Volume Two: An Eventful Autumn, A Series of Twists and Turns. Chapter 114: Lavish Spending, The Vicious Troupe Leader

When Chang Yu heard the mention of the banknotes, a guilty conscience washed over her. She scratched her head, her voice softening significantly.

"Why are you in such a hurry about the banknotes? They aren't going anywhere; I was just keeping them safe for you. Is such a trifle really worth all this fuss?" Her words grew quieter as she spoke.

Chen Xin dutifully retrieved Chen San’s banknotes from beneath the pillow. "I was keeping them safe for you. You were wearing a dress when you came back, so I thought I’d change them out for you."

Upon receiving the banknotes, Chen San let out a long sigh of relief. He began counting them with mounting excitement, over and over again. As he counted, his expression grew rigid and his face turned increasingly grim. Chang Yu watched in awkward silence, wondering how she should explain the two hundred taels they had spent.

"Ah!" In the middle of his counting, Chen San staged a dramatic wail.

"Two hundred taels are missing! Are you even human? I entertain so many guests every day, and you spend my silver? Is this right? Is it? Is it?"

Chang Yu was taken aback. This fellow must have been knocked smart by that fall—he’d only counted a few times before realizing they were the ones who had spent it.

Embarrassed, she retorted, "It’s only two hundred taels, isn't it? Is it really worth crying like this? Didn't we leave you plenty? Money is merely an external possession; you can't bring it into this world or take it with you. Don't be so heartbroken, ouch!"

"Ah~"

Chen San cried even more bitterly. He had only guessed, and he hadn't expected them to actually admit it.

"What did you buy that cost two hundred taels? Two hundred! Two hundred! I only earn two hundred a day! I—I—I worked for nothing today!"

*Thud.* Chang Yu dumped everything they had bought onto the table.

Chen San was beside himself. The pile of miscellaneous items was as high as a small hill, and there was even a candied hawthorn skewer tucked inside. Just as Chen San was about to ask what it was, Chang Yu shoved it into his mouth. He looked stunned.

"Are you trying to poison me?"

"Poison you? You're so sheltered. This is called a candied hawthorn, a snack. Give it a lick—isn't it sweet?"

"Mm, it's actually quite good." As he said this, he gave a piece to Chen Xin.

"Don't think you can dismiss me with a single candied hawthorn. Look at this—what on earth did you buy?"

This, this, this—what were these things? They’d even bought a giant copper bowl. Did they think they were going to heaven? What kind of useless junk was all this?

*Clang!*

Chang Yu closed her eyes, lowered her head, and slowly drew the Shangqing Sword from its scabbard. Hearing the sound of the blade, Chen San’s survival instinct flared; if he kept complaining, he feared no one would be able to save him.

"This, this... wow, this garment is so beautiful! You have such great taste."

"Wow, this giant copper bowl is lovely! Food must taste especially fragrant when served in it. And this, and this—everything is so noble. This, this... ah! Just kill me! I can't make up any more excuses!"

Chang Yu sheathed the Shangqing Sword, her face full of disdain.

"It's a miracle we didn't spend it all, so stop your incessant whining. It’s not a giant copper bowl; it’s a copper alms bowl, used by monks when they beg for alms."

"Used by monks for alms? We aren't begging, so why did you buy a copper alms bowl?"

"Isn't it convenient for cooking when we're out in the wilderness? Look, with a big copper bowl like this, we can make chicken soup or meat stew. It’s much better than roasting everything every day. The food is so dry it makes me want to vomit. And look, here’s a big copper ladle, too."

"You... you... fine. You’re using a monk’s vegetarian bowl to boil soup. Aren't you afraid of burning your mouth?"

Chen San swallowed hard. Despite his words, he thought to himself that this girl was actually quite thoughtful. Eating roasted food all the time really did cause internal heat, leaving his mouth full of blisters.

"Forget it, forget it. It’s just two hundred taels. Look at how pathetic you’re acting. Ask your husband for some; didn't he earn some silver too? He views money as dirt and doesn't care for it. Ask him for some; he'll surely give it to you."

When Chen San heard this, he really perked up. Yang Chengzi had indeed earned a fair amount tonight. Just as he was about to speak, Yang Chengzi got up from the bed and stretched.

"Don't even think about that money. It’s already been spent."

"Spent?"

Chen San and Chang Yu asked almost in unison. Chang Yu also looked astonished.

"Spent? You’ve been at the inn the whole time. Where did you spend several hundred taels?"

Yang Chengzi stood up and poured a cup of tea. "Fang Hua needed money to get her father medical treatment. She couldn't even afford to buy a chicken when I told her to. Now that her father is bedridden and there are two elderly people at home, how is a young girl supposed to live? How is she supposed to take care of them?"

"So? You gave her all the banknotes?"

Chen San looked at Yang Chengzi in shock, waiting for him to nod so he could faint. Sure enough, Yang Chengzi nodded nonchalantly while sipping his tea. Chen San made a show of collapsing, and Chen Xin caught him.

Chen San continued, "Fang Hua? Who is Fang Hua?"

Chang Yu sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. "A girl we just met. She’s quite pitiful..."

Before she could finish, Chen San shouted, "Just met? You gave it all away? Several hundred taels?"

He clutched Chen Xin with one hand and rested his forehead on the other. "I... I... I need to go lie on the bed. You... you... you..."

Stuttering, Chen San collapsed onto the bed, feigning groans. Even while moaning, he didn't forget to stroke Chen Xin’s small hand, and she, finding it amusing, did not pull away.

"I didn't give it all to her."

Chen San sprang up from the bed the moment he heard this, looking at Yang Chengzi with anticipation. Yang Chengzi took out the silver ingot Old Pan had given him and placed it on the table.

"I came back too early today. It was just dawn, and she probably hadn't woken up yet, so I didn't run into her. This is the reward from the opera house. You’re in luck."

As soon as the silver ingot appeared, Chen San’s eyes turned green. Although he knew banknotes could be exchanged for plenty of silver, seeing an actual ingot before him made him feel much more secure—after all, it was something he could touch.

He scrambled off the bed, grabbing the ingot to polish and bite it.

Yang Chengzi looked at him with disgust and joked, "I didn't wash my hands after I went to the latrine. If you don't mind, feel free to keep biting it."

Chen San froze instantly. To ease the awkwardness, he chuckled, put the silver away, and asked, "How was the opera house? Did they catch the one who was singing?"

Yang Chengzi shook his head, looking frustrated. "They arrived too late. By the time I got there, the singing had finished. I wandered around the opera house for a while, and then dawn broke. However, I could sense ghost energy; there is definitely something wrong with that place."

"Does this mean you have to go back tonight?"

"Yes, I have to go back once more. It’s strange, though. Old Pan said this ghost has been dead for two years. She was an opera singer there... wait, Wen Liangsheng," Yang Chengzi called out halfway through his thought.

"Yes, Daoist?"

"There is only one opera house here. You know this woman, right?"

"I do. Her name is Liu Qinghuai, a native of Yangzhou. She mostly played the *dan* role in our troupe. She was generally kind-hearted but quite competitive. I thought she sang well, but for some reason, she never really gained much fame. There were rumors in the troupe that she was involved with the troupe leader, though I don't know if it was true."

"Involved with the troupe leader?"

"Yes, that’s how the rumors went, but no one ever actually saw anything."

"The troupe leader? The leader of the Pan Family Troupe?" Chen San shouted, as if he had discovered something.

Yang Chengzi looked puzzled. Chen San pointed at himself, growing highly agitated. "He... he... he once patronized me."

*Pfft!*

Chang Yu sprayed a mouthful of tea directly onto Chen San’s face. It was as if he’d had his face washed; he was dripping with tea. Chang Yu showed no remorse and burst into loud laughter. Chen Xin struggled to suppress a smile while wiping the tea from Chen San’s face.

"Aren't you disgusting? Seriously, if you're going to drink tea, swallow it! Why spray it on my face? Are you watering flowers?"

After laughing for a while, Chang Yu pretended to wipe away tears. "I only have one question for you now!"

"Ask, ask, ask! Honestly, I don't know what you're laughing about."

"What should we call that troupe leader when we see him? Brother-in-law? Hahaha..." Chang Yu burst into laughter again.

"Ahem!" Yang Chengzi hadn't found it funny at first, but after hearing Chang Yu, he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Stop messing around. Let Chen San tell us what the leader actually said."

"Fine, fine, I won't say anything else, okay?" Chang Yu looked at Chen San, her eyes watery from laughter.

Chen San looked speechless. "It was all fragmented, and I don't remember much. I only remember that several years ago, he wiped out an entire opera troupe. They were likely all killed, though I'm not sure. Sister Wan’er wouldn't let me ask, so I never found out if he was the one who killed them. Regardless, those people either left or scattered, and the rest died on the road."

"Wiped out an entire troupe? Isn't there only one troupe here?"

"No, Daoist. Several years ago, there were other troupes, but gradually, only ours remained. We only focused on performing; we didn't know much about anything else."

"So, this troupe leader is a cold-blooded and ruthless man?" Yang Chengzi asked, puzzled.