The girl in pink clothes, with an evil smile, took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve. She sprinkled some black powder on the heads and faces of the thugs. Seemingly not satisfied, she also pulled open their shirt fronts and poured some into their chests.
"Ah, it itches, it itches so much!" Not long after, the thugs began to howl.
The man in black clothes shouted sternly, "If I see you bullying people again, I'll take your dog lives! Get lost!"
The five thugs wailed and crawled away dragging a broken leg, and the sounds of "It itches me to death!" echoed through the alley.
Only then did everyone realize that the man in black had only broken one leg to ensure they could still crawl away.
"Thank you both, young heroes, for your assistance. May I ask for your names?" Zuo Siming stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. His hastily tied topknot had long since come loose, making him look quite disheveled.
The little boy also walked up to Lu Ye and Bai Sheng, mimicking his grandfather, and cupped his fists. "Thank you both, young heroes, for your help. May I ask for your esteemed names? Once I, Zuo Jiuji, make a name for myself, I will surely repay you tenfold."
Zuo Jiuji? What a peculiar name!
Bai Sheng chuckled, looking at the three to four-year-old who acted like a miniature adult. Just as she was about to reply, a group of men and women rushed in, heading straight for the children huddled in the corner.
"Oh, my child, you scared your mother to death!"
"Son, come, let's go home. We're never coming to this wretched private school again!"
"Here, my good son, let your father see if you're injured. If you are, we'll demand compensation from Master Zuo!"
...
The parents led their children to Zuo Siming, all with displeased expressions.
"Master Zuo, please refund our tuition fees. It's too dangerous for our children to study with you."
"Yes, please trouble Master Zuo to return our tuition fees. We won't be coming anymore."
The middle-aged man vigorously scratched his messy hair, forcing a smile. "Everyone, could you grant me a few more days? I'm a bit... tight on funds." Those dozen taels of silver had already been used to buy medicine for his father, leaving him with only a few dozen copper coins, which were his and his grandson's food money.
A parent sneered coldly, "Master Zuo is so poor, I presume his teaching abilities are not very good. We just paid our tuition fees a few days ago, please refund them, and we'll find a renowned teacher elsewhere!"
Jiuji immediately wilted, his spirit sinking by several feet. He timidly approached Master Zuo, tugged at his robe, and whispered, "Grandpa, do you not have a single cent left?"
Zuo Siming looked embarrassed and mumbled, "The money was all spent on medicine for your great-grandfather."
"Master Zuo, don't beat around the bush, return the money! Otherwise, we'll report you to the authorities!"
"As a teacher, you are keeping others' tuition fees and not returning them. You are truly unworthy of being a scholar!"
"Exactly! You poor teacher must have no real skills, that's why you're here to scam people!"
Jiuji clenched his small fists and shouted, "You are not allowed to speak about my grandfather like that! My grandfather spent the money to treat Great-Grandfather! My grandfather is not a swindler!"
Bai Sheng couldn't help herself. She stepped forward and asked coldly, "How much does Master Zuo owe you? I'll pay it for him!"
"Five taels!"
"Three taels!"
"Six taels!"
...
"And me! And me! Master Zuo owes me three months' rent... a total of... nine taels!" a plump old man rushed out from the crowd.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, inwardly rejoicing at his own quickness, having arrived just in time for a generous benefactor to pay Master Zuo's debts.
Bai Sheng returned the money to each of them, one by one.
The onlookers, witnessing the pink-clad girl's generosity, began racking their brains, desperately wondering if Master Zuo owed them money as well.
Zuo Siming, with his messy hair, stared at Bai Sheng and Lu Ye, his face filled with disbelief. Were these two young heroes deities descended from heaven, specifically to rescue him?
Zuo Jiuji frowned. His grandfather owed so much money; how could he ever repay it all? He was only four years old, and the imperial examinations to become a high official were still a long way off.
Bai Sheng stepped forward, bent down, and smoothed the small furrow between Zuo Jiuji's brows with her hand, smiling. "Your name is Zuo Jiuji, right? Jiǔ from 'nine heavens,' and jī from 'chicken'?"
Zuo Jiuji blinked for a moment and earnestly explained, "Pretty older sister, my name is Zuo Jiuji. Jiǔ for 'nine heavens,' and jī for 'xuanji' (a celestial sphere). Nine signifies infinity, and ji signifies intelligence, meaning 'extremely intelligent'."
"Oh, so that's how it is," Bai Sheng said, placing a hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry, Jiuji, I misunderstood your name."
Jiuji giggled, "It's alright, pretty older sister. Ignorance is bliss. This is my grandfather, Zuo Siming. You paid our debts for us, and I will definitely earn money to repay you when I grow up."
Bai Sheng glanced at Zuo Siming, patted Zuo Jiuji's head, and smiled, "Little Jiuji, we've come to hire your grandfather to teach our child. You don't need to repay this money."
Zuo Jiuji's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, you want to hire my grandfather as a teacher?"
Bai Sheng nodded with a smile, "Indeed!"
Zuo Siming looked at Bai Sheng and Lu Ye with surprise. What was the intention of these two godsends who had appeared from nowhere?
He had endured twenty years in the capital, barely making a living by opening a small private school, yet he still faced slander and suppression from peers and extortion from thugs. He didn't think he was that famous. Why had they come, hearing of his reputation, to invite him to be a teacher?
Zuo Jiuji said excitedly, "Pretty older sister, my grandfather is very knowledgeable, and his tuition fees are very cheap!"
Seeing the parents of the earlier children still watching the spectacle, Bai Sheng deliberately raised her voice. "We plan to offer your grandfather five hundred taels of silver annually to be our family's private tutor. Furthermore, you can study alongside your grandfather, with all expenses for food and lodging covered!"
"Five hundred taels? And... and room and board are covered?" Zuo Jiuji's eyes widened. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He felt his grandfather wasn't worth five hundred taels. He had originally thought five taels a month would be quite good, but he never expected the pretty older sister to offer five hundred taels!
My goodness! If this were true, Great-Grandfather would have money for medicine, Great-Grandmother could eat soft, sticky pastries, Mother and aunts would have money for pretty clothes, his elder brothers would have money for stationery, and Uncle Two wouldn't have to toil so hard in the fields, and Uncle Three wouldn't have to risk his life hunting in the mountains...
The parents who heard this also wore expressions of utter astonishment, looking at Bai Sheng as if she were a simpleton.
This young girl looked so beautiful and clever; how could she be so foolish? Five hundred taels! That amount could hire a tutor for the Imperial Academy. Why would they want to hire such a poor and humble teacher?
The crowd watching was even more shocked. They could never have imagined that the pauper Zuo would have such good fortune.