And that man, wasn’t he the very Shen Dajun standing before her now?
Lin Yuan watched Shen Dajun’s resolute departing figure and then saw Panpan’s anxious little face turn red with urgency, knowing for sure that neither of them had known she was the woman who had come to their aid with a drawn sword that day. Thinking of Panpan’s recent mention of carrying hemp sacks to the leaking Land Temple where they lived, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for the man.
"Panpan, why don’t you let him stay here? It just so happens I need a strong man to chop firewood. However, we at Fuman Building need a lot of firewood, and there’s a lot of work to do every day. I wonder if this brother can keep up?"
Upon hearing Lin Yuan’s words, Panpan, while clutching Shen Dajun’s sleeve tightly, nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Brother Shen is very strong. Chopping wood is a piece of cake for him, he can definitely do it! Right, Brother Shen?"
Shen Dajun looked up and saw Lin Yuan’s kind smile. Torn for a long moment, he didn’t know whether to stay or go.
"Alright, Shopkeeper Liu, take him to the backyard and don’t forget to set up a bed for him," said Lin Yuan, not waiting for his agreement. She sent Shopkeeper Liu to take Shen Dajun to the backyard. At Fuman Building, the workers all slept in common quarters; after all, they were all grown men, and there was nothing to be shy about.
Shen Dajun was taken aback and his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something.
Panpan hurriedly pushed him towards Shopkeeper Liu, saying joyfully, "Aren’t you going to thank Boss Lin? Oh my, you must be so happy you’ve gone silly. Boss Lin, I thank you on behalf of my friend."
Lin Yuan smiled and shook her head. It was just a simple gesture of assistance and, as Panpan had insinuated, she was indeed good at judging people. Shen Dajun seemed like a down-to-earth, simple man without tricks. It was comforting to have someone like him working near her.
As for what happened between him and Ying Tao, she was not interested. Besides, as she saw it, it amounted to nothing more than the obvious: Shen Dajun must be the apple of Ying Tao’s eye, otherwise he wouldn’t have clung to her offering her silver, nor would she have been so concerned about finding him work.
After sorting out Shen Dajun’s situation, Panpan happily exchanged a few words with Lin Yuan before hurrying back. She had lied to Lin Siyu about going out to buy rouge in order to get out, and if she returned late, Lin Siyu would surely scold her.
After Panpan left, it wasn’t long before Xia Zheng and Lao Fan came back, looking bedraggled. Xia Zheng was slightly better—though exhausted, he kept a good complexion, with a sparkle in his eyes that couldn’t be concealed.
But Lao Fan was listless, grumbling about something as he walked into the restaurant. Even as he passed a table near the door, his stomach suddenly lurched, and he was on the verge of vomiting.
With eyes wide open, Lao Fan impressively stretched his neck and managed to swallow it back.
Lin Yuan grimaced in disgust, thankful she hadn’t had dinner yet, because otherwise, she would be feeling sick enough to vomit as well.
However, before Lao Fan even got close, he saw something at another table that triggered him, and with another retch, his stomach churned again.
Lin Yuan quickly covered her eyes. The first time was bearable, but seeing it a second time, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from vomiting.
Xia Zheng also saw Lao Fan’s state and casually tapped a spot on his back. Suddenly, Lao Fan, who was craning his neck, froze; his eyes nearly popped out as he clutched his mouth with both hands and scurried toward the backyard.
Wow, a thunderous sound of vomiting ensued.
Fortunately, the main hall was crowded and noisy at the time, otherwise the guests might have been chased away by Lao Fan’s retching.