Chapter 63: Chapter 53 Marshal Borrows Money_2
He gave Lu Tong a smile, "Doctor Lu, we et again."
The old shopkeeper also recognized Pei Yunng, hurriedly squeezing out a smile, which was much more sincere than the one he offered Lu Tong earlier and even carried a tinge of fear, "Had I known this young lady was a friend of Lord Little Pei, how could I have accepted the young lady’s silver? These three pieces of jewelry, the young lady should take them back as a gift from
as a first eting."
He stretched out his hand, intending to push the silver back, but a hand pressed down on the silver ingot.
Pei Yunng leaned against the counter, and said indifferently, "Old gentleman, your shop is located on the expensive Qinghe Street in the south of the city, and since this is a small business, where would the question of you incurring expenses co from?"
He returned the old shopkeeper’s previous words exactly, and the old shopkeeper’s face stiffened.
Pei Yunng tapped his fingers on the table, "Please pack them up for her."
This ti, the old shopkeeper dared not delay, and quickly ordered his assistant to wrap up the three selected pieces of jewelry and hand them to Yin Zheng.
After Lu Tong and Yin Zheng accepted the items and left the pawnshop, they found Pei Yunng waiting outside the shop, with the young man called Duan Xiaoyan beside him. Seeing Lu Tong and her companion, Duan Xiaoyan hurriedly waved to greet them.
Lu Tong returned the greeting, walked behind Pei Yunng, and said to him, "Thank you, Lord Pei, for just now."
He turned, looking down at Lu Tong, and said, "Doctor Lu, your eye for things isn’t very good, is it?"
Lu Tong looked up at him.
"You seem to have been swindled by that old guy," he glanced at the bundle in Yin Zheng’s hand, "charging you a hundred taels for just these things."
Lu Yuan Pawnshop’s old shopkeeper, while appearing honest and kind, was actually a shrewd one, sothing Lu Tong was well aware of. If not for being shrewd, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his shop standing on the busy Qinghe Street for so many years without falling.
Yin Zheng was stunned, then gathered her courage to speak up, "Then, Lord Pei, why didn’t you remind our miss when you were in the pawnshop just now?"
Pei Yunng, with arms crossed, watched Lu Tong and suddenly smiled, "Because, had I said anything, I wouldn’t have had the chance to have Doctor Lu owe
a favor."
His expression was ambiguous, his tone subtle, yet it caused Lu Tong to frown slightly.
Lu Tong said, "The fifty taels of silver I owe to Lord Pei, I shall retrieve it and return it imdiately after I get back."
"No need," Pei Yunng looked at her, "I hear that a dicinal tea called Chun Shui Sheng in Doctor Lu’s clinic sells well. Just use that to settle the debt."
"Alright," Lu Tong agreed straightaway, "Lord Pei, give
your ho address, and I will have soone deliver it tomorrow."
"No trouble," he laughed, "West Street is not far away, I will co and collect it another day."
Lu Tong stared at him, he appeared unbothered as if his words were nothing out of the ordinary.
After a mont, Lu Tong nodded and calmly said, "Alright."
Lu Tong and Yin Zheng went their way first, and Duan Xiaoyan followed Pei Yunng down to Yuxian Tower. Duan Xiaoyan said, "Doctor Lu doesn’t wear any jewelry on her person; I thought she didn’t like hairpins and bracelets. I didn’t expect her to be like other young ladies."
Pei Yunng spoke leisurely, "Indeed, so after your mission, go back to the pawnshop and inquire about the origin of the three pieces of jewelry she bought today."
Duan Xiaoyan responded with an "Oh" then suddenly realized, "Why are you asking this? Yesterday at Wuhuai Garden, you also helped her; brother, I feel like you are particularly concerned about Doctor Lu’s affairs?"
Pei Yunng reached Yuxian Tower, untied the horse, mounted, and smiled, "How can I not be concerned about a woman that might kill?"
With that said, he ignored Duan Xiaoyan and rode off.
Duan Xiaoyan was taken aback, hurriedly mounted his horse and followed, asking, "Murder? Who?"
...
Sumr had arrived, and the nights were gradually less cool.
The roses that Yin Zheng planted in front of the courtyard had sprouted a few buds, and soon would be in bloom.
In the house, Lu Tong sat at the table, lost in thought while looking at the hibiscus flower hairpin in her hand.
Lady Ke and Lady Qin indeed did not take the hairpin away. As part of Lu Rou’s dowry, this hairpin was pawned by Madam Ke at the first opportunity.
The hairpin was exquisitely made; under the dim candlelight, the gemstones emitted a hazy, antique glow, reminiscent of the evening sky over Changwu County in early sumr.
It seed like it was also a night like this when her mother sat in front of the lamp doing needlework; she had just finished bathing, lying on Lu Rou’s legs, letting Lu Rou wring out her wet hair with a towel.
As Lu Rou combed her hair, she laughed and said, "When our little sister grows up, tying up her hair will look nice too." She then leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Don’t worry, I won’t use that flower hairpin; I’ll keep it for you. When you et a young man you like, I’ll do your hair for you."
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