Part 1: A Dream Within A Dream / Rebirth of Ill Fated Concubine

Chapter 006 Persuading A Fight

All things in the world must have the principle of mutual growth and mutual restraint. Where there is yin, there must be yang. Where there is bitterness, there is sweetness. Where there is a golden house, there is naturally Pingyang Lane. East Street is prosperous and lively, while West Street is dilapidated and deserted.

It seems that the atmosphere of the New Year is completely unaffected. The people on West Street are wearing thin coats and rushing to other places in a hurry. They are not in a leisurely mood during the New Year. 

People's faces are mostly indifferent and numb. Compared with the imminent problem of food, clothing and daily necessities, the New Year seems to be less important. Only a few families on the street have simple red paper spring couplets and old lanterns on their doors, which vaguely feel like the New Year.

A few children are sitting in front of the powder shop playing with the buttons they just picked up. Occasionally, they raise their dirty faces and look at Jiang Ruan and the other two curiously, and then turn around and play with their own toys with great interest.

There was a small vendor selling plum blossoms. On the shop, there were several large earthenware vases with broken mouths, and several red plum blossoms that were about to wilt were inserted in them. When they saw Jiang Ruan and the others, their eyes lit up and they hurriedly shouted, "Beautiful red plum blossoms, young lady, please take one. It will look beautiful in your room and it smells good!"

"How much are these red plum blossoms?" Lian Qiao asked.

The vendor spread out his palm: "Not expensive, five copper coins."

"So expensive," Lian Qiao said in surprise: "No."

"Hey, hey, hey," the vendor said hurriedly: "Forget it, just give me three copper coins, no less, the children at home are waiting for a hot meal."

Lian Qiao wanted to press again, but Jiang Ruan had already said: "I want all the rest."

Zi Su was stunned and said somewhat disapprovingly: "Miss, money is tight now..."

Jiang Ruan shook her head: "Just do as I say, these flowers are useful to keep."

Zi Su said nothing more, poured out most of the copper coins from her personal cloth bag and gave them to the vendor. The vendor did not expect to make this deal suddenly. 

Usually, the people who come and go on West Street are poor people, and they will not pay to buy flowers and plants. Today is an unexpected harvest. He simply put the porcelain vase of red plums in Lian Qiao's hand: "It's the New Year, Miss, you want a good start, this porcelain vase is a gift." After saying that, he packed up the stall and left.

Lian Qiao held the porcelain vase of red plums in her hand, and finally couldn't help asking: "What do you want these plum blossoms for, girl? Although they are beautiful, there is no need to buy so many, and the flowers will wilt in a few days. It is better to eat some spring rolls."

"These flowers are not for viewing," Jiang Ruan said as she walked forward: "They are for gifts."

"Give them as gifts?" Lian Qiao looked at her curiously: "Who are you giving them to?"

Jiang Ruan was silent again. As they walked, they came to the market on West Street.

The market on West Street is the most lively place on West Street. It is also the most mixed place, with people of all kinds. Because of this, it is not strange to have anything happen here, and the most common thing is that things on your body are stolen.

This is a case right now. As soon as the three of them walked to the entrance of the market, they saw a large circle of people surrounded by three layers inside and outside, and they were noisy and talking about something. Seeing Jiang Ruan stopped, Lian Qiao thought for a moment, and whispered a few words to Zi Su. The two squeezed through the crowd and squeezed out a small path for Jiang Ruan.

As soon as the three of them arrived in the crowd, they saw the scene clearly. They saw two people confronting each other in the middle. One was an old man with white hair and beard. At this moment, his face was red, his veins were bulging, and he was furious. The other was a girl of seven or eight years old, with her head down and tears in her eyes.

Lian Qiao patted the shoulder of a person next to him, whispered a few words, and turned to Jiang Ruan and said, "It turned out that this old man said that the little girl stole his silver. The little girl said that she didn't steal it, and she cried anxiously."

The little girl was surrounded by a group of people, her face was extremely pale, but she was holding a silver ingot tightly in her hand, her eyes wide open, and she was extremely helpless and weak. Then look at the furious old man, wearing an old brown linen quilted jacket and long gown, his beard trembling with anger, but his voice was very loud, almost yelling at the little girl: "You little girl, at such a young age, you are so uneducated!"

Someone couldn't stand it and stopped him, saying: "Why do you have to speak so harshly, old man, and be so aggressive to a little girl? You have lived to such an age just to bully the weak? Don't you have shame!"

"You..." The old man was so angry that he couldn't speak.

"Besides, how can you prove that she stole your money?" The man insisted: "A little girl of only seven or eight years old could steal your money. Are you too careless or is this girl very powerful? Tsk, maybe you deliberately wanted to cheat the little girl of her money!"

As soon as this was said, the people around him immediately echoed: "Yes, yes, how could such a little girl have the ability to steal things?"

"Don't you know how to think before lying?"

"You must want to cheat the little girl of her money!"

The people around him started to talk, and they all blamed the old man, as if the old man was the culprit. The old man was so angry that his beard trembled, and his face was red as if blood could drip out, but he couldn't say a word, just trembling his lips and gasping for breath.

"How pitiful." Lian Qiao sighed.

Jiang Ruan glanced at her: "Do you also think he wants to cheat others of their money?"

"Of course not," Lian Qiao said: "He can cheat others, but he can't cheat me. When I was in the countryside, I saw many such cunning girls. They are obviously cheating, Zi Su, right?"

Zi Su nodded slightly.

Lian Qiao said: "Today, this old man is unlucky. It's really pitiful."

Jiang Ruan's eyes flashed with a strange look.

In fact, as Lian Qiao said, the little girl's deception was not very clever, and it was not that no one in the crowd could see through her tricks, but West Street, as a place where poor people gathered, was inherently xenophobic and instinctively rejected outsiders. This old man was nothing more than a stranger to the people here, and strangers should be suppressed, so today, this little girl was sure to win. The old man was also destined to be charged with a crime of cheating people of their money.

So, what could she do?

Jiang Ruan paused and gently pushed away Zi Su who was protecting her.

Zi Su was startled. Seeing Jiang Ruan's action, she quickly stopped him and said, "Miss, please don't do this. We'd better not get involved."

What's important is not the truth, but the attitude of the people around. Even if her young lady came out to mediate, she would be attacked as an ignorant outsider. The old man was fine, but she just lost face. But her young lady is a lady from a wealthy family. Even if she is detained in the manor, her status cannot be changed.

Jiang Ruan shook her head gently, "Zi Su, get out of the way."

Zi Su was stunned. Jiang Ruan had already taken a few steps forward and was exposed to everyone's sight.

She said gently, "Old gentleman, don't be angry. There are right and wrong in the world. Even if it is not clear for a while, the truth will always come out. Why hurt yourself for a breath of turbid air? Is it worth it?"

(End of this chapter)

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