Chapter 600: Inquiring
With a single glance from Bai Jianbei, a guard stepped out. Although they couldn’t intervene, they needed to grasp the situation, considering they would be staying here for a while.
The Shopkeeper noticed this but kept quiet. Seeing that these two were dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by so many people, he took the initiative to curry favor. If they had been ordinary patrons, he would have merely served the tea and left them alone.
“Please enjoy your tea. If you need anything, just let us know,” he said. With that, the Shopkeeper walked away as if nothing was amiss.
Bai Suihe didn’t ask further questions. She took a sip of her tea—the taste was nothing special.
Gu Xingyang excitedly waved her little hands. “Mother, Changping Inn isn’t far from here! We even passed by it on our way over.”
Bai Suihe ignored her, and sure enough, Gu Xingyang continued to chatter. “I noticed them just now too. They don’t look like good people at all. They were staying in the inn looking so fierce and aggressive, like they were out for revenge.”
“That has nothing to do with us,” Bai Suihe said. “Since this place isn’t safe, we’ll head back as soon as we finish our tea.”
“Don’t be like that, Mother! Aren’t you even a little curious about who their enemy is?”
“What does that have to do with us?” Bai Suihe took another sip of tea. Although the quality was subpar, it was quite thirst-quenching.
“Sister, since it’s not peaceful around here, let’s head back early,” Bai Jianbei suggested. It wasn’t that he was afraid of trouble, but they had a baby with them. It wouldn’t be good if she got frightened.
“We’ll head back after resting for a bit,” Bai Suihe agreed. She didn’t want to cause trouble either; what they needed most right now was stability. As for the fighting and killing outside, it was none of their business.
However, even if they didn’t look for trouble, trouble had a way of finding them.
“Oh, business is pretty good today for a little teahouse,” a rebellious, unruly voice rang out from outside the shop.
The guards who had been sitting and drinking tea instantly blocked the doorway. Several of them moved to shield Bai Suihe and Bai Jianbei.
The men outside hadn’t expected such a defensive posture. They froze for a moment before laughing. “We’re good guys. We’re not going to do anything to you.”
With that, the speaker led his group of brothers inside. Given their Jianghu attire and the heavy broadswords slung over their shoulders, it was hard to fathom how they defined themselves as “good guys.”
Bai Jianbei stood up, took one look, and spoke to the guards who were on the verge of drawing their blades. “Don’t interfere with the Shopkeeper’s business.”
If he were a child of a government official, he could have certainly kicked these people out. But he was very aware of his status. He was merely the son of a merchant. If a situation could be resolved peacefully, it was best not to blow it out of proportion. If it couldn’t be resolved, he could always throw Silver at it until things smoothed over.
The guards obediently stepped aside, though they kept their eyes fixed on the newcomers. They didn’t return to their seats to enjoy tea and pastries as before.
The handsome man leading the group found an empty table and placed his sword directly on it. He cupped his hands toward them and said, “I was a bit loose-lipped just now and ruined your good mood. I’m truly sorry.”
“It’s my guards who are a bit too on edge,” Bai Jianbei replied. “Everyone, please, make yourselves at home!”
One look was enough to tell that these were Jianghu wanderers. Bai Jianbei didn’t want to associate with them too much. He knew enough about people from the Jianghu to understand that most of them were capable but lacked a bottom line. Only a small fraction still valued righteousness and loyalty, and such people were rare.
Bai Suihe minded her own business, sipping tea and eating pastries. Gu Xingyang, however, kept her small eyes darting around, staring intently at the group. “Mother, so these are the so-called Jianghu people. They don’t look like much. Look at their clothes—they don’t even dress as well as our boatmen.”
“Did you think the Jianghu was that easy to survive in? By the looks of it, they’re probably just a motley crew. To put it bluntly, they’re just a bunch of hoodlums parading around as Jianghu men.”
Bai Suihe had only cast a curious glance at them when they first walked in before retracting her gaze. She set down her cup and asked Bai Jianbei, “Are you finished here? Let’s settle the bill and leave.”
“Let’s leave. We’re heading straight back, right?” Bai Jianbei asked. He was genuinely terrified of going shopping, so his eyes held a pleading look.
“Yes, we’re heading back. You really need to practice more, otherwise how will you accompany your future wife shopping?”
“What’s so great about shopping? If you want something, just have it sent directly to the manor…”
“…You just don’t understand the joy of it,” Bai Suihe said.
“What’s so joyful about it? If you want to walk, you can stroll around the back garden and admire the flowers and trees. Didn’t you also use to hide in the manor every day, waiting for the shopkeepers to deliver things?”
Thinking back, Bai Suihe realized that was indeed the case. But those memories were already buried deep in her heart. She much preferred the lively, mundane hustle and bustle of the streets now.
“People’s states of mind can change,” she said. The siblings chatted as they walked out, naturally leaving their subordinates to settle the bill.
The Jianghu men watched them leave the shop before their raucous noise flared up again. “Shopkeeper, bring out your best tea and pastries!”
The Shopkeeper, who had been hiding behind the counter, pulled a bitter face. Earlier, he had been rejoicing that these people hadn’t come to cause trouble, but now they were breathing right down his neck.
Bowing and scraping, he asked for their orders and served the tea and pastries before fearfully ducking back behind the counter. He was already worrying whether the Silver he had just earned from the previous group would be enough to cover the losses these men would cause.
“Boss, did you see? It was another rich young master. Why do you think there’s such a massive difference between people?”
“Shut your mouth. If you’re going to roam the world with me, you should know that a loose tongue causes trouble.
“Although we’re working for someone else, don’t go looking for problems. We’re just selling our lives to others, and these cheap lives of ours aren’t worth a dime in their eyes.”
The handsome man leading the group slammed his cup onto the table. “Get the job done properly, split the Silver, and go home to live our lives. That is the right path, and it’s the path we should take.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Many aristocratic families have recently come to Lingnan. If you run into people like that in the future, you’d best keep your distance.”
He glanced around at his men. Seeing them all nod, he finally sipped his tea in satisfaction.
The underling who had spoken earlier grumbled resentfully, “We’re the same age. Why do we have two completely different fates…”
“Then you only have yourself to blame for not being born into the right family. This is your destined fate.”
Without paying the man any more mind, he picked up his teacup and walked toward the counter, deciding inwardly that he would no longer bring along such ungrateful fools in the future.
“Shopkeeper, I’d like to ask you about something.” The handsome man rested his arm on the counter, amused as he looked at the Shopkeeper who was practically hiding under the desk. “Relax, we’re not bad guys. Here’s the fee for the tea. I’ll settle our bill first.”
Putting on an apologetic smile, the Shopkeeper slowly stood up. “I dropped something under there just now, so I was looking for it.
“Guest, what is it that you want to ask? I stay in this shop all day without going out, so I don’t know much.”
“Don’t be nervous, Shopkeeper. You see, I brought a few of my brothers here to seek refuge with relatives. Do you know the Liu Family at the end of West City Alley? Why did they sell their house?”