Chapter Eleven: Transactions

  Qī xié cái bù guǎn zhè wǎn tāng lǐ shì fǒu zàng le huáng jīn, zǒng ér yán shì tā shì yào jiān jué shǒu hù lǎo diē, bú huì ràng bié yǒu yòng xīn de rén bī lǎo diē hē xià nà wǎn chóng zǐ zuò de tāng de, jǐn guǎn, nà ge lǎo yā zhōu wén qǐ lái zhēn de, hěn xiāng, dàn shì, chún guī qián kàn dào de nà ge xiǎo chóng zǐ tā jiù hàn máo zhí lì.

  "Girl, do you know that this bowl of Cordyceps sinensis soup is equivalent to the effect of two ginseng roots? This thing was originally a rare treasure, and it's hard to come by because of its strange growth. You don't know about these things." Mr. Gan was unusually in a good mood as he explained to Qi Xi, looking at the girl who was full of defenses, he couldn't help but feel both annoyed and amused.

  Caterpillar grass? Isn't that just Cordyceps sinensis? This thing isn't something she's never heard of before, but unfortunately, she's never seen it before either. Otherwise, this joke wouldn't have happened. Thinking about it, as a person who came from the future world, she actually made ancient people laugh at her. Fortunately, she looks like just a little kid, so even if she makes a big fool of herself, others probably won't take it to heart anyway.

  Although this thing is not a panacea, Father's complexion has also eased instantly. The surname Gan was indeed not deceiving her, so Father was not harmed by him either. Alright, let's use the title "Mr." again for now. Father had eaten his fill and was snoring loudly on the bed, seemingly without major issues. But after all, who was it that injured him to such an extent? Qī Miǎo had never thought of harming anyone before, but if someone were to deceive her, she would definitely return it a hundredfold.

  "Mr. Gan, who exactly is the one who injured my father to such an extent? Since you're the one who sent him back, you should know more than Qiuxi does." For someone in the profession of teaching like Mr. Gan, Qiuxi always had a strange feeling inside, actually there was nothing to be afraid of, but she just couldn't help having a feeling of both respect and fear.

  Mr. Gan smiled and said, "If I told you, it might bring me a lot of trouble, and I think it would be better for you and Old Man Liu if you didn't know."

  This is nonsense, and Qī Xiāng couldn't help but scold in her heart: "Damn fox!" Everything has a price to pay, and this man who was her teacher for several months happened to be a sly merchant. Just now, when he saw the remaining worm, his eyes lit up, and using that as leverage would suit him just fine. He spoke of it as if it were something unparalleled in heaven and earth, but in Qī Xiāng's eyes, it was such a disgusting thing that even carrying it for one more second made her feel unbearable. Thinking back to those past days when she had been holding onto two worms, she couldn't help but shudder.

  "The gentleman is a connoisseur, anyway, that thing makes me sick to look at it, if the gentleman likes it, I'll just consider it a favor and give it to you." Qi Mei also sat down beside Mr. Gan, pushing the wooden box on the table towards him with a sly and shameless gaze. When there are unknown enemies around, one's heart will always be somewhat unsettled, but if this worm can be used to exchange for some useful information, it's worth it.

  But Mr. Gan, although pleased with the insect grass, seemed dissatisfied with Qi Xie's conditions. At this moment, he didn't have half the demeanor of a teacher: "Such precious things, I, Gan, cannot accept. Just tell me the origin of this thing, and I will definitely speak without reserve."

  In fact, Mr. Gan was only in his early twenties, but perhaps after these years of navigating the business world and spending time at Heishui Village, he couldn't help but have a bit of weariness about him. This man definitely had a cleanliness habit, as in the past he always wore white jackets, and it seemed like he only liked that one color. Qiuxi had once curiously thought, in a place like Heishui Village where sandstorms raged every day, how many sets of clothes would Mr. Gan change into each day, and wasn't he afraid of exhausting the laundry ladies?

  Mr. Gan always referred to himself as Mr. Gan, even the people in his own house only called him Mr. Gan, it seemed like he could avoid mentioning his own name to others, what a strange person! But I had to admit that at this moment, I didn't have any good feelings towards this former teacher of mine: "This thing was given by Moon Lady from Mount Tanggula, I thought it was something precious, but thinking about it, Moon Lady being someone who likes to play tricks, it's not surprising that she would give me two worms."

  Mr. Gan put down the teacup in his hand, with a look of sudden realization, got up and walked to the bedside, gently closed the window, smoothed out his shirt and sat back beside Qiuxi: "I happened to be passing by when Old Liu had already fallen to the ground, the face of the person who came was facing away from the light so it couldn't be seen clearly, but there was a metallic reflection on his face, do you understand what I'm saying?"

  "Why did he do that, Father has always been good to him." Qi Xi suddenly realized that the reason Meng Kuang was disheveled on the street that day was because he had a fierce fight with his father. Usually, his father would praise this number one killer of Hei Shui Zhai, saying that not only was his martial arts skills superb, but also a good man who valued loyalty and righteousness. It was precisely such a person who pushed the brothers of Hei Shui Zhai to hell.

  "This question may only be answered by Old Liu, but it seems that Old Liu won't wake up for a while. Ah Kuan will take care of things here. You've been busy all night and must be tired, come with me to grab some supper, you can rest early too."

  Since the day Old Dad was carried back by Mr. Gan's men, Qi Xie had stayed by his side without leaving for a moment. That day she hadn't eaten much, at the time she didn't feel hungry, only after the doctor diagnosed that Old Dad was fine did she start to feel both tired and hungry. It was rare for Mr. Gan to be so generous, surely the things she told him would bring him great benefits, of course she had to follow him, eat away this big profiteer's money.

  It's probably close to midnight by modern standards, but people in ancient times were early to bed and early to rise. I thought it would be difficult to find a late-night snack at this hour, but the sandy island was like a city that never sleeps. Although there were significantly fewer pedestrians on the streets, most of the shops were still open, especially those wine houses and restaurants which were still booming with business.

  As Mr. Gan walked past those somewhat shabby restaurants, he didn't even give them a glance. Unexpectedly, in this inland town of Shazhou, there was also a small river running through the city, with the lights of countless homes reflected on its surface. This scene made him involuntarily recall the enchanting scenery of Qinhuai River in his past life. The gentle summer breeze made him feel dizzy for an instant, as if everything he had experienced in this unknown era was just a dream.

  "Life is like a dream, also like an illusion!" Surprised, this line sounds so familiar! Looking around, I only see a small, shabby shop sitting at the edge of Dongyuan Bridge. The owner's eyes are very distant and his expression is very dreamy. Upon closer inspection, Mr. Gan is actually smiling as he leads me to that small shop. This small shop even has a strange name: Guo Ran Shop! That sly fox, Mr. Gan, actually only brought me to such a simple and strange store. It seems like he's a regular here, but I'm lost in thought. Suddenly, Mr. Gan turns his head around, with an eerie smile still on his face... Is there some kind of conspiracy?

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