Chapter 31: Are You Going?

Chapter 31: Are You Going?

Old Zhu?

The deceased Zhu Ganglie?

Xianjin, arms crossed, concealed herself behind a pillar, peeking out to see a plump woman clutching a handkerchief standing by the wall, facing Mr. Chen Liu.

This plump woman had an oily complexion and a robust figure, bearing a striking resemblance to the deceased Zhu Ganglie, as if they were a married couple.

Bathed in the dim light of the paper lanterns hanging high in the Chen residence, Xianjin saw Mr. Chen Liu fumbling in his sleeve pocket, pulling out a piece of silver and slipping it into the hands of the fat woman. He glanced back at the lively courtyard, his words laced with coercion, "…If you come again, I won't give you a single coin! I give you silver only because of my former comrade-in-arms relationship with Old Zhu…"

The fat woman took the silver, hastily tucking it into her bosom, "Yes, yes, yes! Master Liu has the heart of a Bodhisattva, first helping Old Zhu to prosper, then taking care of Old Zhu's descendants. Old Zhu must be praising you as an unparalleled deity, saving all beings, before King Yan in the netherworld!"

When people are destitute, they spout nonsense without hesitation.

Another tug-of-war ensued by the wall, merely Mr. Chen Liu threatening, the fat woman pleading for mercy while intermittently complaining about her hardships and asking for money. Mr. Chen Liu grumbled and cursed, yet again taking silver from the old servant with the mustache to give her.

It wasn't much, at most eight or ten taels.

Xianjin, head lowered, pondered – nothing secretive or major, just a widow whose partner had died first, using their past collusion to seek some living expenses from the surviving partner. The survivor feared that the widow would go all out, leading to the exposure of their past misdeeds, thus he kept her at bay with small sums of money.

The fat woman took the money, sobbing as she walked away.

Xianjin also bowed her head, preparing to retreat, but heard another commotion by the wall. A sinister voice whispered low, "…Are we just going to give her the silver? Otherwise…"

Xianjin turned around, seeing the old servant with the mustache making a throat-slitting gesture.

Xianjin narrowed her eyes; doing business was one thing, but blood-stained silver was not so easy to earn. In her previous life, her father was in the renovation business. Some nouveau riche who started out alongside him wanted quick money and took the wrong path in their business. Before retribution came, the police arrived first.

Xianjin hid her entire body behind the pillar, holding her breath, terrified that her presence might be detected.

"How much can she demand?" Mr. Chen Liu pulled out a toothpick, picking his teeth nonchalantly, "Is three to five taels of silver even considered money? I'm relieved that she only wants a small amount!"

Mr. Chen Liu swallowed the food debris he picked out with the toothpick, "That pig took everything when he ran away, priceless jade Buddha statues, ten large gold ingots, more than twenty pieces of solid gold jewelry…almost his entire fortune was tied to his body, and he even sewed banknotes into his clothes – except for that account book in his mouth."

"I should have guessed his intentions when he forbade me from selling his courtyard in Jing County! All he wanted was to leave roots in Jing County, to wait out the storm outside for a few years before returning! That account book recorded the details of my sales of eight and six zhang Xuan paper to Anyang Prefecture, as well as my financial dealings with the kings of Baochansi Temple. It was his ultimate backup plan…"

Mr. Chen Liu revealed his yellow teeth in disgust, "Do you think his pig wife would only ask for three or five taels of silver if she knew there were life-threatening items hidden in the house? She would surely demand exorbitant prices, trying to extort a hefty sum from me!"

The mustached servant thought about it, realizing the logic! He couldn't help but panic, "What do we do now? Isn't there a sword hanging over our heads, ready to fall at any moment! We might as well get rid of that pig woman too, once and for all!"

"This is Jing County!"

Mr. Chen Liu spat on the ground viciously, looking in the direction where the pig's wife had disappeared, "Baochansi Temple straddles the borders of Anyang Prefecture, Chuzhou Prefecture, and Jing County, with no jurisdiction from any of the three places, allowing the kings to do whatever they want. If you kill someone in Jing County, you're courting death!"

Snow fell from the east, settling softly on the ground.

Mr. Chen Liu wiped the snowflakes off the top of his head, "A true man doesn't fight over every little thing. Third Brother and that girl won't stay here long…"

Listening to the courtyard of the old residence, where Second Master Chen laughed foolishly as he was coaxed into drinking.

Mr. Chen Liu curled the corners of his mouth in derision, "Second Brother is useless, and Eldest Brother is dead. My sister-in-law sent Third Brother back to Jing County merely to polish his image; it won't be long before she recalls him to Xuancheng – you'll see, the better Third Brother and that girl perform, the shorter their stay will be."

The mustached old servant grinned upon hearing this, "Once they leave, we can continue being local tyrants!"

What kind of tyrants!

Five or six years ago, when Li Sanshun's father, Li Laozhang, was still alive, he forced that old fool to produce two batches of eight zhang Xuan paper a month, which he then sold in Anyang Prefecture. Anyang Prefecture became famous for offering eight zhang Xuan paper as tribute to the capital, and he profited from selling one batch of paper for three hundred taels, earning six hundred taels a month. Who cared about the store's business then?

That was the good time!

He was truly the local tyrant of the Chen family in Jing County!

After Li Laozhang suffered a stroke, he passed on the secret technique for making eight zhang Xuan paper to his second son, Li Ershun. But who knew that Li Ershun was stubborn, refusing to make eight zhang Xuan paper for him even if it meant giving up his monthly share of twenty taels. So he sent both father and son to Baochansi Temple. Li Laozhang died protecting his son, leaving him crippled, and Li Ershun hit his head, ending up with a crooked eye and nose, unable to stand or speak.

Eight zhang Xuan paper and six zhang Xuan paper were thus completely cut off!

After Jing County could no longer produce eight and six zhang Xuan paper, the old woman Qu came specifically to Jing County to inquire about it. But one was already in the grave, and the other was mute, unable to cry out for injustice or file a complaint. Qu could only attribute the matter to fate…

Humans, how can they withstand fate?

Qu accepted the situation, completely ignoring the workshops in Jing County, only holding onto the three stores in Xuancheng. His profits decreased, but he gained leisure – the money he had earned before was enough for two lifetimes!

Mr. Chen Liu rubbed the yellow phlegm on the ground with his foot, turning to walk inside.

The mustached old servant seemed to remember something, "Master, do you think that pig was deceiving us? Could there be no such thing as an account book?"

Mr. Chen Liu shrugged and chuckled lowly, "I don't care about that. Even if there is, it's hidden in his house. If that pig wife can't find it, it will never see the light of day. Isn't that fine?"

The master and servant gradually moved further away.

Xianjin, behind the pillar, didn't dare to breathe deeply, only emerging from behind the pillar after a long while.

The courtyard was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of men drinking, smashing bowls, and cheering each other on to drink more, as well as the soft, happy laughter of women. Mama Zhang, acting quickly, had taken several large red lanterns from the warehouse as soon as she saw the family's carriage arrive, now hanging at the entrance of the Chen residence.

The red light reflected on the snow, like an old-fashioned and slow film reel.

Xianjin's arms, crossed until her fingers went numb, hung down, blood rushing to her fingertips.

She needed to think carefully…

"Are you going?"

Behind her, a clear and gentle voice suddenly asked, "To investigate Zhu's residence at night, are you going?"