Chapter 6, Mediation

"How much is this red plum?" asked Forsythia.

Jiang Ruan shook her head: "As I said, let it be; these flowers are useful to keep"

"So pitiful," Lianqiao exclaimed

Lianqiao held a porcelain vase filled with red plum blossoms and could no longer restrain herself from asking: "What does the young lady need these plum blossoms for? Although they are beautiful, there is no need to buy so many, and the flowers will wither in a few days. It would be more practical to eat a few spring pancakes instead."

It must be to deceive the young girl's money

She gently spoke: "There is no need for the old gentleman to be agitated. In this world, there are right and wrong, black and white. Even if it cannot be clarified at the moment, the truth will eventually come to light. Why harm one's own body over a moment of anger? Is it not a case of losing more than one gains?"

The market on West Street is the liveliest place on West Street, and comparatively, it is also the most chaotic place, with people from all walks of life present. It is precisely because of this that nothing that happens here is surprising, and the most common occurrence is undoubtedly having one's belongings stolen.

Someone could not bear it any longer and spoke up to stop him: "Why must the old man speak so harshly? Being so aggressive towards a young girl, has he lived all these years just to bully the weak? How shameless!"

Bai Zhi was taken aback and quickly spoke up to stop Jiang Ruan's actions, saying: "Miss, you must not. It is best that we do not get involved in this matter."

A few small children were playing in front of the cosmetics shop with the buttons they had just picked up. Occasionally, they would lift their dirty faces to curiously observe Jiang Ruan and the other two, before turning back to enthusiastically engage with their own belongings

At this moment, as the three of them arrived at the entrance of the market, they saw a large crowd gathered in layers, with people inside shouting and clamoring, though it was unclear what they were saying. Noticing Jiang Ruan stop in her tracks, Lian Qiao pondered for a moment, then whispered a few words to Bai Zhi. The two of them squeezed through the crowd, creating a small path for Jiang Ruan.

"So expensive," Lian Qiao exclaimed, "I don't want it anymore"

So, what can she do

A hint of peculiarity flashed in Jiang Ruan's eyes

Jiang Ruan fell silent again. As they walked, they arrived at the market on West Street.

The vendor, seeing this, quickly said: "Alright, just give me three copper coins, it cannot be any less, my children at home are still waiting for a hot meal."

"This flower is not for viewing," Jiang Ruan said as she walked forward, "it is a gift."

Jiang Ruan paused for a moment, gently pushing aside Bai Zhi, who was shielding her in front of others.

The little girl was surrounded by a crowd, her face extremely pale, tightly clutching a piece of silver in her hand, her eyes wide open, exuding a sense of helplessness and frailty. Then there was the furious old man, dressed in a brown linen padded robe, his beard shaking with anger, his voice booming as he almost yelled at the little girl: "You, little girl, at such a young age, are already engaging in such thieving and sneaky activities, what a lack of upbringing!"

Lianqiao looked at her curiously and asked, "Who are you sending it to?"

What matters is not the truth, but the attitude of those around. Even if one's own daughter steps in to mediate, she is merely regarded as an outsider who does not know better and is attacked alongside others. As for the old man, it is nothing more than losing face, but his own daughter is a young lady of the family; even though she is currently confined to the estate, her status remains unchangeable.

The principles of mutual generation and mutual restraint are inherent in all things in the world; where there is yin, there must be yang; where there is bitterness, there is also sweetness; where there are golden houses, there are naturally humble abodes. The east street is bustling and lively, while the west street is dilapidated and desolate

Jiang Ruan gently shook her head: "Bai Zhi, step aside."

It seems that the atmosphere of the New Year has had no impact at all. The people on West Street are dressed in thin outer garments, hurrying off to other places, showing no signs of the leisurely spirit typically associated with the festive season. The expressions on their faces are mostly cold and numb; compared to the pressing issues of food and clothing, the New Year appears to be of lesser importance. Only a few households along the street have simple red paper couplets posted at their doors and old lanterns hanging, faintly evoking a sense of the New Year.

There was indeed a small vendor selling plum blossoms, with several large earthenware vases missing pieces displayed in the shop. Inside, a few nearly wilted red plums were inserted. Upon seeing Jiang Ruan and the others, the vendor's eyes brightened, and he hurriedly called out: "Beautiful red plums, young lady, would you like a branch? It would look lovely in your room, and it also has a fragrance!"

Lianqiao patted the shoulder of a person beside her and whispered a few words, then turned to Jiang Ruan and said: "It turns out that this old gentleman claims that the young girl stole his silver, but the young girl insists she did not steal it and started crying in distress"

Lianqiao Road: "Today can be considered unfortunate for this old gentleman, truly pitiful"

As soon as the three arrived in the crowd, they clearly observed the scene within. In the center, two individuals were confronting each other. One was an elderly man with completely white hair and beard, his face flushed, veins bulging, and filled with uncontrollable anger. On the other side stood a girl of about seven or eight years old, her head lowered, tears welling in her eyes.

"How can you prove that she stole your silver?" The man persisted, "A mere girl of seven or eight years could steal your silver; are you too careless, or is this girl exceptionally capable? Tsk, perhaps you are deliberately trying to deceive the little girl out of her silver!"

One should think carefully before lying

Lianqiao needs to be pressed a little more, and Jiang Ruan has already spoken: "I will take all that is left."

Jiang Ruan glanced at her and said, "Do you also think that he intends to deceive others for their money?"

Bai Zhi was taken aback, as Jiang Ruan had already stepped forward a few paces, exposing herself to the gaze of the crowd

Bai Zhi nodded slightly

As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately echoed by those around: "Yes, yes, how could such a little girl have the ability to steal?"

You..." the old man was so angry that he could not speak

"It is certainly not," Lian Qiao said, "You may deceive others, but you cannot deceive me. In the past, when I was in the countryside, I encountered many cunning and clever maids like this. It is clearly a deception, isn't it, Bai Zhi?"

The people around began to discuss among themselves, collectively blaming the old man as if he were the root cause of the problem. The old man, infuriated, trembled his beard, his face reddening to the point where it seemed he could bleed, yet he could not utter a single word, merely shaking his lips and gasping for breath

Bai Zhi no longer said anything, and poured out more than half of the copper coins from her close-fitting cloth bag to the vendor. The vendor was also taken by surprise at suddenly making this deal, as usually the people passing through West Street were impoverished and would not spend money on flowers and plants. Today, however, was an unexpected gain. He simply placed the porcelain vase containing the red plum blossoms into Lian Qiao's hands, saying: "It's the New Year, Miss, so let's have a good omen; this porcelain vase is a gift." After saying this, he packed up and left.

The vendor spread out his palm: "Not expensive, five copper coins"

In fact, as Lianqiao mentioned, the little girl's trickery is not particularly sophisticated, and there are indeed people in the crowd who can see through her ruse. However, Xijie, being an area densely populated by the poor, inherently possesses a strong sense of exclusivity, instinctively rejecting outsiders. To the people here, this old man is nothing more than a stranger, and strangers are to be suppressed. Therefore, today, the little girl is bound to win. The old man is also destined to be labeled with the crime of deceiving others for money. To the people here, this old man is nothing more than a stranger, and strangers are to be suppressed. Therefore, today, the little girl is bound to win. The old man is also destined to be labeled with the crime of deceiving others for money.

Bai Zhi was taken aback and somewhat disagreed, saying: "Miss, nowadays money is tight..."