Jiang Sheng did not know the value of the jade bracelet, but she also knew that the jade bracelet was absolutely priceless, worth at least thirty taels of silver.
"Not just that, it looks to be of exceptionally high quality, at least worth a thousand taels," Chang Yan said in a low voice, as if he knew what they were thinking.
Not to mention Jiang Sheng, even Wen Zhiyun and Zhang Xianglian were stunned.
A jade bracelet worth a thousand taels used to pay off a four wen meal bill? This...this didn't seem right.
The waiter suppressed his anger and stared at the jade bracelet in astonishment. Although ordinary people may not recognize ordinary goods, the elegance of truly high-end items was simply unmistakable.
Moreover, even if it was just an ordinary bracelet worth a couple of taels, it was still a guaranteed profit.
The waiter smiled from ear to ear as he reached for it. "Then it's settled. You have to keep your word."
Tan Yue gasped loudly from the side and forcefully looked away.
In a flash, Jiang Sheng raced to the front of the jade bracelet like an agile shuttlecock, snatched it away, put down forty wen, all in one go.
The waiter's hand landed on the forty wen.
Jiang Sheng held the smooth and sleek jade, feeling its gently warmth and chill. Squeezing it lightly made it emanate a faint warmth again instead of an uncomfortable iciness.
It really was the finest thing she had ever seen.
Before she could even speak, the impatient waiter beside them yelled, "How dare you openly rob possessions in broad daylight. Give that bracelet back!"
He then lunged to grab it back.
Old Lady Jiang's expression drastically changed. Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan frowned deeply as they shielded their little sister.
"No, don't you dare hurt my sister!" Wen Zhiyun bellowed uncharacteristically but without much force.
"Let's talk nicely. Things could get ugly if violence is used," Chang Yan's voice turned icy.
The waiter was furious. "You were clearly the ones who robbed my belongings first and now you threaten me too. Is there no rule of law left in Fengjing?"
His words attracted a few onlookers.
Jiang Sheng quickly popped her head out and explained, "What you wanted was forty wen for the dumplings. I've already paid you. This jade bracelet is too expensive so it should be returned to the Old Lady."
Having said that, she marched up to Old Lady Jiang and angrily showed her upturned palms.
Clearly the little girl still held a grudge about the previous extortion.
But that didn't stop her from being warm-hearted and kind, always willing to help.
What a contrary little thing she was.
Old Lady Jiang's heart softened even more. For a fleeting moment, she even decided that even if Jiang Sheng wasn't of Jiang lineage, she still wished to have ties with this little girl.
"But the Old Lady willingly gave away that bracelet. What right do you have to interfere?" the waiter struggled.
Jiang Sheng had no patience for him. "Don't you know the price of the jade bracelet and the price of two bowls of dumplings? Getting a jade bracelet for just forty wen, are you running a dumpling stand or a pawn shop!"
The waiter's expression froze in dismay.
In contrast, the surrounding commoners burst into laughter, some even giving Jiang Sheng a thumbs up.
Jiang Sheng had never feared strangers and started chatting them up. "Uncles, aunties, am I right or not?"
"Yes, you're absolutely right!" everyone chorused.
No one could dislike such a spunky little girl.
Old Lady Jiang's heart softened even more. For a fleeting moment, she even decided that even if Jiang Sheng wasn't of Jiang lineage, she still wished to have ties with this little girl.
"Alright, stop it. We're leaving now. Farewell everyone!" The little girl had no wish to tarry. She pulled her two brothers along and climbed onto the carriage.
Old Lady Jiang handed the jade bracelet to Tan Yue and whispered a few words.
Tan Yue quickly understood her orders. Very soon, she blocked Jiang Sheng's carriage and after a few sentences, returned with the same exquisite warm jade bracelet in her hands.
"The young miss says she doesn't accept rewards undeserved. Forty wen for dumplings and sixty wen for candied chestnuts are nothing. She also said... if you are sincere, refund the one hundred wen to Jiuzhen Store."
Old Lady Jiang laughed softly.
It was true she was generous but at times petty too. And when she was being petty, she could also be unexpectedly generous.
No one knew what the child had endured in her early years.
It should be about time the second letter from Anshui Prefecture arrived.
Old Lady Jiang pulled herself together and slowly climbed into her carriage supported by Tan Yue.
"Back to the Jiang residence."
After waiting patiently for two days, the second letter did arrive as expected.
Unlike the thick stack from last time, this one was just three thin pages.
Old Lady Jiang had a bad premonition. Jiang Sheng had written fifteen pages about her life from eight to eleven years old. How could the first eight years of her life warrant just three pages?
She opened it with trembling hands. The very first line leapt out, shocking her to the core.
The orphan girl Jiang Sheng drifted to Xieyang County, Anshui Prefecture soon after she was born. She was abandoned on the main street of the county town.
A kind old woman picked her up and fed her coarse rice gruel until she was one and a half years old. When the old woman passed away from illness, the toddler who could barely walk clung to the old woman's corpse. She survived for seven days drinking rancid rice gruel until discovered by a neighbor. After the old woman was properly buried, the neighbor brought Jiang Sheng home.
When Jiang Sheng turned two, the neighbor who lacked food to feed her newborn youngest child, reluctantly abandoned the girl at Shili Town's marketplace. She was again picked up by another couple who raised her for a short period until they had their own child.
When food ran short, Jiang Sheng, being unrelated, could only be abandoned on the streets again. She scavenged for vegetable stems and scraps that others dropped, and slept in the straw nests of stray dogs.
Occasionally some kind souls unable to bear watching would toss her a bite or two. In this way she staggered on until five years old. Although she had gained years, long term starvation and cold had stunted her growth, leaving her with an oversized head and bony body.
During this period, she banded together with a nine year old street urchin who provided her some warmth for half a year's time before he was tempted away by a violent gang of bullies.
That winter when Jiang Sheng was five, she nearly perished in the snow. Zhang Xianglian gave her hot rice and soup and brought her back to the dilapidated temple at Shili Village where she finally had a place to call home, albeit a poor one.
From age five to seven, as she became craftier at stealing food, she got beaten no less than seven or eight times. Some were just a couple of slaps while others left her battered and bedridden for three days. Fortunately she survived them all.
Lucky, what a mocking word that was.
One could say she was lucky to have survived, or deem her unlucky to have suffered such adversity.
Old Lady Jiang silently wept, huge teardrops falling onto the envelope, the ink words bleeding into blurry spots.
Tan Yue worriedly watched her mistress but dared not make a sound.
Further in, there was speculation about Jiang Sheng’s age. Based on the neighbor and old woman's description, Jiang Sheng should have been six to seven months old when picked up bundled in swaddling clothes. After that there was no way to estimate her age by size. By adding up the time though, it matched up with Jiang Sheng’s current age of eleven.
According to the neighbor’s recollection, Jiang Sheng was very fair and chubby back then. Although she had wailed loudly from hunger after a day, her voice was loud and clear while her body was healthy. This was why the entire village wondered who would have abandoned such a normal child.
The only doubt was the cloth used to wrap the baby seemed very ordinary without any markings hinting at a well-off family. It was common undyed cotton. So there was no evidence to verify Jiang Sheng’s background.
Of course such details meant little to outsiders.
Only Old Lady Jiang understood the reason behind it. After pondering things through, she ground her teeth in fury, the cane in her hand viciously striking the stone slab beneath.
"That damned wretch!"
"Damn her!"
