Chapter 8 – Is He Flirting with Me
There were plenty of young women and wives on the street, each looking lively and attractive. Whenever Xia Yi spotted someone good-looking, he couldn’t help but steal a few glances. Being a ger, no one minded his gaze; instead, it seemed to give them a sense of confidence and delight from being admired by someone of the same gender.
So, Xia Yi boldly began to look at the beautiful women and remarked, “179, for the first time, I think being a ger isn’t so bad.”
There were also several other young men around, each as charming as the flowers in spring. Every time Xia Yi accidentally saw them, he would feel a jolt and quickly glance away.
At that moment, a young man strolled by the tea stall, accompanied by two attendants. He wore a fine ice-blue silk robe, black silk boots, and a jade crown, clearly a young master from a wealthy family.
“179, if he”s the governor’s son, he should be dressed even better than this.”
“If I were to join the Qishan Sect, my father would definitely provide me with more than just two attendants, perhaps even a few maidservants.”
The system remained silent.
The young man must have sensed Xia Yi’s gaze, as he turned to look at the tea stall. When their eyes met, Xia Yi felt a bit embarrassed as if he had been caught staring, and he smiled slightly at the young man.
The young man paused, looking a bit surprised, then smiled back at Xia Yi.
Xia Yi could only nod at him again before turning his gaze elsewhere.
However, the young man didn’t continue walking; instead, he turned to his attendants, said something, and then approached the tea stall. Once he reached Xia Yi, he bowed and said, “I’m Yu Chengzhi. It’s a pleasure to meet you, young sir. May I ask for your name?”
Xia Yi was momentarily stunned, struggling to process what was happening. He was taken aback by the sudden conversation and the fact that someone was addressing him so respectfully.
Yu Chengzhi looked Xia Yi up and down, then continued, “This tea is rather crude; I wouldn’t want to dirty your exquisite mouth. Would you do me the honor of moving to Jin Feng Lou, where I can prepare some refreshments and express my gratitude?”
This… is he flirting with me? Xia Yi, encountering this for the first time, felt overwhelmed and didn’t reply.
Yu Chengzhi smiled confidently and waved his fan. “Though I can’t offer fine wines, I can prepare some simple drinks. This place is too humble for someone as beautiful as you.”
“1… 179, am I being flirted with?” Xia YI’s mind was racing with shock.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!
[Yes, host.] 179 replied indignantly.
[Pfft, thinking a few coins can toy with me. We ger aren’t playthings for these rascals.] 179 couldn’t help but mock, accidentally revealing that he had been scanning for Li Auntie and the others recently.
Finally managing to suppress his shock, Xia Yi decided to get rid of this person as quickly as possible. He replied coolly, “No need. I’m waiting for someone; you may go, young master.”
Yu Chengzhi, expecting a different answer, was momentarily taken aback. However, he didn”t lose heart. He lifted his robe and sat down, saying, “You nodded at me earlier, and if I don’t invite you, wouldn’t I be neglecting your kindness?”
He then raised an eyebrow and smiled at Xia Yi, reminding him of a certain charismatic figure from a TV show.
Xia Yi was internally in turmoil: “Has he never been hit for acting this way?”
Yu Chengzhi, oblivious to Xia YI’s inner turmoil, smiled and asked, “You said you’re waiting for someone; may I ask who it is?”
“I said I’m waiting for someone! I’m waiting for my husband!” Xia Yi replied impatiently, feeling a quiet rage building inside.
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of cart wheels could be heard from not far away, accompanied by Gu Wenzhu”s voice calling, “Xiao Yi, let’s go.”
Gu Wenzhu was driving an empty cart, slowly stopping at the tea stall. Upon seeing the odd atmosphere between Yu Chengzhi and Xia Yi, a look of suspicion crossed his face.
Noticing the confused expression on Yu Chengzhi’s face, Xia Yi mustered his courage and called out, “Husband, you’re here.” After saying this, he avoided looking at Gu Wenzhu, striding past him with determination.
Yu ChengzhI’s smile faded as he remained seated, his expression darkening.
As Xia Yi reached Gu Wenzhu’s side, he contemplated whether to take his arm and rest his head on his shoulder.
[That”s too much, overly dramatic. It doesn’t work well; it feels forced.] 179 immediately intervened.
Seeing this scene, Gu Wenzhu quickly pieced things together. He stood next to the cart, his gaze coldly fixed on Yu Chengzhi, and reached out to help Xia Yi onto the cart.
Yu ChengzhI’s face turned angry, and he exchanged glances with his two attendants. The attendants nodded and walked toward the cart.
One of them casually nodded to Gu Wenzhu, saying, “This young master wants to invite your ger to a banquet.” After saying this, the other attendant reached out to pull Xia Yi from the cart.
However, before his hand could even touch Xia YI’s clothes, Gu Wenzhu kicked him away. The attendant slammed into a wooden post on the street, instantly spitting blood and unable to catch his breath.
One of the servants saw this, shouted, and threw a punch at Gu Wenzhu. Gu Wenzhu didn’t dodge but reached out and intercepted it in midair, twisting the man’s arm with a sharp motion. With a painful cry, the servant”s shoulder made a cracking sound, and his arm went limp, dislocated.
Yu Chengzhi was furious, slamming the table as he stood up. Just as he was about to step forward, he suddenly met Gu Wenzhu’s cold, piercing gaze, and an icy chill ran through him, freezing him in place.
Gu Wenzhu jumped onto the carriage, ignoring the two servants groaning on the ground and Yu Chengzhi. With a flick of the reins, the carriage headed westward.
The sound of horse hooves echoed on the cobblestone road as neither of them spoke. Xia Yi felt guilty for causing trouble for Gu Wenzhu and didn’t dare to make a sound.
After traveling a while, just as Xia Yi was contemplating what to say, Gu Wenzhu suddenly spoke, his voice low and tinged with anger: “In the future, don’t be afraid when things like this happen. No matter what, I’ll protect you and make sure you don’t suffer any losses.”
Xia Yi was stunned for a moment, feeling touched. He was about to brush it off with a lighthearted remark but then remembered he was in this strange world.
In this world, wasn’t he bound to suffer?
So, he obediently responded with a soft “hmm.” After a moment, with a hint of excitement, he added, “Brother Zhu, you’re amazing! Those moves earlier were incredible.” He even gestured with his hands while talking.
Gu Wenzhu didn’t respond, but Xia Yi didn’t mind, instead staring off into the distance. After a while, he shook his head and sighed, “I never thought I’d be so… captivating.”
Gu Wenzhu: ……
Gu Wenzhu parked the carriage in an open space and handed the horse to a young boy there to feed it. Then, he took Xia Yi to get some food.
“Brother Zhu, where are we going to eat? I saw a place called Jin Feng Lou from the tea stand earlier, and it seemed pretty nice.”
“That place is too expensive. It’s where rich families go to hold banquets. We”ll go to Xing Wu Restaurant for a few small dishes.”
Xia Yi: ……
Is Xing Wu Restaurant really a place to eat and not a martial arts school?
It turns out Xing Wu Restaurant was indeed a place to eat, and business was booming.
After sitting down, Gu Wenzhu ordered a plate of pig head meat, stir-fried chicken, and diced lotus root. After glancing at Xia Yi, he added a dish of braised pork and four donkey meat buns.
The waiters moved swiftly, calling out orders, and soon the food was served.
Xia Yi was amazed. Unlike the delicate presentation he was used to in the modern world, here they just piled the food into big bowls, each portion hearty and substantial. He eagerly dug in, eating with great gusto, his mouth greasy and happy.
The men and ge’ers around were secretly watching him, and those ge”ers were particularly stunned by his appetite.
Gu Wenzhu finished eating first. Afterward, he pulled out a heavy little cloth bag from his pocket and tossed it to Xia Yi: “This is your potato money.”
Xia Yi quickly swallowed his mouthful of braised pork and mumbled a refusal, “Brother Zhu, I eat your food, drink your tea, and live in your house. How can I accept this money?”
Gu Wenzhu waved his hand dismissively, “Keep it for now, just in case. You should at least have some powder money. We can talk about the rest later.”
Xia Yi: Powder money???!!!
Seeing Xia Yi’s bewildered expression, Gu Wenzhu added, “Across the street is a powder shop. You should go buy some later. I heard the ge”ers and wives in the village all get theirs from here.”
Xia Yi shook his head frantically, “No need, no need. Really, I don’t need any.”
Swallowing another bite of braised pork, he sincerely said, “Brother Zhu, you don’t need to worry about this. I’ve never used powder before. Not before, not now, and not ever.”
Seeing how determined he was, Gu Wenzhu nodded and didn”t say anything else, though his heart was filled with even more compassion.
Yes, a starving ger who had spent his whole life just trying to get enough to eat — how would he ever think of dressing up? No powder, then. He looks fine as he is. If he ever wants to use it in the future, I’ll bring him here to buy some.
After the meal, the two of them went to buy some necessities, and Xia Yi also picked up onion and fennel seeds. By the time they had everything and were heading home, the sky was already pitch black.
The moonlight was soft, and a gentle breeze blew as the horse trotted along the road leading back to the village. In the rhythmic sound of the hooves, Xia Yi, without realizing it, dozed off, his head leaning on Gu Wenzhu”s shoulder, still clutching half of an uneaten donkey bun in his hand.
Gu Wenzhu glanced at him, gently took the bun from his hand, and pulled out a jacket from the bundle beside him to drape over Xia Yi. He adjusted the collar of the jacket and, with a light flick of the whip, continued slowly through the night.
Donkey bun?!