Step Down, Let Me Come!

Chapter 30: Save me!

The shopkeeper next door got excited after hearing it.

He stuck his head out to “chitchat” with the customer. His words were full of contempt: “Hey you! This old fool, can you also recognize the things only the nobility can have?”

Another customer agreed with him.

“There is a lot of “nobility” in the Building…”

Despite being treated with malice and ridicule by the surrounding people, customer’s face remained unmoved. His eyes, which seemed to experience thousands of sails, remained peaceful. 

The butcher found the words harsh. 

He appeared fierce: “Go, go, go! Don’t gather here and ruin my business. Do you want to beat meat? If not, go to the other place”.

People watching the customer felt that it was no longer exciting and dispersed one after the other. 

Although the butcher’s job was dirty and tiring, he was from the best and the wealthiest family on this street, so his words had a bit of weight – ordinary people were willing to eat meat only during the holidays. Still, the butcher's family could eat it every now and then. Meat and vegetables were full of oil and water.

Neighbors didn’t want to offend him. 

Seeing that the busybodies dispersed, the butcher asked the customer: “Old fool, did you just say the truth?”

Customer smiled: “Naturally, it’s true”. 

The butcher pondered for a while, then asked: “How did you know?”

He was also curious how this old fool could recognize wenxin symbol from that far, and not mistake it for an ordinary ornament. 

The customer tapped on the butcher's table with his fingers, then said with a smile, “That's not important. The critical thing is that you're going to lose. You bet, you pay”.

“Good! If I lose, it will be a happy event!! Later, I'll go back and get some wine for you…” The butcher waved his hand indifferently. He had a well-paid job and didn’t care about the little “gambling money”. While waiting, the butcher stretched his arms to support himself on the wooden table. He chatted with the guest, “Hey, old fool, I heard you’re snarky. Have you really studied?”

The customer said: “I know a few words”.

As soon as the butcher heard this, he regained his spirits and slapped the table, “Old fool, you also know that my child is going to begin schooling…”

The customer asked him quietly: “Do you want your baby to study?”

The butcher nodded his head and said: “He doesn't need to learn many words, after all, I don't expect my baby to become an official. How is it possible for our family members to become noble? You just need to teach my baby to read a few words, so he won’t get tricked in the future. I always wanted to give this shop to my baby…” 

“What if your child has a wenxin or wudan? Will you still help him? If he has wenxin he would  need to practice literature and if he has wudan he would need to practice physical fitness, in this way the child could eat up all your wealth”. 

The butcher only felt that the old man was teasing him, so he curled his lips and lowered his head to start cutting the meat: “He just needs to follow me? My baby is not worthy, so he just needs to follow me and learn how to be a butcher…”

In his memory, those with wenxin or Wudan were all nobles. They were either high-ranking and powerful or rich and powerful. In short, they were masters. These people could fly over walls, and create things out of nothing, which were the means only available to gods.

They were only common people, mud-rolling about on the ground.

He was a butcher, his kids will also be.

The rest? 

How could he dare to imagine so much?

The customer's eyes were tranquil like water when he looked at the butcher. The butcher didn’t even dare to daydream about it, and he started to feel uncomfortable.

He sighed: “Jiqiu Zhiye…” 

The butcher didn’t understand: “What?”

“It means that the son inherits the father's business”. The guest explained, “The son of a Liang Ye must learn how to make a fur; the son of a Liang Gong must learn to use a dustpan”.

The butcher didn't understand even more, but he was sure of one thing – this old thing was truly literate, and probably even more than that! 

Like that, he became more and more confused.

Who didn’t respect literate people these days? 

If the old thing went out of his way to teach children to read and write, he wouldn’t end up doing so badly. How could he be bought back by Moonlight Building to be a helper in the kitchen? 

The butcher was suspicious, but the customer didn't want to talk too much, and with the business coming, he could only put away his extra thoughts.

He thought he could take his child to find old fool at night and bring with him two catties of good meat. Eating offal every day could cause illness.

Meanwhile, the gangster took Shen Tang far away.   

They first walked down a major street, and when Shen Tang became distracted and lost her guard, he suggested taking a shortcut, then they went into the alley.

The farther they were, the more remote and quiet it became. 

Shen Tang finally felt a little uneasy. 

She asked the man: “How far is it from the Inn?” 

The man replied: “Hurry up, hurry up”.     

They detoured two more alleys, Shen Tang asked again.

“Are you sure we didn't go the wrong way?”

The man was impatient. They were only a few steps away from the destination. He felt confident, so he raised his voice several times to intimidate Shen Tang: “We’re almost there, little lady, why are you so anxious?” 

Shen Tang sensed something was wrong, and panicked: “I want to go back…” 

The man chuckled and refused to stop: “It's late!”   

He kicked open the door and rushed to the yard, then he said, “It's business”.

It was a very remote and dirty courtyard. The gaps in the walls were filled with weeds, and the sounds of conversations could be heard in the whole courtyard.

Shen Tang made a preparation to climb off the back of the motor and escape.

As soon as she landed, and before she could stabilize, she was pushed vigorously into the yard by the man. Her center of gravity was unstable, so her feet staggered violently. She turned her head in fear to look at a man and a woman who came out of the courtyard.

The woman said: “What a charming lady, Laitou, where did you find her? Look at this delicate skin and tender flesh…”

While speaking, she wanted to pinch Shen Tang's face.

Shen Tang dodged in fear, and glared at the man named “Laitou”: “You, you, you, Yuan Liang didn't call me here?”

Laitou ignored Shen Tang, but he still replied to the lady: “Just a few words, and she followed me obediently. She is good-looking, but not smart”. 

The man next to the woman looked closely at Shen Tang's face, and Shen Tang stepped back cowardly. She wanted to cry in fear.

The man licked his lips and snorted: “What kind of brains does a girl need? If a woman needs to be smart, how could we do business? Take her to Moonlight Building later. They are always urging us for good products”. 

The woman ignored her companion's words: “Moonlight Building? Isn't that building full of young men, why do you want a girl to go there?”

Laitou and the man looked at each other and smiled. 

The vulgar thoughts seemed to flow between the two of them silently. 

“You don't understand, if people come to ask for goods, we will just give them to them”.   

 “That's right, women don't need to care about it so much”.

Laitou pushed Shen Tang's shoulders, preparing to lock her into a dark, dirty room with an unspeakable stench.

Shen Tang stepped aside.

Shamed and angry, he gritted his teeth: “How dare you disobey me?”

The woman sneered, her eyes suddenly turned keen. She started to pinch Shen Tang's flesh, threatening: “You are just a little girl, even if the wife of the emperor comes, we can still sell her. Be more honest! Otherwise, we will deal with you differently!”

Shen Tang directly dodged behind the pillar. Her eyes reddened, when she scolded: “Aren't you afraid of God's retribution for doing this?”

Seeing that Shen Tang ran more and more vigorously, the three of them planned to join forces to take her down, and then beat her hard to make her remember.   

“Retribution?” Laitou spat, “I am God!”

“Yuanliang help!” 

The man said: “No one will save you, even if you shout!”   

This little girl was good at running and as slippery as a loach. 

“I am scared!”

Shen Tang's voice turned into a cry. 

The yard wasn’t big, Shen Tang was quickly cornered by the three of them, and the little lady who was about to cry shrank her shoulders.

The next moment, the fear on her face faded.   

“It's strange!”   

She pushed off the wall to make momentum and swept her long legs.