A river runs through Taohua Town, called the Taohua River. In early spring the wind blows hard, and the river surges and churns, waves slapping against the banks and sending spray flying everywhere.
Xie Zhi walked along the riverbank in the wind, thinking about where he might get some money, when suddenly a splash came from not far off.
Right after, someone shouted in the river: "Help! Save me!"
He looked toward the sound. Someone had fallen into the river.
The waters of the Taohua River churned, rolling with yellow sand. The moment the man fell in, he was quickly swept up by the rushing current and carried toward the center of the river.
This man is going to die, Xie Zhi thought.
In waters like these, going in to save someone was terribly dangerous—one misstep and you'd be swept away too. No one would go in after him.
He withdrew his gaze and kept walking forward.
The cries for help quickly drew the people along the riverbank over, and quite a few gathered there.
"Hey, isn't that the young master of Squire Wang's household?" someone shouted by Xie Zhi's ear.
"Then why isn't anyone going in to save him? Squire Wang is the richest man in our town, and this Young Master Wang is his only son. If someone pulled him out, they'd surely get a big reward."
"Who'd dare go in? Don't you see the river's already lapping at the bank? What use is silver? You can save a life but not live to spend it!"
Everyone crowded around like spectators, whispering and pointing. But Xie Zhi's steps paused.
He raised an eyebrow and looked toward the center of the river.
Truly, just when you're sleepy, someone hands you a pillow.
Xie Zhi immediately changed his mind. He kicked off his shoes and dove headfirst into the icy river water.
When he was young, he had lived in a small county, and that small county had many, many rivers. No matter spring, summer, autumn, or winter, that unreliable fake father of his would take him to bathe in the river, so he was a very good swimmer.
Xie Zhi avoided the treacherous whirlpools in the river and, amid the clamor of passersby—some worried, some cheering—swam toward the center of the river.
Young Master Wang was already barely breathing, his face purple from holding his breath. Xie Zhi grabbed him by the collar and pulled him toward the bank.
The man was saved.
Xie Zhi wiped the water from his face, laid Young Master Wang flat on the riverbank, pressed his elbow into his chest, and after a few heavy thrusts, the man coughed violently and woke up.
Applause and cheers came from both sides. Xie Zhi actually heard someone praising him as a hero. He listened with a half-smile, and before long the crowd dispersed.
Young Master Wang had come to his senses too, and clutching Xie Zhi's leg, he cried, "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you, benefactor!"
"Thank me later." Xie Zhi curved his lips, revealing a flash of white teeth on one side, and raised a hand to pat his face.
His gesture was not friendly. Young Master Wang froze, instinctively let go of his leg, and stammered, "Benefactor, your kindness—I will surely repay it someday…"
"Don't wait for someday. Today will do. I've already had someone call your father here." As Xie Zhi spoke, he seized him by the collar and hauled him to his feet.
Young Master Wang had just escaped death and had no strength left at all, like a withered leaf firmly gripped in someone's palm. A nameless fear suddenly rose in his heart, and he began to tremble uncontrollably.
Before long, Squire Wang came rushing over in a panic. Seeing from afar that his son was unharmed, Squire Wang wept tears of old age and cried out, "Thank you, benefactor! Thank you, benefactor!"
Father and son said the same words. Xie Zhi watched with a smile.
Young Master Wang trembled under his hand. "Father, Father, quick, quick, bring out the silver and properly thank my benefactor."
"Good, good, good. Of course I must reward you handsomely." Squire Wang removed his bulging purse and held it before Xie Zhi with both hands, even moving to kneel before him. But Xie Zhi lightly stopped him at the knee.
"Not enough."
Squire Wang was stunned. "Benefactor? What's not enough?"
"The silver is not enough."
Squire Wang's expression froze, and he straightened his knees bit by bit. "How much does my benefactor want? There are fifty taels in here."
Squire Wang was famously known in Peach Blossom Town as a skinflint. Producing fifty taels was already his absolute limit. If not for his concern for his only son, he would not have been willing to part with even five copper coins.
Xie Zhi lazily extended his hand, his long, handsome fingers spreading open in the sunlight, gleaming with a golden luster.
"Five hundred taels."
"Five… five hundred taels?" The tears that had welled up in Squire Wang's eyes from agitation dried instantly. His old face flushed the color of pig liver. He planted his hands on his hips. "You—you—aren't you just using your favor to extort repayment?"
"Then don't pay." Xie Zhi dangled Young Master Wang casually, his wrist tilting slightly. "I simply won't save him."
Beside them was a rushing river, its waves crashing against the bank, spray splashing up to their ankles. At this moment, if Xie Zhi so much as loosened his grip, Young Master Wang—limp as a noodle—would tumble right back into the river.
Young Master Wang was about to wet himself with fright. The feeling of choking on water and nearly drowning just now—he did not want to experience it a second time! He immediately broke down sobbing, wailing, "Father, give him the money, give him the money! Save your son, your son doesn't want to die!"
Under Young Master Wang's desperate urging, Squire Wang ultimately had no choice but to grit his teeth and send someone home to fetch his money chest.
No more, no less—five hundred taels of silver, paid out to Xie Zhi.
In that moment, gratitude had turned into enmity.
"You're a robber, a robber! To think I just took you for a good man!" Squire Wang stamped his feet and cursed behind him.
Young Master Wang bawled loudly. "Father, stop shouting, stop shouting."
The two voices were soon left behind. Xie Zhi cradled the money chest, a smile floating in his eyes.
Five hundred taels to buy a life—what he asked for was hardly much.
What use was a reputation as a good man? Nothing sounded as pleasant as the jingle-jangle of silver.
…
Xie Zhi returned to Sanniang's cloth shop.
Sanniang's shop employed several seamstresses, and the bedsheets and quilt covers had already been nimbly finished.
Now that he had money, Xie Zhi took out one hundred taels and pressed it onto the counter. "Make me a few more sets of clothes."
The gleaming white silver shone brightly, and Sanniang's eyes lit up. Her face wreathed in smiles, she said hurriedly, "Certainly, certainly! What fabric would the customer like for the clothes?"
"Cloud-Rainbow Brocade."
"Of course, of course!" With money, there was nothing Sanniang could not accomplish. "I'll send someone to the capital right away to buy the fabric. What pattern does the customer like?"
"It's not for me. It's for a woman."
"A woman?" Sanniang's eyes darted about, her gossipy heart stirring, but judging by Xie Zhi's bearing, he was clearly not someone who liked being pried into. She suppressed her curiosity and said, "Then I'll choose the patterns most favored by the noble ladies of the capital. Only… customer, do you have her measurements?"
Xie Zhi extended his hand and gestured before her. His hands vividly outlined a graceful, slender figure.
But Sanniang gave an embarrassed smile. "Customer, clothes that are off by even an inch won't fit properly. The seamstresses need exact measurements. Otherwise, could you have the young lady come to the shop?"
Xie Zhi was unwilling to let Yuan Yingti appear in public. Seeing his hesitant expression, Sanniang quickly added, "If it's inconvenient, I can also go to your home to take her measurements."
Xie Zhi thought it over briefly and agreed.
The two settled on a time for the tailor to come to their home for measurements. Amid Sanniang's beaming smiles of farewell, Xie Zhi left the cloth shop carrying the bedsheet and quilt cover.
With money now jingling in his pocket, he passed by the market and decided to buy some cooking supplies.
The small courtyard was some distance from the market, and he couldn't come buy food every meal—cooking for himself would be more convenient.
So he bought grain, firewood, rice, oil, and salt, along with pots, bowls, ladles, and basins—everything he needed. He also stopped by the best pastry shop in town and bought freshly baked peach pastries. Once again, he returned home laden with goods.
Back at the small courtyard, he opened the brass padlock. His hands full, Xie Zhi pushed the door open with his elbow and shut it with his foot.
Looking up, he saw Yuan Yingti.
Her satin-like long hair was simply tied back. She stood on the bluestone floor, walking forward step by step, as if familiarizing herself with the place.
Looking closely at her face and body, the red marks had indeed all faded.
At the sound of the door, Yuan Yingti also raised her head and looked in his direction.
"A-Nu is back?"
Her eyes couldn't hold focus, but it seemed as though she truly saw him.
Xie Zhi answered, set down the things in his hands one by one, then picked up the bedsheet and bedding and held them out toward her hands. "Miss, try these. Are they suitable?"
Yuan Yingti's fingers touched the smooth quilt cover. She felt it carefully and nodded with a smile.
"They're suitable."
"I'll put them on for you, Miss."
"Mm."
Xie Zhi went into the room, and Yuan Yingti followed the sound of his footsteps, stepping inside as well.
The room was empty and bare. The sound of him removing and replacing the bedding was clearly audible. Yuan Yingti stood behind him and asked softly, "A-Nu, this fabric must be very expensive?"
Xie Zhi had paid a high price, but he didn't intend to hide it from her. "How could a young lady of your stature use cheap goods?"
Yuan Yingti felt uneasy and asked him, "A-Nu, do you still have silver?"
"I have some left."
"A-Nu, you must keep track of the accounts. I will pay you back all this money in the future." Yuan Yingti said hurriedly.
Xie Zhi very much wanted to ask how she would pay him back. The Marquis estate was gone—did she still have money?
Yuan Yingti was thinking the same thing. She continued to explain, "When trouble struck the Marquis estate, my father had gone to Yizhou. He is safe and sound. He won't abandon me."
So that Marquis Yong'an was still alive. A glimmer of light flashed through Xie Zhi's eyes.
The bedding was already changed. He straightened up and looked down at Yuan Yingti, who was as meek as a little lamb before him.
A camel that has starved to death is still bigger than a horse. That Marquis Yong'an surely had more than just that one residence in the capital—he must have plenty of silver.
Not long ago, he'd been thinking about how to recoup the silver he'd spent on her. Who would have thought that today he'd find a way?
Just like Squire Wang and Young Master Wang today—when Marquis Yong'an came to demand his delicate daughter back, why shouldn't he also extort the Marquis?
When that time came, he would demand from Marquis Yong'an… Xie Zhi mused, he would demand—ten thousand taels of gold.
Only that would be worthy of the vast energy and silver he had spent on her during this time.
Xie Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly, the corner of his lips curving upward, though his tone remained perfectly proper: "No need. Spending silver on Miss is something A-Nu does willingly."
Now when he looked at her, it was like looking at ten thousand taels of gold. He had to keep this young lady steady, serve her even better, and absolutely not let her grow suspicious of him—and even more so, not let her slip through his fingers.
Xie Zhi schemed with a half-smile, while Yuan Yingti, hearing his words, was so moved that her eyes grew red.
A-Nu is truly kind, just as good as Mama Fang. If one day she could return to her original identity, she would surely repay his great kindness in full.