Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 55: Dine and Dash

For the first time in her life, Anji was witnessing something incomprehensible. Lizi and the old couple argued heatedly, yelling at the top of their lungs, but the onlookers who had gathered in the small residential area merely laughed and placed their bets. Gu Ying stopped Anji from getting involved in the adults’ fight, forcefully carrying Anji in her arms. The bodyguard appeared ready to dash at any moment.

"Gu Ying, I heard that dining and dashing was a common crime, but we’re offering to pay for the meal, aren’t we? Does it still count?"

Yan Ping wisely remained silent. She did not think Anji would get to witness such an embarrassing thing on her first trip down the mountain. All she wanted to show the little girl was the beauty of life and also the harshness of it. When she entered the Mystical Qilin Sect, her family would no longer be able to protect her. Even Lizi would not be able to accompany her. Gu Ying might be the only exception, but Anji had to count on herself for everything besides martial arts.

"Not all dining and dashing are considered crimes," Gu Ying whispered lowly as Lizi shoved a pouch of silver nuggets into the elderly couple’s hands.

With speed not befitting of an elderly man, Grandpa Wang grabbed hold of Lizi’s wrist with the perfect teamwork from his wife, who shoved that same pouch down Lizi’s collar.

"I said it was five coppers for each bowl. Do you think I’m blind?" she snapped.

Unfazed, Lizi wrestled the pouch and tossed it into the broken house, but Grandpa Wang still had a firm grip on her wrist. Grandma Wang quickly hobbled to pick up the pouch, intending to return it.

"The cost of flour has risen by at least fifty percent in the last thirty years," Lizi struggled to break free without hurting the old man. "It makes no sense for each bowl to cost only five coppers! At least make it twenty coppers!"

Despite struggling with calculations in her Math lessons, Anji knew the price for each bowl of chilli dumpling noodles cost more than five coppers. The herbs children picked from the mountain were paid more than this bowl of delicious noodles. Not to mention, the dumplings were stuffed with a lot of meat. How could it only cost five coppers?

Behind them, someone placed a bet on Lizi winning the argument. "Five bowls of noodles on me if she manages to get this stubborn couple to accept her money!"

Another man behind laughed and pointed out how he only wanted to eat cheap noodles if he won. Anji had no idea why the game of bill snatching had transformed into free entertainment for the masses. Although not often, she knew this frequently happened among the disciples of her sect. The juniors would offer to pay, and the seniors would abuse their ranks to snatch the bill. Sometimes, the juniors would gang up and pay off the bill while distracting the seniors. It was a weird but caring tradition. Honestly, nobody would have to snatch the bill if they could agree to take turns or split the bill.

"If you think you know how to run a business better than me, you’re still twenty years too young!" Grandpa Wang scolded and coughed when he raised his voice a little too much.

Grandma Wang rushed back with the pouch of money and some extra buns that she steamed secretly. Stuffing them in Lizi’s arms, the old lady used Anji as an excuse to make the maid accept those gifts.

"You’re setting a horrible example for the young princess," she nagged. "How long will you keep bullying this old lady? She’ll be hungry again when you finish calculating the bill. Quickly take your money back and feed her these steamed buns!"

Surprised that she was implicated in the argument, Anji pointed at herself with a quizzical look as the men gathered around the shop hooted in laughter. Gu Ying turned her face to the side to hide a smile. When it came to arguing, nobody could win Grandma Wang. Usually, the Manchurian beauty would slip her extra payment under her bowls or drop them on the floor when they were clearing the dishes on her way out. Another way that she got away with leaving extra change was to hide them in the bamboo holder that the couple used to contain spare chopsticks for extra customers. Lizi was the least creative person she’d ever seen who charged head-on with the stubborn couple. Even the Madam learned to hide her money in gifts she sent whenever she came by.

Stubbornly, Lizi insisted that the old couple raise the price of the food they sold. Unable to watch any more of this foolishness, Yan Ping decided to step in.

"We’ve wasted enough time," she told Lizi. "You’re disrespecting your elders."

Feeling betrayed, Lizi unwillingly stopped insisting on paying the elderly couple, who seemed smug about their victory.

"That’s right," Grandpa Wang coughed. "You should listen to your elders."

Hearing that, Yan Ping chuckled and agreed.

"That’s right, you should always listen to your elders. Well said." freewёbnoνel.com

Taking the pouch of silver nuggets from Lizi, Yan Ping turned to Grandma Wang and held it out to her. "I’m sure you won’t go back on your words and set a bad example to my disciple, would you?"

Stunned, nobody spoke for a while. However, Anji’s respect for her teacher increased when Yan Ping effectively silenced both arguing parties. Nobody here could claim they were older than her, not even her father, a widely respected hero.

Smiling from beneath the veil, Yan Ping dropped the heavy pouch of silver nuggets and patted Grandpa Wang on the shoulder like a mother would to her child.

"Use that money to fix the roof and shaky table," she suggested. "I don’t want my fragile student to sit in the sun and risk spilling my food the next time I come here. Also, keep some tea in stock. Chrysanthemums are the best."

With how she put it, the silvers weren’t completely for the food. Yan Ping’s way with words killed two birds with one stone. She was amazing! Anji wanted to be like her when she grew older. The way her teacher effortlessly settled an argument and helped the old couple save face while improving their quality of life as a side effect was commendable.

Leaving the small establishment in style, Anji reflected on how cool her teacher was. The young princess decided to learn the art of peaceful persuasion from now on in addition to cultivation and martial arts.