After reading my mind, Daddy, why don't you smile?

The Taoist priest only opened two tickets and told two fortunes in the whole afternoon, each fortune was ten coins, so he made a total of twenty coins, not even a fraction of what the man in the bamboo hat did. Hearing this, he felt a little sour in his heart, thought about it, and said, "Let's close the stall and go eat roasted chicken legs!"

The man in the bamboo hat's eyes lit up when he heard this. Then he thought of something, lowered his head, and said weakly, "But second brother, we haven't sold our stuff yet..."

The Taoist priest smiled helplessly and said, "Then just buy it on credit first!"

The man in the bamboo hat was delighted when he heard this, and said repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I'll sell it on credit first. Don't worry, second brother, I will definitely sell it well tomorrow!"

The two of them packed up their stall and went to a nearby restaurant, where they ordered a few side dishes, a pot of wine, and a large roasted chicken.

The man in the bamboo hat took off his hat, ignored the strange looks from others, picked up a chicken leg and started to eat it ravenously. The Taoist poured him a glass of wine.

The man in the bamboo hat said, "Second brother, the little yellow cat at the door of my cave used to go down the mountain every day to steal other people's chickens to eat. I didn't understand why. But now I understand. Chicken is the most delicious thing in the world!"

The Taoist priest laughed out loud upon hearing this, "Hahahaha...your neighbor Old Huang is a weasel demon, how could he not like to eat chicken?"

The man in the bamboo hat also found it funny and laughed, "It's true."

The two brothers enjoyed the meal. The man in the bamboo hat ordered two more chickens. The meal took more than an hour. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they called the waiter to settle the bill.

"Twelve?"

The Taoist was dumbfounded, pointing at the leftovers on the table, "Just... just a few dishes, ten taels?"

The waiter was also in a good mood. He pointed at the pile of chicken bones in front of the man in the bamboo hat and explained, "This is our restaurant's signature roast chicken. One costs three taels. You ate three..."

The white eyebrows of the man in the bamboo hat were knitted together. Prices in the capital are so expensive...

The Taoist priest had no choice but to take out all his belongings, count them, and found that he was still two taels short.

"Can I owe you two taels?"

When the waiter saw that the two wanted to dine for free, his face changed and his voice became cold, "We don't accept credit!"

The man in the bamboo hat said weakly, "It's just two taels. I'll return it to you tomorrow!"

"Even two cents is not enough!"

The waiter's voice was loud, disturbing the other guests. They looked over curiously. The Taoist priest was embarrassed when he saw this and said angrily, "Why are you so stubborn, waiter? I didn't say I won't give it to you. Can't I give it to you tomorrow if you owe me money?"

The waiter said firmly, "No! Our store does not allow credit. If you don't have money, we will go to the government..."

Hearing that they were going to the government office, the man in the bamboo hat was shocked and quickly advised, "Don't be anxious, little brother. Listen to me. We two brothers have just arrived. This Taoist brother is my real brother. He sympathized with me for the long journey, so he set up this table. It's not that I intend to buy on credit. I just don't know the ins and outs of this capital..."

As the three were arguing, Shangguan Zhu came down from the private room upstairs.

His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were cloudy, his steps were unsteady, and he looked like he was drunk.

The shopkeeper stepped forward to help, but was pushed away by Shangguan Zhu.

Shangguan Zhu stumbled away. When he passed by the Taoist's table, he heard the waiter say sarcastically, "If you don't have money, don't treat us. You are also a brother, why are you cheating your brother like this..."

"How can you talk nonsense like that? My second brother never cheated me!"

When Shangguan Zhu heard this, she felt a sudden surge of sadness in her head and her face looked like she was about to cry.

Being a brother's scapegoat for his younger brother...

These days, he has been drinking to drown his sorrows and living in a daze. It was nothing more than the exposure of his "flower and willow scandal" that trampled all his face underfoot. He is too ashamed to face anyone.

And who is the culprit for his miserable condition?

His own brother!

Shangguan Shu is so cruel!

He is his blood relative and they share the same blood, but he doesn't show any mercy at all!

Just because he has a crush on Zhao Ying, he has to expose such a huge scandal and kick him out completely?

He only dared to think about how hateful Shangguan Shu was, and didn't even dare to think about how Zhao Ying would view him after such a thing happened?

He has absolutely no chance...

Shangguan Zhu was filled with hatred and depression, with a heart full of frustration and grievances but nowhere to vent. He wanted to howl to the sky, but was afraid of attracting the sidelong glances of acquaintances. He felt as if he had become a shameful rat. No, he had always been a rat in a dark well, only daring to secretly peek at his moon.

It’s all Shangguan Shu’s fault!

Why is he so cruel?

He is his own brother!

Humph! Since he is unkind, don't blame him for being unjust!

From today on, he no longer has a big brother like him!

Shangguan Zhu secretly hardened his heart, but he couldn't bear to take his eyes off the Taoist priest and the man in the bamboo hat. His eyes were red, as if he was looking at something through the scene in front of him.

Suddenly, a flood of grievances surged up in my depressed heart.

My elder brother used to love him very much...

Shangguan Zhu suddenly thought of the poem:

Look up at the curtains and look down at the tables.

The things remain the same, but the people are gone.

Things have changed, maybe this is the case...

Shangguan Zhu looked at the shopkeeper, threw out a gold ingot, and said, "I'll pay the bill for that table."

The shopkeeper took the gold ingot and was stunned. Before he could say anything, Shangguan Zhu had already left.

The night breeze blew away the smell of alcohol.

The carriage stopped at the door. Shangguan Zhu was about to get in when someone called him from behind.

"Stop, brave man!!"

Shangguan Zhu didn't expect that he was being called. With his appearance, he couldn't deserve the title of a warrior. He put his leg on the servant's back and was about to get on the carriage when a strong force pulled his collar from behind and pulled him down.

Shangguan Zhu looked back in surprise and saw that it was the Taoist priest, followed by a fair-faced man, who was the Taoist priest's younger brother.

The Taoist priest bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your help, brave man!"

The man in the bamboo hat also thanked him, with a sweet and shy smile, and a hint of innocence, so beautiful that it was hard to tell whether he was male or female. "Thank you!"

Shangguan Zhu raised an eyebrow, wondering in his heart how the man in the bamboo hat could be so bald, without even eyelashes...

But he had already said, "Don't worry, it's just a piece of cake..."

The Taoist waved his hand and said, "If it weren't for the brave man's rescue today, I'm afraid we would have been humiliated to the core!"

"Where does the warrior live? My two brothers will pay you back the money you owe us someday!"

Shangguan Zhu's impression of the two men improved after hearing this. He smiled faintly, "You don't have to pay back the money. I'm the host today. Since you two are not from the capital, I'll treat you as a good host!"

"How can that be?" The Taoist priest obviously didn't like to owe anyone anything. He refused again and again and insisted on paying the money back.

Shangguan Zhu didn't care about these small amounts of money. He was helpless by the Taoist's persistence and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The servant next to him saw his master's helplessness and whispered in Shangguan Zhu's ear, "Master, isn't the Third Master looking for a Taoist to exorcise demons? Why don't you ask this Taoist how capable he is?"