Qin Ziwen swept a glance over the four men and said without any courtesy, "If you suspect this is a shady establishment, you can leave directly. I absolutely won't stop you."
Seeing the shopkeeper be so blunt, the three constables were all somewhat surprised.
One of the constables looked displeased and was about to make a scene, but Di Wu slapped the table and laughed heartily, "Haha, the shopkeeper is clearly a straightforward man. I, Di Wu, have measured the gentleman's heart with a petty man's yardstick."
Qin Ziwen said, "My new shop has just opened. We don't have much food, only some smoked cured meat. As for wine, we have several jars."
Di Wu took a small silver ingot from his waist and slapped it onto the table, "Bring plenty of smoked meat and several jars of wine! Today, we drink to our heart's content!"
A constable beside him hesitated, "Fifth Brother, we're still on official duty. Drinking isn't good, is it?"
"The weather is so hot, and the journey has been so tiring. What's wrong with the lads having a drink?" Di Wu pretended to be displeased, "What, not giving your Fifth Brother face?"
The constable on the left fell silent. The one on the right lifted his head and looked at the tavern's thatched hut.
Qin Ziwen first served them, glanced at the sky outside, and frowned slightly.
He planned to go up the mountain today. It would be best if these guests left early, otherwise it would delay his trip up the mountain to collect the card.
He first carried a jar of wine and placed it on the table.
Then he fetched several large earthenware bowls from the back kitchen and placed them on the table.
"Guests, you drink first. I'll go heat up the meat." His peripheral vision caught the silver ingot on the table.
In his line of sight, the surface of the silver ingot was actually emitting a faint yellow glow.
Qin Ziwen put away the ingot, left through the back door of the kitchen, and looked at it again. The ingot still shimmered with a faint yellow glow. It wasn't his illusion.
The yellow light was very weak. It didn't seem to be emanating from within the ingot but rather something attached to its surface.
At that moment, Home appeared.
A message popped up.
[Small Silver Ingot (Three Taels): Silver currency obtained through trade. Can be used for transactions in certain specific buildings.]
The money earned from this tavern actually had this kind of use.
Qin Ziwen was somewhat surprised.
But yesterday morning, he had also seized some silver money from the scholar. Why didn't that emit a yellow glow? Could it be because it was ill-gotten gains?
Gently weighing the ingot in his hand, Qin Ziwen returned to the bedroom and placed it under a drawer. Then he went to the cellar, cut a pound of cured meat, carried the meat through the back door into the kitchen, lit some firewood, and steamed the meat in a pot.
In the meantime, he found Li Tieshan, explained the situation, and inquired about prices.
How much could a jar of over twenty pounds of yellow wine plus a pound of smoked cured meat roughly sell for?
Li Tieshan said, "Sir, that mainly depends on the quality of the wine. There's wine costing a few coppers per pound, all the way up to wine costing tens or even hundreds of coppers per pound. Of course, that's in the city. As that constable said, in remote wilderness, in a secluded place, it's normal for the price of wine and food to double. Three taels is about right."
Pausing briefly, Li Tieshan added, "This humble one is speaking of a period when the imperial court is stable. If the times are chaotic, the price can multiply several times, even over ten times."
Returning to the kitchen, while Qin Ziwen was waiting for the cured meat to cook, the constables in the front hall began talking loudly.
"Brother Du, we three brothers are also just following orders. We've offended you many times along this journey. We hope you won't blame us."
"You are just following orders. What blame is there?" The speaker's voice was loud and resonant, full of vigor.
In Qin Ziwen's mind, the image of the prisoner who had been escorted in appeared.
A burly figure, with disheveled hair. These three constables were considered tall and large, but compared to this prisoner, they were still half a head shorter.
In the front hall, the three constables clinked cups and drank, their lively voices gradually growing lower.
Qin Ziwen lifted the pot lid. The meat inside was ready.
He fished out the meat and placed it on the cutting board. Just as he was about to slice the meat, he heard Di Wu's voice from outside, "Ah, Brother Du, to be honest, I have long admired you. Back when Lan County was plagued by tigers, the local magistrate's office organized multiple attempts but returned empty-handed, even losing a few hunters. In the end, I heard it was you who went up the mountain and eliminated that vicious tiger. You are a renowned tiger-slaying hero in Tongzhou."
The prisoner addressed as Brother Du said, "That tigress had just given birth to cubs and was physically weak. I just got lucky. I don't count as a tiger-slaying hero."
Di Wu let out a long sigh, "This time in Tongzhou, Brother Du, you killed that local bully Liu Er, who bullied men and dominated women, right in the street. While it was immensely satisfying, killing someone in broad daylight has a terrible impact. That Liu Er could run rampant in Tongzhou because his younger sister married the prison warden as a concubine. This time, you being exiled to Youzhou is already the result of the Vice-Prefect mediating on your behalf."
"Regarding this escort mission, before we set out, someone sent me a letter, asking me to harm you on the journey. But Brother Du is a heroic figure. I, Di Wu, would rather die than assist a tyrant in his evil deeds."
Thump. A sound of a table being slapped came from the main hall.
Di Wu said, "The key is right here. Today, my two brothers and I are drunk. Brother Du, take the key and leave on your own."
Qin Ziwen listened with great relish. He didn't expect to get to enjoy such a fresh, hot piece of gossip live.
Outside in the hall, a stool scraped. Di Wu's voice came through, "That shopkeeper has probably been eavesdropping in the kitchen for a long time. Let me go silence him for good."
Qin Ziwen: "???"
Damn, eating melon seeds landed the trouble right on my own head.
He had a bellyful of complaints but didn't know where to start. This guy is a lunatic!
If you want to play the great hero, then just let him go! Why kill an innocent shopkeeper like me?
Sure, I accidentally robbed a scholar of his book case on my first day of business yesterday, but that wasn't intentional!
Qin Ziwen was just about to sneak away through the back door when Brother Du's voice came, "Why go to such lengths? For the sake of me, Du Yu alone, not only implicating three brothers but also harming the innocent, is not my wish."
Listening to the conversation of the three men in the front hall, Qin Ziwen stopped in his tracks.
Not coming to kill me anymore?
Not coming is good.
You ancient people, always ready to kill someone to liven things up.
Making it seem like Water Margin.
Di Wu said in a grave voice, "Brother Du! That Prison Warden Ji is a man who seeks revenge for the smallest grievance. We privately call him 'Petty Chicken'. Since this attempt failed, there will definitely be follow-up measures. With the current situation chaotic everywhere, uprisings constantly breaking out in the south, Brother Du, you should just go."
Du Yu's tone was calm, "Yu was orphaned at a young age and grew up relying on the kindness of fellow villagers. I am alone, with no attachments. If Prison Warden Ji has any tricks, let him use them as soon as possible."
"Ahem." Qin Ziwen coughed twice.
He stepped out from behind the door curtain.
Di Wu turned his head, his eyes fierce.
Qin Ziwen said to the two men, "Don't worry, I won't report you to the authorities. By the way, if you really have nowhere to go, how about staying here and working as a waiter?"
Di Wu looked at Qin Ziwen as if he were an idiot.
"Do you think this place of yours can withstand a government siege? Or the pursuit of constables?"
Qin Ziwen gave a light laugh, "Then take another look. Can you find me?"
He lifted the door curtain and, right in front of the two men, took a step out.
After more than ten seconds, Qin Ziwen lifted the door curtain again and entered through the main door.
Before him were a stunned Di Wu and a visibly astonished Du Yu.
......