The Hu woman asked with a charming smile: "Where is the young master from? Is this your first time coming to our place?"
This woman's Chinese is not as fluent as the waitress's, and she has a slight Western accent, which sounds a bit awkward.
Xu Qingchen replied: "People from Runan, this is not the first time here."
The woman smiled and said, "This is not your first time here, why are you still so reluctant to let go?"
Xu Qingchen coughed dryly: "What's your name?"
"The slave's name is Muna, and Mu means three points of water and the word for wood."
Xu Qingchen felt a little strange: "Why emphasize this word?"
"Because Sister Alia said that this word is a surname in your Han country, and you all put the surname in front of the first name."
Xu Qingchen nodded: "Indeed, Muna, how long have you been in Suzhou?"
"I have been in Suzhou for half a year, but I have been in your Han country for two years. I have been in Liangzhou before. The owner of the store in Liangzhou returned to his hometown, and I was sold here."
"Where is your hometown?"
"Tubo, I don't know which tribe they belong to. They have been sold back and forth as long as I can remember."
Xu Qingchen sighed: "You are a poor woman, haven't you thought about where you will settle down in the future?"
Muna smiled and asked, "Master, are you willing to buy the slave family?"
She meant it as a joke, but they were not allowed to talk about it in the restaurant. Some customers had this idea before, but most Han people thought that "people who are not from our race must have different intentions." The merchants from the Western Regions also disliked their origins, and they all just had a playful attitude and were not sincere. Therefore, every time they encountered this kind of problem, they responded with a professional smile and just laughed it off.
Who knew that Xu Qingchen's expression suddenly became serious: "How much is it?"
This surprised Muna, but there are ways to deal with it. Whenever she quoted the price, those guests who were still interested in buying her home gave up the idea.
"Three thousand taels."
"Three thousand taels?"
Muna smiled and said, "Sir, do you think it's expensive? Canaries like ours seem to be more expensive among you Han people than your oirans."
"Not expensive."
These words made Muna stunned for a moment, but then she put on a professional smile, brought the wine to Xu Qingchen, and said with a smile: "Master, let's have a drink."
Xu Qingchen realized that Muna didn't want to talk about this issue, so he took the wine glass and took a slow sip.
Just as Muna was about to say something to break the awkward atmosphere, who knew that as soon as she opened her mouth, Xu Qingchen said, "Do you have to pick up customers every day?"
"Yes."
"Are there any particularly difficult customers?"
Muna realized that the handsome young man in front of her was a "shuo" guest. There are many such guests in the Central Plains. They don't like to use hands or feet, they just like to chat and talk. This type of customer is Muna's favorite. They tend to spend a lot of money and don't have to suffer themselves.
Dealing with this kind of guests depends on who chooses the dishes. Some people like to be catered to, and some people like to argue.
Muna replied: "Yes."
"How difficult is it?"
Muna made a pure and cute expression, thought for a while, and replied: "Some guests like to drink, and they always like us to accompany them. The slaves are not people who can drink, and they are often drunk until they are in a daze. There are also guests with different personalities. He is surly and will beat someone if he doesn't serve him well. But these..."
Xu Qingchen took over her unfinished words: "You are used to these."
Muna was a little surprised. She originally wanted to answer "But these are normal," but this answer seemed less lazy.
Xu Qingchen poured a glass of wine by himself and said slowly: "There is a daughter in the Yang family who has grown up and been raised in a boudoir that no one knows... A woman from the Central Plains who is as old as you is still in a boudoir. You are not that old You have already tasted the warmth and coldness of human relationships... Maybe what I said is wrong, you may have never tasted the warmth of human beings."
These words made Muna a little moved, but she still smiled and said: "I heard that you also have a romantic field in the Central Plains.
Women, don’t all stay in the boudoir like me, right? "
"If you are as beautiful as you, most of them will be bought by rich people. You may still be looked down upon by others for the rest of your life, but you will have a destination after all. Unlike you, the canary, no matter how beautiful it cries, is just a bird in a cage for people to enjoy. .”
Muna picked up the wine glass: "Young Master is too sentimental easily."
Xu Qingchen stretched out his right index finger, gently pressed the edge of the wine glass, and pressed down the wine glass in Muna's hand.
"Today is the third time I see you." Xu Qingchen just stated a fact, but these words made Muna's heart move slightly.
"the third time?"
"The first two times you were with someone else."
Muna's heartbeat was a little fast, and she thought to herself: Are you secretly paying attention to me?
Xu Qingchen continued: "That person seems to visit you often."
"Yes..." Muna replied softly, "Qin Dashan is a wealthy family in our Suzhou, and he likes the company of the Nu family very much."
"Has he ever bullied you?"
"No, no."
"It seems there is."
Muna's tone was a little urgent: "Those are all..."
"You're used to that."
Xu Qingchen sighed, took out a silver ingot from his arms and put it on the table: "You shouldn't be like this."
As he said that, he stood up and seemed to be leaving.
Muna asked: "Will the young master come again?"
"Will do."
Xu Qingchen had already reached the door of the compartment, and Muna asked again: "Sir! What's your name?"
Xu Qingchen turned around and said, "Xu Mu... wood of wood."
In fact, both of them felt that the other had fallen into their own trap.
Xu Qingchen wanted to make Muna look forward to a bright future and give her hope of escaping from the sea of suffering. And what Muna thinks is: this kind of customer who plays with true feelings is the most likely to be ripped off... Of course, he is also the most likely to fulfill his promise.
…
In the inn, Linghan pointed her finger at Xu Qingchen's forehead and lectured: "Xu Qingchen! What do you think?!"
Xu Qingchen quickly comforted her: "Don't be angry, I just want her to cooperate obediently."
"I'm not jealous!" There was no trace of jealousy in Linghan's expression. "Do you know what you did? You tricked someone into following you, and then what? Can you take her away? Can you fulfill your promise? She Living in that kind of place, once you have the idea of escape, it would be okay if you escape, but what if you don't escape? Do you know what her fate will be?"
Xu Qingchen suddenly came back to his senses: What was the difference between him and those bad men just now?
Xu Qingchen slapped herself lightly: "It's my fault, I didn't think so much... But a woman like her who grew up in a romantic field won't believe me so easily, right?"
Ayana continued to poke him with her finger: "Look at your face, and then think about what you said. Good-looking men always lie to women accurately!"
Xu Qingchen asked tentatively: "Then... let's take her away?"
Ayana sighed: "I'm not petty. I believe you won't be half-hearted. I also know that you won't be tempted by those girls. The reason why I don't want you to go to any place is because it is too obscene. Think about it. Look, let’s take her away and send her to where? Will anyone accept her? We can’t just put her in the Central Plains and let her fend for herself, right?”
"Are there any kind-hearted merchants from the Western Region who are passing by who are willing to take him in?"
"How do we know?"
Xu Qingchen lowered his head and thought.
Ayana persuaded him: "There are many people suffering in this world, and we can't help everyone. In that restaurant alone, there are countless other women who have experienced the same thing as her. The Thorns Sect's influence is not here, and even the Central Plains martial arts community has If you don’t set foot here...it depends on the two of us, we don’t have the ability.”
Xu Qingchen said: "I'm not the kind of person who can safely take advantage of others. Don't think about it now. At worst, I'll spend money to redeem her. As for where she goes, we don't care."
"How much will it cost?"
"Three thousand taels, maybe."
"How can we have so much money?"
At night, Ayana was not just stalking. Through the chats of the guests in the restaurant, she got some information.
Qin Zhiyang's business has not been easy in the past few years, and the trade routes have been relatively peaceful. Many large chambers of commerce have hired their own thugs, and only some small-scale merchants will seek their protection. Today is different from the past, when he could collude with various horse bandits and earn two cents of money by himself. Nowadays, there are still traces of horse bandits on the trade roads. On the other hand, the Western Region has been experiencing continuous wars in recent years, with constant attacks among various tribes, but Qin Zhiyang's hands cannot reach the Western Region. And due to the war, many fewer people have gone there to do business in recent years.
More importantly, Qin Zhiyang doesn't seem to care about all this. It seems that he has made enough money in the past few years and doesn't care much about his own business.
The conflict between Qin Zhiyang and Boss Yao of Runan seemed to be known to the whole of Suzhou. However, it was too far away from the Central Plains and Boss Yao was not from the Jianghu, so the matter was not spread back. Last year, Boss Yao transported a batch of porcelain to the Western Regions and hired several guards and guides here in Qin Zhiyang. It was originally a very ordinary business, but the hired guard had dirty hands and stole some money from Boss Yao.
The furious Boss Yao came to the door and asked Qin Zhiyang to give an explanation.
It was a big deal at that time, and most of Suzhou knew about it. Qin Zhiyang denied the matter at first, but as the matter became more and more serious, for the sake of his credibility in this industry, he still compensated Boss Yao for his losses. Originally, the matter was settled like this, but many people said that Qin Zhiyang secretly said that he wanted to give Boss Yao something "good-looking".
When they first came to Suzhou, they only knew that Boss Yao had a conflict with Qin Zhiyang, but they didn't know what the specific conflict was. At night, Linghan heard people gossiping, and then she knew the whole story.
Qin Zhiyang has a pretty good reputation in Suzhou and often helps the poor. He has several wives, but no children. I don’t have many hobbies in my life, my favorite thing is to patronize restaurants.
This information made Ayana feel that something was wrong. The two of them discussed it for half a night, but they didn't think of what was wrong.
Early the next morning, the two went to the leather goods shop next to Qin's house. Not to buy leather goods, but to find a way to get closer and observe secretly.
The guards at Qin's house are as tight as ever. After the two of them came last time, there were even more spies in some dark places. Different from the previous eyeliner, this one seems more professional.
At noon, the two of them were looking for a place to eat. Linghan asked in a low voice: "Brother Qingchen, do you still remember the day we were hunted down?"
"Remember."
"There are many archers among the pursuers, and they are very skilled in archery. Do you remember that Feng Lan said that at the end of last year, when Ye Yu Xiaozhu besieged the Xianren Hall, there were many killers from the Yi Gongmen?"
Xu Qingchen nodded: "You mean, the people from the Yi Gong Sect were the ones who chased us that day?"
"I guess so. The people from the Ikong Clan have followed Ye Yu Xiaozhu everywhere since they entered the Central Plains. I have never heard of them doing anything for others."
"So, what Chi Junyan said is true? To be honest, I don't believe what he said. He could have made up a person who has nothing to do with him nineteen years ago. Miss Li also thinks so. Linghan, I I think there are two possibilities."
"Which two?" ap.
"First, Qin Zhiyang has nothing to do with him nineteen years ago. The Yi Gongmen that appears here now is to confuse us. They don't know the purpose of our coming here, and they may think that Miss Li asked us to come. Second ...Ye Yu Xiaozhu may not get along with the mastermind behind the scenes, so Chi Junyan deliberately revealed this name to us."
Linghan nodded: "Both of them make sense, but the only one we can ask is Qin Zhiyang."
Xu Qingchen rubbed his temples: "We still have to find a way to contact him."
"Brother Qingchen, have you ever thought about a question?"
