EPISODE 4

With the situation as it was, Manager Yao had no choice but to comply. Clenching his fists and suppressing his rage, he declared, "Put it on my tab."

What had just happened?

Manager Yao, usually so fond of bullying Xiao Yu, had not only repaid Xiao Yu's money but also covered his meal.

It was indeed baffling.

Zhang Wu was completely taken aback.

"Waiter!" Wary of Manager Yao bullying Zhang Wu, Xiao Yu pretended not to know Zhang Wu and said, "Don't just stand there foolishly, pack it up for me."

Zhang Wu looked again at Manager Yao: "Manager."

Manager Yao was nearly steaming with anger, but still nodded stiffly.

Zhang Wu hurriedly fetched wax paper, and seeing that the soups and broths were all finished, leaving only chestnut chicken, rice cakes, lamb bones, buns, and steamed bread which were easy to pack, he suddenly realized, all of this was indeed Xiao Yu's doing.

Intentionally visiting the Wangyue Restaurant during mealtime, deliberately ordering, seeking out Manager Yao on purpose, purposely asking for debts, demanding compensation deliberately... So many deliberate actions, yet all these "deliberate" moves were successful.

He knew Xiao Yu was smart, but he hadn't expected Xiao Yu to be this clever, actually managing to get what he wanted from the stingy and shameless Manager Yao.

This is unprecedented at Wangyue Restaurant!

Amazing!

His heart couldn't stop pounding with excitement, his hands trembling as he packed.

"Make sure it's tied securely," Xiao Yu reminded.

"Yes, yes, yes," Zhang Wu responded repeatedly.

Soon, the dishes on the table were all packed.

Xiao Yu stood up, one hand holding the wax paper package, the other pulling Minghe, and said to Manager Yao, "Thanks, Manager."

Thanks for nothing!

Manager Yao was almost fuming from every orifice.

"Minghe, let's go home," Xiao Yu said cheerfully.

"Heading home!" Minghe echoed.

"Take care, dear customers." As per the inn's protocol, the waiter had to escort patrons to the door. Zhang Wu, with an enthusiasm he'd never shown before, followed Xiao Yu and Minghe, unable to resist asking Xiao Yu about the incident.

Xiao Yu didn't hide the truth: "I told them, if they don't pay me, I'll make sure all the customers know about it."

"Is it that simple?" Zhang Wu asked in astonishment, "Aren't you afraid of his revenge?"

"I have a trump card."

"What trump card?"

"I'll tell you later." Since Zhang Wu still worked at the Wangyue Restaurant, knowing too much could be problematic. Xiao Yu decided not to reveal the explosive information he had accidentally overheard from the original owner.

Zhang Wu didn't genuinely want to know what Xiao Yu had up his sleeve; he was just worried about him. Hearing that Xiao Yu had a trump card, he felt relieved and said, "Alright then. But if you're not working here anymore, where will you go?"

"I don't know yet," Xiao Yu replied.

"I don't know many people and don't have a good place to go," Zhang Wu admitted, unable to help Xiao Yu.

"I know, I'll find a place, don't worry about me."

"That's good then."

"You should get back to work, or else the manager will find another excuse to dock your pay."

Zhang Wu didn't delay further and turned back to attend to the customers.

Xiao Yu and Minghe left Qing Shi Town.

Minghe occasionally turned to glance at what Xiao Yu was holding.

"What are you looking at?" Xiao Yu asked.

"Uncle, how did we end up with so much stuff?" Minghe had sensed something was off in the conversation between his uncle and the manager but was too young to understand the adults' verbal sparring. Now, alone with his uncle, he boldly asked.

"This is what the manager owed us," Xiao Yu answered.

"Owed us?"

"Yes, your uncle used to work here, and they didn't pay his wages. Now they have," Xiao Yu explained.

Minghe understood, "So all these things are ours now?"

"Not just these." Xiao Yu stopped, releasing Minghe's hand, and pulled out the silver coins, "Look, we even have silver."

"Wow, we have silver now!" Minghe was thrilled.

"Right, all this food and the silver are ours."

"Wow, so much! We are rich now!" Minghe's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Xiao Yu laughed, "No, one tael and five maces of silver is not much."

Minghe's voice was sweet and childish, "It's okay, we'll earn more."

"Exactly, my dear nephew, I won't let you go hungry!" Xiao Yu said.

Suddenly, Minghe fell silent.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yu asked as he tucked the silver back into his pocket.

Minghe pouted slightly, "Uncle, you're so good to me!"

From the beginning, Minghe had always seemed energetic, optimistic, and diligent. But now, Xiao Yu could clearly sense the child's inner sensitivity and unease. He thought back to his own childhood, living with his grandmother, who always made time to talk to him, ensuring his sense of security.

He wanted to do the same for Minghe, so he gently touched his head, "Silly boy, I'm your uncle, and I'll always be good to you."

Minghe's mood visibly lifted, "I'll always be good to you too, Uncle."

"Pinky promise."

"Pinky promise."

They hooked their slender fingers together, vowing, "Pinky promise, hang for a hundred years, never to change, never to change."

"Alright, let's go," said Xiao Yu.

"Okay."

The uncle and nephew had steamed buns soaked in water for breakfast, egg noodles, assorted sweet soup, and buns for lunch, which replenished their energy. However, both were physically weak, especially Xiao Yu, who was exhausted before even reaching home.

"Uncle, I'll carry you," Minghe offered eagerly.

Xiao Yu glanced at the slender Minghe, "No need to carry me, let's just take a break."

The pair made their way home, stopping to rest frequently. It took them over half an hour to return to Jinxui Village. They sat on the threshold panting for a while. In the evening, Xiao Yu took out the packed food and made two bowls of thick soup with lamb bones and reheated the buns.

Both ate with great satisfaction.

Adapting to local customs, Xiao Yu packed the remaining chestnut chicken, rice cakes, buns, and steamed buns in a small bamboo basket and hung it from the ceiling beam.

"Now the mice won't get to it!" Minghe looked up with a proud face.

Xiao Yu nodded in agreement.

Having eaten and exerted a lot that day, as soon as night fell, they bathed, spoke little, and quickly fell asleep in bed. The next day, Xiao Yu woke up feeling rejuvenated, and Minghe was also more energetic.

Stepping out of the hut, they were greeted by scattered leaves and branches in the small courtyard.

"What happened?" Xiao Yu wondered.

"Was there a big wind last night?" Minghe asked.

Xiao Yu countered, "How did you know?"

"I heard a whooshing sound, and thought, maybe the Great Sage Equal to Heaven had come. He's a good person, and then... I fell asleep," Minghe finished, then looked at Xiao Yu with excitement, "Uncle, we can pick up branches for firewood!"

Truly a little expert at life!

Xiao Yu agreed, "Right, the kitchen is running low on branches."

"Okay, I'll go pick some," Minghe said, running into the kitchen and hurriedly grabbing a small bamboo basket to collect branches outside the courtyard.

"Minghe, why not pick the ones in the courtyard?"

"I'll pick the ones outside first, or others will take them all!" Minghe was already out of sight.

Xiao Yu felt he couldn't let a three-year-old do everything. Following him outside, he saw many villagers collecting scattered branches. Among them was the tiny Minghe, his little legs moving swiftly, picking up one branch after another—both adorable and pitiable.

Xiao Yu stepped forward to help pick up branches.

The two quickly filled a basket.

Minghe urged, "Uncle, take the firewood back home and then bring the basket back."

He's quite the organizer.

Xiao Yu followed the plan, carrying a basketful of firewood back home, then returned with the basket to find Minghe in the woods.

Minghe stood before a pile of branches, looking down at something.

"Minghe," Xiao Yu approached.

Minghe looked up, his eyes brimming with tears.

Startled, Xiao Yu quickly stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

Minghe's lips quivered as tears fell drop by drop.

"What happened, what happened?" Xiao Yu asked anxiously.

"Uncle, my pants tore, wuu wuu," Minghe cried.

"Where?"

Minghe let go of his hands, revealing a piece of cloth hanging down, exposing his underwear. Xiao Yu was at a loss for words, "This..."

"I was pulling on the branch, and it wouldn't budge. I pulled hard, and then my pants tore," Minghe cried in distress.

"Did you get hurt?"

"No, but my pants are torn," Minghe said, growing sadder by the moment.

As long as he's not hurt.

Relieved, Xiao Yu said, "You didn't cry when you hurt your arm, why cry over torn pants?"

"An arm heals on its own, but pants don't mend themselves, wuu wuu."

"...That makes sense, but it's heartbreaking," Xiao Yu said, wiping Minghe's tears. "Although pants can't heal, we can patch them up."

"They can't be patched."

Seeing the worn and frayed fabric of Minghe's clothes, beyond repair, Xiao Yu suggested, "If they can't be patched, we'll make a new pair of pants."

"Can we really make a new pair?" Minghe asked, blinking his teary eyes.

"Of course, your uncle will make you a new pair of pants. Don't cry now."

"Okay."

"We've collected enough firewood, let's head back," Xiao Yu said, filling the bamboo basket with firewood and carrying it.

Minghe followed, his little hands covering his pockets and legs slightly squeezed together.

Xiao Yu glanced back at him.

Minghe explained, "It might show my underwear, embarrassing."

Xiao Yu, unable to suppress a smile, picked up Minghe, "This way, it won't be visible."

After his father died in battle and his mother fell ill, Minghe, who had barely learned to walk, hadn't been embraced like this. Suddenly held by his uncle, he stiffly blinked twice, feeling the warmth from Xiao Yu, and nuzzled his head against Xiao Yu's shoulder, his face alight with joy: "Okay."

Xiao Yu, not noticing the child's reaction, just thought Minghe was too thin and light. Back home, he looked for a piece of cloth to temporarily replace Minghe's pants, but found none, so he turned to Minghe.

Minghe looked back expectantly.

Xiao Yu smiled, "Let's have breakfast first, and then I'll go to town to buy you fabric."

Minghe nodded eagerly.

Xiao Yu picked some greens from the corner, shredded the roast chicken, mixed them together, and tore some steamed buns into the mix, creating a homemade version of chicken and vegetable bun soup, complete with meat, vegetables, carbs, and broth.

Minghe ate happily, but felt a bit upset that he couldn't go to town with his uncle because of his torn pants.

"I'll be back quickly after buying the fabric. Just wait a little," Xiao Yu said.

"Then come back soon, and don't get sick, okay?" Minghe said.

"Okay."

Xiao Yu secured the courtyard gate and headed towards Qingshi Town. Having eaten well and rested properly the day before, he reached the town with ease. He went straight to a fabric store, where he spotted children's ready-made clothes hanging on the wall. Thinking Minghe would look good in them, he inquired, "Shopkeeper, how much for that outfit?"

"Three taels of silver."

"How much?" Xiao Yu asked in astonishment.

"Three taels of silver," the shopkeeper looked up at Xiao Yu, then glanced down and pointed at another, visibly inferior garment, "This one's cheaper, two taels."

Why are they all so expensive!

The shopkeeper suggested, "Why not buy some fabric instead?"

"How much for the fabric?"

"The cheapest kind here is fifty wen per chi," the shopkeeper pointed out.

Xiao Yu felt the fabric, which was quite coarse, leaving him unsatisfied. He examined a few other types, then curiously asked, "Shopkeeper, how many chi of fabric are needed for a three- or four-year-old child's outfit?"

"That would be around five or six chi."

Xiao Yu, clueless about fabrics, further inquired, "And for a pair of pants?"

"About three or four chi, I'd say."

In the fictional world of "Emperor's Dream," the currency system is created by the author. One tael of silver equals ten qian, which equals one thousand wen. This means making a child's outfit in the cheapest way would cost around three qian, and pants around two qian.

Ah.

His entire fortune was only one tael and five qian of silver, which is fifteen qian!

But Minghe can't go out with his underwear exposed.

After a moment of hesitation, Xiao Yu decided to check another fabric store for cheaper materials. Eventually, he found more affordable fabric, bought needles and thread, and resolved to make the clothes for Minghe himself.

Having spent a third of his silver, Xiao Yu wandered the town, seeking work. Without income, he and Minghe faced the grim prospects of starvation or freezing.

After a long search without spotting any job postings, he noticed many people carrying twisted dough snacks, candied hawthorns, and sugar figurines toward the Zitang Canal.

Curiosity led him to follow the crowd, and the scene at the canal left him astounded.

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