Bully 07

"What do you think the boss is doing with that kid every day?" Liu Acai wondered, puzzled.

Chen Huaimin frowned, then looked horrified. "You don't think...."

Liu Acai met his gaze. "You don't think?"

"...It can't be, right?" They both turned simultaneously to look at the tightly closed courtyard gate.

Xiao Hei, who loved stirring up trouble, immediately went to mock Fang Zhiyi with this gossip. Consequently, Liu Acai and Chen Huaimin were soundly beaten by Fang Zhiyi, who came charging out.

Only Fang Zhiyi himself knew the truth: time was desperately tight. He had to race against the male and female protagonists; the slightest misstep meant losing everything.

A month later, Chen Huaimin stared at Huang Weixing, his eyes wide. The kid had undergone some kind of special training. Before, he seemed gentle and refined; now he appeared steady and profound, giving off an unfathomable air.

Huang Weixing, for his part, said nothing about it. After the meal, he bowed deeply to Fang Zhiyi and hurried away.

No one knew where he was going. Fang Zhiyi didn't mention it either. Though curious, Chen Huaimin soon had his attention diverted by their increasingly busy business.

Finally with some free time, Fang Zhiyi reappeared on the street.

It had to be said, the faces on the street now looked a bit more agreeable. The former scoundrels and troublemakers had been driven away by Liu Acai's usurious loans with their compounding interest. The stalls they left behind were rented out by Fang Zhiyi to some honest, hardworking commoners.

The medicine shop had long since been converted into a lottery ticket shop. Shopkeeper Li simply couldn't repay his debt, and his wife and daughter had been detained by Liu Acai. However, Shopkeeper Li didn't seem to care about that, as he had secretly packed up and fled after gambling away everything once again.

"Master Fang!" a little girl called out crisply.

Fang Zhiyi reached out and patted her head. "You're making me sound old."

The little girl giggled. Her mother hurried out and pulled her back. "Fang... Brother Fang, you're here?"

Shopkeeper Li's wife now worked at the lottery shop. Liu Acai's reasoning was that she was familiar with the shop's layout, so she was kept on to work and earn money to repay her husband's debt.

But the woman knew perfectly well that Fang Zhiyi and the others hadn't deducted a single coin from her wages; in fact, they even gave her some extra subsidies.

"Boss!" Liu Acai came running out. Fang Zhiyi observed the people coming and going, noticing some unfamiliar faces among them.

"And these are?"

"From the city. They heard we have a lottery game here with a jackpot that rolls over, so they came specifically to play." Liu Acai's face was practically splitting with a grin.

Fang Zhiyi nodded, then pointed down the street. "If you want business to be even better, build a public toilet over there."

"A public toilet?" Liu Acai looked utterly confused.

Fang Zhiyi explained, "A communal latrine. Just smell the air on this street."

"The smell of money..." Liu Acai started, but seeing Fang Zhiyi's expression, he immediately shut his mouth. "Understood! I'll get it done right away!"

Fang Zhiyi then walked to the Slumber Moon Pavilion. Stepping inside, his furrowed brow relaxed. After all, it was a place with many young women; the scent of perfumed powder was far preferable to the stench outside.

The sound of women's laughter and reading aloud made Fang Zhiyi nod in approval.

He was soon noticed.

"Master Fang!"

Fang Zhiyi acknowledged them with a nod and a smile. "How are things?"

The older woman from before gave an elegant bow. "Very well. Thank you, Master Fang, for allowing us... courtesans... to still have access to such refined pursuits."

Fang Zhiyi waved his hand. "Last time. I don't want to hear that word again."

The older woman nodded. "But... we haven't been earning any silver. It makes us feel quite uneasy..."

Fang Zhiyi rubbed his nose. Becoming educated really made a difference; she was even starting to use formal language?

"You'll earn money once you pass the exams."

"Exams?"

"Yes, exams." Seeing the other women gathering, Fang Zhiyi raised his voice. "Everything you learn will be tested. You'll be examined on as many subjects as skills you've studied, and you'll receive a final score."

The girls looked at each other, but no one spoke.

It was the old scholar who chimed in. "Young Fang, you're quite interesting. These exams are different from those stuffy, pedantic Confucian ones."

Fang Zhiyi smiled. "Naturally they're different. In the future, everything will be different." He surveyed the surroundings. "Starting tomorrow, this place needs a complete renovation."

Nian'an, sleeping in a dilapidated temple, was kicked awake. Looking up, he saw a beggar.

The beggar snarled viciously, "Get lost! This is my spot!"

Nian'an only dared to curse in his heart, forcing a smile onto his face as he prepared to leave. The beggar, seeing he was young and his clothes weren't too shabby, felt a surge of malicious greed. "Stop!"

Nian'an turned back. "Huh?"

What greeted him was a flurry of wild punches. Then the beggar robbed him of the little money he had left.

Once he finally regained his senses, Nian'an was so angry he spat out a mouthful of blood. Suddenly, he remembered something: he wasn't in the Western Suburbs anymore! If you were robbed, you could report it to the authorities!

So he actually went. But after listening to his story, the constable on duty simply held out his hand. Nian'an didn't understand what he meant, and the constable impatiently shooed him away.

Nian'an was bewildered. He wandered the streets in a daze. If only he were still in the Western Suburbs... no one would dare rob him there... No, that was before. Now those people had shown their true colors. They hated him because he used a little of their money to do good deeds and had a better reputation, so they set a trap for him! Yes, that was it!

Not watching where he was going, he bumped straight into someone. Both let out a simultaneous "Oof!"

As Nian'an looked up, he saw a girl brushing dust off her clothes, helped up by a servant beside her.

The servant pointed at Nian'an and scolded, "Are you blind?"

The girl frowned. "Be quiet!"

The servant grumbled but reluctantly closed his mouth.

Nian'an stared dumbly at the girl. He swore it was the first time in his life he had seen such a beautiful girl. His heart began to pound wildly.

The girl looked at him, found it amusing, and giggled.

"My name is Lin Yanqing. What's yours?"

Nian'an was stunned for a moment before replying, "My name is... Nian'an."

"Your surname is Nian?" Lin Yanqing was puzzled. "What a strange surname."

Nian'an habitually almost said 'Fang,' but that name now felt like a mark of shame. "I have no parents, so I don't know my surname."

Lin Yanqing's heart immediately swelled with compassion. "How pitiful!"

Nian'an felt uncomfortable. He didn't want the girl he liked to call him "pitiful." So he smiled and said, "I'm alright. Haven't I managed to survive on my own all this time?"

Lin Yanqing studied him for a moment. "Truly impressive."

For some reason, Nian'an felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

Thus, the two of them became acquainted.

However, concerned about his dignity, Nian'an didn't mention his dire straits. After Lin Yanqing left, he resolved to find work to support himself. After all, he was literate; finding a job should be easy.

At the very least, he couldn't live a muddled, meaningless life like Fang Zhiyi and his lot!

He had his own ambition: to become a high-ranking official, and then make everyone look up to him with respect!