Chapter 511: Chapter 183 Madman_2
In an instant, Qi Yutai had taken a liking to this Light-vented bird.
An old man in his sixties wearing a straw hat walked out of the house. Seeing the few people standing in front of the house, he too was taken aback. Qi Yutai simply said he was a traveler passing by and wanted to ask for a cup of tea.
Dressed like the son of a wealthy family, his group did not arouse any suspicion in the old man, who warmly welcomed them into his home and shouted for someone to prepare a few cups of hot tea.
Qi Yutai instructed the Guard to stay in the courtyard while he entered the house; soon after, an elderly woman came out from the back with several cups of tea for them.
In Mangming Township, tea gardens were everywhere. The tea, although freshly picked, was of low cost, served in earthenware bowls, and appeared coarse and bland.
Qi Yutai did not drink his tea, only looked up and surveyed his surroundings.
In Elder Yang’s home, besides the sixty-year-old Elder Yang, there was also his equally aged wife, a son born with mental disabilities who could only manage simple tasks and still needed care, and a daughter who had died of illness a couple of years ago.
Among the occupants of the house, all were either sickly, old, or handicapped. The only able-bodied worker—the son-in-law—had gone to work in the tea gardens. Elder Yang’s son sat in a corner of the house, smiling foolishly at them.
He explained his purpose to Elder Yang.
Qi Yutai was confident.
The old couple had lost a daughter, and their son was disabled. As they were both advanced in years, they wouldn’t be around for their son much longer and surely needed a sum of money.
That was his line of thought, but contrary to his expectations, after listening, the dark-skinned old man simply shook his head, smiling as he turned him down.
Qi Yutai found this incomprehensible.
He asked, "Don’t you want a sum of money by your side? He"—he pointed at the man sitting obediently in the chair, looking at them like a three-year-old child—"he can’t do anything. He will need it in the future!"
A fool without money—how would he survive? By digging in the fields?
The old man said, "Ah Dai—" He called his son by this name without a hint of mockery, looking at him with a gentle and affectionate gaze, "Ah Dai is not stupid, just a bit slow."
"His mother and I have taught him for decades. Now, Ah Dai can pick and sift tea leaves, and when he sets his mind to it, he outdoes both his mother and me."
"I’ve spoken with the owner of the neighboring tea garden. When his mother and I pass on, we’ll leave Ah Dai to help out in the tea garden. He won’t need much payment, just food and drink, and money for medicine if he falls ill."
"If Ah Dai can sustain himself, there’s no need for silver."
Qi Yutai found this unbelievable.
His own father, the current Grand Preceptor, had never sincerely praised him since he was a child, let alone look at him with such an affirming gaze.
What could a fool possibly achieve?
Why did the elderly man have such unwavering faith in that simple-minded boy sitting in the chair?
He was clearly a fool!
The warm atmosphere in the house made Qi Yutai suddenly grow irritable. He suppressed his impatience and made an effort to maintain a gentle tone, saying, "Having a little more silver is not a bad thing."
The old man laughed and said, "Young Master, having silver is good, but Ah Dai, looking the way he does, can’t handle too much wealth. My wife and I are no longer capable, so guarding a large sum of money is a minor issue, but it could attract major disasters."
Unexpectedly, a farmer from such a remote and impoverished village understood the principle that the innocent can invite trouble simply by possessing a treasure.
Just as Qi Yutai was about to speak again, he heard the elderly man in front of him say, "Furthermore, the Light-vented bird was my late daughter Ah Yao’s favorite. I can’t sell it."
Qi Yutai paused.
Elder Yang looked at him, and his eyes—etched with a life of hard toil utterly unlike that of Qi Yutai’s father—shone with a glint of wisdom as he stared back.
"In the hearts of my wife and me, it is Ah Yao. This is an old man’s last wish, so I cannot agree to your request."
He laughed heartily, inviting Qi Yutai to have some tea.
Ah Dai, unaware of what was happening, sat up straight in his chair, fiddling with a sprouting twig in his hands. The old woman bent down to speak a few words to him. The man listened, confused, and solemnly nodded his head.
No matter how you looked at it, he was a fool.
Qi Yutai felt a sneer rise within him. The complex emotions from a moment ago vanished in an instant, replaced by cold indifference.
He did not come here today to watch this family perform a pitiful and nauseating farce of parental affection and filial piety; he came to buy the Light-vented bird.
Since the other party refused his polite offer, his patience had reached its end.
Qi Yutai stood up.
Outside, several Guards also stood up, firmly securing the yard’s gate.
The old man’s initially jubilant smile gradually became grave as he watched Qi Yutai head towards the door. "Young Master, what are you intending to do?"