Chapter 49

"Shunzi, hurry, give it back to Brother Shui! Do you know how expensive this is, and you're just taking it?"

Chen Qingjiang rushed up to snatch the peach pastry from Shunzi's mouth, leaving Shunzi stunned with fright.

Liang Qu stepped forward to block Chen Qingjiang.

"Uncle Chen, that's not the right way to put it. Things are bought to be eaten; whose stomach they end up in is all the same, so how is it a waste? Those masters eat it every day; they all have two eyes and one mouth, can they really taste a different flavor?"

"Don't be afraid, Shunzi, eat if you're told to. The things are mine; can your father really control my things?"

"How can that be the same? Shunzi! Why are you being so disobedient?"

Chen Qingjiang shouted again, his voice raised due to his anxiety.

Little Shunzi, standing where he was, had a bitter expression. When he heard it was expensive, he didn't dare to eat anymore. He broke off the circle he had already bitten into, held it in both hands, and wanted to return it to Liang Qu.

"Uncle Chen! If you act like this again, I won't come next time!"

"What's wrong, what's wrong, why are you arguing? Qingjiang, what are you doing? Didn't I just tell you that? How did you forget in the blink of an eye!" Chen Renxing, inside the house, heard the commotion and thought the two were arguing. He threw his clothes over his shoulders and chased them out, scolding Chen Qingjiang severely.

"Dad, no, I, this..." Chen Qingjiang felt truly aggrieved, not knowing how to defend himself, and was scolded like a child.

Oh, he is one, so that's fine.

Liang Qu laughed loudly: "It's nothing, Grandpa Chen, we aren't arguing, just joking. Uncle Chen insisted on stopping me from giving things to Shunzi; he feels it's too hot to handle if he doesn't put up a fight."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it."

Chen Renxing was suspicious: "Really?"

"Really." Liang Qu picked up little Shunzi with one arm and stuffed the peach pastry back, "So Uncle Chen, please don't be polite with me; I get annoyed when people are polite with me."

Chen Renxing glanced at the Wufangzhai box in Liang Qu's hand and, thinking of his son's usual honesty, finally felt at ease. He greeted Liang Qu to come inside: "Then hurry in, it's cold outside. And Qingjiang, what are you standing there for? Why have you become so dull now?"

"Oh, oh, hurry in, I'll go get stools. Adi, you go pour some water."

Liang Qu shook his head with a smile; truly, there is always someone higher than the next.

Once inside, everyone found places to sit. Chen Qingjiang moved the stove over and closed the main door. Everyone gathered around the stove to warm themselves, gradually feeling warmer.

"Ashui, are you short on cash? I've saved up a bit of money recently, I'll go get it for you now."

"It has nothing to do with money, Uncle Chen, sit down! I'm not short on money. Has the hospital bill been paid off yet?"

Chen Qingjiang sighed: "Not yet, it's cold and I can't catch any fish, so there's no extra money."

"Then that's fine. My money isn't urgent. Today I mainly have three things to say, and I brought you some things, this and this."

Liang Qu placed the Wufangzhai box and a large paper package on the table, pushing them over.

"For us?"

Adi looked at the Wufangzhai box, unable to believe it. She also knew Wufangzhai; wouldn't this box cost several taels of silver?

Chen Qingjiang even said it couldn't be done; he thought Liang Qu was just giving a piece of peach pastry, never imagining he would give them a whole box.

"Uncle Chen, don't speak, listen to me finish first." Seeing Uncle Chen about to refuse again, Liang Qu directly interrupted his spellcasting.

"The first thing is that I've been accepted as a personal disciple by the master of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall in Pingyang Town. You might not fully understand, but simply put, I don't have to pay to learn martial arts anymore, and I can follow Master Yang directly. I'm not one of those ordinary apprentices who pay to learn. Bringing this box of pastries is just to celebrate."

"When Shunzi grows up a bit more, once he's developed, he can come directly to the martial arts hall with me. No need to pay; my master won't mind such a small matter."

"The second thing is that I asked my senior brothers for some medicinal powder to treat Grandpa Chen's injuries. Soak it in water and drink it twice a day for two days. Once this package is finished, he'll be fine."

"The third thing is that I have a route in the Jianghuai Daze and discovered a gathering place for a school of fish. I need to practice martial arts myself and won't have much time to go out on the boat, so I want Uncle Chen to go fishing with me these next few days. Consider it doing me a small favor. We'll split the fish we catch fifty-fifty."

"Alright, that's about it, I'm done."

Liang Qu scanned left and right, leaving only the silent Chen Qingjiang family; their brains didn't seem to have reacted yet.

"Is there any problem?"

"Personal disciple?"

"Mm."

"Can Shunzi also go learn martial arts?"

"That's right."

"This medicine must be very expensive, right?"

"Not expensive, very cheap."

It was indeed cheap; Liang Qu didn't spend a penny. It was just lotus root ground into paste and dried in the sun. The effect was slightly worse, but still acceptable. One package contained enough for two sections, enough for Chen Renxing to recover his vitality.

The Chen Qingjiang family was dizzy with surprise; only Shunzi was squatting by the stove gnawing on peach pastry, not quite understanding what had happened.

Peach pastry is really delicious, Brother Shui is really a good person, he thought.

"Fishing is certainly fine. If Ashui asks, we must help, but the other two things are really..."

"Stop! I know what Uncle Chen wants to say. If you say it again, I'm leaving. Don't be polite back and forth, I can't stand that."

Chen Qingjiang was interrupted again, his face turning somewhat red, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Since Uncle Chen agreed to fish, then there's no problem."

Letting Uncle Chen help with fishing was an idea Liang Qu had from the very beginning.

On one hand, it was to improve the life of Uncle Chen's family. Uncle Chen was proud, owed so much debt, and fish catches were low in winter. Without being able to give money directly, he thought of a way to increase his income.

On the other hand, it was to free up his own time so he wouldn't have to pretend to go out on the boat every day.

The fat catfish only has one mouth; going back and forth, the efficiency is actually very low.

If he could join forces with the immovable one, Liang Qu could surround and drive the fish school underwater, and then let Chen Qingjiang cast the net above. The efficiency could be much higher, and splitting fifty-fifty would mean everyone profits.

Uncle Chen is a good person; if he accidentally saw something he shouldn't, he wouldn't talk about it, but would let it rot in his own stomach.

Moreover, keeping a water beast doesn't prove anything; it's not like there aren't people who like keeping big crocodiles.

A long silence.

Chen Qingjiang finally squeezed out a sentence: "Ashui... has really made something of himself."

"Yes, made something of himself." Chen Renxing followed closely behind.

"Great success." Adi added a sentence.

"Brother Shui certainly has success!" Little Shunzi finished a piece of peach pastry, wiped the crumbs from his mouth, and was the first to raise his hand.

"Then in the future, won't Ashui also become a master?" Chen Renxing's hand unconsciously reached for his waist belt, wanting to take off his pipe for a puff, but restrained himself after noticing Liang Qu was still there.

Master!

What a distant and majestic term, as if these two words alone exuded an aura of being high and mighty.

Thinking that his neighbor was going to become a master, the wound on Chen Renxing's back felt hot and itchy.

"So you should just accept this box of Wufangzhai. Don't worry about the money, just take it slow. Pay off the medical clinic first. I'll come find Uncle Chen tomorrow, Uncle Chen, you should stop going out on the boat for now."

"Alright."

"Oh, there is actually one more thing. Do you know about the great demon from the night before last?"

"I've heard of it, it should be time for the sacrifice."

"Right, I might not be home these two days." Liang Qu took out two taels of silver from his waist pocket and placed them on the table, "If someone comes to collect money, Sister Adi, please keep an eye out and pay it for me. I asked Uncle Li Dakang, two taels of silver should be enough."

"Alright."

Adi nodded. Usually, Chen Qingjiang had to go out on the boat to fish, and Chen Renxing had to go out to sell baskets and cloth, so she was the only one who could always be home.

Everyone chatted for a while. Until Liang Qu was about to leave, Chen Qingjiang suddenly spoke up: "Ashui, if you are going to town these two days, you must be careful. I went to sell fish this morning and heard something, saying that a martial artist died in town."

Liang Qu was startled: "A martial artist? What's his name?"

"I don't remember very clearly, it seems to be called something..." Chen Qingjiang frowned in thought. He wasn't a person who liked to gossip, so he really couldn't remember it all of a sudden.

"You child, why are you so dull at critical moments? What can you accomplish? If you can't remember, don't eat today."

Chen Renxing was so angry he hit him on the back of the head with his pipe. Chen Qingjiang seemed to have been struck by a bolt of lightning.

"Oh, I remember now, it's called Lu Shaohui!"