He specifically turned around to glance at the two small children. They were skin and bones, looking as if they lacked food to eat and clothes to keep them warm. Then he looked at the girl whom the man had called a idiot, initially not thinking much of it.
To his surprise, in the time it took him to go to the back hall to report to the shopkeeper and come back out, he saw the foolish girl speaking with an assistant from the same shop about selling medicinal ingredients.
Zhou Er was not like the other industrious assistants; he spent his days slacking off and cheating his way through work in the shop. He also knew that the shopkeeper had been quite dissatisfied with him lately, and he was currently worrying about how to curry favor with the shopkeeper when this perfect opportunity presented itself.
Zhou Er walked over and pushed the young assistant aside. “A customer is here, go sell medicine. I’ll handle things here.”
The young assistant glanced at Zhou Er, unwilling to bicker with him, so he walked away without saying a word.
Zhou Er sized up Ye Xiaohua with a sly, rat-like expression. He glanced at the mantis egg cases spread out on the counter, recalled the words he had overheard outside, and smiled with malicious intent. Since she was a fool, he didn’t need to put on any pretenses. “This stuff of yours isn’t worth anything.”
Not worth anything?
Ye Xiaohua sneered coldly in her heart. Even if she was a newcomer and didn’t know the going market rate for medicinal ingredients, a pile of mantis egg cases this size should at least fetch a few copper coins.
However, Zhou Er was absolutely certain that Ye Xiaohua was a fool, and the boy behind her looked like he knew absolutely nothing. With just a single glance from Zhou Er, the boy was so frightened that he hurriedly shrank behind the fool, looking as if a loud shout from him would make the boy wet his pants.
Zhou Er felt not a shred of sympathy or pity for the siblings. Of course, Ye Xiaohua didn’t need it either; she just couldn’t stand him playing with them like a rogue.
Zhou Er was very satisfied with what he saw. He carelessly ruffled through the mantis egg cases in the basket, then withdrew his hand, his face filled with utter disdain. “We are a medicine shop, not a place that collects trash. However, because I am a good and kind-hearted person, I’ll give you three copper coins for this trash so you can go buy some buns to eat.”
How could Zhou Er not know that mantis egg cases were a medicinal ingredient? Furthermore, the price wasn’t low; this amount was easily worth thirty to fifty wen. When the shopkeeper arrived later, he would only need to report half the price, keeping the other half for himself while also gaining favor in front of the shopkeeper.
However, he was wishing for a bit too much.
After all, Ye Xiaohua was not a real fool.
Ye Xiaohua knew that the assistant in front of her possessed a wicked heart. Seeing that the two of them were young, he was deliberately bullying them. Even if she wore her tongue out arguing with him here, she probably wouldn’t be able to sell them for much money. Rather than doing that, it would be better to check out other shops.
Zhou Er never expected the foolish girl to have such a stubborn temper. If she felt three copper coins were too few, he could have given her a few more. Yet, without saying a single word, the foolish girl actually packed the mantis egg cases back into her basket, took her brother by the hand, and prepared to leave.
The assistant who had spoken to Ye Xiaohua earlier scanned the situation over at Zhou Er’s side and shook his head. However, Zhou Er was a reckless and unreasonable man; though the assistant felt bad for the two children, he didn’t dare say anything.
After all, if he truly clashed with Zhou Er, he feared he might lose his livelihood, and then his own children would become just as pitiful as these two.
Seeing Ye Xiaohua step away to leave, Zhou Er, who had long arms and legs, rushed out from behind the counter in two or three strides and grabbed the basket on Ye Xiaohua’s back, refusing to let go. “Girl, what’s the rush to leave? I haven’t finished speaking yet.”
Ye Xiaohua turned her head, realizing that the man in front of her was likely going to use force…
However, just as Ye Xiaohua was preparing to struggle, a person suddenly burst through the door outside, rushing in blindly and pushing Ye Xiaohua with great force. Without even looking at them, the person roared, “Get out of the way!”
The moment Zhou Er saw the newcomer, his hand snapped back open, and the fierce malice on his face instantly transformed into obsequiousness and flattery.
Ye Xiaohua was pushed, causing Little Douzi beside her to stagger. If she hadn’t moved quickly, the little fellow would have definitely crashed into a pillar.
The man paid absolutely no attention to the situation on Ye Xiaohua’s side, completely unaware that the little girl was glaring at him. He turned around and roared at Zhou Er, “Where is the physician? Hurry up and get your shopkeeper out here!”
Zhou Er retained none of his previous bravado; at this moment, he was so frightened that his legs nearly trembled enough to make him kneel on the ground, his voice turning into a stutter. “The… the physician went out on a house call. The shopkeeper… the shopkeeper went to collect debts. I don’t know… when they will return. Do you… do you need something?”
Zhou Er was also muddled with fear by the man’s dark face. After asking the final question, he wanted to slap himself. Who comes to a medicine shop if they don’t need something? Could anyone be this anxious if nothing was wrong?
Sure enough, the man grabbed him by the collar, leaving Zhou Er awkwardly at a loss. “Nonsense! Where did the physician go? If anything happens to our Young Master…”
“I… I don’t know where the physician went either.” Zhou Er was on the verge of tears; he truly did not know where the physician had gone.
At this time, Ye Xiaohua and her brother were squeezed by the two men into a space beside the pillar. The doorway was blocked by the man radiating a fierce aura; if they tried to go out now, they might innocently take another hit. In any case, she wasn’t in a hurry, so she might as well stay here a bit longer.
Perhaps a big business opportunity would come knocking on the door.
Ye Xiaohua carefully studied the newcomer’s clothing. Although it was a suit of black, the material of the clothes—which she had touched during that brief moment they brushed past each other—felt very high-quality to the touch. It was unknown how many streets ahead it was compared to the coarse, homespun cloth on their own bodies.
Furthermore, judging from his own words, he was merely a servant with a master above him. For a servant to dress so smoothly and neatly, she expected the master was also someone who lacked no money.
While she was pondering, a female voice rang out from outside the door, sounding like someone who wasn’t very old. Ye Xiaohua looked toward the sound and saw a large horse carriage stopped at the entrance. The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a head that, just like the man’s, bore a look of deep anxiety.
“Qin An, stop wasting words with them. Our Young Master’s illness is what matters. Why don’t we go look in the neighboring town? If we delay any longer, the Young Master might…”
Surnamed Qin. She wondered if it was the exceedingly wealthy Qin family she had just heard people talking about on the street.
Qin An had just turned his head and hadn’t left yet when Zhou Er—who had been terrified like a grandson in front of him just now—noticed that the siblings Ye Xiaohua hadn’t left yet. Wouldn’t that mean his ugly state just now had been seen by them?
Even though Ye Xiaohua’s face was calm, he still felt that this foolish girl was laughing, that she must be mocking him. Thus, he loudly vented the anger he had just received. “You dead girl, what are you looking at? Hurry up and leave your things behind, then roll out of here!”
As he spoke, Zhou Er was about to use physical force. Right at this moment, Qin An heard the commotion and turned his head, spotting Zhou Er fiercely berating a little girl. Seeing the two young children, skinny and haggard with injuries all over their bodies, he felt they were truly quite pitiful.
However, just as he was preparing to step in, the woman on the carriage urged again, “Qin An, hurry up.”