I traveled through time and space and found a mute boy: That’s enough, I feel sorry for him

Xiao Ran didn't understand what two and eight were, and a confused expression was clearly visible on his face.

When Xu Shu saw him like that, he knew he had been careless and had overestimated this scholar. He should have said 190% earlier, but the words had already been spoken and it was difficult to change them.

Wu Yong, who had been having trouble keeping up, has managed to catch up now thanks to his collaboration with Xu Shu. However, he couldn't help but worry about the IQ of the county magistrate.

Hearing his elegant and noble speech, I thought he was a very powerful and smart person. But he couldn't even understand the meaning of the word "two-eight". I was afraid that he would be fooled by Xu Shu.

I don’t know if it is illegal to cheat the officials.

However, Xu Shu obviously did not have such concerns. He was eloquent and concise, and he convinced the official with just a few words.

Xiao Ran's idea was really simple. In his opinion, spreading valuable things was the duty of a scholar. But Brother Xu wanted to share the money with him, which really made him feel ashamed.

However, he also remembered that his own young master Jiao had been urging him to do so for many years, and in the end he never said that he did not deserve the two points.

As for Xu Shu, seeing that the business was going so smoothly, he simply sold the fountain pen as well. Of course, when selling to a scholar, one cannot say that he is selling, but rather says, "I regret that we met too late," "I have nothing of value," and "I will give you my all in gratitude."

Wu Yong standing by was stunned. No, why was this heirloom being sold the next second? Brother, are you really that short of money?

But when Wu Yong heard the price offered by Xu Shu, he felt that this was no longer a question of whether it was a family heirloom or not, or whether it was money or not.

Because Xu Shu offered a price of 10,000 taels.

But Xiao Ran, who felt that he had met a bosom friend, agreed without hesitation. To show his sincerity, he directly signed a document, stamped it with his private seal, and asked Xu Shu to go to the bank to get the money.

This is a real rich man. Wu Yong looked at Xu Shu, then at Xiao Ran, and subconsciously thought about what heirlooms he could sell. In the end, he came to the conclusion that there were none.

What a missed opportunity, what a missed opportunity. Wu Yong felt very distressed, but he soon realized that he had to make good use of this sucker.

Xu Shu thought so too. He made a lot of money with just a few words. Even in modern times, he would not be so efficient. There were still many people who were taken advantage of in ancient times.

Two unscrupulous businessmen with different thoughts but inexplicably compatible with each other smiled and sent away a certain sucker, oh no, it was the financial sponsor.

It was not until he saw the carriage of the sponsor driving away that Wu Yong asked uncertainly, "Is it okay to cheat the county magistrate like this?"

Xu Shu waved the signed contract in his hand and said, "It's written in black and white, how can it be called a scam?"

Wu Yong silently gave him a thumbs up.

Xu Shu was in a good mood. Since he was so efficient today, he might as well leave work early.

Wu Yong is a smart man. Seeing how he and Xiao Ran were talking happily today, he knew that Xu Shu, the accountant of the tavern, would not be able to work for too long. However, his friendship with Xu Shu was still there, so he would not be the accountant at all.

Wu Yong simply stopped caring about Xu Shu's going to and from get off work.

Xu Shu went out and went to the cloth shop to buy a hairband for Shen Lin'er. He was a frequent customer of this shop, and he bought his own clothes, children's clothes, and hairbands from here.

The waiter had remembered him a long time ago. When he saw him coming, he hurriedly said that the clothes he had ordered last time were ready and he would go and pick them up for him now.

Xu Shu nodded in agreement and quickly selected the headband that Shen Lin'er wanted. However, the waiter had not returned yet, so Xu Shu went shopping by himself. During this shopping, he actually saw something nice, a pair of blue cloth shoes embroidered with hibiscus flowers.

This pair of shoes should have been prepared for the boy. Although they were embroidered with flowers, they did not look feminine. They were just used as embellishments and were not meant to attract attention. The blue fabric matched the headband he bought last time, and Xu Shu liked it at first sight.

It just so happened that he had taken his child to the store to buy clothes last time, and he remembered all the sizes. When the waiter came back and asked, the shoes were the right size, so Xu Shu smiled and said, "Pack them together."

He didn't even ask the price, his main purpose was to show that he was rich and willful.

But the things in this store are also affordable. A headband is fifty wen, and this pair of shoes is eight hundred wen, a total of eight hundred and fifty wen.

In the past, Xu Shu would still feel a little distressed about the eight hundred and fifty coins. After all, he only spent one or two taels of silver to make so many sets of clothes for himself last time.

But things are not as good as they used to be.

Xu Shu simply bought another bamboo basket to store clothes.

When going to look for candied haws, he met a butcher selling pork. Thinking about eating canned food every day in the past few days, Xu Shu felt sick of it, so he asked the butcher to buy a pound of pork.

There are ten taels in a pound, which is divided into two parts. One part is for the family, and the other part is given to the village chief and his family.

Firstly, it was to thank her for taking care of Xiao Mujin over the past few days. Secondly, if Xiao Mujin couldn't cook, she could ask Aunt Shen for help.

When paying, Xu Shucai really felt the local prices. A pound of pork cost 280 wen, which would be 56 yuan a pound in modern times. And it was not all lean meat.

However, it is easy to understand why grain prices are high. In ancient times, there were no large-scale farms. Raising a pig required a lot of investment but little return, so the price was naturally high. Moreover, there was a war going on, and the government would often take some of the people's food to serve as soldiers. Life was hard for everyone.

But Xu Shu's life is still pretty good now.

He bought two more strings of candied haws, one for himself and one for the child to take back.

Although technology was not well developed in ancient times, the things grown there were all natural and pollution-free. Even the candied haws were better than what Xu Shu had eaten in the end times.

He hurried home carrying a bamboo basket on his back. Worried that the candied haws would melt, he took a ox cart at the entrance of the village. Although the road was shaky, he was still going fast.

It was just a rare occasion that he came back early this time. As soon as he entered the house, Aunt Shen told Xu Shu that she couldn't find Mu Jinghua.

Xu Shu's heart tightened and he hurried out to find someone, but Shen Lin'er grabbed his sleeve.

Shen Lin'er's eyes were swollen, as if she had just cried, and her voice was a little hoarse: "Brother Xu, he is a thief, what do you want him to do?"

Xu Shu raised an eyebrow, not understanding what this meant.

Aunt Shen said embarrassedly, "Lin'er said that Mu Ge'er took her hairpin. Maybe there was some misunderstanding. I don't know what Mu Ge'er was thinking. He ran away and there is no sign of him now. I don't know..."

"Take the hairpin?" Xu Shu's first thought was disbelief. He knew the child he raised well, and there must be a misunderstanding. But he didn't know the whole story and couldn't make a conclusion immediately, so he decided to go find Xiao Mujin first.

Xu Shu pulled his sleeves, signaling Shen Lin'er to let him go, but Shen Lin'er held on tighter and frowned, "He ran away because he felt guilty. Let him go. He's just a mute. Why does Brother Xu care about him so much?"

Xu Shu couldn't help but glance at Shen Lin'er. She still had that lovely face, but how could she say such words? He always thought that this little girl was innocent and cute, but now he felt a little disgusted.

Although he could understand Shen Lin'er's depression because her things were broken, but which was more important, a hairpin or a life? Couldn't he tell the difference?

Moreover, the kid was so timid that he would be scared to tears if he touched something from someone else's house, and he even stole something? It really made him laugh out loud.

Xu Shu was in no mood to delve into the source of Shen Lin'er's malice towards Xiao Mujin. He was worried about Xiao Mujin, but Shen Lin'er was still mumbling something dumb, and Xu Shu couldn't help but become cold: "Let go."

This was the first time he treated Shen Lin'er coldly. Shen Lin'er was stunned, and the next second, the corner of her clothes was pulled away by Xu Shu.

Xu Shu turned around and went towards the back mountain without even looking back.

Shen Lin'er looked at his back. Her determination for the whole afternoon suddenly fell through. She blinked in confusion and murmured in a low voice: "Xu Shu, isn't it me that you like?"

Xu Shuke had no idea that he was being remembered by a fourteen-year-old girl. At this moment, his brain was working fast, thinking about where Mu Jinghua might have gone.

The first place he went to must be his home, but the fence was locked tightly, and it was obvious that the boy had not set foot here.

Xu Shu hesitated in front of the door and soon thought of a place. If Mu Jinghua wanted to run away, he would definitely go to the wild mountain where they first met.

After thinking it through, Xu Shu hurried to the back mountain. But after running two steps, he heard Jiang Xiao's voice behind him: "Brother Xu, I brought the first batch of blue bricks to you. Uh, where are you going?"

Xu Shu turned around and saw Jiang Xiao driving an ox cart towards him. The cart was loaded with blue bricks, leaving deep ruts on the road.

Xu Shu suppressed his impatience and simply said to Jiang Xiao: "Please transport it first. I have something else to do. I will find you later."

After saying that, he ran towards the back mountain.

In fact, he and Jiang Xiao were going the same way, but with so many things crammed on the ox cart, it certainly couldn't run as fast as him. Xu Shu ignored Jiang Xiao's shouting from behind, and with a clear goal in mind, he climbed all the way to the place where he had hidden the backpack.

The location was almost the same. Xu Shu arrived at the mountain, but after walking around the area, he quickly found the person.

When he found Mu Jinghua, the young man was staring at a snake. He was so nervous that he dared not move. He didn't even notice Xu Shu was not far away.

Seeing that his eyes were not red, Xu Shu breathed a sigh of relief, took two quick steps and pinched the snake's vital point. The snake twisted a few times and soon died.

But when Mu Jinghua saw him, her eyes immediately turned red.

Xu Shu guessed that he was wronged, and fearing to scare him, he threw away the dead snake first, and then walked towards him: "Xiao Mujin, it's okay."

Mu Jinghua took two steps back, his steps were a little unsteady, as if he had sprained his ankle. He stopped after taking a few steps, but did not look at his feet. Instead, he made a "no" gesture with red eyes.

The boy looked at him with expectation and despair in his eyes, and his body was trembling slightly in his wide sleeves, like a cat on alert. The slightest movement could scare him to tears.

Just at this moment, a gust of wind blew, and the boy's beautiful headband and dry long hair were messily stuck on his pale face, making him look even more pitiful.

Xu Shu knew that the boy was wronged. Seeing him like this, his heart softened and he just wanted to hug him and coax him: "Little Mujin, I believe you. Come here."

After getting Xu Shu's response, Mu Jinghua pursed his lips and immediately bit his lower lip. He wanted to hold back his tears, but this effort was obviously useless.

Xu Shu watched the two lines of tears sliding down his cheeks and being immediately dried by the wind, and hurriedly stepped forward and hugged him in his arms: "Don't cry, don't cry, I'm here."

Mu Jinghua made no sound when he cried. Xu Shu could only feel him trembling slightly in his arms. He held Mu Jinghua with one hand, feeling the weak frame completely enclosed in his arms, and felt that the boy was as fragile as thin paper.

He didn't know the whole story, nor did he know how to comfort the boy. He could only hand over the handkerchief and accompany the boy in silence.

When Mu Jinghua stopped shaking so violently, Xu Shu put his arm around his thin shoulders and found a rock to sit on. He brushed away his long hair that was stuck to his face and asked him, "What happened this afternoon? Can you tell me?"

Mu Jinghua had just wiped away her tears, but her eyes turned red again when she heard this.

Xu Shu felt bad and quickly softened his tone: "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I believe you. It's definitely not your fault. Don't feel wronged. Be good."

Mu Jinghua couldn't remember how many times he had cried in front of Xu Shu. Every time he cried, Xu Shu coaxed him like a child, told him to be good, gave him candy, and wiped his tears. The feeling of being pampered was as tempting as poppy, but Xu Shu's unconditional trust at this moment was a strong medicine for his rebellious heart, which made him poisoned, addicted, and lost his soul.

It doesn't matter if it's lost, Mu Jinghua thought, since it was lost to Xu Shu anyway, so it can't be a loss at all.

Seeing that he didn't cry, Xu Shu felt relieved. He changed the subject and asked about the boy's foot: "What's wrong with your foot? Did you sprain it?"

Mu Jinghua looked up at him blankly, and when he saw Xu Shu's worried expression, he felt a little anxious, and quickly lowered his head, not daring to look again. He gestured, "He fell down while climbing the mountain."

Xu Shu grabbed his hand and asked, "How did this happen?"

The wound on his hand was caused by Shen Lin'er stepping on him, but Mu Jinghua was a little hesitant, not knowing whether he should say it. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and signaled Xu Shu that he was fine.

Xu Shu just thought he had accidentally bumped into him when he fell, and didn't think much about it. He stood up and squatted in front of the boy: "Get on my shoulders, I'll carry you back."

The young man behind him seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before he slowly reached out and put his arm around Xu Shu's neck. Xu Shu lowered his head and could see the thin and weak arm hanging loosely in front of him. The weight on his shoulder was so light that it was almost negligible. Only the thin body temperature could be felt through the cloth, along with the sound of his throbbing heartbeat.

Xu Shu had already expected that the boy would feel embarrassed.

He didn't say anything, just put his hands behind his back to support the boy's back, then stood up easily and walked down the mountain with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

After going down the mountain, Xu Shu first went to find Jiang Xiao.

Although Jiang Xiao was alone, he was very skillful. He piled a cart of blue bricks neatly on the flat ground that had been cleaned long ago, and placed a bamboo rocking chair next to it.

Xu Shu was in a hurry and didn't see the rocking chair. Now he was pleasantly surprised to see it. His originally depressed mood improved a little. He waved to Jiang Xiao and said, "Thank you for your help. Please come home with me."

He planned to send Xiao Mujin home first, and then go to the village chief to ask about the whole story. When he thought of what Shen Lin'er had just said, Xu Shu felt annoyed.

When he said it would cost five cents to send Mu Jinghua to the village chief's house, he wasn't just lying.

He trusted the village chief and did give the money, just because he didn't want the child to suffer any injustice. But Shen Lin'er always called him a dumb person in front of him, so how could she be polite in front of Mu Jinghua?

Moreover, Mu Jinghua has been away for such a long time, and no one has looked for him. If something happens to him, does his family intend to persuade him by saying “he’s just a mute”?

He was not a good-tempered person to begin with, and after several years of trying to make a living in the apocalyptic world, he had developed a vengeful and petty character. Since the village chief and his family had made the mistake first, Xu Shu naturally would not take the initiative to maintain the relationship.