Yang Bin laughed heartily, "I indeed went to school for a few years, it’s making Young Hero Zhao laugh at me."
Zhao Ya glanced again at the people in the room, hinting, "It seems Shopkeeper Yang is very respected here."
"It’s not about respect or anything, I’m just entrusted by everyone to reluctantly act as a steward." Yang Bin said.
Zhao Ya did not dwell on the matter, but instead straightforwardly asked, "I see the town is bustling and prosperous. With such good business, even if there are many disabled and solitary people to support, it shouldn’t be so difficult to pay the rent, should it?"
As if he had anticipated Zhao Ya’s question, Yang Bin gave a bitter smile and then said.
"Even if you didn’t bring this up, I would have told you. It’s true, to outsiders Nandian Town’s business seems thriving, but there’s a reason for that."
"Our Nandian Town is neither close to mountains nor near water, the only convenient condition is being quite near the main road, but there are many storefronts closer to the road. Why would anyone specifically come here to spend money and stay?"
"Therefore, we can only rely on a strategy of low margins and high volume sales, attracting merchants with low prices, which is why business seems booming, but in fact, there’s little profit."
"You can go investigate around town as you wish, and you’ll know whether I’m lying or not."
These words were said flawlessly, even Zhao Ya couldn’t find a single fault.
Looking at Yang Bin’s sincere face, Zhao Ya realized he met a rival here.
This was different from others, like dealing with Hei Yunzi’s group where, at worst, it just meant drawing a sword to fight.
But people like Yang Bin were different; they were earnest in attitude and sincere in expression.
But when it came to asking for money, it was just two words, "There isn’t any."
One couldn’t easily turn hostile.
Because their reasons were both sufficient and reasonable, you couldn’t find any place to rebut.
However, the more it was like this, the more Zhao Ya understood there was definitely something fishy, he just didn’t know what it was for the moment.
Staying longer would be useless, because from the attitude of Yang Bin and his group, he knew there was destined to be no gain today.
Realizing this, Zhao Ya nodded, "I see, then I’ll report back."
With that, Zhao Ya stood up, intending to leave.
Yang Bin tried to keep him, "Now there’s heavy snow outside, the weather is freezing cold, and the road is hard to walk on. Why doesn’t Young Hero Zhao stay in town and leave after it clears up tomorrow?"
"No need, a little wind and snow can’t trouble me."
After saying so, Zhao Ya bade farewell and left.
Yang Bin, along with others, saw Zhao Ya off all the way to the door. Seeing Zhao Ya’s figure completely disappear into the vast wind and snow, Yang Bin then said calmly.
"Everyone, go back to your own tasks."
Only then did these disabled people, either deaf or mute, silently turn and leave.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ya had already left Nandian Town, found a secluded grove, and began to disguise himself.
Now with the mastery of his technique, Zhao Ya’s disguising speed greatly increased. In just a moment, he transformed into a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion.
Then Zhao Ya hid a sharp blade and re-entered Nandian Town.
The Mi Family’s Old Shop was an unremarkable inn, nestled among many ornately decorated shops, making it quite out of place.
Earlier, upon entering Nandian Town, Zhao Ya had already noticed this Mi Family Inn.
But he was disrupted by Yang Bin’s intervention before he even got to enter.
This time, after disguising himself, Zhao Ya easily entered the inn.
The inn was small, with only two people in the hall, a shopkeeper, and a clerk.
Upon seeing Zhao Ya come in, the clerk hurriedly welcomed him, full of solicitude, "Dear guest, are you here to take a break or to stay?"
"To stay."
As he spoke, Zhao Ya glanced around the inn, feigning confusion, and asked, "I see this small town is so prosperous, and all other inns are full, why is it that only your inn is so deserted? Is it a shady inn?"
Upon hearing this, the clerk couldn’t help but smile wryly, "Sir, you can’t say such things lightly, we do have few guests, but there’s nothing we can do about it."
"Oh? Why do you say there’s nothing you can do?" Zhao Ya felt a stir in his heart and immediately pressed for details.
But before the clerk could speak, the shopkeeper behind the counter suddenly coughed.
"Clerk, a guest has arrived, hurry to the back and boil water for tea."
The clerk quickly responded, "Yes, sir."
He then gave Zhao Ya an apologetic smile and hurriedly left.
Zhao Ya knew there must be a reason, it’s just that the shopkeeper didn’t want to tell him.
He didn’t continue to press, found a clean table to sit at, and then started a casual conversation with the shopkeeper.
Soon, Zhao Ya learned some basic information.
For instance, the shopkeeper’s surname is Mi, his name is Mi Haichuan, and he opened this inn, hence the name Mi Family Inn.
Moreover, Mi Haichuan is not local but came from outside.
The young clerk was brought by him too, a distant relative of his.
"It must be tough to be out in this cold weather doing business," Mi Haichuan sighed at this time.
Zhao Ya also sighed, "There’s no choice, it’s to support my family. If I had your skills, Shopkeeper Mi, I too would open a small inn and then stay comfortably at home managing it."
Unexpectedly, Mi Haichuan just shook his head and gave a wry smile, "Everyone has their own difficulties. On the surface, I seem to be leisurely, but who knows about my hardships?"
Zhao Ya pretended to be surprised and asked, "Oh? What kind of hardships could you have? It’s just that you have fewer guests, so you earn a little less, right? Honestly, your sign is too inconspicuous, it’s hard for most people to notice."