Chapter 30: A Sudden Visitation

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Looking at the time and seeing that it was getting late, Su Jiu spoke only a few more sentences to Li Tai and then left with the gang.

On the carriage, the gang was still all excitement. They had gone for a meal and had bought a restaurant. No one would have believed it.

It can only be said that it was a lucky coincidence…not to mention a complete surprise!

“Chief, you don’t blame me for making my own decisions, do you?” Qiao An asked with a smile.

Without discussing with Su Jiu, without her consent, he made the decision to give half of the tavern’s profits to the Nangong siblings. Now it seemed that it may only be fifty or sixty taels of silver, but if the profits grew bigger in the future, it would be more than just silver.

Su Jiu and Chang Huan sat side by side, and as she heard the words, she turned back and smiled. “Of course not, I knew what you meant!”

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With a great source of support like the Nangong family, it was far more valuable than the money that was lost.

Qiao An had been the last of them to join the gang, and his kung fu was the weakest of them, but he was the second head of the Dragon Conqueror Gang because Su Jiu respected that he was a scholar. He had seen more of the world than they had, and could always make careful considerations they could not think of.

Su Jiu, like Hu Dapao, led a rough life. Growing up in the Dragon Conqueror Gang as a child, she has been fighting and killing every day, trying to practice martial arts to make herself strong. All she thought about was how to live, how to kill her enemies, and having never studied, she didn’t know much about social etiquette.

However, although Su Jiu was not educated, she was a fast learner. For example, when Qiao An and Nangong Shu discussed today that they would divide the profits equally, she immediately understood why Qiao An would do so!

After ten days in the capital, her wisdom grew rapidly every day.

“Chief, since we are so happy today, this calls for a celebration! Let’s buy some meat and wine and go back and have a big meal!” Hu Dapao shouted.

“I think you’re just hungry!” Su Jiu told him.

Hu Dapao scratched his head sheepishly and chuckled.

Su Jiu reprimanded Hu Dapao, but turned her head to Chang Huan. “Stop in front, buy a few patties of beef, and buy two good pots of wine!”

“Chief!” Qiao An hurriedly called Su Jiu, and poured out all the silver in his purse, and said, “This is all we have left!”

Su Jiu looked at the silver in Qiao An’s palm and asked, “Is it enough to buy meat?”

Qiao An sighed helplessly, “Of course it’s enough, but after buying meat, what are we going to eat in the future?”

“We’ll worry about that in the future. Since we are happy today, we will have a good drink!”

Qiao An was speechless. Well, he thought, as long as you’re happy!

“We can’t spend all the money!” Chang Huan looked back and grinned at Su Jiu. “We have to keep some for Chief to buy melon seeds!”

Su Jiu pinched Chang Huan’s smooth cheeks, “My Huan’er knows how to treat me right!”

It cost five coins to buy five patties of beef, two pots of wine, and then the gang sat in the carriage in the sunset and laughed all the way home.

—–

Back in the small yard, Nanny listened incredulously to Su Jiu recounting that they had bought a shop!

Seeing that they were elated, Nanny felt glad too. When she heard that they were going to drink, she prepared a few more dishes, warmed the wine, cut the beef, and placed the table under the osmanthus tree, before calling for them to eat.

The group sat down and Qiao An called to Nanny, saying, “Nanny, join us!”

Nanny sat on a bench under the tree with a needle in her hand and smiled. “No thank you, you go ahead! It’s getting cold. I’ll make a cloak for the lady!”

Oil lamps hung from the tree, shining on Nanny’s head, the atmosphere particularly warm and moving.

Su Jiu looked at it and felt that there seemed to be such a flash in the depths of her memory. But when she wanted to remember it carefully, those memories became blurred again.

The five were carefree people, and when they saw that Nanny refused to come to the table, they poured the wine and raised their glasses to drink.

Ah Shu grabbed the beef and chewed, while exclaiming in a garble, “Chief, with the Bai family’s mediocre kung fu, they have the audacity to open a martial arts dojo! What a joke! If they were in Yuhu Mountain, they wouldn’t even be worthy enough to be bandits!”

“It’ll be bad luck for them if they meet us!” Hu Dapao snorted coldly.

“They are naturally different from us,” Qiao An replied. “Their disciples at the martial arts dojo are all children from rich families. They learn a few flowery moves, which are either used to show off or to strengthen their physique.”

In comparison, the Dragon Conqueror Gang have had to live by force in order to survive. How can they be the same?

Su Jiu took a big sip of wine in a bowl and put it on the table with a bang. “Master An is right. They can’t compare with us in terms of martial arts, but in terms of power, we can’t compare with them!”

Chang Huan sat at the side, picked up the wine and poured it for Su Jiu.

“One day we’ll open a martial arts dojo too!” Ah Shu boasted disdainfully.

“You’ll open a martial arts dojo to teach people how to rob?” Qiao An glanced at him.

The gang burst into laughter, unaware that across two alleys a dark carriage was passing through the street, with Ji Yuxian resting inside it.

The carriage trembled, and the large night-luminescent pearl inlaid in the corner cast a soft and luxurious light on the man’s inky black hair.

Sitting just outside the carriage, Housekeeper Yu whispered, “Young Master, Miss Lan sent someone today to report that the embroidered painting for the Emperor’s birthday by the Official’s Manor has been completed.”

Ji Yuxian’s eyes opened slightly, and he nodded. “Mm-hmm!”

This embroidered painting for the Emperor’s birthday cost 8000 silver taels, 2200 was for handiwork alone, and it took 20 top embroidery maidens to embroider for a month.

Official Lyu specially commissioned the Ji Manor’s embroidery workshop, which was clearly meant to curry favor with the Ji Manor.

The Official’s Manor wants to marry their Third Young Lady into the Ji family, but even if the Ji family is rich, their lady has a noble status and cannot take the initiative to ask for Ji Manor’s hand in marriage. Thus, they used embroidered paintings as a hint for the Ji Manor to ask.

There was no need to tell Ji Yuxian about an embroidered painting. At this time, Housekeeper Yu mentioned it as a way to ask Ji Yuxian how he felt towards the Official Manor’s Third Young Lady.

Ji Yuxian’s casual reply clearly indicated that he was obviously not interested in her.

“Young Master, about Miss Su, how are you going to handle it?” Housekeeper Yu asked again.

In Ji Manor, other than Second Mistress, the only other person who was able to ask about Ji Yuxian’s marriage was this old housekeeper who had been at Ji Manor for decades and watched him grow up.

Now that Miss Su has been in Shengjing for ten days, and Ji Yuxian has not shown any concern, it was surprising that Miss Su could stay calm. However, the people of the city were paying a lot of attention to the marriage of the two families, and there must always be an explanation.

Ji Yuxian remembered that Second Mistress had come to see him for the sake of Miss Su the other day to say that Miss Su was ill.

Opening his eyes slightly, Ji Yuxian glanced out of the window and asked, “Where did Housekeeper Song say Miss Su was settled at?”

Looking around, Housekeeper Yu said, “In Flower Alley, which seems to be around this area!”

“We’ll go and have a look then!” Ji Yuxian said.

Thinking of seeing the cowardly woman in Jingqin Restaurant that day, he really couldn’t raise any interest, but now that he happened to be here, he’d go and see if she was dead or alive.

“Yes!” Housekeeper Yu answered and ordered the coachman to go through Flower Alley.