Qi Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly as he took in Ning Shu’s dirty face. Then he closed his fan and tapped it against his palm as he asked, “Why didn’t you wash your face clean? If you made yourself prettier, you’d be able to sell yourself for a better price.”
Before Ning Shu could speak, Yue Lan had already said, “My miss said that whoever that was willing to help us regardless of our outer appearance is definitely a good person.”
Qi Sheng was wearing high quality clothing that was clearly embroidered by skilled seamstresses. Even the pendant hanging off his fan was a perfectly smooth jade stone of high value. One could tell with a glance that he was wealthy. Every single move of his carried the elegance of wealth.
Qi Sheng crouched down and used his fan to lift the straw mat. He tilted his head as he looked at the hidden guard’s square face, then he looked at Ning Shu and said, “You look quite different from your father.”
Ning Shu replied mildly, “My mother was beautiful, so she evened out my father’s ugliness.”
She was feeling quite wronged on the behalf of the big brother hidden guard. It was enough that he looked ugly, but he even looked old. Qi Sheng showed no suspicions toward how the big brother hidden guard had been able to have such a big daughter at his age.
Ning Shu looked towards Qi Sheng with eager hope in her eyes. “Sir, does your family lack maids? As long as you give me enough money to give my father a funeral, this humble girl will work for you as a maid.”
Qi Sheng swung open his fan and asked in an aloof manner, “How much do you want?”
Ning Shu extended one finger. Qi Sheng glanced at her and asked, “One tael?”
Da fudge? Who would pretend to be mourning over a dead body to earn one tael? It wasn’t even enough to buy three bowls of noodles! Why were all the wealthy so stingy!?
Ning Shu said shyly, “Sir, one tael isn’t even enough to buy a coffin.”
Qi Sheng fanned himself slightly as he said, “State your price.”
“For better or for worse, my father was once an official. Although he was just a tiny seven rank official, he was still an official. If he was given a sloppy burial, how could he hold his head up in front of our ancestors? So, Sir, could you increase it a little?”
Ning Shu pulled Yue Lan over. “Afterwards, both of us will work at your residence as maids.”
“So in short, you want a higher price?” Qi Sheng was unperturbed. “How much?”
“Ten thousand taels,” said Ning Shu firmly.
Qi Sheng’s expression didn’t change at all. Ning Shu’s eyelids twitched when she saw this. As expected of a two-faced scheming imperial merchant.
He extended five fingers. Ning Shu furrowed her brows and asked, “Fifty thousand taels?”
“Five taels. If you’re not willing, then let’s just forget it,” said Qi Sheng mildly before he turned away and left. When Ning Shu saw that Qi Sheng was serious about leaving, she hastily got up and walked over the hidden guard to catch up with Qi Sheng. “Sir, please wait.”
“Pfff, cough cough cough…” The hidden guard abruptly started coughing after Ning Shu stepped on him. Yue Lan was dumbfounded and had no idea what to do. Ning Shu immediately threw herself over and wailed, “Father ah, this must be your dying flash! Is there something you need to tell this daughter? It’s all this daughter’s fault for not being able to give you a proper funeral and causing you to lose face in front of our ancestors.”
The hidden guard glared at Ning Shu, then closed his eyes like he was done living. Ning Shu immediately started wailing, “Father ah…”
Yue Lan quickly followed. “Lord, Lord!”
Qi Sheng lifted his brows and placed his hand next to the hidden guard’s nose for a moment before turning to Ning Shu and saying, “My condolences.”
Ning Shu: (⊙ｏ⊙)
He really died!?
#comment: Lol, when I went whitewater rafting, the guide was like: if you fall overboard, you’ll likely pop up near the boat, so don’t give up on life and just float off, alright? Take a couple strokes and grab onto the boat.
Half of us college kids who barely slept the night before had expressions of realization like ‘ohhh, so you’re not done for after you fall off the boat.’