Zhang Kui still has the same face, but his clothes give people a different feeling.
Xia Shang was not sure and asked: "Zhang Kui?"
"Young master, it's me." Zhang Kui chuckled, took a few steps back, and shook out the valuable cotton clothes on his upper body, "Isn't it very different from what you saw before?"
Xia Shang frowned and glanced up and down at Zhang Kui. It was hard to connect the Zhang Kui in front of him with the man from Zhazi Street in Yangzhou.
Zhang Kui should be a gangster with both anger and self-esteem. He is full of ruthlessness. We haven't seen him in less than half a year. How come he still acts like a human being?
Is such a change good or bad? Xia Shang couldn't tell, let alone say it.
Zhang Kui was not the only one who came. Behind him were a few middle-aged men with obviously shabby clothes and demeanor. Although they were not so dirty, they looked very similar to Zhang Kui from before.
"Sir, let's invite you upstairs." Zhang Kui cheerfully pointed to Chang Lexian inside, "I have reserved a seat inside."
Xia Shang nodded: "You do have a heart."
So Zhang Kui opened the way in front, Xia Shang followed, entered Chang Lexian and watched Zhang Kui go upstairs.
Zhang Kui's performance surprised Xia Shang, and also made several people who came with him a little surprised and nervous. Although these people had changed their clothes, it was not difficult to see that they were all beggars.
Zhang Kui went all the way to the top floor of Chang Lexian's house and chose the only large table on the top floor. The view outside the window was the best in the surrounding area.
"This seat alone should be expensive, right?" Xia Shang asked quietly from behind Zhang Kui.
Zhang Kui patted his chest: "It's okay, it's only one hundred and eighty taels of silver. We are treating the young master to a meal and drink, how can we skip the ostentation?"
Having said this, Zhang Kui moved to the main seat and opened a stool: "Master, please take a seat."
Xia Shang didn't refuse and sat down alone first.
Zhang Kui also sat down next to Xia Shang, and then waved to the few people accompanying him: "Come and sit down, don't be so nervous."
Looking at this large restaurant, even the tablecloths are made of bright red brocade inlaid with gold, and the embroidered cotton cushions on the stools are more beautiful than the bellybands worn by the most coquettish girls they have ever seen. In such an environment, these
People were so nervous that they couldn't move their legs.
Xia Shang counted seven people in total.
"Sir, these are the friends I made when I first came to Suzhou. They are all beggars in Suzhou just like me, but they have many brothers in Suzhou, and many little beggars depend on them."
Xia Shang nodded, indicating that he understood.
After Zhang Kui finished speaking, he said to the people in front of him: "Several brothers have come to meet my young master. You didn't believe me when I said that I was also a beggar. Now I will show you my lucky star. I think I was not as good as before in Yangzhou.
Everyone, we are where we are today thanks to the promotion of the young master. I have told you before that if you want to stand out and not be looked down upon by others, then join our beggar gang and make a living with my young master. You can also be like me.
.”
Several beggars looked at Xia Shang without saying anything, a little nervous and a little curious.
"What are you guys doing standing around? Why don't you sit down quickly?" Zhang Kui was a little impatient and felt that he had lost face in front of the young master.
A beggar rubbed his hands: "How about we sit down in front of the nobles? There is such a good restaurant and such a high place. This is the first time for us to come here to see it. Just take a look. We don't dare to sit down. We don't dare to sit down."
eat."
"The food hasn't been served yet! What are you doing?"
Xia Shang looked at the table. A total of more than a dozen appetizers had been put on the table. He thought that Kui had changed a lot, but he saw a dirty little hand reaching out to the table.
Xia Shang didn't notice that there was a little beggar coming with him. Although he was wearing clean clothes, he was still gray-haired and not very good-looking.
Everyone was talking, no one paid attention to him, but he took the lead and started eating quietly.
But the kid didn't succeed, so he was grabbed by Zhang Kui, grabbed him by the collar and threw him aside, and gave him a slap in the mouth with his backhand, with a crisp sound: "You little bastard, you are touching me in front of the young master.
Don’t you disgrace your father?”
The little beggar was only ten years old. He was stunned by a slap. Tears rolled in his eyes, but he did not dare to say a word.
Xia Shang frowned: "Kid, don't do this."
"This kid can't do anything without cleaning up his hands and feet. I didn't want to bring him here at first, but I thought that this kid didn't have much knowledge, so I brought him here to open his eyes. But I didn't expect that he would be unruly in front of the young master."
"It doesn't matter." Xia Shang looked confused, "You called yourself his father before? When did you show up as a child?"
Zhang Kui laughed and said, "I recognize my godson. I just met him when I came to Suzhou. I accidentally broke one of his fingers, causing this kid to become half a cripple. I thought it was my responsibility, but he also felt the same."
He was a beggar, so he accepted him as his godson and took care of him for the rest of his life. But this kid didn't want to, so he taught him a lesson and became an honest man."
The little beggar was very thin, his eyes were still staring at the things on the table, and he was swallowing saliva.
When Xia Shang saw it, he took a plate of braised beef and handed it to him: "Eat it."
At the same time, I did not forget to glance at his hand and found that the index finger of his right hand was indeed broken. The wound has not healed yet. It seems that it happened not long ago.
The little beggar didn't even look at Xia Shang, he grabbed the plate and stuffed it into his mouth, as if he had never eaten such good food in his life."
Zhang Kui raised his eyebrows when he saw this: "Little thing, you don't understand any rules!"
Zhang Kui tried to fight, but Xia Shang glared at him.
Zhang Kui was still a little afraid of Xia Shang, so he put down his hand and shouted in a low voice: "Thank you, Master."
"Thank you..." the little beggar said vaguely, "Thank you, sir."
Xia Shang felt sorry for the boy and asked, "What's your name?"
"Xiaoqi."
"No name?"
"No." The little beggar glanced at Xia Shang.
"oh."
But the little beggar thought of something else and hurriedly explained: "But I have a surname, my surname is Hong."
Xia Shang was stunned: "Hong Qi, Hong Qi, Hong Qi...he is a beggar again...and even broke a finger..."
Thinking about it, Xia Shang smiled.
But no one knew why Xia Shang was laughing, and the little beggar explained seriously: "No one calls me Hong Qi, they all call me Xiao Qi."
"Xiaoqi, right? Very good...very good..."
Zhang Kui didn't know what Xia Shang was thinking, and couldn't understand why the young master cared so much about this little beggar.
"Sir, let's sit down and have a drink. Why bother talking to a kid?"
Xia Shang looked at the people in front of him, then stood up: "Forget it, just eat with your new friends today. I have something else to do."
"Sir, don't you..."
"Zhang Kui, give it to me."
Xia Shang didn't give Zhang Kui a chance to say anything. Zhang Kui also knew that the young master wanted to explain business to him, so he got up and accompanied Xia Shang to the stairs of Chang Lexian. (To be continued)