Chapter One, First Encounter (Two)
Yun Feifei could no longer contain herself and jumped up, kicking the hotel owner aside, exclaiming: "Is this ever going to end? What grave mistake has this person committed to be treated this way?"
Her long hair, resembling dark clouds, cascaded down like flowing water as the hairpin was pulled out, each strand reflecting the glow of the setting sun. In Yun Feifei's eyes, a faint golden light also flickered with intensity as she fiercely confronted the boss, saying, "Is this enough? If not, I can go home and get more!"
A mournful scream of lilac came from behind: "Miss, that is something left by the lady!"
Yun Feifei saw that the fellow had raised his stick again, and her face involuntarily flushed red. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Wait!" She reached up and pulled out a flat hairpin inlaid with red gold and jewels from her hair, saying, "Is this enough to settle the bill?"
Yun Feifei shouted: "Stop hitting! Tell me, how much silver did he spend on you? I will compensate!"
Damn it, still thinking about drinking! Let me serve you the wine from my grandfather's house!" The hotel owner lifted his foot and forcefully stomped down on that person's hand, crushing the wine gourd, causing the liquor to spill out, while that person's hand was further pressed deep into the muddy ground
On the second floor of the Zhuangyuan Building, there was a man around thirty years old, holding a wine glass, smiling as he gazed downwards. From time to time, he would lift the glass and take a gentle sip, as if the splendid performance below was the perfect accompaniment to his drink. The soft glow of the setting sun floated over his golden brocade robe, making even his neatly tied hair appear resplendent. His broad forehead, thick eyebrows, and deep-set eyes further accentuated the man's distinguished demeanor and extraordinary nobility. Two attendants, resembling bodyguards and armed with swords, stood respectfully by the side of the man in the golden robe.
The person groaned and sighed, extending the other hand to randomly grab the liquor and filth on the ground, shoving it towards their mouth
The boss spoke angrily and kicked the drunkard hard again
The hotel owner was about to explode with anger when he looked up and saw only a pretty young girl. Although she was simply dressed in a short red dress with small floral patterns and had only a branch of apricot blossoms pinned in her hair, the gold hairpin that held her dark hair was adorned with a pearl the size of a thumb, shining brightly. While it may not be priceless, it was certainly not something an ordinary family could afford. His anger diminished slightly, but he still shouted: "This scoundrel, he was drinking in our establishment at noon today, ordering a whole table of dishes, claiming he had money. Who would have thought he would pull out a tin ingot to settle the bill! He refused to leave even after we asked him to, consuming a full ten jars of our finest daughter’s wine! Just calculate how much silver that would be! For such a scoundrel, who else should we hit if not him?"
The boss noticed that Yun Feifei's face was filled with frustration. He clasped his hands behind his back and shouted at the workers, "Why aren't you taking action yet! We must beat this freeloading scoundrel to death today! Even if the authorities find out, it doesn't matter; daring to use counterfeit silver ingots to deceive others is a capital offense!"
"Madman! Madman! This drunken fool!" Laughter erupted from the crowd
The boss chuckled and said, "Not much, not much, it's only fifty taels!"
Even a fool can see that the value of this hairpin is probably more than ten times that of fifty taels. The boss hesitated for a moment and looked up towards the second floor
The boss turned his head awkwardly to look at Yun Feifei and said, "This hairpin is undoubtedly made of gold, but who can tell if your pearls are real or fake? A mere hairpin is worth no more than fifty taels!"
She rummaged through her purse, cursing in frustration. This was not a small sum; it was enough for an ordinary farming household to live on for two to three years. Although she was the daughter of a wealthy family, her monthly allowance for cosmetics and silver was only about three to five taels, and with her playful nature, she could hardly save even half a coin in a month.
The boss laughed heartily and said: "Our Zhuangyuan Building is one of the top restaurants in the capital. Who doesn't know that the top scholars for three consecutive years have all eaten and stayed at our restaurant! If you are worried about the price, then don't come to eat!"
The man in the golden robe on the second floor has disappeared, along with the two guards.
"Fifty taels!" Yun Feifei rolled her eyes and said, "What kind of food and drink is so expensive? Are you taking advantage of my ignorance of the market?"