Caught Red-Handed

Half a quarter-hour later,

Qin Yi stopped in front of a shop by the roadside. He raised his eyes to glance at its signboard, then slowly walked inside.

The shop was not large. The lighting was rather dim, and a strange-smelling incense hung in the air. There was not a single customer inside. Several shelves stood on either side of the entrance, one displaying rouge cases, hairpins, wooden combs, and other everyday items for women, while the other held neatly stacked bolts of cloth.

Qin Yi walked straight to the innermost counter and lightly knocked on it.

"Knock, knock."

Behind the counter sat a beautiful young woman of around seventeen or eighteen. Resting her cheek on one hand, she wore a simple light-green ruqun and listlessly read a book of strange tales with lowered eyes.

Hearing the sound, she looked up and spotted a burly man in an Immortal Guest House attendant's uniform standing by the entrance, his gaze wandering around the shop.

The young woman slightly lifted her chin in acknowledgment. Her eyes fixed somewhat strangely on him for several breaths. Once she confirmed that he had no intention of coming all the way in, she curled her lips and lowered her head to continue reading.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The sound rang out again. The young woman frowned and looked up once more, drawing a breath as her chest rose and fell slightly.

"You..."

"I'm down here, big sister."

"..."

The young woman stood at the sound, only to see a pale, handsome little boy looking up at her from before the counter. She blanked for a moment, then smiled and waved at Qin Yi, speaking in the coaxing tone one used on children.

"Little brother, do you know where this is? If you want snacks, go next door."

Qin Yi nodded and said seriously,

"I know. I just want to have an outfit made."

This shop was called Meng's Cloth Workshop. Its accessories and clothing styles all came from the Central Plains, and they were both attractive and affordable. It was quite popular among the wandering courtesans of Yellow Bamboo Town, even among the male courtesans of brothels.

The young woman sized up Qin Yi's worn cotton clothes for a moment. Since he was so cute, she bent forward and pressed her chest against the counter, reaching out to pinch his cheek as she smiled with curved eyes.

"How about this, little brother? Big sister will buy you some snacks next door, and you can hurry home."

"..."

Ignoring the snacks thrown in for his looks, Qin Yi silently reached into his clothes, took out a neatly folded sheet of Xuan paper, and stood on tiptoe to place it on the counter.

"Just make it according to this. Use the best material."

Seeing this adorable gesture, the young woman could not resist shaking the hand pinching Qin Yi's cheek up and down. Only under Qin Yi's speechless stare did she sheepishly withdraw her hand and pick up the paper.

She unfolded it and glanced at it. The young woman froze slightly, then raised her willow-leaf brows and instinctively asked,

"Where did you get this design?"

"I drew it myself."

"Children who lie to big sister wet the bed..."

"Uncle Zhou."

Qin Yi called outside.

The burly man surnamed Zhou stood at the entrance and had heard their conversation clearly. He remained there and called out in a loud voice,

"Miss Meng, he's Ruan Su's younger brother. The boss even gave him an allowance of fifty taels, so there's no need to worry that he can't pay."

The two seemed to know each other—or rather, the burly man knew the young woman unilaterally.

What does that have to do with the design?

Meng Peijiu muttered inwardly before lowering her gaze to the paper again.

It was a very novel design. The waistline, shoulders, and elbows all balanced convenience with beauty. Moreover, the drawing was exceedingly professional. Besides front, back, and side views, it included enlarged diagrams of several detailed designs, and even the material types were annotated.

"Can you make it?" the childish voice asked softly.

"I can."

Meng Peijiu tucked the design into her clothes and studied the boy again. After pondering for a moment, she stopped worrying about where the design had truly come from and asked with a soft smile,

"Little brother, are you selling this design? I can deduct its value from the price of this outfit."

Qin Yi was somewhat surprised.

This world had no concept of intellectual property rights. Aside from famous poems, lyrics, and essays, things like designs belonged to whoever had them in their head. Yet she was actually offering to buy it.

Was it because the boss had vouched for him?

Or because of his face?

Qin Yi nodded.

"Alright. How much do you think it's worth?"

A thoughtful look appeared in Meng Peijiu's eyes.

"Since you want the best material... hmm... let's round it off. Fifty taels."

Qin Yi's eye twitched.

He took back his earlier assessment and seriously suspected that this woman was fleecing him.

Fifty taels for one outfit—was it made of gold, or could it stop arrows?

Meng Peijiu seemed to understand his silence. She chuckled, waved her slender hand, and said confidently,

"You can decide whether to take it after you see the finished product. But this design will count as the deposit."

Upon hearing that, Qin Yi immediately agreed and nodded.

"Alright. Thank you, big sister."

Meng Peijiu smiled with curved eyes. In the end, she could not resist walking out from behind the counter and rubbing Qin Yi's little head.

"Give big sister three days. Come back in three days, little brother, and..."

She stopped halfway through her sentence.

Her gaze suddenly turned toward the shop entrance.

At the same time,

Qin Yi heard faint panting.

His heart sank.

Turning back, he saw a young girl standing at the entrance, breathing lightly as though she had run here in a hurry. One hand braced against the doorframe, while the other carried a bundle of medicinal packets. She stared at him unblinkingly.

Qin Yi quietly took a step back and shielded Meng Peijiu behind him. At the same time the girl entered the shop, he spoke at an astonishing pace.

"Big sister, why are you here? Wait, it's true, I sneaked out, but isn't Uncle Zhou here to protect me? You should know him, right? Oh, right, I'm buying clothes for you now. And I was thinking of dealing with that batch of goods we got yesterday, so..."

Amid the rapid stream of words,

Qin Yi caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of Meng Peijiu's body trembling almost imperceptibly behind him.

Just as he wondered whether Ruan Su's ferocious reputation in Yellow Bamboo Town was too overwhelming, he saw himself get shoved aside...

Tsk.

Thud!

"..."

Qin Yi crouched on the ground, clutching his head.

"So aside from ordering clothes, you have a batch of goods you want to sell?"

"Mm."

"You want us to send people to collect them?"

"Mm."

Besides selling clothing and women's daily necessities, this Meng's Cloth Workshop also moonlighted as Immortal Guest House's largest black market dealer.

They did not ask where the goods came from. Payment was made upon delivery, and they treated old and young alike without cheating anyone.

When she had been lucid before, Ruan Su had taken Qin Yi around Yellow Bamboo Town to familiarize him with the place. When they passed by, she had specifically introduced him to this black market dealer—the only one she had introduced.

It was said that the shopkeeper here, like the two siblings, had fled from the Central Plains because of that war ten years ago.

That was why Qin Yi had sneaked over here.

And ended up with a bump on his head.

Back behind the counter, Meng Peijiu looked at the two little ones, one tall and one short. Holding back a smile, she sighed.

"Alright then. What do you want to 'pawn'?"

With a bump on his head, Qin Yi cleared his throat and answered,

"Leather, tobacco, and some spices. There's quite a lot. Also, two Killing Apes and over a dozen weapons."

"Whose gang of wandering bandits' hideout did you wipe out?"

Meng Peijiu reacted quickly, raising her brows as she looked at Ruan Su.

Ruan Su held Qin Yi's hand and said nothing. Speaking made her throat hurt.

Seeing this, Meng Peijiu did not press the matter. She stood up, turned, and shouted toward the back of the shop.

"Mother~~ I'm heading out for a while. Come down and watch the shop."

"..."

Everyone looked toward the curtain behind the counter. Most shops in Yellow Bamboo Town did business in the front, while the backyard and upper floors served as the family's living quarters.

Before long,

unhurried footsteps descended from the inner room. The curtain over the door leading to the back was drawn aside, and an old woman emerged.

Meng Peijiu had most likely been adopted, because her mother seemed excessively old. Her hair was gray-white, her eyes small, and her cheekbones high. Her face was rather sinister, and dressed all in black, she carried a gloomy, eerie air of death about her.

As the old woman slowly walked toward the counter, she asked in a voice that was unexpectedly gentle and kind,

"Little Jiu... haven't I told you? Let Meng Qi handle ordinary collections. The mountains haven't been peaceful lately, so go out less."

Meng Peijiu glanced at Ruan Su and said,

"Ruan Su found some illicit goods. I'll personally go appraise them, then have Meng Qi haul them back directly."

"Little Su?"

Only then did Granny Meng turn her gaze to Ruan Su. The corners of her eyes curved, tugging at the wrinkles on her face. Her smile was somewhat chilling.

"I haven't seen you, little girl, in a long time. You never come visit this old woman once in a while."

"..."

Ruan Su released Qin Yi's hand and bowed to Granny Meng.

Granny Meng smiled and nodded.

"Since it concerns Little Su, it's fine for you to make the trip yourself."

As the words fell,

within that dim light,

Granny Meng abruptly turned her head toward Qin Yi. Narrowing her eyes in a smile, she spoke in an aged voice so gentle that it felt like a spring breeze washing over one's face.

"Little child, why have you been staring at this old woman since earlier?"

Meeting her gaze, Qin Yi continued staring at her face and smiled brightly.

"I just feel like I've seen you somewhere before, Granny."

The smile on Granny Meng's face did not change. Her little eyes narrowed into slits, flickering with an unreadable glimmer.

"Of course you have. Your big sister used to bring you around before this old woman often enough. But back then, you were always dull and vacant. You weren't as clever as you are now."

"Oh..."

Qin Yi nodded in sudden understanding, as though accepting the explanation.

Whether he was lucid or not, Ruan Su would occasionally bring him around town to make the rounds and familiarize themselves with people, lest any unpleasant misunderstandings arise.

Granny Meng waved her hand, turned, and walked behind the counter. She left Meng Peijiu with an instruction.

"Hurry along. And Peijiu, don't be so loud and boisterous in front of Little Su. Remember to come back early."

"Alright~ I know, Mother."

The group of four left Meng's Pawnshop. Before departing, Qin Yi noticed that the burly man surnamed Zhou also bowed toward the pawnshop.

It seemed

Granny Meng held a very high position within Immortal Guest House.

And he really had seen her before.

But not in Yellow Bamboo Town.