Half a day later, Ning Chen also bid farewell to the shopkeeper. Before he left, the shopkeeper specially gave him a small ingot as payment for the journey.
Ning Chen looked at the silver in his hand and was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth. He threw away all the sadness in the morning.
After thanking the shopkeeper, Ning Chen smiled and set off. He didn't say where he was going because even he didn't know where he could go.
In order to prevent being captured by Zhangsun, leaving the Imperial City was the best choice. After weighing the pros and cons, Ning Chen finally made a decision. However, before that, he had to make another trip to Lingyan Pavilion to pay off the two cups of tea.
The bustling streets were filled with peddlers. This was the first time Ning Chen was in the mood to walk around. He was curious about this and that.
It seemed that dressing up was not bad. When he left the city, he would start a small business, marry a gentle girl, and have a few children. As long as he did not get caught by his eldest grandson, his life would still be very good.
Just as Ning Chen was fantasizing about the beautiful days ahead, at the end of the street, a gong suddenly sounded. Amidst the sound of hooves, a group of people dressed in gorgeous but somewhat strange clothes walked over from not far away. The pedestrians and stalls in front of them all made way to prevent blocking the way.
"This envoy from Zhen Ji Nation is really extravagant!"
The crowd discussed animatedly. Most of them were indignant, and it was obvious that they did not have a good impression of the envoy from Zhen Ji Nation.
Ning Chen had some understanding of the State of Zhen Ji. The State of Zhen Ji was located in the northeast of the Xia Empire. It was not a big country, but it was full of trouble. It always claimed that it was the best country in the world and constantly stirred up trouble. After the founding of the Xia Empire, the third-generation ruler was tired of it, so he directly sent his troops to the northeast and beat the State of Zhen Ji into submission for hundreds of years.
However, in recent years, Xia had loosened its policy toward the Kingdom of True Extremity out of the desire for peace. This had caused the Kingdom of True Extremity to think that Xia was weak and easy to bully. They had provoked Xia again and again. Marquis Buyi, who was in charge of the northeast, had asked for an edict to send troops more than once, but Emperor Xia had forcefully suppressed it.
Ning Chen stood in the crowd and looked at the envoy on the carriage. He raised his right hand and gave the middle finger fiercely, while greeting the latter's entire family.
After a short storm, Ning Chen collected his emotions and continued to walk towards Lingyan Pavilion. As for the matter of the emissary, he would let Zhangsun and the others have a headache.
In front of the Lingyan Pavilion, it was still as deserted as yesterday, but it was normal. When he came, it was already close to noon. At this time, who would still stay in the fireworks area.
Ning Chen walked over and looked at the gorgeous hall. He saw a person sitting quietly in a robe, as if waiting for him to come.
" Young Master is here." After Ning Chen walked in, Yue Hanyi stood up and smiled sweetly.
" I'm here to pay you back." Although he didn't hit a smiling person, and he was facing a delicate girl, the hatred in his heart made Ning Chen unable to smile. He slammed the silver he had exchanged on the table and arrogantly said," Keep the change." Then, he turned around and left.
" Please wait, Young Master." Yue Hanyi stretched out her hand to block Ning Chen's path, still smiling.
"Hmm?" Ning Chen frowned." Two cups of tea and one tael of silver. That's enough."
Yue Hanyi smiled faintly and said," Young Master is truly forgetful. One tael of silver is enough for two cups of tea, but one tael of silver is far more than enough for the broken table, chairs, and tea set."
Ning Chen was stunned and immediately felt a little guilty. He had really ignored this matter.
Looking at Ning Chen's expression, Yue Hanyi felt extremely relieved and continued," Young Master might not know, but the tables and chairs in Lingyan Pavilion are all made of superior quality Nanmu wood. The tea set is also made by famous masters in the Imperial City. This little girl has already calculated for Young Master. Excluding the tea money that you have just returned, Young Master still lacks 110 silver taels. However, seeing that Young Master came over to pay the money so readily, I will give Young Master a round number. A hundred silver taels will do."
" 100…taels." Ning Chen stuck out a finger and stuttered.
Yue Hanyi nodded, her smile growing wider. Who told you to be arrogant, who told you to be wild.
Ning Chen trembled as he reached out to take out all his belongings. He stuttered," But…I only have less than four taels of silver left."
The shopkeeper gave him a small silver ingot worth five taels. He bought a sesame seed cake and spent two taels. The rest was here. He thought that he could use it for a long time. Who would have thought that he would have to pay off such a huge debt of one hundred taels?
" Young Master, you can go home to get it. I will be waiting for you here." Yue Hanyi smiled and reminded him " out of kindness ".
" I can't go back." Ning Chen was extremely depressed. If only he could go home.
"Are you really out of money?" The corner of Yue Hanyi's mouth curled up as she asked.
" I really don't have any money left." Ning Chen nodded and sighed.
The smile on Yue Hanyi's face immediately disappeared, and she said indifferently," Then stay here and do odd jobs to repay your debts."
"Li 'er, bring him back to the back hall to wash the girls' clothes."
" Yes." As soon as he finished speaking, a pretty little girl around the age of twelve or thirteen walked out. She carried Ning Chen, who had yet to come back to his senses, to the back hall.
"I…I…"
Ning Chen turned his head as he walked, not wanting to follow the girl. What was going on? He was still in a hurry to run.
" What about me? You owe Sister Yi money and you dare to be so arrogant? Sister Yi has been waiting for you for a long time." Li 'er did not allow Ning Chen to struggle. She pulled the latter's sleeves with both hands and dragged him to the back hall.
"Aunt Liu, Aunt Zhao, you guys rest first. Leave these clothes to him to wash."
As soon as they entered the back hall, they saw two women sitting beside a pile of clothes, busying themselves. Li 'er stepped forward and gave a few instructions. Then, she looked at the dazed Ning Chen and shouted.
"So many!"
Seeing the pile of clothes that was like a small mountain, Ning Chen almost jumped up. He stretched out his trembling fingers and said.
How long would it take to wash? And…and there was no washing machine…
" Hurry up, or you won't have dinner tonight," Li 'er said fiercely with her hands on her hips.
"If you want to bathe, then bathe. Why are you so fierce?"
Ning Chen muttered and walked slowly beside the clothes. At the same time, he comforted himself in his heart that a good man would not fight with a bad woman.
After sitting down, Ning Chen was about to start work, but looking left and right, he felt that something was missing.
Li 'er, don't you have soap?"
Ning Chen looked for a long time and finally found something missing. He raised his head and asked.
Li 'er raised her eyebrows and said," Soap? What soap? Are you talking about soap? That's what rich people use to wash their hands. Who would be willing to use it to wash clothes?"
"Then how do I wash it?" Ning Chen felt a headache coming on. He looked at the little girl and asked in puzzlement," What era is it now? Why hasn't the soap come out yet?"
" Stupid," Li 'er muttered. She walked forward and took the stick beside the clothes. She hit the clothes on the wooden board hard." See, wash it like this!"”
" I... use brute force to solve everything?" Ning Chen felt that he was stunned. If he finished washing his clothes like this, he would basically be crippled.
" Take a good shower. I'll come back to check before dark," Li 'er said and left while humming a tune.
Ning Chen looked at the pile of clothes and sighed." If I had known, I would have continued to be a eunuch. I've escaped from the wolf's mouth and entered the tiger's mouth again. It seems that I still have to find a chance to escape. What a headache!"
As the blazing sun traveled westward, the hills around Ning Chen became fewer and fewer. Finally, before the sun set, the last piece of clothing was washed and hung to dry. When he stood up, his entire body was in pain. He felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.
"You're done? It's still fast!"
Li 'er came to check on time. Looking at the fluttering clothes in the courtyard, she nodded in satisfaction and said," So-so."
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat."
Li 'er said and was about to leave when she realized that Ning Chen was standing there motionlessly. She immediately put her hands on her waist." Didn't you hear what I said?"”
At this moment, Ning Chen couldn't care less about the little girl's mood. He raised his hand and called out," Li 'er, come over and help me up. My legs are numb."
" Really?" Li 'er walked over doubtfully and said," Are you trying to take advantage of me?"
Ning Chen almost choked on the little girl's words. He subconsciously glanced at the latter's chest. Needless to say, it was not peaceful.
" Se Lang " saw Ning Chen's gaze, and Li 'er's face turned red. She lifted her leg and stepped on Ning Chen, but she left with a red face.
"Tsk!"
After being stepped on, Ning Chen bared his teeth and took a few breaths of cold air. It was not that the little girl had stepped on him too hard. The main thing was that being stepped on when his leg was numb was really not a good feeling.
"Wait for me!"
Seeing that Li 'er really had no intention of helping him, Ning Chen limped along.
When he entered the kitchen, there was no one there. He casually took two men's hair and carried a plate of vegetables back to the courtyard. He sat beside the small stone bench and silently ate.
Li 'er couldn't bear to see this. She walked up to him and touched Ning Chen's shoulder with her small hand. She said kindly," Hey, you should apologize to Sister Yi. Sister Yi is very easy to talk to."
Ning Chen raised his head and grinned, spitting out three words,"Impossible."
"You…"
Li 'er was furious. She pointed at the person in front of her. She had never seen such an ungrateful person.
Li 'er, where are your parents?" Ning Chen didn't care about the little girl's angry look and asked softly.
"Parents?" Hearing this, Li 'er was stunned. To them, this was such a distant and unfamiliar title.
Looking at Li 'er's gradually darkening expression, Ning Chen sighed in his heart. He got up and gently rubbed the little girl's head. In his world, a girl like Li' er was still a little princess in the hands of her parents. But here, she had to be a slave for a living. Even her own innocence was not something she could decide.
When he thought of this, Ning Chen's hatred for Yue Hanyi grew even deeper. She would not even let such a young girl off. She was truly cruel and heartless. Her heart was like that of a snake or a scorpion. She had the face of a human and the heart of a beast.
" Li 'er, do you want to leave this place?" Ning Chen tried to ask. He knew that his ability was limited and he couldn't help everyone, but he believed that if he tried his best, there was still hope to save a little girl.
Li 'er thought about it for a long time, then shook her head gently and said in a low voice," I don't want to."
She had grown up in the Lingyan Pavilion and had already treated this place as her own home. So what if she could leave this place? How could she live? Moreover, she was a slave, and no matter where she went, she could not escape this fact.
Ning Chen looked at Li 'er's expression and thought about it carefully. He knew what was going on and said apologetically," I'm sorry, I was rash."
" It's fine. You should eat quickly. I'll bring you to your place later." Li 'er sorted out her mood and pretended to be happy.
Ning Chen didn't say anything more and continued to eat the food in his hand. He made up his mind to find a good home for this kind-hearted little girl.
After dinner, Ning Chen followed Li 'er to his room. Fortunately, it was not as bad as he had imagined. Other than being a little small, there were no other inconveniences.
After Li 'er left, Ning Chen took out the golden paper that he kept close to him. He was even curious about this mental cultivation method that was said to be able to strengthen the body.
"Life Codex? What a popular name!"
Looking at the name of the paper, Ning Chen couldn't figure it out. He continued to read. Fortunately, the body he was in could read, so it saved him a lot of trouble.
Ten breaths later, Ning Chen was silent…
After 15 minutes, Ning Chen remained silent…
An hour later, Ning Chen was still silent…
Two hours later, a frenzied shout sounded in the room." I don't understand!”
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]