While the word "dunce" was still ringing in everybody’s ears, the male voice continued to speak clearly.
"Do you know how much it cost to play that dunce’s Go arrangement once? Ten taels of silver."
The guests at the other two tables were shocked.
"Isn’t that crazy? Who would spend that much money to play once?" they all questioned.
"See what I mean? Do you know how much that dunce put as prize money? Five thousand taels."
When he said this, not just the guests at the table were shocked, but the shopkeepers and waiters audibly gasped in surprise.
"That is much too terrifying."
"They must have exquisite Go skill."
Everyone said.
But the man laughed and slapped the table
"High cla.s.s s.h.i.+t. That is a true dunce." He roared in laughter.
Hu Gui laughed along. The person who can put out five thousand taels is indeed rich. But the person who wins only has to pay ten taels. To what end?
"Sounds like a real dunce," he said to Miss Jun.
Miss Jun wasn’t looking at him. Fang Chengyu was smiling and his eyes were twinkling brightly.
This Miss Jun would never change expression even if Mt. Tai was collapsing, and this young master was looking curiously, and the carriage driver…
Hu Gui looked at Lei Zhonglian because he was looking straight at him.
This carriage driver was interesting. Usually he was dull like wood, moving stiffly in front of Miss Jun, and he had never spared more than a glance at him.
But now he had looked at him twice.
"Wut?" Hu Gui asked.
Lei Zhonglian looked at him.
"Nuthin’," he answered.
Ai, he has only been here for a little bit but he’s already using the local slang.
‘If it’s nuthin’, what are you looking at me for?’ thought Hu Gui.
As they exchanged glances, Miss Jun suddenly stepped forward, but not where the employees were directing her. She walked directly to that man.
"Why is that person a dunce?" She walked up to the man and asked.
At this time, the other people at the tables were questioning him.
The sweet female voice was distinct among their voices. The man’s ears perked up and he looked at Miss Jun.
They faced each other, four eyes filled with surprise.
"It’s you."
They spoke at the same time, eerily.
They knew each other?
Lei Zhonglian and Fang Chengyu also walked over. They saw the young man’s face from where they were by a table.
Eyes like starry gems, a face as if carved by a knife, a n.o.ble brow, a smiling mouth, he looked open but also not, unfathomable.
It was him!
Fang Chengyu and Lei Zhonglian’s faces changed.
The strange-acting woodcutter!
The air froze for a moment. The young man stopped smiling and sized up Miss Jun.
"It’s you," he said again.
Miss Jun looked right back at him.
"So it was you," she stated, realization and lamentation in her voice.
So they knew each other. Hu Gui looked at them curiously.
Lei Zhonglian also heard the "it’s you", but it meant two different things for two people.
The young man said it’s you referring to their meeting on their journey.
Miss Jun ‘it’s you’ referred to a time long before, to the Yangcheng Lantern Festival, to the person who solved her Go lantern.
It couldn’t be him.
The shopkeeper looked between the man and woman with hesitation.
"Miss Jun, you see…" he started.
Without waiting for him to finish speaking, she pulled out a stool and sat down.
"I am with this n.o.ble son," she said, looking at the young man.
Everyone froze when she said this. The young man frowned.
"This can’t be good?" he said.
"How so?" She smiled at him. "n.o.ble Son is my life’s benefactor. I would like to share a table with you to show my intentions. Shan’t I?"
He put his hand out to stop her.
"Stop, what life’s benefactor? You speak false," he said. "I did not save your life, and I do not owe you anything."
It was like a fog surrounded the employees and Hu Gui when they heard this. Even Lei Zhonglian and Fang Chengyu who knew what happened were also confused.
Someone who saved others owed others?
But this wasn’t anything strange.
It was strange enough that they had seen him before.
Everybody knew just one thing; that they indeed did know each other. The employees immediately did not say anything else.
"Bring out the food, the best dishes," said the shopkeeper chasing off the employees.
Hu Gui pulled over Lei Zhonglian to a table on the side.
Fang Chengyu naturally sat down next to Miss Jun and smiled at the young man.
The man didn’t spare him a glance, choosing to watch Miss Jun warily.
She kept staring at him.
"How could this be so coincidental?" she said, with an incredulous expression. "How could it be such a coincidence?"
This person solved her Go arrangement?
And he was the one to steal her Immortal Ziying plant?
She did not choose to pursue the person who solved her Go lantern. She believed she would never see them again She never thought that she would actually meet them on her journey.
She also didn’t think she would get involved with the person who stole heer Immortal Ziying plant again. She didn’t think she would actually encounter him.
What was even more coincidental was that she didn’t think that the two people she didn’t think of meeting were one and the same.
This coincidence was something she could have never imagined, like being reborn after she died.
Miss Jun, who had always maintained a cool facade, spoke with feeling.
The complicated feeling came from the fact that this man had robbed her twice.
After being glared at so by Miss Jun, the young man took a step back.
"Young lady, calm down," he said. "You are still young. There are many coincidences in this world. Don’t think it’s strange; this doesn’t mean anything. Don’t overthink it."
Coincidences didn’t mean anything, but this was just too much of a coincidence.
Miss Jun smiled and placed her hand on the table. She then leaned forward.
"But this is too much of a coincidence. How could it be you?" she said. "Is this fate?"
The young man barked out a laugh.
"A meeting between one person and another is always fate," he said. "Fate is always around us. It’s not worth any money, so don’t overthink it."
Miss Jun was still smiling. She looked at him with a complicated expression.
"What is your name? Where are you from?" she asked.
He got to his feet violently.
"See, the world is so coincidental. We just met, and now we will part," he said. "I have things to do, so I’ll step out first. Maybe we will meet again."
He turned around, but he was too slow. The moment he got up, Miss Jun grabbed his arm.
"You aren"t allowed to leave," she said at the same time.
Because the young man was tall he couldn’t really be held back by her, so she also grabbed onto him with her other arm, and leaned backwards.
It looked like Miss Jun was hugging his arm.
The young man jumped.
"Inappropriate!" he yelped.