From beyond the courtyard gate, a voice rang out, "Are you selling this maid?"
Song Jixin hesitated, turning his head toward the source of the voice. His gaze landed on a smiling young man, dressed in luxurious silk, standing just outside the gate. The young man's face was completely unfamiliar to him.
Next to the young man stood a tall, elderly man with a pale but kind expression. He squinted slightly as he observed the young people in the courtyard across the way.
His gaze swept over Chen Ping'an without stopping but lingered on Song Jixin and the maid, his smile slowly deepening.
Song Jixin glanced sideways, then declared, "Sell? Of course, I'll sell her!"
The young man's smile widened as he responded, "Name your price."
The maid's eyes widened in astonishment, her expression like that of a frightened fawn.
Song Jixin rolled his eyes and raised a finger, wagging it mischievously. "Ten thousand silver taels!"
The young man's face remained unreadable as he nodded, "Alright."
Seeing the young man wasn't joking, Song Jixin quickly corrected himself, "I meant ten thousand gold taels!"
The corner of the young man's mouth curled into an amused smile. "Just kidding."
Song Jixin's face darkened with frustration.
Unbothered by Song Jixin's reaction, the young man turned his attention to Chen Ping'an. "Thanks to you, I managed to buy that carp today. After I brought it home, I found myself liking it more and more, so I came to thank you in person. That's why I asked Grandpa Wu to bring me here tonight."
He tossed a heavy, embroidered bag to Chen Ping'an and smiled brightly. "This is your reward. We're square now."
Chen Ping'an opened his mouth to speak, but the young man had already turned and left, leaving him with a confused expression.
Chen Ping'an furrowed his brow, recalling the events of the day.
Earlier, he had casually noticed a middle-aged man carrying a fish basket on the street. Inside the basket was a golden carp, about the size of a palm, leaping energetically. Chen Ping'an had only given it a passing glance, but he felt an aura of good fortune radiating from the fish. He asked if he could buy it for ten copper coins. The middle-aged man, who had planned to keep the carp for himself, saw an opportunity for profit and immediately raised the price to thirty copper coins. Chen Ping'an, financially strapped, didn't have enough money but couldn't bear to let the golden carp slip away. He followed the man, trying to haggle the price down to fifteen or twenty copper coins. Just as the man was about to relent, the young man in silk and the elderly man appeared, passing by without hesitation. They bought the carp and the basket for fifty copper coins, leaving Chen Ping'an to watch helplessly as they walked away.
Staring intently at the fading figures of the grandfather and grandson, Song Jixin leapt down from the wall, his fierce gaze softening as he withdrew it. Then, as if recalling something, he spoke to Chen Ping'an. "Do you remember the lizard from the Lunar New Year?"
Chen Ping'an nodded, the memory still fresh in his mind.
According to the centuries-old customs of the town, if a lizard entered one's home, it was considered an omen of good fortune. The owner was never to drive it away or kill it. On Lunar New Year's Day, Song Jixin had been sitting at the threshold, basking in the warm sunshine. Suddenly, a small lizard, commonly known as a four-legged lizard, darted across the floor and into his house. Song Jixin grabbed it and tossed it into the courtyard. To his surprise, the lizard, though stunned, seemed even more determined to get back inside. Irritated by the lizard's persistence and disbelieving in omens, Song Jixin had thrown it into Chen Ping'an's courtyard in a fit of anger. The next day, imagine his surprise when he found the lizard coiled up under his bed.
Song Jixin glanced at the maid, who was tugging at his sleeve.
The way they moved together, as if instinctively in tune, made him pause. He swallowed the words that had almost escaped his lips.
He had meant to tell Chen Ping'an that the ugly lizard had recently developed a bump on its forehead, almost like a horn growing from its head.
Instead, Song Jixin said, "Zhigui and I may be leaving here next month."
Chen Ping'an sighed. "Be careful on your journey."
Song Jixin replied with a half-joking smile, "There are some things I definitely can't take with me. Don't dare to steal anything when my house is empty."
Chen Ping'an shook his head, amused by Song Jixin's playful threat.
Song Jixin laughed and pointed at Chen Ping'an. With a mischievous grin, he said, "You're as timid as a mouse. No noblemen are born in poor families. Not only will you be bullied in this life, but you might not escape it in the next."
Chen Ping'an fell silent, the words striking a deep chord within him.
Returning to their respective rooms, Chen Ping'an closed the door and lay down on the hard wooden bed. The young man, though impoverished, closed his eyes and whispered softly, "May you be safe and sound, year after year, may peace accompany you forever..."