"Sir~~~ You really don't need so much~~~"
The hawker actually regretted his words the moment he shouted them out, but since he had already shouted them out, he didn't care anymore. Although he felt regretful, he still felt relieved.
However, when the peddler saw that the gentleman in white was just looking at him from a distance of twenty steps away but did not come back, he had no choice but to say something to the old man who was selling persimmons at the stall next to him.
"Uncle Chen, please help me watch the stall. I'll go chase that customer and I'll be right back!"
"Haha, go ahead!"
The old man was a little envious just now, as he made a lot of money for free. But now he admires the young man a little.
Seeing that the waiter agreed, the peddler hurriedly went around the stall and chased after Ji Yuan.
Because of the shouts just now, some spectators nearby stopped or walked slowly back and talked about what happened. Some people who saw the whole thing explained it in a low voice, and others who saw only the end but not the beginning speculated together.
On the other side, Ji Yuan didn't leave either. He seemed to be standing there waiting for the vendor to catch up with him. When he saw the vendor really come out of the stall and chase him, his eyes opened slightly.
The peddler took two steps at a time and soon came to Ji Yuan and handed him the silver in his hand.
"Sir... I'll tell you the truth. This black jade hairpin is made of rough material. It's worth at most 20 or 30 coins, a little over one tael... It's a bit hot for me to keep. If you give me 50 coins, I'll take it... If you really like it, please give me copper coins. I can't make change for large coins!"
After finishing the sentence in one breath, the peddler felt much more fluent. However, he found that after he finished speaking in a hurry, the man in white opposite him didn't say anything, but just stared at him up and down.
'Is it possible that I spoke too fast and he didn't hear me?'
Just as I was thinking this, Ji Yuan finally spoke, but the topic had nothing to do with the hairpin and silver.
"Excuse me, what's your name, young man?"
"ah?"
The peddler was a little stunned. The other party did not take the money, but asked for his name
"My name is Lin Tian, and I have been setting up a stall here. Sir, please take the silver... Or else I will not sell this jade hairpin, okay?"
"No hurry, no hurry. I like this jade hairpin very much. I'm going to buy it today. But I still have a little doubt that I want to ask Brother Lin. If I give you one or two ounces of gold this time, will you chase me out and return it to me?"
This question was really strange, but also arousing. After a little hesitation, Lin Tian finally answered honestly:
"Sir, you are joking. I have never seen a pound of gold in my life, so I can't answer that. But with so much money, I might just run away with it, haha..."
Ji Yuan's brows relaxed, and then he reached out to take the change from the vendor.
"That's right, I asked the wrong question. Let's go and take another look at your stall. By the way, I heard that the dishes at Juntianfu Zuixianglou are quite good. Has Brother Lin ever been there?"
"ah?"
The hawker became more and more confused after hearing this.
. . .
At noon, the peddler Lin Tian didn't know what happened, but he inexplicably followed the gentleman in white shirt named Ji to Zui Xiang Lou.
Now Lin Tian and Ji Yuan are sitting face to face on the third floor of Zui Xiang Lou, looking at the scenery on both sides and outside the windows, feeling a little restrained.
"Mr. Ji, this is too much. I'm just giving you a coarse jade hairpin... I heard this place is very expensive!"
Seeing that Lin Tian didn't dare to speak loudly, Ji Yuan was also amused.
"No matter how expensive it is, can it be enough to cover three years of food expenses?"
Ji Yuan's words once again sounded confusing to the vendor, and he didn't know how to respond.
"The fish head soup with white-cut chicken is here~~~The braised cabbage and steamed meat cake are here~~"
The inn waiter dragged out the long endings of the dishes, holding a tray in each hand, and walked in small steps to Ji Yuan and his table by the window with two plates. This balance can be said to be a skill that comes from practice.
Without waiting for the waiter to say anything, Lin Tian and Ji Yuan immediately took the initiative to lend a hand, helped him put down the plate, and brought out a total of six dishes.
"This is Baotou fish soup, this is boiled chicken, this is a sauce and vinegar dish, this is braised cabbage, steamed meat cake and stir-fried three delicacies, this is lotus soup, you have to drink it while it's hot, this is homemade tangerine syrup, and by the way, this plate of persimmons is a complimentary after-meal dessert. Sir, your dishes are all here, just let me know if you need anything!"
The waiter was nimble and quick in speaking, and he introduced all the dishes quickly.
"Okay, thank you, little brother!"
Ji Yuan bowed to the waiter to express his gratitude, and Lin Tian beside him followed suit and bowed awkwardly.
"Hey, hey, take your time, take your time!"
Seeing the waiter nod and leave, Ji Yuan called on Lin Tian, who was already drooling, to start eating, and he was the first to pick up the poached chicken and dip it in the condiments.
When Lin Tian saw Mr. Ji start eating, he couldn't help himself and started eating too. This kind of food from a big restaurant could only be eaten once a year.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Lin Tian was already burping. After drinking some fish head soup, Ji Yuan stopped and asked Lin Tian who was feeling full.
"Brother Lin, I really like this jade hairpin. I'm afraid one meal is not enough..."
"No, no, no, sir, I'm afraid of you. Are you some wealthy relative of our Lin family? Why don't you eat a persimmon first? This persimmon is sweet!"
Hearing that Ji Yuan had started again, Lin Tian was really scared.
"Hahaha... I don't want to eat persimmons for the time being... Brother Lin, please don't let me have any more empty talk with you."
"Hmm, this persimmon is really sweet... Tsk... Sir, what do you think!"
Ji Yuan tapped the table with two fingers of one hand, while looking out the window and listening to the noise in the city.
"If you were given a choice, would you choose to forge ahead and become rich, or to live a peaceful life with a modest fortune?"
After Ji Yuan finished speaking, he opened his eyes wide and turned to look at Lin Tian. Although his eyes were playing an illusion, they made Lin Tian stop his hands and mouth.
The noise around seemed to have weakened a lot. Lin Tian didn't notice this, but he couldn't help but put down half a persimmon and wipe his mouth with his hand. He had a vague illusion that he was facing an important juncture in his life.
"Mr. Ji, I don't have much knowledge or ambition. All I want is to get married, have two kids, live a stable life, take care of my parents until the end of their lives, and have someone take care of me until the end of my life... I'll be very satisfied!"
Hearing this, Ji Yuan sighed and closed his eyes slightly.
"It's just that people change... The more they get, the more they want. Of course, it's good to be content. Okay, Brother Lin, you have a loud voice. Please call the waiter and tell him to pay the bill."
"okay!"
Lin Tian picked up the half persimmon again, ran to the stairs on the third floor and shouted down.
"Waiter~~~ Check out on the third floor by the east window~~~"
"Come on~~~"
The waiter downstairs seemed to be competing with Lin Tian in voice, and each of them shouted with a sense of euphemism.
Seeing Lin Tian running away, Ji Yuan dipped his right hand in a little sugar water in the cup, wrote the word "遂" on the table, and then tapped the table with his middle finger. The word made up of the sugar water trace was led into the air along with his fingertips.
Interlock the thumb, middle finger and the thumb, and snap them.
Whoosh~
The word "水" (water) quickly flew to the stairs, and Lin Tian happened to turn around at this moment.
With a snap, the word "遂" hit right between the eyebrows.
Lin Tian only felt a chill on his forehead. He reached out to touch it, but didn't feel anything. He subconsciously looked up at the ceiling and then returned to the table.
"Those persimmons are better than the ones sold by Mr. Chen. I should eat more."
Ji Yuan smiled and looked at the sky outside the window. He accidentally heard a few scholars downstairs discussing the provincial imperial examination with some excitement.
"It's already the time when the results of the list will be announced..."
With a wave of his hand, the white piece appeared in his sleeve. Compared with three years ago, its solidity was only slightly inferior to that of the tiger demon Lu Shanjun who had practiced Taoism for nearly two hundred years.