Chapter 52: Fifty-Two: Where

Fifty-Two: Where’s My Huge Blessing?

Ouyang Rong returned to the ancient merit tower atop the clouds.

Before the flood control succeeded, he had no intention of setting foot here.

At first, Ouyang Rong hadn’t planned to redeem this new blessing—he lacked nothing right now, the flood control was progressing smoothly, and all he wanted was to accumulate ten thousand merit points to exchange for that possible home-returning blessing at the Pure Land Palace; there was no need to waste merit points on anything else.

But unfortunately, the new blessing triggered mysteriously on the Dragon Boat Festival had been persistently reminding him with a faint hum from the blessing bell.

Like a phone silenced but still vibrating on the table—especially one from your girlfriend.

Ouyang Rong deliberately ignored it for two days, yet it kept buzzing, the purple-qi-churning blessing bell relentlessly whispering in his mind: Dead man, it’s time to answer your girlfriend’s call.

Screw your girlfriend.

You’ve got a crush on me now, haven’t you?

Ouyang Rong sighed helplessly.

Either he feared the new blessing would block the old one’s redemption, or he wanted to test the bell’s power.

With the outside situation temporarily settled, tonight he slipped into the merit tower within his spiritual sea.

Same old place: endless white mist, the silenced wooden fish, oh, and above it, the three-tiered blessing bell like vibrating eggs.

Ouyang Rong first glanced at the emerald-gold clerical script above the wooden fish:

【Merit: 9,361】

“Almost there.”

His expression softened slightly; he looked up at the ancient bell, eager to catch his attention, and couldn’t help but smirk.

You weren’t like this before—you were so aloof, never moving, even when I slammed you with all my strength, you never made a sound. Why are you shaking so desperately now? Needing your master to satisfy you?

Ouyang Rong stared strangely at the deep purple qi slowly oozing from the bell’s surface, reached out to grasp it—the qi had no form or substance—but instantly, a mysterious thought surged into his heart.

Huh? Only a thousand merit points to satisfy you?

“So now it’s this easy to please you…”

Ouyang Rong sighed, “I still prefer the way you used to ignore me. Then… revert it.”

As if sensing the command, the emerald-gold clerical script below blazed brightly; the merit value plummeted from “9,361” to “8,361,” and at the same time, a cluster of matching-colored light burst from the script, transforming into a vivid “swimming carp,” shooting toward the blessing bell!

This time, the “swimming carp” wasn’t repelled—it exploded into a dazzling firework, and simultaneously, the blessing bell ceased all trembling… it rang.

DONG~

This was the first time the blessing bell had ever rung.

And the first blessing ever redeemed.

The bell’s chime was not loud, yet it was deep and resonant, as if piercing time, piercing space, spreading into boundless void.

Ouyang Rong stood in the tower’s white space, waiting expectantly; only when the lingering chime faded did he blink around, slightly bewildered.

The merit tower fell silent again.

The wooden fish, the emerald-gold script, the blessing bell… all returned to their original state—eternal stillness.

He waited longer still. Still silent.

“Is the redemption happening in reality?”

Ouyang Rong muttered, turned, left the merit tower, and returned to reality.

In the Plum Deer Garden, in the back room of the study, on the dark bed, the young county magistrate propped himself up with both hands behind him, clutching the quilt, glancing curiously left and right.

The room was utterly quiet; only the insects’ chirping from the cracked window drifted in, making the silence even heavier.

“Huh, feels like nothing changed at all.”

Ouyang Rong frowned in confusion, got out of bed, and paced around:

He opened the window, pushed the courtyard gate, even at midnight, wrapped in robes, ran to the main gate and peered around, causing Zhen Shi and others to wake up and wonder if their young master had arranged a midnight rendezvous with some girl over the wall.

“...”

Ouyang Rong fumbled excuses, and before dawn broke, returned to his room, still full of doubts.

Where’s my blessing? Where’s my huge blessing? Where did it go?

But once this miserable night ended, morning ended, afternoon ended, the whole day ended… Ouyang Rong finally stopped wondering.

Be confident—drop “feel like”—there’s simply no change at all!

The next day, at eight in the morning, the young county magistrate walked into the county office with a blank expression.

“Senior brother… why are your dark circles so deep?” asked the waiting junior sister in surprise.

“No, nothing.” He shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Just got cheated out of a thousand merit points by a trash bell…

Wait—does it plan to cheat me out of ten thousand tomorrow!?

Ouyang Rong suddenly felt utterly drained.

…

“Young Master, hasn’t the rice price dropped a lot? Wasn’t it twenty cash per dou before the Dragon Boat Festival?”

“Seems… yes.”

The man dragged along for shopping today was listless, but the beautiful woman beside him seemed oblivious, continuing cheerfully:

“Tsk tsk, twelve cash per dou—so cheap! Lucky we didn’t buy before the Dragon Boat Festival.”

The Silla maid, trailing obediently behind the beautiful woman and handsome young master, exclaimed happily:

“Madam, the rice price changes every single day now!”

“Oh?”

“They say at the Eastern Market, every morning someone sells grain cheap—only five cash per dou.”

“Is that even possible? Could it be old grain being dumped?”

“No, it’s top-quality white rice.”

Ban Xi shook her head. “But they say this ‘five-cash rice’ is sold only for one hour each morning, and each household is limited to half a shi per day. Now, crowds line up daily just to buy rice.”

“Sounds like charity, but the method is brilliant.”

Zhen Shi nodded, understandingly smiling: “No wonder the rice shops’ prices have been dropping daily.”

“Madam, should we send servants to queue tomorrow too?”

Zhen Shi didn’t even turn her head:

“What kind of family are we? Do we really want to lose face queuing for rice? Besides, Young Master is the county magistrate—he mustn’t compete with the people for profit. Let the needy commoners have it.”

Ban Xi blinked in surprise: “Oh oh, Madam is truly thoughtful and generous in managing the household!”

Beneath her veiled black gauze hat, Zhen Shi softly shook her head, adding to her assessment of the Silla maid—already “fawning on strength, timid, clever but indecisive”—a new trait: “foolishly drawn to petty gains, oblivious to greater righteousness.”

But upon reflection, she was just a foreign slave girl from the Eastern Barbarians, enamored with Chinese civilization, uneducated, short-sighted—what else could you expect? Could you really expect her to be cultured and morally profound? She wasn’t some noble Goguryeo princess from a romance novel…

So as long as she was obedient, pretty, and graceful, that was enough—because the most important thing was pleasing the male master.

This was Zhen Shi’s lowest standard: just please Young Master.

Too bad her precious Young Master had strange tastes, and he treated all the maids with cold politeness… wasn’t that just disinterest? If he liked them, why bother being polite? He’d just take them directly.

Zhen Shi grew even more determined about today’s trip to the Western Market.

She casually said: “If prices change daily, we won’t buy much—today, get five dou of rice back to Plum Deer Garden, then come again when we run out.”

Ban Xi had no idea she’d just scored high marks; she was simply delighted to be out shopping with her young master after so many days apart.

“Alright, Young Master and Madam, please wait a moment.”

Ban Xi nodded eagerly, leading the rice shop clerk inside to measure the rice.

Zhen Shi, Ouyang Rong, and Liu Ashan waited outside.

This rice shop stood near the Western Market’s archway; the adjacent street was bustling with traffic in the morning, still immersed in the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival.

This year’s Dragon Boat Festival wasn’t just one day—it lasted half a month, with the whole city celebrating. Even Zhen Shi, the widow who usually stayed indoors, now wore a black gauze veil and came out with maids and servants to watch the dragon boat races—and to drag Young Master shopping.

On the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, Zhen Shi had wanted to invite Ouyang Rong to shop, and even sent Xie Ling to fetch him.

But the benevolent young magistrate worked overtime even on holiday, busy organizing the festival, and had his junior sister decline the invitation.

In the following days, Ouyang Rong had been busy comforting foreign grain merchants like Wang Cao… all the fuss finally ended today, and his aunt seized the chance.

Now, from the Eastern Market to the Western Market, Zhen Shi and Ban Xi did all the talking.

Liu Ashan was a naturally silent old man, so his silence was normal; Ouyang Rong, however, seemed in low spirits, his expression… lifeless.

Zhen Shi and her maids had been carefully observing his expression all along.

Ouyang Rong might not realize that as the household’s only male pillar, even the slightest shift in his mood affected the entire family’s atmosphere.

Outside the rice shop, Zhen Shi lifted a corner of her black gauze, revealing bright phoenix eyes fixed unwaveringly on him.

The veil she wore was made of black gauze, with a wide brim and thin silk curtains hanging down to the neck, designed to conceal the face—also called “light veil.” This item was popular among noblewomen and young ladies of the Great Zhou, commonly worn when going out.

Now, Zhen Shi’s thin black gauze veil looked elegant, fitting her widow’s status perfectly—exuding the refined aura of a bereaved woman, especially when standing beside the tall, white-robed, gentle-as-jade Ouyang Rong, drawing attention from passersby.

The woman whispered: “Young Master, are you tired from shopping?”

Ouyang Rong nodded honestly: “A bit, but it’s fine. You ladies enjoy yourselves—I’m just tagging along, happy to walk and clear my head.”

Zhen Shi sighed softly, her face filled with concern; she lifted the black gauze and, using two fingers holding a jasmine-scented red silk handkerchief, gently touched his dark under-eye circles. He sighed and leaned back to avoid it.

“The county office is busy—delegate more tasks to your subordinates. You pay them salaries so they can work. Young Master, you’re a thinker, not a laborer—let them do the physical work…”

His aunt chattered on; Ouyang Rong nodded obediently, murmuring polite replies, but her advice flowed past him like wind—he couldn’t act on any of it.

She didn’t know the real situation; her suggestions were all vague or impractical. And if he were to explain his thoughts to Zhen Shi in detail, it would be unrealistic—he simply didn’t have the patience.

What to do? For this kind of family concern, Ouyang Rong had only learned one mantra: stay calm, don’t argue.

“Hmph, you always nod your head so eagerly, look so earnest—but turn around and nothing changes. Are you treating your aunt like a little girl?”

Zhen Shi pouted, grinding her teeth, poking Ouyang Rong’s shoulder with her index finger.

The latter smiled but said nothing.

At that moment, Ban Xi led out the rice carrier.

“How much?” Zhen Shi asked offhandedly.

“Thank you for your patronage, sixty cash.”

The rice shop attendant set down the sack, grinned, and gave the price. Ban Xi reached for his purse, but Ouyang Rong slipped his hand into his robe, pulled out some spare cash, and stepped forward to hand it over first.

He turned to Zhen Shi, who looked curious, and smiled:

“The ten guan you gave me last time—after paying for the banquet at Yuanyuan Tower and the fee to free Ashan—I still had exactly sixty cash left… perfectly spent, clean and comfortable.”

Zhen Shi couldn’t help laughing. “So my little Tan is so frugal. Fine, you pay for the rice; I’ll pay for what comes next.”

Ouyang Rong, about to bend and shoulder the rice, froze. “What comes next?”

Zhen Shi didn’t answer. Instead, she tilted her chin toward a tall, thin man behind her, wearing a headband.

Liu Ashan immediately stepped forward and lifted the bulging sack holding five dou of rice.

“Auntie, Ashan isn’t our servant—he’s a free man.”

Ouyang Rong frowned and tried to stop him, but Zhen Shi smiled and nodded.

Ouyang Rong reached out to take the rice, but Liu Ashan stubbornly refused to let go.

Zhen Shi suddenly asked: “Why didn’t you sleep the other night? Why did you go out and fuss around?”

Ouyang Rong opened his mouth to speak—but this wasn’t a question with an answer she expected; it was a fill-in-the-blank.

Zhen Shi nodded with certainty, answering herself:

“It must be because the night was long and the empty room lonely. Come on—we must pick a warm-bed maid today. You promised me last time.”

“...” Ouyang Rong.

Auntie’s map of Yan State is getting shorter and shorter.

(Long chapter, a bit late… I’m now posting at least two chapters daily. Also, dear brothers, don’t wait for the next one—go to sleep early, check it tomorrow… I can’t keep up with Xiao Rong’s sobbing anymore.)

(End of chapter)