Li Banfeng demanded money—1,000 yuan!
"Okay, okay..." Xiao Yeci hurriedly took out one thousand in cash from the wicker box and gave it to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng counted it twice and tucked it into his inner pocket.
"Let me remind you again, if you don’t want to die, don’t go to the He Family Old House!"
With that, they parted ways. Xiao Yeci and her daughter did not go to the He Family Old House but walked towards the train station.
Li Banfeng followed them from behind, watching as they entered the ticket office.
Li Banfeng returned to Li Gou and visited the grocery store again, only to find the door still shut, so he turned and went to the neighboring cloth store.
The flamboyantly dressed store owner, Yu Nan, came to greet him. "Buying fabric? Please come look here. This is Imitation Satin and Warehouse Satin, and over here are Rough Silk and Floral Spring Pattern, as well as Floral Gauze, Hangzhou Gauze, Hangzhou Textile, and Lake Crepe Fabric. Which one do you fancy?"
Yu Nan talked at length, but seeing Li Banfeng uninterested, she then asked, "Or perhaps you wish to buy ready-made clothes? We have tailors here; if you find nothing to your liking, we can also make a custom piece for you."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I’m not buying clothes either."
Yu Nan, biting on her slender smoking pipe, fell silent for a moment, then smiled. "Perhaps a Silk Handkerchief?"
"No."
"A quilt cover?"
"No."
"A bed curtain?"
"No."
Yu Nan took a puff of her cigarette, frowned, and asked, "Then what are you here to buy?"
"Cigarettes."
Yu Nan blinked her large eyes rapidly and double-checked, "You came to our cloth store to buy cigarettes?"
"You have cigarettes, don’t you?"
Yu Nan’s expression darkened slightly. "Are you deliberately teasing me?"
Li Banfeng did not fully understand the meaning of ’teasing’. "Will you sell them or not?"
After a silence, Yu Nan turned to the assistant and said, "Bring two packs of Great Fairy—a well-known brand of ladies’ cigarettes in Puluo State—and give them to this guest."
The assistant brought over two packs, which Li Banfeng slipped into his pocket.
"How much?"
Yu Nan smiled graciously. "No need for money, it’s a gift for you."
"Make me a Western-style suit then, choose some good fabric."
Yu Nan shook her head. "We don’t sell Western clothes here."
Li Banfeng looked at the clothes hanging in the store and pointed to one, saying, "I want this... this long article of clothing."
Yu Nan glanced back and smiled. "You want a long robe?"
"Right, a long robe."
"Eighth Brother!" Yu Nan called to the assistant. "Bring the measuring tape. I shall take the gentleman’s measurements myself."
Yu Nan personally took Li Banfeng’s measurements, and while doing so, asked, "May I know how to address the gentleman?"
"My surname is Li, and I am the seventh in my family." Li Banfeng reported his name as Li Qi according to custom, then counter-questioned, "And how may I address the store owner?"
"This humble woman’s surname is Yu, with ’Nan’ as a simple given name. Seventh Master, if you don’t mind, you can call me Manager."
"So it is Manager Yu, my apologies." Li Banfeng adopted the local vernacular and exchanged pleasantries with Yu Nan.
Yu Nan, who had been squatting to measure Li Banfeng’s waist, looked up with her bright eyes and smiled at Li Banfeng. "Seventh Master, where do you reside? Once the clothes are ready, I’d like to deliver them to you."
"I’ve just arrived in Li Gou," Li Banfeng replied evasively.
Manager Yu, holding the measuring tape, measured Li Banfeng’s legs. "The other day, I saw you buying quite a few things at Feng’s Grocery Store."
Li Banfeng did not deny it. "It’s been a rush; I haven’t settled at a fixed place."
"Then how shall I deliver the clothes to you?"
"I will come to pick them up in three days. You choose the fabric for me and figure out the price first."
Yu Nan chose a piece of high-grade silk for Li Banfeng, manipulated the abacus for a moment, and asked, "Do you wish to pay with Huan Country Banknotes or Ocean Dollars? We also accept Half Open Silver Dollars."
"How much with Ocean Dollars?"
"Including labor and material, One Foreign Silver Dollar."
"And with Huan Country Banknotes?"
Yu Nan paused. "One Foreign Silver Dollar exchanges for five hundred Huan Country Banknotes. You know that, don’t you?"
Li Banfeng pulled out One Foreign Silver Dollar, along with two hundred Huan Country Banknotes, and handed them to Yu Nan.
Yu Nan had been waiting for Li Banfeng to haggle, only to find he had given two hundred extra. "What does this mean?"
Li Banfeng replied, "One Foreign Silver Dollar for the robe, two hundred Huan Country Banknotes for Manager Yu to take care of a matter for me. If there’s news of Shopkeeper Feng in the next few days, please let me know."
Yu Nan smiled. "That’s a trivial matter, no need for money."
After saying that, Yu Nan returned the two hundred Huan Country Banknotes to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng waved his hand. "Just keep it. I want to be your friend."
Yu Nan admired Li Banfeng’s forthrightness, accepted the money, and whispered, "If you’re not satisfied with the clothes, they can be returned or exchanged. Also, there’s something I’m not sure if I should tell you."
"Manager, please speak."
"A friend who came to Li Gou with you had to beg for food in Tail Alley. I’m afraid he won’t last more than a few days."
"Which friend?"
"The honest and sturdy one."
Li Banfeng was taken aback.
"Is there some reason behind this?"
Yu Nan looked around and lowered her voice. "Seventh Master, it seems that your friend offended the Geng Family Medicine Shop over the sale of elixirs. The people from the medicine shop threw him onto the street and had someone watch over him, intending to let him starve to death. The Geng Family Medicine Shop has connections with the Jiang Xiang Gang, and this is a common tactic of theirs."
Upon hearing Yu Nan’s words, Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and asked, "The person watching him, is he a Cultivator?"
Yu Nan nodded. "A Cultivator, who has had some quarrels with me in the past."
"Which Taoist Sect, what cultivation level?"
"Not a high cultivation level, but a special Taoist Sect." Yu Nan blew a puff of smoke onto the counter; the smoke transformed, forming the shape of the Chinese character for ’oil’ before dispersing.
Seeing the woman freely controlling the smoke, Li Banfeng asked softly, "Are you a Smoke Cultivator?"
Yu Nan smiled and did not answer.
Li Banfeng questioned further, "Did you talk to me today because you want me to help you take revenge?"
Yu Nan replied with a smile, "I didn’t say anything, but if Seventh Master wishes to save your friend, my little shop is willing to lend a hand."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Is this considered cooperation? Why are you seeking me out?"
Yu Nan replied, "Because Boss Qin is Seventh Master’s friend, and Seventh Master is a capable person."
Li Banfeng didn’t deny the friendship. "How do you know I’m capable?"
Yu Nan exhaled a puff of smoke. "Anyone who comes back alive from Kuwu Mountain has got some real skill."
Li Banfeng thought deeply for a long time.
「Tail Alley」
A relatively insular alley in Li Gou, it was lined with old houses on both sides, all inhabited by the poor.
During the day, there were few passersby busy with their chores, but in the evening, the number of pedestrians started to increase. Qin Xiaopang, kneeling on the ground barely clinging to life, opened his eyes.
A passerby saw his torn clothes and battered body and, feeling pity, threw him half a biscuit.
Xiaopang reached for it.
Beside him, a man in an unlined garment and a felt hat stepped on the biscuit.
"Did I say you could eat it?" The Unlined Garment Man looked down at Qin Xiaopang and spat on his face.
Xiaopang remained silent and withdrew his hand.
Another passerby couldn’t stand it and stepped forward. "My good sir, why are you picking on a beggar?"
The Unlined Garment Man looked up, his left eyebrow drooping and his right one arching, his mouth twisting into a standard ruffian’s grin. "What the hell is it to you?"
The passerby wanted to argue, but a woman pulled him aside. "Don’t meddle; this is the Geng Family Medicine Shop showing off their power. Just move along."
Upon hearing it was the Geng Family Medicine Shop, the passerby said no more and quickly walked away.
The Unlined Garment Man ground the biscuit into the dirt and kicked it away.
Xiaopang bowed his head and closed his eyes.
「Inside the Portable Residence」
Li Banfeng was waiting for the Copper Lotus Flower.
Li Banfeng glanced at the Phonograph. "My dear, I’ve given you food; you can’t forget about me now, can you?"
SCRATCH~
The Phonograph sobbed twice, then sang with a crying tone, "Hey, dear husband! Marriage is about being provided for. This Little Servant serves you diligently and faithfully. You gave me a bite to eat; could you, dear husband, really begrudge me that? Especially since all that food before wasn’t even fresh."
PS: A Half Open Silver Dollar, also known as a number two silver yuan, is generally valued at half of a number one silver yuan (Ocean Dollar).
Dear readers, do you still remember the Oil Cultivator?