She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 721 - 719: What is a Chivalrous Warrior Like

Chapter 721: Chapter 719: What is a Chivalrous Warrior Like

Being guessed correctly by his wife about his friend’s source of livelihood, Jiang Yifan was a bit unsure how to respond to her. But Qi Younian was very curious and even found it hard to believe, "Cough cough, Ye Zi, we should not speculate about Yuanfan’s friend carelessly."

Ye Xinyan glanced at Jiang Yifan, and from his expression, she could tell that her guess was right.

She spread her hands to Qi Younian and said, "On my honor, I’m not speculating out of thin air. There really are such people in the Jianghu. If you don’t believe me, just ask Lord Jiang."

However, people capable of scaling walls and leaping over roofs are few, and besides those with genuine great ability, actually going ahead with such deeds involves significant risk. Not everyone with such skills is willing to do it.

Qi Younian looked at Jiang Yifan as well, his future grandson-in-law’s expression indicated that perhaps Ye Zi was correct?

Jiang Yifan met Qi Younian’s probing gaze and smilingly said, "Ah Yan isn’t wrong. My friend, Zheng Pengfei, is in his thirties. He has parents and brothers at home, and he spends his days at home, drinking tea and listening to storytelling and the likes, naturally at the family’s expense. If he’s extremely bored, he’ll travel far and wide. At times like these, he relies on what Ah Yan mentioned—robbing the rich to help the poor."

"Robbing the rich to help the poor?" Qi Younian mused to himself, seemingly a person who hadn’t seen much of the world, now realizing such people really do exist.

Ye Xinyan was quite interested in this Zheng Pengfei. Whether it be parents or siblings, ordinary families likely wouldn’t be willing to support a freeloader to drink tea and listen to stories, right?

She asked, "Is it that his family is well-off and doesn’t mind him mooching at home?"

Jiang Yifan chuckled, "That’s not the case. He’s a commoner’s son, but as a child, he was taken in by a declining old escort master as a disciple and learned skills that surpassed his master’s. When he got a bit older, after working as an escort for a few years, he earned some silver for his family and bought two properties. Whenever he returns from his travels, he brings some Silver Coin, enough to cover his household expenses. You could say, because of him, his family can eat and dress warmly."

Ye Xinyan smiled and shook her head, "Your friend is indeed capable, he’s managed to take good care of himself. But can he be trusted? And how much would his wages be?"

Jiang Yifan replied, "He can be trusted; my senior brother knows him too. There’s no issue with his character; probably because he spent so much time with the downtrodden old escort, he has a detached view of worldly affairs, and without family burden, he just plans to scrape by in life. His daily expenses are minimal. I’ll ask about his willingness, and he should be able to work similar to senior brother. When he no longer wishes to work, just giving him some extra travel expenses will suffice."

Qi Younian hesitated a moment before saying, "Isn’t that a bit inappropriate? After all, the man is capable of escorting valuable goods."

Previously, Guan He had come to Qi’s family at the invitation of Jiang Yifan, expressly to help. Later, Guan He wavered, and Jiang Yifan suggested he settle down, but he feared entanglements and being held back. However, he couldn’t bear to leave either, and so he dragged on for several years...without ever receiving a salary.

Guan He’s food and clothing were all provided by the Qi family, with clothes made at the turn of each season, and if there were special materials at home, a few extra pieces would be made for him. Every day’s meals, the kitchen treated him just like they would treat Qi Younian, asking in advance if he wanted anything particularly made.

If he fancied going out for a drink or amusement, he would simply ask Song Ping for some silver – whatever amount he needed, and whether spent or not, no one would check.

All in all, Guan He’s spending in the Qi household was much like that of Qi Younian – he earned no salary but was never in want.

The problem is, Qi Younian’s daily expenses were minimal, and Guan He was someone content with a plate of salted soybeans or old vinegar peanuts, accompanied by a pot of wine to pass half a day.

All the old master would feel that using Zheng Pengfei this way is not appropriate.

Jiang Yifan said, "I’ll ask Big Brother Zheng for his opinion before deciding. Actually, I think he’s a good man, and it would be best if he could settle down here. Having an extra skilled hand under you is good for you, and he will have a place he belongs to."

Jiang Yifan wanted to look out for his friend, but he also genuinely worried about the Qi family.

Now that Qi Younian and Ye Xinyan are considered part of Prince Yu’s faction, those involved in the struggle for the throne inevitably face more danger than others. Ye Xinyan is currently staying at Duke An’s Mansion, so there are no worries about her safety. Guan He has good skills but has to stay in the Qi family to ensure the safety of the Qi family’s old and young and to teach the three children martial arts.

Jiang Yifan believed that as long as Ye Xinyan was with the Qi family, Guangsha Construction would certainly grow, and by that time, the Construction Industry sector would need a skilled person in charge.

Even now, they couldn’t take things lightly. Qi Younian was new to the area and not yet familiar with everything, and with the next construction project having others coveting it, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

It just so happened that Zheng Pengfei was walking nearby at that moment, presenting an excellent opportunity.

As someone adept in social situations, Qi Younian certainly wouldn’t quibble about this matter. Facing his future grandson-in-law Jiang Yifan, his trust was even greater, "Alright, no matter what the expense, Yuanfan can make the decision."

With the serious matters settled, Ye Xinyan, still full of curiosity, asked Jiang Yifan, "Hey, tell us, what is this Zheng Pengfei like when he robs from the rich... I mean, when he robs from the rich, what are his standards? He doesn’t just go to some place and start inquiring where to find rich families that are mean and stingy to rob them, does he?"

Looking at Ye Xinyan’s sparkling eyes, Jiang Yifan laughed, "Haven’t you heard about it already? What I say definitely won’t be as interesting as what you’ve heard. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve heard instead?"

In Jiang Yifan’s recollection, the era described by Ye Xinyan was one rich and interesting in all aspects, filled with all manner of bizarre happenings. And Ye Xinyan surely knew stories far more fascinating than any he could relate.

Ye Xinyan rolled her eyes. Tell him? What she could tell would be far from the simple tales of scaling walls and robbing the rich to help the poor; they would be stories where breaking through the void, destroying worlds, and becoming immortal were commonplace.

Now it was Jiang Yifan’s turn to look at her with eyes shining brightly, filled with hope.

Even Qi Younian cast a puzzled glance her way.

Ye Xinyan looked at the two of them, dazed. Bloody hell, this was the result of her loose tongue—a modern person who had heard and seen all sorts of astonishing stories. Why should she be interested in the deeds of an ancient martial artist?

Unable to evade their questions, Ye Xinyan said perfunctorily, "Well... the rumor is that a chivalrous warrior came across a rich family that was unkind, demanding from a poor family a high-interest loan that was tenfold the principal. The family was driven to the point of selling their children to pay it off. When night fell, the chivalrous warrior hung upside down outside the window, observing the rich man stash his silver into a hidden compartment. As the rich family fell asleep, the warrior was about to open the window and enter when he noticed another window opening first. A masked figure jumped in, opened the compartment, and took all the silver inside. Before leaving, the figure even turned and smiled in the direction of the chivalrous warrior..."

...uh, what came next? It seems she had forgotten.

"What happened next, what happened next, Sister, what happened then?" Qi Jiaer’s voice was filled with urgency.