The young man descended the stairs slowly, catching a glimpse of a familiar figure disappearing from view. Wasn't that the young man who seemed to be Gong Cheng's brother-in-law? Why was he leaving now?
The young man summoned a servant to inquire about the situation and asked why Shen Tang lingered at the Moonlight Pavilion. To his surprise, the servant replied with envy, "You mean that young lady? She's here to redeem her grandfather, Old Chu, who works in the kitchen. She's really filial."
The young man's eyelids lowered at the words, lost in thought.
"Who is this Old Chu you're talking about?"
Even if he were a descendant of the Shen family, if there really was an Old Chu, how could he be working in the Moonlight Pavilion's kitchen? This person already had many suspicious points, and now he was buying an elderly servant. What was the purpose?
The young man's eyes dimmed slightly as his thoughts raced. He was naturally observant and suspicious, and he wouldn't let this go easily.
"I've only been here for three months, and I'm not very clear. All I know is that Old Chu works in the kitchen and is a strange person who speaks little."
Since the servant couldn't provide much information, the young man didn't press further.
"Summon your manager."
Outside the Moonlight Pavilion,
Old Chu held a shabby package in his arms, calmly looking at the empty street, while Shen Tang stood silently beside him.
The innkeeper intended to give this long-separated "grandfather and granddaughter" time to catch up properly. Besides, it was daytime now, so even in the bustling brothel, there shouldn't be any danger. He bid them farewell and returned to his duties at the inn.
Watching the innkeeper leave, Shen Tang glanced at Old Chu again, who remained expressionless. She opened her mouth, intending to break the awkward silence with a topic. Just then, her little motorcycle, already holding the reins in its mouth, trotted up to her and nudged her gently.
Shen Tang instinctively took the reins.
She found a topic.
"Old Chu, it's a long way back. Do you want to... ride the mule first?" She had intended to say "ride the horse," but since her motorcycle, as magnificent as it was, was more like a mule than a horse, she couldn't call it a horse...
"Old Chu?"
Shen Tang called out softly once more, seemingly snapping Old Chu out of his daze.
He looked at the motorcycle, and the motorcycle looked at him.
Then, he looked at the young man, the new master. The master looked back at him.
Being stared at by both the man and the mule with the same expression made him feel strangely uncomfortable. He twitched his lips and bowed his head, saying, "This slave dare not."
Shen Tang: "..."
Although he addressed himself as a "slave," his demeanor and the look in his eyes didn't match at all, making it very discordant. She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable hearing it. So she waved her hand and said, "Old Chu, you don't need to call yourself a 'slave.' You can use your name or pseudonym."
Old Chu heard this, and his expression froze for a moment. However, he didn't say anything to refute her, simply going along with it.
"Yes."
"What's your name then? Mine is Shen, and my pseudonym is Yu'li. Our family... Well, let's skip the family details for now." Shen Tang began introducing herself according to the standard format, hesitating for a moment when it came to her rank—what rank did the original Shen family hold again? Oh well, it didn't matter.
So, she made up a number.
"I'm ranked fifth. You can call me Fifth Lang."
If he wanted to call her Fifth Madam, she wouldn't mind either.
But—
Being mistaken for a handsome young man instead of a beautiful young lady every time was a bit off-putting. There was definitely something wrong with the eyes of the indigenous people in this world.
Old Chu said, "Chu, Chu Yao, pseudonym Wu Hui."
"Chu Yao? What a nice name. 'Banners flutter in the clouds, blades crisscross the forest. Yang Hui spews fire, illuminating the wilderness.' 'Yao' means brilliance and radiance. 'Wu Hui' means no darkness, implying excellent connotations." Shen Tang, accustomed to giving commercial compliments, held back her criticism.
Blessings were good, names and pseudonyms were good, but unfortunately, reality often contradicted blessings. Those who gave names and pseudonyms hoped that others would live a brilliant and bright life without darkness. Yet, the result was an elderly servant bought and sent to wash dishes in the kitchen, seemingly devoid of literary talent.
It was simply tragic.
Bringing up the old topic, Shen Tang pointed at the innocently looking motorcycle and suggested, "Sir, do you want to ride? The motorcycle is very obedient and won't jostle you around."
Taking the reins from Shen Tang's hand, Chu Yao indicated for her to mount the mule instead. Once she was seated, he calmly stated, "It's not proper for the master to walk while the servant rides."
Shen Tang muttered, "Since when were there so many rules..."
She had bought Old Chu back to replace Qu Shan in guiding the NPC's, and she hadn't planned on having an elderly person take care of her, especially since he would also play the role of a semi-teacher in the future.
"It's different," Chu Yao said.
"How is it different?" Shen Tang asked, puzzled. Respecting the elderly and loving the young should be the same everywhere.
Chu Yao held the reins in one hand and his shabby package in the other as he walked towards the street without answering her question. Instead, he asked a rather strange one, "How much silver did Wu Lang spend to buy me?"
Was he asking how much it cost to buy him?
Shen Tang hesitated, "Although I should have considered your feelings and quoted a higher price, it wouldn't have been honest... Originally, the manager intended to ask for five taels, but he misunderstood our relationship and thought we were grandfather and granddaughter, so he voluntarily reduced it by two taels."
However, unbeknownst to her, Chu Yao, who had turned away from her, had a strange expression flash across his face for a moment—somewhere between suspicion and struggle, complex and inscrutable. He didn't respond for a while. Shen Tang began to wonder if he was ignoring her, but then she heard him murmur, "So... it's three taels?"
Shen Tang: "..."
Five minus two equals three...
Was this math problem really that difficult?
Did it really take him so long to hesitate?
Just be confident; it's three taels!
"Yes, three taels. I shouldn't have made a mistake..." Shen Tang counted on her fingers, sure that she hadn't miscalculated. Then she began to doubt if she had found the right person—was Old Chu really as amazing as Qu Shan claimed?
Or was Qu Shan just fooling her?
So Shen Tang asked a question that had been on her mind for a long time.
"Yuan Liang said you were talented. Talented people can always find a way to make their lives better even in adversity. Why don't you redeem yourself? Or can't you?"
Although the offal of pigs, cattle, and sheep sold cheaply, it still cost money to buy it. Many ordinary people couldn't afford to eat it. This showed that Chu Yao lived frugally but not without income.
He was educated and capable, so he would be more welcome wherever he went than ordinary people. Therefore, Shen Tang couldn't understand his situation.
"Before the fall of Xin Nation, I couldn't redeem myself."
"But Xin Nation has already fallen."
This rule naturally no longer applied.
Unexpectedly, Chu Yao said something that confused her even more.
"It's neither unwillingness nor inability."
"Huh?"
In that case, why wasn't he taking action?
Chu Yao smiled with some confusion and helplessness, sighing with a hint of resignation that Shen Tang couldn't understand. Then, with the next sentence, he successfully left her completely bewildered, full of question marks.
"I'm waiting for the three taels from Wu Lang."