TATSD Chapter 103

Ji Wei rode his donkey to Daxi Town, and the first thing he did was not go to the county school to look for Liu Yimian. To reach the county school, he had to pass through Yong’an Street, and since he was already on Yong’an Street, he couldn’t help but check out the newly opened shop.

Riding a donkey on the street wasn’t a rare sight. The bustling thoroughfare was often crossed by people herding cattle and sheep, but Ji Wei stopped in front of the shop that piqued everyone’s curiosity, which was still not open for business. Passersby couldn’t help but cast their gazes in that direction.

Ji Wei jumped off the donkey and walked into the shop. The renovation was complete, and only one person remained inside, tidying up the leftovers from the work.

The man was holding a broom. Noticing someone had entered from the corner of his eye, he assumed it was just a curious passerby and stood up, saying, “Sorry, the shop won’t open for another three days; you can’t come in yet.”

Seeing that Ji Wei didn’t seem like he was going to leave, the middle-aged man looked a bit helpless. “There’s nothing inside the shop; it’s pointless for you to look around.”

Ji Wei had brought his belongings hanging from the donkey’s back, so his hands were empty. He reached out and quickly glanced around the shop while the man wasn’t paying attention.

The shop, located in a bustling area, was smaller than the one on North Street but appeared more rectangular.

Since Ji Wei was browsing, the middle-aged man put down the broom and came over to block his way.

“Why won’t you listen to advice?”

“I’m Ji Wei; Mr. Zhang sent me to oversee the opening ceremony.”

The middle-aged man, who had been reassigned from another shop to help, immediately changed his demeanor upon hearing Ji Wei’s name and respectfully replied, “Oh, I didn’t recognize you! Please don’t hold it against me!”

“It’s fine; you did well.” This shop had been designed according to Ji Wei’s instructions. The North Street shop was originally intended to be like this, but due to its narrow layout, it had been difficult to implement. So, he had the design drawn up and sent to this shop for construction.

Overall, it hadn’t changed much; the walls had simply been repainted. Four wooden cabinets were custom-made and placed against the walls. The cabinets had upper and lower compartments with solid sides, leaving only one side open, fitted with a retractable little gate. When there were no customers, the small gate could be lowered to prevent dust. If customers arrived, the gate could be pulled up to select pastries.

These wooden cabinets were inspired by Ji Wei’s previous life, though without glass, they used polished wood instead. Fortunately, the craftsmanship was detailed, making it look quite harmonious.

In addition to that, there was a counter near the front door, divided into many small compartments specifically for storing miscellaneous items.

The shop was simple overall; aside from the wooden cabinets, no major changes had been made.

“Have the flower baskets been ordered?” Although these flower baskets were not strictly necessary, Ji Wei, influenced by his past life, felt that a new shop opening needed some flair. Just relying on the ribbon-cutting wouldn’t attract customers. So, he had mentioned ahead of time that he wanted two large flower baskets.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man nodded, “Although large flower baskets are rare, I’ve already sent someone to buy them. They will be ready and delivered on the opening day.”

There were also red carpets, firecrackers, ribbons, and other items needed for the opening ceremony, which Ji Wei confirmed one by one, ensuring there were no mistakes. He then took out a few coins from his waist and placed them on the table. “You’ve done well.”

Though six copper coins weren’t much, they were an unexpected gain. The middle-aged man paused for a moment, then quickly tucked the money into his palm and bowed to Ji Wei, saying, “Thank you, Mr. Ji!”

“It’s nothing; you’ve earned it. If everything goes well on the opening day, I’ll reward you with something bigger.” Ji Wei waved his hand and walked toward the door. “Clean this place up, and tomorrow go retrieve the items you need to prepare. I’ll be here when the goods arrive the day after tomorrow.”

These goods were the pastries shipped from Changliu Town, as well as the snacks delivered from another Zhang family pastry shop in Daxi Town.

It would have been better to hire another master baker, but time was tight, and finding someone suitable would be a bit difficult, so for now, he would make do. Once he found a suitable candidate, he could make changes later.

In a good mood, Ji Wei hummed a tune as he walked to the county school.

When he had brought Liu Yimian to the county school to study, he had made quite a show of it, mobilizing over ten students to help carry his luggage. The gatekeeper recognized him at a glance and didn’t say much; he simply let Ji Wei in.

However, the students in a hurry noticed Ji Wei and showed expressions of curiosity on their faces.

Ji Wei assumed they were still considering Liu Yimian’s status and were therefore unhappy with him, so he brushed it off. He had already sent his tools to the shop on Yong’an Street, so he just needed to drop off the donkey at the stable before heading to the dormitory to find Liu Yimian.

But as he walked, he noticed the strange looks everyone was giving him, which deepened his suspicions. Before reaching the dormitory, he couldn’t help but grab a seemingly polite and familiar student, cupping his fists in greeting. “Excuse me, young sir, could you tell me what’s going on? Why do you look at me so strangely?”

The young man hesitated but, seeing Ji Wei’s earnestness, replied, “Someone came looking for him—Liu Yimian. But he isn’t here.”

If it were just that, there wouldn’t be such strange looks directed at him, suggesting something more was happening.

“Please, enlighten me,” Ji Wei urged.

The young man, clearly not used to being treated with such respect, blushed and stammered, “That person claimed to be his sister-in-law and insisted that he come out to see her.”

Ji Wei’s voice lowered slightly as he asked, “And then?”

For some reason, the young man seemed frightened. “She waited outside the lecture hall for a while; now she’s probably gone to the dormitory.” Seeing his hesitance, Ji Wei pressed him a few more times and discovered, as he suspected, that the woman hadn’t simply waited; it seemed she had caused quite a commotion.

After thanking the young scholar, Ji Wei didn’t dare delay any longer and hurried toward the dormitory. Before he even crossed the grove, he could already hear loud, piercing shouts.

“Bring him out! Bring him out! This wicked person drove his brother out of the academy! How could he do this? The Liu family raised him for fifteen years, yet he turned out this way!”

“Liu Yimian! Don’t hide in there! If you’ve got guts, come out!”

A woman with a thick cloth bag slung over her chest drew closer, revealing a small girl wrapped inside. The child had a waxy complexion and appeared somewhat frail, but her large, dark eyes made her look both cute and pitiful.

You Guizhi’s shouts grew louder, causing the child in her arms to pout and then burst into tears.

The sound of crying mixed with You Guizhi’s curses was like a spell, disturbing the students inside the building, who began to open their doors to see what was happening.

One student, who had been studying next to her, wore a furious expression but held back his anger because she was a woman. He said, “This is the academy; you’re an outsider, so leave at once!”

“I won’t go! I won’t leave until I see that ungrateful wretch!”

The student’s chest heaved as he gritted his teeth, “Liu Yimian left a long time ago; shouting here won’t change anything!”

You Guizhi let out a cold laugh, “Then I’ll just wait here for him to come back!”

The girl sensed her resentment and cried even louder. You Guizhi hugged the cloth bag and weighed it, then lowered her voice to hum a lullaby, swaying side to side until the crying subsided a bit.

“Don’t cry, sweetheart, Mama will take care of the bad people…”

From a distance, Ji Wei observed for a while, watching as You Guizhi calmed the child only to start shouting again. He stepped out from the shadows, grabbing her arm from behind and pulling her a few steps away with force.

“What are you doing? Who are you? Let me go!” You Guizhi clutched the child tightly, waving her free hand in panic, “This is an assault! There’s a pervert in broad daylight!”

Ji Wei continued to drag her for a dozen steps before finally letting go and coldly stating, “I am Ji Wei from Changliu Town; I’m sure Yimian has already mentioned me.”

“You’re the one who bought him?” You Guizhi looked him up and down, noting his plain cotton clothing and deciding he didn’t look like someone who could make money selling mooncakes.

She thought to herself that he was probably just a runner doing manual labor.

Ji Wei regarded her expressionlessly, which made her heart quiver. Gritting her teeth, she said, “What do you want? You’re just in time! That ungrateful wretch has used tricks to drive my brother out of the academy! He’s been trying so hard to get in for years, and now he was expelled because of a few words! He hasn’t had a drop to eat in two days and lies in bed, getting worse by the day…”

She spoke through her tears, but despite her wailing, not a single tear fell.

Ji Wei had seen through her intentions and focused on her claim that “tricks were used to expel his brother from the academy.”

Liu Yimian was emotionally sensitive, and even if he had done something wrong, it must have been out of desperation. It seemed this situation had already happened, and Ji Wei was curious about what could have led to such a drastic measure!

“You say he wronged the Liu family, but I’m curious about what exactly he did. Why don’t you tell me?” Ji Wei looked at You Guizhi, whose expression stiffened. She was about to speak when Ji Wei interrupted, “Ah! I think it’s best if you don’t say anything. It probably wouldn’t be the whole truth anyway. Let’s wait until he returns.”

Ji Wei was tall, and while You Guizhi was considered tall and sturdy among women, standing in front of him, she felt a sudden loss of confidence.

She felt intimidated and took a step back, trying to distance herself from Ji Wei. As she turned to flee, Ji Wei stepped forward, grabbing her arm and quickly letting go again.

“Either you leave, or you wait patiently for him to come back. If you dare to tarnish his name again, don’t blame me, Ji Wei, for being heartless!” Ji Wei crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over the few onlookers standing nearby.

As soon as they made eye contact with him, they turned their heads away, not daring to meet his gaze.

You Guizhi, feeling resentful, darted her eyes around.

After being expelled from the academy, Liu Chengyin gave You Guizhi two taels of silver and said a few flattering words, embellishing what had happened at the academy. This had stirred up You Guizhi’s anger to the point where she wanted to tear Liu Yimian apart.

Before coming here, Liu Chengyin had instructed You Guizhi to create a scene and to start yelling no matter what they said. Those scholarly students, aside from being able to read a few books and write a few poems, were completely clueless about such underhanded tactics. A woman like her holding a child wouldn’t likely face any violence.

With the advantage, she could push for more.

You Guizhi was a clever woman, and after Liu Chengyin’s few pointers, she quickly grasped the strategy, causing quite a scene at the academy. If Ji Wei hadn’t shown up at the right time, dozens of onlookers would likely have gathered by now.

The two stood in a corner away from the academy, exchanging silent glances. You Guizhi found herself unable to escape Ji Wei’s intense stare, helplessly watching as Liu Yimian ran toward the school building.

“Yimian, come here!”

Liu Yimian took a few steps forward, then suddenly froze, his body stiffening. After a moment, he turned to look in the direction of the voice. The familiar face he had been longing to see filled his vision, and everything else faded from his mind, leaving only a tidal wave of yearning.

His eyes turned red; he slowly stepped out a few paces and then suddenly dashed forward, throwing himself into Ji Wei’s arms. He clutched the collar of Ji Wei’s shirt and called out in a muffled voice, “Brother Ji.”

“Yes?”

“Brother Ji!”

“What is it?”

“I missed you!”

The boy’s head was still buried in Ji Wei’s chest, but his ears gradually turned red. Ji Wei let out a quiet chuckle, his chest vibrating. He wrapped his arms around the boy gently and said softly, “I missed you too.”

Liu Yimian nestled in his embrace for a moment before suddenly pushing himself away, “Brother Ji! That woman is—”

His words were cut off abruptly, as he spotted You Guizhi, who was standing behind Ji Wei.