Chapter 121: Business
Editor: Atlas Studios
The person Fan Zijin wanted to introduce her to was Wu Shancai’s pitiful eldest son, Wu Jin.
It was said that when Wu Shancai named him, he had wanted to name him ‘Jinshi1’. But he felt that it was too in-your-face, so he omitted the word ‘shi’. Unfortunately, his surname was Wu2, so Qi Haoran often ridiculed him for it.
The 18-year-old Wu Jin was a few years older than Qi Haoran and the others. However, when facing Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, he was either verbally abused by Fan Zijin or physically beaten up by Qi Haoran. In short, he was very pitiful.
Fan Zijin pushed Wu Jin out without thinking and said confidently, “Don’t worry, I’m sure you can sell it for a good price.”
Qi Haoran was displeased. “Why should the deer I caught be eaten by Wu? No way!”
Fan Zijin glanced at him. “Even if you don’t sell it to Wu Jin, you’d have to sell it to someone else anyway. Isn’t it the same? I think it’s much better to sell it to Wu Jin than to others.”
After thinking for a while with a straight face, Qi Haoran did not object.
Fan Zijin said with a smile, “Alright, we’ll help you find Wu Jin first before going back.” Fan Zijin looked at Yanmo, who immediately rode towards the academy.
At this time, the eldest young master of the Wu family should be studying in the academy.
At their invitation, Wu Jin was brought to the three of them. When he saw Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin, he couldn’t help but shrink his neck. It had only been more than a month since he was beaten up last time. Seeing Qi Haoran now made his body hurt.
Fan Zijin said amiably, “Young Master Wu, winter is here. Wanna buy a deer and have some venison?”
When Wu Jin saw the three deer in the car behind him, he was conflicted. “Erm… erm, our family has already been gifted…” Seeing that Qi Haoran was glaring at him, he quickly changed his words. “Ok I’ll buy another one for my father out of filial piety.”
Fan Zijin was all smiles. “We can spare one here. Since Young Master Wu is so filial, how about we fulfill your wish?” As he spoke, he gave Mu Yangling a look.
Only then did Mu Yangling understand that they were bullying this fellow. Hesitating, she did not go forward. Even if Qi Haoran was doing this for her own good, she could not bring herself to force others. She wondered how to turn this down without making them lose face.
Seeing this, Fei Bai thought that she was worried that Young Master Wu could not afford it. He quickly went up and whispered, “Miss Mu, this is Magistrate Wu’s son and he has a lot of money. You just have to carry the deer down.”
When Mu Yangling heard this, she turned around and returned to the carriage. She carried the deer down and placed it in front of Young Master Wu. Then, she took out the deer whip from her bag and asked, “Young Master Wu, do you want this? It’s very effective. You can bring it back to make wine, or give it to your father.”
Young Master Wu’s eyes widened as he stared blankly at Mu Yangling. After a long while, he stiffened his neck and lowered his head to look at the deer in front of his feet. Then, he looked at her and exclaimed after a while, “Amazing!”
Mu Yangling tilted her head and looked at him. She felt that this Young Master Wu was completely different from her father, making her heart soften slightly. Fan Zijin could tell that Mu Yangling’s heart had softened and noticed her hesitation. Snorting, he said, “Young Master Wu, this deer whip is great, too. Didn’t you just take in a concubine? This should be of use to you.” Fan Zijin pretended to say casually, “By the way, have your two maids1 been promoted to concubines?”
Mu Yangling instantly retracted her sympathy for him and looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Young Master Wu, Little General and Young Master Fan personally hunted this deer, okay?”
Young Master Wu touched the pouch on his body. Seeing that Qi Haoran was staring at him with widened eyes, he had no choice but to take out the pouch and say, “I… I only have 20 taels on me…”
Before Mu Yangling nodded vigorously, Qi Haoran said unhappily, “Are you dismissing a beggar? Venison in Lin’an Prefecture costs way more than 20 taels.”
Mu Yangling was about to nod when she forcefully retracted her head and looked at Wu Jin.
Wu Jin licked his lips. He didn’t dare to ask his father for money. Although he didn’t know anything about general affairs, he had treated his classmates to venison. A treat for more than 20 people merely cost him about 10 taels of silver, including wine and other snacks.
How could the remote Xingzhou Prefecture compare to Lin’an Prefecture?
Wu Jin thought for a moment and whispered, “Why don’t I ask my classmates and see if I can borrow some money from them? I’ll give them all to you, okay?”
Qi Haoran frowned, while Fan Zijin nodded with a smile. “Alright, we’ll wait for Young Master Wu here.”
Seeing Wu Jin run away, he turned to Qi Haoran and said, “Don’t push him too hard. It’ll be troublesome if his father finds out.”
Qi Haoran said unhappily, “20 taels of silver is considered too expensive? When I was in Lin’an Prefecture, no one sold me a whole deer even if I offered 100 taels of silver.”
“Xingzhou Prefecture isn’t like Lin’an Prefecture. You can buy silk and satin from any cloth shop in Lin’an Prefecture, but only three or four shops here have them. In fact, some things can only be bought in Xingyuan Prefecture.”
However, Mu Yangling was very happy. She waved her hand and said, “It’s alright. I’m willing to wait. I’ll wait however long it takes.”
Initially, she thought that it would be good enough if she could sell three deer whips for 15 taels of silver. She did not expect to get more than 20 taels of silver. Although there was suspicion of bullying here, it seemed acceptable if the target was Wu Shancai’s son.
In the end, Wu Jin didn’t dare to stand Qi Haoran and the others up. He hurriedly ran back after managing to borrow money from his classmates. He even took out the silver pieces and said with an embarrassed expression, “I only gathered 32 taels…” Seeing the dissatisfaction on Qi Haoran’s face, his voice became softer and softer.
Mu Yangling quickly took the money bag from him and nodded. “Enough, enough. Thank you for this, Young Master Wu.” Seeing that he only had a servant with him and was weak, she asked, “Why don’t I carry it to your residence for you?”
Wu Jin stole a glance at Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran snorted. “Look at his thin arms and legs. Does he look like he can carry it by himself? You’d better help him bring it to his residence.”
Mu Yangling put the money bag away and said to Qi Haoran, “Then you guys can go home first. I’ll bring it to his residence. I still have something to do later, so I’ll look for you guys after I’m done.”
As Qi Haoran treated Mu Yangling as an adult, he nodded and said, “Then go ahead. When you arrive in the city, just bring up my name.”
“I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Qi Haoran liked Mu Yangling’s straightforwardness the most, for he didn’t have to be restrained around her.
Mu Yangling carried the deer on her shoulder and turned around to say to the stunned Wu Jin and his servant, “Young Master Wu, let’s leave quickly.”
It was Wu Jin’s servant who came back to his senses first and tugged at his master’s clothes. Wu Jin came back to his senses and nodded with a smile. “Alright, follow me.”
Along the way, Wu Jin kept stealing glances at Mu Yangling. In the end, he couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, you’re so strong. What’s your relationship with Young Master Qi?” Seeing Mu Yangling look over, he hurriedly explained, “I’m just a little curious. It’s fine if you don’t answer.”
Mu Yangling seemed to find Wu Jin’s behavior a little funny. She smiled and replied, “My father is Little General’s subordinate. I’m naturally strong, and my father is also very strong.”
“Oh.” When Wu Jin heard this explanation, he heaved a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He then behaved more naturally towards Mu Yangling. Seeing that they were about to reach the government office, Wu Jin hurriedly said, “Let’s go in through the side door.”
If his father found out that he had been bullied by Qi Haoran again, he would definitely be angry again. In fact, he himself would also be lectured. He did not want to kneel in the ancestral hall again.
Mu Yangling followed him to the side door and handed the deer to the Wu family’s servants. Then, she waved at Wu Jin and said, “Young Master Wu, my father is very good at hunting. If you have any prey you want to eat next time, tell me. My father will definitely help you catch them.”
‘How would I dare to buy it from you again when your prey is so expensive?’ Wu Jin thought as he sent Mu Yangling away with a smile.