shu said a few words to herself. She stirred the porridge in the pot and pressed the bridge of her nose. She felt that she had forgotten what Qing Zheng had told her last night.
***
Yu Shu stayed in Tehen for the whole morning. When it was almost lunchtime, she saw Pei Jing and Xing Qi. She was looking at the account book in the accounting room in the backyard. A servant came to call her and said that Steward Pei and the shopkeeper were waiting for her outside.
Yu Shu packed her things and went to the front yard. As soon as she passed through the hall, she heard Xing Qi's loud voice, "Xiao Yu, you must be hungry. Let's go. I'll take you to eat something good."
Pei Jing and Xing Qi were sitting on the tiger chair at the door. The former smiled at her while the latter waved at her. Yu Shu walked over and bowed, "Mr Pei, Manager Xing."
"Let's go. There is a restaurant on Vientiane Street that makes delicious Shandong cuisine. I'll take you to try it." Pei Jing did not mention the rain yesterday and led the way to the carriage.
It was the same carriage that Yu Shu sat in with Pei Jing last time. However, the furnishings inside were changed. The mahogany tea table was replaced by a four-legged yellow pear wood table. The tea set was also replaced by a set of delicate blue and white flowers.
"What did you do this morning?" Pei Jing asked.
"I checked a few accounts and looked at the timber business in Huaidong last year." Yu Shu said.
Pei Jing nodded his head. Suddenly, he changed the topic and asked, "Little Yu, how many years have you been learning Yi?"
Yu Shu already knew that he would ask this question today, so she answered calmly, "I learned it at the same time as arithmetic."
Of course, Pei Jing could tell that she was playing dumb with him, but he was not unhappy. Instead, he smiled and said, "Yesterday, you said that you are best at predicting Qingyu's future, right?"
Yu Shu touched her neck embarrassedly, "I'm good at it."
"What's the farthest you can calculate?"
Yu Shu thought for a moment, "Three days." She did not know how many days Mr. Riddle could calculate, but it was probably no more than five days. The most she could accurately calculate was within five days. It would seem like she was bragging if she said it, so it was better to compromise.
Pei Jing nodded and did not ask her anything else. He turned to talk with Xing Qi about the business deal they discussed yesterday afternoon. Along the way, he did not mention that Yu Shu said it rained yesterday, as if he had forgotten about it. Xing Qi glanced at Yu Shu from time to time. Seeing that she looked normal, he nodded to himself.
As they talked, the carriage arrived outside a restaurant. The three of them got off the carriage. The waiter recognized them and respectfully invited them to a private room on the second floor.
In ancient times, there was no menu in restaurants. The cashier hung a list of dishes. Usually, after the customers sat down, the waiter would introduce the signature dishes, or some regular customers would order their own dishes. Pei Jing belonged to the latter group. He named seven or eight dishes in one go, and finally, Xing Qi ordered a pot of wine. The ancients said that one should not talk while eating and not talk while sleeping. Most of them were scholars. Merchants often sat at the wine table, so it was impossible for them to keep to this rule. Xing Qi was a talkative person, and Pei Jing was eloquent with his words. Yu Shu sat there, quietly eating her food and not drinking a drop of wine. She listened to them talk, and when Xing Qi asked questions, she would occasionally express one or two opinions.
When the last soup was served, Pei Jing said to Yu Shu, "Xiao Yu, how about I ask you to do one more thing?"
Yu Shu thought for a while and guessed what Pei Jing might want her to do. Sure enough, after she nodded, she heard Pei Jing say, "Doing business has a lot to do with the weather. I often ask people to do divination in the trading house. The Kong family's trading house charges me 20 taels of silver every month. Yesterday, they almost ruined me. Now I will give you the money, and you will predict the weather for me every month. How about it?"
As soon as these words came out, Yu Shu and Xing Qi were both stunned. Xing Qi looked at Pei Jing with doubt and disapproval in his eyes. Pei Jing seemed to not see his expression and waited for Yu Shu's reaction.
Twenty taels of silver is not a small sum. The Great Exchange Hall is really a place to blacken people. Yu Shu sighed with emotion. She did not immediately agree to his request. Instead, she bluntly said, "Mister, are you entrusting this matter to me just because I said that it rained yesterday? What if I was lucky and guessed correctly yesterday? Your twenty taels of silver would be wasted on the wrong place."
Pei Jing saw that she was thinking for him at this time. He couldn't help but laugh, "So you were lucky yesterday?"
Yu Shu shook her head, "Of course not." She spent a lot of effort to calculate it, so there was nothing to be modest about.
Pei Jing smiled, "Then do you want these 20 taels?"
This time, Yu Shu didn't hesitate, "Yes."
Why not? She could guarantee that her calculations were more accurate than those in the trading house. Pei Jing gave her the money, so it was definitely worth it.
"Haha, this kid is not polite." Xing Qi pointed at Yu Shu with a glass of wine. Although he didn't know why Pei Jing suddenly made this decision, he didn't ask in front of Yu Shu.
After eating and drinking to their heart's content, Pei Jing paid the bill and the three people walked to the roadside. When Yu Shu got on the car, she stumbled and held the door to steady herself. She glanced at the red thread tied to the wheel and suddenly remembered what she forgot in the morning. She said to Pei Jing and Xing Qi, "I plan to buy something in Dong Street. Mr. Pei and the shopkeeper can go first."
Pei Jing said, "Send you off?"
"No, it's just a few steps away." Yu Shu took two steps back and watched the carriage turn and leave. Then she walked towards the direction of the Kong family's trading house. She patted her head and muttered, "Hiss, should I buy one or two?"
***
In the carriage, Xing Qi looked at Pei Jing who was calmly drinking herbal tea and said with a bitter smile, "Second brother, even if you want to give him a red packet, you don't have to flatter him like this. 20 taels a month, it's fine to give it to the trading house, but to give it to this kid..."
"Do you know where I went after lunch yesterday before it rained?" Pei Jing interrupted Xing Qi's grumbling, "I went to the Kong family's shop and asked them about Qingyu that day. Guess what they told me?"
"What did they say?"
Pei Jing smiled, "They must have said that they didn't make a mistake and that there wouldn't be rain. But it rained only an hour later."
Xing Qi hesitated, "It's hard to say for sure about the weather. Even if it's the Kong family's trading house, it's normal for them to make a mistake once in a while."
Pei Jing shook his head thoughtfully, "Didn't you notice that Xiao Yu brought an umbrella yesterday? The weather was so good this morning, but he still brought an umbrella when he went out. This means that he was quite sure that it would rain that day. He even changed his shoes. If it were you, would you deliberately change your shoes when you go out if you were not sure that it would rain?"
Xing Qi shook his head with a strange expression. "That's it. The first time I saw him, he was gambling in the gambling house. Later when I followed him, he actually went to the library of the Dayi Trading House to copy books. A book plate costs 10 taels of silver. Look at his clothes. Does he look like someone who would waste money like that? You saw it when we were eating just now. I offered him twenty taels, but he didn't even try to be polite. Do you think he doesn't know what's good for him? He just thinks he's qualified to take that money. In other words, he's really capable. "
"Hey, is he that good?" Xing Qi stared.
Pei Jing touched the teacup and said, "This child, Little Yu, has some background. I sent someone to investigate and found out that his sick relative isn't from his family. He only moved to his current place two months ago. He's a married woman who sells snacks at a stall and has a nephew who's smart and knows how to make money. Haha, do you believe me?"
Xing Qi was shocked and hurriedly said, "Then will there be trouble if we keep him? Second Brother, you are still helping him. I think we should find a chance to send him away. "
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