Li Ying saw the little beggar looking extremely reluctant. She didn't intend to force the child, so she said indifferently, "I have no intention of torturing or manipulating you. Take the silver, bury your father, and then go find your own way in life."
The little beggar took the silver but refused to leave. With a stubborn look in the eyes, like a wild little beast, the child stared defiantly at her.
"Since you've bought me, I'm yours. It's only right for me to work like a beast of burden for you!"
"From now on, you can assign me any tasks you like. But if you expect me to be as obedient as a dog, that's absolutely impossible!"
The child spoke seriously. Li Ying could only sigh helplessly and wave her hand casually.
"Do as you please. I don't need any help for my business at the moment. You're free to do whatever you want."
Li Ying didn't want to waste any more words and turned to leave. But suddenly, she heard Su Buchi's voice.
"Miss Li, there's no need to be so hasty in driving the child away."
Since Su Buchi entered the officialdom, he had been swamped with official duties. Li Ying rarely saw him. At this moment, she was both surprised and delighted. She curtsied and greeted him, "Little Master Uncle? Why do you have free time today?"
The little beggar recognized Su Buchi as the person who had suddenly appeared during the court trial and helped Li Ying get acquitted. The child didn't have a good impression of him at all. With a cold snort, the little beggar staggered off with the straw mat in arms, planning to find a cheap coffin.
Seeing the child looking so resentful, Su Buchi frowned tightly.
"Wait."
He reached out to stop the child and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know that your father's death was a twist of fate and has nothing to do with Miss Li?"
The little beggar looked confused, not understanding his meaning. But Su Buchi continued, "Do you still remember the cause of your father's death?"
According to the coroner's examination, Zhou Da had indeed died of poisoning, but not from the arsenic in the bowl.
According to the testimony of the vagrants in the city, before his death, Zhou Da had gone to the north of the city to buy a juicy roast chicken and had a couple of taels of yellow wine. He had a good meal.
The officials from the Court of Judicial Review had easily found out that the chicken tail in his bowl had been begged from a servant of Yunlaixuan. That was why Su Buchi had been able to submit a memorial to the emperor, impeaching the vice - minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the owner of Yunlaixuan for colluding with each other and disregarding human lives.
The little beggar was still confused, but Li Ying instantly understood everything. The doubts in her mind vanished. She looked at the child with a hint of pity in her eyes.
Su Buchi raised his eyebrows and asked, "Don't you understand by now?"
The one who was supposed to die was not Zhou Da, but her!
Yunlaixuan had been sure that if the chicken tail caused a death, Li Ying would surely end up in jail. So they had found Zhou Da and given him the arsenic - soaked chicken tail.
This chicken tail was originally meant for his "good - for - nothing" daughter. Zhou Da, having received the silver reward, had happily gone to the north of the city to buy a roast chicken and had it with wine.
Unexpectedly, the tail of the chicken still had the venom gland. He had eaten it all up, and the poison had spread through his body with the alcohol. That was how he had died by accident.
Li Ying had already figured out the whole thing, but the truth was too cruel. The little beggar was so sincere, always thinking about her father. In the end, Li Ying couldn't bear to tear off this bloody disguise.
But Su Buchi didn't have so many scruples. In a few words, he explained the whole story clearly. Sure enough, the little beggar seemed to have been struck by lightning. The child stood there stupidly, and finally came to his senses after a while. The child murmured in disbelief, "My father... My father actually wanted to harm me?"
The stubborn light in the child's eyes, like that of a little wolf cub, instantly went out, leaving not a single spark.
At this point, it was useless to say more. Li Ying knew that the child had to figure this out on his own. She watched the child stagger away, her lips moving, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
Su Buchi, however, calmly took out a thin deed of land and a house deed from his bosom and handed them to her.
Li Ying was slightly stunned when she saw that the location was Yunlaixuan.
"Little Master Uncle...?"
Su Buchi smiled and said, "Isn't Miss Li having a hard time finding a location for her shop? Since Li Yun has pleaded guilty and been executed, Yunlaixuan has become ownerless. I thought this place would be perfect for you to prepare the roast - tail banquet, so I bought the shop. If there's anything in the decoration that you don't like, just change it."
Li Ying held these two thin pieces of paper, feeling as if they weighed a thousand pounds.
The weather was getting colder, and it was extremely cold in the capital. Pushing a bamboo cart every day was not a long - term solution.
Su Buchi's gift was like timely help in the snow, exactly what she needed.
But this gift was too expensive. How could she accept it!
Seeing Li Ying looking embarrassed, Su Buchi, who was usually glib - tongued, found it amusing. He said softly, "Miss Li, there's no need to be so polite. You've taken care of our teacher for so many days. This little gift is not even enough to show our gratitude."
"If you really feel bad about it, then consider this shop as my 'investment'. When the business thrives, just give me a share of the profits. How about that?"
After much thought, Li Ying thought this was indeed a very appropriate idea. So she stopped being coy and nodded generously.
"Little Master Uncle, don't worry. In less than half a year, I'll definitely get back the silver for buying the shop, with interest!"
Su Buchi smiled, "I have full confidence in Miss Li's ability."
He still had official duties to attend to and couldn't stay long. He only quickly drank a cup of hot tea and then got up in a hurry to say goodbye.
The diners looked at each other. After Su Buchi had walked far away, they started congratulating Li Ying one by one.
Li Ying happily accepted all the auspicious words like "Customers will come in droves" and "Business will thrive". She even boldly promised that on the opening day, all the customers present today would get a 20% discount, which made everyone praise her generosity.
It took a long time for Li Ying to pack up her stall. She carefully listed all the things needed to renovate and reopen Yunlaixuan. The oil lamp was so dim that her eyes were sore and tears welled up involuntarily.
Since she had come to the capital, she had been extremely tense for several days. Now, finally, everything had settled down. She relaxed completely, and her mind felt a bit tired. She washed up early and went to bed fully dressed. She slept soundly all night without a dream.
The next day, Li Ying was still sleepy when she heard Granny Sun's exclamation outside the door.
"Oh! Whose child is this? Why is the child sleeping outside our door!"
"Aying, come and take a look. This young lad must be frozen stiff!"