At the time of Shen (3 - 5 p.m.), the cargo on the merchant ship had already been unloaded. Most of the laborers had gone to the wine shop to relax, and there were only a few people left on the dock.
The young man surnamed Lu was still there. He was lying on a large bluestone under a tree. It was hard to tell whether he was resting with his eyes closed or already asleep.
Li Ying walked over carefully.
The man seemed to have heard her footsteps and slowly got up. She unexpectedly met his gaze.
His pupils, as dark as the long - night sky, reflected the glinting arcs of light on the sea and her slender figure.
"Thank you so much for your help on the dock today. This is just a small token of my gratitude. Please accept it."
Li Ying offered the basket, but the man just said indifferently, "It's nothing. You once saved me in the abandoned temple. It's only right for me to return the favor. It's just a pity that in the hurry today, I might have offended you."
Li Ying was taken aback.
In their previous meetings, they were like strangers to each other. Li Ying thought that since the man was so badly injured that day, he probably wouldn't recognize her. But unexpectedly, he still remembered her?
The man's gaze fell on the triangular area formed by her eyes and the tip of her nose. It was neither direct nor wandering, showing that he was a man of great propriety.
Could it be that... he was concerned about the social taboos between men and women? Since he was a single man with a daughter, if he recognized her rashly and mentioned what happened in the abandoned temple, it might damage her reputation. That's why he deliberately kept his distance?
A bit of fondness welled up in Li Ying's heart. She said softly, "If you hadn't stopped the venomous snake, I might have become a wandering soul by now. I should be the one thanking you. May I know your name, benefactor?"
The man took the bamboo basket. Seeing the row of golden crispy cakes and marinated meat inside, without waiting for her explanation, he skillfully picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and sandwiched it into the cake. He took a bite in a rather refined manner.
His skin was much fairer than that of ordinary laborers. His fingers were long, and his joints were not as thick as those of the laborers. There were a few blood blisters on his palm that had burst, and thin calluses had just formed.
"Lu Xunguang."
He told her his name and then fell silent, following the principle of "no talking during meals and no talking in bed".
The air was filled with the rich aroma of meat and a subtle awkwardness.
After he finished eating, Li Ying tentatively asked, "Brother Lu, I have another favor to ask."
"You've seen a lot of things. Do you know where the mule and horse market in this town is?"
The variety of seafood stir - fries in her business was increasing day by day. She was a woman who had narrowly escaped death during childbirth, and Granny Sun was old. Relying only on human strength to push the bamboo cart would surely exhaust them in the end.
Now that she had some silver, it was urgent to buy a livestock as soon as possible.
As a laborer, Lu Xunguang must have dealt with caravans, so he might know some information.
Lu Xunguang glanced at the sky, thought for a moment, and then said, "On the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, mule and horse merchants will come to the big fair. Today is only the seventh day. If you can't wait, I know a donkey stable..."
Li Ying immediately perked up. Forgetting about being polite, she said excitedly, "If it's convenient, please take me there quickly!"
The two almost crossed the entire town. They didn't dare to waste a single moment on the way and finally arrived at the donkey stable near the wild ridge in the north of the town before sunset.
Lu Xunguang instructed, "I... it's not convenient for me to go with you. After you go in, don't mention my name. Just look for Uncle Zheng and tell him your purpose. He is an honest and straightforward man who hates all kinds of tricks. He won't cheat you out of your silver."
Although Li Ying was a bit puzzled, she had heard that when choosing mules and horses, one had to carefully check their teeth. She thought to herself that she would handle the situation as it came. The worst - case scenario would be to return empty - handed. At least she wouldn't be taken advantage of.
She pushed open the door, and a strong smell of forage and livestock manure hit her nostrils. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, she couldn't help but frown slightly.
An old man with white hair and beard, limping on one leg, staggered towards her with a tobacco pipe in his hand.
He sized Li Ying up and down. Seeing that she was a young and pretty girl, he waved his hand and said, "Which family's little girl are you? The donkey stable is not a place for fun. Go back quickly, or the old donkey might kick and dirty your clothes!"
Li Ying bowed and said with a smile, "Are you Uncle Zheng, the person in charge here? I want to buy a mule for pulling a cart."
Seeing her determined look, Uncle Zheng's suspicion grew stronger.
"A big and strong green mule would cost at least ten taels of silver in the mule and horse market. You little girl don't understand livestock. I, Old Zheng, won't beat around the bush. If you really want it, seven taels, and you can take it away!"
He was indeed a straightforward man and immediately revealed his bottom - line price.
Seven taels...
The ten taels of silver she had "extorted" from Feiyan, the easy - to - cheat girl, hadn't even warmed up in her purse, and now she had to give it away. It really pained her.
Uncle Zheng noticed her reluctance to part with the silver and led out a slightly smaller mule. "If you want something cheaper, you can buy a donkey - mule. It eats coarser food than a horse - mule, but of course, it doesn't have as much strength."
This donkey - mule only cost six taels. Seeing that Li Ying was still hesitating, Uncle Zheng took her to look at the donkeys.
"Girl, you'd better think it over. Donkeys are cheap, but they have the most stubborn temper. If you buy one back, it might be hard to tame."
As if to prove his words, a big black donkey in the corner snorted and brayed twice.
Li Ying casually asked, "Uncle, what about this donkey?"
Uncle Zheng didn't even lift his eyelids. He shook his head and said, "No. This donkey must have eaten something wrong. It's been stubborn since birth. It's a minor thing if it kicks when a stranger approaches. Moreover, it's lazy and doesn't act like a donkey at all. It can't be sold, and it's been here for eight years!"
"Girl, you don't understand livestock. I won't hide it from you. This old donkey is cheap, but it can't do any work and can't give birth to offspring. Buying it back is just a waste of money! Don't be tempted by the low price!"
As if to prove his words, the black donkey immediately snorted and started pacing restlessly in place. As soon as Uncle Zheng took two steps closer, it kicked without hesitation.
The donkey's hoof kicked straight towards Uncle Zheng's face. If he hadn't dodged quickly, he might have lost his teeth at least, or even lost his life.
Uncle Zheng gasped for breath and whipped the donkey hard twice. The black donkey finally calmed down a bit, but its cloudy donkey eyes stared fixedly, obviously not convinced.
"See, girl, I didn't lie to you!"
Hearing this, Li Ying's eyes suddenly lit up.
To thank Lu Xunguang, she and Granny Sun each only got two slices of the marinated beef. Instead of suppressing their appetite, it had whetted their appetites.
Since they couldn't afford beef, they surely couldn't miss the donkey meat that was right in front of them!
"Uncle, I'll take this donkey!"
Uncle Zheng wanted to persuade her again, but seeing her determined look, he helplessly waved his hand.
"One tael of silver. I'll just take it as the forage cost. But I advise you, this donkey can only be killed for meat!"
Li Ying nodded repeatedly. The silver was exchanged for the donkey.
Uncle Zheng saw her off at the door. Sure enough, as soon as she took the reins and walked a few steps, the stubborn animal, thinking she was a delicate girl, planted its four hooves firmly on the ground and refused to move an inch.
Li Ying imitated Uncle Zheng and tugged hard on the reins. The old donkey stiffened its neck and rammed its big donkey head straight at her. It bared its big teeth and tore off half of her sleeve, chewing it with a toothy grin.
It was really close. If she had been half a second slower, her arm might have been in the donkey's mouth by now.
"Why didn't you see Uncle Zheng? How did you buy such a bully - the - weak - and - fear - the - strong old donkey?"
Just as she was in a dilemma, Lu Xunguang walked over slowly from a distance, looking at her in surprise.