Su Ying gazed at the array of dazzling items displayed not far ahead—there were sachets, pendants, embroidery patterns, and various silk threads. Most were trinkets women would fancy, though the craftsmanship was largely crude.
Yet even amid this glittering assortment, Su Ying could instantly spot the wide black belt embroidered with intricate patterns that the system had mentioned.
Not only were the embroidery stitches on the belt exceptionally fine, but the fabric used for the entire belt also exuded remarkable quality.
It was truly worth ten coins!
Su Ying quickly stepped forward, fished ten coins from her sachet to hand to the vendor, and then reached directly for the belt.
Before she could stow the belt away, a man’s hand suddenly tugged at the other end of it.
“Miss, this belt belongs to me. If you could return it, I would be most grateful!”
Su Ying looked up accordingly. A man with a posture as straight as a pine and features as fair as jade held one end of the belt while pressing a hand to his waist, speaking with considerable grace.
Huh? His?
The young man was dressed entirely in black robes. From this perspective, the black belt did seem to suit him well.
She wasn’t an unreasonable person. Under normal circumstances, faced with such a situation, she would have yielded, regardless of whether the belt was truly his.
But this time was different. Her face was disfigured, and the system had provided her with the Appearance Restoration Balm, demanding this very belt.
After a moment’s thought, she shamelessly yanked it over and explained, “But… this… I… bought… it!”
Qi Mohan paused, took a deep breath, and continued while clutching the edge of his waistline, “Miss, just because you bought it doesn’t mean it’s yours. This was originally my possession—I never agreed to sell it to you!”
“Then… I didn’t… buy it from you either. I bought it from… the vendor… I’ve already… paid…”
Su Ying argued her case firmly. After all, opportunities like this were rare, and she absolutely had to get her hands on this belt today.
Seeing that Su Ying wouldn’t relent, Qi Mohan gritted his teeth and turned to negotiate with the vendor. “Vendor, take a look—is this belt from your stall?”
The vendor, an elderly woman, squinted at it and nodded. “Yes, it is!”
Qi Mohan clenched his fists in frustration, while Su Ying trembled with suppressed laughter. Anything that ended up on her stall was hers to sell—who would be foolish enough to deny it, especially when it meant earning an extra ten coins?
“Fine, then tell me, what is embroidered on this belt? What are its distinctive features?” Qi Mohan pressed the vendor unwillingly.
Naturally, the vendor couldn’t answer, but Su Ying chimed in supportively, “Aren’t you… making things difficult? Who has such a good memory… to remember so… so much!”
The vendor nodded in agreement. “Exactly, exactly!”
Furious, Qi Mohan blurted out, “This is my belt! It’s embroidered with a cloud pattern, and on the inside, there’s a qilin!”
He expected that this would make them see reason and return the belt to him. Instead, Su Ying remarked languidly, “You’ve observed it quite closely, haven’t you?”
“What do you mean, I’ve observed—it’s mine to begin with!” Qi Mohan nearly lost his temper. Couldn’t these two see that his belt was missing? Having to hold up his pants like this in the middle of the street was utterly embarrassing!
“Just because you say it’s yours… doesn’t mean it is!” Su Ying had no desire to engage with him further and turned to leave.Qi Mohan immediately stepped forward to stop her, trying to reason with her. “Miss, can’t you see I don’t have a belt? If it’s not mine, whose could it be?”
Seeing that he wouldn’t give up without reclaiming his belt, Su Ying pointed at him in warning. “You… libertine, stay away from me…”
Qi Mohan glanced down at his awkward attempt to hold up his trousers and conceded the impropriety. He took two steps back and said helplessly, “Alright then, miss. You spent ten coins to buy this belt from me. How about I give you ten coins in return? Just give me back the belt!”
Su Ying shook her head. “No deal! I won’t sell it!”
Frustrated, Qi Mohan pointed at the belt and explained, “Woman, this is a man’s belt! A man’s! What could you possibly want with it?”
“To study the embroidery pattern, or maybe gift it to someone!” Su Ying crumpled the belt and stuffed it into her sleeve.
Qi Mohan was exasperated again. “Fine then—a hundred coins! Give me the belt!”
He felt he was making a significant concession. After all, it was rightfully his property; he shouldn’t have to pay anything to get it back. Offering a hundred coins was already extremely generous. For ordinary families, a hundred coins was a considerable sum.
He expected the woman to hand over the belt immediately upon hearing his offer, but Su Ying rejected it again without a second thought.
Qi Mohan gritted his teeth, seething with anger. In his fury, he blurted out, “I’m truly at a loss with you!” Then, clutching his trousers, he stormed off hastily.
Su Ying paid no mind to his words. Spotting her elder sister and younger brother watching from a distance, she hurried over to them.
“Elder Sister, Little Brother, did you sell the Black Eagle? How much did you get for it?”
Not seeing the Black Eagle in their hands, Su Ying assumed it had been sold and was overjoyed.
“Ugh, don’t even mention it! We ran into the Black Eagle’s owner. He brushed us off with just ten taels of silver. Oh, and by the way, it was that man who was just talking to you. What were you two discussing anyway?”
Her elder sister, Su Juan, looked at her curiously.
Su Ying’s mouth twitched, and she wore an expression of utter disbelief. “What? He snatched our Black Eagle for only ten taels? And just now, he tried to take a belt I fancied too!”
“He’s probably a swindler!” Su Mo declared indignantly.
“Hey, look! That man—he’s heading into the county magistrate’s office!”
Su Juan also suspected the man was a fraud. While scanning the area for him, she suddenly noticed him entering the county office.
Su Ying turned to look and was alarmed. “Oh no, it’s true! Just because I didn’t give him the belt, he’s going to report me? I can’t believe this guy—he’s something else! Sister! What should I do? Will you come with me to check it out?”
After a moment’s thought, Su Juan suggested directly, “You go on your own. I recall the magistrate here is a very kind and fair man. He definitely won’t take someone’s word against you without hearing your side. Just explain everything clearly!”
Though Su Juan could have accompanied her, she wanted to give Su Ying a chance to handle it herself and offered encouragement.
Su Ying pondered it briefly, then mustered her courage and rushed into the county office.
“…But that belt was originally mine! I even offered her a hundred coins, and she still refused to give it back. And that vendor deliberately claimed the belt was hers…”
Following the sound to a side room in the county office, Su Ying barged straight in. Sure enough, she saw the man sitting there, complaining to the standing magistrate and his wife.
Knowing he would only present testimony favorable to himself, Su Ying’s anger flared up instantly. She confronted him directly:
“Stop spreading your deceitful lies here! Just because you say something is yours doesn’t make it so. That belt was right on the vendor’s stall—who can prove it belongs to you? You claim the Black Eagle someone else hunted is yours, and now the belt I picked out is yours too? You’re nothing but a swindler!”
“And don’t think just because you’re deliberately holding up your pants without a belt that you can twist the truth! You’re a lewd rogue—what decent man would wander the streets like you do!”
Su Ying’s sudden appearance thoroughly startled everyone in the room, especially Qi Mohan, who instinctively covered his waist.
The magistrate and his wife turned to stare blankly at Su Ying, their eyes gradually sparkling with interest as they listened to her words.