False evidence

Chapter 110 Liu Yi'er (Part 1)
That was indeed a teahouse.

It was nearly noon, and there were quite a few people inside.

The preserved egg was completely absorbed in the novelty.

Because among these twenty or thirty people, some were dressed similarly to Lin Qin'en, but most were ordinary people, peddlers and laborers.

However, what they have in common is that none of them are modern people.

Lin Qin'en and his companions entered the teahouse and found a table by the window to sit facing each other.

I instinctively pulled Qi Zhen back, "Don't go in."

I'm afraid that if she sees certain scenes, she might lose control and do something that would cause us to lose sight of what we're seeing.

But once the words were out, I realized that I had actually touched her.

"You were able to run into her?" Pidan noticed this as well.

I withdrew my hand, thought for a moment, and said, "Right now, the three of us are all in the same ideology, not in reality, so... that's why we can contact her."

I pulled Pidan along with Qizhen to the window.

Upon seeing the familiar face, Qi Zhen's body visibly trembled.

Both Pidan and I sensed her emotional fluctuations, and Pidan sighed:

"She really likes bald guys with hair."

Without consulting his companions, Lin Qin'en ordered the waiters to bring out whatever was available.

This teahouse was just a place for passengers to rest temporarily. Although it also sold food, it only offered a few simple dishes.

A steamer of steamed buns, two large plates of mixed vegetables, a plate of fatty braised pork, and a pot of liquor that didn't smell very appetizing.

Preserved Egg swallowed hard, and whispered:

"I rushed to come with you and didn't even have dinner."

Qi Zhen suddenly frowned and said, "Qin En doesn't eat coriander."

Sure enough, as soon as she said one sentence, Lin Qin'en frowned.

The person sitting opposite him laughed, "I think you're really bewitched; you forgot to tell them not to put cilantro in it. Alright, buddy..."

"No, don't shout!"

Lin Qin'en waved his hand, picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a mouthful of cold dish, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The man was taken aback: "What's going on? Did you change your mind?"

Lin Qin'en smacked her lips, raised her glass, and clinked it against his:
"This trip back is on your own money. I never pick and choose when I'm spending other people's money."

The man chuckled, then straightened his expression and said:

“Brother, although we only met on this trip to the border region, I’m a few years older than you and we’re in the same profession. There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time, and I hope you won’t take it personally.”

"Go ahead and say it," Lin Qin'en said casually.

The man said, "Are you really infatuated with that little pearl? Have you really spent all your money on her? Brother, as the old saying goes, 'Lust is a knife above one's head!' And another old saying goes, 'Prostitutes are heartless, actors are unrighteous!' It's fine if you spend a little money, but if you really fall in love with that little pearl, hehe, then I really have to advise you—if you are stubborn and don't see the light, then you can expect to be bankrupt!"

Lin Qin'en straightened his face and looked directly at the other person, saying, "She used to be called Little Pearl, but from now on, that name will no longer be used in that brothel. Her original name, which is also her current name, is Qi Zhen."

The man frowned: "Are you serious?"

"Of course! Before I left, I already made arrangements with Zhang Mama. I'll come back in mid-August. I'll not only redeem her from her servitude, but I'll also give that madam an extra sum of money, as long as she doesn't let Qi Zhen take any more customers during this time."

The man frowned even more deeply: "Little Pearl... Qi Zhen is a prostitute after all..."

Before he could continue, Lin Qin'en interrupted him, saying, "If you've taken a liking to her, she's just my woman." As she spoke, she pulled a small cloth bag from her bosom and shook it in front of the man. "Brother Liu, I still have money. Do you know why I didn't use my own money this time, but instead had to borrow from you?"

Brother Liu was clearly surprised. His ears twitched, and he said, "Six silver dollars, and gold jewelry."

"Just by listening to the sound, you can tell what's inside and how much there is... Liu Yi'er truly lives up to his reputation, I admire him!"

Lin Qin'en put away the cloth bag and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards him.

"You can tell what's in the bag just by listening?" Pidan exclaimed in amazement.

I also looked at this man surnamed Liu with new respect, but I also noticed that Qi Zhen's expression was somewhat unusual.

Lin Qin'en said, "Brother Liu, we hit it off immediately and can talk about anything. So I'll be frank with you. The money in this bag isn't much, but as long as I don't squander it as usual, it'll be enough for me to return to Guangzhou comfortably. But if I spend this money, I'll never have peace of mind for the rest of my life."

Liu Yier raised an eyebrow: "Only six silver dollars, isn't that a good source of income?"

"You're joking," Lin Qin'en laughed. "These six dollars, along with the gold and silver ornaments, are all travel expenses given to me by my woman. This is what she has secretly saved up over the past two years. She gave me her entire fortune, which is equivalent to entrusting her life to me. Brother Liu, tell me, if I spend this money, am I still a human being?"

"Say no more! I salute you!" Liu Yier said.

Pidan glanced at me, then looked at Qizhen. He was about to say something, but he saw that Qizhen was already in tears, crying uncontrollably.

The two men inside the window were strangers who were having a deep conversation, and both were straightforward people. What they said was quite pleasant to me.

My immediate reaction to this was—my stomach started rumbling.

Seeing that the preserved egg was glancing at me sideways, I blushed and said, "I haven't had dinner either."

“Gurgle…” the preserved egg responded to me with ventriloquism.

We were both very 'excited' because just then, the waiter at the teahouse brought two bowls of noodles to the table.

"Sir, your yellow croaker noodles!"

"Sir, here's your braised meat noodles!"

Seeing the rotten meat noodles placed in front of Lin Qin'en, Qi Zhen suddenly laughed: "Is this all you have? Can't you have something better?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a figure suddenly darted out from the side.

The woman was hunched over, like a dog snatching food. Before I could even see her face clearly, I saw her reach through the window, grab the bowl of rotten meat noodles, and run to the side, shoveling noodles into her mouth with her hands.

At first glance, I thought it was a child.

When she ran to the side, she realized it was a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old.

The girl was disheveled and shoveled noodles into her mouth.

Suddenly, a burly middle-aged man and an old woman, who looked to be in her fifties or sixties, rushed up to her and began punching and kicking her.

"stop!"

"stop!"

Lin Qin'en and Liu Yi'er both stood up and shouted at the two of them at the same time.

Lin Qin'en even grabbed the wine jug and threw it onto the man's shoulder.

"Who the hell is meddling in other people's business?" the man suddenly turned around and roared with a fierce look on his face.

"It's you, my grandfather!"

Taking advantage of his height and long legs, Lin Qin'en simply lifted the hem of his long robe, stepped onto the bench, and stepped out of the window.

(End of this chapter)