Chapter 571 - 569: Painful and Desperate
Shi Shu recognized the visitor as a craftsman from the Mechanical Workshop and promptly stepped forward, supporting the craftsman’s hands while interrupting him, "It’s you, elder brother! What a coincidence that we should meet on the road. Are you staying at this inn? Has Third Master Wong also returned?"
The craftsman quickly replied, "Yes, we’re staying here, we arrived in the afternoon. What are you all doing standing out here?"
Shi Shu replied with a wry smile, "We arrived in the county town a bit late and couldn’t find any rooms, so we were just wondering where to stay."
The innkeeper’s eyes darted back and forth as he observed them, thinking about the title ’Lord’ that he had just heard one of the guests say. Could it be that this group of people were officials from the court?
"Excuse me for asking, but I heard this guest address you as ’Lords’ just now?" the innkeeper ventured to ask.
Just as the craftsman was about to speak, Shi Shu diverted the topic: "We have long been acquainted with this elder brother, that’s why we were simply too surprised to see him on the way. It’s nothing."
The craftsman, quick-witted, seeing that Shi Shu did not intend to disclose their identities further, did not presume to offer any more courtesies, and instead inquired of the innkeeper, "Do you have any rooms left here that we could spare for these gentlemen? They are well acquainted with Third Master Wong. When I go back and report to him, we should be able to make some adjustments and free up a couple of rooms."
After saying this, the craftsman suddenly realized he had not asked for Jiang Yifan and the others’ opinion and looked somewhat embarrassedly at Jiang Yifan, "I don’t know what Elder Jiang would prefer, would you like to stay here?"