Chapter 127: The Young Maiden Wanwan

Tang Wei looked at their pitiful appearance, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes, though she wore an expression of annoyance. “Oh dear! I forgot this place hasn’t been cleaned yet!” she said, quickly stepping over to the elderly man and reaching out to wipe the chair he was sitting on.

Suddenly, the old man plopped straight down onto the floor, dust clinging to his clothes.

“Oh no, boss, how could you be so careless? Here, let me help you up,” Tang Wei said with a sly, triumphant smile, extending her hand to assist him.

At this moment, the old man, uncertain if this was some trick of hers, was more terrified than if he had seen a ghost. He kept retreating, shouting, “No, no, don’t come near me!” The burly men nearby looked on as if they were watching a joke at his expense. The old man angrily scolded them, “Why aren’t you stopping her? How do you still have energy to argue at a time like this?”

Seeing this, Tang Wei decided to add fuel to the fire.

“Hey, big brothers, since the boss won’t let me help, why don’t you give it a try?” she said, reaching out to them for assistance.

Startled, the four burly men stepped back two paces. One exclaimed, “I—I have something to do at home, I’m leaving first,” and without finishing, he dashed toward the door. One led the way running, while the other three quickly found excuses to leave as well, leaving the old man alone, barely holding himself up. They were just ordinary townsfolk with intimidating physiques, hired by the old man to scare off strangers. When danger arose, of course, they fled without hesitation, not about to rush into trouble.

Tang Wei sighed regretfully, “Oh! Why did they all run off? Such lack of loyalty. Boss, look how loyal I am—while they all ran away, I’m still here planning to help you. Given how well I’ve done, you must give me a raise!” She pretended to reach out to help him again.

The old man, frightened, took a few steps back, stammering, “No, no, I can get up by myself.”

“That won’t do. I’m your hired help, boss. If I just watch you fall and don’t help, you’ll dock my pay for sure,” Tang Wei insisted, following him closely.

Terrified, the old man sprang up from the floor with agility rivaling a young man in his twenties.

“Oh, so you’re fine, boss? What do you want me to do next? Please advise,” Tang Wei said, pretending to look for work. She eyed a jade-white vase on the counter that looked valuable, then took a cloth and began walking toward it, murmuring, “Oh dear! So much dust on this jade vase, I have to clean it quickly.”

The old man darted toward it like an arrow but hesitated, unwilling to risk letting her touch it. He anxiously shouted from the side, “Stop! Don’t touch my vase!” Sweat beaded on his forehead—the vase was a secret gift from his daughter, worth at least two thousand taels of silver. If it got broken, he’d be heartbroken. (Because this place was full of experts and oddities, no one would mistake Tang Wei for a supernatural being.)

Tang Wei watched him panic, waiting until she was satisfied, then stopped a step away from the vase and turned to say theatrically, “Boss, don’t you want me to clean it? There’s so much dust on it. It wouldn’t look good to visitors. Let me wipe it down!” She reached out toward the vase.

The old man’s heart pounded so hard it nearly burst from his chest. At the crucial moment, Tang Wei stopped again and turned toward a black beast carving on the other side of the counter. “Wow! This has so much dust too! No, I have to clean this first.” She reached for the carving.

The old man felt like fainting. But his prized beast sculpture was still waiting to be saved! It was worth at least five thousand taels of silver, something he’d bought from an outsider for a mere hundred taels. He’d never dared sell it, so he displayed it here as a showpiece. Now, he deeply regretted putting it out in the open. Seeing Tang Wei’s hand almost touching the carving, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Stop!”

Tang Wei’s hand was just a finger’s width from the sculpture. Hearing the shout, she calmly stopped and turned around, looking at him puzzled. “Boss, why scream so loud? You nearly scared me.”

“Girl, how about this? You’ve done enough cleaning here. I can handle the rest myself; I don’t need help. As for your pay, I’ll pay you right away. You should go home now,” the old man said gently, trying to reason with Tang Wei. He dared not anger her now, hoping to send this troublemaker away before dealing with the rest later. He figured once he found someone else, she wouldn’t dare run off.

“Oh? Well, okay then. Boss, how much do you think my work just now is worth?” Tang Wei pressed about her wages.

The old man went inside, and after a moment, returned with a cloth bag. He handed it to Tang Wei. “Here, girl, a hundred taels of silver as your pay. You worked hard.”

In his eyes, a hundred taels was enough to bribe her off—after all, a hundred taels could support an ordinary family for decades.

“Only a hundred taels? Oh dear! It must be because I wasn’t thorough enough earlier, and the boss isn’t satisfied with my performance. I guess I need to do better. Don’t worry, boss, I’ll make sure to please you next time,” Tang Wei said, taking the cloth and preparing to continue cleaning.

The old man wanted to settle the matter peacefully, but Tang Wei wasn’t about to let him off so easily. Despite his gentle appearance, he was a master of deception, tricking many into giving up precious things. This time, Tang Wei decided to serve justice on his behalf. Being caught by her was just his misfortune.

“Wait! Five hundred taels—I’ll pay five hundred! How about that?” the old man shouted, desperate to stop her next move. Gritting his teeth, he blurted out a painful sum, eyes fixed on the beast sculpture, afraid she’d accidentally touch his treasure.

Tang Wei lowered her hand, and just as the old man thought he’d finally settled her, she sighed, “Hmm, looks like the boss still isn’t satisfied, so I’ll keep working.” She hung her head and raised her hand as if to wipe the carving.

Knowing Tang Wei was making things difficult, but unwilling to risk his treasure, the old man grudgingly said, “One thousand taels! That’s my final offer!” Saying this, his heart bled, and he vowed to get revenge once she left.

Tang Wei hesitated, touched her nose, eyes darting around, then reluctantly said, “Fine! One thousand taels it is! Looks like I’m still not good enough.”

The old man silently cursed her ancestors countless times, wishing he could skin her alive, drain her strength, and drink her blood. But for now, he had to hold it in, forcing a stiff smile as he went inside to get the money. Once inside, his smile faded into a grim expression as he stood before a wooden chest, pondering. He considered tampering with the money but feared Tang Wei’s tricks. So, he obediently counted out ten one-hundred-tael silver notes, took a deep breath, restored his initial expression, and slowly came out.

Taking the ten silver notes, Tang Wei smiled brightly, examining them carefully. Having never seen paper money before, she wasn’t sure if they were real or fake. Hesitantly, she pulled out one hundred taels and said, “Please exchange this for a hundred taels in silver coins.” She figured if it were fake, the old man would refuse or show pain on his face.

When the bag of silver returned to her hands, Tang Wei was satisfied. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to take her necklace. Smiling, she walked out the door, turning back to say, “Boss, if you need help again, remember to come find me. My name is Tang Wei, and I’m happy to serve you.”

Watching the old man scowl in frustration, Tang Wei felt thoroughly delighted as she walked away laughing.

Suddenly, a female voice filled with admiration sounded beside her: “Boss Tang Wei, you’re amazing! How about I follow you from now on?”

Tang Wei stopped laughing and looked at the person blocking her path. The girl was disheveled and ragged, with darkened skin and tattered clothes, making it impossible to tell her gender. Only a pair of big, round eyes gazed at Tang Wei pitifully. If not for the girl's darting eyes and occasional sly glint, Tang Wei might have taken her for a poor little beggar. Seeing this, Tang Wei knew the girl was probably as much trouble as Ya Ya and decided it was best to avoid her. So, she coldly refused, “I’m not your boss. You should find someone else.”

The little girl stubbornly followed, chattering nonstop. Tang Wei didn’t reply, hoping to find a chance to slip away. But when she reached the place where the two sisters from the Sang family were looking for her, Tang Wei realized this little tag-along wouldn’t be easy to shake off.

After quarreling with the vendor, Sang Ye turned around and realized Tang Wei had disappeared. Sang Ying, worried about her sister, had been following closely and also forgot about Tang Wei’s presence. Now the two were frantic, searching the entire street. If their father found out, he’d blame them for being careless.

Sang Ye’s tears flowed as she thought, if they couldn’t find her this time, they’d have to ask their father for help.

When she reached the spot where the argument had happened, she saw Tang Wei dodging around. Sang Ye hurried over, grabbing Tang Wei’s clothes and crying, “Miss Tang Wei, I finally found you! You scared me—I thought you were lost!”

“Let’s go quickly,” Tang Wei said unexpectedly, grabbing her hand and moving forward.

“Tang Wei, don’t walk so fast! Let’s be friends! My name’s Wanwan!” the little beggar called out, chasing after them.