bookpower Chapter 26 - 26 Winning People’s Hearts, The Shopkeeper and The Scholar
Chapter 26 - 26 Winning People’s Hearts, The Shopkeeper and The Scholar
Chapter 26: Chapter 26 Winning People’s Hearts, The Shopkeeper and The Scholar
It was raining, and there were hardly any pedestrians on the road.
The carriage from the Prince Mansion swayed gently, slowly heading towards the refugee shelter in Queer Alley.
Murong Jiu, having not rested well the previous night, felt drowsy upon entering the carriage.
Chun Tao moved closer “Miss, rest your head on my shoulder and sleep for a while, we still have some distance before reaching the refugee shelter.”
“Alright.”
She slept soundly this time, without the turmoil of chaotic dreams.
...
When Chun Tao gently woke her, the carriage had already been stopped at the entrance of the refugee shelter for quite some time.
As she opened her eyes, Chun Tao quickly wetted a handkerchief with water for her to press against her eyes to freshen up.
“Why are you cutting in line? It’s our turn now! The steamed buns are ours!”
A middle-aged man’s indignant voice rang out nearby as Murong Jiu removed the handkerchief and lifted the curtain of the carriage.
The rain had lessened outside, where a scuffle was occurring in front of the porridge barrels.
A few thug-like men had rushed to the front to jump the queue and took the last few steamed buns. The middle-aged man tried to take them back, only to be pushed to the ground; the young man standing behind him, leaning on a wooden stick, was also knocked down with a kick, his broken bowl shattering on the ground with a crisp sound.
“I did cut the line. So what? You two newcomers don’t know who’s boss around here, daring to yell at me, watch me beat you to death!”
The leader of the thugs kicked and punched the two men, deliberately stomping hard on the injured leg of the young man.@@@@
Under the eaves of the refugee shelter, the emaciated people watched, none daring to step forward to speak a word of justice.
Another middle-aged man with a full beard leaned against the wall, constantly drinking, utterly drunk and indifferent to the events around him.
“Have them stop.”
Murong Jiu said coldly to a guard.
Two guards immediately stepped forward and simply by brandishing their swords, those thugs immediately halted, yelling for mercy and calling them grandfather.
They were just cowards who bullied the weak and feared the strong.
Seeing that the guards made no further move, the ruffians rolled and crawled away, fleeing the scene.
Originally, he had run a spice shop—not exactly wealthy, but still considered prosperous. Lou Zixi was a scholar, from a poor family but hardworking, talented, and the accountant of his shop. Last year, he had passed the local exams and was saving money to try for the Imperial Examination in the Capital City.
Their families had been content, but the flood destroyed everything.
With no other options and completely desperate, Manager Chai brought Lou Zixi to Capital City to seek help from their distant relatives, the Chen Family, hoping to succeed in the next year’s Imperial Examination.
But to their dismay, just because Lou Zixi had instinctively helped the Miss Cousin who nearly fell, the Chen Family’s son broke his leg and drove them out.
At that time, he had supported Lou Zixi as they searched for a medical clinic. Once the physicians heard they had no money, they were immediately turned away. It was during this time that the kind-hearted middle-aged physician appeared, setting Lou Zixi’s leg for free.
If not for this lady pointing out the issue with Lou Zixi’s leg, by the time of the Imperial Examination tomorrow, his leg might allow him to walk, but he would have limped, possibly getting disqualified before even entering the examination hall.
Officers of the Imperial Court must have no visible defects; they cannot afford to be physically impaired.
Lou Zixi himself had realized this, his face turning deathly pale.
After years of toiling over his studies, if he were to fail because of his leg, he really couldn’t accept it.
“What...what can we do? Miss, do you think his leg can still be saved?”
Manager Chai asked anxiously.
Both of them looked at her as if she were a life-saving straw, because at that moment, Murong Jiu appeared as a ray of light in the darkness, making them overlook her age and status.
Under their watchful eyes, Murong Jiu nodded and said, “It’s possible.”
Lou Zixi sighed in relief as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Manager Chai’s heart also settled down.
However, Murong Jiu’s next statement made Manager Chai jerk his head up, his pupils constricting.
“Manager Chai, why don’t we go to the teahouse to discuss Young Master Lou’s leg injury in detail?”
She knew them!
“This isn’t a good place to chat. Just outside the alley, there’s a teahouse,” she suggested.
Hearing this, Manager Chai exchanged looks with Lou Zixi, and they both smiled bitterly in their hearts. What other choice did they have now but to follow the young lady’s suggestion?
They had come to this refuge, unable to even afford a loaf of bread.
After nodding in agreement with Lou Zixi, Murong Jiu did not immediately take them to the teahouse.
“Please wait a moment,” she said.
She stepped through the mud, heading towards a middle-aged man drinking by the wall under the eaves.