CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 58: DA’AN AND XIAO’AN

This pawnshop is naturally not the one from yesterday. As soon as Yu Xiaolian entered the shop, she played the same tragic routine as the day before.

Unexpectedly, this one-eyed pawnshop owner, holding the Happy Sheep, looked it over left and right, but still didn’t offer a price or express any intention to keep it.

Moreover, the occasional glance he cast towards Yu Xiaolian made her feel a bit uneasy.

"Are you taking this or not? If not, I’ll go elsewhere and ask."

Seeing that Yu Xiaolian was a bit anxious, the one-eyed shopkeeper smiled and said he would take another look, and even had the waiter pour her some sugar water.

Yu Xiaolian stared at the sugar water and didn’t dare drink it, feeling a hint of unease.

Just then, two other customers entered the shop to redeem their items, giving Yu Xiaolian the chance to retrieve her Happy Sheep.

After leaving the shop, Yu Xiaolian was originally planning to continue to another pawnshop to exchange money, but unexpectedly discovered someone was following her.

Heh, this pawnshop owner is just as she guessed, seeing her as a child and wanting to steal her stuff.

This plastic item might not be valuable in modern times, but in ancient times, it’s undoubtedly a unique rare object. If he were willing to offer a few hundred taels, Yu Xiaolian would have parted with it, as she had plenty of them.

Yet this ruthless guy didn’t want to spend a single penny, trying to get something for nothing.

The plan to go to another pawnshop had to be temporarily shelved. Yu Xiaolian deliberately walked into an empty alley.

Strangely, the person following her didn’t enter the alley when he saw her go in, but instead turned around and left.

Yu Xiaolian looked into the alley and realized that there was only one household inside, with a vermilion door, two stone lions at the entrance, and the plaque above reading Ji Mansion.

This household appeared wealthy and mysterious, with very high courtyard walls.

Seeing that no one was following her, Yu Xiaolian turned around and went home.

It seems that trying to sell all of Sheep Village to exchange for money is not feasible—the risk is too high. Tomorrow, she better honestly find a place to sell some snacks and act low-key.

...

"Shopkeeper, the kid went into the alley of the Ji Family, and I didn’t dare follow any further."

"Ji Family?" The pawnshop owner waved his hand, signaling the waiter to withdraw.

The Ji Family may not be among the wealthiest in Yangcheng, but they wouldn’t end up selling family heirlooms. It seems that kid knew someone was following him and deliberately walked into the Ji Family alley.

Though the Ji Family isn’t immensely wealthy, Old Ji’s two sons are not to be trifled with.

The eldest son of the Ji Family is an executioner, and over the years, he has beheaded countless heads.

The second son is a cobbler, a profession not much better than his brother’s.

After a prisoner is beheaded, if the family wants the deceased to be buried intact, it’s Ji Ji, the second son, who has to sew the head to the body.

Their profession is unusual, making normal people consider them inauspicious, but it’s undeniably a high-income occupation.

Moreover, rumors say the brothers often engage in grave-robbing activities in secret.

Besides Ji Da and Ji Ji, the eccentric old lady of the Ji Family is also skilled in solving strange poisons.

No one in Yangcheng who is knowledgeable about the Ji Family dares to provoke them.

Today was considered lucky for Yu Xiaolian. If it weren’t for her follower seeing her enter the Ji Family alley, thinking she might be an undercover agent for them, she might have lost both wealth and life by now.

When Yu Xiaolian returned home, she still felt a bit flustered. Even in a law-governed society, there are robbers committing crimes. In ancient times, being killed silently would leave no room for justice, especially without surveillance cameras.

In the pawnshop, the one-eyed owner eagerly prompted her to drink sugar water. She wisely chose not to, and now it seems had she drunk it, she likely wouldn’t have made it out of the shop.

Indeed, bad people exist in every era.

Originally, she intended to lure her follower into an empty alley and use pepper spray on him, but surprisingly, he turned back.

Feeling still uneasy, Yu Xiaolian experienced, for the first time, the difficulty of living in ancient times: even pawning items could attract attention.

Mrs. Sun had been making clothes all morning. Even though it’s not cold yet, the summer quilt can still cover them. It’s more important to make new clothes for the three of them first.

The first clothes Mrs. Sun made were for Yu Changhe, the head of the family, naturally his clothes should be made first.

When Yu Xiaolian entered the house with a grim face, she startled Mrs. Sun: "What happened to your face?"

She left clean and tidy early in the morning; how did she become a mess as if she’d rolled in mud in the blink of an eye?

"I’m fine." Yu Xiaolian told Mrs. Sun what happened earlier, scaring Mrs. Sun so much that she repeatedly warned Yu Xiaolian not to go to pawnshops anymore.

After this incident, Yu Xiaolian didn’t dare to go again. She was small and weak, and if she encountered someone ruthless who played tricks in secret, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

After assuring Mrs. Sun thoroughly, she finally relaxed.

Yu Xiaolian took out ten silver ingots from the space, totaling one hundred taels, placing them on Mrs. Sun’s kang bed to be kept for household use.

Mrs. Sun refused to take them, saying they were safest in the space; even if a thief come to the house, they wouldn’t be able to steal them. If she needed them, she would ask Yu Xiaolian for more.

Yu Xiaolian stuck to the principle of not putting all eggs in one basket, urging Mrs. Sun to keep the money just in case the space suddenly disappeared, they wouldn’t have to return to living a hard life.

Mrs. Sun agreed, finding it reasonable, and took custody of the hundred taels, though the house was quite empty at present with nowhere to hide them, the best she could do was conceal them in the blanket.

Mrs. Sun told Yu Xiaolian, "Quickly wash your face, and later I’ll take your measurements. I’ll work late tonight, so you can wear new clothes tomorrow."

Yu Xiaolian glanced over and saw Yu Changhe’s clothes had taken shape already, truly admiring Mrs. Sun for being a woman of action.

Yu Xiaolian washed her face, let Mrs. Sun take the measurements, and then ran to the backyard to feed the horse. The grass pile from yesterday was already gone; Yu Xiaolian decided to improve its diet today with some fodder.

Just as she finished adding fodder for Big Red, she heard a knock on the wooden door of the backyard.

Looking through the crack of the door, she found it was the twins from yesterday, coming to deliver firewood.

Yu Xiaolian opened the door.

Today’s supply was bigger than yesterday’s, with thirty bundles.

The brothers neatly stacked the firewood and then shyly asked Yu Xiaolian if they could have some water to drink.

There was a well in the backyard, so Yu Xiaolian naturally wouldn’t be stingy with the water.

"Wait, I’ll draw some fresh water for you."

The freshly drawn water from the well was icy cool, carried a hint of sweetness, and was the best for quenching thirst.

The brothers gulped down several bowls of water.

After drinking, the brothers said they’d be burning charcoal at home tomorrow, and once it was ready, they’d deliver it to her.

Yu Xiaolian asked, "Where do you live? Is it far from Yangcheng?"

"I live in Taohua Village on the outskirts of the city, not far from here, about half an hour’s journey."

Yu Xiaolian asked again, "Could you tell me your names? And why are both of you selling firewood in Yangcheng? Where are your parents?"

The young boys answered every question.

"I’m the elder, my name is An Ning, and I’m ten years old."

"I’m the younger, my name is An Le, and I’m also ten years old."

The two spoke in unison, "We’re twins, and folks in the village call us Big An and Little An."

Though rural kids, they spoke very well.

It could be seen their parents had educated them well.