However they didn't not get to stealing the customers immediately.
Dragged and forced by Cao Chang , they changed their clothes to the one they bought, in a young woman's house.
The young woman quivering in a corner, afraid they were robbers or something worse. Especially that eerie looking peacock beside the elegant Gongzi.
Cao Chang, " Gege ~ Look! Am I Handsome?" He whirled around like a playful child showing off his new toy, " It fits me? Eh? Eh?" His face glowed with expectations.
Shen Zhufu, "...." he eyed him from his head down to his toe. Indeed, he was very handsome and the clothes fits him well- but he won't reveal that.He felt satisfied with himself for picking the best for them. ' Yes that's me.' He gave a small smile to himself, " Not at all." He turned away from him and feigned fixing his collar, " A-Xiang also knows that."
Cao Chang, "..."
Without waiting for another nonsensical response from him, he walked out of the room with Wei Xiang in his arms. He walked towards the quivering woman and smiled with upmost sincerity, " Sorry But we had to borrow your house."
The woman raised her head and met his eyes with a little blush painting her plum cheeks. The man in front of her looked mystically handsome as if he was carved from jade and the godly aura surrounding him. It made her calm and relieved that he wasn't like the other who has been glaring at her.
Unfortunately, not everyone would be so 'godly' as there will always be a big 'but'.
Shen Zhufu," Take our clothes as a payment."He brought forward well folded clothes.
Yup, that was it!
The woman looked at the clothes then back to the smiling Gongzi and back to clothes then back to the Smiling Gongzi, and this went home for a while.
' Clothes? What for? After harassing me by forcefully entering my house?' Her hands curled into fists as she felt watery anger falling from her eyes.
Shen Zhufu became nervous when he saw the woman crying. He doesn't know how to comfort anybody- despite they were the main cause of her discomfort. Shen Zhufu," Hey! Hey!" He nervously looked around for the peacock who was about bursting to one crazy laugh, instead of helping him out.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Shen Zhufu took the woman's shaky hands into his. With a voice so comforting and cool, " I apologize for intruding into your personal comfort...." Darn that peacock " I apologize for my friend, as you can see, he has a strange mental illness.... that can't be cured." He held his chest and bowed his head as if he was really sad and hopeless.
The woman glanced at the said sick friend who just laughed carefree about how wild he was, just like a real madman, ' He is really mad!'
Shen Zhufu peek at the woman with his fingers secretly crossed with the hope she bought his nonsense. Though, his friend truly looked like a madman, so it wasn't actually a lie.
" I quite understand what it is like to have a friend with an incurable illness." Shen Zhufu tasted the unspoken bitterness in her voice on the tip of his tongue. The woman let out a sigh withdrew her hands from his and patted him on his head, " But isn't there a cure for his illness?"
Shen Zhufu shook his regaining his composure to continue the act of being hopeless and miserable. Shen Zhufu, " Unfortunately, no!" He grasp the woman's hands and shook it vigorously, " But he will be better." He took a quick glance at the peacock smiling at them. Who knows what he is cooking up.
" Alright, I will let this slip away." She withdrew her hands from his grasp and got up, " you can leave."
Shen Zhufu, " Really?"
" Or do you want me to change my mind?"
Shen Zhufu, " No no ..., we will be leaving" He kowtowed and turned to leave with the peacock following behind but he paused and faced the woman, " By the way, what can I call a woman whose face would make fishes sinks and birds alight?"
A noticeable pink painted her cheeks like rouge " You can call me Xi Shi."
Shen Zhufu, " What a pretty name." He brought out a little bell tied to a blue thread from his sleeve and handed it to her, " Whenever you need me, ring it twice and I will be there." He kowtowed and left.
' Where's the peacock?'
" A-Xiang, where do you think your Uncle went to?"
The little fellow who had been quiet, ever since they left their place or rather, his place of comfort, jerked his head as soon his name was called and giggled happily as he clapped his little hands in joy that his father called his name.
' Aww~ A-Xiang is so cute ~' He lightly pinched the little troublemaker's nose, " A—"
" Ahhhh-"
A man ran towards them screaming at the top of his voice that he hit him, that the forceful sudden impulse almost cost him his balance but the man never turned to apologize. He kept running from whatever was chasing him.
' Huh?'
A mischievous hand snaked around his shoulders and a voice filled with mischief whispered in his ears, " Gege~ Follow me I have a surprise."
Shen Zhufu slapped his hand off his shoulders and faced with a frown on his face, " Lemme guess, that surprise is one great one that made a man took to his heels like a madman as if something- or someone was actually chasing him." Saying that, he stared down at him. His eyes were digging daggers at the peacock who shifted uncomfortably from one feet to another, looking anywhere but the man in front of him.
As if Cao Chang couldn't take it anymore. Couldn't take his cruel exposure. He let out a slight cough but his eyes averting the sharp daggers piercing him. Cao Chang, " I didn't do such thing... you can come see yourself.." with strong confidence in his voice however, that confidence is much useless if he doesn't have the confidence to stare back at his Gongzi and prove his point. He just couldn't look him in his eyes.
' Can he be trusted? Ever since he came back ... Well let's see this crazy peacock is up to.'
Shen Zhufu gave him a skeptic look but what can he do, expect from letting a sigh. Without a word, he followed the same path the fleeing man came from.
Cao Chang, " Huh?"
Shen Zhufu stopped in his tracks; he jerked his head towards the frozen statue who was just blankly stared at him. Shen Zhufu, " Haha, won't you show me the way to this best surprise of the year." His lips curved in scorn.
"Oh!" Cao Chang face glowed as he chased after him, " Gege~"
They got to a shop. Just standing outside, one could see the shop was a glamorous and elegant shop. Though, it looked old as the board hung in front of it has already been eaten by termites.
' So this the surprise?' He turned to look at the peacock who keeps avoiding his gaze for answers.
Instead of answering, the peacock ran inside leaving him to himself to answer his questions.
Since Cao Chang has already entered, he couldn't be on his own, thus, he followed suit.
Once inside, he regretted it.
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
" Cao Chang!!!!!"