Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 581 First Day
Pei Ye looked at him seriously, with a sincere look in his eyes. Shang Lang looked at Pei Ye, motionless.

Zhang Piaoxu was watching them from the side.

Perhaps Shang Lang's expression was too silent, so that he seemed a little numb. The young man took back the sword from his hand with some shame and anger: "Hey, if you don't go, then I will go! What's wrong with the old emperor? He can't embezzle our thirty taels of silver! - Brother Shang, don't worry! You helped me out that day, how can I, Pei Ye, let you suffer now!"

The young man's cheeks flushed slightly. He, Young Master Pei, had always been a chivalrous man with a clear conscience. It was really a disgrace to his reputation to embezzle money from others. It was even more unacceptable than the rumor that he drank wine with prostitutes.

He stood up and wanted to go in and ask Xu Chuo when she would take him into the palace.

"Ah, ah, ah... Never mind!" Shang Lang quickly grabbed his sleeve, "Brother Pei, don't be impulsive. Sit down... Sit down."

"Forget it, Brother Pei. I didn't intend to take the money at the time." Shang Lang pulled him to sit next to him and sighed dejectedly, "Brother Pei, you were born poor and have worked hard all the way. I should have known that you were in financial difficulties, but I'm really short of money recently... I actually pinned my hopes on you."

"What are you talking about? I will return what I borrowed, so you don't have to worry about it!" Pei Ye muttered to himself, frowning and tilting his head, "Brother Shang, what's the problem?"

"I'm ashamed. Thinking back to half a year ago, I was worried about these yellow and white things." Shang Lang sighed heavily, "Since you are a proud horse in the spring breeze, with red tassels and green belts, Brother Pei, if you came to Shenjing at that time, I, Shang Lang, would never let you suffer any hardship or grievance in this Tianzi City!"

"So, what about now?"

"Now," Shang Lang lowered his head and was silent for a moment, "I had a quarrel with my father."

"..."

"I rely on Sister Xing Zhi for food." He muttered in a low voice, with two strands of hair hanging down from his forehead.

Pei Ye patted his shoulder silently and did not ask any more questions about the family affairs.

But at this moment, the boy on the other side nudged his arm with his elbow.

Pei Ye turned around, and Zhang Piaoxu pursed her lips and looked up at him.

Although the boy, who is two or three years younger, is still dressed simply, he is clean and tidy, and that inexplicable stubbornness is still hidden between his brows.

Shang Lang also looked over. Under the gazes of the two, the young man took out a heavy purse and said, "Pei Ye, I brought you the twenty-three taels of silver. You can use it to pay him back first."

"..."

"..."

Pei Ye took the bag of silver and handed it to Shang Lang in a daze. Shang Lang also took it in a daze, took out twenty taels, and left a loose little pocket for Pei Ye.

Zhang Piaoxu raised his head and said in a low voice, inexplicably righteous, "You can use the money I pawned my house with."

A debt was finally settled. In view of Zhang Piaoxu's timely rescue, Pei Ye did not glare at him today. He sat beside him and said, "Are you still running around on the street now? Did Officer Xie send you to school?"

Zhang Piaoxu frowned: "What do you mean running around in the streets? I was meeting up with my old friends. She asked me to go to the academy, but I was too lazy to go. Those people were too annoying."

"Which people?"

"Those people in the school." Zhang Piaoxu took a dead branch and scratched the snow, leaving marks all over the ground.

Today the whole house was bustling with joy, but this young man had been sitting alone in this corner. He was not familiar with those faces, nor did he understand their conversations. He was even more unfamiliar with the elegant courtyard and the temperament of the people coming and going. No one came to talk to him, and he didn't talk to others either.

"What's wrong with the people in the school? I like them very much." Pei Ye said, "Don't you like studying?"

"I don't like talking to them." Zhang Piaoxu was silent for a while, "Aren't you a sword student from the Sword Training Academy? Are you here as a guest too?"

"I...sort of, but I live here too." "You pay rent, too?"

"No, I'm just staying here randomly. We're all friends." Pei Ye said, "Do you have to pay me to stay at your friend's house?"

"...No need. But it's not good to stay here forever." Zhang Piaoxu looked towards the courtyard, "Which one is your friend?"

"The owner of this house is my friend. There are also Cui Zhaoye, Changsun, Qu Xin..." Pei Ye pointed, "They are all my good friends."

"Why are all your best friends girls?"

"..."

"Woman...what's wrong with the woman?" Pei Ye frowned.

"Nothing, it's just," Zhang Piaoxu was a little afraid that he would be angry, "I have always played with boys since I was a child..."

"I also play with boys." Pei Ye said, "It's just that my brothers are not here today... They don't like to go out."

"Oh."

"Ah."

Pei Ye was silent for a while: "Are you just going to sit here? I'll take you to play something - let's set off some firecrackers?"

“No need.” Zhang Piaoxu shook her head and held the dead branch. “I put it away for a long time yesterday. I came here today just to… see Xiye.”

"Oh, that's easy. I'll take you in after they finish talking inside."

"……Thanks."

At noon, before lunch, I took Zhang Piaoxu to Xu Chuo's courtyard to see the little mermaid. I have to say that her temperament was very different from when I first met her. Although she was still a little shy, she was no longer in the state of being frightened by a string. Her hair was fine and her skin was smooth. She curled up in a large bucket of clean water, with water plants and goose eggs. It was obvious that Xu Chuo had taken good care of her.

Pei Ye didn't know how Zhang Piaoxu communicated with her. Anyway, the young man just kept talking by the edge of the bucket. It was unknown whether the little mermaid understood or not, but she did keep looking at him and making "aya" sounds from time to time.

Finally, the two came out. Zhang Piaoxu was satisfied, but a little sad. He said, "Pei Ye, you know, it is said that mermaids can live for three hundred years, but if they want to live like humans, they have to turn their tails into legs forever. From then on, the three hundred years will be greatly reduced. Only one out of ten will be able to live for thirty years at most."

Pei Ye was slightly startled.

"I really can't bear to part with Xiye, but I don't want her to turn into a human and shorten her life." Zhang Piaoxu lowered his head and sighed.

Pei Ye was shocked: "Did the little mermaid...say she wants to transform into a human for you?"

Zhang Piaoxu was stunned for a moment: "No."

"..."

"I think so," Zhang Piaoxu said stubbornly, "It's possible. If Xiye has such an idea..."

"Stop dreaming. Go back and set off fewer firecrackers and read more."

Zhang Piaoxu pursed her lips and gave him a cold look.

After lunch, the atmosphere in the courtyard became more relaxed. The snow was still falling. Pei Ye took Jiang Yin'er to the city to find a theater to watch a play. It was the first day of the new year and there were not many theaters open. It was very difficult to find one, but it was very old. There was a sign of "Sixty-year-old Garden" hanging in front of the door. It was a bit deserted, but not expensive. Three coins of silver allowed them in.

(End of this chapter)