Chapter 68: The Money Bag

Before the Zhang brothers stood a wide road, three or four times broader than the streets of Luzhen. The road was lined with countless shops, and the street was bustling with people, the cries of vendors never ceasing, creating a lively scene that was a perfect replica of the New Year's market in Luzhen. No wonder the Zhang brothers were mistaken; they had never seen such a spectacle before.

Zhang Xiaohu scratched his head and said, "It's already hot, where is the New Year?"

Zhang Xiaohua also smiled and said, "Indeed, this Pingyang City is so lively. If we hadn't come to see it, we wouldn't have known."

Although the sights before them were novel, the two had been out for a few days and realized they had seen very little before. They gradually absorbed and accepted many new things, and the lively scenes gradually became familiar. In fact, Zhang Xiaohua himself didn't realize that his ability to accept new things and his perspective were slowly surpassing those of a thirteen-year-old, perhaps a sign of maturity.

Zhang Xiaohu, being older, had heard others talk about the prosperity of the outside world and had imagined it, but always based on the model of Luzhen. The scenes before him were larger than he had expected, but he quickly adapted.

The two brothers, curious, walked through the crowd, looking here and there. At first, they were a bit拘谨 (reserved), but they soon discovered that while many people were dressed in fine clothes, there were also many who were dressed simply like them. The crowd did not pay much attention to them, and the shop assistants even warmly invited them in, so they soon relaxed.

However, after walking for a short while, the two were once again at a loss. Why?

They were lost and didn't know which way to go. It seemed they had long deviated from the route the stable boy had shown them.

Being lost, they naturally needed to ask for directions. They pondered who to ask.

At this moment, a young man walked past them, squeezing between them and saying, "Excuse me, move aside."

Zhang Xiaohua casually moved to let him pass, but as the man walked by, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhang Xiaohu's waist, quickly snatching the small money bag. Zhang Xiaohu was still looking around, trying to find someone to ask for directions, while Zhang Xiaohua, with his keen senses, saw this and quickly stepped forward, blocking the man's path. He grabbed the man's wrist holding the money bag and sternly said, "What are you doing?"

The young man, who was about the same age and height as Zhang Xiaohu, looked at the child who was a head shorter than him and his wrist, and casually said, "Nothing."

Zhang Xiaohua asked, "Then why do you have my brother's money bag?"

The young man sneered, "How did it become your family's money bag? It's clearly in my hand, so it's mine."

Saying this, he tried to shake off Zhang Xiaohua's hand and pull away. Zhang Xiaohua, however, wouldn't let him, and with a slight increase in strength, the young man immediately cried out, "Young master, spare me, be gentle, be gentle, my wrist is about to break."

Zhang Xiaohu also noticed the commotion and quickly snatched back his money bag, checking to see if any silver was missing. Seeing that his brother had retrieved the money bag, Zhang Xiaohua let go. At this moment, several more people ran past, bumping into them. Zhang Xiaohua was puzzled by their rudeness, but when they ran past, he was stunned to see that the young man who had stolen the money bag was gone. The Zhang brothers looked at each other, realizing that the people who had run past were likely accomplices. After a careful check, they found they hadn't lost anything, so they didn't worry about it.

However, this experience made them distrustful of the people here. Even when asking for directions, they sought out a kind-looking old grandmother. After getting directions, the brothers continued on their way. Pingyang City was indeed vast, and even after walking for a while, they hadn't reached the East Gate. They weren't tired, but the heat and the crowd had made them thirsty. At a corner, they saw a stall selling cooling tea, a large bowl for one coin. Delighted, they hurried over, each drinking a large bowl. After paying, they asked for directions again and were about to leave when Zhang Xiaohua suddenly stopped Zhang Xiaohu, pointing to a person ahead and whispering, "Brother, look at that person. Isn't he the one who stole our money bag just now?"

Zhang Xiaohu looked carefully and shook his head, "I can't see clearly. When he stole the money bag, I didn't pay attention and didn't see what he looked like. He was taken away by someone else."

Zhang Xiaohua said confidently, "It should be him, no doubt."

Zhang Xiaohu was skeptical, "Are you sure? Don't wrong him. Besides, we have no evidence to catch him now."

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said, "Brother, look what he's doing. He's staring at the money bag of the girl in front."

Zhang Xiaohu looked again and saw that a young girl was walking ahead, holding a pot of an unknown flower, and a small green money bag was swinging at her waist. The young man's eyes were fixed on the money bag.

As they watched, the young man quickened his pace. Zhang Xiaohua quickly handed his small bundle to Zhang Xiaohu, saying, "Hold this for me, Brother. Watch me catch the thief."

The young thief ran up to the girl, grabbed the money bag, and then ran off. The girl noticed and shouted, "My money bag, you despicable thief!"

But with the flower pot in her hands, she couldn't chase him. She stomped her foot and muttered, "Let you have it for now, I'll have Uncle San deal with you later."

Seeing the girl's distress, Zhang Xiaohua rushed over and said, "Wait a moment, I'll help you get it back."

He chased after the thief, shouting, "Catch the thief who stole the money bag!"

The thief, hearing the shout, turned back and saw it was the same boy who had caught his wrist. Remembering the bruise on his wrist, he quickened his pace to escape Zhang Xiaohua.

In the thief's mind, Zhang Xiaohua was just a child, and despite his strength, he couldn't run as fast as an adult. He thought he could easily escape.

But Zhang Xiaohua was the exception. After chasing for several streets, the thief was already exhausted. Looking back, he saw Zhang Xiaohua still chasing him, and the distance was closing. Seeing no help from his accomplices, the thief felt nervous. He threw the money bag into a small alley and ran in the opposite direction. Zhang Xiaohua had to stop to pick up the money bag. By the time he returned, the thief had disappeared into the alley.

However, Zhang Xiaohua's goal was just to retrieve the money bag, not to catch the thief, so he returned the way he came.

Fortunately, he hadn't chased too far and could return by memory. He saw the girl still waiting where he had left her.

She took the money bag from Zhang Xiaohua and smiled, "Thank you."

Looking at the girl with her braids and red and green clothes, Zhang Xiaohua blushed slightly and said, "It's nothing. He tried to steal from us earlier, but he's very cunning. I couldn't catch him, and he got away."

The girl said, "It's okay. It's good that the money bag was recovered. Thank you. I have to go now; someone is waiting for me."

She smiled at Zhang Xiaohua again and walked east.

Zhang Xiaohu walked over and praised Zhang Xiaohua, "Xiaohua, you're really amazing. You managed to get the money bag back. But you're still young. If there had been a fight, you wouldn't have stood a chance. Next time, let me chase the thief."

Zhang Xiaohua took his small bundle and said, "It's fine, Brother. I feel very strong now. I chased for so long and didn't get tired at all."

Zhang Xiaohu thought his brother was boasting but didn't expose him, just smiling and saying, "That's right, Xiaohua is growing up and is very strong."

As they laughed and talked, they walked east, coincidentally following the girl.

After a while, the girl turned around and saw them following her. She stopped and asked, "It seems we're going the same way. Where are you going?"

Zhang Xiaohua said, "We want to go to Piaomiao Manor."

"Piaomiao Manor?" The girl was surprised. "Why are you going there?"

Zhang Xiaohua said, "We want to learn martial arts."

"Learn martial arts? At Piaomiao Manor?" The girl was even more surprised. "I haven't heard that Piaomiao Manor is recruiting disciples."

However, she added, "Piaomiao Manor is still far from here. How are you going to get there? Are you walking?"

Zhang Xiaohua blushed and said, "Yes, it's our first time here, and we don't know the way."

The girl smiled and said, "Here's what I can do. I'm going the same way. Follow me, and I'll take you there. It's my way of thanking you for helping me recover the money bag. What do you think?"

Zhang Xiaohua happily said, "Sure, thank you."

Sure enough, not far ahead, a carriage was parked by the roadside, already loaded with many flower pots, but there was still some space. After the girl and the Zhang brothers got in, the carriage slowly started moving.

On the carriage, the three had a brief conversation, learning each other's names. Zhang Xiaohua learned that the girl was named Qiutong, a maid from a manor, who had come to buy some potted plants for the manor. They didn't talk much more, just listening to Qiutong introduce Pingyang City and the surrounding attractions.