High-class maid

"Waiter, how much?" Shen Xing'er asked, holding her purse to pay the bill.

"Huh, where's my purse?" Shen Xing'er searched her entire body but couldn't find it.

"Xing'er, let me do it. You go and look for it. Did you drop it where we were eating?" Shan Tao said, putting the things she bought on the ground.

"Huh, where did my purse go?" Shan Tao reached for the familiar spot at her waist, only to find that her purse was gone too.

"Wait a minute, sir, I'll go look for it too." After saying that, Shan Tao also went to look for her purse.

"No, they're probably stolen. It's impossible that we both lost them," Shen Xing'er said.

"Could it be that we were dragged away when we were watching the acrobatics on the street?" Yamamoto asked.

"That's right, what should I do?" Luckily, he didn't have much silver in his purse, otherwise he would have been really unlucky.

"Young man, my sister and I had our purses stolen. How about we give you this ring? The gemstone in it should be worth a meal."

As Shen Xing'er spoke, she began to take off the ring on her hand.

"Sir, I don't know if this is real or fake. Don't you know anyone here? Why don't you go and borrow some money?" The waiter dared not take the ring, fearing it was fake.

“Our residence is quite far from this street. If you’re worried that this gemstone is fake, how about I give you this silver hairpin as payment?”

Shen Xing'er took off the silver hairpin from her hair and said.

"Sir, it's not that I'm being unreasonable, but I did receive a silver hairpin last time, only to find out it was stolen. So our host has a rule that we can't accept things as payment for meals."

The waiter said with difficulty.

"This..." Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, Shan Tao was getting a little embarrassed. She said, "Xing'er, you wait here. I'll go back to the manor to get the money."

"No need, I'll pay for the two ladies' meal," a man's voice said.

Shen Xing'er looked in the direction of the voice and saw Wu Xiucai, whom she hadn't seen for many days, with his mother following behind him.

After Wu Xiucai paid the silver, the group went to a less crowded part of the street.

"Brother Wu, Auntie, it's been a long time. Thank you so much for getting me out of that predicament," Shen Xing'er said gratefully.

"No need to be so polite, it was just a small favor. By the way, where are your purses? Were they lost or stolen?" Wu Xunzhi replied.

"They must have been stolen, otherwise how could it be such a coincidence that both Shan Tao's and mine were lost?" Shen Xing'er said.

"That's right, that despicable little thief! Don't let them catch him, or he'll be in big trouble!" Yamamoto said angrily, her hands clenched into fists.

Seeing Shan Tao's mischievous and clever appearance, Wu Xunzhi smiled without even realizing it.

"By the way, Brother Wu, have you just arrived in Jinling? Is your aunt able to walk now?" Shen Xing'er asked with concern.

"Yes, we will rest for a day after traveling for several days, otherwise my legs and back will hurt. It's all my fault for slowing Xunzhi down. If it weren't for me, we probably would have arrived long ago."

"That's what Wu Xiucai's mother said, her voice low."

"Mother, what are you saying? How can I leave you alone in the capital?" Wu Xiucai quickly comforted her.

"Auntie, don't be sad. With you by his side, Brother Wu can study in peace!" Shan Tao, being the most soft-hearted, went over to comfort him.

“Yes, Auntie, don’t overthink it. Brother Wu, where are you staying now? I’ll pay you back for the meal when you leave the manor.” Shen Xing’er asked.

“There’s no need for food money, but we haven’t found a place to stay yet. All the inns in Jinling City are full these days. Does Miss Shen know why?” Wu Xunzhi asked.

"It seems that Jinling is going to hold a fabric fair every three years, so all these inns have been rented out by merchants from other places." Shan Tao often traveled around the manor, so she knew more than Shen Xing'er.

“Oh, I see. Xunzhi, why don’t you see if there’s a dilapidated temple nearby? We can make do with this for the night and then go to the academy to send our visiting card tomorrow.”

"That's what Wu Xiucai's mother said."

"Mother, no, you still need to take your medicine tonight. We must find an inn so they can brew it for you," Wu Xiucai refused without hesitation.

"It's no big deal for me to miss a meal. We've had a long journey, so you should rest well before you go to become an apprentice tomorrow."

"mother!"

"Alright, I have a place to go, but the accommodation is a bit expensive. However, you and your aunt can stay for a night or two, and then move in when there are vacancies in these inns."

"Sure, sure, any amount of silver is fine. We'll only stay for one or two nights. The academy will provide food and lodging. We can just rent a small courtyard for my mother later."

Wu Xunzhi didn't ask where it was and agreed immediately, since having a house to live in these days was already a blessing.

"Xing'er, you're not talking about the place you stayed a few days ago, are you?" Shan Tao asked quietly.

“That’s right. Brother Wu helped us, and he probably wouldn’t accept money. Why don’t I help him rent a courtyard for a few days to repay his kindness?”

“Brother Wu, Auntie, let me take you there. Fortunately, we are all safe now,” Shen Xing’er said.

Wu Xunzhi and his mother exchanged a glance and said, "In that case, I will not stand on ceremony. Thank you both for your kind help."

"I just don't know if anyone lives there. They only have two large guest rooms. Let's go ask," Shen Xing'er said.

"In any case, it's always good to go and take a look. If someone is staying there, then we'll have to stay at the temple tonight. But thank you both for your kindness anyway," Wu Xunzhi's mother said again.

"No need to be so polite, we're all from the capital, we should help each other out," Shan Tao waved her hand and said generously.

So the group headed toward the inn where Shen Xing'er had stayed a few days earlier.

At this moment, Song Wenyang was sitting in the courtyard of the inn, reading in the sun. He looked up at the spot where Shen Xing'er had sat a few days ago and sighed at how fast time had passed, as if it was only yesterday that she was here.

"Young Master, five groups of people have come to ask if our inn has any vacancies today, and some have even offered three times the price." Uncle Jiao approached Song Wenyang and asked cautiously.

Song Wenyang didn't even look up and said, "Rooms? Tell everyone there are no rooms available."

"But aren't our rooms upstairs empty?" the page asked, puzzled.

"What does a child like him know?" Uncle Jiao glared at him, signaling him to shut up.

Knock, knock, knock. There was another knock on the door.

"Look, someone else is asking," Uncle Jiao said helplessly, turning around and skillfully opening the door.

"I'm sorry, sir, our inn is full. Please try another inn," Uncle Jiao said expertly.

"Uncle Jiao, it's been a long time. Is the inn full? Has that guest surnamed Song left too?" Shen Xing'er asked.

Uncle Jiao looked up and saw the woman in front of him. It turned out to be Miss Shen, whom his young master had been thinking about day and night. He cursed himself in his heart, "Look at my loose tongue, I almost sent my ancestor out the door!"

"Ah, so it's Miss Shen! Why don't you come in and talk?" Uncle Jiao composed himself and said politely.