Zhang Tieshan saw his sister in this state and cried out, covering his head. Zhang Tiahua also collapsed onto the ground.
After crying, the two sat together again to discuss what to do next. They thought and thought, and decided to have Zhang Tiahua find Yu Qiuyan again to see if they could get some silver.
Zhang Tiahua originally wanted to refuse, but seeing her brother's pleading eyes, she couldn't refuse and could only muster up the courage to go to Yu Qiuyan. As soon as she arrived at the shop's entrance, she saw Yu Qiuyan chatting and laughing with a woman, and it was clear their relationship was not simple.
The woman was dressed in luxurious clothes and looked wealthy. She spoke elegantly and was followed by two maids. She clearly came from a prominent family. Suddenly, Zhang Tiahua felt inferior, thinking that only a woman like her was worthy of him.
She hid in a corner, quietly watching Yu Qiuyan escort the woman to a carriage. After the carriage disappeared completely, she walked out. Yu Qiuyan saw her as soon as he turned around. For a moment, he was flustered, but then realized that he and she had no relationship anymore, and he calmed down.
Suppressing the urge to care for her, he turned to walk back into the shop. "Qiuyan, wait." Zhang Tiahua called out while running in front of him.
"You must have seen it just now. That is Miss Wu. If nothing unexpected happens, we will be engaged and become husband and wife. I hope you will not disturb our lives in the future." Since he had decided to break ties with her, there should be no lingering attachment. Yu Qiuyan felt it was better to make things clear.
When Zhang Tiahua heard this, she knew he had misunderstood her intention and quickly explained, "I know there's no possibility between us, and I'm not here to disrupt your relationship. I've encountered difficulties and need your help. But don't worry, I will repay the silver later."
Yu Qiuyan was surprised. Didn't someone deliver money yesterday? Why was she asking for more today?
Zhang Tiahua said with some embarrassment, "We were robbed last night, and the silver was lost. We want to leave, but we have no travel expenses, so we had to shamelessly come to you."
Upon hearing this, Yu Qiuyan quickly felt around his body. In fact, those fifty taels of silver were all his private savings; the rest was kept by his mother. Now that she was asking him for more, Yu Qiuyan knew he didn't have much on him, but he still wanted to give her some. After searching for a long time, he only found a piece of broken silver in his sleeve cuff. Just as he was about to take it out.
"Young Master Wu, who is this?" The two were caught by Miss Wu, who had returned. Yu Qiuyan quickly put down his sleeve and calmly explained, "This lady is an old acquaintance of mine. They want to leave but have no travel expenses, so they came to ask me for some silver."
Miss Wu visibly relaxed. A little shyly, she took a stone inkstone from a maid and said sheepishly, "When I came earlier, I prepared a gift for you, but I forgot to give it to you in my haste. My father brought this from the capital, and it's said to be an antique. I don't understand it very well, but I thought since you've studied, I'd give it to you."
Yu Qiuyan quickly refused, "This is too valuable. I am unworthy."
Miss Wu nimbly placed the item on his counter and then turned to leave. When Yu Qiuyan picked up the item to chase after her, he only saw the receding carriage speeding away.
When he turned around, he saw Zhang Tiahua looking at him with anticipation. He quickly took out the piece of broken silver and said, "Whether you believe it or not, this is all I have on me. Those fifty taels of silver have emptied my coffers. If I give you more, I'll have to involve my mother."
When Zhang Tiahua heard that it would involve Madam Yu, she, who had already felt it was too little, quickly took it. She knew Madam Yu had always looked down on her, and if she knew she was still pestering her son, she would definitely not make things easy for her.
After thinking for a moment, she explained her predicament and her helplessness. Yu Qiuyan felt a headache coming on. "Don't come to me again in the future. Even if you come, I won't give you any more silver, nor will I see you. Miss Wu just saw you, and I don't want her to misunderstand."
Zhang Tiahua watched as Yu Qiuyan turned and entered the shop. She reached out, opened her mouth, wanting to call him back, but suddenly realized she had no right to. She stood at the door for a long time, unable to snap out of it. His tenderness once belonged only to her, and now it belonged to another woman. Tears flowed down her cheeks again.
Zhang Tieshan, who was waiting at the door, saw his sister return and quickly went to meet her. "How was it? How much did he give you?"
Zhang Tiahua quickly put the piece of broken silver into his hand. "Only this much. Let's go."
Zhang Tieshan's face immediately fell. "Still the young master of the Yu family, so stingy. Is this sending away a beggar?"
Zhang Tiahua ignored him, picked up their already packed luggage, and walked ahead alone. Seeing that she was angry, Zhang Tieshan quickly picked up his own bag and chased after her.
Finally, the two decided to go to the prefectural city, as there were more noble people there and more opportunities to make money.
In terms of the most valuable thing Zhang Tieshan had gained in the past ten years, it was naturally the Gao family's winemaking skills. Although he always cut corners and many tasks were completed by Gao Feixue alone, her father treated him like his own son for many years. When he was critically ill, thinking he was nearing his end, he passed on his signature craft to his daughter and son-in-law.
If they had more silver, they wouldn't have to work. But with so little broken silver in hand, they couldn't just sit and watch it dwindle. They had to find something to do. So, Zhang Tieshan intentionally or unintentionally frequented various taverns, tasted the quality of their wine, and checked if they were hiring.
He used to not take the Gao family's skills seriously, but after tasting them, he realized that perhaps his father-in-law was a master of wine. He had tasted wines from various small taverns in the prefectural city, and none of them were as fragrant or pure as his own. No wonder the Gao family's small tavern had stood firm in the small town for so long; it was because of their excellent skills.
This discovery made him very happy. He heard that a slightly larger tavern was hiring, so he quickly went to apply. The owner tasted the wine he made and was very satisfied, so he hired him.
The owner, surnamed Liu, out of his care for skilled artisans, offered him five taels of silver a month. Zhang Tieshan was overjoyed. Thinking that he would earn more than fifty taels a year just in monthly wages, he could have woken up laughing in his dreams.
Unfortunately, he had become accustomed to a life of comfort over the years. He had endless work to do every day, and he had to take orders from others. After only five days, he started to feel unbearable, especially since the tavern's business had improved significantly because of his wine. He felt uncomfortable that others were making a large profit from what he had worked hard to create.
He also wanted to open a small tavern himself, but he lacked the funds. After discussing it with Zhang Tiahua, they came up with a less-than-ideal plan.