Unsheathed

The narrow Dragon Riding Alley was on a slight slope, and there was also a long set of stairs that led to the Burclover shop. Along with the pastry shop, both of these shops had once been businesses owned by the clan that Shi Chunjia, the little girl with twin pigtails, belonged to.

Afterward, Shi Chunjia didn't travel to the academy in the Great Sui Nation to study with Li Baoping, Li Huai, and the others, nor did she stay in the small town like Dong Shuijing. Instead, she moved with her clan to the capital of the Great Li Empire.

Her clan sold its two shops, and through Ruan Qiong's help, they eventually ended up under the ownership of Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an could still see Dong Shuijing when he returned to his hometown, but he had never seen Shi Chunjia again following their parting all those years ago.

While owned by the Shi Clan, the Burclover shop had sold all kinds of miscellaneous items, with many antiques among their range. It could be regarded as one of the oldest shops in the Jewel Small World. When relocating the clan afterward, the Shi Clan only took with them half of the antiques and curios that they appreciated the most, with the other half being left in the Burclover shop. From this, it could be seen that the Shi Clan would remain a large clan even after it moved to the capital.

After receiving ownership of the Burclover shop, Chen Ping'an had felt a little guilty in the beginning after learning of the value of the items left in the store. This matter had weighed on his conscience when he returned to the Jewel Small World for the first time, and he had always thought about closing the store for good. That way, he could sell it back to the Shi Clan with everything intact whenever they came to the small town to visit.

However, Ruan Xiu hadn't agreed to this, saying that transactions were one thing while relationships and favors were another thing altogether. Even though Chen Ping'an accepted Ruan Xiu's suggestion to not sell the shop, he had still felt a nagging sense of unease in his mind. After interacting with many people and completing many transactions, however, Chen Ping'an no longer felt the same way now.

Even so, he would still understand even if the Shi Clan were willing to embarrass themself and ask for the store back. Chen Ping'an wouldn't turn down their request, but the goodwill between them would definitely disappear. Of course, the question was, how much was Chen Ping'an's goodwill even worth?

There was only a single shop attendant looking after the Burclover shop. The shop attendant was a kind and simple old lady, and it was said that Ruan Xiu had often accompanied her for a chat when she had acted as the shopkeeper.

Chen Ping'an naturally recognized the old lady. She was from Apricot Blossom Alley, and according to the complicated tangle of seniority ranks in the small town, Chen Ping'an only needed to refer to her as Aunty Chen even though she was almost forty years his elder. They shared the same surname, but they weren't genuine relatives.

The old lady was already up there in age, but she was still as healthy as could be after working in the fields for a lifetime. Even though her children had moved to the prefectural city of Dragon Spring Prefecture, the old lady had truly been unable to appreciate life over there after visiting them a few times. Their large houses were cold and empty, and she couldn't even find a familiar face to argue with. As such, she had insisted on returning to the small town.

The old lady's children were dutiful, and they hadn't been able to prevent their mother from moving back to the small town. However, it was said that a daughter-in-law had indeed grumbled about her presence, saying that her mother-in-law was embarrassing them in the prefectural city. They had already bought several maidservants, so did they still need an old helper around the house? Moreover, it was an embarrassment that she was still working for a measly few copper coins, especially since the owner of the Burclover shop was once the poorest child in Clay Vase Alley.