Chapter 13

Suddenly, the young man, who had been standing still, pushed the middle-aged man away and darted out in a flash. His speed was so incredible that it was as if a gust of wind had blown by.

The fleeing thief, seeing someone chasing him at such a high speed, panicked and, in his haste, stumbled and fell into the pond north of the teahouse. Fearing the thief might escape, the young man did not hesitate for a moment and jumped into the water.

By the time the crowd gathered, the young man had already dragged the thief ashore. Throwing the disheveled thief to the ground, he grabbed his collar and said coldly, "Hand over the money you stole!"

At this moment, the old woman, limping, rushed over, crying and scolding, "You scoundrel, give the money bag back to me! My granddaughter is waiting for this money to buy medicine to save her life. You... you give it back to me..."

"Give the money bag back to this old lady!" The young man raised his fist, ready to strike the thief.

The thief, terrified, pleaded, "Spare my life, sir! The money bag fell into the water..."

"Ah! You've taken my granddaughter's life!" The old woman, upon hearing that the money bag had fallen into the water, burst into tears, her face filled with despair. The pond was deep, and finding the money bag at the bottom would be no easy task.

"Bang!"

When the old woman looked up, the young man had already jumped into the water. The crowd grew larger. Ye Yu, pushed by Qiulan, also arrived. Watching the muddy water churn, he thought this young man was truly kind-hearted.

The young man surfaced twice from the water but did not find the lost money bag. He did not give up and dived into the pond again.

This time, he stayed underwater longer. Just as everyone was wondering if he might drown, a muddy hand emerged from the water. To everyone's delight, the muddy hand held a money bag.

"Old lady, here is your money bag. Take good care of it!" The young man swam to the shore, panting, and handed the money bag to the old woman.

The old woman, moved to tears, was about to kneel in gratitude but was lifted up by the young man's hands. "Old lady, you mustn't!"

"Thank you so much!" The old woman, overwhelmed with gratitude, was about to open the money bag to reward the young man.

"No need! Old lady, take the money and go see a doctor quickly!" The young man firmly refused the reward.

Thinking of her granddaughter who was waiting for the medicine, the old woman did not waste any more time. After sincerely thanking her savior, she hurried away.

As the old woman left, the crowd gradually dispersed. When everyone had gone, only Ye Yu remained. He calmly looked at the drenched young man and asked, "May I ask you two questions?"

The young man, about to leave, turned his head and looked at Ye Yu, then bowed and said, "Please ask!"

"You couldn't even afford a bun, yet you refused the old lady's reward. Why?"

The young man replied calmly, "Helping someone in need is a small matter. The old lady's money was to save her granddaughter's life. How could I accept a reward? Besides, if I had taken the money, my act of righteousness would have turned into a lowly transaction."

Ye Yu nodded, his eyes filled with admiration, and then asked, "At the bun shop, you had excellent martial arts skills. Even the shop owner was no match for you. Why didn't you just take the buns to satisfy your hunger instead of begging?"

Hearing this, the young man glared angrily, "I am not a thief! My martial arts are not for oppressing the people!"

"Good! A man of clear principles! I admire you! For these two answers, I feel they are worth a thousand pieces of gold! May I ask your name?"

"Um... I am Guo Xiaotian!"

Guo Xiaotian? Ye Yu pondered why this name sounded so familiar, but he couldn't recall it immediately.

"I am Ye Yu. Since we've met, it's a matter of fate. Today, I will treat you to as many buns as you can eat. What do you think?"

"Really?" Guo Xiaotian looked doubtful, not understanding why this young man was so kind to him.

Ye Yu, seeing Guo Xiaotian's doubt, affirmed, "Really!"

"Thank you! Please!"

...

When Ye Yu accompanied Guo Xiaotian to the bun shop, Guo Xiaotian's voracious appetite almost frightened Qiulan. However, the shop owner was delighted because Guo Xiaotian ate over fifty buns in half an hour.

Watching Guo Xiaotian, who still looked hungry, Ye Yu thought, "Is this guy a reincarnated hungry ghost? Even if he was starving, he shouldn't eat so much in one go!"

"Thank you, Master Ye, for your kindness!" After eating his fill, Guo Xiaotian thanked Ye Yu sincerely.

Ye Yu waved his hand dismissively and said, "I respect your character. A meal is nothing to mention. But may I ask where you come from and where you are going?"

Guo Xiaotian's expression darkened, "To be honest, I am a fugitive from the north. Under the rule of the Jin people, the people of our Song Dynasty are like cattle and sheep, with no dignity. My family was massacred for failing to pay taxes on time, and only I, who had learned martial arts, managed to escape..."

Speaking with anger and sorrow, Guo Xiaotian's eyes turned red, and his fists clenched, veins bulging, "I wandered aimlessly, not knowing where to go. I refused to steal and had to beg along the way, which led to my current state..."

Listening to Guo Xiaotian's story about the miserable life of the Han people under Jin rule, Ye Yu fell silent.

Before this, he had not thought much about national righteousness or the decline of the Southern Song. He knew his limits and understood that these were not things he could change.

But after hearing Guo Xiaotian's story, a sense of shame arose in him. How could a nation and its people live like animals under the rule of a foreign power? What reason or excuse did the peace faction in the court have for turning a blind eye?

After a long silence, Ye Yu slowly raised his head and bowed to Guo Xiaotian, "Since you have nowhere to go, why not stay at my place? What do you think?"

"This..."

"Is there something wrong? Do you look down on me?" Ye Yu pretended to be displeased and asked sternly.

Guo Xiaotian quickly waved his hands and explained, "Your kindness in giving me a meal is already deeply appreciated. How could I look down on you? If you think I have some martial arts skills, let me be a guard at your place to repay your kindness!"

Ye Yu admired Guo Xiaotian's sense of justice and his unwillingness to accept favors without reciprocation. Seeing Guo Xiaotian's serious expression, he knew he was a determined person and agreed to his suggestion.

Moreover, Ye Yu thought that with only him and Qiulan at home, he, being disabled, would be defenseless if someone had ill intentions. With Guo Xiaotian as a guard, his life and property would be much safer.

If Ye Yu's acquisition of a capable guard was a good thing, then the fact that the dye he personally supervised did not fade after multiple washes was an even better thing.

The color of the fabric was uniform and of high quality, comparable to the fabrics from the Pan family's shop. Now, everything was ready except for the startup capital. At this point, Ye Yu thought of borrowing.

The concept of borrowing has been a part of Chinese civilization for a long time. In the Song Dynasty, after Wang Anshi's Green Sprout Law, the system of private lending gradually became more sophisticated, forming the雏形 of agricultural financial credit in Chinese history.

In the Southern Song, the institutions that operated lending were called "shecang," directly managed by the court. Ye Yu decided to use the land of the dye workshop given to him by Su Quanzhong as collateral to borrow from the shecang.

Everything went smoothly. For the recruited dyers, Ye Yu did not immediately put them to work but provided them with intensive training. He was cautious because he could not afford to fail again, or he would be back to square one.

On a clear day, Ye Yu, after leaving the clothing shop, was about to return in his wheelchair when a servant boy blocked his way. The boy explained that he was from the Pan family.

"My young master is waiting at the tavern. Please follow me, Master Ye..."

The servant's attitude was respectful but not servile, making Ye Yu feel comfortable. He thought, "People are like their masters. What kind of master, what kind of servant."

At the birthday banquet, although he had only a brief conversation with Pan Zhi, it left a deep impression on him.

"Xiaotian, let's go!" Since the other party had invited him, Ye Yu could not avoid the meeting.

"Yes!" Since becoming Ye Yu's guard, Shouting had taken on the task of pushing the wheelchair.

...

In a quiet private room on the top floor of the tavern, Ye Yu and Pan Zhi sat facing each other. The incense smoke created a dreamlike atmosphere.

Ye Yu looked at Pan Zhi and asked calmly, "Young Master Pan, what is the purpose of inviting me here today?"

"Nothing, just to make a friend!" Pan Zhi poured himself a drink and said casually.

"Is that all?"

"That's all!"

The question was simple, and the answer was straightforward. Ye Yu laughed to himself, "Young Master Pan, you really know how to joke. Who in Qingliu County doesn't know that you are a wealthy and talented young man? I am just a nobody, at most a stray dog of the Ye family! The gap between us is too great for me to dare to aspire to your friendship."

"Does it matter?"

Pan Zhi's calm and composed demeanor made Ye Yu pause, then he sighed, "You really think highly of me..."

"Although I come from a wealthy family, I have few friends. The ones I have... are like Lu Zheng, and I have no choice in the matter."

Pausing for a moment, Pan Zhi continued, "I value people who are righteous and talented, and you possess both..."

"Ha ha ha!" Ye Yu laughed heartily, "Young Master Pan, you flatter me. I can accept the righteousness, but the talent, you overestimate me! At the birthday banquet, it was just a minor skill, not something to be proud of. Otherwise, I wouldn't be mocked as a flatterer now."

Pan Zhi looked at Ye Yu calmly and said with a deep meaning, "Let's be frank. Brother Ye, why hide your true intentions? At the banquet, you pretended to offer three toasts, but in reality, you were making three veiled criticisms. Did you think I didn't notice?"

Ye Yu was stunned speechless!