It was not yet noon, and the eatery was not crowded. The young waiter stood idly at the door, looking around. Upon seeing soone approaching, he imdiately changed his expression and warmly greeted them: "Dear guests, please co inside! I guarantee you won’t regret dining here! Our cook trained in the Capital, so I assure you that the dishes here taste just like those made by the famous chefs in the Capital!"
Lu Qing glanced at the shopkeeper busy at the counter: "Where’s your old shopkeeper?"
"Oh, you’re a regular!" The young waiter was taken aback for a mont and quickly said, "I must apologize, I didn’t recognize you right away. No wonder you looked familiar!
Dear guests, please sit inside, it’s quiet here by the window. You can enjoy the view while having your al!
The old shopkeeper... Well! Let’s not jinx it so early in the day, it might spoil your appetite!"
Lu Qing gave him a look but didn’t press further. The three of them took a seat at the table by the window, and he gestured for Fu Lu to pass the two rabbits he was holding to the young waiter: "Make sure the chef shows his best skills, but be careful when skinning them, don’t damage them."
He then took out a small silver coin from his pocket and handed it over.
The young waiter saw the silver coin and imdiately bead with delight, respectfully receiving it with both hands, becoming even more enthusiastic: "Sure thing! You want the skins back for so use, I understand!
Please wait a mont, I’ll take the rabbits to the kitchen and then bring you a pot of good tea!"
The young waiter was quick and soon sent the rabbits to the kitchen, returning with a pot of tea and three teacups, placing them respectfully on the table. Just as he was about to leave, Lu Qing called him back.
"There aren’t many custors this morning, why not chat with us for a while?" Lu Qing gestured for Fu Lu to pour the tea, striking up a conversation with the young waiter.
The young waiter, naturally talkative, with the heavy silver coin in his pocket, took a peek at the new shopkeeper at the counter, nodded, and smiled: "Sure! If you’re not bothered by my chatter, I’d be happy to keep you company and help you pass the ti!"
"I’ve visited your shop a few tis before and had so dealings with the old shopkeeper." Lu Qing took a tea cup from Fu Lu, "You ntioned earlier about jinxing things; did sothing happen to him?"
"Sir, you’re... unfazed by taboos, I see?" The young waiter realized the guest didn’t give him so much silver without a reason; he must be here to find sothing out. He was initially worried the guest might ask about difficult subjects, but upon hearing it was about the old shopkeeper, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Actually, our old shopkeeper passed away, just a while back!
If you’d co over a month ago, you could still have seen him!"
"I rember your shopkeeper being quite old, but he was always healthy. How did he suddenly die?" Lu Qing’s expression changed slightly, "Could it be... there’s a plague in your county?"
"Don’t worry, dear guest, look outside at the bustling people. Does it look like there’s a plague?" The young waiter quickly waved his hand, pointing outside, "Everyone’s fine, the old shopkeeper... His death was a bit strange, which is why I hesitated to ntion it, lest it makes you uneasy!"
"Oh?" Zhu Yu, who had remained silent, finally chid in, looking intrigued, "Could it be that in broad daylight, your county is haunted by so monstrous evil spirits?"
The young waiter imdiately waved his hands and glanced over at the new shopkeeper: "Dear guest, don’t say that out loud!"
He squatted by the table, pretending to scrub with a coarse white cloth, and whispered to Lu Qing: "Are you not from around here? Where do you co from? Have you ever heard of the ’Ghost Temple’ near us?"
Zhu Yu shook his head; Lu Qing remained silent.
The young waiter continued: "About a dozen miles outside our county, there’s a Mountain God Temple, which had been abandoned for many years. Suddenly, more people have been visiting it recently.
So people went there to pray for wealth and soon after found unexpected fortune, while others went there hoping for riches and ended up paying with their lives instead.
Lately, it’s rumored that so sort of creature has taken over the temple since it’s been abandoned. That creature can make people rich or cause their sudden demise.
If one is destined for wealth, they might get rich, but if soone isn’t ant to be wealthy and still insists on seeking fortune, they might end up dead.
Opinions are divided."
"So strange?" Zhu Yu appeared very interested and asked the young waiter, "Did your forr shopkeeper also go there to make a wish?"
"That’s just my guess." The young waiter chuckled awkwardly, "Anyone seeking fortune from there wouldn’t want others to know. The place is said to be so cursed that whoever seeks wealth there basically admits to having bad intentions, wanting ill-gotten gains!
But our old shopkeeper was usually stingy, and about two months ago, one day, when he bent down, guess what happened?
Clang! A silver ingot fell from his pocket!
This big!"
The young waiter used both hands to illustrate the size of the ingot: "Pardon for saying this, but since I was a child, that was the first ti I saw a full silver ingot!"
Zhu Yu also showed a surprised expression, though slightly exaggerated to echo the young waiter’s feelings, but it wasn’t entirely an act.
You see, ordinary people bought a bushel of rice for only a few coins, and a rough cloth for clothing cost about a hundred coins. Families worked tirelessly all day long to earn just about two hundred coins, which they’d soon spend on food and clothing as soon as they earned it.
So poorer people never even touched silver in their lifeti, let alone a silver ingot.
The young waiter, working in the eatery, had seen generous custors among the guests. But the joy on his face when he received the small silver coin from Lu Qing earlier indicated how astonished he must have been to see a ten-tael silver ingot.
"How did the old shopkeeper die? Was it in that ’Ghost Temple’?" Zhu Yu lowered his voice, asking the young waiter.
"Of course not! If he had died in that temple, no one would dare to doubt the curse anymore!" The young waiter waved his hands, "At first, it was like he vanished into thin air, neither alive nor dead, disappearing without a trace overnight!
People said the Ghost Immortal in that temple devours people without a trace, as had happened before. One minute, a person was alive, the next, they were gone!
Later, his family searched everywhere and eventually found him in the hollow trunk of a tree struck dead by lightning...
The young waiter shivered, his voice lowering further: "He was all dried up, pale as a ghost, like he had been drained dry!
People said that the old shopkeeper must have disrespected the Ghost Immortal, angered it, and lost his life trying to get rich.
If you ask , it’s about whether soone is destined for wealth!
Our old shopkeeper was never ant for wealth, didn’t have the fortune to handle such riches, tried to reach for such a big fortune and ended up losing his own life for it!"
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