Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 34 I gave it away

After Ning Qi left, Ye Zi turned to look at Yun Luobai. Even though the latter was only smiling, it was as if he was joking around in her eyes, which made her feel an inexplicable anger.

"Young Master Yun, what if the person who killed Mu Li wasn't really Ma Ben?"

Yun Luobai, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. Whether it was Aunt Yang's lost gold bracelet or the real culprit who killed Mu Li, he could not completely guarantee that his speculation was true.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

As the morning breeze brushed past, Ye Zi sat back down opposite him.

Ye Zi was of average appearance, nothing particularly outstanding, but when her clear eyes gazed at Yun Luobai, she showed no trace of timidity.

She seemed to appear out of nowhere in Yun Luobai's life after returning to Ningzhou Prefecture, and then interfered in his seemingly peaceful daily routine.

As for whether it was her lame leg or her good leg that was inserted, Yun Luobai wasn't sure.

He squinted and smiled at her, feeling the fresh morning air in his nostrils, as if at this moment nothing else mattered to him.

"So what?"

"If Ma Ben is the murderer of Mu Li, wouldn't you be able to have your good brother arrest him and bring him to the yamen for trial? That way, he won't be able to compete with Uncle Yun for the prison warden position anymore, and the fact that a prisoner went missing from the prison that Uncle Yun is in charge of guarding won't become a big deal and known to everyone. In that case, a big problem will be minimized and a small problem will be resolved. Isn't that the result you want to see?"

"uncertain."

"What do you mean, 'not necessarily'?"

"There isn't necessarily only one way to make my dad worry about this, and besides, what my dad is really worried about might not be this matter."

As Yun Luobai spoke, he stood up. He had already put away all the items in the wooden box, and he did not intend to stay here any longer.

"What are you saying? I don't understand... Wait, what are you going to do?"

"Closing up shop."

"You only made ten coins and then closed up shop?"

"So what? Ten coins are enough to keep a person from starving for a whole day."

Yun Luobai's serious speech made Ye Zi pout.

The young master of a wealthy family would naturally not worry about ten coins, but if he went out to set up a fortune-telling stall and only took one job before closing up shop, it would be like fishing for three days and drying nets for two.

"Can't you be a little more ambitious?"

"You're such a strange person. I set up a fortune-telling stall, and you say I'm cheating and swindling. I want to close down, and you say I lack ambition. I think whoever marries a woman like you in the future will probably always have a buzzing of gossip in their ears."

"What's wrong with me? Young Master Yun seems to look down on me. Could it be that he thinks I have a disability?"

"I didn't say that, you don't need to be so sensitive."

"You don't mind my limp?"

"Your limp is the smallest problem you have."

"..."

Ye Zi felt a tightness in her chest, her white teeth clenched her red lips, and she glared at Yun Luobai with eyes full of anger.

Yun Luobai ignored her, simply moved his tables, chairs, and belongings back to the steamed bun shop next door, asking the vendor to continue watching over them, and then prepared to leave.

"Young Master Yun, are you closing up shop so early today?"

"I'll come another day. Could you please keep an eye on things for me?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing. You always patronize my business when you come, right? What do I call this... oh right, it's just a small favor!"

Seeing the steamed bun vendor wave goodbye with a simple smile, Yun Luobai nodded and then walked along the street on his own. When he heard familiar footsteps behind him, a smile appeared on his lips again.

"Where are you going? This isn't the way home, is it?"

Ye Zi, who followed closely behind, still dragged her limp leg, but she held her head high and didn't seem to mind the various looks she received from passersby.

"Who said they were going home?"

"Where else would you go if not home?"

"Just browsing around."

"You still have this kind of interest now?"

Yun Luobai suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head to look at Ye Zi beside him, whose thin eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and smiled strangely.

"Why do you seem more anxious than I am? What, if my father doesn't become the jailer, you're going to get really worried and upset about it?"

"I didn't... I just think Uncle Yun is a good person, and good people shouldn't be bullied."

"No one can bully my dad, and that Ma Ben is just delusional."

Yun Luobai took another step, his words seemingly light and casual, but they carried a special meaning in Ye Zi's ears.

"He will pay the price for what he has done."

Ye Zi stood there, staring at Yun Luobai's retreating figure, biting her lip lightly, before following him again.

Ningzhou Prefecture is usually quite lively, especially since Yun Luobai's mansion is located in the most bustling Changle Street area. From early morning, the city is already noisy with people.

The streets were crowded with pedestrians, and the cries of street vendors and the laughter and cheers of the pedestrians mingled together, reaching the ears of Yun Luobai and Ye Zi.

They were of similar age, and now that they were walking side by side, they quickly blended into their surroundings.

Turning his head, he saw a vendor selling candied hawthorns. Yun Luobai took out a coin from his purse and bought two skewers, then handed one of them to Ye Zi.

Ye Zi always felt that he was very relaxed, but those around him, whether it was his father who was a jailer or his elder brother who was a constable, probably didn't have the mood to go shopping and have fun at the moment.

Ye Zi didn't stand on ceremony. She took the bright red candied hawthorn and took a bite. The sweet and sour taste spread in her mouth. Combined with the warm spring sun, the word "pleasant" was not enough to describe it.

"You're quite generous; I thought I'd have to pay for it myself."

Yun Luobai scoffed at this.

How much money do you have?

"I had six qian of silver before, but then I lost it all."

Yun Luobai glanced sideways at Ye Zi, who was dressed in green and eating candied hawthorn. A hint of melancholy flashed across Ye Zi's face for a moment, but it quickly disappeared.

How come all that pocket money Mu Li gave you, which you saved up by scrimping and saving, just disappeared like that? Was it stolen?

"How could that be? I'm so pitiful, even a thief wouldn't bother with my purse."

Ye Zi stared intently at the candied hawthorn in her hand, seemingly lost in thought.

"I gave it away."

"Then you are truly generous, giving away money to others even though you don't have much yourself."

"Who can argue with that?"

Ye Zi replied softly, but then fell silent, no longer chattering away like a sparrow beside Yun Luobai as before, which gave him a headache.

"If I had known that candied hawthorns could shut you up, I would have bought a few more skewers."

Yun Luobai tried to start a conversation again, but Ye Zi didn't respond this time.

She seemed to have truly transformed into a maidservant serving the young master of a wealthy family in an instant, which made Yun Luobai feel very uncomfortable.

The noise from the bustling city around him annoyed him.

He felt he was about to collapse.

She should be here soon too.