Ger, So Proud

Chapter 60

The person he thought of was Li Dali.

Apparently, he still owed this person two taels of silver. Since he hadn’t paid much attention to it, he hadn’t returned the money yet.

“Li Dali?”

“Do you remember Wu Cui’s adulterous lover, Li Dafu? His younger brother.” He Ze took a sip from his wine cup. He was a bit surprised when he first learned about this.

When they were handling Xiao An’s betrothal, Dad Li had mentioned a bit about Li Dali. Li Dali’s older brother and brother-in-law were notoriously harsh in the surrounding villages, but his brother, Li Dafu, was also known for one thing—being a coward and henpecked.

But this henpecked man dared to have an affair right under his wife’s nose, which made Liu San and He Dalang suspect they had gone to the wrong place.

“I have a vague impression. He’s the one who got terribly exploited by his dad and siblings, right?” Liu San pondered for a moment, then his face lit up with excitement. “At his age, he’s probably desperate to get married!”

“Don’t get too excited. No matter how desperate he is, he wouldn’t marry someone who’s been discarded, right?” He Dalang coldly poured cold water on Liu San’s enthusiasm.

“Well…”

“Let’s just see how it goes,” He Ze took two taels of silver from his purse and pushed it towards Liu San and He Dalang. Seeing their puzzled expressions, he chuckled softly, “Don’t misunderstand. I owe Li Dali two taels of silver. You two help me return it and get the debt contract back. While you’re at it, mention He Bao’er to him. Don’t go into details; just let him know there’s such a person.”

“Say nothing else?”

“Nothing else. Whether Li Dali wants to marry and whether He Bao’er wants to marry are not for us to decide.” He Ze paused, tapping the table lightly with his fingers. “Although the fact that He Bao’er is a discarded concubine hasn’t been publicly revealed, there’s already some gossip in the village. If Li Dali is even a bit interested, he can find out. We’re not saying anything, just… returning the favor.”

When the words fell, He Ze downed his drink in one gulp.

“It’s a plan, but if we don’t do anything…” Liu San hesitated.

“It’s fine, let’s go with this plan. If it doesn’t work, we’ll come up with something else,” He Ze waved his hand.

Although he was annoyed by He Bao’er’s persistence, the man hadn’t crossed his bottom line. While it would be ideal to see He Bao’er marry far away and disappear from his life, he didn’t want to take any extreme measures to decide He Bao’er’s fate.

In doing so, he would fulfill the “love” the original He Ze had for over ten years.

“Alright, since you say so, we’ll do as you say!” Liu San looked at He Ze and sighed, “But honestly, He Ze, are you still sentimental about your past with He Bao’er? Even though Li Dali might not be the best husband, he’s more than enough to marry He Bao’er. You…”

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing like that. I know what I’m doing.”

His ultimate goal was to stop He Bao’er and Dad Zhou’s harassment of him and his family. If they remained stubborn, they couldn’t blame him for what might happen. His patience was limited.

In any case, He Bao’er’s existence must not affect his relationship with Lin Yu, otherwise…

He Ze lowered his gaze, a dark look crossing his eyes.

“As long as you know what you’re doing. Dalang and I have said enough. You know how much your past relationship means to He Bao’er. Lin Yu is far better than He Bao’er, you should be content with that!”

“I am content,” He Ze smiled, “By the way, has Wu Cui been visiting Li’s village recently?”

“After the incident, he stayed away for a while. Dalang and I thought they had broken up, but he went back after a short while. This month he’s been visiting frequently. We even ran into him coming back from Li’s village two or three times!”

“That’s good news. We can wrap this up soon.”

The Lin family was a thorn in Lin Yu’s side, constantly bothering him. He Ze needed to help him remove that thorn.

“Indeed, it’s good news. Let’s have another drink.”

With the serious topics out of the way, the three men chatted idly for a while longer, eating and drinking until they were full. Finally, they paid the bill and left the restaurant together.

“He Ze, this meal was expensive. I’ve got two more qian here, how about…”

As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, noticing He Ze had paid quite a bit, Liu San and He Dalang exchanged a glance. The latter fished out two qian from his belt and handed them to He Ze.

“No worries, I said I’d treat you. A meal won’t bankrupt me,” He Ze chuckled and pushed the coins back. “You’ve helped me a lot. Treating you to ten or eight meals is only fair. If I couldn’t afford it, I’d take you to a roadside noodle stand.”

Over time, he had gotten to know these two well enough. They were trustworthy as long as nothing major happened. One was quick-witted, the other thorough—together, they were a perfect match. It might be useful to have them help with the herbal medicine business in the future.

He Ze glanced at Liu San and He Dalang, an idea forming in his mind.

“I managed to earn some money after I recovered from my injuries. Let’s go; I need to buy some gifts for the elders since I’m about to get engaged.”

Seeing they couldn’t refuse, He Dalang accepted the money.

Originally, they thought He Ze meant gifts for Uncle He, Uncle Li, and Uncle Zhang. Unexpectedly, he included gifts for Liu San and He Dalang’s parents too, leaving the two unsure whether to accept or refuse.

“Take them. When I was injured, your parents sent many things over. Now that I’m better, I haven’t visited them. You can take these back as my regards.”

With He Ze’s words, Liu San and He Dalang had no reason to refuse. The three of them strolled through the market, each carrying bags full of items. Eventually, they stopped at a well-known jewelry store.

“He Ze, are you planning to buy a gift for your fiancée?” Liu San asked with a mischievous grin.

He Ze didn’t respond but his silence was a clear affirmation. Although the engagement gifts were prepared by Li Shi, his own personal gift couldn’t be skimped on.

Once inside, a clerk promptly came to take their items. “Feel free to browse, sir. I’ll hold onto your things and have them ready when you leave.”

With their hands free, He Ze ignored Liu San’s various suggestions of pearl hairpins and bracelets and instead stopped at a counter displaying jade accessories.

Thinking of gers, or at least outwardly male individuals, wearing pearl hairpins and bracelets still made him shiver. If it were Lin Yu…

He Ze closed his eyes briefly, feeling he could tolerate it.

Yes, he could tolerate it.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. He had just remembered that jade was very useful. Natural jade, imbued with vitality, exuded a vibrant energy that was beneficial for health.

He had discovered this during the apocalypse when he happened upon a piece of fine jade. Though its effects were minor in the apocalyptic world and useless to other ability users, for a wood-type ability user, it was more valuable than a tree.

Now, looking at the jade pendants in front of him, he could see the green glow flowing within them. Some had more, some had less, some were pure, and some were mixed.

He Ze’s gaze soon settled on an oval white jade piece. The shopkeeper, perceptive as ever, immediately took it out from the display. “Excellent eye, sir. This is top-quality mutton fat jade, carved by a master craftsman. Would you like me to wrap it up for you?”

“Mutton fat jade? How much is it?” He Ze took the white jade in his hand and noticed that it was engraved with the words “Auspicious and Prosperous” on both sides. It was a lush green, cool to the touch, and very smooth, although there were a few black spots—considered minor flaws in an otherwise perfect piece.

“Just twelve taels of silver!”

The shopkeeper beamed, raising two fingers.

“Twelve taels?” He Ze looked a bit troubled. The truth was—he was out of money.

When he last came to town, he had sold a potted plant to Master Cai from Flower Bird Alley, earning thirty taels of silver. After giving twenty taels to Dad Li, he had about ten taels left. Now, after some spending, he had roughly ten taels on him.

It was only when he needed money that he realized how scarce it was. With Lin Yu in his life now, he couldn’t afford to be lax with earning money.

“Twelve taels, that’s too expensive. Can’t you cut us a deal, shopkeeper? Lower the price a bit?” Liu San shivered at the thought of twelve taels—it was enough to cover his family’s expenses for three years.

“It’s not expensive, not for mutton fat jade!” The shopkeeper shook his head, his eyes gleaming. “You get what you pay for. Tell you what, since you came into my shop, it’s fate. I’ll knock off two qian as a gesture of goodwill. How about that?”

“Two qian…” He Ze pressed his lips together. “Alright, let me reserve this jade pendant. I’ll pay a deposit today and bring the rest in a few days. Does that work?”

“This…”

“Absolutely not!” A voice interrupted from behind. He Ze turned around and was surprised to see someone familiar.

“You… What brings you here?” The shopkeeper, recognizing the newcomer, immediately stepped out from behind the counter, calling out to an attendant to prepare tea. “Quick, make some tea, the young master is here!”

It was the young master Luo he had met before.

Despite the cold weather, Luo Zhanming was dressed in a thick, silver-patterned blue coat, exuding a grandeur that far surpassed Dad Zhou’s pretensions. Yet, he still carried that folding fan…

“My young friend, we meet again,” Luo Zhanming said with a broad smile, folding his fan. “Master Cai has been proudly showing off the ‘Black Beauty’ rose you gave him all over Flower Bird Alley.”

The ‘Black Beauty’ was a rare variety of rose, not less precious than the ‘Soft Fragrance Red’, named for its dark hue.

“Is that what Master Cai said?” He Ze frowned.

“Not exactly. Master Cai wouldn’t reveal anything, but I managed to get it out of him. Don’t worry, I won’t spread the word,” Luo Zhanming assured him, then turned to the shopkeeper. “Manager Guo, I owe this young man a favor. Let’s give him a 50% discount on this jade pendant, and you can charge the loss to my account.”

“Of course, absolutely!” The shopkeeper nodded enthusiastically.

“This might not be…”

“There’s nothing inappropriate about it. Last time, the young man generously gave up twenty taels, and I’ve felt uneasy about it ever since. This is just six taels; in the end, it’s still the young man who loses out!” Luo Zhanming flicked his folding fan and pretended to fan himself a couple of times.

He Ze noticed that the servant next to Luo Zhanming stepped back a couple of paces.

This man… he’s quite a character.

“In that case, thank you.”

He didn’t refuse any further and cupped his hands in thanks to Luo Zhanming, who immediately returned the gesture.

An ordinary encounter once again.

After wrapping up the jade pendant, the three of them left the shop with their purchases. It was not until the evening that the ox cart finally returned to the entrance of He Family Village.

Three days later, on the ninth day of the eleventh month.

It was a good day, suitable for marriage and engagement ceremonies.